ole satchel...

History is my favorite thing. I like to read and watch historical things. When I was growing up I would spend hours looking over historical material. I really like the stories surrounding sports history. I would watch all the NFL reviews I could as well as old NBA footage .The Ken Burns documentary "Baseball" is by far the best for baseball history. I saw it on PBS a few years back and was instantly hooked. I bought the book and believe it to be the best historical account ever recorded for any sport. I loved reading about Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. One of the beats stories is about former Negro league pitcher Satchel Paige. He started his career in 1923 with the semi-pro Mobile Tigers at 18 and pitched until the age of 60. Satchel was in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians and the St Louis Browns and he was also on several barnstorming teams. I like Satchel for a number of reasons but my favorite was his rules for living. Here they are….

1.Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood.
2.If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts. 3.Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
4.Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society — the social ramble ain't restful.
5.Avoid running at all times.
6.And don't look back — something might be gaining on you.
Satchel could have been one ofthe greatest pitchers in baseball. i often think he was like Lazarus....you cant keep a good man down...When Jesus called Lazarus out, the Greek is translated "Lazarus!!! Here!!! Outside!!" What a sight it must have been. I have often wondered what Lazarus did after that. Was he on the speaking circuit? Did he wake up every day just excited to be alive? I wonder if his rules for living went like this…

1. wake up each day and live like it's the last one.
2. if you have a problem with a someone go ahead and swallow your pride and make it right. this could be your last chance.
3. when you walk have a little pep in your step. people notice how we act and no one likes a crybaby.
4. dont sweat what other people say or think about you. if God makes us and saves us and we serve Him and live like Christ...then why care what the world thinks?
5. go strong every day and leave no doubt who you love.
6. and dont look back...thats the old life and it was terrible.

We need to really live. we have been called out from death and now have life. go fight win!!


e

sit back and enjoy the ride..

Gas prices are hovering around $4.00 a gallon. Food prices world wide are at an all time high. Poverty is rampant…war rages all over the globe….polygamists and teen brides on the evening news….two children named McCain and Barack throwing fits the whole world can see. Sounds like a made for TV movie huh? Seems like a Six Flags ride we can’t get off of. We used to wake up every day unsure of what has taken place while we slept….but with the internet and 24 hour news; we get it as soon as it happens. Kind of makes you anxious don’t it? Some people don’t even like leaving the house anymore. Despite it all…God still hold us in the right place. The world moving at just the right speed around the sun….. Where we don’t freeze or burn up…The sky staying right where it should be. So it stands to reason that we can trust God for all the regular daily stuff as well right? After all if he is keeping the world going then I can surely trust Him with my worries….and my kids worries….and my friends worries. You get the idea. Yet we continue to worry our selves to death so we can say we are ok. The first thing we need to realize is God is concerned with our details….. He already has that worked out and finalized. How many people woke up today ready to get on with life and go the curve ball of life? A lot of times at church we confuse suffering with blessings. It is not a matter of if…it is a matter of when. We are going to have struggles…we cant avoid them. While living in Lubbock Texas a few years back I learned about trust. A plane flight in 1995 taught me quite a few things. I flew southwest airlines from Houston to Lubbock that year. It started out ok but when we got close to Lubbock it was like I was on a roller coaster….With no brakes. Next to me was a man who was just realxing and eating peanuts. While I was sweating it out, He was calm. I asked if he was scared. “Not really” he replied. And I asked…..why is that? “Well I do this flight every week and it’s always the same. I’m used to it”. I was puzzled at first and now 13 years later I get it. He had let go of his need to be in control and he trusted the pilot. While there might be some bumps and bruises along the way He knew that he was ok. Kind of like us. There is not going to be anything new come up that is going to catch God off guard. It’s going to be the same for us. Wars and rumors of war…. Empty checking accounts…. Natural disasters and man made disasters. The truth is we are walking in a made for TV event. And we know the one who wrote it. So let’s trust in the God of all time…all the time.



Eric

come on get happy!!!

Ok ill say it. . “Hello world here’s a song that were singing….come on get happy” I love to watch the old reruns of the partridge family. Yes it is weird and geeky but I love that show. The cool tunes and the wacky adventures of the partridge family is greatness. I also loved the multicolor school bus they owned. The show was always like real life. A mom loses a husband, goes to work to make ends meet. Then the family starts out playing music and you have a bus full of kids playing rock-n-roll. Yeah…maybe not like real life. I do love the show. The opening song was “come on get happy” and for years I have tried to incorporate that into a catch phrase for student ministry. So many times I see people who are just unhappy and beaten down. They have no spark in their life. It seems there is no reason for them to get up every day. You ever get that way? Psalms 75 speaks of our great God” We thank you, God we thank you. Your name is our favorite word; you mighty works are all we talk about. You say “I’m calling this meeting to order, I’m ready to set things right.” That seems to be enough reason for us to be happy. But more comes out from the cross. Hope-victory-SALVATION! Did you just smile? The bill collectors are at the door. The family is going into the toilet. Life is hard all the time. But- God will put things right. We have been put right. get happy!

spanning the globe....

The famous words of announcer Jim McKay would led the way to ABC‘s Wide World of Sports every Saturday and Sunday…..Before the days of ESPN. After the NFL season had come to a close all you had was wide world of sports to look forward to. Where else could you find cliff diving or soccer…..or the Harlem globetrotters? It was the place to find lumberjack climbing competitions, swimming, cycling…..all kinds of sports. Now we are able to find sports scores or games at the click of a mouse …even on our phone. As we watched these Beijing Olympics every night I think of how most people would not watch diving or swimming any other time. I mean…think about it…are you really going to sit down and watch track and field on a Sunday? Most of us would rather watch a Cowboys preseason game. The dog days of summer are behind us and school is back in. We get ready for the fall and we began to get back to the routine. Has coming to church become “routine” for us? I think we sometimes view church as just another thing in our life…instead of the main thing. And I am not talking about church attendance but the impact God makes on us daily. Psalms 84 says it best.

One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship
beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.
I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God
than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.

See how special it is? As the world watched these athletes compete, and all the talk of gold medals slows down, and fades out for another 2 years…..we will forget the sports and athletes we have watch so faithfully. When you start your routine again next week, remember how good it is to be worshipping with your brothers and sisters every chance you get.



Eric

school days....

School days…..

Another school year has begun. As you get a chance to catch your breath I wanted to share a song with you from Kenny Loggins called “Return to Poohs corner”. Loggins wrote it when he was a senior in high school as a way to recapture his childhood. It has since become a lullaby favorite for parents and children all over the world. God calls us to raise our children to honor Him and reminds us we only have them for a short time. Remember to treasure every second…..enjoy.
Christopher Robin and I walked alongUnder branches lit up by the moon
Posing our questions to Owl and EeyoreAs our days disappeared all too soon
But I've wandered much further today than I should
And I can't seem to find my way back to the Wood

chorus
So help me if you canI
've got to get backTo the House at Pooh Corner by one
You'd be surprisedThere's so much to be done
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh

Winnie the Pooh doesn't know what to do
Got a honey jar stuck on his nose
He came to me asking help and advice
And from here no one knows where he goes
So I sent him to ask of the Owl if he's there
How to loosen a jar from the nose of a bear


It's hard to explain how a few precious things
Seem to follow throughout all our lives
After all's said and done I was watching my son
Sleeping there with my bear by his side
So I tucked him in, I kissed him and as I was going
I swear that the old bear whispered "Boy welcome home"

Believe me if you can
I've finally come backTo the House at Pooh Corner by one
What do you knowThere's so much to be done
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin
Back to the ways of Christopher Robin
Back to the days of Pooh
© 1969,1994 MCA Music Publishing, a division of MCA Inc.

Save the people..

Save the people…

Michael Vick is a terrible person. Vick, the starting quarterback from the Atlanta falcons, pleaded guilty to financing a dog fighting operation in federal court and is currently facing a 23 month sentence in federal prison. He was the bankroll for the dog’s being trained to fight as well as “eliminating” the dog’s who did not perform in the ring. The media circus surrounding Vick was of a movie. His family grief stricken and his good name which was VERY HIGHLY profitable, is now mud. We have all the animal activist groups just beating down the door with the words “justice!!”. We have a soft spot for animals, our loyal friends. They never complain. They are always there for us. Good companions and loyal. In no way am I giving the ok to what this man did. It is horrible and despicable. People who are involved with this type of thing sicken me. I remember the ‘save the Wales’ movement a few years back. Save the sea turtles. Save the Amazon rainforest. Save the planet. These are all worthwhile causes. Dog fighting is a cruel and vicious sport and should be stopped every where. While we are at it, we need to remember to save the people. We seem to miss that part. We say Vick is
beyond redemption. He is a lost cause. “there is no room for the murders and perverts and liars and dog fighting fans!!” that’s what we want to scream. Those people are not worthy of grace or forgiveness. They are out of chances. We were all out of chances. Way gone. But then…hope showed up. Jesus came to show us a better way. He was the better way. While we are forgiven for our sins…we got to face the consequences. Save the people. Believe that God can change people. We face the broken messed up people every day when we look at the mirror. While you may never face jail time or even cheat on your taxes, you require grace. Look beyond justice to mercy. It has already begun for a lot of us…


Eric

the ugly side...

With the upcoming release of the new Batman movie ‘The Dark Knight”, I am reminded of Heath Ledger. The 28 yr old actor was found dead in his apartment after an apparent overdose on several sleeping pills and anti-depressant drugs. Ledger was a rising star in Hollywood and was cast as the Joker in the new film. He also starred in “The Patriot” with Mel Gibson and “a Knights Tale”. He also starred in the controversial movie”Brokeback Mountain” which was acclaimed as a love story between two men and earned Ledger an Academy Award nomination.. At the time of Ledger’s death, Westboro Baptist Church located in Kansas made a statement that they would “picket this perverts funeral, in religious protest and warning. Heath Ledger thought it was great fun defying God almighty and his plain word. God hates the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as 'Brokeback Mountain' - and He hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it. Heath Ledger is now in hell and has begun serving his eternal sentence there - besides which, nothing else about Heath Ledger is relevant or consequential." I cannot quote the entire press release due to the content. Westboro Baptist church members have also picketed numerous funerals of solders killed in Iraq and Afghanistan saying”Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is [that] the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime." Westboro members also protested the memorial of 2006 Sago Mine disaster victims claiming that the mining accident was God's revenge against America for its tolerance of homosexuality. Footage of the protest, including several members dancing, was later shown on Fox News. You have probably seen these people on TV condemning everyone from Billy Graham to the Kansas Chiefs football team. Where am I going with this? In no way am I advocating homosexuality as a lifestyle. I think it goes completely against God and what the Bible teaches. I didn’t know Heath Ledger or anything about him aside from the fact he was a great actor in “The Patriot”. All I know about him is that he is dead and it is tragic. His family is devastated and saddened. We are here as the body of Christ to love and lift up those who are hurting. We don’t embrace the sin filled life of people but we share the hope we have in Christ so perhaps they will find that hope and be changed for God’s glory and honor. Where does this lead us? We have to be people who love the truth and stand for it like Christ did. We have to let people know we have a reason for hope. We don’t accept lifestyles or choices but we do as Jesus did….. love and encourage them. God does the changing in peoples lives. So pray for theses families touched by tragedy. Pray for people who have no hope. We have to believe in God for people to change. Be blessed my friends.

Eric