On this day...and MM#01

From my Xanga of Friday, October 5, 2007
"2.  MONDAY MELODIES.  Starting next week, I'll be blogging on a song of my choice.  Recommendations may be accepted or ignored at my choosing.  Like my twin, I also did a musical bracket.  Once.  Based solely on music I had on my computer that day.  Took me two weeks, but I found the winning song, so it gets first billing. "

It would be fitting for me to go back to MM#89, since today marks 19 years since the Phil Driscoll concert at Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, MO - the church I attended for 12 years.  (The church I got married in.  The church my children were dedicated in.  The church my children were baptized in.)

Or we could go back to MM#01...
Yeah.
We're going back to MM#01.

From Word of Life's album "There With Me" in 2005

Beautiful Savior

Draw us near, Holy Lord
Do to us thy grace accord
True faith and love to us impart
That we might hold these in our hearts

    Beautiful Savior of wondrous love,
    Beautiful Savior, no other name above
    And I give my all to thee, completely,
    And follow you with all of me.

Jesus, name of wondrous love
Human name of God above
Leading only, this we plea
Helpless oh, our God to thee

    Beautiful Savior of wondrous love,
    Beautiful Savior, no other name above
    And I give my all to thee, completely,
    And follow you with all of me.

        Holy Jesus, every day
        Keep us in your narrow way
        Until at last we too proclaim
        With all the saints thy glorious name
        In paradise our songs renew
        And we'll praise you like the angels do
        Yes we will praise you like the angels do
        Yes we will praise you like the angels do
               
    Beautiful Savior of wondrous love,
    Beautiful Savior, no other name above
    And I give my all to thee, completely,
    And follow you with all of me.

    Beautiful Savior of wondrous love,
    Beautiful Savior, no other name above
    And I give my all to thee, completely,
    And follow you with all of me.

Tango Whiskey Charlie

The one constant in the universe...is change.

Someone once asked...where do you see yourself in 5 years.  When I think about that question, I laugh a painful laugh.

I have no idea what things will be like in 5 years.

Going back, there has always been something changing.  The only rather stable 5-year span in my life was April 2004 to October 2010 - same job, same family size, same church, same address... and that had its own amount of chaos.

I haven't had the same job on back-to-back 4th of July since 2009-2010 working as a programmer for an Army contractor.  Since then...'11 & '12 unemployed. '13 call center from home. '14 Wal-Mart. '15 call center for a bank. '16 Home Depot. '17 unemployed.  (Now with Hallmark since the day of the eclipse)

I can argue that the two most tumultuous years in my life were 1986 (new brother, new school, new church, moved back to Leavenworth) and 2013 (new job, changed churches 3 times, moved back to Leavenworth, and other things).  Don't remember much about 1986.  But 2013...that year was...I ended that year with this on Facebook

"I started this year quoting a conversation between two characters about to go over a waterfall. And I thought things were challenging then...
This has to go down as the worst year in my life, so far. Good riddance to '13.
And yet, despite everything, more than most of y'all know, I cannot escape the truth of Romans 8:37-39."

So...where will I be in five years?  God only knows.

Every Monday Melody

10/08/07	Beautiful Savior	Word of Life Church
10/15/07 * 08/15/16	Someday Out Of The Blue	Elton John
10/22/07	Chicken Dance	(n/a)
10/29/07	Dear Mr. Jesus	Richard Klender
10/29/07	Concrete Angel	Martina McBride
10/29/07	Alyssa Lies	Jason Michael Carroll
11/05/07	The Houseplant Song	Audio Adrenaline
11/12/07 * 09/26/16	If You're Going Through Hell	Rodney Atkins
11/19/07	Wild Horses	Stephanie Glenn
11/26/07 * 08/21/17	Total Eclipse of the Heart	Bonnie Tyler
12/03/07	Cleaning This Gun	Rodney Atkins
12/10/07	No Doubt	Petra
12/17/07	Same Auld Lang Syne	Dan Fogelberg
01/14/08	It's All About The Pentiums	Weird Al Yankovic
Sa 02/02/08	Missing Person	Michael Smith
03/10/08	Leave A Legacy	Aaron Jeoffrey
03/17/08	Watch The Lamb	Ray Boltz
03/24/08	When God Ran	Phillips, Craig, & Dean
Tu 04/29/08 * 10/03/16	Like We Never Loved At All	Tim McGraw
Tu 04/29/08	Whiskey Lullaby	Brad Paisley
05/12/08	Still the One	Shania Twain
05/26/08	Arlington	Trace Adkins
05/26/08	If You're Reading This	Tim McGraw
06/02/08	I Don't Want To Miss A Thing	Aerosmith
06/09/08	Cat's In The Cradle	Harry Chapin
06/09/08 * 10/10/16	Bounce	Bon Jovi
06/09/08	Because of You	Kelly Clarkson
Tu 08/26/08	Everything is Gonna Be All Right	Greg Long
09/08/08	White & Nerdy	Weird Al Yankovic
09/29/08	Livin' On A Prayer	Bon Jovi
Tu 10/07/08	Move Along	All-American Rejects
12/08/08	Hurt	Johnny Cash
12/15/08	Away In A Manger	(traditional)
12/29/08	Auld Lang Syne	(traditional)
01/05/09	What A Friend We Have in Jesus	(traditional)
01/12/09	Alter Bridge	Metalingus
01/12/09	Kyrie	Mr. Mister
01/26/09	When You Come Back To Me Again	Garth Brooks
02/02/09	Wherever We Go	Newsboys
02/09/09	It's A Small World	Disney
03/02/09	It's My Life	Bon Jovi
Tu 03/17/09	Bad Day	Daniel Powter
03/30/09	Grown Men Don't Cry	Tim McGraw
We 04/01/09	Faith is the Victory	(traditional)
04/20/09 * 10/17/16	I Dreamed A Dream	Les Mis
05/11/09	It's A Great Day To Be Alive	Travis Tritt
We 05/20/09	Summer of 69	Bryan Adams
06/29/09	Battle Hymn of the Republic	(traditional)
07/13/09	Viva la Vida	Coldplay
08/10/09	The Storm	Garth Brooks
08/17/09 * 08/22/16	Second Chance	Shinedown
09/28/09	You Found Me	The Fray
10/26/09	The Sound of Silence	P. Simon
03/08/10	Mercy Now	Mary Gauthier
05/17/10	In Christ Alone	Michael English
Su 01/09/11	Paradise	Coldplay
01/10/11	Fancy	Reba McIntire
02/28/11	A Different World	Bucky Covington
03/07/11 * 10/24/16	A Father's Love	Bucky Covington
03/14/11	When She Loved Me	Sarah McLachlan
03/21/11	I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For	U2
03/28/11	Silent Running	Mike & The Mechanics
04/04/11	You Belong to the City	Glenn Frey
04/11/11	Counting Flowers on the Wall	Statler Brothers
04/18/11	Thicker Than Blood	Garth Brooks
04/25/11	All By Myself	Celine Dion
05/02/11	I Go Back	Kenny Chesney
05/09/11	Never Gonna Give You Up	Rick Astley
05/16/11	Peace of God	Hillsong
05/16/11	The Call	Matt Kennon
05/23/11	The Power of the Dream	Celine Dion
Su 05/29/11	Highway to the Danger Zone	Kenny Loggins
05/30/11	8th of November	Big & Rich
09/05/11 * 08/08/16	I Hope You Dance	Lee Ann Womack
09/05/11	Independence Day	Martina McBride
09/12/11	Where Were You	Alan Jackson
09/19/11	Baby I'll Come Back to You	Joey + Rory
09/19/11	That's Important to Me	Joey + Rory
09/26/11 * 08/01/16	The Boys of Fall	Kenny Chesney
10/03/11	Opportunities	Pet Shop Boys
10/31/11	Paradise	Coldplay
01/02/12	The Boys Are Back	HSM3
01/09/12 * 10/31/16	My Town	Montgomery Gentry
Sa 08/31/13 * 07/04/16	Born This Way	Lady Gaga
Sa 04/26/14 * 07/04/16	Life Happened	Tammy Cochran
Sa 07/25/15	This Is The Good Life	Audio Adrenaline
Sa 02/27/16	Even So Come	Kristian Stanfill
07/18/16	Lady	Kenny Rogers
07/25/16	Covenant Children	Phil Driscoll
08/29/16	Dancing in the Minefields	Andrew Peterson
09/05/16	He Didn't Have To Be	Brad Paisley
09/12/16	Severance Day	Daysend
09/19/16	Leavin On A Jet Plane	John Denver
06/05/17	Temporary Home	Carrie Underwood
06/12/17	The Boys Are Back In Town	Thin Lizzy
06/19/17	This Is Amazing Grace	Phil Wickham
09/11/17	Something To Be Proud Of	Montgomery Gentry
10/02/17	I Need Thee Every Hour	Annie Hawks
10/02/17	Jesus, Take The Wheel	Carrie Underwood
10/09/17	10,000 Reasons	Matt Redman

Monday Melody #100

I told my wife that I was about to post Monday Melody #100.  I thought about doing Big Green Tractor (Jason Aldean, #Vegas)...and I would've done it for a Monday Melody, if it wasn't MM#100, if it wasn't 10 years since MM#1.

She immediately suggested MM#96, This Is Amazing Grace.  Uh, already did it.

So she suggested another one.  And after a few minutes of googling it, we found it.

Happy 16½th anniversary, Ivy.

---

Matt Redman
10,000 Reasons

    Bless the Lord O my soul
    O my soul
    Worship His holy name
    Sing like never before
    O my soul
    oh
    I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up
It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

You're rich in love and You're slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
10,000 years and then forever more

Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
oh
I'll worship Your holy name

---

A Decade of Monday Melodies

The Decade Collection

2007	MM#02	Someday Out Of The Blue	Elton John
2008	MM#26	Bounce	Bon Jovi
2009	MM#51	Second Chance	Shinedown
2010	MM#54	Mercy Now	Mary Gauthier
2011	MM#59	A Father's Love	Bucky Covington
2012	MM#83	My Town	Montgomery Gentry
2013	MM#84	Born This Way	Lady Gaga
2014	MM#85	Life Happened	Tammy Cochran
2015	MM#86	This Is The Good Life	Audio Adrenaline
2016	MM#90	Dancing in the Minefields	Andrew Peterson
2017	MM#96	This Is Amazing Grace	Phil Wickham

So, yeah, I picked my favorite/the best/the only Monday Melody from each song this decade, since I've been doing Monday Melodies since 10/8/2007. 

And, except for MM#54, there's a Saturdays blog in which I referenced each of these songs in my "I Go Back" feature, or introduced it.

In bold are my top three Monday Melodies all-time, Bounce; Second Chance; and This Is Amazing Grace.

Monday, I release MM#100.

Expected Trophies in Soccer

Like last week's blog, we're looking at expected trophies.  This time, instead of Kansas City, we're looking at Major League Soccer.

Each year, we assign 1/league + 1/league + 1/country as xT - expected trophies.  (For Canada, 2008-2010, 3; 2011-current 4).  So at the start of the league, for 10 US teams, xT is 0.3/yr.  At current, xT for an American team is 0.159; and a Canadian team's xT is 0.350

Then, for each trophy (MLS Cup, Supporter's Shield, Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, Canadian Championship), if the team won one, add 1 to Trophies.  (Also adding 1 for the continental and the intercontinental for DC United in 1998, because being the best team in the Americas is worth something)

Chart 1 shows how the 10 original MLS teams fared.

  DC and LA are on top.  DC sits at 7.15 T>xT, and LA is right behind at 6.15.  SKC is 3rd among the originals at 1.15, and Columbus Crew sits just above 0 at 0.15.
  Below 0 are San Jose (on hiatus for two years), at -0.36.  FCD has jumped with a great 2016, but is still at -1.85.  Red Bull New York had the longest run without silverware, but now sits at -2.85.  New England and Colorado, each with only 1 trophy, are at the bottom, right about -3.85.
  The Tampa Bay Mutiny won 1 Supporters' Shield in their six years, but the team ceased to exist after the 2001 season.

---

Chart 2 shows how the best 6 teams by T>xT.

  Again, DC and LA are 1-2.
  Seattle Sounders opened with three straight Open Cup wins, and won three more trophies to put them at a very respectable 4.61.
  Chicago Fire had a great first decade, peaking at +3.6 ten years ago, but haven't won a title since.  They're still 1.75 T>xT
  The best team in Canada is Toronto FC.  They will have a higher xT due to a 1/4 chance of winning the Canadian Championship.  Their five Canadian championships put them at 1.32 T>xT.
  Sporting KC is 6th on the chart, and the only team in the top 6 to ever fall to -1 T>xT (the year before the 2000 MLS Cup/Shield double; and the year before their 2012 US Open Cup)

Only by the grace of God

I keep having to remember the same lesson.
Once upon a time, I knew that God knew better,
and that He cared about me.
And once upon a time, I walked on my porch
and knew that I hadn't gotten myself in the good place I was
- and it was a good place.

And I'm often frustrated
That I need divine assistance
Divine grace
Divine wisdom
And that the brains He gave me in '80
and the brawn
and the guts
and the good looks (ha!)
aren't enough to get me through,
that I need His help, almost daily.

And then I remember the times when I moved without Him
When I took control
and made choices
and screwed everything up so badly
(almost everything bad about my personal great tribulation
is entirely my fault
and the deliverance
I can take no credit for.)

And I'm in the best place in my life
and I wouldn't trade it for any other position so far
although I think I'd do better if I had another chance
except some things I couldn't fix

----------------

MM#98
"I Need Thee Every Hour", Annie Hawks

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

    I need Thee, O I need Thee;
    Every hour I need Thee;
    O bless me now, my Savior,
    I come to Thee.

-----------------
 MM#99
"Jesus, Take The Wheel", Carrie Underwood

She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy
With the baby in the backseat

Fifty miles to go and she was running low
On faith and gasoline
It'd been a long hard year

She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention
She was going way too fast
Before she knew it she was spinning
On a thin black sheet of glass

She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn't even have time to cry
She was so scared
She threw her hands up in the air

    Jesus, take the wheel
    Take it from my hands
    Cause I can't do this on my own
  
    I'm letting go
    So give me one more chance
    To save me from this road I'm on
    Jesus, take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
And the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat
Sleeping like a rock

And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life

I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight

    Jesus, take the wheel
    Take it from my hands
    Cause I can't do this on my own

    I'm letting go
    So give me one more chance
    To save me from this road I'm on

    Oh Jesus, take the wheel
    Oh, I'm letting go

    So give me one more chance
    Save me from this road I'm on
    From this road I'm on
    Jesus, take the wheel
    Oh, take it, take it from me
    Oh, why, ooh