I got to brag a little!

What a weekend! I coach a 4th grade girls basketball team. I have coached 7 of the 10 since they were in the second grade. Four of the ten girls have known each other since birth. Those same four go to church together. We played in a tournament last weekend and lost to the eventual two teams in the finals. This weekend was another story. The girls won the tournament!!! They played 5 games this weekend. We lost our third game to a team from Clovis 20-5. Ugly score, ugly game. We had to win our next game to reach the final and get a rematch. The girls played a very good game and won the championship game 20-18. Now, understand, I have seen alot of basketball in my day. Played my fair share as well. I couldn't be more proud of these girls. They showed determination, heart, and desire like I haven't seen in a long time. It was so awesome to see them perform and achieve their goal. It is really satisfying to watch these little 9 and 10 year olds do the things on the floor we have been teaching them. It was a huge confidence builder for them. For me as well. They were so excited, jumping around, hugging each other, hugging their moms and dads. What a wonderful feeling it was. Our little team has had our share of serious beat downs, true confidence crushers. Been tested and bombed out big time. The kind of stuff that really tests your metal. But the girls have stuck together and continued to play hard. It was a great moment for them, and I am so happy to have been there. I could tie all this in to a deep thought of how it compares to our walk in Christ, how our goal to get to heaven is met with adversity along the way. That just because we achieve a moment of jubilation, doesn't mean it will always be that way. How we have to always continue to improve, because life won't stop challenging us. But I will not do that, I'll just leave you with a coach who is doing nothing but bragging on his team. These little girls are so much fun to coach. The really neat thing is getting to coach my own daughter. But in a way I feel like they are all my little girls. It was an awesome weekend. But, win or lose, they always make me proud to be their coach.

Being Guarded

Two weeks ago I had my truck robbed. Sitting there in my driveway. I can almost tell you when it happened. I was sitting in my office with one of my very good friends and I heard my dog Max barking in a different way. I think I even made the comment he is barking weird. The next morning I go out to take Emily to school and sure enough, my truck had been robbed. Whoever it was did not take anything of real value except one of my check books from one of my accounts. Since then, I have contacted the bank to get the 20 checks stopped. I had to have a police report. One check was recovered thanks to a heads up employee at a store here in town. Another actually made it to the bank. The hassle this is causing is time consuming, but it is what I have to do. But, the part I haven't told you until now is this. I left my truck unlocked. The one time out of hundreds, I just simply forget to lock it for whatever reason. The one time it slips my mind, I get hit. This experience got me to thinking a few days ago, How many times do we get comfortable with our lives and for an instance we let our guard down and Satan steps in and blasts us good. Sometimes it is for just a moment, sometimes it is for months, years, who knows. He can effect us with our own personal relationship with Jesus, with our mate, our children, our friends. As most of you know, we are going to be starting a dad/daughter ministry at church. I am getting very excited about this, but as I have thought about it and read the bible, read a couple of books on being a dad, I have quickly realized how inept I am at being what it is God has charged me with. 1 Cor. 16:13, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." What encouraging words, what "look in the mirror words". Being a dad to daughters has so many other things wrapped up in it. The more I read and study, the more I realize how rounded we as men have to be. Let me try to explain that. Are we letting our family see our relationship with God? Are we showing our daughters by our actions towards our wife, how a woman is to be treated? Are we being the protectors of our wives, daughters, sons? Spiritually, emotionally, physically? Is the safe place recognizable? I think you get my drift. I totally believe that you cannot be an effective leader of your family if you yourself are not solidly based in Christ. I am not saying be perfect, I am saying letting Christ be your guide. Who of us will ever have it perfectly figured out. Find that man and I'll follow him, until then Christ is my cornerstone. Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life". I have been on the end of brokenness without hope. I have been where Christ wasn't important. I have try ed to live by my rules and my agenda. I have been where I didn't guard my heart and it became hard, cold, and bitter. It sucked big time. I wasn't an effective father to my children, wasn't a good man to my wife, wasn't a good friend. We (men) have to protect ourselves as well. What is it that causes us to fall away, to stumble? It is leaving ourselves unguarded. Only if it is for a moment. Satan is just waiting to tear out our hearts and crush them. By our actions we can do that to each other and not even know it. By not giving your daughter the goodbye hug and 'I love you'. (age doesn't matter) We can leave her unguarded. By not listening to our wife, loving her unconditionally, we can leave her unguarded. By not making the time to be dad, we can leave our entire family unguarded. Mark 13:33-37, "Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." (you read the rest). It is never to late to start!!