Favorite Time of Year!!

It is fast approaching my favorite time of year when it comes to sports. Every year around February and March and spring training for baseball begins it is exciting to me!

It is especially so this year. Beginning Monday my son Brandon will start a three day try-out for the middle school baseball team. It is the first year in the history of the school that they have had a baseball team for the middle schoolers.

Of course, as all doting fathers would say, "I think my son to be the best one trying out." Shouldn't it be that way really. I love to watch him play. I have coached him all but one season of his life and have watched him mature into a fine ball player. Did I say he was the greatest?

All doting aside, please pray for him that he do well and do his best. Many of the boys in our league have been getting private lessons and attending a local baseball training facility called Diamond Dreams. It is just too expensive for us. I told him last week, "Well son, we haven't been able to go to Diamond Dreams, so it's just you and me." He said that he liked that even better. Baseball has been one way the we have had a very close relationship and that is more important to me than winning any game. There are so many young kids that do not have that with their fathers and is probably one of the contributing factors to many problems kids have these days. To God be the glory for our relationship!

Please excuse me for putting up a picture of him from last year's Dixie Youth World Series for which we were the host team. This particular photo was taken by the local newspaper of him making the relay throw to first from short stop on a double play. It was one of four double plays they turned in the series. We came in second place behind Arkansas. It was an exciting series!

Prayer Request!

The pictures you see on this blog are of the automobile driven by Ralph Thompson. Ralph is the father of Mark Thompson one of our dear brothers at Creekside. Mark's wife Laura is "anonymous" who comments on this blog from time to time.

Ralph is in the surgical trauma center in Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, AL in very serious condition after this accident. He was broadsided by a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck. Everyone in the truck was ok after the wreck. Ralph is 73 years old and has had a lung to collapse from this. He has multiple broken ribs as well and is on a ventilator. They are hoping to get him off of that as soon as possible. He is responding to family and knows where he is, but doesn't have any remembrance of the accident.

Please pray for Ralph and his family. Especially pray that he is able to be removed from the ventilator soon.

Rainy Night In Alabama

It's a rainy night in Alabama. I know that's supposed to be "A Rainy Night In Georgia," but tonight it's Alabama. It has been raining for hours and we are under flash flood warnings. It seems that we get our rain in lumps. We have been in somewhat of a drought for sometime now--not a bad one, but just no a lot of rain.

When it rains like this I think about what it might have been like sitting in the Ark for Noah and his family. Can you imagine after so many years, hearing the first rain drops? Knowing that God's promise of a flood was really happening must have been a comfort to them. It was not so for those outside that boat however.

Knowing by faith that we will one day witness the ultimate promise kept by the Father makes the story of Noah even more fulfilling to us. Just think of all the time he preached without people listening and to see his faith become sight--how awesome that must have been for them.

Having confidence in God makes the ministry we do so much more fulfilling. We look forward to seeing our faith become sight one day. We are expecting that God will come through on His promise so much that we can face even the hard time with confidence.