All League Honors

Last night at the MHS Athletic Banquet, it was announced that Brian was named as an Honorable Mention selection to the all MCAA league baseball team as a first baseman. As a sophomore, he finished the regular seaon with a .444 batting average. He had 17 singles, 9 doubles, a triple and a home run. He had 24 RBI's. His fielding percentage at first base was excellent at .981, only committing one error all season.

Congratulations Brian!!

De Colores

Car Crazy!!

Look out world, Brian's got his first set of wheels!! The streets of Marion won't be safe any longer!! He is finding that dragging Main isn't near as fun when gas is nearly $4 a gallon. He's going to have to mow a lot of yards this summer to keep it filled!!

Where has the time gone? Just a few short years ago, he was a shy little kid who we had to pry loose from us to do something, now he's anxious to jump in his car and head out on the town!!

SIGH.....

De Colores

Pomp & Circumstance

This weekend, high school graduation ceremonies will take place in towns all across America. Here in our little church community at Aulne, Ethan Riggs and Austin Percell will make that walk across the stage, receive their diplomas and close a chapter in their young lives. A new and exciting chapter will soon be opened for them. As you watch them walk across that stage, look at their faces. What are they thinking? "I'm so glad this is finally over!" "Now what am I going to do?" "Please God, don't let me trip!" "Did I brush my teeth this morning?" "I wonder if anyone knows I'm wearing shorts under this gown!"

Graduates, I know you have probably heard this a thousand times by now, but I'll say it again. If you fail to do anything else, please remember to keep God in the forefront of your lives. Without Him to center on, the new challenges and stresses in life can easily consume and discourage you. Remember, God knows you better than anyone else, and He loves you. He has a plan for you. One of my favorite scripture passages is from Jeremiah 29. It goes like this...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."

Graduates, seek God with all your heart. You will be blessed beyond measure. Congratulations to you all, and I wish you much success as you continue in this crazy and exciting journey called life.

De Colores

End Of The Road

Sadly, the Marion Warriors baseball season came to an end last night at the Regional tournament. The Warriors were in the lead until a disasterous 4th inning. Too many errors led to too many runs, and they could not dig themselves out of the hole they dug. They finished on the short end of a 4-6 score. Brian pitched well, only giving up 3 earned runs and striking out 5. His season batting average was .431, pretty good, especially for a sophomore!! They finished the season with a 6-13 record. Not good, but when compared to their 1-18 record last year, it seemed pretty successful!! They 'll be returning all but 2 starters next year, and hopefully will continue to build the program.

He was mad for about an hour, then thoughts of the summer league baseball season started running through his head, and he is ready to go again!! The first game is in a couple of weeks, so I would guess he'll be getting a phone call from the coach soon about getting together to start practice.....

Here we go again!!

De Colores

Happy Mother's Day

Since I'm not going to be around a computer this weekend, I thought I would share a few thoughts on Mother's Day a little early.

Lori and I will be celebrating the first Mother's Day without either of our mothers. My mom passed away in 1995 from cancer. She was a devoted wife and mother, working tirelessly on the farm. She help with the daily grind of gathering eggs from 10,000+ chickens, wiped many a dirty nose, sewed patches on worn out jeans, took lunches out to the fields, fixed about a million meals, consoled us when we were hurt or scared, and all the while kept her dignity in the midst of it all. She had a servant's heart, and loved to take her grand daughters on outings whenever she could. She loved dad, and always looked forward to the time when they could slow down a little and travel and share time with him. Unfortunately, cancer invaded her body, and ultimately she succumbed to it. She passed away in 1995 at age 57. Cancer took her life, but it could not, however, take her soul.

Viola Kelsey, Lori's mom was a classy and elegant lady. When she was in a room, she could say so much without saying anything at all. She loved sitting in her home watching her 9 children and literally dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She would just smile and soak it all in. She was the matriarch of the family. She was widowed in 1973 when her husband was killed in a construction accident. She raised Lori, her older sister and younger brother by herself, never complaining about life or the hardships she had to endure. She had the patience of Job. She endured raising 9 children, heart bypass surgery, cancer, and several other illnesses. She lost her battle with congestive heart failure this past February. She was 82.

Mom and Viola, we love you and we miss you. We will always miss you. We will cherish every thought and memory we have been blessed with. Thank you for being our mothers. Until we meet again, may God hold you both in the palms of His almighty, tender and loving hands.

Happy Mothers Day

De Colores

End Of The Day

Ahhhhh, what a great way to end a busy weekend. A beautiful sunset, a fire in the chiminea, my favorite beverage, and my lovely wife by my side. Life doesn't get any better than this!!

Got a busy week ahead; Relay For Life committee meeting this evening, last MHS regular season baseball games on Tuesday, mowing yards on Wednesday, and an MHS Pops music concert on Thursday. Friday we're heading to KC to go to a Gaither Reunion concert at the Sprint Center, a Christmas present from our kids!! They've even made reservations for us at the Hyatt for the night!!

We'll probably stop in Manhattan on our way home Saturday and spend the night with Amanda and Chad, and then go to church with them on Sunday and celebrate Mother's Day with them.

Hmmmm, busy week, makes me start thinking about a beautiful sunset, a fire in the chiminea, my favorite beverage, and my lovely wife by my side...........life doesn't get any better than this!!

De Colores

A Sweep Of Hillsboro !!

Our MHS baseball team pulled off perhaps the upset of the season by going to our arch rivals Hillsboro last night and taking both games of a doubleheader with them. They had beat us earlier in the season, and looking at their record compared to ours, we shouldn't have stood a chance.

In game one, Brian started out on the mound. It was probably his rockiest start of the season, and at the end of 5 innings, we found ourselves down 9-3. The young Warriors never gave up, and came back in the 6th and 7th innings to tie the game at 10-10, and won it in the 9th inning 11-10! Brian knocked in the tying run in the 7th to send it to extra innings.

In game two, they jumped on Hillsboro's starting pitcher and never let up. They won it by a final score of 9-6. Brian was 5 for 8 from the plate, and also walked twice. He had 5 RBI's on the night.

Their record still isn't good (6-12), but for a few magical hours last night, it was like they won the state championship!! Way to go boys!!

De Colores

May Day

Today is May Day!! I am so glad that our wet, cold April is over with. Maybe we can finally start to see some real spring time weather. I can't remember how long ago it's been that the trees have taken this long to leaf out.

I Googled May Day and found that its origins go way back to the Druids and the Romans. It is a pagan holiday, and was filled with celebration and revelry. Traditions included running their cattle through a fire to "cleanse" them, and couples would run through the smoke in hopes of it bringing them good luck. Flowers were a big part of their ceremonies. Flora, the godess of flowers was worshiped. It has never really taken hold in the Western culture, certainly not to the extent that it was back during it's origins.

My fondest memory of May Day goes WAY back to my youth. People in the elementary grades were chosen to wind the May Pole. I actually was chosen once, and got to participate. Best part, it was done with boys and girls!! I can remember winding the May Pole with the ribbons. Several times, we had to stop, back up to untangle the ribbons and then go again. I think I was only asked to do it once. Imagine that!!

May Day has a special significance for a good friend of mine. His father was a Navy pilot in WWII. He was shot down while on a mission, but miraculously survived and was rescued. When a pilot was shot down, he would call out "MAY DAY, MAY DAY on his radio to indicate he was in trouble. Every May 1, his family would get together and celebrate his service to his country. They had a lot of film footage of his takeoffs and landings on his Navy carriers, and they would show these pictures at each gathering. He passed away from cancer several years ago, but the family still gets together every year to celebrate "May Day" in his memory and honor.

Happy May Day, bring on the spring time and flowers!!

De Colores

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

Baptism

Our family was priviledged to be a part of our son-in-law's baptism yesterday. It always makes me feel so good to see another person say "YES" to Jesus and want to be baptized. Having my son-in-law say it makes it even more special.

In the biblical days, there were pools where people would go to wash and make themselves "clean" if they came in contact with anything that was ceremonially unclean. They went into the water defiled, and came out clean. That's the way I see baptism. We accept the water because we know we need cleansing and forgiveness. When we receive the water, we come out clean and pure. What a great gift that God has given us!!

After his baptism, he and Amanda joined the church (First UMC in Manhattan). My hope and prayer is that God will use them for service in their new church home, and they will continue to grow in God's love and grace.

De Colores

Hard Drive Crash

We experienced a hard drive crash of our main computer system here at the bank I work at. It is a very helpless feeling when the system shuts completely down, because it renders you totally incapable of helping customers with any type of banking transaction. It is funny how we have become so used to computers for our daily work and living. We take them for granted, always assuming that when you hit the power button to turn them on, they will fire up and let you do what you do every day. When it doesn't happen, we don't know what to do!!

Don't we kind of take our Chrisianity the same way? We wake up each morning assuming life will be pretty much the same as the previous day. God is conveniently stored away in the back of our minds, and life is good. All of a sudden, when our life "crashes" we throw up our hands and wonder what in the world happened, and what in the world are we going to do? If we could only learn to live with the same faith in our God every day, whether it is good or bad, we would be so much better off. If Christ had the power to conquer death and rise from it, surely He has the power to help us when we have our trials and problems in life!! Trust in God, rely on His goodness and grace every day, whether it is a good day or a bad one.

I know I've mentioned it before, but I try and remember to say this prayer to start each day. "Lord, you are in charge of everything that is going to happen to me today, both good and bad, positive or negative. Help me to be thankful for everything, for I know that you are with me."

I know that eventually our computer system will be fixed, and we will go on again. I also know that life's problems are only temporary, and I will get through them. My hope is that you will maintain that same faith and trust in God on the bad days as well as the good. God remains steadfastly faithful to us, let us do the same for Him!!

De Colores

Spring Break

Our family took a trip to Phoenix Arizona this past week to escape the Kansas winter. This was Brian's first trip on a big airliner, and he seemed to enjoy it. We spent two days watching some MLB spring training games. Got to see some big name players like Derrick Lee and Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs.

Erin and Brian had a good time watching them, although they were disappointed that none of the players made themselves very accessible for autographs. They played the KC Royals, and it was a very good game. Unfortunately, the Royals lost the game in the bottom of the ninth.

On Wednesday, we watched the Okland A's play the Anaheim Angels. We got to see Vlad Guerrero hit a grand slam home run.

After the game, we took a side trip up into the Superstition Mountains. It was a very interesting drive, as we were used to seeing lots of trees and snow when we have driven in the mountains of Colorado. Here in Arizona, they have forests, but they are forests of Saguaro cactuses.

Up in the mountains, we came across a hokey little saloon, who's walls were plastered full of $1 bills that were signed by the thousands of tourists who have visited the place over the years. Quite interesting!!

All in all, we had a great trip. It felt sooo good to get away from the cold and especially the wind for a few days!! As I am sitting here typing this, the wind is blowing a constant 20-30 mph. Oh well, at least I have the memories....

De Colores

St. Paddy's Day Run & More

Yesterday, our family went to Manhattan to help our oldest daughter Amanda celebrate her birthday. While we were there, I participated in a St. Patrick's Day 2 mile run. Amanda's husband Chad and his dad and step mom also ran. (Note the ambulance behind us. Gotta love it!!)

Besides us, about 300 - 400 others also line up at the start line. It was supposed to be a "fun run", but Chad and his family are really competitive, so of course it turned into a competition. At the sound of the gun, we were off. I had no idea how fast I was running, I only knew that I needed to keep up, or get overrun by the mob!! I finished the 2 mile course in 16 minutes 11 seconds. A personal record for me!! I took 5th place in my age category (45-49). I also smoked Chad and his parents. By winning the first ever "family" competition, I got to take home the coveted winner's medal!!!!

Gee, I hope someone else wins it next year!!

Lori and I are packing up Erin and Brian and taking them to Phoenix for a few days this week for spring break. We are going to take in a couple of days worth of MLB spring training ball games. I can't wait to bask in sunshine and 70-80 degree temperatures for a few days!! Should be fun!! I'll post a few pictures of our travels when we get back.

Have a good spring break!!

De Colores

Livestrong

In this world of high stress, it sometimes seems impossible to be able to be content and at peace with our lives. Financial pressures, work related pressures, family pressures, etc. can really take a toll on our ability to feel at peace.

Several years ago, after being downsized out of a job that I had, I felt pressure like I had never felt in my life. How could I be such a failure? How was I going to provide for my family? Thought after chilling thought poured through my mind, building up pressure like a kettle.

One day while we were in a Dick's Sporting Goods store, I noticed the little yellow wrist bands that the Lance Armstrong Foundation puts out through Nike for cancer awareness. On the wrist band is a simple word "Livestrong". The moment I saw them, I felt God was speaking to me saying "You don't need to worry about your situation, I'll take care of you. Just "livestrong" for me." Immediately, I felt relief from the stress and pressure of life. I knew that God would take care of me.

I wear one these wrist bands virtually every day to remind me that God is in control. Yes, I still have stress, yes I still feel pressures in life, but I know that I can feel contentment in my life because of God's promises. Paul says in Phillipians 4:12-13 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Got stress? Give it to God and trust Him. He won't let you down. LIVESTRONG!!

De Colores

Bugs

What's up with all the bugs? I'm not talking about the ones that are creepy crawly, I'm talking about the ones that make us sick. People are dropping like flies (no pun intended) with various ailments. There is the garden variety stomach thing where you don't know whether to kneel beside or sit on the pot (I had that one last week), there is another one where you get a headache and fever and generally feel lousy. Also, there is the one where you get a terrible head cold and moves into your chest and feel like you have pneumonia. Strep throat is everywhere.

I am so ready to have warm weather where we can open windows and clear out the air!

Speaking of warm weather, Lori and I along with Erin and Brian are heading to Phoenix next week for spring break. We're going to catch several MLB spring training games. We're looking forward to 80 degree weather!! WOOHOO!!

Stay healthy!!

De Colores

Basketball Letter

Brian learned this week that he got enough varsity minutes in this past basketball season to letter. He was pleasantly surprised to hear that he played enough to get a letter (although I'm sure he was hoping all along that he would). He was one of 3 sophomores who played on the varsity this past season, and they are looking forward to next year and improving on their disappointing record.

They started baseball season this week, and are out at the ball field in heavy sweats, stocking caps, and whatever else they can find to put on to stay warm. Come on spring!!

De Colores

Happy Noah Day!

Today, March 4 is "Noah Day". What, you've never heard of it before? In the bible, today was the day that Noah opened the doors of the ark and told all the animals to "MARCH FORTH"!!

In Genesis 8, it says 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it." 18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on the earth—came out of the ark, one kind after another.

Noah and the animals obeyed God's command to march forth from the ark. Happy Noah Day. I hope you have the boldness to "March Forth" for God today.

De Colores

Close, But Not Quite

The Cinderella story run of the MHS girls game to a close Saturday night, when they were defeated in the sub-state final against Southeast Saline. They were just a couple steps faster, and hit their shots, while our girls looked a little tight, and had too many turn overs and missed shots. Of sourse there were lots of tears, as they didn't quite make it to State, but they represented MHS well, battling all the way to the end.

It was a great run for the young Lady Warriors, as they finished the season with a winning record (the first one for the girls in many, many years). They will return 5 sophomores and a junior who saw a lot of playing time this year, so it should be exciting to watch them next year.

Congratulations Lady Warriors!!

De Colores

MHS Girls Still Going!

The MHS girls basketball team extended their season last night with a sub-state semi-final victory over Remington. The final score was 62 - 52. The girls played very well as a team, defeating the #1 seeded team with a stifling full court press, great ball movement, and lights out shooting.

They play for the sub-state championship and the right to move on to State tonight. Great job girls, keep it up!!

GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

"Leap" Of Faith

Today is Leap Day. I went out and googled it to find out exactly why we do this every 4 years. I could go into a long and detailed story why it is done, but basically it is just to keep our seasons in line with the with the sun while we travel around and around it. A true year is exactly 365.24219 days. The .24219 doesn't seem like it would make much of a difference, but over the course of centuries, this would get so screwed up, we'd be observing Easter on Jan 1!! So, every 4 years, we make an adjustment to the calendar, adding Feb. 29.

Happy birthday to all you Leap Year folks. According to the US census, there are approx. 200,000 people who have birthdays on Leap Year. Party til you drop, you Leap Year babies, you won't get to celebrate again for another 4 years!!

How about taking a "Leap Of Faith" today. Do something for God that you wouldn't normally do. Go visit someone that you haven't seen for a long time. Call your elderly grandma or grandpa in the nursing home. Take someone out for lunch and have a good visit. Be creative. You'll be glad you did.

Happy Leap Day. We'll visit about it again in 4 years!!

De Colores

MHS Girls Basketball

Congratulations to the MHS girls basketball team for winning their first round substate game last night! To make it even sweeter, they beat their rivals to the west (Hillsboro Trojans) by a score of 67-55. Many times during the game, you would see 3 or 4 sophomores on the court for the Lady Warriors, so the future looks bright.

Last night's game was a landmark. It was the last home varsity basketball game for Marion High School in the old "Marion Square Garden" (by the way, I came up with that name several years ago doing broadcasts on MCTV, and it is commonly used in the community). Our new gymnasium and indoor swimming pool is slated ot be completed by the first of June. The volleyball and basketball games will all be played in the new facility this fall. How exciting!!

Keep up the good work girls!! You showed the boys last night how to play as a team. Good luck Friday!!

De Colores

Me vs We

Well, the basketball season for MHS mercifully came to an end last night with a first round substate loss to Sedgwick. All season long, the Warriors had a hard time coming together as a team. They just never seemed to gel. They had some real individual talent and potential, but they never could put it all together.

I'm not a real fan of basketball, and certainly I'm no expert, but it looked to me like there were too many individuals on the court, and not enough teammates. It looked like they had the "me vs we" syndrome.

Unfortunately, we as adults to often fall victim to the same syndrome. Our society is trying it's best to create a generation of "me first" people. Get ahead, no matter what the cost. Look after numero uno. I deserve it.

Jesus was our best example of how to avoid this. In Matthew 16:24 he says "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Deny myself? Yeah, right!! After all, it's all about ME!! Yet that's exactly what he asks us to do. Think of others first.

In the Emmaus community, one of the phrases that is used a lot is "It's not about me, it's about Christ". If we could only carry this attitude with us each day, what a better world we would live in!!

De Colores

Friday!!

In the immortal words of Paul Harvey, "IT'S FRIDAY!!"

And in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT..."

Have a great weekend.

De Colores

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.

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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.

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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)!!!!

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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!!

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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!!

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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.

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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