Major "Milestone"

On January 1, 2006, I resolved to take better care of myself, and as part of my fitness strategy, I decided to take up running. I started out by trying to make it around one block here in town without passing out from lack of oxygen. Gradually over time, I kept increasing my distance, little by little.

Yesterday, I recorded my 1,000th mile of running!! Now to the running enthusiasts out there, this is probably no big deal, in fact they're probably wondering "What took you so long??" To me, a person who in the past only ran when I heard the dinner bell ringing, this is a major milestone!! It's like running from here to Denver Colorado and back!!

I'm officially hooked on running, and as long as my middle age joints and back hold up, I'm going to keep lacing up my shoes and get out there and pound the pavement. It's a great form of exercise, it helps me to unwind from my day, and it seems to help keep me from putting on additional pounds, at least for now!!

De Colores

Welcome New Emmaus Pilgrims!

Welcome new pilgrims of Emmaus Walks 85 & 86! From what I've heard, both of them were resounding successes. God continues to work in the lives of those who make the commitment to attend these Walks in a mighty way.

If you're interested in attending a Walk, feel free to contact me, and I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have. the next set of Walks are October 18 - 21 (Men) and October 25 - 28 (Women) in beautiful Garden City, Kansas.

You can read more about this event at www.breadoflifecommunity.com. Give God 72 hours of your time, and you will be blessed for a lifetime!!

De Colores

Deception

A pitch that my son has been working on is the curve ball. The baseball is released with basically the same arm speed as the fastball, but the grip is different, resulting in a side spin than makes the ball curve, and hopefully drop at the same time. It is used when you have "set up" the batter with some fastballs. When he sees the pitch coming out of the pitcher's hand, he thinks another fastball is coming, and takes a swing at it, only to find it coming in slower and with movement. If it is done right, it can be a very difficult pitch to hit.

The curve ball is meant to deceive the batter. Just when he thinks he has the pitcher's velocity figured out, the curve ball comes along and fools him.

Satan throws a lot of "curve balls" in our lives. Just when we think we've got it figured out, and actually feel comfortable with life, he throws something that messes us all up. Sometimes it is something bad, and causes us much pain and suffering. Sometimes, they actually can appear to be good and even enticing. We fall for them and then suffer the consequences.

The bible warns us of Satan and his curve balls. Right off the bat in Genesis, Eve was deceived by Satan into thinking that she could eat the fruit from the Tree of Life. John 8:44 says "The devil has nothing to do with the truth. There is no truth in him. It is expected of the devil to lie, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Be careful of the "curve balls" that Satan throws at you. Ask God to help you stand firm and not be deceived.

De Colores

Wyatt update

Little Wyatt made it through his liver transplant surgery yesterday. The surgeons were pleased with how it went. Let's now hope and pray that the liver functions as it should, and that his body will accept it. Thanks for praying for him, keep lifting him up!!

Wyatt

One of our employees has a son named Wyatt, who was born with a congenital defect in his liver. It has never functioned as it should. He has been on a liver transplant list for about a year. He is now about 2 years old.

A couple of times this past year, his parents received a phone call of a potential liver for Wyatt, and they would race to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, only to be told that the liver was either not a match, or was not suitable for transplant.

Yesterday, they received another call, and made the trek again. This time, it looks like it is for real! If you read this blog anytime on Tuesday, March 6, I would appreciate it if you would take the time to say a quick prayer for Wyatt and his family that the surgery will go well, and that his parents will stay strong.

I also think it would be appropriate that a prayer be offered for the family who unfortunately had to lose a loved one.

In Like A Lion

How crazy has our Kansas weather been? Yesterday, the last day of February, we had a high temperature of 70 degrees. The wind was light, and the golfers were streaming by our house.

Last night, I woke up to lightning, thunder, high winds and some kind of precipitation pounding against our bedroom window. This morning, it was snowing, and a couple of inches was covering the ground!! Looks like March has come in like a lion!!

Oh well, we all know that the weather here in Kansas changes rapidly. In a few days, we are supposed to be back in the 60's again.

Psalm 24 reminds us that God is control of our earth and the weather that we have. It says "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

I'm sure glad to know that in all the craziness of this weather, I have a God who is steadfast and in control!!

De Colores

Spring Has Sprung

Just for grins, I looked at one our flower beds today, just to see if by chance anything was trying to make it's way up thru the cold ground. I couldn't believe my eyes!! Our crocus, daffodils and even some tulips were peeking their heads up out of the mulch!! Spring is just around the corner!! It made me want to fire up the lawn mower and go do some yard work!! NAAAAH!

Break It In

I bought my son a new ball glove for his birthday (shhh, don't tell him!!). He needed a new one as he starts his high school baseball career anyway, so it's a win-win deal!!

I don't know how many of you have bought a new glove before, but when you get one, it is usually stiff as a board. The leather is fresh and smells great, but the glove is almost useless, because it is stiff and you can't open and close it very well. It's hard to catch a ball in it when you can't close the glove around it.

The first thing I always do when I get a new glove is to get out my can of shaving cream and just totally cover it, rubbing the shaving cream into the leather until it is all worked in. Then I spend literally hours just working the glove with my hands. As I tug and pull and twist the leather, it starts to become softer and more pliable. Eventually, the glove is "broken in", and is ready for use.

As Christians, we are sometimes like this new glove. We're fresh and full of ideas (hopefully we smell good), but oftentimes we're in need of some working by God to make us ready for service to Him. As we pray, read the scriptures, fellowship with others, and seek God's will, we become "broken in" and useful. Just like a broken in glove catches a baseball much better than a stiff new one, so we will be more likely and able to catch souls for God when we've been properly prepared by our spiritual discipline. Now that you're properly broken in, go out there and.....PLAY BALL!!

De Colores

You Are So Beautiful To Me

Dennis Rainey has a radio spot called FamilyLife Today (go to www.familylife.com) , and recently he had a very interesting discussion with Bob Lepine about romance and relationships. On this particular program, Bob Lepine made a very interesting comment that all us guys should really take to heart. It went something like "If a woman is beautiful under the age of 40, she has something to do with it. If she is beautiful after the age of 40, her husband has something to do with it."

Did you catch that guys? A large part of a women's self esteem and sense of beauty lies with our ability to reinforce those qualities in their eyes. The more compliments we give her, the more we pay attention to her, the more we reinforce that she is the most beautiful person in our eyes, the more confident she will be with herself. Too often we hear on the news about physical and mental abuse of women, and how that can leave lasting emotional scars, and that makes me sick. However, our neglect of reinforcing the beauty of our wives on a daily basis can also slowly build scars of low self esteem that are hard to heal.

Need some help? Look at the chapters in the Song of Solomon, and see how many times he called his wife beautiful. Better yet, read this book out of the bible to her!!

As our thoughts turn to Valentine's Day, and all the things we are planning on doing to romance our wives, give some serious thought to making every day Valentine's Day. Try complimenting her on something at least once a day, and see how she responds. I'll bet you it will be positive!!

De Colores

Abundance

Have you ever noticed how many times in the bible that when someone asked God or Jesus for something, they got more than they asked for?

In Exodus, the Israelites complained to God about not having food while they were wondering in the desert. God sent quail and manna, and it says that it covered the ground. God instructed the people to only take what they could eat for that day.

In John, Jesus was asked to help out with a problem at a wedding. It seems the wine ran out, and Jesus' mother wanted him to fix the problem. Did he just make a pitcher or two? No!! He made over 100 gallons!!

In Luke, Simon had been fishing all day, but couldn't catch any fish. Jesus instructed him to throw his net on the other side of the boat, and not only did he catch fish, it says that there were so many fish in the net, it nearly sunk the boat!!

I guess my point is, too often we don't see just how abundantly God has blessed us. I know that He has blessed me way more than I deserve to be!! Lots of times I have asked God for something, and don't realize how He has supplied for that need, and much more.

Look at the blessings of your life. Are your pitchers running over, is your net full? Give thanks to God, for He has blessed you richly.

De Colores

The Streak Is Over!!!

WE WON!! Marion 44, Hillsboro 42!! Packed Marion Square Garden, rowdy crowd, overtime, controversial calls, stolen pass, last second shot at the buzzer, this game had it all. When was the last time the Marion boys beat Hillsboro? WHO CARES!! Life is good today.

De Colores

Fun In The Snow

While we adults struggle with scooping snow, keeping livestock safe, getting stuck, trying to keep from falling down, etc., the youngsters have a blast in it!! My son (the big one in the brown coveralls) and his friends spent countless hours making sledding and toboggan runs and just overall enjoying one of God's miracles of nature.

Me? I spent hours scooping off my driveway, helped dig the neighbor's car out and spent the rest of the evening on the couch with a sore body. Oh, to be young again!!!!

De Colores

Facing The Storm

This has got to be one of the most unbelievable pictures I have ever seen. It is a calf that survived the Western KS snowstorm this past weekend. It was plastered with freezing rain, and then driven snow. How it was able to survive is beyond me.

This poor little guy even made the national headlines this week when Senator Pat Roberts made a huge poster of this picture to show his fellow Senators on Capitol Hill just how severe the winter storm was, and why the state deserved to have some help from the federal government.

This picture reminded me about a story that was told in church this past Sunday about the Hereford breed of cattle being the "perfect breed" (stay with me, this really has a pretty good meaning). It is said that in a storm, most cattle will turn their backs to it and retreat along with the wind until they end up piled against a drift or fence, oftentimes leading to their demise by suffocation. The Herefords on the other hand, face into the wind and work their way into the teeth of the storm until it passes. Somehow, this instinct has proven to dramatically lower the mortality rate when confronted with nature's fury.

The moral of the story? FACE LIFE'S STORMS HEAD ON. With God leading the way, guiding and protecting us, even when we can't even see where we are going, we can be assured that we are being led to a safe place where we can weather the storm until it passes by.

De Colores

Dormant Christians

Yesterday on the CBS Evening News, they were reporting that due to the unusually warm winter the Northeast part of the US was having, the cherry blossoms were already popping on trees in Washington DC and New York!! These trees normally go dormant thru the winter, and the blossoms don't usually appear until March. Mother Nature has fooled them, and they have woken up and are blooming.

It got me to thinking how often we as Christians go "dormant" when we are in the winter of our Walk. When things aren't going well, when we are tired and discouraged, the warmth of our hearts often times fades, we go cold, and we become ineffective. We don't feel like praying, we don't feel like going to church, and even sometimes begin to question God.

In these times, a word of encouragement from a friend, an act of kindness, or an inspirational bible verse may be just what's needed to warm us back up and help us be effective as a Christian again.

As we look forward to the end of winter, and the beginning of spring, let's look for opportunities to warm our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and help them to be active in their Walk, and not go dormant.

De Colores

Oh Say Can You Sing??

OK, so get this one!! This past September, I was singing with a quartet consisting of Rod, Lyle, Mike and myself, and in the crowd was a long time Wichita State basketball season ticket holder. After the program, he asked us if we had an interest in singing the Star Spangled Banner at one of their home games. Well duh!! He said he'd see what he could do to get us in. At that point I thought oh sure, like that's ever going to happen....

Well, we got a call the other day and we are supposed to send in a demo of our version (it's a Gaither Vocal Band rendition, so how could they turn us down?) so they can hear it and decide if we are worthy of singing in the Roundhouse. How cool would that be!! We're going to give it a shot, and see what happens. I'll update this post if we get past the "audition".

De Colores

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

To anyone who happens to read this over the next couple of days...I hope you have a most blessed and joyous Christmas, whether you are celebrating with family, friends or by yourself. May the peace and love of Christ permeate your days, and may your soul be renewed as you celebrate once again of the birth of our Savior.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Whew!!

I've been fretting and stewing for the past three weeks over my endeavor to become licensed to sell life insurance. Well, after two delays due to weather and computer malfunctions, I was finally able to take the State licensing test this morning. I PASSED!! WWWHHHEEEWWW!!!

A Song In My Heart

I had the pleasure of singing with my brother Mike and good friends Lyle and Rod as a quartet yesterday. We went to the Peabody UMC and sang a few songs in the morning, and then after eating a heaping bowl of chili for lunch, we sang another 30 minute program.

My spirit always takes off and soars whenever I get the opportunity to minister thru song. What a great way to convey God's love for us! As I watched the faces of the congregation as we sang, I saw expressions that ranged from apparent ambivalence all the way to smiles and tears of joy (at least I hope they were good tears). People in their own way were reacting to the Word thru our music.

Not everyone has a gift of singing, but I believe music has a way of connecting us to God, and hearing the Word thru song has a way of making us feel closer to Him. I don't pretend to think that our singing has any great spiritual impact on people, but I hope that thru our love of music, we become an avenue by which folks can connect with our Lord and God, and worship Him.

Keep a song in your heart, it makes the day a little brighter!!

De Colores

School Daze (for me???)

What in the world was I thinking????? I have spent the last few days attending classes in an attempt to get a license to sell life insurance as part of my job. The classes were from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. If that wasn't bad enough, now I have to go to a place and take an exam (and pass it) to get my license. I'm way too old for this nonsense!!

To make matters worse, I was supposed to go take my exam this afternoon, but due to our snowstorm that is going on, I'm going to have to re-schedule. So I call a number that was given to me, and they tell me that I have to wait until tomorrow to attempt to re-schedule, and then it may very well be several days after that before I can actually take the test. In the meantime, what little information that I remembered from the school is slowly leaking from my brain. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Todays' Upper Room scripture is sure appropriate for me today. It says "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". -Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) I sure can use all the upholding that God will give me as I wait to get this over with!!

Oh well, as I say in my daily prayer, "Lord, you are in charge of everything that is going to happen to me today, both good and bad". I'll be thankful in spite of the disruptions and stresses. After all, if God is in charge, I'm taken care of!!

De Colores

Forgive Myself?

The November 18 reading of the Upper Room posed a very interesting and relevant question for me. How do we forgive ourselves? We ask God to forgive us, we ask God to help us forgive others, but how about forgiving ourselves?

There have been several times in my life that I have done things that I am not proud of, and sin oftentimes was involved to some extent. I know I have asked God for forgiveness in these instances, and know in my heart that God has forgiven me, but I still have a hard time of releasing my sense of guilt when I think about those times. God promises us that when we ask for forgiveness, these sins are "remembered no more". As I work on forgiving myself and "letting go" of those instances, it is a freeing experience. If God, who knows me far better than anyone else can forgive me, then surely I can forgive myself and move on.

In the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-15), Jesus commands us to forgive others. I truly believe this also means that He commands us to forgive ourselves. When we can truly do that, we can experience a more joyful life.

De Colores