Prayer Requests (and Clemson/Maryland Prediction)
I confess that my mind isn't so much on game predictions right now. My thoughts are centered on two special young people named Hannah Sobeski and Andrew Kinard. If you haven't heard their stories yet, please visit their personal websites at www.caringbridge.org/ because they will truly inspite you as they have me.
Hannah is a senior at Dorman High School who was diagnosed with sarcoma this past spring. She's had a tumor in her stomach that fluctuated in size throughout the summer after getting bombarded with five rounds of chemo. By a miracle of God, her body improved dramatically, and she was able to eat solid foods again after being on a limited (mostly liquid) hospital diet for so long. She was even able to return to Spartanburg and to the friends and family praying fervently for her, and she was named Homecoming Queen at Dorman. However, she has recently taken a turn for the worse; the tumor has doubled and is in a position to take over her body. A sixth treatment of chemo probably would do more harm than good in her fragile state. Her aunt has described Hannah as being in "the eleventh hour" now. Her faith, and her family's faith, is strong, and she rests secure in the knowledge that no matter what, God will be glorified. Whether God heals her or calls her home. She rests in the palm of His hand.
Andrew and his family are members of First Baptist Spartanburg; I learned about his story in a message from Taylor Cox. He was stationed in Iraq as a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps and he was on his way out for a routine patrol when he and three officers under him were hit by a road bomb, an incendiary explosive. Andrew was unconscious and close to death from massive blood loss when a helicopter picked him up and flew him to the hospital. He even went into cardiac arrest at one point before the doctors stabilized his condition. He's lost both of his legs and had surgery to repair damage to his abdomen, but thankfully there was no brain damage or spinal injuries. He is presently recuperating at Bethesda Military Hospital in Maryland. From what little I know about him, Andrew is an active person by nature, and dealing with the loss of his legs will be a long and trying process. But despite his critical wounds, he is alive and expected to be all right. Praise God for sparing his life.
I don't know what it was or how it came about, but God drove me to pray especially for Hannah and Andrew last night. I've long since quit trying to explain these sudden urges, but choose to accept that they are Spirit-led. After spending about an hour or two on my English paper, I read up on Hannah and visited Andrew's website. All at once, I wanted to go outside. To walk. To pray. It was freezing cold, and the wind cut like a blade, but I didn't care. I paced the Furman Mall up and down several times for half an hour before squatting on the Chapel steps and bowing before God in silent prayer. I had no words to say, and so I let my heart cry out and listened for His presence. I prayed for God to show His glory through Hannah, the people she has inspired, the anguish she is experiencing, and be nurtured in her hope. I prayed for God to work His healing touch through Andrew, that he would feel strengthened by a power not his own, but from the Holy Spirit, and that he too would be used of God, even lying helpless in a hospital bed, as a servant for His work, and a living vessel for the love of Christ.
Pray for my Dad too, if you would. I just found out this evening that he has been having chest pains in the last 24 hours. Worried, my Mom took him to the hospital where they did blood tests and an EKG. There was nothing that turned up, but they agree that something is wrong. I'm concerned it may be his gall bladder. But just pray that whatever it is will either resolve on its own or be discovered fast enough to prevent any scary emergencies.
Now ... I'm tapped out, but I'll do my best to give a coherent game prediction.
Clemson came back to Earth last Thursday after getting the tar kicked out of them courtesy of the Virginia Tech Hokies. I'm not throwing in my lot with those who blame Will Proctor, Rob Spence, Tommy Bowden, or any of the other usual scapegoats that have surfaced. Proctor is our man, and will continue to be our QB because he is our leader. Tommy and the assistants had a sound game plan that didn't work. It happens. We got beat. Badly. It's not one person's fault. All that's left to do is to get off the mat and swing a hard right at our next opponent.
Maryland is not the same team that got lit up like a Christmas tree by West Virginia (who in turn got lit up by the Louisville Cardinal last night. Turnabout is fair play) earlier this year. Ralph Friedgen is still at the helm, and that's more than sufficient cause for concern. He is an offensive genius who always manages to play teams close, and although he doesn't have the athletes and talent that used to pull those games out, that doesn't mean they are any less dangerous. In fact, they might be more dangerous now than before, as they've "quietly" snuck up the charts. Clemson has every reason to give the Terrapins their full attention. Their title hopes are on the line. They can not afford another loss. And after the debacle at Lane Stadium, I feel assured saying they've got something to prove.
No doubt the Terps will attempt to copy the Hokies' method by stacking eight to nine men in the box to stuff our running game and make Will beat them. But their defenders are not nearly as athletic as Virginia Tech's, although they are certainly as big. We have Thomas Hunter back in the lineup. He'll be instrumental in helping the O-line free up lanes for James Davis and C.J. Spiller to explode through. Look for Will to go vertical more often and to toss some long balls to Chansi Stuckey and Aaron Kelly now and then. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a somewhat forgotten young man named Reggie Merriweather step to the plate to remind us of what he can do.
The defense should concentrate on pressuring QB Sam Hollenbach. He's not the dual threat that Reggie Ball and Riley Skinner are. That should help linebackers Clay, Nelson, and Conner to pin their ears back and provide aid if needed. Coleman and Hamlin must be watchful because Maryland's not lacking in capable, big-play receivers.
Bottom line: the Fighting Tigers are wounded following Virginia Tech. Their pride is at stake. It's November in Death Valley. Tommy's teams have a knack for finishing strong. Here's hoping that holds true for one that also started strong. Clemson comes out a tad sluggish at first, but with a boost from the home crowd, they kick it into gear and send the Turtles scrambling back into their shells.
My prediction?
Clemson 28
Maryland 17
GO TIGERS!
P.S. If you're a Tiger fan, do us a favor and pull for Wake Forest tomorrow. We need them to beat Boston College. Go Deacons!
Hannah is a senior at Dorman High School who was diagnosed with sarcoma this past spring. She's had a tumor in her stomach that fluctuated in size throughout the summer after getting bombarded with five rounds of chemo. By a miracle of God, her body improved dramatically, and she was able to eat solid foods again after being on a limited (mostly liquid) hospital diet for so long. She was even able to return to Spartanburg and to the friends and family praying fervently for her, and she was named Homecoming Queen at Dorman. However, she has recently taken a turn for the worse; the tumor has doubled and is in a position to take over her body. A sixth treatment of chemo probably would do more harm than good in her fragile state. Her aunt has described Hannah as being in "the eleventh hour" now. Her faith, and her family's faith, is strong, and she rests secure in the knowledge that no matter what, God will be glorified. Whether God heals her or calls her home. She rests in the palm of His hand.
Andrew and his family are members of First Baptist Spartanburg; I learned about his story in a message from Taylor Cox. He was stationed in Iraq as a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps and he was on his way out for a routine patrol when he and three officers under him were hit by a road bomb, an incendiary explosive. Andrew was unconscious and close to death from massive blood loss when a helicopter picked him up and flew him to the hospital. He even went into cardiac arrest at one point before the doctors stabilized his condition. He's lost both of his legs and had surgery to repair damage to his abdomen, but thankfully there was no brain damage or spinal injuries. He is presently recuperating at Bethesda Military Hospital in Maryland. From what little I know about him, Andrew is an active person by nature, and dealing with the loss of his legs will be a long and trying process. But despite his critical wounds, he is alive and expected to be all right. Praise God for sparing his life.
I don't know what it was or how it came about, but God drove me to pray especially for Hannah and Andrew last night. I've long since quit trying to explain these sudden urges, but choose to accept that they are Spirit-led. After spending about an hour or two on my English paper, I read up on Hannah and visited Andrew's website. All at once, I wanted to go outside. To walk. To pray. It was freezing cold, and the wind cut like a blade, but I didn't care. I paced the Furman Mall up and down several times for half an hour before squatting on the Chapel steps and bowing before God in silent prayer. I had no words to say, and so I let my heart cry out and listened for His presence. I prayed for God to show His glory through Hannah, the people she has inspired, the anguish she is experiencing, and be nurtured in her hope. I prayed for God to work His healing touch through Andrew, that he would feel strengthened by a power not his own, but from the Holy Spirit, and that he too would be used of God, even lying helpless in a hospital bed, as a servant for His work, and a living vessel for the love of Christ.
Pray for my Dad too, if you would. I just found out this evening that he has been having chest pains in the last 24 hours. Worried, my Mom took him to the hospital where they did blood tests and an EKG. There was nothing that turned up, but they agree that something is wrong. I'm concerned it may be his gall bladder. But just pray that whatever it is will either resolve on its own or be discovered fast enough to prevent any scary emergencies.
Now ... I'm tapped out, but I'll do my best to give a coherent game prediction.
Clemson came back to Earth last Thursday after getting the tar kicked out of them courtesy of the Virginia Tech Hokies. I'm not throwing in my lot with those who blame Will Proctor, Rob Spence, Tommy Bowden, or any of the other usual scapegoats that have surfaced. Proctor is our man, and will continue to be our QB because he is our leader. Tommy and the assistants had a sound game plan that didn't work. It happens. We got beat. Badly. It's not one person's fault. All that's left to do is to get off the mat and swing a hard right at our next opponent.
Maryland is not the same team that got lit up like a Christmas tree by West Virginia (who in turn got lit up by the Louisville Cardinal last night. Turnabout is fair play) earlier this year. Ralph Friedgen is still at the helm, and that's more than sufficient cause for concern. He is an offensive genius who always manages to play teams close, and although he doesn't have the athletes and talent that used to pull those games out, that doesn't mean they are any less dangerous. In fact, they might be more dangerous now than before, as they've "quietly" snuck up the charts. Clemson has every reason to give the Terrapins their full attention. Their title hopes are on the line. They can not afford another loss. And after the debacle at Lane Stadium, I feel assured saying they've got something to prove.
No doubt the Terps will attempt to copy the Hokies' method by stacking eight to nine men in the box to stuff our running game and make Will beat them. But their defenders are not nearly as athletic as Virginia Tech's, although they are certainly as big. We have Thomas Hunter back in the lineup. He'll be instrumental in helping the O-line free up lanes for James Davis and C.J. Spiller to explode through. Look for Will to go vertical more often and to toss some long balls to Chansi Stuckey and Aaron Kelly now and then. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a somewhat forgotten young man named Reggie Merriweather step to the plate to remind us of what he can do.
The defense should concentrate on pressuring QB Sam Hollenbach. He's not the dual threat that Reggie Ball and Riley Skinner are. That should help linebackers Clay, Nelson, and Conner to pin their ears back and provide aid if needed. Coleman and Hamlin must be watchful because Maryland's not lacking in capable, big-play receivers.
Bottom line: the Fighting Tigers are wounded following Virginia Tech. Their pride is at stake. It's November in Death Valley. Tommy's teams have a knack for finishing strong. Here's hoping that holds true for one that also started strong. Clemson comes out a tad sluggish at first, but with a boost from the home crowd, they kick it into gear and send the Turtles scrambling back into their shells.
My prediction?
Clemson 28
Maryland 17
GO TIGERS!
P.S. If you're a Tiger fan, do us a favor and pull for Wake Forest tomorrow. We need them to beat Boston College. Go Deacons!
posted by david @ 10:32 PM
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