Dropping The Baton

Have you been watching the Olympics? What a whirlwind of different sports! What other time can you sit and watch anything from air rifle competition, to badminton, to canoeing, to trampolining, to judo, to beach volleyball to....well you name it, they play it!!

A couple of evenings ago, the US track team was heavily favored to win both the men's and women's 4X100 meter relays. The US hadn't lost this race anytime in the modern day Olympics!! Unfortunately, neither team was able to pass the baton cleanly during the race, and they were both disqualified. What a shock!! One second they're running for the gold, the next second, they dropped the baton and they're out of it!! No second chance, no opportunity to try it again. They're done.

Thanks be to our gracious God that our lives are not like that!! I can "drop the baton" over and over, and God allows me to pick it up and continue my race to eternity. No disqualification for me. Just God's grace that says I'm forgiven. Try again.

The Olympics are winding down this weekend, and the athletes from all over the world will be heading home. Some taking home the thrill of victory, some experiencing the agony of defeat. I already know that someday I'll get to experience that "thrill of victory", because Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection has assured me of the gold medal in heaven. All I have to do is keep running towards the cross.

De Colores

Happy Anniversary Lori!!

28 years ago today, Lori said "YES" and became my wife. Over the past 28 years, we have learned to not only be husband and wife, we have grown to be best friends. Happy Anniversary my darling, I thank God every day that He brought you into my life. I love you so much.

De Colores

The Future Is Bright

Yesterday (Sunday) was promotion Sunday for our children at the Aulne UMC. Just like in school when they move to new classes each year, they move to different Sunday School classes. We had 19 children from high school down to pre-school present (well, we actually had a couple more than that, but they were too shy to go to the front of the church) to be recognized by the congregation. We have at least a half dozen or more who weren't there who also attend. What a blessing for a small country church!!

My sincere thanks and admiration goes out to the teachers who are charged with showing and teaching these kids God's love and grace. I think back to my childhood days and remember the teachers who put up with our shananigans. They shared with us the same stories from the bible that we are passing on to our children today. What an awesome responsibility we have!!

Yes, the future looks good in Aulne. Just look into the faces of all these children and you know that GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME, AND ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!!

De Colores

For Whom Doth The (School) Bell Toll?

Wow, I can't believe it, school starts back up this week! My youngest Brian will be a Junior in high school. How can that be???? Between mowing lawns with Brian, and chasing him all over the place with baseball, summer somehow flew by. School officially starts this Thursday the 14th. Our Chamber of Commerce fed all the teachers and staff their annual "back to school" breakfast this morning, and you could tell that they were all anxious and excited to get back to the classrooms (NOT!!).

We saw oldest daughter Amanda and husband Chad for a couple of hours on Friday, and she was telling us that she has a kid in her 2nd grade class this year who will probably test all of her skills that she has learned in her first 3 years of teaching. Pray for her!!

Middle daughter Erin is going to take a sabbatical from school this semester, and perhaps a year to clear her head and try to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. Hang in there Erin, I have days when I'm still trying to figure that out myself!! You'll find your niche.

Pray for our teachers and students, they are all going to need lots of it!!

De Colores

Ahhhh, Relief!!

After several days of sweltering in 100+ degree weather and stifling humidity, I awoke early this morning to the sweet sound of thunder and rain. When it stopped, my rain gauge showed about 1 1/2 inches of rain. What a welcome relief!! Just when we were getting discouraged with the heat and the sight of yards and crops burning up, God provided (once again) exactly what what we needed, exactly when we needed it!! Temperatures are supposed to be in the upper 80's and lower 90's for the next week or so. After the past week of 100's, we'll take it!!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!

De Colores

Dog Days Of Summer

Well, it's finally here, the dog days of summer. After being spoiled in July by relatively mild temperatures and a lot of rain here in central Kansas, August is starting off with a sizzle. Temperatures have hovered at or slightly above 100 degrees the past couple of days. Couple that with our high humidity, and we have been baking!! Heat indexes have been 105 - 110 degrees. Yikes!!

Brian had football camp last week, and the last couple of days of it were brutal. Luckily, nobody got too sick from it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right???

Our annual Marion County Relay For Life to benefit the American Cancer Society was held Friday night. Temperatures were right at 100 degrees at the start of it, but cooled down "nicely" into the upper 80's by midnight. We raised a record $50,000+ this year!! Pretty good for a small county like ours. Let's hope that someday soon, all the efforts to find a cure will pay off. What a hideous, brutal, unfair disease!!

Back to summer....the weather forecasters say that this heat wave is supposed to break in a couple of days, and we'll be back to more "normal" temperatures in the lower 90's. After the past few days, those temperatures will feel like fall!!

Stay cool!!

De Colores

Cool Video

This is a cool video that is on YouTube. This is a group of people who decided to do something incredibly creative at their church. They have on white gloves and are performing in front of a black light. Enjoy!
www.mychurch.org/blog/30635/coolest-video-ever

Go CVL!!

In my last blog, I mentioned the Midwest Plains Regional Tournament that is going on here in Marion. As of this afternoon, our "Host Team", the boys from our town, are still in the tournament!! They have a 2-1 record so far, and will be playing a quarter final game this evening. This is very exciting, as they have so far beat 2 teams that won their state championships!! Not too bad for some "local boys"!!

GO CVL!!

De Colores

Big Tournament In Marion!!

Starting this evening, the sleepy little town of Marion, Kansas will play host to 12 year old Midwest Plains Regional Tournament. State Champion Babe Ruth teams from 7 surrounding states will compete in this tournament, with the winner moving on into the Little League World Series. Should be some great baseball, featuring some of the best 12 year old Babe Ruth baseball players in the area. Weather permitting, the champion will be crowned on Tuesday evening. Our own 12 year old tournament team is the "host team" and gets to participate in the tournament. It is a daunting task, but they took 3rd place in our State tournament last weekend, so they should be very competitive.

Play Ball!

De Colores

End Of The Season

The Legion Post 366 baseball season came to a close this past weekend with 2 losses at the State tournament in Garden City. They started out well with a hard fought extra inning first game victory. Brian pitched the frst 5 innings and did very well. He only allowed 2 hits and 1 earned run, while striking out 4.At the plate, he was 2 for 2 with a walk.

Unfortunately, the ball didn't bounce their way in the next two games. They lost a heatbreaker in 10 innings in the second game, and then got bounced out of the tournament in the third game in another close one. We had runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out in our last at bat, but a line drive out and a strike out ended the game and the season. Brian played 3rd base and got to start a rare triple play by fielding a hot grounder, stepping on third, throwing to second and then relayed on over to first. They got a WOW award for that play!! He was also awarded the MVP for the game for his efforts at third. He had 4 really good plays from there. One was charging a bunt, scooping up the ball and throwing out the batter while on a dead run. There was a radio announcer there, and he said "man that kid has a cannon for an arm!"

For the summer season, he finished with a .358 batting average. Not too bad for a 16 year old playing with and against a lot of 18 year olds. I'm very proud of his pitching, as his ERA was only 1.81 (that's earned runs allowed per 7 innings of pitching).

He of course is sad that the season is over. I think he would play year round if he could!! Lori and I though are ready for a break. The first day of high school baseball started February 25th, so it has been a looong season.

Time to put away the baseball shoes and get out the gridiron cleats, here comes football season!!

De Colores

District Champs!!

Congratulations to the Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 baseball team for winning their District Tournament this past weekend!! They defeated teams from Hesston, Salina and Abilene to claim the championship hardware. This is a picture of the team with their medals and plaques. Brian is second from the left on the top row. They also were awarded the "Sportsmanship Award" for displaying good sportsmanship throught the tournament.

They are one of 8 teams from across Kansas that have qualified to play in the State tournament in Garden City. What could be better than baseball in Southwest Kansas in the middle of the summer!! They'll be heading out there Thursday to check in and their first game is Friday night.

GO TEAM!!

De Colores

Parallel Universe

Have you ever had days when you felt like Beetle Bailey? Don't fit in, don't care?

Reminds me of a song we used to sing in our quartet. The first verse goes like this...

This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' though.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,
and I can't feel at home in this world any more.

Some day I'm heading to that parallel universe called heaven. Until then, I'll just keep on keepin' on, and keeping "the main thing the main thing".

De Colores

Counting The Days

We're counting the days until our new state of the art gymnasium and indoor swimming pool facility is completed!!

The pool (right portion of the picture) is open for business and is a big hit. It will be open 365 days a year. Now, swimming will be available to the public all year round. It has a big water slide that actually wraps outside the building, and then back in. It has 6 competition lanes for swim meets. There are several outdoor water features for the kids that are to be completed in the next couple of weeks that will allow them to go outside and spray each other, and play in the water outdoors.

The new gymnasium is a "top loading" building, wich means that you walk in at the top of the gym, and the seating is all down towards the floor. It will have a seating capacity of approx. 2,500 when all the bleacher area is folded out. With this type of capacity, we hope to get some major high school basketball and volleyball tournaments. When not needed, they fold away, and allow for 2 full basketball courts for practicing. The floor is a new type that is the first in the state for a high school gym. I'm no engineering genious, but they tell me it will have no dead spots, and the ball will bounce "true" anywhere on the court. Heck, we even have the NBA style goals!! Around the perimeter of the gym is a walking track that will also be available year round for exercising. No more excuses for not getting out for a walk on those cold winter days!!

Everything is supposed to be done in a matter of weeks. We can't wait!!

De Colores

Independence Day

Happy 232nd Birthday to our country!! We'll be celebrating Indepence Day with family and friends. I'm sure there will be lots of food, fun, and of course FIREWORKS!!

Sometime on July 4, take a moment to stop and give thanks to the countless men and women who have served our country and fought to establish and preserve the freedoms that we enjoy today. Freedom does not come without a price!!

Also, take a moment to stop and give thanks to God for the gift of Jesus Christ, who purchased our freedom from sin and death. Because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we are set free from our sins, and can look forward to eternal life. Romans 8: 1-3 says "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering."

Happy Independence Day!!

De Colores

Don't Be Deceived!

Immediately after the tornado hit the little town of Chapman, Kansas a few weeks ago, this picture began circulating around the internet, claiming to be taken by one of the residents just as it was entering town. Despite it being a very impressive picture, it was soon discovered to be a hoax. The tornado hit Chapman well after dark. This picture was actually taken several years ago in another part of the country.

With technology as it is today, it is easy to become deceived by some of the pictures that are sent around. They can be digitally "doctored" to make them appear to be something they are not, making us believe that what we are seeing is real.

The bible warns us many times about being deceived. It is mentioned in Genesis and Revelation, and many, many times in between. Satan is constantly trying to deceive us with worldy things. Our fellow man deceives us with promises that cannot be fulfilled. Oftentimes, we even deceive ourselves.

First Corinthians 3: 18-19 says "18Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight."

Be on guard, watch out for those who would try to deceive you in this world. Above all, don't deceive yourself into thinking that you are smarter than God. Lean on Him, depend on Him, trust in Him. Then you will be truly wise.

De Colores

Baseball Again, & Again & Again...

We have been chasing Brian and his baseball since the first part of April when he played for the High School team, and we are still chasing him!! He is in the middle of summer ball, and games are going non-stop!! They are doing great, posting a record of 13-1.Brian is pitching very well. He has gotten 3 starts this season, and has a 3-0 record. He has yet to yield a run, and has allowed only 5 total hits. He is striking out an average of 11 batters per 7 innings. Most encouraging is his only allowing 2.5 walks per 7 innings. That is a tremendous improvement over his high school games.

When he's not pitching, he platoons at first and third base.

His hitting isn't quite as good as high school, but still has a respectable .320 batting average. His .469 on-base percentage (how many times he gets on base per times at bat) is pretty good. I'm not going to complain!!

This weekend, we're off to a tournament on Friday thru Sunday. Then it's more games the first week in July. In the middle of the month, the District and hopefully State tournaments are played. It's exciting to watch this talented bunch of boys play, but I'll admit I'm getting tired. Oh well, I'll enjoy it as long as I can. Some day, he'll be out of school and I'll give anything to sit on a hard bleacher again, freezing or boiling to death, depending on the weather, and watching him play.

Keep it up Brian and teammates, you're doing great!!

De Colores

Worm Hunting

OK, I'm pretty sure this will be something unique to the blogging world. With all the recent rains we've been having, the worm hunting has been fantastic!! After dark, the nightcrawler worms come up out of the ground to do whatever nightcrawler worms do after dark (you figure it out).

Catching them is actually pretty easy. It goes like this...

1st you find the worm on top of the ground. Look closely, they really blend in!!

Next you gently pull them out of the ground.

Hopefully they come out of the ground intact.

Then you fill up your container with them.

There you go, now you're an expert on nightcrawler hunting!!
De Colores

Hail Storm

We awoke this morning at about 3:15AM to a terrible hail storm. Along with the hail came winds in the 50 - 60mph range. It was very devastating. My poor garden was shredded!! Here's a picture of one of my tomato plants.

This is nothing compared to the damage to the farmer's crops around Marion. Here is a picture of a corn field just south of town. I'm sure it is totaled.

Even in the devastation of the hail, we are thankful that we were spared from any tornadoes or significant wind damage. God does not promise that every day will be sunny, but He does promise to be with us in the storms of our lives.

De Colores

Perseverance

Several months ago, our little development finally got a real street put in. A company came in, established a new grade, put down a base, and then laid 6" of asphalt on it. After years of driving on a dusty or muddy road, depending on the weather, we can finally go some place and come back without having to wash the car every time!!

I was coming home from my run a couple of weeks ago, and imagine my surprise to find several bind weed plants coming up through the ashphalt street!! How in the world could this little plant push up through what I would think would be virtually an impenetrable barrier??? Somehow, this plant is capable of persistently pushing slowly thought the asphalt, until it reaches daylight. Amazing!!

The dictionary defines perseverance as "To persist in an idea, purpose or task, despite obstacles (Webster)". Let's look at this little object lesson from a Christian perpective. We all know that in this life we have struggles, obstacles and heartaches. Oswald Chambers wrote "You cannot help suffering; it is a true and needful training for the soul that dares to be true to God." (My Utmost For His Highest) So, we all suffer, we all struggle, and we all face life's difficulties; we cannot escape it!! The call to us as Christians is to persevere, because we know that God is always there, and we are in His arms. When we realize this fact, we can persevere through anything, because we know that our Creator, Lord and King is there to carry us.

Hebrews 12: 1-3 says it so very well..."Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endureth such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary or lose heart."

When adversity comes and life throws us a curve, try not to be overcome with frustration, but overcome it with the joy that we have in Christ Jesus. When things do not go our way, go His way!! Be like the "Little Engine That Could" and with God's help go "I think I can, I think I can..." When we persevere and overcome the struggle, thank God and say "I knew I could, I knew I could..."

De Colores

Chingawassa Days 2008

Once again, Central Park in Marion was filled with over 3,000 people for our 11th annual Chingawassa Days festival on Friday and Saturday. The hightlight of this year's festival was the classic rock band Grand Funk Railroad (remember "We're An American Band, "Some Kind Of Wonderful", "Locomotion"????). The weather held, the crowd was one of the biggest ever, and the band was great. Each year, we continue to have big name acts come to our little town (3 Dog Night, Guess Who, 38 Special, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Trick Pony, Restless Heart, Little Texas, Kentucky Headhunters, Little River band to name a few), and they without exception comment on how great a time they had playing in our park.

Can't wait to see who they get for next year!! Mark it on your calendars, the first Saturday in June 2009, Central Park, Marion, Kansas. Don't miss it!!

De Colores