“I’m sorry you’re turning 30!”

It was a great start to an early evening.

Ashley had just gotten off of work and we were laying down to talk about our day. The convo rolled from my daily work accomplishments to hers, then to talk about Annabelle and then out of the blue, she just let it go.

“I’m sorry you’re turning 30 tomorrow,” she said.

Silence quickly filled the room; the conversation had approached an impasse. I was stunned by her apologetic backhand while she just stared, seemingly anticipating my next move. I truly didn’t know what to say because, before then, I didn’t think turning thirty was so bad.

Apparently, when you’re 29 (almost thirty), you’re still “twenty-something” but when you’re thirty, YOU’RE THIRTY - there’s no escaping it! In the eyes of a twenty-something, thirty places you in to a very distinct category in which its members can finally say goodbye to closing down the bars with bottles of Miller Lite and can now set their sights on closing down the bingo halls with bottles of Gingko Biloba.

I sure hope Gingko goes down easy.

While I’m at it, how’s about a few schweet deals for Mom today!

* Bob Evans - Free slice of pie after 4pm
* Champps - Free entree with the purchase of an equally valued entree
* El Pollo Loco - They will honor KFC’s 2pc chicken meal coupon
* Ikea - Moms get free small breakfast and coffee
* Kodak - Free custom photo card (up to $2.49) + shipping w/ coupon code FREECARD
* Outback Steakhouse - Free $10 gift card good on the next visit
* Smokey Bones - Moms get a free meal (up to $20) with the purchase of an equally valued meal
* TCBY - Free cup or cone of yogurt to all moms
* T.G.I. Friday’s - Free Brownie Obsession or Spiced Up Cupcake w/ order of entree
* Texas Land & Cattle - Mom’s can get a coupon good for one free entree (up to $15), which can be redeemed during their next visit.
* Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse $40 3 course meal + $25 gift card for mom
* Claim Jumper - Get $10 gift card for next visit

I’ve always wanted to be better at scripture memory but for whatever reason, it just does not come naturally to me.

It took me two days to memorize James 2:13.

What’s weird about this is that I do remember one thing well - people. It’s a gift that works out really well in the business world but I really wish I could remember movies, books, scripture and other stuff more.

Anyhow, I found this blog on 18 Tricks to Memorize More Scripture at FallenandFlawed.com which offers reasons why I can’t memorize (i.e. I’m too busy) and tips that you can use to memorize them yourself.

I used to use the old flash card technique which worked great with vocabulary in Jr. High but isn’t nearly as effective when studying scripture.

Anyhow, here are the suggestions.

1. Read it repeatedly. Did you know you can memorize Scripture during your morning devotion? Instead of zipping through your reading for the day, pause and camp on one verse for a long time. You won’t regret it.

2. Pay attention. Sounds obvious, but often ignored. Simply forcing yourself to be aware of what you are reading can help you internalize the words. Repetition will make the mind wander. What you have to do is bring it back.

3. Visualize what you are reading. Take Psalm 1:1 for example. “Blessed is the man who does not walk with the wicked nor stand in the way of the sinner nor sit in the seat of the mocker.” Your first tasks is to see the three actions here: walking, standing and sitting. If you can see the three main actions, then you can start to memorize the surrounding words.

4. Create anchor words. In the above example, your anchor words are “walking,” “standing” and “seating.” In Colossians 1:15, my anchor words are image, invisible and firstborn. Whenever I get lost while reciting a passage I look for my anchor words to orient myself.

5. Recognize patterns. In Psalm 1:1, after the first line, the next three sentences follow this pattern: a verb, a noun and a modifier. Think of each of these as a bucket you drop the appropriate word into.

6. Start with the easy. Now, some passages are easier to remember than others. Psalm 1, easy. A page from Romans, hard. On your first effort at memorizing large chunks of Scriptures, don’t tackle Romans. Build some confidence first by memorizing Psalm 1 or the Sermon on the Mount.

7. Stagger. Sorry, not like you were drunk. What I mean is memorize an easy passage then a hard passage then an easy. Give your brain a break. This way you’ll avoid burnout.

8. Build memorable associations. If you want to remember difficult section of scripture like Romans 1:18-20, it helps to imagine God hovering like a brooding mountain over the world to represent all three verses. This is a robust picture hard to forget.

9. Anchor memorable associations in chapters. These rich word pictures can also help you when you’re trying to memorize entire chapters of the Bible. They orient you on a larger scale.

10. Cheat a little. Once you’ve absorbed a hunk of Scripture, don’t be afraid to keep a sheet of paper nearby with keywords or section headings to help you out when you need a reminder.

11. Narrate. Sometimes it helps to describe in your own words what you are trying to memorize. This will also help you build memorable associations, spot keywords and develop anchor words.

12. Stick to a ritual. I find it easier to memorize Scripture in my car–I have a long commute–and before I sleep. Especially early on in the process of memorizing, I can’t remember my passage as easily anywhere else except these places. So, until I gain more confidence, I stick to this ritual.

13. Sing it. Try opera. Or a musical. The point is to be dramatic. As if you were in a play. [This is my favorite trick, by the way.]

14. Try mnemonic devices. Many of us learned ROY G BIV to remember the colors of the rainbow. Make up your own device to memorize anchor words or more. In Psalm 1:1, your device would be WSS, or walk, stand and sit.

15. Enlist your body. If mnemonic devices aren’t your cup of tea, use body parts. Classic example of this is Ephesians 6:10-18, the armor of God. Waist, chest, feet, forearm and head complete the armor and can help you navigate through this lengthy passage.

16. Repeat the alphabet. Say you just can’t remember that big word in 1 John 2:2. Run through your ABCs. When you get to P, it should trigger the word escaping you: propitiation.

17. Type it. One way to memorize something like John 1:1-3 is to type it into your computer. Not once. Not twice. But ten times. Maybe more. Your call.

18. Hear it. After you’ve typed it, next, read it aloud and record it. Then listen to the recording several times.

Alright budget lovers, if you’re looking for something non-edible to fill that God-sized hole of yours, John Piper is offering his book “Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ” for $5 on his site, DesiringGod.org.

The book has been selected as a 2009 Christian Book Award Winner by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for being one of the best Christian books this year.

Piper’s site gives the following description of the book:

In this book John Piper seeks to provide a biblical perspective on God’s sovereign and righteous governance over even the sinful acts of men. History’s greatest sins do not thwart God’s purposes to save his people and glorify his Son; they fulfill them. And being grounded in this hope is the key to “Christ-exalting strength in calamity and Christ-exalting courage in conflict.”

This is one deal you won’t find at Kroger! Offer ends tomorrow.

I’ll admit, I’ve been bitter since the dastardly end to the 2008 college football season. You know, the one in which the Longhorns were not invited to the big dance for winning against a team that actually got to play there - remember that?

Well, all I have to say is the future looks dim for the other 118 teams playing college football right now.

IF it sticks, the Longhorns will have to pass out several pens to their talent-laden recruiting class of 2010. The ‘Horns have nabbed 19 commits and they’re all really freakin’ good pick ups! Pair those up with the likes of Garrett Gilbert (class of 2009) and Texas will be ready to move the scales further south in efforts to offset the Big 12 slant towards Oklahoma.

Here’s the complete list on OrangeBloods.

http://texas.rivals.com/commitlist.asp

In one of my more recent blogs, I shared that Ashley and I have been going through a Sacred Marriage study led by a couple from our church. Already, I am amazed and encouraged by the honesty of God’s children and the reality of how much we really do need him.

The entire premise of this book is central to the idea that God did not design marriage to make you happy, he designed it to make you holy. Supporting that statement, an appropriate follow-up question would be, “Well then, what makes God happy?”

Author Gary Thomas provides the answer. The following is an excerpt from the text. He leads it with a challenging question.

The key question is this: Will we approach marriage from a God-centered view or a man-centered view? In a man-centered view, we will maintain our marriage as long as our earthly comforts, desires, and expectations are met. In a God-centered view, we preserve our marriage because it brings glory to God and points a sinful world to a reconciling creator.

The chapter talks a great deal about reconciliation and provides solid arguments supporting the idea of your marriage being your greatest ministry to the world, not just to those outside your family but also to those that are IN your family.

Thomas argues,

How can (one) tell their children that God’s promise of reconciliation is secure when they see that my own promise doesn’t mean a thing? They may get over it, but in that case I will have presented a roadblock rather than a stepping-stone to the gospel.

Growing up as a child in a divorced family, I can relate to the “get over it” thinking. I can assure you that as a graying, near-thirty year-old man, I’m still waiting to “get over it.”

The chapter is chalked full of goodies and reinforces the idea that the ultimate goal of your marriage should be to do what pleases God, not yourself.

So, I’ve been jacking with Photoshop and Aperture over the last few days and made the decision to come up with a more “personalized” site. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve been in a creative funk which isn’t saying much since I’ve been diagnosed with Creativity Deficiency Disorder. Anyhow, you’ll see some changes coming soon and one killer update blog on Baby Ritter!

For those of you G-mailers out there that love reading blogs and following your favorite sites online content, you have got to make Google Reader a part of your online browsing arsenal. The Reader can be displayed on your iGoogle home page and it’s as easy as grabbing the RSS feed for your favorite site, and adding it in to the reader’s code.

Once you’ve done that, ANY TIME one of your listed sites adds new content, you will be updated via your iGoogle home page that there is a new article. Probably even cooler is the fact that you can read a brief preview of the article before going directly to the site, to see if it’s anything that interests you. This works great for me with one feed in particular. I LOVE following the CNET.com RSS feed, the problem is, the dadgum thing adds about 50-100 articles per day. I don’t have enough time or energy in a day to sift through that much content, but with the preview feature, I can determine whether or not it’s worth my while to read it.

I follow a GROWING list of blogs that interest me - from family and friends to John Piper’s Desiring God daily updates - Google Reader allows me to keep up with all of them in one place.

They have their own Official Google Reader Blog as well as a video on how to get started (see below).

Give it a try, it ROCKS!

Happy March Everyone!

So, after the BCS banter and a bitter taste over the Heisman screwing that two better-than-Bradford Texas quarterback’s received, I’m back online for 2009.  I like the way that sounds, “Back Online for 2009!”  There’s my free creative for the year, feel free to use it.

In the wake of an acid-reflux attack, which was brought on by another Florida Gator national championship that I had to suffer through watching in as fancy a hotel as Waco, Texas has to offer, I have since experienced a tremendous amount of joy.  Most, if not all of it has come through experiences with family and friends.

My baby girl is just over five inches this week and all indications are that she’s a healthy, active young lady that’s almost as beautiful as her mother.  I know Ashley feels a closeness to her, one that only a mother and daughter can have during pregnancy but my heart has already started to burn at the thought of bringing a child in to such a cold world.  Already, I’m feeling this paternal need to protect her from all of the disgusting, vile man-pigs (of which I once was) that roam the streets.  Anyhow, we’ve got a doctor’s appointment this week so I’ll definitely be posting updates.

Work has certainly kept me going, January and February are tremendously busy months for high school sports as you’re closing out the football season (attending banquets, compiling all-area teams, preparing for National Signing Day), standing smack dab in the middle of basketball season and getting ready to launch the baseball/softball season.  Plus, we’re in the middle of the clinic season for baseball and football coaches of which I participated in my fair share.  I also attended the Allen, TX Tour of Champions and presented an award alongside the Army National Guard to Coach Tom Westerberg and about 4,000 screaming fans.  Allen won the Class 5A state championship on a remarkable run that saw them avenge an early season loss to then #1 nationally-ranked Euless Trinity and win their last several games with their backup quarterback leading the charge.  It was by far the best tour stop that I had the opportunity to be a part of, ranking just above my 2008 stop in Jeannette, Pennsylvania.  Allen is a tremendous community with unrivaled fan support.  You can see a photo of me in the Dallas Morning News and view a portion of my presentation on video at MaxPreps.

Ashley and I have purchased a home and are in the closing process as we speak.  We ventured a little north of the Lewisville area and have found a wonderful bargain (we wouldn’t buy it if it wasn’t a deal) in Corinth, a quiet but growing area between Denton and Dallas.  There’s a tremendous amount of upside to the “investment” and there’s no doubt in my mind that this is where the Lord wants us.  Mostly because I all but begged him to end the deal if it wasn’t.  There were a few other home offers that fell through for one reason or another but ultimately, we knew that this was the place because of prayer, price, location and circumstances.

We had the chance to play host to the ever-so-fabulous McGhehey’s who ventured to Texas from the distant state of Mississippi this past weekend.  In tow was the brilliant and beautiful Jackson whose personality was as big and bright as the Texas sky.  I love these guys!  They’re faithful Christians and extraordinary parents and Jackson is the living proof of that.  Hopefully, the next time they come to Texas - they’ll never leave. Pllllleeeeeeaaaaassssseeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Ashley and I started attending a Bible study two weeks ago over the book Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas.  What’s transpired in just a few short weeks is a lot of insight in to the REAL purpose of a marriage and a lot of dialog around the major points.  Ultimately, the central theme to the entire book is that God did not design marriage to make YOU happy, rather he did it to make you holy.  In my experience, a great deal of marriages suffer and fail because both the husbands and wives involved fail to grasp the concept that their marriage is not about them at all.  So many marry because their partner adds some light of happiness to their life and find that somewhere along the way, their partner just doesn’t make them as happy as they used to.  So, feeling entitled to fulfilling their own desire to be happy, they leave their marriage to enter another relationship only to find that it will end in the same way.  Reading through the first 3-4 chapters already, I can tell you that this is a great book for any married Christian couple to have in their library.

Well, that’s about enough for tonight, more to come…