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

Congratulations Brian!!

Congratulations to my son Brian for getting an Honorable Mention for the MCAA all league honors this week. Considering he is just a freshman, and was 14 years old for the majority of the season and had to pitch against a lot of 17 and 18 year olds, that's not too bad for his first season at MHS!! He had his ups and downs, but overall did very well for his first year.

Keep it up!!

Congratulations MHS Grads!!

It's hard to believe, but another school year has flown by, and this Sunday we send off and say goodbye to the graduates of the MHS Class of 2007. Our little church out at Aulne has 5 graduates - Katie Hett, Bryce Nelson, Ben Leppke, Alycia Pontious and Oliver Whitney (Peabody HS).

This is one of my favorite verses in scripture, and I think it is very appropriate for every graduate to keep in mind. It is from the 29th Chapter of Jeremiah and it says "11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

CONGRATULATIONS guys, I have watched you grow up and look forward with anticipation to see what the Lord has in store for you as you begin a new chapter in your lives. Keep your feet on the ground and your eyes lifted to God. Seek Him every day, and you will be blessed.

De Colores

Happy Mother's Day 2007

I probably won't get a chance to make another post between now and Sunday, so I thought I'd take the time to wish my sweetheart a Happy Mother's Day. You are the best mother I could have wished for my children. I see a lot of you in each of them. (Thanks for taking care of me also!!)

De Colores

Too Much Rain!!

When it rains, it pours!! After several years of being short on rainfall, The skies opened this weekend, and we got dumped on!! Reports of anywhere from 4 to 8 inches were common around the town and county. This morning there are many roads that are closed due to the high waters, particulary ones that are along the Cottonwood river.

In addition to the rain, we had some tense moments on Sunday when an ominous cloud passed overhead (see the first picture).

Luckily, the cloud didn't produce anything more than torrential rains and some pretty stiff winds.

Let's remember to pray for the families of the victims of the Greensburg tornado, as well as the survivors and volunteers who are going to be going there over the coming weeks and months to help them rebuild their town.

In the midst of destruction, all we can do is to call out to our God of comfort and ask Him to hold them all in His almighty and steadfast arms.

De Colores

A Win For MHS!!

Hooray, our MHS baseball team FINALLY picked up their first win of the season (yes 1st) last night. To make it even better, it was against our arch rival Hillsboro!! We were behind the whole game, but scored 6 runs in the top of the 6th to take a 7-5 lead. Brian got to come in and pitch the last two innings. He did very well, giving up no runs, only one hit, and struck out two and picked up the win. Our first winning streak of 1!!! YES!!

De Colores

Happy Birthday Erin!!

Oh my goodness, daughter number 2 (Erin) is 21 today!! How did this happen? Let's see, if she is 21, that makes me..........old.

Happy birthday sweetheart. You have brought joy to my life for 21 years, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you.

Love you,
DAD

Challenge For men

Today's devotional on the Family Life web page (www.familylife.com) is a challenge to men to become a "new breed" of husbands and fathers. Men, if you have a few moments, take the time to read it, it is very good. If we all aspired to become better husbands and fathers, the world would be a much better place!!

The devotional changes daily, and as I'm not sure how to link to today's page and not have it change tomorrow, I'm pasting it below.

De Colores


April 26
Toward a New Breed of Men

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not
seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Why do Fortune 500 companies pay such huge salaries to their top executives? Because they know that leadership makes a difference.
As a husband and father, your leadership will make a difference in your family. Oh, your wife and children may survive from day to day, but are they heading anywhere? Are they growing in Christlike character? Are they focusing on what is important?
There is no question why so many marriages and families are in trouble. Too many men are functioning only as material providers. We need a new breed of men who can appreciate and expend energy, time and-most importantly-focused attention on the spiritual aspect of family life.
We need a new breed of men who have the ability to focus on the unseen-the eternal-as well as the seen. Men who will say no to more bucks when it means sacrificing their families. A new breed who will ask, with every decision they make: "How will this affect the relationships within my family?"
We need a new breed of men who will recognize they need to leave something to posterity that will outlive the financial inheritances they may leave for their children: proven character...a new breed of men who realize that to succeed in the eyes of men but fail in the eyes of God is the ultimate failure.
One man has said, "It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail."
Will you take upon yourself the challenge Albert Einstein gave a group of young scientists? While addressing this highly motivated group of young men, he said, "Gentlemen, try not to become men of success. But rather, try to become men of value."

Mayonnaise Jar & 2 Cups Of Coffee

Life has been very hectic and quite stressful lately. Sometimes it tugs at the very core of a person's soul and tries to take us down. We get tired, discouraged and oftentimes angry at God. This little story seemed to be sent ot me for a reason today. It reminds me to live by my creed "KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING". No matter the circumstance or situation, I need to remember that in the midst of it, God is in control. I hope you enjoy this.


When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of
coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large
and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He
then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between
the golf balls . He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the
jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things--God, your family, your children, your health, your friends
and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only
they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house
and your car.
The sand is everything else--the small stuff. "If you put the sand into
the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the
golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and
energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that
are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play
with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse
out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the
house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the
things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

De Colores

Mid Life Follies

This past Friday, I was grousing about having to go down to the clinic and run on one of the old treadmills, because it was snowing outside. Then I got this hairbrained idea to just go run in it!! I put on an extra layer of clothes and took off down the streets. What a blast!! People in their cars would honk and waive, or just laugh and shake their heads at me. Imagine the sight of a middle age man with a beard about as white as the snow running in it!!

It was so peaceful, and it ended up being one of the most invigorating runs I have ever done. I was so aware of God's presence as I ran with the big flakes just silently falling all around me.

Hopefully we are finally over with old man winter, but for a few moments, God allowed a crazy middle aged man to have a few moments of feeling youthful and invigorated.

De Colores

Construction Zone

The Aulne Church addition construction project is underway!! Even before we started, God started blessing this project beyond any of our wildest imaginations. The project cost is $300,000, and we fully funded it within 60 days of the vote to proceed.

It has been mentioned to us that we need to be acutely aware of God's presence in this project, as He has something big in store for our little country church. I can't wait to see what it is!! As P.R. Just put it last fall "A wide door has been opened for us".

You can follow the progress of the project by logging on to our web site www.aulneumc.com and click on the "photo album".

WATCH US GROW!!

De Colores

So Long Huggie

As news spread like wild fire that coach Huggins was leaving K-State, my son and future son-in-law decided that it was only appropriate to let fire quench us of our disappointment of an unfulfilled legacy that we thought he would build over the coming years. So, with great pomp and circumstance, we held a Huggieville burning ceremony.

So long Huggie, we barely even got to know you.

Springtime?

What gives? Is this April 5th or February 5th? We have had about 4 inches of snow today, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon!!

My son was supposed to have a double header baseball game today, but needless to say, it has been cancelled. If a ball was hit to the outfield, you'd lose it in the snow!!

God is displaying His sense of humor today, He sure fooled mother nature!!

De Colores

Baptism By Fire

Well, Brian made his high school debut on the mound last night. It was a start that had it's high points, as well as it's low points. On the good side, he struck out 5 in 3 innings, and only allowed 3 earned runs. On the not so good side, he walked 5 and gave up a couple of home runs. To his credit, the wind was howling out of the North at 20 - 30 mph, and the fly balls to left field kept going, and going, and going...

In putting this experience into perspective, Brian's pitching coach and mentor from Manhattan put it this way. He quoted Nolan Ryan as saying, "Do not let the failure of the last pitch affect the success of your next pitch." He went on to say, "Brian will have plenty of success come his way and this is just a stepping stone toward that success. We must first find and learn how to handle failure before we can taste success."

Wow, that sounds like pretty good advice for us adults also, doesn't it!! I couldn't count the number of times that I've failed at something, and have been afraid to get back up and try it again. Yet we are encouraged by our Creator to do just that. Jeremiah 29:11 says says “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Paul tells us in Phillipians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Keep working Brian, and you will know success.

De Colores

Clods

Ever since we built our new house, we have been thinking about putting a small garden in the back yard. This past winter, I finally got out my trusty shovel and started to break sod (literally, our property was a pasture). The ground grudgingly came up in huge clumps. There was no way that anything was going to be planted in that ground with all those clods!!

This past week, we were blessed with some wonderful rains. The rain loosened and melted the clods in the garden. Last night, I took a rake, and much to my surprise and delight, the clods literally melted away as I raked the ground. What was once cloddy, unusable ground became loose, rich soil ready to be used as a garden.

How much are our lives like this ground!! Our fears, doubts, anger, stubborness, busyness, bitterness, etc. harden us and "clods" start building up. These clods keep us from being effective Christians. Through prayer, study, meditation and encouragement from others, God sends His refreshing rains to melt away those clods, and our lives can once again be rich and fertile soil for Him to put His garden in.

When you feel those clods start to form in the soil of your life, draw close to God and pray that He will help you melt those clods way, so you can be capable of producing the fruits of the Spirit for Him.

De Colores

Major "Milestone"

On January 1, 2006, I resolved to take better care of myself, and as part of my fitness strategy, I decided to take up running. I started out by trying to make it around one block here in town without passing out from lack of oxygen. Gradually over time, I kept increasing my distance, little by little.

Yesterday, I recorded my 1,000th mile of running!! Now to the running enthusiasts out there, this is probably no big deal, in fact they're probably wondering "What took you so long??" To me, a person who in the past only ran when I heard the dinner bell ringing, this is a major milestone!! It's like running from here to Denver Colorado and back!!

I'm officially hooked on running, and as long as my middle age joints and back hold up, I'm going to keep lacing up my shoes and get out there and pound the pavement. It's a great form of exercise, it helps me to unwind from my day, and it seems to help keep me from putting on additional pounds, at least for now!!

De Colores

Welcome New Emmaus Pilgrims!

Welcome new pilgrims of Emmaus Walks 85 & 86! From what I've heard, both of them were resounding successes. God continues to work in the lives of those who make the commitment to attend these Walks in a mighty way.

If you're interested in attending a Walk, feel free to contact me, and I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have. the next set of Walks are October 18 - 21 (Men) and October 25 - 28 (Women) in beautiful Garden City, Kansas.

You can read more about this event at www.breadoflifecommunity.com. Give God 72 hours of your time, and you will be blessed for a lifetime!!

De Colores

Deception

A pitch that my son has been working on is the curve ball. The baseball is released with basically the same arm speed as the fastball, but the grip is different, resulting in a side spin than makes the ball curve, and hopefully drop at the same time. It is used when you have "set up" the batter with some fastballs. When he sees the pitch coming out of the pitcher's hand, he thinks another fastball is coming, and takes a swing at it, only to find it coming in slower and with movement. If it is done right, it can be a very difficult pitch to hit.

The curve ball is meant to deceive the batter. Just when he thinks he has the pitcher's velocity figured out, the curve ball comes along and fools him.

Satan throws a lot of "curve balls" in our lives. Just when we think we've got it figured out, and actually feel comfortable with life, he throws something that messes us all up. Sometimes it is something bad, and causes us much pain and suffering. Sometimes, they actually can appear to be good and even enticing. We fall for them and then suffer the consequences.

The bible warns us of Satan and his curve balls. Right off the bat in Genesis, Eve was deceived by Satan into thinking that she could eat the fruit from the Tree of Life. John 8:44 says "The devil has nothing to do with the truth. There is no truth in him. It is expected of the devil to lie, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Be careful of the "curve balls" that Satan throws at you. Ask God to help you stand firm and not be deceived.

De Colores

Wyatt update

Little Wyatt made it through his liver transplant surgery yesterday. The surgeons were pleased with how it went. Let's now hope and pray that the liver functions as it should, and that his body will accept it. Thanks for praying for him, keep lifting him up!!

Wyatt

One of our employees has a son named Wyatt, who was born with a congenital defect in his liver. It has never functioned as it should. He has been on a liver transplant list for about a year. He is now about 2 years old.

A couple of times this past year, his parents received a phone call of a potential liver for Wyatt, and they would race to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, only to be told that the liver was either not a match, or was not suitable for transplant.

Yesterday, they received another call, and made the trek again. This time, it looks like it is for real! If you read this blog anytime on Tuesday, March 6, I would appreciate it if you would take the time to say a quick prayer for Wyatt and his family that the surgery will go well, and that his parents will stay strong.

I also think it would be appropriate that a prayer be offered for the family who unfortunately had to lose a loved one.

In Like A Lion

How crazy has our Kansas weather been? Yesterday, the last day of February, we had a high temperature of 70 degrees. The wind was light, and the golfers were streaming by our house.

Last night, I woke up to lightning, thunder, high winds and some kind of precipitation pounding against our bedroom window. This morning, it was snowing, and a couple of inches was covering the ground!! Looks like March has come in like a lion!!

Oh well, we all know that the weather here in Kansas changes rapidly. In a few days, we are supposed to be back in the 60's again.

Psalm 24 reminds us that God is control of our earth and the weather that we have. It says "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

I'm sure glad to know that in all the craziness of this weather, I have a God who is steadfast and in control!!

De Colores

Spring Has Sprung

Just for grins, I looked at one our flower beds today, just to see if by chance anything was trying to make it's way up thru the cold ground. I couldn't believe my eyes!! Our crocus, daffodils and even some tulips were peeking their heads up out of the mulch!! Spring is just around the corner!! It made me want to fire up the lawn mower and go do some yard work!! NAAAAH!

Break It In

I bought my son a new ball glove for his birthday (shhh, don't tell him!!). He needed a new one as he starts his high school baseball career anyway, so it's a win-win deal!!

I don't know how many of you have bought a new glove before, but when you get one, it is usually stiff as a board. The leather is fresh and smells great, but the glove is almost useless, because it is stiff and you can't open and close it very well. It's hard to catch a ball in it when you can't close the glove around it.

The first thing I always do when I get a new glove is to get out my can of shaving cream and just totally cover it, rubbing the shaving cream into the leather until it is all worked in. Then I spend literally hours just working the glove with my hands. As I tug and pull and twist the leather, it starts to become softer and more pliable. Eventually, the glove is "broken in", and is ready for use.

As Christians, we are sometimes like this new glove. We're fresh and full of ideas (hopefully we smell good), but oftentimes we're in need of some working by God to make us ready for service to Him. As we pray, read the scriptures, fellowship with others, and seek God's will, we become "broken in" and useful. Just like a broken in glove catches a baseball much better than a stiff new one, so we will be more likely and able to catch souls for God when we've been properly prepared by our spiritual discipline. Now that you're properly broken in, go out there and.....PLAY BALL!!

De Colores

You Are So Beautiful To Me

Dennis Rainey has a radio spot called FamilyLife Today (go to www.familylife.com) , and recently he had a very interesting discussion with Bob Lepine about romance and relationships. On this particular program, Bob Lepine made a very interesting comment that all us guys should really take to heart. It went something like "If a woman is beautiful under the age of 40, she has something to do with it. If she is beautiful after the age of 40, her husband has something to do with it."

Did you catch that guys? A large part of a women's self esteem and sense of beauty lies with our ability to reinforce those qualities in their eyes. The more compliments we give her, the more we pay attention to her, the more we reinforce that she is the most beautiful person in our eyes, the more confident she will be with herself. Too often we hear on the news about physical and mental abuse of women, and how that can leave lasting emotional scars, and that makes me sick. However, our neglect of reinforcing the beauty of our wives on a daily basis can also slowly build scars of low self esteem that are hard to heal.

Need some help? Look at the chapters in the Song of Solomon, and see how many times he called his wife beautiful. Better yet, read this book out of the bible to her!!

As our thoughts turn to Valentine's Day, and all the things we are planning on doing to romance our wives, give some serious thought to making every day Valentine's Day. Try complimenting her on something at least once a day, and see how she responds. I'll bet you it will be positive!!

De Colores

Abundance

Have you ever noticed how many times in the bible that when someone asked God or Jesus for something, they got more than they asked for?

In Exodus, the Israelites complained to God about not having food while they were wondering in the desert. God sent quail and manna, and it says that it covered the ground. God instructed the people to only take what they could eat for that day.

In John, Jesus was asked to help out with a problem at a wedding. It seems the wine ran out, and Jesus' mother wanted him to fix the problem. Did he just make a pitcher or two? No!! He made over 100 gallons!!

In Luke, Simon had been fishing all day, but couldn't catch any fish. Jesus instructed him to throw his net on the other side of the boat, and not only did he catch fish, it says that there were so many fish in the net, it nearly sunk the boat!!

I guess my point is, too often we don't see just how abundantly God has blessed us. I know that He has blessed me way more than I deserve to be!! Lots of times I have asked God for something, and don't realize how He has supplied for that need, and much more.

Look at the blessings of your life. Are your pitchers running over, is your net full? Give thanks to God, for He has blessed you richly.

De Colores

The Streak Is Over!!!

WE WON!! Marion 44, Hillsboro 42!! Packed Marion Square Garden, rowdy crowd, overtime, controversial calls, stolen pass, last second shot at the buzzer, this game had it all. When was the last time the Marion boys beat Hillsboro? WHO CARES!! Life is good today.

De Colores

Fun In The Snow

While we adults struggle with scooping snow, keeping livestock safe, getting stuck, trying to keep from falling down, etc., the youngsters have a blast in it!! My son (the big one in the brown coveralls) and his friends spent countless hours making sledding and toboggan runs and just overall enjoying one of God's miracles of nature.

Me? I spent hours scooping off my driveway, helped dig the neighbor's car out and spent the rest of the evening on the couch with a sore body. Oh, to be young again!!!!

De Colores

Facing The Storm

This has got to be one of the most unbelievable pictures I have ever seen. It is a calf that survived the Western KS snowstorm this past weekend. It was plastered with freezing rain, and then driven snow. How it was able to survive is beyond me.

This poor little guy even made the national headlines this week when Senator Pat Roberts made a huge poster of this picture to show his fellow Senators on Capitol Hill just how severe the winter storm was, and why the state deserved to have some help from the federal government.

This picture reminded me about a story that was told in church this past Sunday about the Hereford breed of cattle being the "perfect breed" (stay with me, this really has a pretty good meaning). It is said that in a storm, most cattle will turn their backs to it and retreat along with the wind until they end up piled against a drift or fence, oftentimes leading to their demise by suffocation. The Herefords on the other hand, face into the wind and work their way into the teeth of the storm until it passes. Somehow, this instinct has proven to dramatically lower the mortality rate when confronted with nature's fury.

The moral of the story? FACE LIFE'S STORMS HEAD ON. With God leading the way, guiding and protecting us, even when we can't even see where we are going, we can be assured that we are being led to a safe place where we can weather the storm until it passes by.

De Colores

Dormant Christians

Yesterday on the CBS Evening News, they were reporting that due to the unusually warm winter the Northeast part of the US was having, the cherry blossoms were already popping on trees in Washington DC and New York!! These trees normally go dormant thru the winter, and the blossoms don't usually appear until March. Mother Nature has fooled them, and they have woken up and are blooming.

It got me to thinking how often we as Christians go "dormant" when we are in the winter of our Walk. When things aren't going well, when we are tired and discouraged, the warmth of our hearts often times fades, we go cold, and we become ineffective. We don't feel like praying, we don't feel like going to church, and even sometimes begin to question God.

In these times, a word of encouragement from a friend, an act of kindness, or an inspirational bible verse may be just what's needed to warm us back up and help us be effective as a Christian again.

As we look forward to the end of winter, and the beginning of spring, let's look for opportunities to warm our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and help them to be active in their Walk, and not go dormant.

De Colores

Oh Say Can You Sing??

OK, so get this one!! This past September, I was singing with a quartet consisting of Rod, Lyle, Mike and myself, and in the crowd was a long time Wichita State basketball season ticket holder. After the program, he asked us if we had an interest in singing the Star Spangled Banner at one of their home games. Well duh!! He said he'd see what he could do to get us in. At that point I thought oh sure, like that's ever going to happen....

Well, we got a call the other day and we are supposed to send in a demo of our version (it's a Gaither Vocal Band rendition, so how could they turn us down?) so they can hear it and decide if we are worthy of singing in the Roundhouse. How cool would that be!! We're going to give it a shot, and see what happens. I'll update this post if we get past the "audition".

De Colores

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

To anyone who happens to read this over the next couple of days...I hope you have a most blessed and joyous Christmas, whether you are celebrating with family, friends or by yourself. May the peace and love of Christ permeate your days, and may your soul be renewed as you celebrate once again of the birth of our Savior.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Whew!!

I've been fretting and stewing for the past three weeks over my endeavor to become licensed to sell life insurance. Well, after two delays due to weather and computer malfunctions, I was finally able to take the State licensing test this morning. I PASSED!! WWWHHHEEEWWW!!!

A Song In My Heart

I had the pleasure of singing with my brother Mike and good friends Lyle and Rod as a quartet yesterday. We went to the Peabody UMC and sang a few songs in the morning, and then after eating a heaping bowl of chili for lunch, we sang another 30 minute program.

My spirit always takes off and soars whenever I get the opportunity to minister thru song. What a great way to convey God's love for us! As I watched the faces of the congregation as we sang, I saw expressions that ranged from apparent ambivalence all the way to smiles and tears of joy (at least I hope they were good tears). People in their own way were reacting to the Word thru our music.

Not everyone has a gift of singing, but I believe music has a way of connecting us to God, and hearing the Word thru song has a way of making us feel closer to Him. I don't pretend to think that our singing has any great spiritual impact on people, but I hope that thru our love of music, we become an avenue by which folks can connect with our Lord and God, and worship Him.

Keep a song in your heart, it makes the day a little brighter!!

De Colores