Taste Of Autumn

Mother Nature gave us a little taste of fall this morning. I thought it felt a little cool in the house, and when I went out on our back deck to look at the thermometer, I was surprised to see it hovering right at or a little below 40 degrees!! I looked down into the valley and saw some fog/mist coming up off the little pond. What a beautiful start to the day!! We are getting some reminders that the seasons are once again changing.

Isaiah 44: 21-23 says "Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.
Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob."

Isn't it great to know that we have a God who is faithful to us. Though the seasons change, God never does. He is our constant. Let us sing and rejoice!!

De Colores

MHS Football Update

The MHS Warrior football squad is 3-1 going into this week's game. Brian is having a good season so far, starting on the offensive line at right guard (#76), and kicking the extra points. He, along with the rest of the Warriors is improving with each game. This past week, our running game tallied over 250 yards, most of which went over Brian's right side of the line. They are gaining more and more confidence with each play from scrimmage. Brian is learning that even if his opponent across the line is bigger than him, he can control him with technique, strength and speed. It is fun watching him mature in his position.

Next week will be a real test, as we travel to Hoisington. They are always a fast, physical team. This year should be no exception. If we can get a victory there, we will be looking good in the league standings.

GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

Up Close And Personal

I've been playing with the macro setting on my camera, and found that I can get very close to objects and take a picture of them with striking clarity. The closer you get to nature, the more you come to realize just how intricate God's creation can be. The splendor and wonder of God's majesty comes into clear focus when you get "up close and personal".

How about you? What would people see in you if they put on their "macro" setting and could look closely into your heart and soul? What would they find? Would they find the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience kindness, gentleness, etc.)? Or would they find anger, resentment, hurt, apprehension, or hate? What is in your soul usually personifies itself in your actions.

David wrote in Psalm 139:23 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."

Dare to ask God to search your heart. Clean out the stuff that is ugly, and let His beauty show in and through you.

De Colores

Art In The Park

Tomorrow (Saturday), our sleepy little town of Marion and our quiet little park will be inundated with thousands of people all looking for that "perfect something" at our annual Art In The Park. We are expecting around 200 vendors and 20,000+ people coming to look at their wares.

Just down the road in Hillsboro, it gets even crazier. The last I heard, they had 360 vendors signed up to come, and they are expecting up to 40,000 visitors/shoppers. Amazing for a town of less than 3,000 people!!

I think a nice quiet round of golf is in order.....

De Colores

New Gym & Pool

The long anticipated opening of the new gymnasium and indoor swimming pool has finally arrived!! What an awesome facility!! The gym is huge, with a total seating capacity of approx. 2,000. When the seats are folded back, there is room for 2 full basketball courts. The volleyball people love it too, as a curtain can come down from the center, and 2 full volleyball courts can be utilized at the same time. It loads from the top, which means you come in at the top level, and then go down to your seats. This will really help in keeping people off the court. The center court logo is billed as the largest of any gym in the state.There is a running track around the top of the gym allows people to come and exercise indoors.

The indoor swimming pool is almost too good to be true!! It has a "zero entrance" area for the elderly and handicapped, has 6 lanes for competition swimming, and a 12 foot deep end for diving.

There are large overhead doors on the south and west sides that can open on warm or hot days to give the "feel" of being outside.

There is even a slide inside that winds you outside the building, then back in!!

The pool and walking track are open from 6:00 AM til 8:00 PM Mon-Fri, and from 1:00 PM til 6:00 PM on the weekends. What a great asset to the community!! The school district and it's patrons should be very proud of themselves for working together to make this dream a reality. It will not only fill a great need in the community, but also be a great drawing card for our community. We can host swimming events, large volleyball and basketball tournaments, as well as providing a year round place for people to swim. We are hoping the folks from our surrounding communities come and use the pool too!!

Come to the gym, run a few miles around the track, then go and cool off by taking a dip in the indoor, climate controlled pool. How cool is that!!

De Colores

MHS Football 08

Ready or not, the 2008 high school football season is upon us! MHS played it's first game of the season this past Friday night, traveling to Lyons. They came away with a hard fought 21-6 victory. They came out flat at the start of the game, and actually trailed 0-6 at halftime, but they turned it up in the second half and played like we're used to seeing them play.

Brian is number 76 (my old football jersey number), plays right guard, does the kickoffs and kicks the extra points. They have a pretty seasoned team, so we (I) have high hopes for them. They are picked to finish 5th out of 12 teams in the always tough MCAA league. If they play well and not make the silly mistakes, they have a chance to finish much higher than that.

Next up is perennial powerhouse Collegiate. They are the bane of the area, as they are a private 4A school in Wichita. I'm not saying they recruit, but.....

It will take a perfect game for the Warriors to win, but if they play smart football, they can give Collegiate a run for their money.

GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

Estes Park Trip

Lori and I took a quick trip to Estes Park this past weekend for a little R & R. We had a great time, soaking in the wonder and majesty of God's creation in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We took a hike thru the woods to a glacier lake
saw unbelievable mountain peaks
and even did a little elk hunting (this is for you, Rick, Randy & Rod). This big bull came down out of the mountain with his "harem" every evening to feast on the lush grass of a local golf course.

It was a wonderful trip. The only bad thing was we had to share it with thousands of other people all cramming to get in one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend. The roads were packed with cars and motorcycles. What a zoo!!

Back to work this week, bummer!!

Oh well, I have lots of pictures and memories. Lori, let's start planning our next trip!!

De Colores

R & R

Lori and I are heading out bright and early Thursday morning to spend some much deserved time together in Estes Park, Colorado. We are looking forward to getting away from the hustle and bustle of every day life and take in the beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountain National Park area.

If the property management company is true and honest with us, we have a quaint cabin located off the beaten path awaiting us. It is in the Big Thompson canyon, and the Big Thompson River is supposed to be flowing directly beneath our deck. It almost seems too good to be true!!

I'll post a few pictures when (if) we get back.

De Colores

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