70-17. Are you kidding me?

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I got my first taste of football inside Darrell Royal/Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday night as the Longhorns and the Rice Owls did battle. Well, they played -- it wasn't much of a battle.

Watching Rice is like being transported back in time. Ken Hatfield. The flexbone offense. A 4:1 run/pass ratio. It reminded me of the Razorback teams of my teenage years.

Remind me again why everyone wanted Hatfield run out of town? Back-to-back 10 win seasons. Consecutive conference championships and Cotton Bowl appearances. All that wasn't enough because the critics claimed, "his offense is too boring."

Not much has changed in the Hills in the last 16 years, except there are no more conference championships and no more January 1 bowl appearances.

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The deer population in and around Lake Marble Falls is mind-boggling. Last night, we were invited for a post-church fellowship in the home of one of our elders who lives in Horseshoe Bay. It was neat to watch the girls reactions to all the deer. The deer in Horseshoe Bay are unbelievably tame -- you can drive right alongside them and they don't spook.

As a result of Hurricane Katrina and the soaring costs associated with building a new home, Mandy and I have purchased a spec home that will be finished next week. The home is situated on a large lot and the adjacent property to the rear is wooded and unbuildable (is that a word?) Anyway, deer flood the woods behind our new home, roaming fence lines to feed in the evenings.

Raising our girls in a setting where they are so close to nature can only be an added benefit. It always amazes me how nature affirms the power, majesty and creativity of God.

Today, I invite you out of your routine and into nature. Find a pathway, a wooded trail, a ranch road and soak in the inspiration of God as conveyed in God's creation.