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.