What I'm Reading at ACCS

Neda

"Neda, ojala que tu muerte no sea en vano."

The Ayatollah's Iranian Irony

"Our land has always been the seed-bed of true freedom--even before the Prophet came to correct the errors of time. Once again Persia shall lead the world as before. Conquest through Ji’had shall be our deliverance and our glory." --Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

What I Read at GA

QOTD: Quote of the Day

"Nothing, nothing there is to be
In which His deep-graved glory
Does not shine;
In all hearts,
On all tongues,
Let praise of Him resound." --John Calvin

QOTD: Quote of the Day

“God’s Name
Comprises all His excellencies:
Might, righteousness, wisdom, mercy, truth.
Great and wonderful is He;
For He is righteous;
For He is wise;
For He is merciful;
For He is mighty;
For He is true.
And so we petition:
In all His excellencies,
His majesty be hallowed.” --John Calvin

QOTD: Quote of the Day

"Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, and the growth of our growing. Prayer is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom; illimitable in its breadth, exhaustless in height, fathomless in depths, and infinite in extension. Oh, for determined men and women who will rise early and really burn for God. Oh for a faith that will sweep into heaven with the early dawning of morning and have ships from a shoreless sea loaded in the soul's harbor ere the ordinary laborer has knocked the dew from the scythe or the lackluster has turned from his pallet of straw to spread nature's treasures of fruit before the early buyers. Oh for the Holy Spirit to so work in us a passion for His presence. Oh that the fruit of Gospel transformation might make of us men and women of prayer." --Homer W. Hodge

In Memorium: Richard Quick

He was perhaps the single greatest coach the sport of swimming has ever known. Richard Quick won Texas state high school titles at Houston Memorial High School six times in his six years there. Then, as assistant coach at SMU, his teams won Southwest Conference Championships two times in four years. In the years after that, he won 13 NCAA championships at Auburn, Texas, and Stanford--at one point, winning six straight national titles. His most recent championship came just this past year at Auburn. He was the head coach of the United States team at the 1988, 1996, and 2000 Olympic Games and also served as an assistant at the 1984, 1992, and 2004 Olympics.

Ultimately, Coach Quick became the winningest swim coach in history. Over the years, his swimmers won some 757 All-American honors earning him five NCAA Coach of the Year awards. It was Coach Quick who inspired Olympic swimming greats like Jenny Thompson, Rowdy Gaines, Misty Hyman, Janet Evans, and Summer Sanders to achieve unprecedented feats in international competition.

In the summer of 1971, I had the privilege of swimming for and learning from this consummate teacher, mentor, and coach--for the Dr. Pepper AAU Team in Dallas. His unbridled enthusiasm and boundless energy were infectious. It was Coach Quick who convinced me that I could probably do nothing better than to teach and coach for the rest of my life.

This past December, Coach Quick was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Last night, he went to sleep in Austin and woke up in Heaven. He was just 66. He will be missed by all of us who knew him, were changed by him, and loved him.

On the iPod

QOTD: Quote of the Day

"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." --George Bernard Shaw