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The 2010 Oscars was a magical night filled with beautiful dresses and many awards. The night started off with a promising surprise, as Neil Patrick Harris dazzled with a performance about Hollywood duos, Harris and his showman confidence makes him a hosting favorite for years to come, as he seamlessly continues to have great flair.

Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin continued the good times when they started off the night with a message: Nobody is safe from ridicule. Their pointed and often hilarious monologue jokes, getting everyone from Meryl Streep to Zac Efron, brought a bit of edgy, insulting-yet-funny environment. It was far more MTV than ABC.

The presentation of the awards featured each nominee and brought back the focus to why the Oscars actually exist: To honor the actors and films. The intensity of the performances is the reason everyone gets dressed up.

And The Oscar Goes To…

The winner of the Oscar award for Best Lead Actor went to actor Jeff Bridges for his role in “Crazy Heart”. This was Bridges’ fifth nomination since 1971, and his first Oscar win in the category was presented to him by Kate Winslet. Bridges also picked up an award for the song “The Weary Kind” in “Crazy Heart”.

Oprah Winfrey was present to introduce Gabourey Sidibe of “Precious” to the Oscar’s audience, calling her “a true, American Cinderella”, and told the starlet she had a “brilliant career” ahead of her. Unfortunately for Gaby, Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Lead Actress for her role in “The Blind Side”.

The awards for Best Director was between James Cameron for “Avatar”, Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”, Quentin Tarentino for “Inglorious Basterds”, Lee Daniels for “Precious” and Jason Reitman” for “Up In The Air”. The winner is… Kathryn Bigelow, the first female to win this Academy Award.

“The Hurt Locker” took Best Picture, making the total of Academy Awards won with six. “The Hurt Locker” was nominated for nine total awards.

Mo’Nique won Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. The best Animated Feature Film was Up, and Avatar won the award for Art Direction and Cinematography.

Though through the public eye all these movies are considered amazing movies that everyone must see, as Christians we need to take a step back and really as ourselves, Would the movies still win an Oscar with God?

New York Fashion Week was a crazy memorable event this year. This is the last season where Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will be held at Bryant Park, next season; it will be held at the new Lincoln Centre instead. This year menswear, which usually takes a back seat to the women’s collection, came out strong.

Some new and important trends noticed this year include the British sartorial expat–the bespoke suit. Whether it’s done slightly more traditionally like BESPOKEN’s tailored double breasted suit topped with lapel pins, Simon Spurr’s indigo rendition, or with a Lower East Side twist, like J. Sabatino’s all over plaid, designers are encouraging men to suit up.

At most shows it was layers galore as men began to take the layering concept beyond the three-piece suit. Robert Geller takes the idea of layering on items to a classy level as he pulls unexpected pieces from the wardrobe together. In Geller’s world, it is perfectly fine to wear a puffy vest over a pea coat, with a sleek plum dress shirt underneath and topped off with an embellished silk ribbon tie. Then, pull everything over shredded denim for the finale. Geller proves that men too, can handle fashion.

In fashion it seems like there is one decision maker, and her name is Anna Wintour. Anna Wintour, editor in chief of American Vogue, attended upcoming designer Prabal Gurung along with Rachel Zoe, Fern Mallis, along with other shows. If Anna Wintour is behind you and likes your designs you can go far in the industry.

Alexander Wang presented his latest collection for a fresh and young look that fare away from the eighties influences, using a wall street touch by revisiting the traditional banker’s suit and cropped blazer and vests with legwarmers.

Marc Jacobs also showed his fall 2010 collection followed by his usual after party and said” it is not about Fashion, it’s about style.” Jacobs introduced a 56-look collection with pieces modeled by two girls who did not fit the mold of the skinny model, quite refreshing.

Next Fall/Winter seems like a season to layer generously, suit up whenever appropriate or whenever you can, and to go larger than life in stretched out silhouettes or attention winning slogans. All in all, be brave; go ahead and dress up for fall!

Mr. Erickson is a man of snow and ice from the frozen north of Wisconsin. But even the heat of California won’t keep him away from Turlock Christian. There are many reasons Erickson came to Turlock.

“I wanted to experience a different part of the United States.  I thought Turlock seemed like a nice town with nice people.  The administration of the school was very welcoming and friendly. The weather out here was pretty nice, too. Turlock Christian seemed like a good environment for me to teach in.  I knew I was free to share my faith while also teaching academic subjects,” said Mr. Erickson.

Mr. Erickson teaches JH Algebra I, JH Math II, JH Boys’ PE, Science 7, and HS Algebra I. Mr. Erickson has come to enjoy his work at Turlock Christian, “Working at Turlock Christian has been great.  The staff, administration, and faculty have been very easy to get along with, and the students are a lot of fun to work with overall.  I have enjoyed the variety of classes that I have been able to teach, whether it is math, science or P.E.”

Mr. Erickson has a deep appreciation for the students and has noticed some great things going on between the students, “I have noticed that many of our students care about each other.  They will back each other up in a discussion or will even pray for each other during class. They also enjoy having a good time and will talk to just about anyone.”

Mr. Erickson made a big change coming out to California, and he has noticed many differences compared to his home state, “California is much larger than Wisconsin.  It is very diverse; there are mountains and an ocean and everything in-between.  Turlock has a milder climate than Wisconsin.  In Wisconsin you notice the change of four seasons; here it seems to go from hot to rainy and foggy. There are more natural lakes and rivers in Wisconsin.  They both have dairies and agriculture, but California has more land and bigger operations.  Different crops are grown here compared to Wisconsin, such as almonds and grapes.”

Mr. Erickson remains a very relaxed and laid back man and enjoys a very entertaining lifestyle, “I attend Bible studies during the week, play piano in my roommate’s worship team on Sunday mornings, read books, watch sports live or on TV, go running, and hang out with friends.”

But of all these things, there is something that Mr. Erickson really misses about Wisconsin, and that is the snow, “I love the snow,” he said.

This year’s softball team is looking for redemption. After finishing in fourth place last season, our girls are looking to step it up a notch. And based on the players that they have right now, they should not have any problem doing that. This team is coached by one of the most astute men in the league, Randy Hopkins, who also happens to be the Athletic Director at the school. Coach Hopkins has high hopes for this team. “I think we’ll do very well. I think we will be in the top three in our league. We’ve got some high goals that we’ve set.”

Last year, our softball team hoped for more than what they got. As do most teams. This year, they are entering the season with a force. Though the team lost the first two games, both by a small margin, the team has already realized what it needs to work on the most. Starter and the only senior on the team, Candice Balswick gives an example. “The team batting is what needs to be worked on the most.” Catcher Angelina Martin agrees “As a team, we need to work on having quality at-bats every game and playing our best.” It shows the strength of a team when the players are aware of what it is that they need to work on. This awareness allowed them to win their third game against Le Grand.

However, awareness of flaws is not the team’s only strong point. This team has a whole lot more going for them. “Our infield is very strong as is the top of our batting line-up.” Candice Balswick has confidence in this team, and for a very good reason. Not only is the infield strong, the outfield is led by Cheyenne Perry, in her third year of varsity softball. The infield has some real standouts with Stephanie Huber and Tara LaFollette both as excellent pitchers. Angelina Martin plays as catcher and Candice Balswick plays at shortstop. Some other great players on the team are Kara Gabrielson at third base, Molly Farrar second base, and Kaisa Spycher at first base Most of the team agrees that Waterford will be the hardest team they play, but Stephanie Huber expects to do better, saying “playoffs for sure!”

The T.C. vs. East Union High swim meet last Friday, held at Sierra High kicked off this year’s season. The swim team consists of 10 members, and includes one returning senior and a mix of juniors, sophomores and freshmen, both returning and new alike. Paul Mauer is the coach and the practices are held at Pitman High School.

Colin Russell, a returning swimmer, states that the practices are, “Really Hard,” but says he likes the swim meets because of the challenge he gets and the fact that he, “Gets to go fast.” Colin has posted times of 22.84 seconds on the 50 freestyle and 50.07 seconds on the 100 free.

Team mate Johanna Muller enjoys the camaraderie as well as the competition. “While swimming is a team sport it is also an individual one,” she said.

Upcoming meets will include Pitman, Merced, Hilmar and Los Banos, so get out there and support our Swim Team.

• Each year, Americans throw out enough soda pop cans bottles to reach to the moon and back—twenty times.

• After Plácido Domingo performed the title role in Verdi’s Otello in Vienna on July 30, 1991, the audience clapped for one hour and 20 minutes (and 101 curtain calls), setting a new world record for the longest applause ever.

• Prior to the 12th Amendment of the Constitution in 1804, the presidential candidate who received the second highest number of electoral votes was named the vice-president. The amendment mandated that electors vote for the offices of president and vice-president separately.

• The first country to grant women the right to vote in the modern era was New Zealand in 1893.

• On average, someone in the U.S. is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes.

• An adult can starve to death within 8-12 weeks. In the final stages of starvation, adults can experience hallucinations, convulsions, severe muscle pain, and irregular heart rhythms. Organs weakened by starvation may actually burst if food is given too quickly.

• An American is more likely to recycle their trash than to vote.

“Out hustle, out work, and out play our opponents.” This is Turlock Christian baseball coach Jon Valenti’s goal is for the season, and with the Eagle’s strong lineup, it should not be a problem. It is Valenti’s first year coaching varsity at Turlock Christian, and he is expecting the team to be “unstoppable.” Clearly, what he’s done with the team so far is working.

The Eagle’s beat Modesto Christian in a close game of 3-2, and blew Le Grand out of the water 11-1. They also had several outstanding wins in preseason play. First Baseman and pitcher, Trevor Starn, believes the momentum will continue in spite of a Goliath in their future.

“The team is going to do well in league this year I think. We’ve improved a lot from last year and the league is weaker than last year. Mariposa will be our biggest challenge.”

Coach Valenti agreed that Mariposa, whose team runs like a well-oiled machine, will be a tough team to beat, but he believes there’s a greater opponent to own.  “I think our toughest opponent is ourselves. My only concern is we cannot make mental errors that will cost us the game, because talent-wise we have it.”

The key strength of the Eagles this year is their potent lineup. With vital players such as Trevor Starn, Robbie Smallwood, Mile Martinez, and Jesse Lopes, Valenti is anticipating the team to go very far, and a contributing factor to that success is their hitting.

“I think the strongest aspect of this team would be our offense,” says Valenti. “We really possess a lot of strength in our line-up. Although we have not nearly reached our potential in hitting, it will come. When it does come, we will be unstoppable,” he added.

Although the team is stacked with talent this year, two specific players who will excel come to mind for Starn. “Jesse Lopes is a standout . . . stud at defense. Robbie, if he gets hot, is one of if not the best hitter in the league.”

In recent years, it has appeared as if the team had trouble putting their potential through to the games. This year, the team has a variety of talent from both the upperclassmen and the lower classmen, and has the drive necessary to win games. , “Last year, we had a lot of potential but didn’t have any of it carry over into wins. We want to, and expect to beat teams this year,” said Starn.

As for Valenti, he knows what his team is capable of, and expects exceptional effort from everyone on the team, from the bench players to the starters. After losing a starting pitcher last year, a weakness the team is trying to overcome is finding someone to fill that spot. Another thing the team is working on is having equal ability throughout the whole team, and Coach Valenti looks forward to seeing development. “We will also have to work on having our bench players be just as good as our starters. So far, our bench players are making great strides in improving.”

This could be a year of glory for Turlock Christian baseball, if they play their cards right. The talent is there; they simply need to keep their eye on the prize. From their powerful lineup to their win-it-all attitude, there is something special within the Eagles this season. Valenti knows it, too. “God has blessed me with the opportunity and given me the great honor to coach these fine young men. I hope just to give them as much knowledge that I know to help inspire them to be better athletes, and better baseball players. Even after 20+ years of playing, teaching, & coaching the game, I still am learning myself.”

Last Easter was Valentino’s first Easter so we had to do an Easter Egg Hunt. I love Easter Egg Hunts especially when the eggs are hidden well and you have to look hard for them. The harder the hunt the greater the prize that is inside them. That year my friend Angie and her family spent Easter with us and she put money inside a few of them making the prize even greater and the desire to find it more intense.

It made me wonder, how hard do I seek after Jesus and his will in my life? Sometimes we ignore the desire to investigate God. What would it be like if we read the Bible expecting to find an egg on every page?

There was one egg that had $10 in it, but Angie had buried it. My older sister, Tonya, found it and she was excited. God, however, does not hide his truth, but the joy should still be the same. The satisfaction of finding something that you worked hard to discover.

Seeking God is more than just reading the Bible but as the song says, “It’s how you lived.” When you seek after God you are striving to be like him. In Psalm 119:2 we read, “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

Seeking him doesn’t have to be as difficult as searching for well hidden eggs either. Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Do not give up searching for Jesus our golden egg, He’s right in front of you.

• What have you found out about God that surprised you?

• Try reading a passage of scripture and remain open to find the egg God has for you in its pages today.

1. How many days was Jesus in the tomb?
   1. One
   2. Two
   3. Three
   4. Four and one half
2. How did the soldiers make sure Jesus was dead?
   1. They cut off His head
   2. They pierced his side with a spear
   3. They held him under water for a while
   4. They broke his kneecaps
3. On Easter Morning, who was the first to the tomb?
   1. Mary Magdelene
   2. Peter
   3. Thomas
   4. Herod
4. What did the soldiers place on Jesus’ head at His crucifixion?
   1. A crown of thorns
   2. A Gold crown
   3. A yarmulke
   4. A beanie
5. Which High Priest led Jesus away first?
   1. Caiphas
   2. Joseph
   3. Caesar
   4. Annas
6. What color was the robe placed on Jesus?
   1. Blue
   2. Red
   3. Purple
   4. Scarlet
7. Who carried the cross for Jesus?
   1. Simeon
   2. Simon of Cyrene
   3. Simon of Cyprus
   4. Jesus
8. Who rolled away the tombstone?
   1. An angel
   2. Jesus
   3. Peter
   4. Simeon
9. By Jesus’ resurrection, we are…
   1. Condemned
   2. Going to Purgatory
   3. Saved
   4. Forgiven

Answers: 1-C, 2-B, 3-A, 4-A, 5-D, 6-C, 7-B, 8-A, 9-C

For the first time in recent school history, if you walk past to the lunch tables on the way to the field you’ll find something much better than trash and discarded food, you will find Turlock Christian’s first-ever throwing team, for Turlock Christian’s first-ever track team. Even though this is its first year, Coach Aaron King is planning on a successful season. “Our boys are going to have a strong showing. I think we’ll do well in Southern League. However, I strongly believe that our girls can win league championship.”

It has been a long process to get a track team started at TC, taking more than a few years. Students have tried to get one going, but they were never able to acquire a practice field or a coach. That all changed this year as Dirk Ulrich and Aaron King stepped in as coaches to the team, and Pitman High School allowed us to practice over at their track. TC has already become a very dominant force in our league, with the girl’s team ranked number one out of six.

Standout freshman Emily Retemeyer has high hopes for the Eagles. “I think the track team has done exceptional already and we could only get better from here. It’s going to be a good season.”

Emily could not be more correct. Jordan Gustafson, discuss and shot put, has already improved far beyond what even he expected. He is throwing the discuss a good twenty feet further than he was throwing it at the beginning of the season. Martin Moreda, a sophomore runner, is also experiencing great success. Even at a track meet against Division One schools like Pitman, Martin placed first in his event, a true foreshadow of how our school should do throughout the rest of the season.

Martin Moreda has been voted most likely to excel by his teammates, in addition to Paige and Allie Ulrich along with Daniel Schultz, three standout runners that promise to deliver big money throughout the season.

Thrower Jordan Gustafson anticipates a great season. “I feel the track team is a fun, but tough challenge. And it is great for people who would like to compete in their own events and reach a personal best.”

We all get excited about the Gold medal winners of the Olympics. Everyone tends to focus on wins, but not everyone looks at the great sacrifices that Olympians have to go through in order to be the best.

Shaun White, who won gold in Men’s half pipe, had an accident that nearly ended his career. White was 11 and performing at an exhibition with a skateboarder twice his age, and almost twice his size. White had a head on collision and he suffered a fractured skull and broken bones and told his mother he wanted to call it quits. But his mom would not let him quit, and White pushed through and became the Olympian he is today.

Lindsey Vonn, won gold in Women’s downhill and bronze in Women’s super g, had a crash in the 2006 Torino Games. Vonn suffered a horrific crash during downhill training that had some witnesses believing that her injuries could be career threatening. However, the diagnosis was not as serious as feared, and she was released from the hospital in time to compete in the downhill. Emboldened by the encouraging words from people, Vonn raced despite immense pain in her legs and back.

But nothing compares to the ultimate sacrifice, life itself. This year game supporters were saddened by the passing of Nodar Kumaritashvili who was fatally injured on February 12, 2010, during a training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre when he lost control in the final turn of the course and was thrown off his luge and over the sidewall of the track, striking an unprotected steel support pole at the end of the run. Yet, he wasn’t the only athlete to give his life for his sport, being the fourth athlete to ever die during the Winter Olympics preparations.

Kumaritashvili called his dad before the race and said “Dad, I’m scared of one of the turns,” but even though he was afraid of this turn he went on with the race anyway.

It’s apparent that you have to push past the pain, setbacks, fears, self-doubts, and even the fear to become a true Olympian athlete.

The Turlock Christian golf team “does not get enough credit” says returning junior player Chase Ulrich, “Our team has been the most successful team that Turlock Christian has and we deserve more credit then what we are given. Meanwhile our team is very fun and I love being on it.”

The expectations are always high for the Eagles, who are chasing their seventh consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section championship under Jeff Cederlind’s guidance. The coach expects his team to once again be a contender for the section title; though he also knows Mariposa and Jim Elliot Christian could prove to be serious challengers. Cederlind welcomes back a number of returnees from last season, including Beau Warda, a CIF NorCals qualifier. But the senior has a bad knee, an injury he suffered during the Turlock Christian football season. Cederlind doesn’t think Warda’s knee will fully heal anytime soon but believes he’ll be competitor.

2009 record: 9-0 Southern League, this was last year’s record, but what’s expected this year? The TC golf team is as strong as ever and is ready to soar over the rest of the competition and take the Southern League title once again in 2010.

Coach Jeff Cederlind has high expectation for his team this year, “This year I expect to see great improvements the team. I know my team will work hard and finish strong this year with an even better average score. We are looking forward to another Southern League title, and to compete in the section finals.”

It was down to the final two contestants.

One, an accomplished theater actor who previously toured the country with Broadway productions like Wicked: The Musical and the European production of Hair. His voice showed amazing range, his performances-flawless. The other, a singer-songwriter who performed in local bars and worked as a shoe salesman. A nice guy with an adequate voice yet limited range. All in all the two could not have been more opposite.  It was painfully obvious which performer should win a talent competition. Maybe that’s why American was shocked when the name of Kris Allen the shoe salesman beat out Adam Lambert the star. But don’t be too surprised because…

This… is…American…Idol!

Throughout its nine seasons so far, American Idol has consistently been the number one show on television, and is ranked the number three television broadcast of all time, behind only the Superbowl and the Academy Awards. Every winner of the show has enjoyed success, some more than others. Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, and Carrie Underwood round out the top three most successful idols of all time, although Chris Daughtry did not win the show; he placed fourth. But apparently you don’t have win AI in order do great things. Jennifer Hudson starred in the movie Dreamgirls, and won an Oscar for her role in that film. Other post-idol alums who did not take the prize include Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler, Elliot Yamin, and of course, Adam Lambert, all who are enjoying a successful career.

This year marks the return of Idol, with its ninth season in full swing. The top 12 have been chosen, and this year’s hopefuls are: Michael Lynche, Didi Benami, Casey James, Lacey Brown, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, Tim Urban, Siobhan Magnus, Lee Dewyze, Paige Miles, Aaron Kelly, and Crystal Bowersox.

Obvious favorites for this season are Crystal Bowersox, who has a Janice Joplin vibe to her, Casey James, whom the ladies love, and Lee Dewyze, who has a certain rasp to his voice that you have to be born with.

This year’s Idol delivers more than new talent: after the departure of the beloved judge Paula Abdul, a replacement was necessary. The humorous charm of talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres was welcomed to the show this season. Ellen brings the opinion of the fan watching at home to the show, and always has something witty to say.

Most assuredly, Idol will bring many surprises this year, as it never ceases to do. Whether you have the pipes to sing “A Moment Like This,” or the guts to blabber your way through “Pants on the Ground,” this is the one show that can turn you into a star.

Tune in to Idol
Fox Channel 5, Tuesdays at 8:00 PM
&
Wednesdays at 9:00 PM

War, famine, disease, death and destruction are all around us. There is a constant state of flux in the Middle East, terrorist factions growing and receding in strength. There is disease and famine in Africa. Even here in America, we are vulnerable to attacks both inside and out. When the Twin Towers fell on that horrific day, the fear and realization that we can be attacked finally hit home; the spark of panic started an inferno of fear.

This inferno also enflamed the basic human desire to find understanding in a world that seems so uncaring and cold. Many people find solace, in family or in a sense of community; still others seek comfort in their faith. There are those, however, who look to the prophets who warned about cataclysmic days ahead, one of the more famous is Nostradamus.

Nostradamus was a “prophet” that lived during the 16th century. He made a profession out of predicting future events that ranged from wars and famines to simple things like when to plant crops. His first prophetic books were simple almanacs, which were well received by the public, heralding Nostradamus’s first success as a prophet. Although his almanacs were purchased and taken seriously, the majority of his 6338-prophesized events never took place. Nostradamus followed up these works with his 1,000 quatrains-quatrains being the rhyme scheme he used to make his predictions. The thousand quatrains are divided into sets of 100 and are called centuries. The quatrains are small prophetic “glimpses” of future events, catechisms and even the herald of the end times.

There is just one problem with the quatrains, they are far too vague, far to ambiguous and far too simplistic in their style and presentation that it becomes almost impossible to discern any real measurable “prophetic” outcome. What is meant by this is that Nostradamus wrote in such a way that any prophecy could relate to almost any person or event that has happened in the last several hundred years. Mabus, listed by Nostradamus as the herald of the end, could relate to a historical figure as abominable as Adolf Hitler, to someone like our current president Barrack Obama, or even former presidents such as Reagan or Bush. The ambiguity of the quatrains literally means that Nostradamus could never be wrong, because eventually as it always happens, some figure or some event would match up almost perfectly with his predictions.

A college student by the name of Neil Marshall demonstrated this simplistic ambiguity back in 1997. He wrote a “prophetic” quatrain in the same style as Nostradamus that has been cited as credible evidence that Nostradamus predicted the events of 9/11. The student wrote this “prophecy” to prove that the vagueness can be repeated by almost literally anybody. In spite of the fact that these predictions proved to fall short, end times continues to sell.

Shortly after the Towers fell Nostradamus books started to show up on the Best Sellers list of many stores. And we all know about the publishing gold mine that is “Left Behind” the series. With 63 million copies sold, it is clear that even fiction is fodder for the insatiable desire to know “what is ahead.” Obviously, the “power” of prophetic books hits upon a base desire in humans, the desire to understand why events happen, a desire to know the future, and a desire to have someone to blame for the evils of the world. This desire applies to not just the books of Nostradamus, but the Mayan calendar and the Book of Revelations as well.

But where does the Book of Revelations fit in, in this new era of fear of the unknown future? Well, if it is to be taken at face value, as the Word of God, then Christians should both be concerned for their unbelieving friends and family and yet be prepared for the redemptive blessing of Jesus’ return. The “rapture” as its come to be known is a time of tribulation, heralded by the coming of a figure who will ascend to a throne of power. Connection with the Mabus figure in Nostradamus’s writings is obvious. In fact it seems that, while vague and simplistic, Nostradamus seemed to connect his prophecies with those presented in Revelations. The most prevalent connection between the two are the prophecies dealing with the coming of an Anti-Christ. Nostradamus most likely based his prophecies off of Revelations.

At any rate, it does not matter what prophesies have been “fulfilled” or not. Revelations is full of predictions that can be associated with any cataclysmic event that has occurred over the last thousand or so years, just the same as Nostradamus’s prophecies.

Yet, Jesus spoke of all that must take place before He would return, His descriptions are viewed by many like those of Nostradamus, simplistic and vague. Jesus describes war and famine and plague in Matthew 24:6-8 but goes on to say that these are just the early stages of the end. For when the end truly does come it will come unexpectedly.

As Jesus said in Matthew 24:42, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” This is an exhortation for us; we are not to live in constant fear of the future, but to live a life worthy of our Lord. Panic and fear will not be our savior, Nostradamus will not redeem us. Only the power of Christ and the assurance we have of an everlasting life with Him will be our assurance in these dark times.

It’s about passing on the torch for this year’s TC Girls Soccer team. With so many newcomers senior players like Megan Brown, Morgan Andre, Danae Smith, and Amy Wright are stepping up to make sure TC soccer talent stays in the family.

“I think the team will have a pretty good year, we have a lot of young new girls but they have a good work ethic and are learning quick,” says Megan Brown, a senior and captain of the team.

Coach Shirley Brand agrees that the freshman will be able to learn very quickly.

“The freshmen are incredible sponges and they listen to everything you say, and are such a blessing, and great things come with time, so I believe they will come out strong throughout the season” says Coach Brand.

The TC Eagles girl soccer team has had a slow start to the season, losing their first league game to Delhi 3 to 0.  But in the next couple of games they will step up their game.

Even Megan thinks the team will grow, not only in skill but also in unity. “I definitely think the team will continue to grow on skills and unity as the season progresses. Even with the few games we have played, we have adjustments and learned from them, which made our skills grow immensely. I am excited to see how we progress as the season progresses. As for unity goes, the soccer team always feels like a family, we become so close as a group. I love every moment on and off the field and will never forget the memories that we’ve made over the years.”

The TC Eagles soccer team’s second game was against le grand, and they have already made major improvements, although they lost 1 to 0, they played a great game.  The team’s next game was against Waterford, they have already grown into a great team. They defeated Waterford 3 to 2.  The team will have some hard games coming up next game, where they will be playing Mariposa at home.