The last couple of years have been rough for the red & gold. While they amassed some truly talented players they couldn’t seem to pull things together. Enter Jim Harbaugh. No one would have believed that at this point in the season the Niners would be preparing to host another NFC Championship game but they are. Alex Smith is a different quarterback. I’ll admit that I wasn’t in his corner before the season started but somebody believed in him and that somebody was Jim Harbaugh. The story goes that when Jim was hired to lead the team he went over to Alex’s house and asked him if he wanted to play football in San Francisco anymore. What a great question. Then they played catch. How cool is that? We can learn a lot from this year’s Niners team and from their rookie coach but for now I am going to enjoy the ride and hope that I can add another Super Bowl winning quarterback’s football to my collection.

… had to add this video I just watched on NFL.com… I know you’ll enjoy it.

Joe is a great friend, brother, and son. Anyone who knows Joe loves him. Literally. I don’t know how you couldn’t. When I was tucking my daughter in bed this evening I heard my middle son saying something to himself. Curious, I asked what he said. “I really like Joe.” That about sums it up.

We will be visiting the best pubs, cafes, and scenic views Portland has to offer as we swap stories, reminisce, and dream of what the future holds. He is numbered among the troops that come to mind whenever I see those bumper-stickers, pins, or t-shirts. Regardless of your political persuasion or military stance remember Joe and the other Joes when you pray for peace. He’ll appreciate it.

On another note… I mentioned yesterday that I might say a word about doubt. I am currently reading Peter Rollins latest book Insurrection. Pete is a great story-teller and philosopher who has a knack for challenging your thinking and the way that you hold your beliefs. In this work he tackles the place of doubt in the Christian faith. Doubt is one of those things that many people who “believe” aren’t really comfortable admitting to having though I would argue that everyone does. In Insurrection Pete describes how one does not have to surrender belief to walk through the depths of doubt and despair for that is exactly what Jesus did on the cross when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I find Pete’s questions and assertions both comforting and challenging and look forward to picking it up again and trying to wrap my brain around his argument.

What was your favorite gift? How do you understand the role of doubt in your life?

We didn’t take any pictures of my 4yr old on the roof… mostly so we wouldn’t get any calls from Social Services. It was great. But now Christmas is over and a new year has begun.

I am very excited about this new year and I have a lot of plans. I won’t call them resolutions. Resolutions are meant to be broken. No, I have a couple of projects that I am working on. I’ll be sharing them as they unfold but for now I am forcing myself to sit down and write. If you are reading this than I guess that I am writing to you. Tomorrow I am going to tell you about one of the things I got for Christmas. And I might even write something about the role of doubt in the Christian faith. We’ll see.

Did you make any resolutions?

I know very little about Mr. Jobs’ personal life and was eagerly awaiting the forthcoming publication of his authorized biography in November. What I do now however is the degree to which his creations have made their way into my home and life. At this very moment I am typing away on my MacBook Air with my iPhone 4 sitting beside me while I have an episode of Arrested Development paused on my Apple TV in front of me. This man changed the way we listen to music, consume entertainment, and create.

His story is page-turner. From his forced departure from Apple to his self-described rebirth to the products and industries that he pioneered many can be both inspired and challenged by this man.

Today let us remember this man and be inspired to create and accomplish even just a fraction of what he managed to do. Let us work hard and uncover the best of ourselves so that we and the world are not shortchanged by the mediocrity that we often accept.

Thank you Steve.

Abel Liam Cardinal. Our third child and second boy. Measuring at birth 21″ long and 8lb. 6oz. He is our first to be born with dark hair. September 12 will forever be his birthday.

We look forward to introducing him to you formally, yet for now…

This week a friend forwarded a good joke that I had to share. If football is not your thing it probably won’t be as funny but I sure enjoyed it and hope you will as well…

The Pope went on vacation for a few days to visit the rugged mountains of Alaska . He was cruising along the campground in the Pope Mobile when he heard a frantic commotion just at the edge of the woods. He found a helpless Viking fan wearing shorts, sandals, a ‘Go Vikings hat and a Vikings Rule shirt. The man was screaming and struggling frantically, thrashing all about, and trying to free himself from the grasp of a 10-foot grizzly bear.

As the Pope watched in horror, a group of Packer fans wearing Packer shirts came racing up. One quickly fired a 44 magnum slug right into the bear’s chest. The two other men pulled the semiconscious Viking fan from the bear’s grasp. Then using baseball bats, the three Packer fans finished off the grizzly. Two of the men dragged the dead grizzly onto the bed of their pickup truck while the other tenderly placed the injured Viking fan in the back seat.

As they began to leave, the Pope summoned all of the men over to him. “I give you my blessing for your brave actions!” he proudly proclaimed. “I have heard there was bitter hatred between Packer fans and Viking fans, but now I’ve seen with my own eyes that this is not true.”

As the Pope drove off, one Packer fan asked his buddies, “Who the heck was that guy?”

“Dude, that was the Pope,” another replied. “He’s in direct contact with Heaven and has access to all wisdom.”

“Well,” the Packer fan said, “he may have access to all wisdom, but he doesn’t know squat about bear hunting! By the way, is the bait still alive or do we need to go back to Minnesota and get another one?”