Penance and Power Forwards

Today marked the beginning of a long road of dental rehabilitation for me, with the help of Dr. Steve Edwards. I am still mostly numbed and very drugged up, but seems to me that the sort of pain involved is something like a penance for my sins of sloth and gluttony, particularly regarding my oral hygiene. Well, one filling, one root canal and one extraction later I am cursing laziness, and am optimistic that God is teaching me something through this after all. This is always one of those remarkable dynamics of our great God, that even our sin becomes used for His purposes. St. Paul is quick to remind us that this is no reason to sin more, rather to rest in God's grace in utter amazement.
In substantially less amazing news, the Bucks have still not traded Yi, but in fact were able to sign him to a standard NBA contract. I think I am excited about this, an I am know I am looking forward to the offensive fire power the Bucks can throw out there. In a related note, and excellent 30th birthday present for yours truly could be the Bucks hat you see in this picture:

And there is an outside shot it can be purchased at this site. Stay posted for more updates this week, including the Badger game on Saturday as well as an opportunity to give to missions.