Talby Wednesday: When will my reflection show?

Well this is a hurried post because Talby called me in a panic this afternoon. He thought that because I did not get a post up yesterday, that I must be seriously ill or dead. I am neither. I alive and well, I just didn't have the computer yesterday. So in the little time that I have today I want to share some very funny pictures of Talby. While it may not seem funny at first glance... take a closer look. In these three pictures you can see the reflections. One you can clearly see is Talbot, lurking around in his gray hoody. The others are fuzzy reflections of the photographer, Jake Patton. Jake was a roommate of Talby's and has had Talby fever ever since. On a visit to Aaron's house he took pictures of pictures of Talby. And some of those pictures have two Talby's, Double the fun! So in honor of Jake's masterful artwork and photography and in praise of Talby, enjoy these photos which beautifully encapsulate this mysterious man.

The Self-Destructive Nature of Sin and Freedom from it

"Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors." Pr. 1:19
"The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cord of his sin." 5:22
"He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself." 6:32
"For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death." 8:35
"A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself." 11:17
"Whoever despises the word brings destruction on themselves." 13:13
"whoever gets sense loves his own soul.: 19:8
The book of proverbs has much to say about life. It talks at length about how the law of God should be lived out in every day life and paints vivid pictures of the lives of the wicked and the righteous. It truly is a beautiful manual for godly living. The book also highlights themes that are not as common in the rest of the Bible. Let me clarify that. I think proverbs goes into greater detail on some topics than any book in the Bible. For example I remember reading through the book and noticing that God describes the life of sin as a hatred for oneself. I always knew that sin was a hatred of God and our neighbor but within these verses I saw that rebellion against God is a rebellion against our true identity as creatures created in the image of God. If you are an unbeliever and are living a life of sin: greed, lust, drunkenness, you really hate yourself. Satan will lie to you and tell you that you are really loving your self when you indulge in sin. But the sin will bind you, enslave you, harden you, make your heart heavy with guilt, and fill you heart with anger and unrest. And as you become enslaved to your desires you will keep craving more and more of sin but you will always end up wanting more. So why do people live this way? Why don't they come to their senses and see their misery? Because Satan also blinds. He prevents sinners from seeing their true condition. Those who are ruled by Satan know nothing else but the false, counterfeit and fleeting joys that he dangles in front of them. And so he takes people who were made in the image of God, who were made to know, obey and to love God and he teaches them to hate. To hate God and to hate the image of that God which is implanted in their own life. Has there ever been a crueler master?
And has there ever been a kinder and better master than the LORD Jesus? A master who frees us from this state and brings life abundantly? Who teaches and opens the eyes of the blind, who heals, who commands us to be happy and rejoice in him? A God who teaches us to love him and in so doing love ourselves. I think a lot of people in the Christian community would scoff at that statement. Many people are uncomfortable with anything that has self-interest as a motivation for serving God. But is that not what God says, "whoever gets sense loves his own soul," and, "he who finds me finds life." In Richard Baxter's book The Reformed Pastor, he begins by explaining to pastors that in order for them to watch over the lives of others they must first watch over their own lives. "He that bade you love your neighbors as yourselves, did imply that you should love yourselves, and not hate and destroy yourselves and them."
Look, I know that this blog is silly. I have a lot of fun with it. But in a moment of seriousness, I am going to use this to challenge you to examine your own life. Are you truly happy? Do you care for and love your own soul? If you are not trusting and clinging to Christ in Faith, you are headed down a self-destructive path and there will come a time when death will permanently solidify your misery. So turn to Christ now. He is a good King and He loves his people. His death and blood can cleanse you from all of your sin if you repent and believe in him. "The Vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives."

He Speaks: An Exclusive Talby Interview

Talby Tuesday's so far has been all about other people writing about Talby. I have decided that this was not fair and wanted to give Talby a chance to use his own words and tell all of man cave nation what he is really about. So without further adieu i present to you the first ever man cave interview with Talby. (Note:This is not word for word because I could not write fast enough)

Jay: What is your full name?
Aaron: Aaron Kyle Talbot
J: Were you born and raised in Pittsburgh?
A: Yes... Well Bethel Park, but I guess you could say Pittsburgh
J: What important lessons did you learn from your parents growing up?
A: My Dad taught me to pick my battles when it comes to women?
J: What does that mean?
A: Well Jay, I think he was saying that there are some things that are worth fighting for but there are other things in life that are not as important. If you disagree with your woman on something that is not worth fighting for you can compromise and let it slide.
J: Ah, Interesting. What about your mother?
A: Oh she was always a big supporter of the rule, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I notice an excitement in Talby's voice as he goes on to say, Oh don't forget about Grandma Miller, she always used to say, "there is more than one way to skin cat."
J: Elaborate Please
A: Well she was just saying that you need to be creative in life. You don't always need to use conventional wisdom. You can be free to create.
J: Ahhh, I see. Well, let's take a trip down memory lane here and re-visit your high school days.
A:Ok sounds good brew
J: Tell me about your football playing days... well first, when did you start playing football?
A: When I was a freshmen. Actually momma Tal was worried that her boy would get hurt. I didn't come in till after camp freshmen year and everyone hated me because I didn't have to go through camp.
J: So were you always awesome at football
A: Well.... I didn't know what I was doing at first. I didn't understand principles, techniques, you know the x's and o's of football. So my football coach ended up just lining me up at defensive end and told me to just go get the ball. And I did. I was pretty good at it. All the technique stuff came later but I had the raw talent.
J: Did you always wear a cowboy collar?
A: No I started wearing one my Sophomore year because my neck snapped back and I wore one to protect my neck.
J: Did you like how it made you look huge?
A: Well i was the only one on the team to wear one so I kinda stood out. I liked anything that made my noticeable to all of the girls who would be watching.
J: Speaking of girls, did you date much in High School?
A: I did. I had many. I would say 5 or 6. I mean I wasn't a serial dater or anything but I had my fair share of dates.
J: Tell me about your first kiss
A: Great Story! So it was 10th grade and my best friend was dating this girl and over time I got to meet her cousin. THe four of us would always hang out together. Winterbreak was here and, like all Bethel Park Kids, we went to the hotspot...... Bladerunners. We skated to slow songs like Savage Garden and KC and Jo-Jo and faster ones as well. During the fast ones Talby (He used the third person here) would weave in and out and do crazy tricks. But after a slow skate, when everyone was leaving the ice at the end of the night I went in to give this girl a kiss. She turned away and I was crushed. But then she asked me if I was trying to kiss her and I said Yes. She then put one on me and Talby was a shocked that she put a little tongue action with it. (He used 3rd person again)
J: Ok.... So tell me about the most Romantic thing you have done for a woman
A: Well Jay that really a tough thing to say. You know every girl is different and so I kind of change things according to their needs. Every situation is different so I can't say that there is one thing that stands out.
J: OK, back to High School, How much did you bench then?
A: I think my PR was 325
J: Impressive. What was your favorite High School Football memory?
A: I would probably have to say that it was my JR. year when we beat Baldwin in the playoffs. It was Halloween night and it was a mud-fest. It was raining and we had on our all orange uniforms. We looked like Pumpkins on Halloween! We ended up beating them in 3 overtimes. We won on a boot-left play.
J: Speaking of 3 overtime games, How did it feel to lose to me when I was a Senior at Upper St. Clair, and you were a Sophmore at BP
A: Well you know it was tough Jay. All i remember about that game was that it was really cold.
J: Did you ever think then that your one of your best bros was on the other sideline?
A: No. No I didn't. But God always has amazing things in plan. Who would have thought that crosstown rivals would one day become friends?
J: True, True. Before I move on from High School, I have to ask you about your participation in the musical. What was that like?
A: Sure. When I was a senior I was known mainly as the jock of the school. But what many people did not know was that I was a musical person. I sang in our choir and our choir director was always begging me to be in the Musical. But as you know Jay being a football player requires a lot of time in the weight room so i never had time for musicals. But after my senior year I had the time so I decided to go for it. I played the part of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast.
J: You know some people when they hear this, probably think that this tarnishes your manly/jock image. What do you say to them?
A: I know that there are some out there who would consider revoking my man card, if you will, but i would say that it actually made me more manly. I knew who I was and was not afraid to take on something knew and foreign to me. I was up for the challenge.
J: Very well, let's move on to college. Why Grove City?
A: Well I went there every year for a conference and I swore that I would never go there! But then I met Coach Smith and everything changed. I fell in love with the football program and he showed a lot of interest in me as a player so I decided to go there.
J: Give me three words to describe Coach Smith
A: Effort, Enthusiasm, and Effort
J:What is your favorite GCC football memory?
A: There are so many but the first one that comes to mind is when we were playing St. Vincent. Bro Dido threw a TD to number 10 and I hoisted Dido into the air in celebration. It was a timeless moment, eternal.
J:What is your favorite thing to do with the bro's
A: Euchre. With beverages. Especially if a certain bro is partaking of the beverages as well.
J: Who is the best Euchre player?
A: I am. Wait no. I take it back. Say Chris because he is the master of re-nigging.
J: 5 words to describe yourself
A: (After a very long pause) Rugged, classy (when necessary), thoughtful, Witty (I'm witty), Good-sport.
J: So after graduating Grove City, you went on to become a youth pastor. Tell me what the most satisfying thing about being a Youth Pastor is.
A: Well I would say it is the realization that I can't do anything without the LORD's help. That means both personally and professionally. And also that God can take all of my mistakes and all of the crazy things that I've done in life and still use me. He can still use me in a very powerful way to impact the lives of today's youth and draw them closer to Christ.
J: Let's look ahead a little bit. What are you most looking forward to in the future?
A: I would probably say re-uniting with the bros for gweedo's wedding. And also I have been working a lot on my post up game so probably competing and defeating some of the bros in basketball.
Talby goes on to Laugh uncontrollably for about 1 minute
J: What's so funny
A: My answer I'm just thinking about it. You're laughing too!
J: No, I'm laughing at you laughing. It's really not funny at all. You think you are hilarious, don't you?
A: Yes, this is true.
J: What advice do you have for the youth who are trying to become men worthy of imitation?
A: Well first I would say that you need to become a godly man. You need to walk with God. Godly men are the only ones worth imitating. Also I would say that it is ok to be aggressive, to be a man, to fight for something, to walk with a purpose, to wear your emotions on your sleeve. You know being a godly man is not just sitting in the pews with your hands folded. It's about getting up and doing something about it. It's about fighting. The world wants men to be cute, but I don't think that's what God wants.
J: Nice! Finally what has been your favorite Talby Tuesday so far
A: I dunno, there are so many good ones. I would probably have to say the first one. It was like the beginning of an era. It has become a legendary post.
Thus ends the words of Talby I hope you enjoy his words! Happy Tuesday and have a great week!

Talby Wednesday

      After about 3 months, the streak of Talby Tuesday's has been snapped. I did not get a chance to post yesterday because Lissa had the computer and I had to get up the next day at 3:45 for work. As much as I am devoted to Talby Tuesday, I just could not bring myself to deprive myself of the sleep. My broken streak, got me to thinking about the great streaks of all time. The first ones that come to mind are Cal Ripken's 2,632 games played, Brett Favre's 297 consecutive starts at QB, DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak, and most recently UConn Women's 99 game winning streak. And then I reflected on other great records in my own life. Ross McCracken and I currently have an unbeaten doubles tennis streak that has lasted almost a decade now, I haven't lost in NBA Jam or NFL Blitz '98 in 5 years, and I once won 15 hands of Euchre in a row. Which of these is most impressive, I do not know.

Then my mind drifted and I pondered if Talby had any streaks that he was proud of. I called him and asked him. He actually had a difficult time answering. He said something about Call of Duty, his winless streak against Dido in Madden, and eating two double burgers every day in college for three months. What Talby did not mention, and the one that I think is most impressive is this... From the time Talby started playing football (around 10 years old) till the last game he played in college he managed to successfully do something that very few people have done. For almost 12 years in a row, he successfully wore a huge cowboy collar that makes him look sooooo big. 136 games in a row the intimidating sports accessory was mounted on Big Tal's mammoth shoulders. No one at such a young age and for such a period of time has ever pulled off a streak like this. It is sad that the streak had to come to an end as Talby declined to play for various NFL Europe Teams because he likes America too much and wanted to pursue a higher calling as an efficient eating youth pastor. So as I was feeling the guilt of breaking my streak and letting my fans down, this post has actually been a great comfort to me. The best of men and the best of streaks have fallen over time. Even Talby had his cowboy collar wearing days cut-short. I guess all that we can do is be thankful for the success when we have it and remember it fondly when it is gone. Thanks for all the memories Talby!

Grace that is greater than all of our sin

       We all need reminders. That is something that i am continuing to learn the longer that I live. Lissa will definitely agree with this, as she is constantly frustrated with my inability to remember things that need to get done on time. But reminders are something that are most needed for someone who is a Christian. At the beginning of our faith life, we look helplessly to Jesus to save us from all of our sin. We confess that all that we have ever done in this life is garbage in God's eyes and we come in our sickness and poverty to the Great Physician who heals us from all of our diseases and declares us as "spotless" in God's eyes. When we first believe such a message there is wonder, awe, and love that God's grace could reach such sinners. But then we forget. We burden ourselves down with the weight of sin and try and do our good deeds to cover them up. Instead of looking anew to Jesus, we search within to muster up the zeal to "never sin again." This always fails. In our times of failure and doubt we need the Gospel. Everyday we need the truth of the Gospel. Which is why a wanted to post my favorite gospel hymn as a reminder to everyone that God's grace is greater than all of your sin. I hope the lyrics and this song fill your heart with hope and joy.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, 

grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! 

Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured, 

there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt. 

Grace, grace, God's grace, 

grace that will pardon and cleanse within; 

grace, grace, God's grace, 

grace that is greater than all our sin! 

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold, 

threaten the soul with infinite loss; 

grace that is greater, yes, grace untold, 

points to the refuge, the mighty cross. 

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide. 

What can avail to wash it away? 

Look! There is flowing a crimson tide, 

brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, 

freely bestowed on all who believe! 

You that are longing to see his face, 

will you this moment his grace receive? 

what women want

TALBY & HIS MOM

TALBY'S ANGELS

'ello there, lads & lassies.

i hopped out of the shower to a text from jay requesting that i guest post the talby tuesday today.

(at the eleventh hour, but, hey, jay really wants to keep up with the high demands of his faithful readers.)

i'm jay's wife, lissa, by the way, & i'm honored to share some tales about the icon himself.

let me preface this by saying that jay has some fantastic friends.

my life has honestly been touched by each & every one of them.

we're so blessed & thankful that our friends are like family.

that being said, talby has always been one of my favorites.

it was like that from the beginning of my freshman year.

talbs has been the favorite of many other women, as well.

you see, somehow, talby always has a lovely lady on his arm.

that seems to baffle the other men.

that's why i'm here... 

to crack the case on what women want 

& to explain why talby always is so popular with the ladies.

let me set one thing straight: talby is no player.

he doesn't just date to date or lead women on because he can.

he's a gentlemen & always seems to attract some quality women.

this, my friends, is why:

1. talby is sincere, loyal, & enthusiastic.

2. talby is confident in who he is.

(and, let's be honest, he's quite the man to take 

the weekly jests on this post and the regular scoffing

in real life with such stride. props, t-man, props.)  

3. talby don't hide what he got.

(case in point: playing the video of himself starring 

as gaston in beauty & the beast in the lobby of the dorms.)

4. the guy can cook a mean onion omelet. 'nuff said.

5. talby is sensitive and kind-hearted.

(he had the sweetest things to say about our wedding on his 

blog - yes, folks, he had his own blog! - and picked up on 

things that had taken a lot of time & consideration. i think this

may be related to the sweet relationship he has with his mom.)

6. talby knows that a southern accent woos the ladies.

(even if he's just from "the promised land", pennsylvania.)

7. talby knows how to use various camping equipment in casual environments.

(see: head lamp story previously posted.)

8. talbs is shareful.

(like all the times he shared his hair buzzer with jay in college.)

9. talby is supportive.

(as jay mentioned in a previous post, he was always the first one 

to congratulate someone else and share in their excitement.)

10. talby is rugged.

(flannels, scruff, & boots. need i say more?)

the case has been cracked. just call me nancy drew.

here's to tuesday and talby!!