2009 Rewind

2009 is over and 2010 is here. I normally spend New Year's Eve with a rewind of the year, but since we were travelling and had family coming in last night, I thought I would do a quick rewind tonight.

Family
2009 brought a big change for the Haines family. At the end of last year, Alison and I were contemplating a potential ministry move for me that God might be calling me to pastor a church. We were unsure where, but had begun to pray and give my resume to some trusted friends to circulate. We had a few interviews with churches that were less than positive and began to believe that God may not be leading. Then we began to talk with the search team from Sixth Street Baptist Church in Alexander City, AL. It was clear from the beginning that this was what we had been praying for. On June 28th I accepted the call to be the senior pastor here and one month later, we moved from Birmingham which had been our home for 13 years. It's been a big blessing and one that we hope lasts for many years.

2009 saw some big moments for our boys as well. In the spring, Nathan and I were part of his 9-10 year old baseball team, the Alabaster Red Sox. We had a perfect 16-0 season and won the league. It was Nathan's first year in kid-pitch. He struggled at the plate and got hit several times. However, by the end of the year, he was doing much better and the momentum of the team capped off a great season. Drew turned 8 in February. He's shown himself to be an excellent student and a very smart kid. John David turned 5 in April. He loves to wrestle with his dad and pester his brothers. He also started kindergarten this year and loves school.

In February, my family lost the matriarch, my grandmother Alice McGahey. It was a bittersweet time for us to lose her but to also know with assurance that she is in heaven and that here suffering will be no more.

Sports
In addition to the perfect season by the Alabaster Red Sox, 2009 had some great sports moments. The college football season saw Florida start as the national champs and then run through the 2009 season until they met the Tide from Alabama. My MSU Bulldogs broke in a new coach in Dan Mullen. Mullen brought some much needed offense and excitement to Starkville. The year capped off with a blowout of the Ole Miss Rebels. In pro football, 2009 saw a great Super Bowl between Pittsburgh and Arizona with the Steelers winning their 6th Super Bowl.

In baseball, my Red Sox started the year off big with a huge lead over the Yankees. However, the Evil Empire proved again to be the best team that money can buy and left the Red Sox in the dust by the end of the year and bought themselves another World Series. We almost made it through the decade without the Yankees winning a World Series, but alas, money talks.

NCAA basketball saw the North Carolina Tarheels be the best team and win the NCAA Tournament. The NBA saw the Lakers win again.

No Longer Here
As always, it's strange to look back at the people who have passed on. Each year it seems like the names get bigger and bigger and 09 was no exception. Here are the notable deaths from this past year.
1. Michael Jackson - Everyone will remember this one. Jackson was this generation's Elvis and this death was as iconic as the King. His death started a worldwide frenzy of grief.
2. Ted Kennedy - One of the most iconic members of one of the most iconic political families ever.
3. Patrick Swayze - Red Dawn, Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Road House, and Point Break. All movies seen late at night each week.
4. Walter Cronkite - Veteran newscaster who told things "the way it is". Most known as the man who broke the national news of John Kennedy's assassination.
5. Paul Harvey - "The Rest of the Story" - His radio spots were one of my favorites. If I was turning the dial and heard his voice, I always stopped.
6. Ed McMahon - The famous sidekick to Johnny Carson most known for his introduction "Here's Johnny" and the Publisher's Clearing House.
7. Farrah Fawcett - Sexy icon of the 70's. Famous for being one of Charlie's Angels and the poster that every guy had or wanted on his wall.

Here are some other notables who died this year:
Ricardo Montalban (Fantasy Island), John Updike (author), James Whitmore (actor), Patrick McGoogan (actor), Ron Silver (actor), Natasha Richardson (the mom on The Parent Trap), Mark "The Bird" Fydrich, Bea Arthur (Golden Girls), Jack Kemp (senator and former presidential candidate), Dom Dimaggio (outfielder for Boston Red Sox), David Carradine (TV show Kung Fu), Billy Mays (pitch man), Karl Malden (actor and American Express commercials), Steve McNair (Tenn Titans QB), Robert McNamara (former Sec of Defense), John Hughes (80's movie director of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck, and The Breakfast Club), Les Paul (guitar maker), Robert Novak, Mary Travers, Captain Lou Albano, Brittany Murphy, George Michael (Sports Machine show), Nick Adenhart (MLB pitcher), Chris Henry, Millvena Dean (last survivor of the Titanic), Soupy Sales, Oral Roberts, and comedian Dom Deluise.

Here's to you 2009. It was a great year and looking forward to a great 2010.