Final Four

The Final Four is set. I'm pulling for North Carolina to win it all. I'm often a fan of the coach as much as the team - one reason I'm always pulling for Duke to win - and Roy Williams seems like a good guy. I could pull for Pitino but I haven' t seen his team play one time this year so I'm lost with them. Villanova and UConn are too far north for me to cheer for. Crazy, huh? Go Tar Heels.
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Do you think people still see things from God? Do they see ghosts or angels? Do they have dreams that tell them a story they need to hear? A few years ago, I would not even entertain the idea but through some experiences that have changed my heart, I'm not so sure. Now, let me be clear that I'm not saying it happens. I don't know but I've heard stories of people who see these things and I believe they believe it.

I watched another special on Josh Hamilton last night. At one point, he saw clouds that he believes were symbolizing the fight between good and evil. He also says he had a dream where he was at the Home Run Derby being interviewed by a female reporter...and then it happened.

I do believe that both God and satan can inject themselves in our thoughts (which is why we need the Holy Spirit-supernatural to help us fight with or fight against supernatural) so why can't those thoughts come in dreams or some other form.

I'm treading on dangerous ground, opening up ideas that I have no answers too and far too little understanding. It's something bouncing around in my head causing me to wonder how God can work in our lives.

I do know this. I become a bigger Josh Hamilton fan all the time. He and his wife have fought battles many of us can't understand and they have come through it together standing firm in God's mercy and grace. My hope is that he will continue to succeed and use his platform to spread the good news of a God who loves His children and wants them in a right, reconciled relationship with Him.

May you find the joy and peace today that only comes from God.

The Valley

A great poem from an email passed along to me and from me to you...

It’s In The Valleys I Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It’s then I have to remember
That it’s in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God’s love
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it’s in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan’s loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I’m feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it’s in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.

Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it’s in the valleys I grow!

by Jane Eggleston

Brazilian Shower

In Brazil, we go on a retreat in the country and the one thing that always makes a memory are the cold showers. The retreat facilities catch water in a cistern and there is nothing, other than the sun, that heats the water. I got a reminder of those days on Monday. Two members of the family had already had the joy of a cold shower before I got in. WOW!

Here's my plug for Total Plumbing Solutions. Joe got a hot water heater out and installed on Monday and we are back to showers with hot water. Hot water is good.
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I missed the President's speech last night but have heard some comments from supporters and haters. Too much of the same 'ol, same 'ol.
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I was reminded of the spiritual battle that rages around us last night. A guy I was talking to was telling me about a relative who has a 28 year old daughter that is battling a brain tumor and has only a few weeks to live. He was telling me about the testing of faith his relative has gone through. I can't imagine the challenge that would be before me knowing one of my children was terminally ill; the questions I would have for God but it was encouraging to hear how this family is approaching it so far. I know they will have tough days ahead and hope their faith will be strengthened through dark times.

God is good but His goodness isn't in what we have today but in what awaits us. Health and wealth are nice things to have but God has plans that are far, far greater than what we can comprehend today. I look forward to when I can share that glorious time with Him.

A Whole New Ballgame

I picked Michigan over Clemson and Western Kentucky over Illinois. I told myself to take Maryland over California but couldn't do it for some reason. Heyfelvdt or whatever his name is for Gonzaga is a player. I missed the UCLA-VCU game...sounds like a nailbiter to the wire.
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Have you ever had the experience where you thought you knew something then realized how much you didn't know but started learning and understanding and it opened your eyes to ideas and concepts you had never grasped before? When it happens, it's a whole new ballgame. You begin to see things you were somehow blind to before. You begin to grasp things that didn't make sense or didn't register with you before. It's as if doors are opened and you travel through time and space that you didn't know existed.

I am in one those periods and I hope it doesn't stop. Each week brings new revelations with plenty of stuff to chew on, to think about and process. It is exciting and a bit scary at times and I hope it doesn't stop. I want to know more, to understand better.

I hope your day is filled with the knowledge of the hope and peace and love afforded each of us by God.

Blame Game

For every email I get blaming the Democrats, I should be getting many more with many different faces. Where is the email blaming the people who fudged their loan applications to get a house that was too big or a car that was too expensive? Where is the email of the person who votes their incumbents in time after time because they wear the Republican label and then say we need to throw the bums out? Where is the email blaming people who have voted for a party without really knowing what that party was going to do with our trillions of dollars?

I worked in the home health care industry for a few years and I have seen how the government system works. It's horrible and easy to abuse. Guess what! There are a lot of people running businesses who make their money on easily abused government systems and...those people abuse the system. Is the government to blame or is the business person who abuses the loopholes to blame?

There are Republicans blaming Democrats for the AIG mess who seem to have forgotten that the former Republican administration was the first to give a handout to AIG.

I didn't vote for Obama and probably wouldn't vote for him if we were doing it all over again but it doesn't mean our politicians need to point fingers instead of accepting blame and fixing things.

I'm tired of all the blaming. Let's get over it and move on. Solutions, not blame, is what is needed today. Looking back is useless except as a learning exercise of what to avoid in the future. To bring it up over and over is not productive and not beneficial to a country mired in a mess.

Send me an email with good ideas and send me an email with politicians who are working to fix the problems. I'm tired of living in the past.

Madness

March Madness cranks up in a couple of days. I love it - my favorite postseason play of any sport. I'm not sure how Texas made it in with their play the past 2 months but I don't see them getting past Duke. I'm rooting for North Carolina to win it all but think either Louisville or Memphis may have a good shot. I can't wait for tip-off.
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I just deleted the majority of what I had written. Sometimes I go off and today...I was really going off. I need to think about it a little longer and decide if I really want to sound the way I think I sounded.

The crux of it was my weariness of getting emails about Obama killing the country. I'm no fan but all of our problems started long before Obama thought about running for President. It's easy to blame the government without looking at ourselves. Who put them there? Uh-oh...here I go again.
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A portion of Psalm 23 popped up on my blog this morning. It's my favorite scripture for personal reasons but also because I have come to own it. The Lord is my shepherd, He is all that I need. Not, the Lord is my shepherd and He is all that I need along with my house and car and job and...and...and.

If everything went away today, if I lost it all, would I still believe what the verse says? Would you? Would I be perfectly content and joyful if all I have is the Lord? Living on the streets, begging for food or money - would the Lord be enough for me? Working a minimum wage job and living in a 1 room apartment - would the Lord be enough for me? Making millions and living in a mini-mansion - would the Lord be enough for me?

It's tough to answer because I can't fully fathom those scenarios but it's the state I want to reach. It's something that I am grappling with, something I want to understand for what it means for me.

Shhhhh

Do you ever hear God talking to you? I use the word "hear" loosely because I'm not sure anyone can actually hear God (but I'm not sure they can't either) but there are times when I can't help but believe He is talking to me. The scriptures that have popped up on my blog site for the past week or two have all spoken to my heart. They have been things I have needed to read/hear at that moment, things that have helped me understand or through a struggle.

A friend told me about something called centered-prayer. I read a little bit about it, probably not enough to understand, but the essence of what I got from what I read was to be quiet, to simply listen for God. That's not easy. Try it sometime. Try sitting still for 5 minutes without thought entering your mind. Goodness, try it for 1 minute. Anyway, I have been trying to do just that and don't do very well, but the effort to simply be quiet, turn off the TV, radio, Internet and try to avoid thoughts; to be perfectly still and quiet...to wait to hear God...it's a peaceful and cleansing moment in time.

I hope to hear God but I can't do it with my mouth running, with my thoughts ruling my head, with my agenda before His. I have to get very close to God to hear Him. I have to rid myself of me and open my heart, my soul, my mind and my strength to only Him. What a beautiful challenge, what a glorious hope.

Where is North America?

I didn't think I would be spending any more space on TO but his press conference with Buffalo cracked me up. He hopes to make the Buffalo Bills "North America's team." Does he think Canada is going to cheer for Buffalo now that TO is in town? Surely it has to be humbling for him to go from the Cowboys and at least the talk about a Super Bowl to Buffalo, a 2nd tier team at this point.
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There is some great Christian music being made today and I have found certain songs that really resonate with me. One of my favorite groups is Third Day and a new song they have out is one of those songs. Revelation is about wanting to hear from God, wanting to know what He wants me to do, which path to take and the struggle that it is to wait at times. I get lost when I try to find my way on my own and I am learning to wait on God for direction and that is why I love this song.

Here are the lyrics to Third Day's "Revelation"

My life has led me down the
road that's so uncertain
Now I am left alone and I am broken
Trying to find my way
Trying to find the faith that's gone

This time I know that you are
holding all the answers
I'm tired of losing hope and taking chances
On roads that never seem
To be the ones that bring me home

(Chorus)
Give me a revelation
Show me what to do
'Cause I've been trying to find my way
I haven't got a clue
Tell me should I stay here
Or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without you
I've got nothing without you

My life has led me down this
path that's ever winding
Through every twist and turn, I'm always finding
That I am lost again
Tell me when this road will ever end

I don't know where I can turn
Tell me, when will I learn
Won't you show me where I need to go
Let me follow your lead
I know that it's the only way
that I can get back home

(Chorus)

The Story I Woke Up With

Regardless of what I thought about writing today, how could it top the TO news? Yes, the Cowboys are cutting the talented, loud-mouthed receiver. I don't know Terrell Eldorado Owens other than from public appearance. I choose to believe that TO battles a number of problems internally and I believe his desire to win is incredibly high and the collision of the two created the spark that would set him off.

I had hoped the best for TO. He looks like an electric personality with a smile that can brighten up everything around him but he also had a mouth that seems to divide people from the locker room to the talk radio airwaves. I can't help but wonder what Dale Hansen will have to say about it tonight.

I don't know where TO will land but I hope it's a place with a strong-armed, thick-skinned QB. I can't imagine he will slide off into obscurity remembering how he was doing sit-ups in his driveway for reporters while his paid mouth (agent) rambled away before TO signed with the Cowboys. I expect a press conference with lots of fireworks but who knows?

Adios TO. I know Rick Ross will miss you...or maybe not, but good luck in the future. Maybe there is a place that won't have a running back and can throw passes on every play.

Ramblings

I wonder what happened on the boat with the 4 football players. How did 1 make it and the other 3 didn't? It's a tragic story with a lot of questions that will probably go unanswered.

The question of the day on Mike and Mike (ESPN Radio) is if you would buy a used car owned by a celebrity/athlete. Brett Favre put his truck for sale on eBay and offered to autograph the dashboard for the winner.

I've heard predictions the economic problems will begin to turn around sometime between July and late next year. TV weather forecasters have a better track record than that. Can you imagine them saying "it will rain sometime between July and late next year"?

There was a news item yesterday that Bill Gates has banned iPhones and iPods from his house for his wife and kids. I'm betting that drives them nuts. All their fortune comes from Windows and Apple products are the cool things to have.

There are a ton of new electronic gadgets on the market. Phones that do anything and everything, GPS units, electronic book readers. It's amazing and I wonder what the future will bring. I use an iPhone, iPod, laptop and GPS. I think the Kindle book reader looks like a cool gadget to have and can't imagine what is coming next. I remember thinking email would revolutionize communication and along comes MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and who knows what else that I can't keep up with.

Rumor has it warmer weather is coming. I like that in some ways, not so much in others. If it would stay in the 70's and 80's I would look forward to warm weather. As it is in Texas, warmer weather makes me start thinking about August.

Have a great day. God is so good.

Christ-likeness

WARNING: The following question is a trick question. Who is the most Christ-like person you know?

The problem with the question, in my mind, is that it leads me to compare myself with another human, another struggling, fallible soul. I've been guilty in the past of looking at someone I know and thinking I wanted to be more like them. The problem is if I look at someone else and begin to think I've got it more together than that person.

Christ is my comparison. I need to strive to follow his example.

I am imperfect. I wasn't made that way but have entered a world full of spiritual battles with forces that want to lead me to destructive decisions and, at times, I have fallen prey to those forces. On the other hand, I have God's Holy Spirit and, praise God, I have also relied on the power of the helper He sent me to win the battle against evil.

I will not lead a perfect life from this moment forward but I will make Christ the goal I want to strive for. I don't want to look at other humans who are waging the same fight that I am as my example nor my crutch to feel better about myself. I want to rejoice in the times I live like Christ and I will repent in the times I fall short of my example but I will remain focused on how He lived and how He wants me to live through the good and the bad.

Spiritual Journey

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.” (Job 23:10-11)

I love the words of Job. I have been and remain on a spiritual journey - one that will lead me to a destination of beauty or destruction depending on the road I choose to follow. As I look back on my trip, I see beautiful points I have visited and I also see some really bad places I was fortunate to make it through. Some of those places still leave images in my mind that I don't want to see again and I hope those images will help me better choose the path I take going forward.

I've been given a great GPS (God's Perfect System) and a navigator (Holy Spirit) that will help lead me to the mountain of God if I choose to listen. I want to take the better path, not that it will be easy but it will be the one where God is watching me, refining me and purifying me - turning me into gold. I want to be like Job, keeping to His way without turning aside.

God is so good.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my mom's 75th birthday. I know you aren't supposed to tell a woman's age but 75 is kind of special. I remember a few years ago when I thought 45 was "getting up there" but now that I'm almost up there, I have changed my point of view.

Mom, I love you and hope you have a great birthday!
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I was in Bridgeport yesterday afternoon for my daughter's first track meet. She was running the 800m and I was laughing with a friend about how the race was considered a sprint in some regards but to us, it just seemed like a heart attack waiting to happen. My girl did well and I'm really proud of her.
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I'm always a little surprised anyone is out there reading my babblings other than Rick (thanks for sticking with me Rick!) but I sincerely appreciate the comments some of you made about the blog while I take some time off. It's encouraging to know that some of the things I write are compelling enough that you come back. My hope is to keep going deeper in my relationship with God and hopefully encourage you to do the same. I realize we are all in different places at different times in our spiritual journey and I feel like my walk with God is so very new in so many ways. He is ripping away layers of self-reliance that I have tried to build around me and filling that space with His goodness. The process is not easy, even painful, but so rewarding.

I'll be back next week with my new word for the week - grappling. Thanks again for your comments and encouraging words.

God is so good.

Blogger Holiday

It's getting tough to get my thoughts on "paper" lately so I think I'm going to take a writing holiday. There are a few of you who stop by regularly so I wanted to let you know that my aim is to take the week off and see what happens. If something really big hits me, I might blog but I'm hoping to let some things sort themselves out in my head and then try again.

I'll leave you with this for now:

Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Different Day...Same Thoughts

I'm still thinking about being made in God's image. I think one of the struggles I have is that I think of image as an external function (how I appear to other people) but being made in God's image in an internal function - it's about where our heart is. Our decisions are often affected by external factors but our decision or response in how we act is an internal decision.

Maybe it would be a good thing if we could roll our eyes backwards and have them look inside of ourselves instead of only seeing outside. What if we could look at the condition of our heart in a spiritual sense on a regular basis and see what God sees? I suppose the danger would be that I would, once again, think I was in control and lack the submissiveness that I need to have.

I want to live in the image of God. It's a battle because there are forces that want to prevent that but it's my desire and prayer to let the Spirit guide me in the fight as I live closer to my Lord.

Image

Our youth class started a new study last night about different ways we build a relationship with Jesus and what we sometimes leave out because it doesn't suit us or fit our image. Sometimes we see Jesus as the Savior but nothing more, sometimes we see Jesus as the one who is supposed to bring good things to our lives but nothing more, we see Jesus as the grace-giving Jesus but nothing more.

As we talked last night, the thought kept rolling through my mind that we are told in Genesis 9 that we are made in God's image. Think about that for a minute. We are made in His image.

I have spent a lot of years trying to see God in my image. Well, He must not be a very loving God because He let this bad thing happen to me. Well, He will forgive me for doing something to someone who hurt me. Well, He won't mind if I do this because it doesn't hurt anyone else.

He made us in His image. Why, oh why, do we move so easily from being in His image to an image of what we think is good and best. How long do we spend picking out clothes, worrying out our hair (or lack thereof), the vehicles we drive, the houses we live in? For a big majority of us, we spend a good bit of time thinking about our image.

We are made in God's image. Why mess with that?

More A-Rod

A-Rod met the press yesterday to come clean on his steroid usage. Today the radio is filled with questions of whether he's still telling the truth or not. My question is, what difference does it make? He's already received all the punishment he's going to get so why does everyone want to keep poking at him? Is there more to be gained knowing he used for 7 months instead of 6 or if he knew exactly what his cousin was giving him or not?

I agree that A-Rod is doing a good thing by telling his story and, at some point, everyone will have to accept what he says and move on. If he's holding information back, it is something that will eat at him much longer than the rest of us. In general, we have become a society of people wanting to hear the dirt on someone so we can talk about them instead of working on ourselves? Don't believe me? What's People and National Enquirer and so many other grocery store fillers about? They tell us about other people's lives and what's going on with them. There are multiple TV shows and web sites that do the same thing - fill us in on the dirt so we have something to talk about.

I'm guilty. I called A-Rod "A-Fraud" on my blog just a few days ago. He makes LOTS of money and made a mistake that tarnishes a game I'm growing to enjoy and that gives me the right to call him names? No doubt baseball needs to decide what it will do about records set during the steroid period but using steroids are mistakes made by people who simply need to come clean with themselves first. They can't undo what has been done and we can't go on forever talking bad about Bonds, McGuire, A-Rod and the gang and we don't need to. Baseball isn't the be-all and end-all. It's a game. It's not life-and-death, heaven-or-hell and every minute we are focused on that gives us less time to focus on something that is everything.

You've heard this from me before and I feel certain you will hear it more; there are forces of evil all around us and their one and only goal is to take our focus away from God, Christ and the promise that awaits us and I believe with all my heart that satan will use any and every situation he can to do that. Is satan using this situation with baseball? I don't know for sure but I do know this - when it causes me to call someone names or talk bad about someone I don't even know, it's certainly not something that is helping me on my path to Heaven.

Watch out for what satan does to trip you up. He's had my number and isn't going to stop going after me anytime soon and I would imagine you might have experienced similar treatment.

God loves me and He loves you. Philipians 4:8.

Old Man Hoops

You know the good days have passed you by when one of your teammates comes on the court to replace you says "take a break old man." We played Victory Family Church last night and I wish we could play these guys every week. We pulled out a 50-49 win last night but every game with them is a good one. They play with great sportsmanship and with a fun attitude. As for the old man hoops, I think I'm the oldest player on the court and certainly can't run and jump with most of the guys I'm playing so it's up to my wily basketball skills to get position for rebounds and set lots of screens for my teammates. It's still fun for me to just be on the court and I went 2 for 4 last night.

Texas got beat by A&M. I'm not sure what's going on with the Longhorns this year but it's not good. Not good at all.

I'm betting on UConn and North Carolina to face off in the finals. I think North Carolina has more guns but the big guy for UConn is crazy to watch. He may be averaging 100 blocks a game.

I heard it's Michael Jordan's birthday. I remember making sure I was home in time to see Chicago Bulls games not long ago just to see Jordan do something magical on the court.
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I was reminded of a quote by St. Francis of Assisi yesterday. "Preach the gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words."

Amen.

Monday Ramblings

It's Monday and I really don't have much to say...or much I can put into intelligible thoughts.

The NBA All-Star weekend just passed and I saw none of it. I didn't even realize it was going on until last Thursday or Friday. The slam dunk contest is filled with a bunch of no-name guys unless you are a basketball junkie. Where's Kobe and LeBron? The dunk contest used to be Michael and Dominique - top flight guys in the NBA.

The good news is that we are in the midst of college conference games and March Madness is just a few weeks away. I haven't been able to watch as much college basketball as I'd like this year but the good games are heating up and I hope to see more in the coming weeks. I'm not sure who can stop North Carolina this year.

Is anyone following the stimulus bill? Has anyone explained how we are going to have to pay for it? Does anyone have any faith that it will actually help? It sounds to me like someone is just digging a deeper hole for us to fall into. Either that or the children of my children will be paying for it so we can put off the pain.

Have you ever noticed how people turn to God during tougher times? A country in crisis - fighting wars on foreign soil, in economic turmoil, slipping morality. I'm just thinking where so many people see fear, God is seeing opportunity.

Spring Training and God

It may not be the best title for a blog but as pitchers and catchers get ready to report to Spring Training, the excitement of baseball starts to build for me. Last year is done and over with, the good and the bad. Josh Hamilton's homeruns and RBI's, Kinsler's MVP start before surgery and a great finish were all things I enjoyed about last year. Up and down pitching, Kinsler's surgery and the start of the season are all things I am glad are in the past. In just over 24 hours as I'm writing this, pitchers and catchers go to Arizona to start working on this year, a new year, a new start.

I was thinking last night about all the Spring Trainings God has given me. An opportunity to start over, fresh, no mistakes, a new beginning. I am so thankful that while the good and bad are a part of my history, with God I can start a new chapter, write a new history and, best of all, He is only interested in my current story - not the story of my past.

I love Spring Training and hope to make a trip to Arizona one of these days to see the new beginning of a new season. I think that would be way cool, like some people want to play Pebble Beach or go to the Daytona 500. I hope I get that opportunity but I cherish the knowledge that I can begin anew with my God, my Creator and Savior, when I need to and I don't have to wait for Him to wash me in His mercy and grace. It's an incredible feeling to know I am that loved by the One who can do all things. Hallelujah and hallelujah.