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.

De Colores

Crazy Kansas Weather - Again!!

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

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

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

De Colores

A Wildcat Victory!!

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

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

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

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

De Colores

How 'Bout Them Cats!!

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

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

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

GO CATS!!

De Colores

Saturday Shorts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great weekend, go to church!!

De Colores

Viola Kelsey

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

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

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

Until we meet again...

1 ARK

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

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

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

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

De Colores

Now It's Cold!!

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

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

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

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

De Colores

Warm Weather!!

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

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

De Colores

Chrysalis

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

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

Pray for our kids, they need it!!

De Colores

The Big Gift

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas

MHS Auditorium

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

Ice Storm - Round 2

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

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

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

De Colores

Hoops Mania

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

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

De Colores