Have you ever struggled talking to God? I feel that at times, that my requests are all the same, that my words are not appropriate, that I’ve overextended my prayer minutes and God can’t fit me in again (I’m picturing God looking at His called ID and groaning, “not him again”). Sometimes I have trouble and all I can ask is that God look into my heart and hear my plea. The Bible says the Holy Spirit groans for us so that God will hear our plea. I am thankful for the gift of the Holy Spirit that God gave to me.

I know God hears me. I know He doesn’t check called ID but I still struggle at times. I wonder why that is? I’ll give Satan some of the credit. As I come to truly believe there is a spiritual battle being fought in me and around me this very second, believe that anything that comes between me and God is an attack from Satan’s demons on my heart wanting me to believe God isn’t listening; that He doesn’t have time for me.

The war has been won but the battles are still being fought. I will have struggles but know there is something awaiting me that is wonderful and I can take hold of it today if I keep my heart open to God’s will and desire for me. I may struggle but He will pick me up if I just extend my hand. There is joy in knowing that.
______________________________________________________________

Favre to the NY Jets. Whoopee. I guess that will be the story of the football year. Jerry Jones must be fuming. 🙂

OK, I’ll try to make this my last Rangers-centric post for awhile but last night’s game was incredible. I was able to get some tickets to the game last night a little higher up than my normal vantage point but it didn’t matter with the ending the Rangers gave us. I got home rather late but couldn’t sleep so I got to see SportsCenter and the Rangers had the #1, #3 and #6 plays of the day. Not bad for a team that doesn’t get much respect or time from ESPN.

Naturally, the Rangers were down early but hung in there and tied it up in the latter innings. The game went into the bottom of the 9th tied 5-5. The bases get loaded with 2 outs and I’m thinking extra innings and a very, very late night when Marlon Byrd blasts a walk-off grand slam to win the game.

I’m impressed with these guys. They aren’t a great team but they do battle and I appreciate that. I never expect the Rangers to do alot but I do want to see some competitive baseball and they are making it fun this year. Go Rangers!
_____________________________________________________________

Tonight should be fun. We are taking several young ladies to Ft. Worth to eat celebrating my little girl’s impending birthday. I wonder if it will ever be quiet at the table? I hope not but that they have so much fun it is noisy the whole time. I’m looking forward to it.

Saturday was a rather warm day but it was the day my son and I got to play catch in the outfield of the Rangers ballpark. It is amazing to stand out in centerfield and see how much real estate those outfielders have to cover and it’s amazing to realize how far a baseball has to travel to make it 400 feet. While all that was fun, it was just the time throwing a ball with my son that was the best part of the whole day.
______________________________________________________________

If I only knew then what I know now. Ever made that comment? Experience is a great teacher but sometimes the experience gaining part of the lesson isn’t so great. The closer I grow to God and the more I move my focus and desire from what I want to get done to what He wants me to do, I realize that I have learned a lifetime of lessons that would I have had my eyes and heart open to God, would have been much easier learned. I hope the next 43 years are approached with my relationship with God in check before I think about anything else.

It was almost another comeback night. The Rangers lost but made it a bit exciting in the 9th.

Is Gagne still pitching? I don’t hear his name anymore.

I really thought the Rangers would make a move before the trade deadline. I’m surprised it didn’t happen but glad they didn’t make a trade just to make one. I wonder how much influence Nolan Ryan has in who stays and who goes. I’m not sure what the President of a baseball team does.

Rumor has it Nolan and “W” are going to buy into the Rangers when Bush comes back from the White House. Not sure if Hicks stays or not and I heard it from a source who is on the way out fringes of the baseball world.
_______________________________________________________________

I love the Bible verse today. “God is my refuge…” Daily I am realizing how far away from God I have been. I feel like I have danced with God at an intellectual level for some time but have not really known God. I hope that is changing daily and I think it is. I want a real relationship with Him that goes beyond anything I have known or can imagine even today.
_______________________________________________________________

I hope you find peace in your day and joy in your heart.

I realize I’ve been on a Rangers kick of late but they are keeping me up watching late inning comebacks and it’s kind of fun. I’m headed to the ballpark on Saturday and ended up scoring some tickets on Monday for the Yankees (upper deck seats that will probably be surrounded with Yankees fans – fight, fight!). Saturday will be a cool day. My son and I get to play catch in the outfield before the teams take the field for batting practice. We’ve done it once before and it’s a neat experience. It’s amazing how expansive the outfield is and how much ground they have to cover. Maybe I will get some pictures.
_______________________________________________________________

I don’t know how many of you saw the “Wife Swap” episode that included a family from Alvord (Wife Swap is a TV show where they take a mom from two families and swap them. The women and families are VERY different and the families live with their new moms with the regular rules for a few days and then live with the new moms rules for a few days. Alvord is just north of Decatur.) but one of the kids from the Alvord family was at church last night. The show portrayed them as out of control kids but the one I met was very nice and polite. I can only imagine the show eggs on a bit of drama for the ratings.
_______________________________________________________________

We got rain yesterday. It was wonderful and I can only imagine some people will feel better today because of the rain yesterday. I think I do!

I’m praying for peace today – peace for the battles going on in the world and peace that only God can bring to our lives.

I almost gave up on the Rangers last night. I was ready to turn it off after CJ Wilson came out for another lackluster performance and Ramon Vasquez made his 3rd error of the night that cost 2 runs putting the Mariners ahead of the Rangers. I was tired and ready to sleep but couldn’t push the button to turn the game off. What a finish. Vasquez had been booed after his 3rd error (something I hate the fans to do) but came up to bat with two men on base and ripped a shot to the right-center gap just out of reach of Ichiro scoring the two baserunners and giving Texas the win. Cool stuff.
________________________________________________________________

We got a (very) little rain overnight. It didn’t register in the rain gauges apparently but it was good to see a little water on the ground. It just feels cooler outside.
________________________________________________________________

Here’a poem I got by email the other day. It was a good reminder for me.

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp,
The thieves, liars and sinners
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from 7th grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice,
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Sitting pretty on cloud nine
Looking incredible well.

I nudged Jesus and asked what’s the deal?
I would love to hear your take,
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.

And why is everyone so quiet
So somber – give me a clue,
Hush child, He said, they’re all in shock
They didn’t think they’d be seeing you.

I’m captivated today by how God looks at sinners because that is what I am – no better and no worse than the next one. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

Last night, I took my son to a Best Buy store to find a game he wanted. They didn’t have the game but what disappointed me was the poor service we got when asking about the game. The answer was basically “we don’t have any and don’t know when we’ll get it.” No offer to call another store, no offer to find out when it would come in. Nothing. We did have one employee tell us on the way out that a truck would be coming in the next few days but she didn’t know what would be on it. I don’t expect much service in stores anymore but last night fell below what I wanted.

We came home to watch the Rangers and that didn’t go well either. They are playing lowly Seattle and couldn’t win. The had 1 out with men on 2nd and 3rd and couldn’t get them home. Vasquez got thrown out at 3rd and then Josh Hamilton struck out to end the inning. Hamilton has created an expectation of home runs and you could almost feel the air go out of the stadium through the TV when he struck out.

It’s still hot outside. I walked last night around 9:00pm and it seemed like there was a bit of humidity in the air to add to the late night heat. I don’t know much about global warming (actually, I think it is an issue somewhere between the “sky-is-falling liberals” and the “ignore it and maybe it will go away conservatives”) but the part of the globe I was standing on last night was HOT.

Time to go to work. Have a good day.

Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox are at odds again. It seems like this happened this time of year for the past 3 or 4 years. I’m not sure what Manny gets paid but did hear he has an option next year for $20 million. $20 million. That’s a lot of zeros at the end of a number. I guess it just goes to show that money can’t buy happiness.

The Cowboys are back on the practice field so now we’ll get to hear about Tony and Jessica, TO and Pacman non-stop.

Some ESPN radio guys were debating whether the Josh Hamilton story was worthy of all the news it got. One guy said it’s not a big story because Hamilton made the decision to use drugs and just did the right thing to stop using them. He compared it to a cancer victim who didn’t elect to get cancer and has battled back and that being a true feel-good story. Having seen the Hamilton story play out in Texas and having read some stories about him a few years ago, I can’t imagine someone saying his story isn’t a great one. Should he be considered a hero? Maybe not in the classical sense but I think he is a hero to people who have had to battle the demons of drugs. I appreciate the fact that he is so open about his faith and God’s place in his personal battle to overcome drug addiction and hope he continues to thrive and be a spokesman for good.

It’s another HOT, busy week. Stay cool.

I was up late last night wrestling with the idea of spiritual warfare, a battle I cannot see but know that I am actively involved in. I am beginning to see, ever so slightly, how Satan uses my weaknesses, my blindspots, my pride, my selfishness and worldly desires to wear me down and play a part in my sin. The responsibility for my actions are mine but I believe there is another force that is stronger than me pushing me towards those bad decisions. The sad thing is, there is a force even stronger than me or evil that I could call on – if only I would.

A man in our community was arrested yesterday for a hideous crime. I don’t know whether it is valid or not but the fact is that the information is circulating that he did this. He’s an acquaintance of mine and I have always thought of him as a good man. He has raised good children, he’s always nice and I know many people he has helped. Yet, it would appear he made a grave mistake and it is something that will haunt him and hurt him for years to come. Evil forces were at work on him finding his weakness and exploiting it. Yet the battle of evil doesn’t stop there. Satan will use this to take on others, people who will treat this man like Satan wants them to treat him, not how Christ would want him treated. The battle is on.

I am a weak, sinful creature. I do not understand why God continues to have mercy on me but I believe He does. I believe He loves me unconditionally and gives me strength that I cannot imagine if I will take hold of it. I am a wreck but He uses amazing grace to carry me forward. The only way I can overcome the forces of darkness, the only way I will win the battle here and today is to live in the knowledge that God loves me no matter how weak I am, no matter how sinful I am, no matter how wretched I am. He will give me the love I need and the strength that comes with it to win the battle if I will only reach out for Him.

There is a battle raging today. It’s a battle for your heart and my heart. Two forces are at war for how we will treat each other, how we will see each other, how we will respond to each other. Far too often, I have sided with the wrong force, done the wrong thing, made the wrong decisions. Today, I pray for the strength to join forces with the one who has already won the decisive victory so that I can win the battle today.

I’ve returned from Salado and the humidity generated by Hurricane Dolly. My son and I went to a Round Rock Express baseball game Tuesday night and 30 minutes or so before the game, a downpour rolled in. It looked like it was pouring down over the field and barely raining in the parking lot. Within 10 minutes, it was gone as fast as it came.

Nolan Ryan and his family own the baseball team and through a connection I have, we were setting in their family seats. Unfortunately, Nolan wasn’t available to sit by me and carry on a long conversation but we did sit next to his son Reid for a little while. It wasn’t a good game for the Express but we had fun watching a bunch of guys who are a pulled groin or sprained ankle away from moving up to the big leagues.

It’s good to be home for a bit. Since June I have been on the go and kept my suitcase sitting out ready for the next trip. I was able to put it away for awhile yesterday and was glad to see it go for a bit. Now I’m just waiting on cooler weather. Whew.