Adam Barnett

Keystone, CO

I'm in Keystone, Colorado right now with Andrea's family.  We have been skiing the last few days and also took another snowmobiling excursion.  All I could think about was seeing a bear and my father-in-law wanted to see a mountain lion.  It was a blast though - we hit the race track on our snowmobiles and went crazy.  Talk about intense... the picture below is my two brother-in-laws, Kyle and Aaron, and I in our snowmobiling gear.  Good times. It feels great to "get away" and relax a little.  I also got a new i-Phone for Christmas, so it has been fun to play with and figure out.  

The Meaning Behind...

...the 12 Days of Christmas has never been something I've been too interested in or concerned with.  However, each year, you and I sing it without knowing what it means!  So, you can decide if this is interesting or a waste of space in your brain to know what the 12 Days of Christmas really represent.

From 1558-1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly.  Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.  It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning and the hidden meaning known only to members of their church.  Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember...

12 Drummers Drumming - the 12 points of belief in the Apostles' Creed

11 Pipers Piping - the 11 faithful disciples (minus Judas, of course)

10 Lords a-Leaping - the 10 Commandments

9 Ladies Dancing - the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

8 Maids a-Milking - the 8 beatitudes

7 Swans a-Swimming - the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit (prophesy, serving, teaching, exhortation, contribution, leadership and mercy)

6 Geese a-Laying - the six days of creation

5 Golden Rings - recalled the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament)

4 Calling Birds - the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

3 French Hens - stood for faith, hope and love

2 Turtle Doves - stood for the Old Testament and the New Testament

The Partridge in a Pear Tree - the most important element, Jesus Christ!

Kiss-Cam

Last night, Andrea and I had stellar seats at the OKC Thunder vs. LA Clippers game.  The Clippers beat us.  Below are pictures from our seats of Marcus Camby, Baron Davis and Zach Randolph.  At halftime, I stood like an 8-year-old boy and gave high-5's to the Clippers players and then went through the tunnel to the BMW buffet dinner.  The best part of the night, though, was when they did the Kiss-Cam and Andrea and I made out in front of 20,000 people.  I easily had the hottest wife in the arena last night.  Good times.

  

Congratulations, Sam!

Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy last night over Tim Tebow (Florida) and Colt McCoy (Texas).  I must say that Texas fans must be literally exhausted with the University of Oklahoma this year - they beat us, we go to the Big XII Championship and prove we belong there by whipping Missouri, on our way to the National Championship game, and now Sam takes Colt's possible trophy.  As I watched the ceremony, though, what stood out to me was the character of all three candidates.  All three claim to passionately and faithfully follow Jesus and submit to Him and His plans for their lives.  What a great year to have Christ shine through the most celebrated college football players in the land.  The Heisman simply seemed to stand for much more this year...

Crazy Love

Meet Francis Chan - one of the most profound, challenging and inspiring authors I've ever read.  I just finished his book, Crazy Love (Overwhelmed by a Relentless God) and it really messed with my perspective on life, love, others and the purpose of the church body.  Let me share something that knocked me out of my seat: "Do you recognize the foolishness of seeking fulfillment outside of Christ?  Do you understand that it's impossible to please God in any way other than wholehearted surrender?  Do you grasp the beauty and deep joy of walking in genuine intimacy with God, our holy Father and Friend?  Do you want to see God more than you desire security?"  Another thing that Chan stresses is the idea of faith and calling - he asks the question, "What are you doing right now that requires faith?"  So many times, we go through life and get in such a routine that we don't live through faith, unless that faith is in ourselves and our own abilities.  What am I relying on God for right now?  What am I completely depending on him in right now?  If he doesn't come through and provide, how would I suffer or how would life be different? 

A must read!  Please purchase this book and enjoy...

Chi-town

This weekend, my friend Lennell and I drove a total of 22 hours to spend 67 hours in Chicago.  It was worth it.  We watched the Bull's beat the Wizards 117-110 and the Bear's beat the Jaguars 23-10.  At the Bull's game, we were sitting in a really comfortable suite so we were able to watch the Big XII Championship throughout the night as OU stomped Missouri 62-21.  I can honestly not imagine how Chase Daniel feels about OU - we are pretty much responsible for ruining his season last year and this year.  Bummer.

FYI - The Bear's game is officially the coldest I've ever been behind sleeping in a tent in the Himalayan Mountains in Northern India.  A wind chill of -1 the entire game.  Brutal.  Not to mention the intimidation of pulling into Chicago and the mirror-thermostat saying 3 degrees.  We've got it pretty good down here in Oklahoma!!!

      

How to Talk to Girls

I can't decide if this is funny, unique, cute or stupid.  You be the judge.

Alec Greven just wrote a book titled, "How to Talk to Girls."  (click the link to buy it on Amazon if you want!)  The catch is this - he is only 9 years old.  I've got to share with you the Table of Contents for his book:

• Chapter One: The Facts of Life
• Chapter Two: Crushes
• Chapter Three: There's a Girl for every Boy
• Chapter Four: How to Get a Girl's Attention
• Chapter Five: What to Say to Girls
• Chapter Six: Compliments, Flowers, and Other Things
• Chapter Seven: Success!

The kid is smart - I could care less if he knows how to actually talk to girls... but he's going to sell enough books to curious readers and pay his way through college someday!  Here's a little of the advice he shared:

• "Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil." 
•  He believes the best way to approach a girl is to keep it to a simple, "Hi."
• "If I say hi and you say hi back, we're probably off to a good start."
• "Make sure you have good friends who won't try to take the girl you like."
• "If you are in elementary school, try to get a girl to like you, not love you."
• "Girls win most of the arguments and have most of the power."
• "The best choice for most boys is a regular girl.  Remember, some pretty girls are cold-hearted when it comes to boys.  Don't let them get to you."

International Student Thanksgiving!

We have a facility on campus called the LOFT - it's a place where students can come get free Wi-Fi and coffee during the week and study.  This is a little late, but we had a Thanksgiving dinner for International students at the LOFT last week and it was INCREDIBLE!  Last year we had around 30 students show up.  This year - 128, as well as over 40 volunteers!  Praise God!  Of course, we ran out of turkey, so we had to buy 6 large pizzas from Hideaway and 2 sandwich trays from Subway!  It was a great night as we were able to tell them about our Thanksgiving traditions and share the gospel in the process.  If you're ever interested in serving International students from OU, please let me know.  We can make it happen!  Hasta luego!