Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 12:40 AM | 0 comments  
I think sometimes i'm guilty of fluffing words that i say. That i'm not as passionate about something as i make it sound. (maybe that's my speech major ability shining through there) Where it's more about impacting my audience then being sucked into my own words. Well...these words were not meant for you. I promise. They impact me to my very core..

I remember October 11, 2003 like it was yesterday. This was the date of my first ever game in person. The Razorbacks were undefeated. We were ranked number 7 in the AP poll and just came from taking the number 11th ranked Texas Longhorns to the woodshed.

The feeling of driving over the hill that overlooked Fayetteville and walking into the stadium that seated 72,000 fans is almost equal to none. I’m obviously wearing my favorite Razorback shirt. A chill starts to run down my spine as the announcer says “Get on your feet Razorback fans; It’s time to CALL THOSE HOGS!!!” This is my favorite time of the year. Opening day is my favorite “holiday.” When the cold air starts to replace the hot humid air and my soul can once again breathe freely. It doesn’t get any better than the smell of autumn in the air, the William Tell Overture, and the sight of the Cardinal and White running through the “A”. This is my heaven on Earth.

The passion goes back further than that however. It goes back to the days when I couldn’t sleep the night after J.J Meadors caught the two point conversion to beat Alabama in 1995. Or maybe both of the nail biting 7 overtime victories that had me pacing back in forth for and eternity. (One against Ole Miss in 2001 and another against Kentucky in 2003.) It goes back to when me and my friends from high school vowed to jump into the pool with our clothes on if we somehow came back to beat Alabama one cold day in September. I’ve never been so happy to be so cold and wet in my entire life.

If you know me, you know that I am a devoted follower. I could tell you about all 85 players on scholarship and where they’re from. I’ve memorized the entire roster. If someone in my family doesn’t know what to get me for Christmas, I can bank on them getting something razorback related. (Unfortunately I will have to return it because it’s two sizes to big)

My Saturdays in the fall revolve around Arkansas Football. I love Arkansas and would not want to live anywhere else in the country. Whether it’s the countless Razorback signs people hang in their yards, local business named after my beloved team, or giant painted murals on the side of a cliff in Atkins Arkansas the entire state from corner to corner loves the Razorbacks.

Those Autumn Saturdays mean the world to me. They cater to a special part of my soul. I await kickoff like I once awaited Christmas as a child. Game days are magical. The grooms table at my wedding will be loaded with Razorback gear.

My mom used to have this bumper sticker that read, “And on the 8th day God created the Razorbacks.” I really believed it and you know what, I think I still do.

Go Hogs Go.
Posted by Kyle
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 11:23 PM | 0 comments  
Watching football as closely as I do, I notice that it isn’t always easy for a coach to tell his player what he is doing is wrong. I’d say most coaches try to do it constructively, but there are always players that ignore the instructions, or worse…they make excuses and shift the blame elsewhere.

I am often reminded of my own imperfection through constructive criticism at my new job. It’s always somewhat of a blow to my ego. I’m learning pretty quickly, but my boss is someone who expects absolute perfection.

No matter who we are, we all need correction. We may not like what we hear, but it’s good for us. If we take criticism the wrong way, we can’t make the necessary changes and get better. We’re stuck in our old stubborn unproductive ways.

But if we can listen and take our counselors candor to heart, we can help ourselves out by overcoming the negatives and doing it better the next time.

There are many times we are hit with constructive criticism when it comes to our lives. God is telling us that we can improve and have a deeper relationship with Him. And we have a choice to either take that criticism and use it to build ourselves better or we can be negative and resentful about it.
Posted by Kyle