Seasons - Craig Groeschel

God Determines the Seasons
By Craig Groeschel on spiritual development

God determines when a season begins and ends. Scripture says, “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. 21 He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them…” (Dan 2:20-21 NIV)

Jesus seemed very aware of God controlling the times. He said in John 2:4, “…My time has not yet come.” Later in John 17:1, he prayed confidently, “…Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

It is helpful to remember that there is a purpose in every season.

Paul waited for months before God opened the door for ministry.
Elisha followed Elijah f or years hoping to get what Elijah had.
Joseph spent years in prison before being promoted to the palace.
I try to remind myself that I can’t skip a season and every season is important.

If you seem stuck in a non-ending season, find comfort in these verses:

This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place…Habakkuk 2:3

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Gal 6:9

What are some of the most important seasons you’ve experienced?

My Mother's Prayers - by Bill Bright

My Mother's Prayers
"Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name." (Isaiah 40:26)


As a young man, I was a materialist and humanist. To me at that time, success in life was measured by the accumulation of material possessions, honors, applause, and the praise of men.

The idea of God, or a Savior, or the Bible, had little place in my life. All through high school, college and in graduate school, on the extension faculty of Oklahoma State University, and later as a businessman in Hollywood, California, where as a young man I developed my own business, I was motivated by selfish goals and materialistic pursuits.

Then one day I sensed that unseen hand of God in my life. I can only describe it as a sovereign visit from God. God and my mother's prayers caught up with me. I was drawn to the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.

It was there that I heard about the great Creator God of the universe. Simultaneously, I discovered that my head had been in the sand -- the sand of mundane, selfish interests and temporal pursuits.

But there at that wonderful church in Hollywood, I was moved to look up, beyond my microscopic world, at the wonder of creation, behind which was an obvious Creator. And one day I met this One who, according to the Bible, came to this earth in the greatest act of love the world would ever has ever known. He is Jesus of Nazareth, God's only Son.

My life has never been the same since I surrendered my life to Him.

YOUR VIEW OF GOD REALLY MATTERS...
Have you ever fully surrendered to God? Until you surrender unconditionally, you will never experience the incredible adventure God offers you. If you haven't already, why don't you take the first step today---surrender.

Additional reading: Philemon 1; Ephesians 3:1; Romans 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1.

Because God is sovereign...
I will joyfully submit to His will.
Adapted from Daily Insights, by Bill Bright.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from theDiscover God Bible (NLT).

listening to God...

Psalm 131: “My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore” (NIV).

What a great way to begin a time of prayer...

M@

just because

wow...since I started blogging a few years ago, I don't think I've ever gone this long without a post. I'm guessing that even my mother has stopped checking in! Why the lack of posts? Probably a few reasons: i'm very busy, i'm doing more personal updates via facebook these days, and, did I mention I'm really busy? I suspect I'll get back on the wagon, but don't want to make any promises I can't keep.

Here's a little personal update:

1. Heidi's out interviewing for jobs. Since moving to IL, she's been working for a staffing agency, which staffs nurses in many area hospitals. As the economy has taken a dive, hospitals have relied much less on agencies, so her work has slowed to a halt in the past few months. So she's talking with hospitals directly. Several are interested in her, so she should have some good choices.

2. The kids are doing great! Levi is growing in his swordplay, which is disconcerting for his sister. Izak continues to love school and learning - especially about the weather. And Liberty is a great artist who also loves to play on the computer when she can.

3. Life at the Chapel is busy. The building project is wrapping up with amazing results. We had hoped and prayed that the direction we're taking would create great space that helps people connect with each other and God. We're seeing it happen! Thanks, God!

4. Personally, I'm a bit tired these days. I'm trying to figure that out and get to the bottom of it. also probably one of the reasons that I'm not writing much these days.

5. Can't believe the Pats missed the playoffs and another shot at the super bowl. Congrats to Steelers nation.

Back to daddy-land...

M@

merry christmas!

what a run it's been...

1. This morning was a great morning. the kids did a great job sleeping until 630...

2. yesterday, there were 4 great Christmas services at my campus. I got to teach the 3pm so that Jeff could teach at Barrington. He did a great job with the message and the creative arts team did an excellent job with the program.

3. We've finished up the remodel project on the main floor. The hope at the beginning was to use existing space to more effectively allow people to connect while at the campus. in the past few services it's been open, that's exactly what we've seen. It's exciting to see people stick around for a half hour just talking about life and what they just experienced.

4. Heidi's dad continues to recover from his heart attack. We're thankful to God for this...truly a miracle!

5. We're heading over to the Sue house for a great afternoon celebrating Christmas together.

6. I'm always struck by this holiday. It brings me back to the power of the birth...God with us.

May you sense God's presence as you celebrate today!

M@

hold on tight...

this season has been racing by...hence my horrible posting record. Sorry, Mom!

Here are a few quick hits from the past couple weeks:

1. I thought New York politics was dirty...welcome to the home of Rod Blogowhatever...he's taken things to a new level. Makes me proud.

2. Heidi's dad had a massive heart attack...while entering the hospital where one of hte best cardiologists in east michigan was on duty. God spared him in a big way. We're grateful to God that Lou is home today and doing great!

3. The renovation projects at The Chapel are winding down. Amazing!

4. God is faithful on so many fronts. Will name more later.

M@

why?

Why is the President-elect, with no constitutional power but the power of influence, doing more (apparently) to help move the country forward than the man who holds the actual office of President?

sunday afternoon

We had a great set of services this morning. In the midst of the Storm series (check out www.chapel.org/storm), Jeff talked about contentment.

That one hits me in the bullseye. I call it "truck envy"...whenever I see a great truck, a little part of me (and sometimes not to little) wants my own truck. I see the great prices and financing options these days. We could probably swing it.

Not worth it to feed the beast of discontent.

The challenge was to keep my focus on God and enjoy his presence each day. How true...when I focus on God, my heart is content. When my eyes become more focused on me...greed gets strong.

Contentment...enjoying God's presence in my life.

prediction

Here's my prediction for the election tomorrow...

Obama will win both the electoral and popular vote. The popular vote will be relatively close. The electoral college will not.

It's been an interesting election to watch. Neither candidate actually campaigned strong. The strongest message was "change"...which is a pretty fluffly message. Neither presented strong plans and talking points. McCain didn't give people a reason to vote for him - so this became an election about Obama - can he really lead us? And I don't think that Obama's campaign made enough mistakes to make people swarm away from him.

The result will be that we will have at least 2 years of the first truly liberal government in America (liberal democrats will control the White House, House of Reps, and Senate). Previous Democrats have not been as fully liberal as our up-coming leadership.

What do you think will happen on Tuesday?

M@

your words

LifeChurch.tv : swerve
a leadership, technology, and innovation blog for pastors and church leaders


Your Words Can Change a Life
By Craig Groeschel on encouragement

As a senior pastor, youth pastor, or student pastor, God can often use your words in an extra special way. It is not that you are better than a non-pastor, but your words can carry more weight in a person’s mind. Like it or not, many people see you as a representative of God. You should “feel that weight” as you speak.

You can look someone in the eyes and tell them:

“I believe in you.” They may never have heard that from anyone else. Give them the gift of your faith.
“You are making a difference.” Many great people serve Christ and His church for years without ever hearing those special words.
“God has forgiven you.” Many people confess their sins to God but don’t “feel” forgiven. You can speak on behalf of God’s promises and help set someone free from any false guilt they continue to carry.
“God used you in my life.” Occasionally someone will encourage me when I’m down and not even know it. I love to give them a return gift by telling them what God did through them for me.
I’d encourage you to become more and more generous with your words! I like what God said in Deuteronomy 3:28, “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”

Commission others to ministry with your words.
Strengthen others with your words.
Encourage others as long as it is called today.
How has God used your words?

Wisdom of Warren Buffett: On Innovators, Imitators, and Idiots

written by bill taylor at http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/taylor/

I'm not sure who said it first, but I agree with the sentiment: "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste." We're all struggling to make sense of the financial crisis that has spread around the world, to learn some lessons that will guide us as we go forward. One of my worries is that many of us will learn the wrong lessons--specifically, that we will become too conservative and risk-averse, that we will learn to fear creativity rather than embrace it. It's easy to portray the credit crunch as a case study of creativity run amok. Who's the genius who invented subprime loans? Weren't we all better off before the creation of a $500-trillion market in derivatives, hard-to-understand financial contracts that are at the root of so much of what's gone wrong? Shouldn't we declare, once and for all, that our fascination with "disruptive" technologies, "breakthrough" innovations, and financial "reengineering" does more harm than good? Leave it to Warren Buffett, one of the world's richest men, to offer the most valuable advice on this score. In a recent hour-long television interview, Buffet gave a masterful course on how the world got into this financial mess. At one point, his interviewer asked the question that is on all our minds: "Should wise people have known better?" Of course, they should have, Buffett replied, but there's a "natural progression" to how good new ideas go wrong. He called this progression the "three Is." First come the innovators, who see opportunities that others don't. Then come the imitators, who copy what the innovators have done. And then come the idiots, whose avarice undoes the very innovations they are trying to use to get rich. The problem, in other words, isn't with innovation--it's with the idiocy that follows. So how do we as individuals (not to mention as companies and societies) continue to embrace the value-creating upside of creativity while guarding against the value-destroying downsides of imitation? The answer, it seems to me, is about values--about always being able to distinguish between that which is smart and that which is expedient. And that takes discipline. Can you distinguish between a genuine innovation and a mindless imitation? Are you prepared to walk away from ideas that promise to make money, even if they make no sense? It's not easy--which is why so many of us fall prey to so many bad ideas. "People don't get smarter about things that get as basic as greed," Warren Buffett told his interviewer. "You can't stand to see your neighbor getting rich. You know you're smarter than he is, but he's doing all these [crazy] things, and he's getting rich...so pretty soon you start doing it." Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics at the University of Warwick, has a more poetic way of making the same point. Oswald is a pioneer of a field that might be called "happiness economics"--the study of the interplay between money and human satisfaction. His rigorous academic work confirms the advice that we hear in our churches and from our shrinks--the relentless pursuit of wealth may fill your bank account, but it will leave you empty as a human being. "The curse of humanity is that people feel compelled to look over their shoulders," Professor Warwick told my colleague Polly LaBarre a while back. "Happiness and self-esteem depend on rank and relative income. We are consumed by relativism. If your neighbor drives up in a new Lexus, and you're still driving the Toyota that you were perfectly satisfied with yesterday, you start to become dissatisfied." So don't use the financial crisis as an excuse to stop taking chances or downsize your ambitions. But do use the crisis as an opportunity to take stock of what really matters--and to stop looking over your shoulder.
*********************
As I read this, I thought about the church, especially the "seeker movement". About 3 decades ago, there was an "innovation" in a couple of people, who started new churches in a new way. These new churches proved effective at connecting people with God in real and profound ways. The "neighbors" looked across the street, wished that their churches were as big, and imitated what they saw. Then along come the "idiots" Buffett talked about.

And poof...unintended consequences. Is it possible that, as the "idiot" sector gets ahold of these innovations in the church that we experience a crisis of sorts? I see one impact...when the "idiots" take things too far, then the rest of the church looks at the whole movement and condemns it outright.

anyway...not as articulate as buffett...just got me thinking on a Saturday morning.

M@

Bono on bailout...

H/T Julie Clawson via Reuters, September 25 (5 days ago)

As Congress debates a White House-proposed $700 billion bailout for the worst financial crisis since the Depression of the 1930s, Bono questioned why wealthy countries had not been able to come up with enough aid for the world’s problems.

“It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable treatable disease and hunger,” the U2 lead singer told Clinton’s fourth annual philanthropic summit in New York. “That’s mad, that is mad.” … “Bankruptcy is a serious business and we all know people who have lost their jobs,” Bono said, referring to the bankruptcy declared by Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. “But this is moral bankruptcy.”

* And the musician makes a good point...

what do you think?

M@

bosox

My BoSox are back in postseason baseball again! Repeating as champs should be a hard road through LA and Tampa...two teams they struggled to beat all season.

With the Cubs also in postseason, it's a fun time of year.

Went to Family Fusion last night (a great family event at my campus). During the music, my daughter, Libby, just grabbed my hand and started dancing with me in circles. Realizing she's been watching Cinderella a bit these days, I asked her if she was dancing like Cinderella. She just smiled and nodded her head.

My girl...truly a princess. I love being her daddy...

Had an amazing time up in the Dells this past weekend. F5 was given a gift of an overnight at a waterpark. amazing! The suite we stayed in was incredible - 2 rooms, kitchen, fireplace...the works. And 3 huge indoor water parks where we spent hours and hours running, swimming, sliding, and splashing. What a great time!

Thursday awaits...

M@

think about it...

Scot McKnight: The Eschatology of Politics

By UrL Scaramanga on Doctrine

by Scot McKnight
mccain_peace.jpg

Somewhere between 6pm and 8pm, Central Time, on November 4th, 2008, the eschatology of American evangelicals will become clear. If John McCain wins and the evangelical becomes delirious or confident that the Golden Days are about to arrive, that evangelical has an eschatology of politics. Or, alternatively, if Barack Obama wins and the evangelical becomes delirious or confident that the Golden Days are about to arrive, that evangelical too has an eschatology of politics. Or, we could turn each around, if a more Democrat oriented evangelical becomes depressed and hopeless because McCain wins, or if a Republican oriented evangelical becomes depressed or hopeless because Obama wins, those evangelicals are caught in an empire-shaped eschatology of politics.
Obama-hope.jpg

Where is our hope? To be sure, I hope our country solves its international conflicts and I hope we resolve poverty and dissolve our educational problems and racism. But where does my hope turn when I think of war or poverty or education or racism? Does it focus on November 4? Does it gain its energy from thinking that if we get the right candidate elected our problems will be dissolved? If so, I submit that our eschatology has become empire-shaped, Constantinian, and political. And it doesn’t matter to me if it is a right-wing evangelical wringing her fingers in hope that a Republican wins, or a left-wing evangelical wringing her fingers in hope that a Democrat wins. Each has a misguided eschatology.

Now before I take another step, it must be emphasized that I participate in the election; and I think it makes a difference which candidate wins; and I think from my own limited perspective one candidate is better than the other.

But, participation in the federal election dare not be seen as the lever that turns the eschatological designs God has for this world. Where is our hope? November 4 may tell us. What I hope it reveals is that:

Our hope is in God. The great South African missiologist, David Bosch, in his book Transforming Mission impressed upon many of us that the church’s mission is not in fact the “church’s” mission but God’s mission. Our calling is to participate in the missio Dei, the mission of God in this world. So, at election time we can use the season to re-align our mission with the mission of God. Therein lies our hope.

Our hope is in the gospel of God. God’s mission is gospel-shaped. Some today want to reduce gospel to what we find in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, while others want to expand it to bigger proportions (and I’m one of the latter), we would do well at election time to re-align ourselves once again with the gospel as God’s good news for our world. Therein lies our hope.

Our hope is in the gospel of God that creates God’s people. God’s gospel-shaped mission creates a new people of God. In fact, the temptation of good Protestants to skip from Genesis 3 (the Fall) to Romans 3 (salvation) must be resisted consciously. We need to soak up how God’s gospel-shaped work always and forever creates a gospel people. The first thing God does with Abraham is to form a covenant people, Israel, and Jesus’ favorite word was “kingdom,” and Paul was a church-obsessed theologian-missionary. Herein lies the challenge at election time. We are tempted to divide the USA into the good and the bad and to forget that the gospel has folks on both sides of political lines. Even more: we are tempted to think that the winners of the election are those who are blessed by God when the blessing of God is on God’s people. God’s gospel-powered mission creates a new people, the church, where we are to see God’s mission at work. Therein lies our hope.

Our hope is in the gospel of God that creates a kind of people that extends God’s gospel to the world. Chris Wright’s big book, The Mission of God, reminds us that election is missional: God creates the people of God not so the people of God can compare themselves to those who are not God’s people, but so that God’s people will become a priesthood in this world to mediate the mission of God, so that all hear the good news that God’s grace is the way forward.

Our hope is in God’s mission in this world, and that mission transcends what happens November 4th.

debate

Well, the first presidential debate is in the books. I'm a "political junkie" of sorts - and presidential elections are the Super Bowl of politics. Right now...honestly...it's a little like Kansas City and St. Louis playing at the SB.

After last night's debate, I'm actually wondering if we can get a redo on the nominating process. Here's my quick-hit reasons...

1. McCain's strength is his in-depth knowledge of government, leadership, and speaking his own mind. Last night, he was clearly working to get his lines right. And even when he had a great line (I love the one about DNA testing on bears in Montana), he couldn't deliver them with any sense that he's actually human.

2. Obama's strength is his ability to string words together in a way that inspires people to something greater than their current experience. Last night was about as uninspiring as an AP Calculus class. Pundits are giving him credit for looking directly at the camera...really! He showed no leadership. He showed a book-worm's knowledge of foreign affairs. But, as the candidate of hope, offered none to speak of.

I will confess that I didn't watch every minute of the debate. I just couldn't it. I had to do something interesting just to keep my pulse in a safe range - and by interesting, I mean watching Heidi balance the check book.

Anyway...maybe a little hard...maybe not harsh enough.

Looking forward to the VP debate on Thursday...

M@

VP Pick - part 2

I know it's been a couple weeks (sorry), so I'm a little late to the scene. However, since I posted a quick comment about Biden, I'm taking this chance to do the same about Palin.

In short, I think McCain's pick of Sarah Palin is nothing short of a brilliant political move. That pick communicates everything McCain wants to communicate:

1. Message #1: you want an agent of change...here I am!

2. I make the decisions here, not my staff.

3. I'm ready to lead the future of my party.

4. you ticked at Obama for dissing Hillary? You have a home over here in the GOP.

And in the past couple weeks, I think the McCain campaign has handled the celebrity, shock, and furry (on the part of the liberals and flat-footed media) just about perfectly. Brilliant.

On top of communicating what he wanted to by her pick, McCain completely stole the "bump" Obama would have gotten from an excellent convention and the most-watched nomination acceptance speeches ever. Amazing timing...the day after...and for the next 3 days, America googled and read about a little-known governor from the state of Alaska. Obama who?

and on that Friday afternoon in America, there began a true race for President.

VP pick

What? Are you kidding me?

So, you're a youthful, popular, history-making, visionary (?) presidential candidate. Who do you pick as your running mate? A guy who's been in the Senate longer than most of your "fans" have been alive and who can't quite keep his feet out of his mouth.

Sure, Biden ads credentials to the ticket...but that's what cabinet posts are for. I can't believe that Joe Biden is really the best Obama's team can come up with.

This decision tells a lot about his judgment...and it's disappointing.

Just a little rant for a Saturday morning...

M@

perspective

This is an email I received from a friend. His name is left off on purpose. It was a good challenge to my perspective on the world...
**************
The question I'm most often asked by friends or those who hear me speak are about the politics of the Middle East. They go like
this:

"I know you just talked for an hour about Jesus and how his Kingdom is growing – and that's very nice – but what we want to know is what do you think about our troops being in Iraq? Should we withdraw them or leave them? And while we're at it (they say in a soft voice, looking around to be sure no one is listening), who will you vote for – McCain or Obama?"

Second most asked question I get these days is about Iran's leader – Ahmadinejad. "So....what do you think about HIM? Pretty crazy huh? I think he has nuclear weapons already. Probably going to bomb us, or at least Israel. What do you think we should do?" (As if I know). :)

Questions then range from Sudan (Darfur and the so-called "Muslim-Christian" war there), to the Hezballah, Hamas and the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

In some ways, I totally understand. I'm the "Middle East expert"
dude. I know some of these people. I've been in and out of the Arab world since 1983. Lived in Beirut for 12 years. I've immersed myself in the lives of these people for a long time. I do understand them.

What I don't understand is our fascination with the politics of earth. I get several emails a week from friends who know me well, asking what I think about this or that article or email from some other friend that they received. Usually (almost always actually) these emails which they are forwarding to me, are alarmist in nature. "The Muslims are taking over." "Beware of the REAL agenda behind such and such group." They are full of fear and suspicion.

And these are the ones I get from believers. Lovers of Jesus.
People of another Kingdom. I think the emails are generally innocent, sometimes even well-meaning. They're not mean or nasty.
They're just not the point.

This may surprise you!

1. Iran probably has the largest and fastest growing church in the Muslim world? Shi'ite Iranians are turning to Christ in huge numbers.

2. Likewise, there is a significant move of God in northern Iraq among the Kurds.

3. Sudan has an incredibly strong and growing church among Muslims – even in Darfur.

4. The Hezballah of south Lebanon and the Shi'ites they represent have always been the most open to the gospel of all the peoples of Lebanon. Remember back in the early 90's it was they who gave me permission to speak in Mosques about Jesus.

5. The Hamas continuously invite Brother Andrew to speak to them about Jesus – hundreds at a time.

Let's not lose focus. Ahmadinejad is a puppet in God's hands. God will raise him up and lower him as he wills. Sadam was nothing to God. The Hezballah have been and are currently being used by God to fulfill his purposes in South Lebanon. And as much as I and many of you think the Iraq war was a bad idea, God has used it to open up a nation to hear his Word!

Jesus is the answer! Not Obama or McCain. Not troops in or troops out. And even the worst of the terrorists can never stops the plans of the King of Heaven!

Let's stay on track – don't get sidetracked into idle and silly arguments this election season that don't really matter. Do vote for the ones who you know and trust – do be involved. But know that politics is only a temporary salve to the great issues of our day. The only solution is living within you and I. The powerful Spirit of the living God.

road rash and suckers...

While preparing to have an important meeting Saturday evening, I got the phone call that parents dread. Kim stepped into my office, relaying the message: Izak is on his way to the hospital in an ambulance. There's been an accident.

One of my persistent challenges is what I call "adrenaline management." It's a place when one of my family is in danger and I get an injection of about 8000 cc's of adrenaline. But this time, I didn't do too badly in the face of this crisis.

I learned that you actually can squeal the tires of a minivan - for those of you who questioned the capacity of a minivan to drag race when needed.

Getting to the hospital, I gave the registration lady (who was very kind) 45 seconds to get what she needed before I proceeded to my son's room. She made good use of the time and pointed me in the right direction.

As I walked into the room, I see my son, strapped to the board and head immobilized. "Hi, Daddy! I got to ride in an ambulance!" And then he continued his very interesting conversation with his nurse and the paramedics who carried him in. The nurse chuckled as she recounted his first words while coming into the ER - "They have automatic doors!" He loves doors...

After a thorough inspection by a great doc, a ct scan to double check, Izak was released. The flying watoozee he did over his handle bars on his bike will be remembered by those around him, but not by him.

Later that night, as I was tucking him into bed, we did our nightly routine of processing the previous day - favorite part, not favorite part, and silly part.

Izak's favorite part of today? Riding in the ambulance.
Izak's non-favorite part of today? Dropping his sucker and seeing it shatter. Really? Is that the worst part of your day? Yeah, Dad...that was awful.

Ok then...he'll be ok. And Dad will, too.

My not-favorite part of that day? getting that awful call.
My favorite part? seeing God provide. He had his hand on my boy, and protected his body. And He provided an amazing family for Heidi and me. As I got to the hospital, a couple from our small group was already there - they altered there dinner plans and rushed over as soon as they heard the news. And throughout the evening, friends popped in to love on Izak and pray with us...just to stand by. That's part of the incredible gift of a church family. And I could not be more thankful.

M@

da Bears...

I can't believe that the Bears aren't even on the rumor radar in this Favre thing. Even if it's not that #4 would end up in Chicago (boy, the Packers would surely send him a strong message by sending him to QB purgatory...or worse), then at least I'd love to see the Bears mentioned (even just mentioned) as a landing place for Simms when he's booted from Tampa to make room for #4. Not that Simms would be a great answer, but it would tell me that the Bears management was scrapping for something on the QB dog-pile. But no...they seem to feel good about the intense QB battle waging in training camp between two clowns who have already proved that they can't handle the snaps from center.

It's good to be a Pats fan;-)

M@