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Tuesday, February 20, 2018

First Bite: La Novia

Saturday night we met two couples at a new East Cobb hot spot: La Novia Taqueria, from the Moxie Burger people. Very similar to Taqueria del Sol. Nancy got the duck and Lee the soup. Ceil got one taco and rice and also a black bean puree, plus various dips and guacamole. The tacos were small but tasty. I got a brisket taco. We took our time, stretching the meal out to two hours. Had time for Gilmore Girls when we got home.


SPdL is in that no man’s land, halfway between 400, 85, and 75. I like to drive and I like how my small car can zip around, and I was doing some zipping this weekend. It’s quicker to fight the red lights to get to 400 to go home, but I don’t always go the fastest route.

Saturday morning I did take 400 south to Lindbergh, but then going to the game forgot about Peachtree so we had to take 85 to North Avenue, then back to O’Keefe. Not too bad, and we got to see some of the buildings we usually don’t get to see. So many teardowns and rebuilds. Same after the game, taking Peachtree back. I had to go to the library on Johnson Ferry, so I took Piedmont to Roswell Road then Lake Forest to Sandy Springs, then Johnson Ferry across the river.

Sunday I came from JFBC so I took the same route. Hated that left turn off Peachtree into the church so I took the back entrance off Piedmont and Garden Hills. Two pretty pink blooming trees framed the back entrance ramp. After the funeral I was ready to get home, so I did more zipping than usual: up Peachtree to Piedmont, then 400 home. The only time I really hurried was Sunday afternoon. I was just enjoying having the small car that’s fun to change lanes in tight traffic when needed. Makes me want to get that little two seater Honda CR-Z. There was a red one in the SPdL parking lot that I was pointing out to Hurt.   


Late Sunday afternoon Becky came over, so we asked her a hundred questions about the wedding and her kids. Charles and Annie were back from their honeymoon in Canada. They’re living in a garage apartment over west of Moores Mill. Over the years Annie learned to cook at Becky’s house. Annie used to hang out with Becky even when the boys weren’t around. Becky likes Joel’s girlfriend. She’s a little older but fits in well with Annie and Beth. Everyone goes to a different church: Willis to Trinity east, Joel leads music at his church near Oglethorpe, Joel’s girlfriend to Trinity West, David and Beth to the church that meets in the old Abbey restaurant, Becky to a small church startup in Roswell, Catherine to City Church in Memphis.

I had a great time at the game Saturday. I hadn’t expected great things, knowing Tech had suffered numerous injuries. Great seats.

The Josh Pastner saga: has the team quit on him? Players these days aren’t loyal to a school or even a coach. They’re like free agents, transferring at the drop of a hat if they don’t like the cards they’re dealt. If Pastner is out it will be another setback for Tech. Any coaching change means that many more years of rebuilding before the team could possible start winning again. That’s what those fickle fans forget. They always want to fire a coach after one bad season.

AM680 blowhard Steak Sharpio was calling for Pastner’s head this morning. Last week he was wanting the UGA coach to be fired. Shapiro recently promoted himself to the coveted drive-time slot and kicked the guy who really knows the X’s and O’s (Dimino) to the late morning slot. Then all the listener lemmings agree, forgetting that any change will be a setback. Who will they get that’s better?

College basketball (and football) is big business. Millions of dollars being thrown around. Fans calling for coaches to be fired forget about the costs, the payoffs of huge contracts. Fans don’t care, they just want a winner. It’s not that easy. Tech athletics don’t have that much money compared to most other schools. Then Tech tries to go cheap, but when it backfires they wind up paying more money than they hoped. Tech sports seems to be in a downward spiral. That’s the constant fight for the AD. At least basketball attendance is up.

For the last year or two blowhard Steak Shapiro loved GT basketball, and was singing Pastner’s praises in particular. Steak said McCamish is the place to be seen. How quickly he forgets. How quickly he turned. But Shapiro would have one opinion one day and then the next day take the completely opposite side. Not what’s smartest or best, but what would cause the most controversy and draw the most listeners. I have absolutely zero tolerance for blowhards like him. At least John Kincade raises money to fight cancer.     

In this case perhaps it was Pastner’s fault. Are we now seeing the real Josh Pastner? Can Tech afford to make a change? But if Tech can’t get recruits because the head coach is constantly under fire, perhaps Tech can’t afford to keep him.

Last year I heard pastor Crawford Lorritts speak at a men’s event at Johnson Ferry. He used to speak at those nationwide men’s conferences as well.  

Accounting is like The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. The dollars are tracked like the pink ink. It may come off the wall, but it shows up again on the mop and later the snow.

Sunday School notes: Ephesians 6:18) praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

  • Notice the four "all's" 
    • praying at all times in the Spirit
    • with all prayer and supplication
    • keep alert with all perseverance
    • making supplication for all the saints
  • Prayer is inextricably linked to the Word of God
  • We are commanded to pray "in the Spirit"
    • So what does that mean? 
      • to pray in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit
    • Practically, when we pray, we should do two things:
      • trust that God will help you to pray (power)
      • allow your prayers to be saturated by the Word of God (guidance) 

"Right here is where God's call to be in the Word every day and his call to pray at all times in the Spirit become intertwined. If you live in the Word of God, meditating on it day and night by reading it every day and memorizing portions to carry with you all day and savoring them hour by hour, then your prayers will be shaped by the Word. Which means they will be shaped by the Spirit. And that is what it means to pray "in the Holy Spirit." Not only to be moved by the Spirit in prayer, but to be guided by the Spirit in prayer. And since this is something we are called to do ("pray in the Holy Spirit"), our role is to take what we know about the Spirit's will from the Word and saturate our prayers with it."  --John Piper, Sermon on Jan 7, 2001

  • Prayer is an important ingredient of perseverance ("keep alert with all perseverance")
  • Prayer is the key ingredient to successfully employing the whole armor of God

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