It was disappointing to see Boyd lose last night. It was the first Yellowjacket game I’ve been to that they lost. Afterwards, I was down on the field watching some of the players struggle with their emotions, receiving hugs and for some, planning for next year while others knew this was their last game. One thing I did notice was something I’ve seen at almost every game I’ve been to but it never struck me until last night. Phillip Ritchey is a coach for Boyd and there are a group of girls he coached in Junior High that make their way to him and always give him a hug. Maybe they do that with all the coaches but it is obvious that Phillip has had a positive impact on their lives. It really hit me last night after one of the football players came over to Phillip and with tears in his eyes thanked Phillip for “coaching me and helping me.”

It’s great to watch people who have such a positive role in the lives and developments of others. I’m sure every coach and teacher can have a positive impact but I’m convinced that Christians who also coach and teach have an ever greater influence in helping shape the lives of young people. I appreciated seeing and understanding the responses that were coming to Phillip last night.

That’s the lesson for me. I’m a Christian who is also a businessperson and I must remember that order to have a truly positive impact on someone’s life. You may be a Christian who is also a roughneck or a Christian who is also a mom. Whatever your “job”, you can be an force of good in people’s lives because you are a Christian. I want to be a person who will and can do that for others. I appreciate the many, many examples of Christian living and Christian leadership I have around me and I pray that God will give me wisdom to use that role for His glory.

Hatred. It is a cancer that will tear a person up. Physically, emtionally…spriritually, hatred destroys people.
I was listening intermittently to a new show this morning talking about the recent bombings in Iraq. I believe one mentioned had a suicide bomber walking into a wedding killing people. Others have been in buses, shopping markets, restaurants and other places. Can you grasp the hatred these psychopathic (my own medical diagnosis) people have for others? I’m not sure I can but I know it is something horrible to convince them strapping a bomb to their bodies and killing randomly is a good idea. Hatred has killed them long before the bomb explodes.
I can’t fathom it. In America, we are truly blessed. Yes, we have had instances of killing and bombing at abortion clinics, hate crimes committed again gays, blacks and others. We are not immune to it but thankfully it hasn’t taken on the fanaticism it has in other parts of the world.
I pray that God will wipe out hatred. Even at it’s smallest level of infection, it can eat people up. Just carrying the hatred, not acting on it, will tear us down and tear us away from God.
Lord, give me strength to remain righteous in your eyes.

In life, there are questions we wrestle with always desiring an answer yet never finding one. Here is one of those questions; when someone says something is “out of whack”, what’s a whack? Or, is it wack? Here’s another; why is a “fat chance” and a “slim chance” the same thing?

Have a great day.

A shout-out to newsworthy. You know who you are. 🙂

Joshua has been elevated to the status of Waterboy for the Boyd Yellowjackets. Phillip Ritchey lets him come down on the sidelines and get bottles of Gatorade or water to the players. At a recent game, I noticed Joshua and a couple of the other kids were having a much better time laying on the bench, kicking a plastic bottle around and generally goofing off during part of the game. Afterwards, I explained to him that he was there to serve those players and he needed to pay attention to when they needed water and be ready. This past Friday, before arriving at the game, I again explained that he was there to serve, not to play and that he should take his role as a servant seriously. During the timeouts, I would see him running instead of walking onto the field. He followed the flow of the game on the sidelines so he would be closer to guys coming out of the game and get them a drink. He took his servant role seriously that night.

We are all servants. We serve God and we are to serve mankind. Do we run or walk when we serve, or do we look for a way out? Do we pay attention to who might need us, to whom we can serve? Jesus washed the apostles feet. He turned his attention to those in need. He died on the cross for me…and for you. He, who is so much greater than me, was my servant. I hope I learn to be His. I hope I learn to run to those I can serve. I hope I learn to walk the sidelines looking for whom I can assist. Joshua learned that little lesson last Friday night. I hope I can do as well.

A small tragedy struck our house yesterday. We lost another pet as our cat, Tigger, died after having been attacked by something. That makes 3 dogs and 1 cat that I’ve buried since we’ve been in our house and 1 dog and 1 cat that have just disappeared. It’s been a tough run on animals.

It’s interesting to see how everyone handles it. Kelly’s maternal instincts come out and I can see her hurting for the loss, deeply saddened. Kory does her best to put on a stone face and act like it doesn’t bother her yet you can see in her eyes the pain and sweet little Joshua let’s his emotions flow out. I’m not sure how I deal with it. Having grown up with dogs that always seemed to get in the street and run over, I’m used to some turnover in animals and have come to view it as part of life. I miss them but they are usually replaced and we move on.

How does God view us when He loses us, even for a small time? I get a mental image that God weeps, not just tears in His eyes, but truly crying as if hurt. I believe the pain He feels is gut-wrenching and I hate to think how many times I have caused that pain.

We often feel that pain when we lose a loved one. We weep and we mourn and we wrestle with the loss yet I think that might be when God’s face shines because another saint is coming home. Oh, I know He feels for our pain yet I think He rejoices when another soul makes it home to be with Him.

That’s the lesson for me. I need to feel the pain when I see my loved ones drift off course and I need to react to that, to reach out to them and try to help. And, when someone passes from this life that I know has a new, beautiful, glorious home I need to rejoice that they have attained what I truly want. Life with God. I know the pain of loss will still hurt and I know I will miss something I once had but those thoughts need to turn to God and His love and His promise for me…and for you.

I think this is pretty neat. Go to the link below and answer 5 short questions. Your answers will create a reply that compares you with a book of the Bible. I thought mine was pretty accurate (Ephesians).

http://quizilla.com/users/reflectedgrace/quizzes/Which%20book%20of%20the%20Bible%20are%20you?/

What’s on your mind today? Let me know. (Since most of you reading this haven’t mastered the art of signing up so you can respond, I won’t be checking back often for responses. Oh well, just the thought of it makes me laugh.) 🙂

Hi Dennis. I know you’re out there. 🙂

The question of why bad things happen to good people is as old as the ages and I don’t believe people will ever stop asking it. Just last week, a Baptist minister was electrocuted while preparing for a baptism. Last night, we found out a young lady at our church has a very serious illness and prayed for another lady who is going to take cancer treatments in hope of living long enough to see her daughter graduate. These are just examples of tragedy we face and we ask “why God?” and yet we never have an answer. I’m sure we all have theories or have answers that at least pacify us until tragedy strikes again. My answer is pretty simple. In all these things, all we can do is either rely on God or turn away from Him. These tragedies allow us to choose our path. Will we draw nearer to God or step further away?

There are questions I have that I want to ask when I get to heaven. Asking God why he didn’t prevent tragedies I’ve experienced through friends and family is certainly one of those questions. (All the while, I don’t really think those questions will be an issue for me when I get to heaven.) Yet, while I’m here and can’t question God, I choose to trust in His will, in His mercy and in His peace that only God can give.

Pray for those who are facing grief, tragedy and turmoil that they may find the peace and comfort that God provides and pray that we will be there to help them, that we will be God’s hands and heart on earth.

After an evening of dinner, talking and laughing, I’ve found that some of my friends are a bit odd. Like the one friend who has a weight bench for a boat seat. And the guy who meets strange men in parking lots. Then there’s the “picking up the mower in the barn story”. OK, you had to be there to hear the whole story(ies) but it did include a lot of laughing.
I had a blast last night. Kelly and I were eating with two other couples who are both our friends, but more importantly our brothers and sisters in Christ. Then, another couple from church comes in and then two more couples come in. As we were getting ready to leave, I listened to all the talking and laughing and wondered what it was going to sound like when we walked out. I bet it got quite and the atmosphere, the mood, of the room changed.
That’s just the way it is when we are connecting with our Christian family. It’s a time of joy and gladness, love and laughter. Even in sorrow, we have each other and we hold on to each other. Isn’t that what you want for your family? Our God, our Creator has given us this family that is so special, so loving and so caring and when they are not there, it’s quiet.
I am a person who doesn’t care to talk much, who enjoys my time alone, who could go most of the day without talking to anyone. But I never take for granted that I have my family nearby, that I have so many brothers and sisters in Christ to spend joyous times with, to spend sad times with and in all times, they lift me up, they strengthen me.
I want to thank God for giving me such a wonderful family and I want to thank my family for showing me God through their lives.

I contemplated writing something truly profound today, something that would really strike people and make them stop and think deeply about the words they just read. However, all I can think about are the Astros getting swept in the World Series. What in the world? The first World Series in Texas and it’s gone in two games? The agony of defeat.

Where is our society headed? Why are we called hatemongers when we speak the truth and why do we try to find “nicer” ways to speak the truth when the original version will do? What are we afraid of in our churches and our communites? Are we truly afraid of the wrath of our neighbors? I want to get along with everybody just as most people do but when I let getting along with people control my speech to the point that I don’t speak up for God, what have I become?
“Speaking the truth in love” has probably been abused by people but why let it stop me from doing what I believe is right? We fret so much when someone goes above and beyond in using language and symbols in church that we shun it all to the detriment of ourselves at times. We must speak the truth, even when it is offensive to some. I read the Bible and often find myself wishing it didn’t say some of the things that I read because I know I have sinned against God. Would I be a better person if the Bible said, “go ahead and do what you think is OK and it will all be alright.” While I might be happier for a brief time, it wouldn’t make me a better person because I wouldn’t live within the guidelines set out by God that are meant to protect me, keep me safe and give me a life beyond any I can imagine right now.
Speak up, speak out and be proud that you are a Christian. I hope I can start doing a better job of it.