Winterfest

Every year our Senior High retreat takes place during the first weekend in January. The event is called "Winterfest" and it draws some 400 plus students and leaders from our denomination's East Coast Conference.

I've had the privilege of being a part of the worship team for several years now and this year was no exception. One thing that was a little different this year was that I was as sick as a dog Friday. Thankfully I managed to get through Friday night and was able to enjoy what was a great weekend.

Johnny provides a good summary here. Each year, one of the highlights of this retreat is the bus ride home. I use the time on the bus to "interview" each student from my group. I get to hear their highlights, suggestions for future retreats and what message God had for them and then I get to pray for them. I'm so thankful for the way God uses so many different people to touch our lives and help us hear Him more clearly. Yeah, it was a perfect and beautiful weekend.

The Winter Classic

I'm sure that my five readers, like myself, were glued to the TV New Year's day taking in the NHL's "Winter Classic" game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres played outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium. I loved it. I loved the idea, I loved that it was snowy and I enjoyed the game itself. Some speculated that the hockey purists would not like it...too gimmicky, the weather playing too big a role in the outcome and I forget what other reasons they might have come up with.

Now, I don't know if I qualify as a purist, though I think I might. Here's my purist resume, my five readers can decide: I hate gimmicky third jerseys (like the Bruins old "pooh bear" jerseys) but like the throwback 3rd's, I hate shootouts (but I tolerate them since they only impact regular season games) I don't want bigger nets, I want to go back to a divisional playoff format (and bring back the old division names while your at it) and I wasn't in favor of allowing the two line pass (but have since admitted I was wrong about that), I hate composite sticks, and I believe the Sabres should go back to the logo on the uni's they wore for the classic.


As for the Winter Classic, I fail to see how a hockey purist could hate an outdoor game. Everyone who has ever picked up a hockey stick has played outside at some point...it doesn't get any more pure than that. Sure maybe not everyone had the frozen pond, but they at least had the street (or tennis courts) with in-line skates or sneakers. In fact, the only way the Winter Classic could be better is if they played it on a frozen lake. (Of course, you probably couldn't get 70,000 spectators there, but oh well.)

I loved the Winter Classic. If that makes me a "non-purist," so be it.