Sweet 16!!

Our "baby" Brian turned 16 on the 27th. Where did the time go??? The skrawny little kid who turned into a chubby kid has turned into a tall handsome prince!! It won't be much longer and he'll be graduating from High School and out into the big world. Can anyone say "empty nest"???

Brian, you are an amazing kid!! Mom and I so much appreciate your positive attitude, your love of life, your gentle spirit, and that twinkle in your eye. Keep the love of God in your heart, listen to Him as He guides you in life, and ALWAYS obey your parents!! :)

Happy 16th birthday son, I can't wait to see what wonderful things God has in store for you as you continue on in your amazing journey in life.

Here's a picture of Brian with his Prom date this year. Aren't they the lovely couple!!

De Colores

WOW!!

Wow, what a storm we had this morning!! There were two hail events, tons of lightning and torrential downpours. I heard one report of 4 inches of rain in two hours at the reservoir. Several highways are closed because of flash flooding. We're supposed to get even more this afternoon!!

Wow, what a home run Brian had last night!! He uncorked a canon shot over the right field fence, just barely inside the foul pole. In his next at bat, he hit one to dead center that was caught up against the fence, 360 feet away. Missed it by that much!! He almost had his first multi homer game!!

Wow, what a great set of Emmaus Walks the past two weekends!! God definitely showed up and moved in the pilgrim's lives. I heard many wonderful testimonies of people experiencing God's love and grace. If you've ever thought about going, please do!! If you give 72 hours of your time to God and go to a Walk, He will honor it and bless you beyond your expectations.

Wow, am I lucky to be married to the most wonderful woman on this earth!! 27 years and counting!! We have been so blessed, and our mariage continues to just get stronger and stronger. There are so many sad stories of failing or failed marriages, many of whom are our friends. When you get home today, give your spouse a big hug and kiss and tell him/her that they are the most special person in your life. In fact, do it every day!!

Wow, God is good, all the time!!

De Colores

A Huge Win!!

The Marion Warriors baseball team headed to Halstead yesterday afternoon to play a double header, in what was assumed by Halstead to be just a formality to whup up on us and go home. They are the number 1 ranked team in our league, and we are at the bottom. Sure enough, they run ruled us in the first game, and it looked like it was going to be a long evening.


However, in the second game, the Warrior bats came alive, and at the end of 3 innings, were actually ahead!! Brian wasn't scheduled to pitch, but the coach really wanted to beat Hastead, so he put him in to try and shut them down. Brian pitched very well, striking out 9 batters in 4 innings (that's strikeouts in 9 of the 12 outs). His last inning was his strongest of the year. They knew they had them beat, so he just went out and threw hard.

The highlight for him was striking out a batter in the last inning who had hit 2 home runs earlier in the day. It was a good battle, and showed Brian that he could do anything if he puts his mind to it.

With this victory (2), they have now doubled the number of wins they had all of last year (1)!! Keep it up boys!!

De Colores

Baseball Blitz

The MHS baseball team is going to be busy this week with 3 double headers starting tonight at Halstead. This is a make up game from one of our 3 rainouts we've had already this season.

Tomorrow we travel to the big city of Wichita to play the Collegiate (private school recruiting) Spartans. Sorry, can you tell I'm a little bitter about having to play them? Because they are a private school, they have no district boundaries, and have been known to recruit peple from around the Wichita area to come to their school and play sports. They help them with their high tuition by giving them "scholarships", or their parents just happen to get jobs with the school, or with businesses close to the school. RIGHT!!!

Then Friday we're back home to play Hoisington. Thank goodness it's a home game!! Hoisington is easily the farthest school in our league from MHS. It's a nearly two hour drive by car, much longer by bus!!

They have only won one game so far this season, but have played several other games close, with opportunities to win. Brian is doing pretty well so far, batting .421. He drove in the winning run in the bottom of the last inning at one of the games last week. His pitching is coming around. In that same game, he struck out 11 batters in 5 innings.

It's going to be a long week, but the kids seem to love it. We'll just keep on keepin' on!!

De Colores

2,000 Miles And Counting!!

I reached another milestone in my running endeavors this week. I have surpassed the 2,000 mark since I have started running 2 years and 4 months ago. Wow, that's like going from here to Los Angeles California, and then back another 500 miles!! I feel like Forrest Gump (run Forrest, run!!!).

I've experienced the highs (placing in my age group at a real race), to the lows (running by a group of kids and they say "hi gramps").

I'm in it for the long haul. Since I started running, I have maintained my weight, my colesterol is low and my blood pressure is good. On days that I don't get out, I feel like I'm missing something.

My relationship with God is somewhat like my running. I'm sticking with Him for the long haul. When I start each day with Him, my day goes better, my outlook is more positive, and gives me a boost to start the day. Just like running, if I miss my quiet time, I feel like I'm missing something.

Why do I run? Because I can!! As long as I can, I'll keep doing it. As long as I can, I'll trust God, and some day run with Him down the streets of gold.

De Colores

Involved or Committed?

What a great weekend at the Men's Walk to Emmaus!! It is always fun to watch the pilgrims at sendoff on Thursday evening, and then see them again at closing on Sunday afternoon. Apprehension and uncertainty on their faces is replaced with smiles, joy and a genuine appreciation for the experience they just had. God was truly present and working in the lives of these men. This Thursday, the ladies will begin their Walk, and I imagine that we'll see those same looks on their faces as they wonder what they've gotten themselves into.

The commitment of the teams that put on these Walks is incredible. They put in many, many hours in prayer, preparation, study and meeting together, to make sure that the pilgrims will have the best possible experience at their Walk. Some of them are very visible during the Walk, others work "behind the scenes" and aren't even noticed. Rest assured, each of these individuals have dedicated their lives to serving God, and are committed to being God's hands and feet during these weekends. They leave behind families, take time off from work, and sacrifice some precious time off during the weekend in order to serve the pilgrims.

Are we committed in our Walk with God, or are we just involved a little? I like to illustrate it this way....For breakfast, the chicken is involved. She lays an egg that can be fried, scrambled, poached, etc. When she is done, she just goes on with her life like she always does each day. However, the pig is committed!! It has to give it's life in order for us to eat the bacon. Jesus is the ultimate example of being committed. He gave His life for us that we might have eternal life. How much more committed can one be!!

Which one are you? Are you merely "involved", going to church once in a while, doing your own thing, maybe singing in the choir, or are you "committed" to doing God's work? Do you look for ways to be God's hands and feet? There are many, many opportunities out there. I would challenge everyone (myself included) to not merely be involved, but committed.

De Colores

Bandwagon Fan (revisited)

Last fall, I mentioned in a blog that my son tends to become a "bandwagon fan" pretty easily. In any given sport, he tends to root for the team that is perennially a powerhouse. As time moves along, and the balance of power changes from one team to another, so can his allegiance change to another team.

Up until a few days ago, I had no idea there were so many KU Jayhawk fans around here! All of a sudden when they started winning in the NCAA tournament, you saw flags flying, people dressing in red and blue, and tons of media coverage. While in Manhattan this past weekend, I even saw a lot of Jayhawk fans right in the the middle of KSU campus and Aggieville! Today, I had a tough time even getting a simple weather foecast on the morning news, because all they could talk about was the big win last night!!

I'm not saying that all these people shouldn't root for KU, and I'm not playing down the accomplishments of the KU basketball team. I'm just wondering how many of them were bandwagon fans, just because they were winning and going a long way in the tournament. Where were all the banners, flags and clothing during the regular season?

God probably wonders why we run so hot and cold in our walk with Him. Sometimes, we're on fire, we waive our banners, we shout and sing. Next thing you know, we're apathetic, we're complaining about everything under the sun, and generally a bunch of lukewarm Christians.

John, in the book of Revelation wrote about the church of Laodicea "14To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.....20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Don't be luke warm. Don't be a "bandwagon Christian". Let's serve God with reverence, joy and enthusiasm!!

De Colores

MHS Baseball

The young Warrior baseball season got off to a rocky start Tuesday evening with a double header loss to Smoky Valley. Smoky Valley typically hits the ball very well, and they showed that in both games. Brian pitched the first 4 innings of the first game and got hit pretty hard. Control was an issue also, as he walked several batters. The good thing is his teammates bailed him out by tying the game in the last inning. They eventually lost in extra innings by one run 14-15. In game two, they got run ruled 11-1. By the end of the second game, it was 41 degrees, so I think they intentionally got behind that far so we could go home. :) We were pretty much frozen!!

Brian hit very well, going 4 for 6 with 2 doubles, one off the wall in right-center, and 2 singles. He had 4 RBI's. He was even intentionally walked one at bat!!

We play our arch rival Hillsboro this evening. Its cold and wet outside right now, typical early season baseball weather!!

De Colores