On the bright side, I’ve found what I can do with that spare $50,000 I’m planning on coming into.  This car is amazing.  Feel free to turn off/down the sound, as I didn’t listen carefully enough to know if there were any adult words involved.

I started my three new books with Roy Williams’ Hard Work, because (contrary to what the title might have me believe) I knew it would be the quickest read.  And nothing fuels reading like some good momentum.

Tim Crothers (Roy’s help writing the book) does an excellent job of hiding behind what sounds exactly like Roy Williams is speaking, and making it come off as both well written, and something Roy would say. I loved the behind-the-scenes look into coaching that it provided, and I think many people, especially vocational ministers, would profit from the lessons in how to effectively coach young people. If you are reading just for that, skip straight to the chapter called “philosophy.”

However, amidst the great retellings of some of the best moments of his coaching career runs a disturbing thread.  Here is a man literally on the top of his profession.  He’s among only 13 men to have ever won multiple national championships in men’s college basketball.  He has the highest winning percentage among active coaches.  At the time of the writing, he’s the current national champion. Yet it is clear that not even those pinnacles of achievement afford him any respite from the nagging pursuit of being the best.

As much as a fan as I am of UNC ball, it pains me that I get the sense Coach Williams is chasing wind.  (Ecclesiastes 2:11) What a shame to have worked so hard, done so well, and to have ended up with nothing of eternal significance.

Let me be clear, I am not saying that his pursuit of being the best is necessarily wrong  (I don’t know the man or his heart personally).  It is by no means wrong to pursue excellence.  But if that pursuit is done to validate me as a person, to make me “somebody,” I’ve missed it.  Only in Christ am I validated.  And only by my validation in Christ can I then rightly, actually, pursue excellence.

If a salesman has no assurance of where his next meal is coming from, it changes the motivation for selling. He’s selling that product to stay afloat!  If, on the other hand, he has a million dollars in the bank, he can sell for the love of the the product he is pushing. He’s been validated already.

My prayer is that Coach Williams (and I) would run to Christ, the only one who can validate us.  Christ is the one who has really done the “hard work.”

Then, run from there to Cameron Indoor Stadium and keep the streak alive against Dook.

Got three books in the mail today.  Two by Tim Keller, one by Roy Williams; because if your going to be religious about something, the Gospel and UNC Basketball are pretty good choices.

The class this kid shows is pretty awesome.  Welcome to the family.  Go Heels.

I was going to write a post just now (in fact, had it all set up to click “post”) about a former Dook basketball player that was not very… well… nice.

I guess it’s OK to dislike the team, but I should probably avoid the public, personal shots.  After all, he’s a guy that needs Jesus, just like me.  And you can’t believe everything you hear on the internet.  And it was all in good fun, but that’s tough to pull off, believably, on a blog.

But in case you all want to draw your own hilarious conclusions, read this article.

Further proof that the coaches poll (especially preseason) is a JOKE.  UNC lost everyone, yet we are in the top 4?  That is preposterous. And I guess UK gets a nod because they used be good…

I wanted to post something funny this morning.  Here’s a funny joke I heard recently.

North Carolina has a football team.

Buhdump-Ching.

Tip your waitress.

There now. I’ve gotten a newer hat.

Two years ago, I thought there was far too much post-championship coverage of Florida’s win.  I don’t like Florida.

Last year, I thought there was just about the right amount of post-championship coverage of Kansas’ win.  I like Kansas.

This year, I didn’t think there was nearly enough post-championship coverage of the Heels.  I bleed Carolina Blue.

Maybe it wasn’t the coverage that changed…

Guess I’ll have to get a new hat. This one is soooo 4 years ago.

Dang it feels good to be a Tar Heel this morning.

I’m watching the game on a 10-foot screen. Later others will join me for the UNC game.

Ahh Chapel Hill.  You make me want to drive there every time we beat dook.

On Carolina/Dook day, we want to make it absolutely clear where we stand as a family.

Still amazing, no matter how many times I watch it.  A 7’2” Frenchman tries to take a charge from Vince Carter.  Vince, however, jumps OVER him.  I’ll post this to my blog about once per year.