I was reading a blog the other day written about prayer and being ready for what God has in store for us. One of the truths I’ve come to grips with is that God answers my prayer but it may not be the answer I want and it may affect my life in ways I didn’t think about. Sometimes, these changes are good, other times they can be a little painful. I’ve found that through diligent prayer God has stretched me, pushed me in ways I didn’t necessarily want to go, accept things I may not have wanted to accept and work through things I wasn’t thinking about working through.

For years I have believed that God answered prayer and I have learned that the answer isn’t always what we ask for. What I am now learning to a great extent each day is that as my prayers become bolder, as my request change from simply asking God for what I want to asking God to use me the way He wants me to be used, I have found I have to lean on Him more and return to Him for more prayer on giving me strength to do the things before me.

I am learning that the more intimate I become with God, the more I need to prepare for what God has in store for me. He will stretch me and push me, He will lead me in paths that have obstacles to overcome to mountain-tops of grandeur but it will not always be easy and it will not always fit into my grand plan.

The more I know God, the more I need God.

Yesterday was a mish-mash of good and bad in my little world. I received an email from the coach of the team my son was going to play on notifying us that he had lost a couple of players and had decided to do something else with his son leaving us high and dry in the baseball world. A couple of us that remain are scrambling to keep a team together so our kids can play but feel like it’s too little time to get anything done. My son just laughed when he heard the news but I can’t help but believe he feels the same disappointment his mother and I do. He worked hard to make a team and then it just vanishes. It may be a good learning experience for him but he’s just 11 and can wait to learn about disappointment a little longer.
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I had a friend come up to speak to our youth group last night. Tyler Bullock is a “kid” I’ve known since he was 6 who is now playing professional baseball as the AA level in the Atlanta Braves organization. It’s neat to see someone grow up, to succeed in what they want to do and see them stay grounded in what God wants for them. Tyler had some good points for the kids to think about last night and I appreciate him being willing to share his story and his message about keeping God first in his life.
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Jaci Isham was baptized after church last night. What a highlight for a parent and a great way to end the evening at church. I’m happy and proud for Jaci, another great kid.

I took time to watch the State of the Union speech last night being that it is Bush’s last one. I’m always amazed – and saddened – to see the President make a point that half the people stand up and cheer for and half remain seated and give the appearance they are bored to death. When our political leaders resort to junior high tactics, I get the feeling we are not on the right track as a country. I do enjoy hearing the President recite his past victories and his hope for things to come but looking at many of the faces in the audience, I know much of it will only be verbal dreams with no realization.

Add the drama between Obama and Hillary and now we have Mitt and McCain taking potshots at each other and it’s just a sad environment we have to vote in. Why do the candidates think we want to vote on them based on the negative things they can point out about the other candidate instead of the positive things they think they will bring to the office?

It’s just sad.
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We had a great Bible class Sunday morning discussing spiritual warfare and the demons that are constantly trying to attack us. The discussion, like others before it, remind me how futile I often spend my time trying to solve all my problems instead of calling on a supernatural being who wants to help me, wants to protect me and wants to defeat those demons for me. I can’t find a supernatural battle but God can yet day after day, I often find myself flailing about and forgetting to call on my Lord. I just paused to pray for God’s help and protection for today for me and for you. I need Him and I believe He will protect me.

My basketball coaching career came to a disappointing end with a loss and my team not making the playoffs this year. I have spent the weekend replaying the year in my head with lots of what-if’s going through my head. What if I would have done this differently? What if I had done that differently?

My mantra through these how ever many years has always been to teach fundamentals and let each boy play as much as possible and I feel like I remained true to that effort. I hope I helped each one develop a love for the game that I have enjoyed for so long and, if they decide to continue playing, have equipped them with some skills that will carry them forward. Even more, I hope I have had a hand in equipping them with skills that will carry them through their lives.

Donny, my brother-in-law and friend, has helped me coach the boys teams and I appreciate the opportunity to do that with him and have both my son and nephew on the same team.

Now I get to move into a phase of being the armchair coach making me much smarter than the actual coach. I will miss working with the different kids but it’s also nice to be able to focus on one child. My daughter has been running cross country the last two years and it’s not bad going to a meet and being able to focus on her (not that I would ever be caught coaching a running event). I think I will enjoy that opportunity with my son now (and hope he does too).

I know there will be other milestone events with both my kids that will end up being difficult to deal with. In the meantime, I will miss this part of my life but keep moving forward looking to enjoy every waking second I can with both of them.

The big winter event didn’t turn out so big after all. Maybe we will get another chance at an ice storm later this year. In the meantime, it’s supposed to be 60 tomorrow. That’s crazy.
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I was thinking last night how different the newscast would be right now if the Cowboys were in the Super Bowl. The sports segment last night seemed like an after-thought.
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How about Baylor and A&M going FIVE extra periods in their basketball game the other night? Some of those guys looked like they could barely walk off the court when it was over. I’m happy for Baylor to be making some good news with their basketball program and hope their coach and players get rewarded somehow for the adversity they have come through the last 4 years.
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That’s it. It’s Friday and my brain is mush this morning. Have a great day and remember that God loves you.

I was in a great class last night discussing how to know God. I have long had an intellectual understanding of God but for many years, I didn’t strive to know Him. Over the past few years, I have really wanted to know God. I think that desire has come with my increased awareness of His grace.

When I went through periods where I asked for forgiveness but didn’t feel worthy of accepting it, I didn’t want an intimate relationship with God. As I have learned to accept His mercy, to let it cover me, to have joy in the comfort of His forgiveness, I have yearned to know God very personally. In some ways, it’s still a scary proposition (because it will require more changes in me) but I know it will lead me to more peace, more joy and more comfort.

I do want to know God. I want to seek Him and I want to surrender my life to him. It’s not an easy thing for me. The question was raised last night, what does surrender mean? One of the thoughts I had was that it meant to quit fighting against something. I suppose that’s the way I feel at times – that I’m fighting against God for changes He wants in my life. I need to quit the fight against God and join the battle against sin, against Satan.

I want to know God, I just need to start acting on that desire.

Talking to my son last night, I realized this Saturday could possibly be my last time to coach him in a sports activity. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s a phase of life that is changing like so many have and so many more will but the realization that this phase is over makes me a bit sad.

One of the great joys I’ve had in my life is working with so many kids over the years. They have brought me many surprises and lots of joy. I will miss the opportunity to build relationships with them but appreciate the time I have had. It will be neat to watch them continue to grow and change.
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We went to the Ft. Worth rodeo the other night and had great seats and a fun time but I was ready to go about half way through the night. I remember when my wife and I went to the rodeo 5 or more times a year when we were first married and I remember how much we enjoyed it. Not anymore.

That said, Stock Show cinnamon rolls are still one of the top-3 I’ve ever had.

Time. It’s zooming past me the last few days and I don’t seem in control of it. I need more hours in my day to do all the things that are coming my way but I seem to be in the same position of many people I know.

My mom told me the story of asking her butcher one time, “how do you manage it when you have so many people in line?” His response was simple and provoking, “I just help one person at a time.”

I’ve learned there is only so much I can do and I’ll just do what I can and start over the next day on what remains. It may not be the best way to handle it but it helps keep my stress manageable most of the time and I get to enjoy the time I spend with people.
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I didn’t see the Democrats debate but the snippets I saw this morning seemed like the battle is on. The comments between Clinton and Obama seem to be personal and very pointed. It will make the election process interesting to watch but I still can’t get excited about any candidate.
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Last Sunday was my first time to be at church in about 4 weeks. Between the holidays, business travel and my little preaching gig, I’ve been gone and it was so good to be back. There is a familiarity with “home” but it was more than that, it was being in the presence of God with people I truly love. I already look forward to the next time we will be together.

It’s one of those mornings where I got out of my regular routine and can’t get caught up with where I need to be. For those of you who prefer to read this earlier in the morning, my apologies.

My daughter went to Winterfest over the weekend with several members of the youth group. She loves it and really looks forward to it. They get to stay up late and are surrounded by a very large group of kids. I picked my daughter up around midnight Saturday night and she was excited but tired. I asked her what the theme was and her response was “it doesn’t matter what we wear to church.” I just laughed knowing it wasn’t the best time to dig deeper but on the way to church Sunday morning with her and my son in the car, I asked her the question again and it offered an opportunity to discuss the true meaning of the lesson. When we were done, I think we all agreed that the topic was more along the lines of our focus needing to be on the inside, not the outside. If our heart isn’t right, an Armani suit nor tattered rags can cover the real problem.

As Christians, we need to remember that the beauty of our buildings nor the beauty of our congregants can outshine the beauty of Christ. Our church may have a mismash of people wearing suits, jeans or shorts but all people need to see are our hearts. If they can see our hearts, we can help them find Christ but until they see our hearts, until the know we care, they won’t see Jesus.

It was a great lesson that was presented to my daughter and many others and I pray that those kids will take it to school, to the playgrounds, to the malls, to their text messages and they will use their hearts to make the biggest difference in how people see them.

Other than a small flight delay, it was a safe trip home and I am glad to be back with my family and in my usual setting. I was speaking with someone I met at the trade show who travels 40 weeks out of the year and I was thankful that is not something I have to do. It’s good to get away from the office at times but more than a couple of days without family is not something I look forward to. All that to say, I was so glad to see my wife at the airport and my kids when I got home.

I met Eddie Gossage at the airport. In case you don’t know, he’s the guy who runs Texas Motor Speedway. I introduced myself and told him my wife had become a big NASCAR fan and I think he’s a fan of my wife now. He was very nice and, as a life long Packer fan, excited about both the upcoming NASCAR season and the run the Packers are making this year.

New York was certainly excited about the Giants. It seemed like I saw more talk about the Giants and more players being interviewed than I do with the Cowboys.

It’s going to be a hectic few days trying to get caught up so I’m off to try to figure out what I need to do next. Have a great day!