Celebration to Come!

When I was 11 years old, my baseball team won the City League championship in Longview, TX.  We were the Colonels and my brother Andy was the bat boy and was so excited about the win that he did a flip on the pitcher's mound.  The celebration for a group of  11 year old boys and their parents was so exciting that I have considered that year to be one of my favorites memories and my favorite age.

That one championship became one of my accomplishments that I cherished in my heart.  One of my teammates passed away as a result of a car wreck he suffered later in his teens.  Bruce Fisher was a friend and I have been thinking about him and the rest of the team who I wish I could see again.  We grew up, and now as men we have our own lives that were all shaped by the events of that summer.

However, several years later, I became a Christian by being immersed for the forgiveness of my sins and there are several people who were there as a part of that are no longer living in this world. I have lost my mother, several of my close friends who became a part of the team that I knew at that time as a result of my decision, and the preacher who immersed me, J.D. Lancaster and many who encouraged me to become who I now am in life.

Today, I live and work with a team of Christians who are living to win the championship of life.  Heaven is our goal, the celebration will be sweet, and I know that my brother Andy will do a flip for me at the thrown of God as a celebration of being home. (Well, maybe!) My Christian team was and is my favorite team and many memories have surpassed those baseball memories some 40 years ago. I have lost many of my friends and church family to death, but I know that they are waiting for the final celebration to come in eternity.  I too, with my physical and spiritual family, can't wait to celebrate with Jesus who "pitched a perfect game" in this life and is waiting for us to come home.

I hope you are ready for that celebration.  I would love to see you Sunday at the West Freeway church so that we can worship and praise Him who was perfect in this life so that we would have the chance to join Him for that celebration.  He lived the perfect life to be the perfect sacrifice for us.  "Come, now is the time to worship." 

God bless you.  See you Sunday so that I will be to possibly see you in heaven.

Things

I like having things. Things give me some happiness now and then. I know that it isn't really the thing that makes me happy, it is the ownership or usability of the thing that brings joy and excitement at times. Sometimes the thing brings me sadness as I have to repair it or work on it or have someone else work on it.

I have had many things in my life and I have been happy most of my life. I remember the first "thing" I really remember bringing me "happiness." It was a highway road set of men and women and railroads, trucks, stop signs, yield signs, water towers, buildings and a lot of little people with cars and trucks. It was my own little city. I enjoyed having that, what I believe was a Christmas present from dear ole Saint Nick. Everything had to be lined up and no one could disobey the laws of the city. The police were there along with the firemen and postmen. Ladies with their strollers and shopping baskets. It was grand. Everyone was in place and playing with them was fun, for a while.

Then, it really got boring. Setting it all up and then having to pick up the 1000 piece set was an enormous task for a pre-schooler (at least in his mind). The signs and rules no longer mattered and the fun turned into nothing left to do but find ways to change it all up. Typical male mind syndrome.

Not too long after Christmas, it became less of a thrill to have this thing that I loved so much. My problem? I didn't really love the thing, it was more of an infatuation for a while. How long after Christmas was the problem. Probably the third or fourth time I played with this 1000 piece set. I lost interest. It didn't fascinate me anymore. No one in my family wanted to help set it all up, much less put it all away after we played with it.

Can you imagine God giving up on us? Losing his fascination with humanity? I am amazed at how long he has suffered through my misguidance, much less that of those who pay him no tribute at all with their lives. Those who may have given homage to him at one time but now have lost fascination with his leadership and wisdom. I can't imagine what it would be like if God all of a sudden decided, "I'm tired of this. No one is wanting to play by the rules and obey the signs. It is useless and I am ready to pack it all in."

Then, at just the right moment His Son places his hand on his shoulder and says, "Forgive them Father, they don't know what they are doing."

I'll see you later