MHS JV Basketball

Last night Brian played in what is probably (hopefully) his last JV basketball game for MHS. Unfortunately, they lost quite badly to Hesston. Not a good way to end the season. All in all, they had a respectable 10 wins 9 loss season. They were in virtually every game, and had a chance to win almost every one of the games they lost. They played quite a few teams with several Juniors on them.

Brian's highlight of the season came two games ago when he scored a career high 26 points against Wichita Collegiate! He gained a lot of valuable experience on JV this year, and combined with some limited action with the varsity, he is looking forward to the next couple of years playing varsity basketball for MHS. They will be playing the inaugural games in the brand new gym this next fall, so that's exciting.

With the cold wet winter we've been having, it's hard to imagine that baseball season is only a couple of weeks away!!

De Colores

Honor

Today is Valentine's Day!! It's a day that we men try to show our special gal how much we love her and appreciate her. Some of us do a pretty good job, and others, well, good luck to you at the end of the day!!

If there is one word that I can think of to sum up how we men should treat our wives, it's got to be "HONOR". Webster uses terms like "a showing of respect" and "one whose worth brings respect". A synonym for honor is "REVERENCE". It is defined as "profound respect mingled with love, devotion or awe". Wow, I couldn't sum it up any better. If I could just treat my wife with love, devotion and awe all the time, what an unbelievable marriage we would have.

Romans 12:10 says "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other". Lori and try try to do this each and every day. We try to be sensitive to each other's physical, spiritual and emotional needs. I try to make her my priority in my life. We have found that if we honor each other as not only husband and wife, but also as individuals, our love for each other can't help but grow. What a wonderful revelation it was when we realized this! In a sense, each day becomes "Valentine's Day"!!

Happy Valentine's Day honey, I love you very much!!

Shatter Cane and Weeds

I got to talking with one of my farmer friends a couple of days ago, and we were reminiscing on the subject of "the good old days" when I was growing up on the farm. One of the things we were talking about was the practice of sending us young boys out to the milo and soybean fields to clean out the shatter cane and weeds. The shatter cane in the milo was easy to get rid of, as all you had to do was take a machete' or a knife and lop off the head of it before it filled out with grain. As long as the head was gone, the plant was rendered useless, and it no longer posed a threat to the milo crop.

Weeds in a soybean field however, where a whole different deal. Yes, you could chop the weed up into pieces, but the chances were pretty good that with a little rain, it would sprout back up from the ground and grow again. Too many weeds significantly lowered the yield of the bean crop. The only way to totally eradicate the weed was to pull it out, roots and all.

It got me to thinking about the "weeds" and "shatter cane" in my life. There are some things that I find easy to lop off and clean up in my life, but there are other things that I find I have to work really hard to eradicate. Things like jealousy, anger, envy, forgiveness, etc. These are the "weeds" in my life. If I just try and chop them up a little and then go on with my life, they seem to keep coming back and choke me out from being the kind of Christian that God wants me to be.

I always wondered what the useful value of all that time I spent chopping and pulling weeds in the field was, now I know. You never know where life's lessons will come from!!

De Colores

Lent

Today is the first day of Lent. It is 40 days of fasting and prayer leading us up to Easter. It is a time for us to reflect on our lives, repent for our sins, and think of the unbelieveable gift of salvation that God offered through the sacrifice of His one and only son Jesus Christ.

I didn't realize this, but 40 is a significant time period in the bible. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert being tempted by Satan. He resisted Satan and his temptations, and after Satan left, Jesus began His ministry. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sanai with God. Elijah spent 40 days and nights walking to Mount Horeb. God made it rain for 40 days and nights in the great flood of Noah's time. The people of Israel wandered the wilderness for 40 years while waiting to enter the promised land. Jonah gave the people of Nineveh 40 days in which to repent and save their City. There is also a traditional belief that Jesus lay in His tomb for 40 hours.

Tonight, we will use ashes to symbolize the destruction, brokenness, and desolation of our lives without God. The ashes will be placed in the form of a cross on our foreheads to remind us that Christ died to give us hope and restoration of our souls through our belief in Him.

Will I "give up" anything for Lent? I don't know. I do know that I want to try and spend a little time each day reflecting on the wonderful gift that was given to us in Jesus, His life, His death and His resurrection.

De Colores

Crazy Kansas Weather - Again!!

Let's see, how many seasons can occur in Kansas in a 48 hour period? Yesterday (Monday) afternoon, the sky was clear and the temperature was a balmy, spring-like 65 degrees. Early this morning, we had thunderstorms rumble through, producing rain, hail and some sleet. By this afternoon, we are supposed to get 3 - 5 inches of snow. How ridiculous is that???? Only in Kansas!!

Congrats to Brian's MHS Junior Varsity basketball team for reaching the championship game of the Hillsboro JV tournament. They are seeded 6th out of 8 teams, and beat the number 2 and 3 seed teams this past Saturday. They will play for the hardware this coming Saturday.

5 more games left in the regular season for MHS basketball, where did the time go? It is such a long season, beginning in November, and finishing up the end of February. I am a terrible basketball fan, I get so frustrated when shots don't fall, dumb turnovers are made, leads are lost, and officiating is terrible. I have made it my goal this year to work on keeping my mouth shut during games and not embarassing my son. Just when I think I've finally got my emotions under control, one of the above things happens, and I find myself jumping up out of my seat, eyes bulging, neck veins popping, and yelling at players/coaches/officials, etc. I am so pathetic....Maybe I should work on it during lent. After all, baseball season is just around the corner....SIGH.

De Colores

A Wildcat Victory!!

I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamed that K-State finally beat KU and ended it's 24 year drought at home. Wait a minute, it wasn't a dream, it's TRUE!!!!

Daughter Amanda and her husband Chad were there to witness history in Bramlage. She said she didn't storm the court, as she feared for her life. She said it was quite a sight though.

I know, one victory doesn't erase all the ears of frustration, but for at least one day, life is good in Wildcat land.

GO CATS (first place all alone in the Big 12)!!!!

De Colores

How 'Bout Them Cats!!

Son-In-Law Chad called this past Friday and said he had 2 extra tickets to the K-State/Iowa State Basketball game on Saturday. Brian and I quickly took him up on it (Lori had to go shopping while we were at the game).

I had seen Michael Beasley a couple of times on TV, but it doesn't do justice as compared to watching him in person! What a scoring machine! He had 33 points in only 32 minutes of action, along with 14 rebounds. He is so smooth. Fellow freshman Bill Walker was also a beast. Too bad we probably won't see either of them after this year...

K-State is off to a 4-0 record in the conference and are back in the Polls at #24 this week. They meet up with rival KU at Bramlage tomorrow evening. Should be a great game. Can Beasley, Walker and company put an end to the nation's number 1 ranked undefeated season? I don't know, but it should be a whale of a game!!

GO CATS!!

De Colores

Saturday Shorts

It was my turn to work the Saturday shift here at the bank, and it's slow, so my mind is wondering. Things that have gone through my mind this morning are.....

Congrats to the MHS girls basketball team on their big win against Hillsboro last night! First win against them in how many years? More than I can remember! They won on Hillsboro's court, so even better!

My son Brian and I are going to Manhattan this evening to watch Michael Beasley, Bill Walker and the rest of the KSU Wildcats take on Iowa State. Bramlage Colliseum is sold out, so the house should be rockin'!!

My sincerest condolences to Rick and Hannah Saylor over the passing of their wife and mother Jan. Some day when I reach heaven's gates myself, I'll finally be able to understand why our loved ones are sometimes taken from us way too soon. May God grant the family peace, strength and grace as they go through this time of loss.

Congratulations to our daughter Erin for receiving a nice promotion at the KC Country Club! Wow, managing a department and staff at 21!! You go girl!!

Have I ever mentioned on this blog how lovely my wife is? Well, she is!!

Cory and Leigh Ann, my invitation to move to Marion/Aulne still stands!!

The next Walk To Emmaus is April 10-13 for the men and April 17-20 for the women. It will be at the Wheatstate Camp in Augusta. Ask me about it, I'd love tell you!!

Have a great weekend, go to church!!

De Colores

Viola Kelsey

This past Friday, heaven gained a real saint when Lori's mom Viola Kelsey passed away. She was 82. If I were asked to describe her using just a few words, I would say that she was quietly elegant, and had real class. As one of her sons said in her eulogy, she could say so much without saying much or anything at all. She let the way she lived her life speak for herself. She was truly one of God's servants.

Thanks to all for the prayers, cards, flowers, meals, etc. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such good friends and family.

I was truly blessed to be Viola's son-in-law. I love you and will miss you terribly Viola, but I know that you were ready to go be with your heavenly father, and you are freed from your earthly heart problems that took your life. Your heart now beats strong, and you can run and skip down the streets of gold.

Until we meet again...

1 ARK

Yesterday during church, I was blessed to hear one of the neatest children's stories during our moments for youth (you are never too old to learn during children's time, so always pay attention!!). Torey Hett showed a video clip from the movie "Evan Almighty". In the clip, Evan asked God what He wanted him to do, and God's response was "change the world". Evan asked how he was supposed to do that, as he was only one person. God replied that He wanted him to build 1 ark.

The "1 ARK" is actually an acronym. It stands for "one Act of Random Kindness". The lesson is this: If every person on this earth were responsible for committing one act of random kindness a day, think how dramatically this world would be changed! God was telling Evan that it had to start with him. God is telling each of us that we are Evan, and He is counting on us to change the world "one act of random kindness" at a time.

Matthew 25: 34-40 says: "34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

My challenge to each of you is to look for a way to commit one act of random kindness a day. Let's change the world together!!

De Colores

Now It's Cold!!

Man, sometimes Kansas weather drives me nuts!! On my last blog from Monday, I mentioned that it was 60 degrees outside. I'm looking out the window today, and it's 30 degrees and the snow is flying!! AARRGGHH!!

You know, come to think of it, my Christian life can sometimes be like that. One day I'm on fire for Christ, and the next day I can be totally cold. One day I feel like Jesus is walking right beside me, and the next day it feels like I'm all alone. Why is that? Wouldn't it be great to always have that burning desire in our hearts to love God totally all the time!! Wouldn't it be great to feel God right beside us every minute of the day!!

Thankfully, God does not run hot and cold on us. He loves us totally and unconditionally every day. An Emmaus saying goes something like "God is always close beside us, even when we don't feel close to Him."

Until I get rich enough to move to Hawaii, I guess I'll have to put up with the Kansas weather. Until I become perfect in Christ in eternity, I'll struggle with running hot and cold. Thank God that He is always the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow!!

De Colores

Warm Weather!!

It's almost 60 degrees outside today!! It feels so good to get outside to run again!! I am thankful that we have our little "wellness center" here in town, but running on a treadmill while staring at a wall for 45 minutes isn't exactly invigorating.

I logged 940 miles last year, but yet gained a couple of pounds. Life is so harsh!!

De Colores

Chrysalis

My son Brian attended a Chrysalis Flight in Topeka last week. Chrysalis is the youth version of the Walk To Emmaus that you may have seen mentioned in previous blogs. He had a GREAT time!! Judging by his new outlook on life, God must have made Himself known to Brian in a mighty way.

Now his challenge is to go back to school and his every day environment and try to live the life that he knows God wants him to live. It won't be easy with all the temptations and influences that he'll daily be subjected to.

Pray for our kids, they need it!!

De Colores

The Big Gift

I don't know if it is my imagination, but this Christmas season has seemed so hectic!! What with the school sports events, the crazy weather, and all the other things packed in, it seems like there isn't a spare minute to stop and rest!! Christmas seems to be getting lost in all the hustle and bustle of this crazy life.

Think back to your Christmases past. What is it that you remember the most? For me, I remember the big stuff. The little presents are all well and good, but it's the big ones that really stick out in my memory. Like the "Spyder" bicycles that my brothers and I all got one year. That was the biggest and best ever!! We rode the wheels off those bikes!!

This Christmas, remember the biggest gift of all...Jesus Christ coming to earth as a baby to be our savior. When we put it into context, everything else is just the small stuff.

I need to go home, open my bible, and read again the story of Christmas from Luke 2. Hopefully I can get my perspective back, and remember the biggest reason for the season.

The picture is from our project we did last year with the little kids from our church. Too cute, isn't it!!

Merry Christmas

MHS Auditorium

This past Saturday MHS hosted it's first event in the brand new auditorium. The facility is fantastic!! The 551 seat auditorium is nicer than a lot of college facilities that I have been to. I can't wait to see the new gymnasium and indoor swimming pool this spring!!

Ice Storm - Round 2

For several days, we have been bracing for another huge ice storm that the weathermen have been predicting. It started raining yesterday at about 5:00PM, and it loked like the big storm was on. Strangely enough, the temperature bottomed out at about 32 degrees, and didn't get any colder. We woke up this morning to a lot of ice on the trees, but very little on the roads. We've gotten about 1.5 inches of rain so far, (can't tell for sure, as the rain gauge froze over), so all in all, this is a real blessing. The wheat crop around here was pretty desparate for some moisture.

Virtually all the schools in the area are closed today, which of course thrilled Brian. I'm sure he'll make the most of the day by sleeping and playing video games all day long....

All in all, it's pretty hard to complain about the storm. It could have been much worse. The forecasters were comparing the potential devastation to 2005, so I'm not complaining one bit that it didn't turn out that bad.

De Colores

Hoops Mania

Basketball season has started with a vengeance! MHS played this past Friday, again last night (Tuesday), and will have games this coming Thursday and Friday. Brian plays on the JV, and also gets to see a little action with the Varsity. We sit through the JV game, then have to wait while the Varsity girls play, and then sit through a whole game again to watch him play a few minutes with the boys Varsity. That's a lot of basketball for me, especially since it's not one of my favority sports to watch. I'm getting bleacher butt already!! It's a long season, so I'd better get used to it.

Lori's mom is in the hospital again with her congestive heart failure. She fell quite ill over this past week, and we actually almost lost her on Sunday. She is doing better again now, but it seems to be a cycle of fluids building up, kidneys shutting down, going to the hospital, getting better, and then starting all over again. It is really wearing on Lori, so I would covet your prayers for Lori and her mom.

De Colores

Management Material?

Our middle daughter Erin has been working as a server at the Kansas City Country Club while she is going to school in KC. While at home for Thanksgiving, she was telling us that she got a call from the general manager who said he wanted to speak to her. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be able to help but get a little apprehensive about getting a call like that. Maybe it's from past experience....

Anyway, she met with him, and he told her that her boss recently was promoted, and he asked her if she would be willing to serve as an interim supervisor of the various dining areas in the CC until they found a permanent one. She would do all the scheduling and trouble shooting. He said that they would have considered offering it to her full time if she were finishing up with her schooling now. Darn!!

Oh well, this will be great experience for her, and will give her a chance to see if she likes a position in management. Maybe things will work out and they will have a place for her permanently when she is done a year from now.

21 years old and already working in management. You go girl!!

De Colores

Snow???

Yesterday (the day after Thanksgiving) I was privileged to spend the evening with my whole family at home. You don't realize just how special those times are until they move away from home. The girls tried their hand at making some new soups. Something like butternut squash and pumpkin something something. It was an adventure (sorry for the comments last night Erin, that wasn't very fatherly of me). I guess I'm still just a boring guy who likes tried and true foods.

Erin wanted to help decorate the Christmas tree, so I brought it up out of the basement and set it up. I can't remember the last time I got to sit and watch all the ornaments get put on it. They reminisced about ones they made years ago in preschool. They couldn't believe our "First Christmas Together" ornament was still even holding together!! Hey, it's only been 26 years since we got it!! Watching them decorate it brought back a flood of memories, both for them and for me. It was great.

When we went to bed last night, a light snow was falling. The weatherman said that we should only get a light dusting, or maybe up to an inch. I woke up this morning to at least 2 or 3 inches on the ground!! It is very pretty out. It was a wet snow, so I'd guess that a lot of it will be gone by the end of the day.

Mary Beth Bowers' father Charles Kjellin passed away and his funeral is this morning. I was privileged to be asked to sing at his service this morning, so I'd better go get my vocal chords warmed up.

God is good, all the time!!

DeColores

Varsity Blues

Brian came home from basketball practice with a cheesy grin on his face a couple of days ago. He said that the coach was handing out uniforms and asked Brian what number he wanted. He said he wanted the same number as he had last year, and the coach told him that he didn't have a varsity uniform with that number. It took Brian a second or two to figure out what he meant!!
He came home from practice last night and had his new uniform and warm ups with him. He's pretty excited to be a part of the varsity team. Sure, he'll mostly play JV, and will be down towards the end of the bench at varsity games, but he's pretty proud to be wearing the varsity blues as a sophomore. Ready or not, basketball season is here!!

We're heading to my brother Terry's for Thanksgiving Day. I'm frying a turkey at home, and then will try and figure out how to pack it up for a 30 mile trip to Newton. Should be good!!

Amanda and husband Chad, and Erin are coming home Friday to spend the day with us. I can't wait to see them, even if it's only for a day or so. I am so proud of them and what they have become as young adults. Thank God they had a good mother!!

Once again, God has blessed our family this past year beyond measure. It is appropriate that we stop and give thanks for all His blessings. Actually, every day should be a day of thanksgiving.

Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.

DeColores

Steadfast

Ah fall, that wonderful time of the year when nature signals an impending change with beautiful colors. Our mums are some of the thickest, most beautiful ones that we have ever had. Our little autumn blaze maple tree that we planted a couple of years ago is turning some impressive shades of orange and reds. Several flocks of geese have been honking their way over our house. The turkeys have been out in the vally looking for the last few remaining grasshoppers of the summer. I saw a small buck trailing a doe yesterday...well, we won't get into specifics on that one!!

All around us, we see signals that the season is changing once again. Before we know it, it will be cold, the snow will start flying, and we will be counting the days until spring arrives to thaw us out.

As good as change can be, I am so thankful that God never changes!! He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. In this constantly changing world, it is comforting to know that God is always by our side. Even on those days when we don't feel close to Him, rest assured, He is there!! All we have to do is call on His name.

James 17:1 says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Thank God for His unchanging love and grace!!

De Colores

The Gift Of Life

Today, our high school key club sponsored a blood drive with the American Red Cross. I hadn't given blood (at least intentionally) for many years, so I thought it was time to start donating again.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the building was the diversity of donors. As it was sponsored by the Key Club, there were a bunch of high school students (you have to be at least 16 years old and have parental consent) lined up to donate. On the other end of the spectrum, I saw my step mom there, as well as quite a few other "senior citizens". I figured if they could all give blood, then heck, so could I!!

Well, I survived. It was relatively painless, and I didn't pass out, which is a good thing! Plus it made me feel good that I in a very small way did something to help out mankind. I'm kinda tired, but most days that seems to be fairly normal, even without having a pint of blood sucked out of my veins!!

If you have a blood drive in your community soon, I encourage you to donate. You'll be glad you did!

De Colores

Emmaus & Other Thoughts

What an awesome time we had at the Walk To Emmaus this past weekend in Garden City!! I was a part of the music team that led praise and worship singing on the men's Walk. Words can't even begin to describe what God did in the lives of the men who said YES and attended the Walk. The women's Walk begins tomorrow (10-25) and lasts through Sunday. The next set of Walks are in Augusta, and will be held April 10-13 for the men and April 17-20 for the women. Let me know if you're interested!!

Brian's last football game of the season is tomorrow night against perennial powerhouse Hesston. They are ranked in the top 5 in Class 3A. The Warriors' promising season is ending on a sour note, as they have lost their last 2 games, and barring a miracle, will probably lose this one, and end up with a 4-5 record. They have had some bad luck along the way, suffered some significant injuries to key players, and made some mistakes at critical points in the games they have lost. It's hard at this point to not look ahead to next season, as they currently have 6 sophomores playing regularly on varsity, and quite a few juniors that are starting. Plus, Hesston is moving up to 4A, and we won't have to deal with them any longer!! I know it's a cliche', but "Just wait until next year".....

My mother in law Viola is not doing very well. She has congestive heart failure, and is in the hospital at Wichita. We would covet your prayers for Viola, as well as for Lori and the rest of the family.

Off To Emmaus

Getting ready to load up with good friend Rod Just and head to the big metropolis of Garden City, Kansas for the fall Walk To Emmaus!! Rod and I are on the Music Team. Over the next few days (Thurs - Sunday) we'll play tons of songs, eat lots of food, and enjoy watching God pour out His blessings on the folks who attend. We would covet your prayers as we serve God in this wonderful capacity.

De Colores!!

When Bad Things Happen

I have really be wrestling internally with the question of why when some people are faced with a life threatening crisis, they are spared, while others are not and they die. How does God decide who lives and who dies? Or even more confusing to me, does God even have anything to do with it at all, or does He allow life to continue or end without intervention in most cases?

I have a very good friend here in town who seems to throw barbs at church, christianity, or religion in general every opportunity he gets. I found out that he lost his first wife to cancer when they were just a young married couple with small children. He prayed to God to heal his wife, but she died anyway. He became so embittered that he has basically denounced God. I can't imagine being in that position. The closest I came is when my mom died of cancer at 58 which seemed too young, but even this doesn't compare to the anguish he must have felt when he lost his wife when she was just in her 20's. My middle daughter was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 2, and she was healed. Why did my daughter not die, and yet my mom did? Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful that she was healed; it just lends to my confusion.

SO here it is...do you think that God makes every decision and controls every event in every life on this earth, both good or bad, or does He sit back and let our choices and circumstances dictate what happens to us, and only intervenes when he wants to?

I am waiting for the right opportunity to try and talk to my friend about his anger towards God, but I'm not sure how to go about trying to tell him that sometimes bad things happen, but we just have to have faith that God is in control. It is easy to say when a bad situation turns out to be ok, but one of the most difficult things to hold on to when life goes out of control.

Anyone out there who can give me some easy to understand insights that I can pass on to my friend?

De Colores

The Agony Of Defeat

The MHS Warriors had their showdown with their arch rival Hillsboro Trojans last night. The game started off ominously, with a 50 minute lightening delay in the first quarter. The Trojans started off fast, and claimed a 13-0 halftime lead. The Warriors came out fired up in the second half and scored a touchdown with a minute left in the game to get within one point. We were going to go for two to try and win it right there, but an illegal procedure penalty forced us to try and kick an extra point. Brian is the kicker, and he kicked it right through!! Everyone (including dad) went crazy!!

The game went into overtime, and we had the ball first. We scored a touchdown, but Brian's next attempt was no good. Hillsboro got the ball, scored, and their extra point was good. Just like that, the Warriors experienced the agony of defeat.

Of course Brian is blaming the loss on himself. He thinks he let the team down. There were many events during the game that contributed to the loss. He'll have to learn the hard way that life is not all about successes, but that defeats are also a hard reality. All we can do is pick ourselves up and go on.

He and I are headed to Manhattan to watch the Wildcats play Colorado this eveing. I'll bet you that by the end of today, life will again be good for him.

Keep your head up Brian, you're doing fine.

De Colores

Football, Football, Football!!

This past Friday, our Warriors traveled to Lyons to take on the Lions (who had the sick sense of humor to name them the Lyons Lions??). They had one of those games where they dominated every aspect of the game, except the scoreboard. Fumbles and penalties killed us. Halfway through the 3rd quarter, we were only ahead 6-0. Finally, they cut out the mistakes and started playing some good football and ended up winning 28-0. They held Lyons to only 18 yards rushing for the game, so the defense was the obvious hero of the game.

With that good start to the weekend, I settled into the recliner to watch my KSU Wildcats dispatch of KU. Something went terribly wrong, and much to my dismay, I found myself looking at the score that couldn't be correct. I think this is the first time KU has beaten KSU at our home field since 1989. They had the same problems as the Warriors, too many mistakes.

OK, I thought my weekend could be salvaged with a victory by the KC Chiefs. After all, they seemed to have righted their ship somewhat the past couple of weeks, and were playing fairly well. WRONG!! Either the Chief's offense was as pathetic as it looked, or the Jaguar's defense was as good as it looked. Either way, the Chiefs lost, my weekend was ruined, and I was sick and tired of football.

Then came Monday evening, and Lori and I decided to go out to Warrior stadium and watch our JV play.......oh well, I guess we are gluttons for punishment.

Getting the guitar tuned up and my fingers toughened up for a whole bunch of music at the Walk To Emmaus next week. Ask me about it!!

De Colores

Old Settler's Day 2007

The little town of Marion celebrated another successful Old Settler's Day weekend. The weekend started with a Homecoming football game against state powerhouse Hoisington. The game started off rough for the young team, as Hoisington returned the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, and then blocked our first punt and returned it for a touchdown too. It was 28-0 at halftime. The Warriors came out in the second half determined not to allow a blowout, and actually outplayed them in the second half. We ended up on the bottom side of a 35-14 score, but everyone was proud of how the kids came out and played the second half. Brian was successful on both extra point attempts and played every down on offense. He also got to see a lot of action on defense.

On Saturday, downtown Marion was filled with several thousand people who came to watch the annual OSD parade. It was pretty impressive by our standards, as it took nearly 45 minutes to all go by. The above pictures are a shot of the parade as it was coming down the street, and a picture of Brian's sophomore float. He's riding on it.

Every MHS class from 2002 to 1947 in five year increments had a class reunion. They were recognized in the afternoon in the park. It's pretty impressive that so many classes got together to reunite and reminisce.

A fun weekend with lots to do!!

De Colores

Lessons From Nature

Yesterday evening I was mowing my yard, and a small covey of quail came out right at sunset to look for an evening snack. They made their way through my back yard, and stopped at our wildflower garden. A male hopped up on a boulder that I have in the garden, apparently standing guard. His job was to watch for anything that might pose a danger for the covey, and warn them. After a few minutes of looking for food, they moved along my fence line to another spot where I have another large rock. Sure enough, the male hopped up on the boulder and stood guard again until they made their way on out into the meadow.

How much is our Heavenly Father like that male quail. God stands guard over our lives and warns us of impending dangers. He is ever watchful, and makes sure that His people are safe. Proverbs 2:8 says "for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."

God's lessons are evident everywhere in nature. I was fortunate enough last night to be reminded through these quail of God's steadfast love and protection for us.

De Colores

Warrior Update

The MHS Warriors are 3-1 on the season. After losing a tough, hard fought battle to Sterling two weeks ago, they traveled to Haven this past Friday. In spite of losing our starting tailback, middle linebacker and nose tackle to injuries, the Warriors were able to come away with a well deserved 19-0 shutout victory. The younger players stepped up and played hard, and filled the upper classmen's shoes admirably.

Brian played well (he's number 76 in this picture). He played every down on offense (right guard), and got to get in quite a few minutes on defense (tackle). He kicked an extra point, and handled all the kickoffs. He comes home from the games all beat up and bruised, but has a smile on his face, knowing he played as hard as he could.

This coming Friday will be the toughest test to date for the young Warrior team. Traditional powerhouse Hoisington invades Warrior stadium, and will try and play spoiler for our annual Homecoming festivities. They will be an extremely tough foe. The Warriors will have to play error free fottball, and get a few good breaks to have a chance to beat them. Hopefully our injured players will be healthy and ready to go.

GO WARRIORS!!

Bandwagon Christian

I chided my son on my last blog for being a bandwagon New York Yankees fan. I think I can legitimately pin this tag on him, because several years ago he was a "die hard" Denver Broncos fan, only because they were a powerhouse each year. When they fell from the top of the NFL's elite teams, he suddenly seemed to stop rooting for them. The Yankees, with their marquis lineup caught his attention, and for the last several seasons, they have become his team to root for.

It seems to be just as easy to be a "bandwagon Christian". When things are going well in our lives, it is easy to pray, worship, praise and generally be a Christian. It is when the times are tough in our lives that we are commitment to God is really put to the test. I personally find the most difficult time to be a true Christian is when I become discouraged. Doubts, fears and anger can take away the joy of following Christ. Bandwagon Christians look for earthly things to pick them up during these times. Spending money, drinking, sex, all these things are ways in which we try and push the discouragement out of our lives. Unfortunately, they are ultimately never successful. Only when we put our faith in Christ and look to Him for encouragement can we keep on going.

Isaiah 41:10 says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Don't be a bandwagon Christian. Look to God for your strength in the good times, as well as the bad, and ulitimately, the victory will be ours!!

De Colores

Those "darn" Yankees!!

My son Brian is a die hard (bandwagon) Yankees fan. For his birthday, we got him tickets to see them play the KC Royals this past weekend. My daughters were able to join us, so it was great having the family all together, even if it was just for the day.

Unfortunately, the Royals lost (again). A-Rod hit another home run, and Mariano Rivera got another save, just like what happens about every game. I guess that's ok, as it was Brian's present, but darn, I hate the Yankees!!

As we have said for many seasons now, just wait until next year....

De Colores

2 - 0!!

The MHS Warrior gridiron team came away from Ellinwood with another victory last night, 28-6. This puts them at 2-0 for the young season. I'm not ready to declare them state champs yet, but hey, they have already matched the total number of wins from last season!! Brian got pretty beat up, as he spent most of the evening blocking a guy who was 6'3" and weighed 242 pounds. He's pretty sore today, but was glad that he got to play both ways for quite a bit of the game.
GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

Freedom Train

We had a really cool event happen here in the little "burb" of Marion, Kansas this morning. The "Freedom Train" a 1940's team locomotive stopped in town for about a half hour. On the train were 51 soldiers who were wounded in either Iraq or Afghanistan. The Patriot Guard showed up and close to 1,000 folks welcomed the soldiers and thanked them for serving this country and protecting our freedom. The Patriot Guard presented a flag to the soldiers in a touching ceremony. The train is owned by Union Pacific Railroad, and they are sponsoring this trip. The train will make it's way through small towns in Kansas, end up in Oklahoma, and then return in a couple of weeks.

Made you feel proud to be an American!!

De Colores

Friday Night Lights

The MHS Warriors were 14-2 winners at their season opening game vs Halstead!! It was a particularly sweet win for them, as all the newspapers in the area had them losing. Brian is a starting right guard for the team. Just being a sophomore, he is pretty happy that he gets to play. He is number 76 in the picture. Ol' dad is pretty happy with that number, as that was his number when he played at MHS back in the ????'s. Let's just say it was at least a generation ago!!

They have already won half as many games as they did all last year!!

GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

Am I Crazy?

Lovely wife and I have been thinking about getting a different car for quite some time, and have been doing a lot of looking. Tradition says that you go to a car lot, have a salesman literally hold you captive in his office/cubicle until he wears you down and you relent and buy the car.

I turned to the internet, went to cars.com, typed in the kind of car we were wanting, and up popped page after page of cars. The one we ended up deciding on was in Omaha, Nebraska. Through emails and a couple of phone calls, we made the deal. We took a day off, drove to Omaha (a 4 hour drive), spent some time driving it around to decide it fit our needs, and in less than 30 minutes, owned the car!! No hassles, no headaches, just a long drive!!

If you are not afraid, it seems to me that the internet has opened up a world of opportunities.

Or am I just crazy!!

De Colores

Aulne UMC Building Dedication

On Sunday, August 26, 2007, the Aulne United Methodist Church held a dedication service and open house to commemorate the completion of our Fellowship Hall addition project. What a great time we had!! We are so fortunate that we were able to add this 3,000 square foot addition, complete with state of the art kitchen to our church, debt free!!

Nearly 150 people came out to our little church, worshiped with us, ate with us and helped us celebrate this achievement. God has truly blessed our church, and we are excited to see what blessings He has in store for us in the future as we utilize this addition in ways to glorify Him.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!

De Colores

One Down, One To Go

Our daughter Erin called a couple of days ago and told us that she got her Associates Of Arts Degree from Johnson County Community College. Way to go honey!! It's "step one" in her quest towards her ultimate goal. Hopefully if all goes well, she will finish up with a second Associates Degree Of Applied Science in a year and a half or so, and enter the exciting (and sometimes cruel) world we know as the work force.

Erin, I'm glad you have found what interests you in life. Keep working hard to attain your goals, as I know you have so far. I'm proud of you!!

De Colores

A Real "Classic"

This past weekend, Brian got the opportunity to play in a 15 year old Babe Ruth "Classic" event in Elkart, Kansas. He was one of 36 kids chosen from across the state to participate. The highlight for him was hitting a 2 run home run. It traveled about 360 feet over the right-center field fence, and ended up on top of the batting cages. It was the only home run hit during the 2 games, and the other kids mobbed him when it hit it. He was presented the home run ball after the game by the State Commissioner for Babe Ruth Baseball. He also hit a double and had 4 RBI's. It was a special time for him. He got to meet a lot of kids who he will be running into throughout his high school career, and who knows, maybe even beyond!!

Baseball season is now finally over!! It started back in March with high school ball, moved through summer league and tournaments, and culminated with this. It has been a long season!!

2 a day football practice started this week, so I have a feeling that he will be changing gears and getting a football mindset pretty quickly!!

De Colores

Patience Is A Virtue

For those who know me fairly well, it is pretty evident that patience is not one of my strong suits. I'm pretty much a "come on, let's get it going" type of guy. For some reason, my impatience really comes out in the weather. I guess that maybe part of the problem stems from my growing up on the farm, and knowing how important rain is in the summer months.

The past few days have been a real exercise in patience for me. For a couple of days in a row, we have watched rains fall literally within a couple of miles of town, only to see them either dissipate, go around town, or literally split and go around us. Despite my best praying (begging, demanding, etc), I was frustrated that God wouldn't answer my prayer and make it rain. After all, don't the farmers right around town deserve rain just as much as the rest of them in the county?

Just as I was about to say something to God that I probably would have regretted, the rains started to fall. When it was all said and done, we picked up 2". I could just about hear God gently chastising me to not second guess Him, or try to think that I know more about the weather than He does.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 says "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride." I need to get out of the way and let God do his thing. I know that He has His master plan, and that I need to have the faith that everything happens in His time.

I will be praying that God will give me more patience, but boy, I hope it happens soon..... :)

De Colores

Close, But No Cigar

After battling their way through the loser's bracket over the weekend and Monday night, the CVL All Stars got a chance to play for the District 4 Championship last night. Unfortunately, they came up just short, and had to settle for runner up. All things considered, they have a lot to be proud of. It was a very tough District, probably the toughest one I have seen them play in since they started in Babe Ruth baseball as 10 year olds.

Even though they fell short this year, the boys can look back at an amazing run of 5 consecutive State tournament berths, including being runner up once and state champs another year. This was the last year for this format, and now they'll go on to the next level with a lot of memories and even more to be proud of.

Brian was honored in the tournament by being named MVP for his pitching in two games, and won a "WOW" award for his hitting and fielding in the championship game. After the final game, he was invited by the State Commissioner to be a part of a 15 year old "Kansas Babe Ruth Classic". He will be one of 36 kids from across the state who will play in two exhibition baseball games to showcase their talents in Elkhart Kansas On August 11 and 12. Why Elkhart, I have no idea!!

Brian, I'm very proud of you. I'm glad that you acknowledge that your talent and gift comes from God, and I hope you can use this gift to be a witness and servant of God as you continue on.

De Colores

Stayin' Alive

The 15 year old CVL team is stayin' alive! After winning their first game of the District Tournament, they lost the next day, which put them in the loser's bracket. Those of you who are familiar with any kind of tournament know that it is not a good place to be!! You have to keep winning to keep playing. One more loss and you're going home!

They have won their last 3 games, including two last night, and have worked their way into the championship game this evening! Brian pitched in the late game last night and did very well for 6 innings, striking out 11 batters. He went out to finish the game in the 7th, despite throwing 111 pitches in the first 6. He got to 2 outs, took at least 5 batters to 2 stikes, but couldn't get a strikeout or an out on the field!! The other team came back from a 10-4 deficit to get within 2. Finally our coach took him out and brought in a different pitcher who promptly recorded an easy out, and we won. WHEEEEWW!! For his efforts, Brian was awarded the MVP for the game.

Here's a picture of him collecting the award at 12:15AM this morning. I need some sleep!!

Career Night

The Cottonwood Valley 15 year old District tournament team took the field last night for their first round game in the District Tournament. Brian pitched all 7 innings of the game, struck out 18 batters, and allowed only 1 earned run!! That's a career game for him!! He was named MVP for the game for his efforts. Way to go Brian!

Mr. & Mrs. Fox

Well, after months of preparation, tons of decisions, stress beyond belief and much anticipation, my daughter Amanda officially became Mrs. Chad Fox this past Friday evening. The bride was beautiful, the attendants were ravishing, the groomsmen were, well, groomsmen, her mother was gorgeous, and her father was incredibly handsome (for his age).

The ceremony went off without a hitch (except for about 100 candles melting all over the altar). The pastor did a great job of bringing a real and personal message to them. After the ceremony, the wedding party and 200+ of their closest friends went to the Wareham (an old movie theatre in downtown Manhattan) for a party to end all parties. We were told that it was a good one, although Lori and I have no idea, as we spent most of our time running around and taking care of all the details. We even had to clean the place up after it was over!!

It was an exhausting two days, both physically and emotionally, but were are excited to add Chad to our family.

Erin, we look forward to doing it again for you someday, but give us a while to recuperate, OK?

De Colores

League Champs!!

Congratulations to Brian's 13-15 year old team for winning the league championship last night! They finished the regular season with a record of 14-4. Way to go boys!!

Back, Back, Back, Back....

Brian his his first "real" home run of his life last night. He's had some "inside the park" home runs in the past when a hit has gotten by an outfielder, but this is the first one he's hit over the fence in a game. To make it even sweeter, it was against arch rival Hillsboro. How cool is that!! Beat your arch rival and hit your first homer in the same night!! Hopefully this is the first of many to come.

I wonder.....how many home runs do you think Hammerin' Hank Aaron hit before he made it to the majors that aren't even counted in his record of 755.....

De Colores

W Day is approaching!!

23 days and counting until the wedding day of my oldest daughter. So much to do, so little time!! I'm feeling more and more like Steve Martin in the movie "Father Of The Bride" every day. Oh well, it's only money. And they only do it once, right???

De Colores

Chingawassa Days 2007

Here it is, time again for the big Chingawassa Days festival in Marion, Kansas. This year's highlights include an "Elvis Tribute" contest tonight (Friday), sanctioned by Elvis Presely Enterprizes. It is touted as a national contest that is being held to find the best Elvis impersonator (ok, they don't want us to use that term, so we say tribute artist). We have contestants coming from several states to gyrate their hips and do their best impersonation of the "King". The winner gets to go to Graceland and perform in the finals. Could be interesting.

On Saturday, the park will be filled with activities from early morning all the way thru the night. The evening's festivities will be highlighted by the performance by the highly sought after country band "Trick Pony". We expect to see upwards of 3,000 in the park for their concert.

Oh yeah, one of the otehr highlights is the 30 minute program that the "Aulne Quartet" gets to do. We can't forget them!! :)

This festival is probably the biggest event of the year for our little town. Come and check us out.!!!

De Colores