Less Nuts, More Fruitcake

24 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by Seeking Peace in attendance, baseball, church

One of my goals of this blog is to get Rick Ross to respond which finally happened on Monday. Woo-hoo! If you haven’t read Rick’s response, you should because it says some things I meant to write on Tuesday but didn’t get around to finishing.

I enjoy going to “church” now more than ever. Yes, MORE than ever.

It’s not because of the preacher (sorry, Rick). It’s not because of the song leaders or the songs or the classes or the prayers or anything else. It’s simply because I am with people who have held me up when I wasn’t sure I could go on and we come together in the presence of God to worship. It’s because I am there with people who jumped down in a foxhole with me when the battle was raging and the enemy was winning.

I used to feel bad because I would take my son to play baseball on some Sunday mornings. In my old way of thinking, it was just bad. Plain and simple. Then, I felt like I started to rationalize not being at church with my analysis of what “forsaking the assembly” really meant. Then I met another Jeff from another town who’s son played baseball with my son. Jeff thought it was funny when I told him I hated missing church for baseball. He thought religion was a joke and the people who bought into it were part of the “suckers born everyday” group. Over the next 14 weeks I was able to share some struggles I was having and how I knew God was working in those places. I got to tell him about some people at church who meant the world to me, who I would run through walls for because their love for me was so great and that I believed God had led us all together because of our trials. I don’t think I changed Jeff’s mind about religion but I believe I helped him see God differently and see church differently. I never would have had those conversations sitting in church.

Choosing to go to church isn’t an either/or proposition. While I don’t agree with telling people they need to be there instead of option A, B or C, I am fully in favor and personally look forward to the times of gathering with people who love God and love each other to worship, to love and to show adoration for the Lord of our lives and to journey with those around us during good times and bad times. If I’m not going to be at church, I hope the Lord will give me an opportunity to glorify him wherever I am and when I am in church I hope he allows me to continue feeling the peace I experience there.

Grace and peace.

Go Rangers!

08 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in 2000 hits, baseball, kingdom work, Michael Young

≈ 1 Comment

I went to the Ranger game last night with my son and parents and were treated to a boring 7 innings, a great comeback victory and Michael Young’s 2000th hit. Even with a 107 degree start time temperature, it was a fun night at the Ballpark.

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Michael is the 11th fastest player to 2,000 hits and, I believe, the 3rd fastest right-handed batter. That’s pretty good company I would imagine. I appreciate his work ethic and tenacity. Both of his hits last night were little infield rollers that he had to hustle out and I thought it an appropriate way for him to get there. Sure, a home run or game winning hit would have been great but I think hard work, determination and hustle have defined Young’s career.

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It makes me wonder what will define my career. Not my work career so much as my kingdom-building career. Much of it will be defined by a former life of hiding the truth and pretending to be something I may have wanted to be but wasn’t living up to…and I’m ok with that because it might lay the ground work for what I can do in the latter half of my life to share the Good News. A friend told me one day he almost wished he had a story. I wish I didn’t. He’s lived a pretty directed life and has been the man God wanted him to be and I think that is the story, that we can choose to live that way. But sometimes a story of a rocky road, a hill climbed, of failures made and made again and overcome show people an option too.

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I hope the day will come when I celebrate my 2,000th hit in the kingdom baseball game and I hope I celebrate it much the way Michael Young did – with a brief acknowledgment and desire to get back to work and keep doing what he’s been doing.

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Grace and peace to you.
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Lady GaGa

18 Friday Feb 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in baseball, Lady Gaga

≈ 1 Comment

I saw Lady Gaga on GMA Thursday morning promoting her AIDS/HIV prevention efforts. She has created a line of cosmetics with ALL the proceeds going to help prevent this horrible disease. I applaud her for her generosity and willingness to be an activist to help eliminate a horrible disease. I can only wish that her efforts were targeted at abstinence and Godliness instead of safe sex.
As I listened to her talk, it seemed evident that she has been searching for what is missing in her life and she identifies it as “self-love” and “finding the inner light”. I wonder how powerful it could be if someone of her stature and promotion ability was sharing a message of the love of God and allowing His light to shine from within to all of her fans. Today, I am saying a prayer for Gaga and the hope that God will be able to reach her and to touch her heart with His love, joy and desire for her.

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From Gaga to baseball – I’ll be in Bowie soaking in the sun and watching Decatur Eagles baseball this Saturday. I’m excited to have another season going and watching my son and his friends play. My daughter is escaping baseball by participating in a UIL competition and I know she will rock ’em too! And, it will be time to see Michael Young, smiling and talking about what the upcoming season will be like and how he doesn’t want to be a distraction even though all the questions lead to the distraction he has caused. Oh well, it’s baseball. Cut, green grass. Sunshine. Close plays at home. Homeruns, fireworks and fly-overs. Play ball!

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Grace and peace to you.
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What Do I Do Now?

05 Friday Nov 2010

Posted by Seeking Peace in baseball, Rangers

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Baseball season is over. What do I do now?

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It was great following the Rangers this year. It was an odd year attending only 2 games in the first half of the season due to my son’s baseball schedule and then sitting/standing in the crowd at Game 6 of the ALCS and Game 5 of the World Series. I never would have pictured that. Nor would I have pictured Cliff Lee pitching in a Rangers uni. Or Cliff losing 2 games in the Series. I didn’t picture C.J. Wilson becoming a dominant starter or David Murphy being the man of the moment so many times or Vlad struggling at the plate like he did. But then I never pictured Vlad crushing balls during the season before they day they signed him. I didn’t think Greenberg/Ryan would have so much trouble buying the team but I’m certainly glad they did.

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I’ve never had people willing to buy my tickets in August. Not only willing but calling asking if I had tickets for certain games in August. I usually can’t give them away. I wore the same clothing to 15 games and the Rangers won. I have fun with baseball superstitions that way. I wore it to Game 5 of the World Series and they didn’t win and I had lots of people looking at me in bewilderment that I wasn’t dressed in Rangers red. Well, the mojo failed that game and the lucky outfit is retired. Maybe. I might try it for one game next season and see what happens.

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Here’s where I thought about a moral to the Rangers saga but you can make your own. Today, it’s just about baseball. It’s a game I didn’t enjoy growing up but one I have come to love through the eyes and efforts of my son. I used to go to games thinking they were boring. Now I have an appreciation for every nuance of the game – the position of the batter’s feet, the path of his hands through the swing, the finish, the pitcher’s movements, arm slot, release points. I watch how base-runners step off the bag getting their lead, the size of their steps. I’m more aware of how the wind is blowing and what effect that has on a fly ball hit by a left hander to left field as opposed to right field. There are so many little games within the game…and I love it. Yes, there are plenty of object lessons to make from baseball and this season for the hometown team. Today, I miss it and can’t wait for spring training in roughly 3 months.