Weekend

Saturday: Team Noche kept the dream alive this past Saturday winning their sixth game in a row. We played the team that we faced first this season. To be honest, they are the only team that has given us any competition. At the plate, I was a little off, going 1 for 4. I made up for that out in the field. I played great. I made all of my stops at 3rd base. I even caught a line drive that I had to reach with my backhand that was about to hit the dirt. If I was playing professional softball, it would have been on ESPN (oh how I dream) Next Saturday we will play in the end of the season tournament. We will play at 11, and when we win, again at noon.

After the game, I headed over to the Bechtel’s to work for a couple of hours. Mr. and Mrs. Bechtel looked very tired. I had to finish up on clearing the cut up branches. I was hoping that maybe I would be able to help out inside the house. I have been told that occasionally they want for us to vacuum and titty up the place. After playing softball and feeling the heat from the morning, that idea was one that I wish would have happened.

I went back to the dorm and got cleaned up and headed over to my friend Matt’s apartment. He is home in Alabama for the summer, and gave me access to his apartment. I used the day very wisely and studied for my Sunday school lesson. I received a phone call from my friend here, Brent Cooley. He and his wife wanted for April and I to go to this restaurant in Arlington. We all got together around 6:30 and headed that way. We went to BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery. Before you go and think we went there to drink, stop…because we did not. They are well known for their deep dish pizza and their huge potatoes. We had a small wait before we could get to our table. Well, lucky for me, an Orvis store was conveniently located but only a short five minute walk from there. I was so excited about going over there I almost ran. The gang was excited for me, because they all know that I like to fly fish, and I have not even remotely been around fly fishing since I left Georgia. We had a great time inside the store, I was able to tell them a few things about it and answer some of their questions. I spoke with Jeff, the fishing manager. We had a great conversation about places to fish and what to fish with. He indicated to me that he lives in Ft. Worth too, so I immediately wanted to share with him the great news of Jesus. For some reason, I did not. What a great opportunity and I let it pass. I pray God will forgive me of my disobedience, and allow another opportunity to share with him. That last statement is a great description of my life these days. If I meet someone for the first time, and if I am in conversation with them for at least 4-5 minutes, I feel the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart to share with them. I have knowledge of the most important thing in life. The only thing in life and God has blessed me with the ability to communicate that. So why at times is it easy to share, and others it feels like I have no common sense at all. A constant battle it is. This morning I got up a 6 am. I woke up and was wide awake, ready for the day. I spent my quite time this morning writing in a bible that we are shipping off to our American soldiers. I began by saying… Dear, American Soldier. I continued to write down the five2life message (which can be read at http://www.five2life.com/). The website is my professor from my evangelism class this summer. I have no idea who will read that or get that bible. So, I wanted to share with them the only thing they will ever need to know in this life. My prayer is that a soldier will get that bible, read that and believe, confess, and enter into a relationship with Jesus. Also, that a fire will be set in he or she and he or she shares that with all of their friends. I spent 2 hours in my quite time today; I also prepared for my lesson to teach and prayed for a great many people in my life.

We began a new series on spiritual discipline and today we focused on commitment, title “I do”. The group went to camp two weeks ago and the camp high is very much present in the students. We had a number of students make decision, either to receive Christ as savior, or a re dedication. It is this time, which a student is going to become closer to Christ or continue that same path away from Christ. We were in the book Of John in chapter 13:21-26. It is Passover and Jesus is with his disciples enjoying a last supper. The Passover is a celebration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt (out of exile, into the Promised Land) Jesus was telling them how he would be betrayed and none of his disciples wanted to believe that. If got Peter in such a fix that he demanded John to ask Jesus who it was. Jesus told them that he would take bread and dip into the cup and whoever he gives that to, is the betrayer. The betrayer was a man that was trusted by Jesus, and all the disciples. He was in charge of the money, whatever money they all had. Still today, a person in charge of money or other people’s money one would like to think they can be trusted. Scripture goes on further to explain the betrayal and the ultimate death of Jesus on the Cross. My lesson today was focused on the commitment one makes in life. We either make a commitment to Christ like John, or we make a commitment to Christ like Judas. John was known as being beloved, if you remember the famous picture painted by DaVinci, the man who is resting his head on Christ’s chest is John. A presupposition is that John was well loved by Christ, believed in him, and was committed to him. On the other hand, one can choose to live a life like Judas, who is disobedient and not in commitment to Christ. I can honestly say that I have lived like both of these people. So today, while I was teaching it was easy for me, I get it, I understand, I am living my life for Jesus. How do I effectively teach that to 7th graders? Easy, I shared with them a little of my testimony, about how I was living before and how I am living now. How Sage and I went through a personal one to one discipleship. How I wake up every morning and spend time with God. How I make it a constant decision to live my life for Christ, to center my thoughts and actions according to the example I have in Christ. Is it easy? No, is it worth giving all that I have, absolutely. Right now, the best message we can teach to those students is that we have hope in Christ. He will give to us all that we need. I finished the lesson with telling them about a favorite passage(s) in Philippians 3:12-21 and I want to close this message with these amazing words. “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of my Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this to you also. In any case, we should live to whatever truth we have attained. Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, form which we also eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.”

My prayer for you who has read this is, for those that are in Christ Jesus, that we never need to be shameful of our pasts, but rejoice in what is in store for those who believe. Until we are face to face with our amazing savior, eagerly pursue Him with everything that you have, never holding anything back, because Christ never held anything from you.