More boldness and fearless confidence!!!

If Peter was anything, he was nothing but bold. But it seems that he was also asking for more. This boldness came upon him suddenly and he didn't ignore it.

When I have my eyes on our Master Jesus that is the way it is. Jesus was the same way. He didn't do anything but what he saw His Father doing. AND we serve a bold God.

May I have more boldness and fearless confidence. Water longs to be walked on again!! God is looking for men and women who are bold and confident in Him.

As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror.But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid." Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water."He said, "Come ahead." Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?" The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, "This is it! You are God's Son for sure!"Matthew 14

Who is running things?

This is stunning. God raised Jesus from the dead and He is in charge of running everything. There is not a single thing that is exempt from His rule. He always has the final word. God is God. He is in charge. His church is His agent on earth carrying out His will. He speaks and acts through us.

So, do I act on this belief daily? Do I conform to what He wants me to do right now?

All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence. Ephesians 1:20-23

When things are bad

What happens when we trust our own resources to solve the problem? We solve the problem but we don't see God. Money crisis? Whip out the credit card. Car problem, call AAA. Problem solved but no glory to God there.

Trouble can cause us to trust ourselves or to trust God. And under the right circumstances, to trust Him totally. Now that is a good idea since He is the one who raised Jesus from the dead. And we can trust Him. He will deliver us.

Some times when we think things are so bad it really isn't. It is an opportunity to trust God. That is what he wants us to do.

We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

My inner being

My heavenly Father is VERY rich. His riches exceed anything I can imagine. They are glorious. Through the power of His Spirit, He can strengthen my inner being. Jesus, the Master, can dwell in my heart. I must have faith to make it happen.

May I have faith and be strengthened in my inner being. May His Spirit stengthen me.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17

Doing what you can do

“Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do.” ~~ John Wooden

Crutches?

He didn’t cause anyone to be lame. It was never about character building. There was no lesson to be learned. No patience needed. They came to Him. All the time. He always healed them.

He didn’t give crutches to the lame. He commanded them to stand. They did at His word.

What an amazing God we serve. He makes us whole again.

 …    the lame came to Him in the temple , and He healed them.  Matthew 21:14

 

 

 

God offered Solomon anything he wanted. All he asked for was wisdom. God gave it to him. Here is his suggestion so I think I should pay attention to it. Simple advise.

Start with God.

That's it.

Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning. Proverbs 1:7

Conditions of obedience?

When I see things from my world, I can fall into the trap that I can "dictate to God" how I want things to happen. God is God and it is only what he wants that matters. Mine is only a issue of hearing His word and obeying.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience ~Oswald Chambers http://ow.ly/VfjW

Does God feel this way?

I am hoping that God doesn't feel this way when I pray. I have heard lots of prayers (including my own) that feel this way. It has me thinking for sure. I am wondering for sure.

May my prayers be a conversation (not a monologue) with my Father!!!

"Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses." -----Margaret Millar

Bathing and motivation

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing-that's why we recommend it daily." ~~ Zig Ziglar

Some good news from Chipper

Atlanta Braves veteran Chipper Jones confirmed that he will return to play for the Braves in 2012, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Jones' announcement ended speculation that the 39-year-old third baseman might retire after this season and walk away with a year left.

A passion for curiosity

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” ~~Albert Einstein

The year of the Hammer (1974)

The off season was all about Hank Aaron. No one could talk about anything else. He would break the record in 1974. No doubt about it. It was Eddie Matthews last year as manager. Clyde King would end the year as the manager. The Atlanta Braves would end up third in the East with a 88-74 record. 14 games behind was not anything to speak of. But it didn't seem to matter too much in the year when the Hammer would become the home run King.

The season did start with some controversy though. The Braves would open the season in Cinncinnati. Everyone wanted Hank to hit his record home run in Atlanta. So, they were going to keep Hank out of the line up. Bowie Kuhn had to step in and demand the Hank play.

Can I?

Can I Allow God to have complete liberty in my life when I speak? Can I?

Before God’s message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in me. I must gather my material carefully, and then allow God to "set my words on fire" for His glory.

It starts in my heart.

What's the point?

Questions are great. The right one can make a difference.



Try having conversations where the focus is on “What is the point?”

What’s The Point?

That is such a great question that provides a proper lens to process the actions and decisions of this journey we call life.

Look at your life, family, work, relationships, decisions… and ask yourself this simple question:

What’s The Point?

It will definitely change your perspective and priorities; it may change your life.

What’s the point?

You're my singer

Keith Richards tells a great story about Charlie Watts, legendary drummer for the Stones.

After a night of drinking, Mick saw Charlie asleep and yelled, "Is that my drummer? Why don't you get your arse down here?"

Richards continues, "Charlie got dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, shoes, shaved, came down, grabbed him and went boom! Don't ever call me "your drummer" again. You're my ... singer."

No drums, no Stones.

Are you playing the drums? Whose your singer? How do you see your role?

Moral Confusion

"The urgency to preach the Good News is as true today as it was two thousand years ago, even if some scholars have naïvely declared God to be dead, forgetting that they are dealing with a God who found His way out of the grave..."

------ Roman Catholic Cardinal Ivan Dias implores Anglican Bishops at the Lambeth Conference to stand against "moral confusion."

Three Questions

Here are three questions to help get focused.

· What is this year about?

· What is this day about?

· What is this moment about?

Knowing the answer to the first leads to great focus on the second. And know the answer to the second leads to great focus all the time.

Simple but not easy.

Got to love Google maps and weather

I really like Google maps. And I love the check the weather. Now, I can do both at the same time.

Maps users who enable the new weather layer — accessible from the upper right corner of Google Maps — will see weather temperatures and conditions, as denoted by cloud and rain icons, when zoomed out. Users can zoom in or click on a weather icon to get a more detailed report for a specific area.

Google Maps’ weather reports are sourced from weather.com, and the U.S. Naval Research Lab is powering the feature that shows cloud coverage on the map.

Way to go Google and Weather.com.

Microsoft 365 Outage

I knew it would happen. Of course, I didn’t know when. A handful of us have moved off our Exchange Servers for email, calendar, IM, etc. We are on Microsoft 365 (a cloud, SaaS model) which I generally like a lot.

But, I knew at some point we would suffer through a service outage. Here is Microsoft’s announcement. “At approximately 11:30am PDT, Microsoft became aware of a networking issue affecting customers of some Microsoft services hosted out of one of our North American data centers,” said Steven Gerri, General Manager for Global Foundation Services, in a statement. “We worked to isolate the issue and we are beginning to see service restoration. We continue to investigate the root cause of this issue.”

Microsoft additionally confirmed the outage via its @MSCloudUS Twitter account: “We apologize for the inconvenience that the #office365 outage has caused today,” the account wrote. “We’re [sic] are working on resolving the issue.”

Well, I had 5 plus hours of no email. The most frustrating part was not knowing from our own staff what the problem was and when it might be back up. Normally I just text someone and get a quick answer. Not in this case.

Small price to pay for progress I think.

No formula

Let's say you wanted to "learn" how to heal the blind. Who better to "teach" you than Jesus?

So what is the formula? You could have followed Him around. You would have ended up VERY frustrated.

He never did it the same way twice. He spit on one guy. To another He simply spoke the word. Another He touched. To another He made some mud out His spit. To another He kicked a demon out.

No formulas with Jesus. He saw what His Father wanted to have done and did it. For those of us who are big on process, this is a BIG thing.

Google is about to invade your living room

There are lots of opinions floating around about Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Most of that has focused on the business of the value of their patents and their mobile phones. But is that why Google bought them alone? Maybe they just want to get into our living rooms. Motorola Mobile is also one of the largest suppliers of set-top boxes for the cable industry.

So why isn’t the internet on all our TVs already? Steve Jobs is on point here when he talks about why Apple TV didn't catch fire:

The problem with innovation in the television industry is the go-to-market strategy. The television industry has a subsidized model that gives everyone a set-top box for free, or for $10 per month. That pretty much squashes any opportunity for innovation, because nobody’s willing to buy a set top box. Ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask us [Apple]. Ask Google in a few months.

The only way that’s ever going to change is if you can really go back to square one, tear up the set top box, redesign it from scratch with a consistent UI across all these different functions, and get it to consumers in a way that they’re willing to pay for it. And right now there’s no way to do that.

Here are some things that could happen:

• Comcast becomes Google's largest customer. They work together on a TV gateway device/software that includes broadcast, interactive TV, on-demand content, and of-course, streamed Internet content. Google's search competency and other assets (ad sales, YouTube, ...) are at the center of this deal.


• The program guide on your set top box becomes a guide to any video, anywhere. And it generates revenue for the operators as well as Google -- every click generates a payment from the content owner.


• Television networks' deals with the cable and telcos become deals for broadcast, VOD, streaming from cable servers, streaming from Hulu, streaming from their own servers -- basically, universal content distribution deals. Television networks transition to their future role as bankers, promoters, and aggregators of video content, not so much broadcasters.


• Google becomes the brand name for your program guide to entertainment, regardless of whether that guide is on your TV or on your PC.


• Google Plus gets built into your TV experience. You can +1 a TV program. Isn't that what Spark is supposed to be?

Basically, Google could make more money from Motorola as an entree into the television world -- ongoing revenues and advertising -- than it can from continuing to push Moto set top boxes. And this new source of ad revenues and retention of viewers could make this attractive to many of the cable operators.

Think about it.

Skype WiFi

Now here is some innovation. Skype WiFi app allows you to pay by the minute at over 1 million locations. http://ow.ly/66lFX

This is loyalty

Ever heard of Francis Thompson? Young guy, drop out, drug addict, drifter, sometime homeless. Eventually diseased and dead at 48. Probably not the kind of guy you would want to hang out with nor call a friend. And certainly not the kind of guy you would be inclined to be Loyal to.

But right before his death in 1907, Thompson came to know to very the core of his soul what true loyalty was. He expressed it in his poem, "Hound of Heaven." It begins:

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears I hid from Him,
and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated, Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase, And unperturbéd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”

The poem goes on and as Thompson unsuccessfully seeks peace through various human pursuits, he continues to hear, but ignore, the Voice that follows him unfailingly.

The poem, on its surface, is a dark story reflecting Thompson's lifelong struggles. But beneath the surface, it is truly a Love story. Thompson's Hound of Heaven is God, our Good and Great God who loves us so much, He follows us through each step of our lives. He is at our side. He is Loyal.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139: 7-14

A perfect storm creates a brave new mobile world

It is definitely a new world out there with mobile and mobile applications changing the technology landscaping at blazing fast paces. One of the implications will be for CIO’s to rely on a very broad app ecosystem. I don’t think that will mean custom software or traditional packages. Some are calling this the app internet. A perfect storm, so to speak, of cloud and mobile. We will have a much broader network of app and as-a-service providers.

A core requirement moving forward will be more than just contract centered procurement skills. We need full and mature vendor management function that can oversee a massive range of network relationships.

Welcome to a brave new world.

What is important?

Today's scripture blew me away. What is important? Not what the economy is doing. Not what I give away. Not what I get. I am bankrupt without love.

That is the focus. Everything needs to come down to this.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.Love never gives up.


Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

They got Bobby (1954)

1954 was a good year for the Braves. Good but not great. Charlie Grimm was the manager. They ended up 89-65 and finished third, six games behind. They thought they needed some power. The year before Broklyn ran away with the pennant. They hit 52 more home runs than Milwaukee in 1953.

And so, it seemed like a good idea to get Bobby Thompson. In 1951 he hit the "shot heard 'round the world" to win the pennant for the Giants. He was a powerhouse for sure, scoring over 100 runs for his last four years with the Giants. It cost the Braves dearly to get him. In a six player deal they sent Johnny Antonelli to the Giants. And they got Bobbie.

During sprint training Thompson broke his ankle slidding into third base. He was out to mid season. Meanwhile, Antonelli pitched the Giants into the World Series. He won 21 games. He led the league in ERA and other pitching categories.

The Braves really helped the Giants that year but not themselves. So it goes with trades. It was not the "shot" they expected.

God knows how ....

God knows how to do surgery. He can bring about internal purification. I can trust Him. He is good, all the time.

Is God first in my life? Is He second in my life? Is He third? He wants my only priority?

I need more of that and only that. I can pay that price. He gives me strength.

The function of leadership

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." ~~ Ralph Nader

Everything

Sometimes I am stunned by the simplicity of how God speaks to us. Through Paul He gave it to us pretty straight. He didn't say, a few things or occasionally or if I feel like it. Nope.

Do everything in love. May I live this daily.

Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 

 

 

 

I should pause

Easier said than done some days. Someone says something and off I go. I react. I speak. I regret it.

God's wisdom teaches me to pause. I should forgive what they say. I should forget what they say.

His wisdom teaches me to pause.

Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget. Proverbs 19:11

His strength makes me happy

I can't say, as Paul did, that I have learned to be completely content and happy. But I am learning and I want to mature in this area. The secret is to live in His strength and power. When I seek His desire, I have confidence that He will strenghten me. That is happening. When I wander off on my own, oh boy, I can never be glad in God and happy.

The other area that helps me be happy is knowing who I am in Him. I am fully redeemed and His child. Knowing that strengthens me. Whoo Hoo!!!

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am .... I have learned the secret of .... both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13

Great things are coming

Our Father cares for us. He has great things in mind for us. He is doing it.

What we are concerned about is what we are concerned about. He will complete the good work in us. He hasn't brought us this far to leave us now. We need to stand firm. He cares for us!! How can anything happen that won't complete His good work? Everything is working for our good and His glory.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

May we have absolute trust in Him. May we know how much He cares.

Love extravagantly

There is love and then there is extravagant love. My Father loves me extravagantly. I should love the same way. He isn't reserved and holding back. Not at all. He sees me from afar and comes running. When I ran from Him he watched everyday waiting for me to return.

On seeing me a long way off, He came running for me. His heart was pounding. He embraced me. He kissed me. He brought me clean clothes, the best He has. He put His ring on my finger; the family ring He has been saving for a special time. He prepared an amazing feast for me. We celebrated. I was lost but He never stopped loving.

May I love like that!!! May I love extravagantly!!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Use me Lord

Use me Lord. Use me until I am all used up. May I be disciplined in listening to You.

 May I be one you count on. May I be one of the few.

 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37

 

 

 

 

This is stunning

This is stunning. Apple has more cash than the Federal Government. http://ow.ly/5T1EK

Astonish the rest

Focusing on what God wants is an amazing thing. It has always been this way and always will. Some won't appreciate it for sure. Others will be astonished and will see that is an absolutely perfect God who brings this about.

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
-----Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

If I was King ...

If I was King, I would ban the use of acronyms in technology. It is getting maddening.

What do you think?

Can anything happen?

Jesus summons us to a new level of belief. There are no "ifs" in His world. The new plan he inaugerated makes it so. Can anything happen?

Simple answer. Yes.

Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."

Pitching is upsetting timing

Warren Spahn had a pretty straight forward approach to pitching. He once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing." He seemed to have something there.

He won more games than any other left handed pitcher with an amazing 363. He won more than any post 1920 live ball era. Generally he is thought to be the best pitcher ever. Of course, he played for the Braves while they were in Boston. He played for 21 seasons. All of that was in the National League.

For 13 different seasons, he won 20 games or more. Even when he was 42, he could go 23-7. He won the Cy Young Award in 1957 and was runner up three times. He made it into the Hall of Fame in 1973.

And, did I mention, he played for the Braves?

Life without Phil Niekro. Atlanta Braves

Life without Phil Niekro. Atlanta Braves in 1984. http://ow.ly/5RtOQ

One bad moment

"You can't let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones." ~~Dale Earnhardt

Life without Phil Niekro (1984)

1984 brought a whole new course for the Atlanta Braves. It would be a year with Phil Niekro. After two decades, he was now a New York Yankee. He won 16 games with the Yankees. No one on the Braves could match that.

The Braves had an 80-82 record, tied for second in the West. They were 12 games behind the leader. It was Joe Torre's 3rd year as Manager. Having a sub-.500 record wasn't good news for anyone.

How can I help?

Here is what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy on himself by avoiding anything. Particularly when it came to people and relationships. He waded right in and He helped out. So am I strong in the faith? Do I lend a hand to those who are struggling? Or do I just look for the "easy way"?

My approach and attitude should always be, "How can I help?"

May I find how our Father wants me to help!!!

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?" Romans 15:1-4

That's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy for himself by avoiding people's troubles, but waded right in and helped out. "I took on the troubles of the troubled," is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we'll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!

It is so true

Interesting demotion (1876)

Joseph Borden could not replace Al Spalding in 1876. The Braves (then known as the Red Stockings) got pretty frustrated with him. How much? So much so they demoted him. Moved him to the bullpin? Nope. Moved him to the bench? Nope.

They made him a groundskeeper. They didn't want him to pitch anymore but needed to get something for what they were paying him. OK, this was the first year of the National League and the rules were a little different. OK, they were a lot different.

Making it happen

I do need to give this more consideration. I ought to be thinking, “How do I spur my friends on to love?” What would I be doing different? How would that look? Am I helping them do good? 

May I make it happen. May I make it happen today.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews10:24

Doing what God said

He is God. That means He knows what He is doing even if I don't get it. His answer is the right answer. His timing is the right timing. He is God.

My job is give it to Him and trust Him. He cares about me in ways I can't understand.

Yep, He is God and He isn't going to stop being God. May I live my life that way.

So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it. 1 Peter 4:17

 

 

The Year (1948)

How long would the Braves wait patiently under Billy Southworth for a pennant? 1948 was the year. The Braves finished in first with a record of 91-62, 6 & 1/2 games ahead.

The reward came to "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." It was a long draught. Not since 1914 had they come in first. And, it was almost an all-Boston World Series.

When I am inadequate

Paul wasn't afraid to admit that he was inadequate. Now that is something. In fact, he was scared to death.

So where did that lead him? Straight to God. He is able. Nothing is impossible with Him.  The Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead was in Paul and is in me.

I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Work equals believing

I look at the question and it seems pretty reasonable to me. But Jesus blew them (and me) away with the answer. They were asking an "old plan" question. The "old plan" has a whole bunch of what must I do stuff.

Jesus gave them some "new plan" answers. This was in fact good news. Here it is. BELIEVE!! That is the new plan. Work equals believing.

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.' Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.' John 6:27-29

Am I confident enough to endure to get God's promise?

Many of our struggles about faith have to do with timing. We believe, at least in theory that God will keep His promises - but when?

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. Hebrews 10:35-36

A cost to following

Wow!! There can be a cost to following Jesus. Our Father, please comfort and redeem this family.

A Muslim father cut out his daughter’s tongue and lit her on fire upon learning that she had become a Christian. The child became curious about Jesus Christ after she read Christian material online, the Gulf News reported. Her father read her Internet conversation, detached her tongue and burned her to death “following a heated debate on religion,” according to an International Christian Concern report.

Promises

Not one single promise has failed. How powerful those words. His word is filled to the brim with promises and not one has failed. How silly and shallow I am to even attempt to walk in doubt and fear. I have a promise of hope and a future, a promise of life and that more abundant. The ups and the downs they are part of the promise. He promises He will hold my hand, he will direct my path, he will give wisdom without resentment....not one single promise has failed. 

 As you can see, I'm about to go the way we all end up going. Know this with all your heart, with everything in you, that not one detail has failed of all the good things God, your God, promised you. It has all happened. Nothing's left undone—not so much as a word. Joshua 23:14 

Now 10,000 wins is a lot in anybody's book (2011)

There is baseball history and then there is HISTORY. 10,000 wins counts as HISTOR.  Gosh, that was fun. The Braves got their 10,000th win as a franchise, Martin Prado returned to the lineup with two hits, including a homer, the Nats committed five errors, and Livan Hernandez was the losing, humiliated pitcher. All in all, a good night.

The Nats actually opened the scoring off of Tim Hudson, two singles and a groundout in the first making it 1-0. But that was all they would get, all, night, as they rarely even threatened from then out. In the bottom of the inning, Jordan Schafer reached and went to second on a pair of errors. With one out, Jason Heyward walked, and Freddie Freeman singled in Schafer to tie it. Dan Uggla doubled home Heyward, and another error, off the bat of David Ross (who is apparently now Hudson’s personal catcher, don’t ask me) scored Freeman. Nate McLouth‘s single to score Uggla made it 4-1, but Ross was Snitkered on an Alex Gonzalez single to more or less end the threat.

In the third, Hudson singled in Ross to make it 5-1. Prado homered leading off the fourth, Livan’s last inning. The Braves put it away in the sixth. Hudson doubled over the right fielder’s head leading off, then went to third on a wild pitch. Schafer walked, then Prado and Heyward singled to make it 8-1. Uggla reached on an error to make it 9-1, but the Braves wound up leaving the bases loaded. Freeman doubled in two in the seventh to make it 11-1.

Scott Linebrink pitched the eighth, loading the bases before getting out of it. George Sherrill threw a perfect ninth. I guess the situation was just too high-leverage for Scott Proctor.

No excuses. Seriously, we have none.

Oh how we all love excuses. God doesn't and we don't have any. The Apostle Paul knew that at his core. We should as well.

And if anyone thought he had some, Paul probably did. He was raised as a very good religous person. He did all the right things. But one day Jesus confronted him. None of it mattered. Jesus brilliance blinded him. Why was Paul persecuting  Jesus? That was the question. Silence. No EXCUSE. And then God healed him.

No excuses. Period.  End of story.

 So nobody has a good excuse. Romans 1:19

Like the "energizer bunny" but only real

Some days things don't look good. All I have to do is listen to the news to know that. Bad news at every turn. That is the way of the world.

God has a goal that has nothing to do with that. We don't lose heart when we are listening to Him. It doesn't matter what is going on around us. Trouble brings His mighty and awesome outcomes. We see a reality, in Him, that others don't know exists. We have our gaze fixed on Him. Today's trouble is no comparison to His love which goes on like Him, forever. There is no end to it. Like the "energizer bunny" but only real.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 TNIV Bible

The Yes of Jesus

God makes a promise. Jesus says YES to it. The Holy Spirit makes it happen in us. Jesus is the great "So Be It" of God. So when Jesus says YES and we agree with Him, the power comes forth. God affirms us in Him. He makes it a sure thing. God puts the YES of Jesus in us. He has sealed His pledge with His Spirit.

This is the complete promise of a beginning in the new plan. His goal will be achieved. That is the YES of Jesus.

Failure isn't fatal

"Success isn't permanent and failure isn't fatal." -Mike Ditka

Say a quiet yes to God

Am I as serious as I need to be? Am I really serious?

I will yell a loud no to the Devil. I am a new creation. He is completely defeated already. I am fully redemmed. I will say a quiet yes to God.

May I always remember to say YES and he will be with me!!

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in missing God's goals. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. James 4

The beginning of the end in Milwaukee (1964)

He steps to the podium. The cameras are rolling. He strikes an ominous tone. It is March 5, 1964. Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. announces a major league team will move to the city if we build it. Seriously, if we build it, they will come. But he can't say who the team is. The next day, the city approved an $18 million stadium to be built. On April 15, the work began to build it. AND, they would come.

So, the rumors swirled aroung the Milwaukee Braves. They denied it. They began their 12th season in Milwaukee. It was Bobby Bragan's second season as the manager. They ended up in fifth, a little better than the year before. An 88-74 record and despite being fifth, they were only 5 games back. Now that is a tight finish.

Jesus was not in an election

Before Jesus, the High Priest had to offer up sacrifices to blot out the continuous nature of our missing God's goal. He also had to do this for himself as well since he missed God's goal as well. Jesus, God's son, offered up himself, who never missed God's goal for his life. God set him aside for this role. He is now our High Priest.  We share in his new plan. It was the perfect plan, perfectly executed. Only Jesus could do it for us.

Jesus wasn't elected to this position. God, His Father, appointed Him. No populare vote here. No democracy in God's world. His decision and it was perfect. Thanks be to our magnificent Leader!!

No one elects himself to this honored position of High Priest. He's called to it by God, as Aaron was. Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, "You're my Son; today I celebrate you!" In another place God declares, "You're a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 5:40-16

Like picking horses (1969)

Billy Southworth was considered a "genious on the diamond".

He lived a long life. At age 76, in 1969, he died in Columbus, Ohio. He had emphysema. What is said at the funeral is always a tribute. One of Billy's former players on the 1948 Braves was there. He was Clint Conatser. Here is his tribute.

"He just had a gut feeling about the right thing to do in a situation," Conatser recalled. "The moves he would make would work for him — all the time, not occasionally. Leo Durocher was the same way. It's like some guys can pick horses out of nowhere. Southworth was a genius like that on the diamond."

Harvard

Billy Southworth was born William Harrison Southworth. The year was 1893 and that was in Harvard, Nebraska. He died in 1969. He saw a lot of baseball for sure. He played the game and was a right fielder and center fielder. He played the game in 1913, 1915 and from 1918 to 1929. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Southworth turned to managing in 1929. He then took a break until 1940 and kept going until 1951. He was finally inducted into the hall of fame in 2008.

Unlike me, he decided to play baseball against his father's wishes. He didn't do to bad. He batted .300 three times in his career.

Can you hit this? (1944)

The Braves have had some great knuckleballers over the years. The story of the 1944 season was the 31 year-old knuckleball expert Jim Tobin. He was also a pretty good hitter. But clearly he became one of the most un-hittable pitchers of his time. If you have ever faced a decent knuckleballer, you know how a great one could lock you out.

So let's take nine days in April of 1944. Tobin on gave up 4 hits. So how many games did he win? How about 2 of 3. Here is how it worked out. It started with a 3 hitter he lost against the Giants. So, back to mound on his next start. He beat Philadelphia this time. It was a one-hitter. So, four days rest and back at it. So oh my goodness, the sixth no-hitter in the Braves history. It hadn't happened since 1916. Down went Brooklyn, losing 2-0. He allowed 2 walks.

Here is the kicker. In the eight inning he hit a home run. He was the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter and hit a home run. Not a bad day.

Who is your hero?

Who is your hero? We ask that a lot. Who do we look up to?

Jesus should be the centerpiece of everything I do and think. God is the builder. Heros are the employees who do the work at the edges. Jesus is the architect of everything. He is in charge of all that God created and built. He was completely faithful and got done all that God gave Him to do.

So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He's the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God's house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house. Hebrews 3:1-6

No more Rabbit (1934)

It was a so so season for the Braves in 1934 but the worst part of it was losing Rabbit Maranville. They had a 78-873 record finishing 16 games behind in fourth place. It was Bill McKechnie's 5th season but this went the most of them did during his tenure.

Rabbit Maranville, even at age 42, was playing some pretty good ball so there was hope as the season started. It was his 24th season and he had become a Boston and National legend.

"When Rabbit Maranville breaks a leg right at the start of the opening of the season, that constitutes America's greatest crisis, and if anybody reading this had to ask who Rabbit is, then you should be made to show your citizenship papers." -- Will Rogers

So, on March 28th, Rabbit's career came to an end when he broke his leg sliding home on a double steal during an exhibition game with the Yankees. The leg was set on the field while Rabbit smoked a cigarette. He didn't play that year at all.

Not a club to belong to (1924)

Is there a club for managers who loose 100 games? Probably not and you don't hear a lot about it.

Loosing 100 games as a manager is devastating. Doing it twice in row is inviting disaster. Somehow Fred Tenney did it as the Boston manager in 1907. Fred Mitchell, however, couldn't do it after 1922 - 23.

So, in came Dave Bancroft. How did he do? Lost 100!! Yep, he was 53-100 finishing eight and 40 games behind. Go figure.

Dave was known for being a pretty bright guy. He came to us from the Giants. Who did he bring with him? Well, a pretty eccentric outfielder. Casey Stengel was the man. Bill Cunningham came with Casey. Out went Bill Southworth and Joe Oeschger.

Work with a smile on my face

My work is not for myself. My work is for our God. That allows me to have an amazing attitude and smile when others might not. It allows me to go beyond what others might do since my mission is to please him. And so, with Joshua I say "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord".

I am really serving God. It is that simple. That makes all the difference in everything I do.

Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don't just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free. Ephesians 6:5-8

 

Tommy Holmes (1951)

Tommy Holmes had his Major League baseball debut with the Boston Braves in 1942. Here is some background on him.

• He was an outfielder. He batted and threw as a lefty.


• He was born (March 29, 1917) in Brooklyn. No wonder he wanted to play baseball.


• His last game was for his home team Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952.


• He managed the Braves in 1951 and 1952.


• He was a two time All-Star in 1945 and 1948

He died in 2010 in Boca Raton, Florida at the ripe old age of 91. May he rest in peace.

Always in control

I need to change my mind (repent).

His government (Kingdom) is not a democracy. I have been raised to see democracy as the best form of government. And for us, it is. But He wasn't elected. His way isn't determined by a majority vote. He has always been in control. He doesn't need our permission to make a decision. It has always been that way. It always will.

He has a new plan. It isn't based on anything we know. Jesus put an end to that. No more trying to do good to please him. He is in charge of His country. He is in a good mood as a Father would be toward His children.

Chaos (1904)

Things were in chaos in 1904 for the Beaneaters (now the Atlanta Braves). They brought Al Buckenberger back for a 3rd season as manager after Frank Selee left. This was the worst season in its 29 year history. They finished seventh, 51 games the leader with a 55-98 record. Pretty miserable for sure. One of the owners, James Billings sold out to Arthur Soden and William Conant.

The Beaneaters were made to look even worse (hard to imagine) in Boston because the American League Pilgrams repeated as champions. A former star from the Beaneaters, Bill Dinneen, pitched an amazing record setting 37 consecutive complete games. Imagine that. He also became a hero by putting out a hotel fire.

Possibilities

Imagine being a young woman. You are a virgin. An angel shows up and lets you know you are going to give birth to the Son of God. You ask how that can be since you are a virgin. He lets you know that the Spirit of God will make it happen AND nothing is impossible with God.

NOTHING. Not a thing. EVERYTHING is possible.This word of God has been challenging my heart and soul lately. I know I have had things I didn't believe God could do. I am leaning in to hear the word of our Father. If he says it, I can count on it. Nothing is impossible.

So here is the deal. When the Angel said nothing is impossible, Mary said, "I am the LORD's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Then a little while later Elizabeth (John the Baptist's mother) said "Happy woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!"

For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

May I have faith to believe our LORD. Nothing is impossible.

The King died (1894)

Sometimes we are tried and the Boston Beaneaters (now know as the Atlanta Braves) certainly were in 1894. Mike "King" Kelly was major figure in the Braves early history. He was probably the most popular player of his time. On November 8, at the age of 36, he died of pneumonia. Another misfortune also conspired to try the Braves that year. This on was minor compared to King's death but challenge the Braves. For much of the season, they were on the road with no home stadium.

On May 16th, a fire destroyed the South End Grounds. Imagine playing a game and in the third inning, a fire breaks out. They were playing Baltimore and the fire broke out in the right field bleachers. Gave new meaning to so and so "smoked that one".

So they switched some of there games to road games and then played some of them in Boston at the old Brotherhood League Grounds on Congress Street adjacent to the Boston Harbor.

Despite those trying happenings, they had a good season finishing in third place.

Free to pursue what God wants

I can learn to think like Jesus. He didn't expect to get His own way. Now that is radical. Who doesn't want to get their own way? Seriously. But that misses God's goal for our lives.  

I can be free. Free to pursue what God wants. Jesus only did what he saw his Father doing. No more, no less.

I can be free from being tyrannized by what I want. I can be obedient to what God wants. He is in charge of His country. I need to obey.

Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old habit of always expecting to get your own way which misses God's goal. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. 1 Peter 4

 

Not easy but you could see it coming (1879)

You are the younger brother. Your older brother is very talented but so are you. You don't want to be in his shadow. Pretty natural. So that was the case with George Wright. Very talented. No doubt about it. But it was hard for him. His older brother was in the lime light. 12 years his senior. He was the "Father of Professional Baseball". What do you do?

Well, in 1879, after working side by side for a decade, you part ways and leave the team (the Boston Red Caps, now the Atlanta Braves) that you both play for. And it has some very far reaching and perhaps unexepected consequences. you leave Boston and head not to far away to Providence. Not easy but you could see it coming.

The raw power of God

There is a time to think long and hard. That of course would be about what God has created. Just think about it. Think about it long and hard. It is amazing. The raw power of it all. Imagine, then think, about what it took to create all that we enjoy and take for granted everyday. Come on, think about it. NOW, think about it some more.

And, how mysterious is it that God could do all of this. We can't imagine it. It is beyond us. And, that God, lives in side of us. He can do anything in His Country. He is the President of it all.

By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. Romans 1

Two hours

"Two hours is about as long as any American can wait for the close of a baseball game, or anything else for that matter."

---- Al Spalding

Trust steadily

As I seek to mature in the Lord, one of the big three things to focus on is trusting Him more and more. I need to be steady in my trust. Not trusting one day and then not the next. Maturity is what I need to strive for. It is so easy to slide into trusting anything but God. That is so immature.

So it is focus and consistency. That is the key. Focus on Him who will complete everything. He is leading us toward that consummation. It is His heart's desire.

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. 1 Corinthians 13

His generosity

As the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah had all the riches of our Father. Yet He chose to give it all away. He did it for us. He did it so we could share the riches of our Father as well.

It is His nature to be generous. He loves to give to us. Like any father, He delights in making things happen for us even if it means a sacrifice on His part. Now that is love.

You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. 2 Corinthians 8:8-9

Hitless wonders? (1878)

Hitless wonders? Yes, but champions none the less. 1878 continued the amazing success of Harry Wright as the Braves manager. They ended up with a record of 41-19 and finished in first place, four games ahead.

This was an amazing year because the just couldn't hit. The ended up next to last in team batting average (.241) and slugging percentage (.300). They were dead last in on-base percentage at .253. The were last in hits and walks. Of course, for the whole league there were only 23 home runs the whole season. But this was bad compared to the rest.

And yet, they won the championship that year. Amazing!

Being sure

Am I sure? Do I know it for a fact? God's enabling Spirit is in us and lets us know that God is good and He loves us. Every detail is being worked into something good. That is just the way it is.

That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:28

May I be sure of God's love and the details He is working out for me.

Fear and no loathing

Nothing is impossible with God. Do we have confidence in Him? Do we know, deep in our inner being, that He loves us and won't leave us behind. Fear can be crippling. Fear comes from the lack of supernatual courage.

When there is a crisis out, and they do come, our confidence must be in Him. Our courage is with Him. He can, with a word, reverse the crisis.

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Matthew 8:26

May I trust Him and have His courage.

Really? That is a good name? (1907)

I don't think a lot of this nickname. But then again this is the Braves I am talking about. So, in 1907 they changed from the Beaneaters to the Doves. It didn't seem to help since they finished 7th in the pennant race with a record of 58-90. They were a dismal 47 games behind. Fred Tenney continued as manager. What is weird is that this was an improvement over the previous year. Go figure.

The Dovey brothers operated the club. They thought their name would be better than the Beaneaters. They also improved the South End Grounds where they played at the time. They added a new scoreboard (to keep up with the opponents runs better???) and cushioned a few seats. How about some better players? Hmm, there is a thought.

Can't fire the owners as we have learned.

Special agents

God has a plan for us. Under His plan, we are special agents of Jesus. His assignments for us aren't "normal". They are special. Planned out just for us. How amazing is that?

Now that is some very good news for today. That brings some much needed grace and peace to our lives.

I, Paul, am under God's plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful believers in Ephesus. I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:1-2

May I understand the role God has for me and serve as His special agent.

115 years (2010)

115 years is a long time. But when you are the Braves, history is on your side.

The 16-5 romp on April 5, 2010 was the Braves' biggest Opening Day romp in 115 years, since a 21-6 pasting of the Baltimore Orioles in 1896.

And so, it was a historic opening day in 2010. And the Braves continue on.

God is serious business

There is a lot frivolity going on and there is nothing wrong with that. Fun is fun and God is good with that.

God Himself is serious though. His business is serious stuff. We should take Him seriously. He is in charge of His government. He is not neglecting anything. He is paying attention to His goals. His plan is being executed. He is getting it done. He is serious about it.

God is serious business, take him seriously; he's put the earth in place and it's not moving. 1 Chronicles 16:30-33

May I be serious about His business.

"Do not resist an evil person." ~Jesus

"Do not resist an evil person." ~Jesus http://ow.ly/5mqZU

Tough stuff

This is tough stuff. It doesn't feel right. Our natural reactions, in relationships, can get us in trouble. Jesus has a different standard for us. Unless Jesus has invaded our life, relationships can be pretty difficult at times. Real love in relationships can require supernatural courage. It can only happen after Jesus has changed us. Jesus demanded that the "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" world of natural and religious rules be completely changed. God is love and that is not how He does things. It isn't how He wants us to do things either.

And so, it takes supernatural courage to love the way God loves us. But that is the way He wants us to love. That is what relationships in "His world" look like. This is an example of how to be a servant leader in relationships. The other alternative is to be a follower of how our "friends" do things.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:38-42

May we love the way God wants us to. May our relationships be based on how He loves not the way that serves us and not others.

Who we really are

It is interesting how some people just don't "get it", i.e., understand what we are up to in God. We know we are His children. We know He loves us and how amazing that is. We know he is not angry or upset. We know He has our best interest at heart. We know He cares beyond anything we can imagine. We know He is in a good mood, all the time.

We really are the children of God. Really. No doubt about it.

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to. 1 John 3:1

May I know who I am in Him.

"Never promise more than you can perfor

"Never promise more than you can perform." ~Publilius Syrus, 1st century B.C.

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to c

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." ~John Wooden

The greatest mistake you can make in lif

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one - Elbert Hubbard

If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, yo

If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm. -Vince Lombardi

Baseball is a game of second chances (1940)

Billy Southworth got a second chance. In 1940 the Cardinals, who were struggling, fired Ray Blades. In comes Billy, from Rochester. So, what happens. The Cardinals take off. They had some talented players like Stan Musial coming in from the farm teams. This started thier "golden age". After he came on board that season, they won 69 of 109 games. They move from seventh to third place. In 1941 they came in second. The next three years they won three penants and two World Series titles.

How is that for a second chance?

Three steps

We are always, and I mean always, in such a hurry these days. Our culture is on hyperdrive. We want it and we want it now. My dad has always said "Patience is a virture." And it is. My dad (and my heavenly Dad) are right.

What is the promise to us. Waiting patiently for the Lord means that He is more inclined to listen to us. And, He will hear our desperate cry.

So here you go. Three simple steps. He is in a good mood.

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me

and heard my cry.

Psalms 40:1

"He that cannot obey cannot command."

"He that cannot obey cannot command." ~Benjamin Franklin

" A different world cannot be built by

" A different world cannot be built by indifferent people." ~Peter Marshall

Vim and Vigor

"Baseball is the exponent of American Courage, Confidence, Combativeness, American Dash, Discipline, Determination, American Energy, Eagerness, Enthusiasm, American Pluck, Persistency, Performance, American Spirit, Sagacity, Success, American Vim, Vigor, Virility."

-- Al Spalding

 

"Never dull your shine for somebody els

"Never dull your shine for somebody else." --Tyra Banks