by Cory Woodroof | Sep 23, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
This week in the NFL, an age-old truth was once again proved: the better team always wins. We saw it when Baltimore got a last-minute win against Cleveland. We saw it when the Bears held off the Jets. We saw it when Philadelphia fended off Washington. We saw it when the Patriots got the best of the Raiders by game’s end. The NFL regular season isn’t always the kindest to the underdog, which can make things fairly predictable. But, what happens when Goliath stumbles? So far this season, three NFL powerhouses, the Packers, the Saints and the 49ers, are all staring a 1-3 record in the face if they all lose in week four. With the Pack traveling to Chicago, the Saints heading to Dallas and the Niners hosting the Eagles, there’s a distinct possibility these three teams could quickly be headed in this direction. The NFL can be predictable, but it can also be full of surprises. Rookies can emerge to have huge games. Veterans can struggle at all the wrong moments. The Browns can prove to be competitive without their top offensive weapon. Sometimes, you just don’t know what professional football will have in store. Here are the 10 things I’m thinking after week three. 1. The Broncos and Seahawks’ Super Bowl rematch was the game we needed back in February. Despite being bullied by Seattle for three quarters, the Broncos put up 17 points on Seattle’s defense, including a late-game drive by QB Peyton Manning that looked like the kind of football that usually closes out a movie. Ultimately, the Seahawks were able to pull out...
by Colleen Casner | Sep 22, 2014 | Opinion
On Tuesday, Oct. 7, the title of Worship Song of the Year will be awarded to one of five songs at the 45th Annual Dove Awards in Allen Arena. Because churchgoers praise God with these songs every Sunday, Worship Song of the Year is more personal than many of the other categories. Because worship songs are a way for Christians to express themselves to God, they are an extremely important part of Christian culture The nominees are as follows: “Future/Past” performed by John Mark McMillan, written by John Mark McMillan “Lord I Need You” performed by Matt Maher, written by Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” performed by Hillsong United, written by Matt Crocker, Joel Houston and Salmon Ligthelm “Open Up The Heavens” performed by Meredith Andrews and the Vertical Church Band, written by Meredith Andrews, Jason Ingram, Stu G., Andi Rozier and James MacDonald “The Only Name (Yours Will Be)” performed by Big Daddy Weave, written by Benji Cowart “Oceans” seems to be the favorite in this category as it has been nominated for Contemporary Christian Performance of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year and Song of the Year. In addition to these accolades, Hillsong United has been nominated for Artist of the Year. The song’s powerful message and immense popularity should earn it a win in this category. With “Lord I Need You,” Matt Maher could potentially gain his second career win for Worship Song of the Year. Along with “Oceans,” this song has also been nominated for Song of the Year. The song’s poignantly simple lyrics...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Sep 17, 2014 | Opinion
As our last Dove Awards preview mentioned, Lipscomb is hosting the 45th Annual Dove Awards for the second year in a row, and there are quite a few stand-out nominees. In this preview, we’ll be looking at the “Song of the Year” category as well as analyzing who should win and who will win. The list of nominees are as follows: “Fix My Eyes” performed by for King and Country, written by Seth Mosley, Joel Smallbone and Luke Smallbone “Hello My Name Is” performed and written by Matthew West “Hurricane” performed by Natalie Grant, written by Natalie Grant, Matt Bronleewe and Cindy Morgan “I Can Trust Him” performed by The Perrys, written by Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey “Lord I Need You” performed by Matt Maher, written by Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill and Matt Maher “Oceans (Where My Feet May Fail)” performed by Hillsong United, written by Matt Crocker, Joel Houston and Salomon Ligthelm “Overcomer” performed by Mandisa, written by David Garcia, Christopher Stevens and Ben Glover “Revival” performed by Karen Peck and New River, written by Kenna Turner West, Karen Peck Gooch and Don Poythress “Say Amen” performed by Brian Free & Assurance, written by Jason Cox, Michael Farren and Kenna Turner West “That’s Why” performed by Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, written by Ernie Haase, Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey With a list full of popular songs, it is hard to choose which one will be the best. However, certain songs do stand out. “Oceans,” as of Sept. 16, was number one on Billboard’s Top 25 Christian songs, while “Fix My Eyes” was...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 17, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
Week two in the NFL is one of the more perplexing times of the season. It’s the big week when those ominous playoff statistics start to float around. If your team is sitting pretty at 2-0, the odds are in your favor. If your team is lacking two wins to start the season, things aren’t exactly floating down your team’s stream. However, when teams like the Bills and Texans are perfect and teams like the Saints and Colts are without wins, it’s hard to believe that these teams’ fates are set in stone. But, this is the NFL, and anything can happen on any given game day. Are the perfect teams for real? Are the winless teams on the downward path? What about the plethora of 1-1 teams? One thing that week two does effectively is end week one honeymoons. If your favorite team won big in the first game and got squashed in the second game, those feel-good jitters were probably replaced with worrisome questions and bummed-out frowns. But, you know what, that’s okay. Early season NFL is all about working out the kinks and getting your team clicking. We’ve still got a long, long stretch to go, and who knows where your selected franchise will be once the final whistle blows. Here are the 10 thoughts I had during the week. 1. The San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints are highly-respectable franchises with wonderful rosters, but those two teams have one bad thing in common: they both let RB Darren Sproles get out of their hands. After Monday night’s big comeback win for the Eagles, both...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 9, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
Hello, NFL fans! Football nerd Cory Woodroof here. I’d like to welcome you into The Film Session, a new recap of the week in the NFL that will be published every Tuesday here on the site. I’ll always offer you 10 of my takeaways from the week, go over the power rankings and give my player of the week. Also, I’ll highlight five games that have me excited for the week ahead. Shall we begin? Week one in the NFL is always one of the sports’ best times, but it’s also one of the worst times to be gauging a team’s future success (or lack-thereof). Think back to last year. Could any of us predict that, after week one, the Chiefs were back in business? How about that the Texans were on track to pick number one in the 2014 draft? We may get small hints of this and that, but there’s still a long season ahead. So, if your team won a big one, congrats, but don’t get too comfortable. And, if your team is struggling, don’t lose hope. The best coaches can always make adjustments and get their teams back to business. This week, a few teams got back to playing like they’re known for playing, a few surprise teams handed defeats to some of the league’s best and Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning. Here are my top 10 takeaways from the first week of the season. If there’s such a thing as the “Super Bowl Slump,” don’t tell the Seattle Seahawks. In a complete home field pummeling of the Green Bay Packers, the reigning champions proved...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 2, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
Hello, football fans! Lumination Senior Editor and self-described NFL nut Cory Woodroof here. We’re just around the corner from the start of the 2014 NFL season – a season that is sure to be filled with all the patented drama, excitement and intrigue that always accompanies another installment of professional football. Will this be the year Broncos QB Peyton Manning finally gets his second Super Bowl ring? Will Aaron Rodgers take his Packers back to the top after being sidelined for most of 2013? Will the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, become the first team to win two top titles in a row since the heyday of the Belichick-Brady Patriots? All these questions and more lay ahead in what is shaping up to be a stellar year in the NFL. Below, I’ve broken down each division, picked a winner and have provided even more speculation into some of the league’s top awards. So, without further ado, down, set, hut, hut, hike! AFC PREDICTIONS AFC NORTH With the AFC North, it’s all about who can stop the Bengals. With one of 2013’s most potent offenses in the NFL remaining largely intact, Andy Dalton and company should be able to produce the same results as last season. Their defense is also one of the more feared in the NFL. But, the Ravens, with added weapon Steve Smith on offense and Alabama great C.J. Mosley now at linebacker, could cause some noise. The Steelers need a little more help on offense before returning to the postseason, and the Browns are still in the middle of an identity crisis at the...
