The Baggage Handler

Have you ever not enjoyed a trip you took because of the baggage you had to carry? Think about going on a trip and flying to your destination, and how much more difficult it would be for you to have to carry your baggage with you every where you went: on the plane, while sightseeing, while dining in a restaurant, etc. That would make the trip miserable and it would put a heavy burden upon you as well. That is why it is such a wonderful thing to be able to check your baggage at the beginning of your trip and leave it in your hotel room or wherever you are staying as you go about on your trip. What would be even better is if we could travel without the baggage at all and just enjoy our trip.
Well the Christian life is the same. There is a quote that says “Leave old baggage behind, the less you carry, the farther you go”. There is a great deal of importance to the Christian in that thought. Life presents many challenges and we all carry baggage with us from relationships, decisions we make, events in our lives, and many other things. The key is not to get weighed downed with the baggage but instead to trust the One whose job it is to handle that baggage of our lives. The baggage we carry can create such a burden upon us that we get weighed down in this life and lose sight of our God. We attempt to handle it all by ourselves and we get angry and frustrated and sometimes blame God for allowing it to happen, and in the end it causes us to forget God and what he offers us. Baggage is no fun and it can stop us from growing spiritually and from living a Christian life, but getting rid of baggage on our own is impossible.
That is why it is so wonderful to read passages like Matt. 11:28-30 and know that Jesus is offering to take the baggage away and in its place give us something that is much lighter and easier to handle. Or consider what Paul wrote in Phil. 3:13 where he reminds us that he himself forgets about what is behind him and reaches toward what is ahead of him. We must do the same by leaving our baggage in Jesus’ hands and striving for what lies ahead of us as Christians, the promise of eternal life in Heaven with God. The only way we can accomplish that is to truly trust our baggage with the only one who can help us, the Baggage Handler.

Anyone for a Cuban? Mark Cuban that is.

It seems that Mark Cuban has submitted his application to MLB to purchase the Chicago Cubs. So you maybe asking yourself the same question as this Cub fan, Is this a good thing? Well that depends on your point of view. Cuban has helped turn around the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, but has had numerous run-ins with the authorities (i.e. David Stern). He is heavily involved and has some conflict with his coahces (i.e. Don Nelson). So what would he be like as owner of the Cubs? One would believe he would spend money to put a winner on the field and to provide nice amenities for his players, but how involved would he want to be and does he have the knowledge to be involved? Would he become the George Steinbrenner of the NL? Is that a bad thing? Would he put advertising all over Wrigley, would he move the Cubs from Wrigley? Would the owners ever let him in? Jerry Krause owner of the rival White Sox and Chicago Bulls has a major dislike for him, and Bud "Lite" Selig may not want to deal with him, so is this all just a matter of pointless rhetoric? I say give him a chance to explain what his plans for the Cubs are. Hear him out, because no one can be as bad for the Cubs as the Tribune Company has been. I say we band together and vote for Cuban to get a chance and see what he can do to turn the Cubs around!

Mr. Hendry I Have A Bridge In Brooklyn I Would Like To Sell You!

Last night while watching the game between the Cubs and Giants on MLBtv.com I heard the Cubs announcers mention that the Cubs had made a trade. Now I was not paying real close attention until I hear trade and it seems that they had mentioned the guys name before that word. And the commentators were making comments like, "How could you not make this trade?" and "There is nothing to not like about this deal!" and so I am thinking, hey maybe we made a deal for Ken Griffey, Jr. or maybe Eric Gagne. Then to my dismay I hear these words, Jason Kendall, nnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, please nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

What in the world are the Cubs thinking? I mean I know that neither Hill nor Bowen or for that matter Soto in like 3 games has not really added any offense to the catcher's spot, but they had been much better defensively than Barrett. So why make this deal?

Kendall is hitting .226 on the year and has thrown out 20% of the baserunners attempting to steal against him and has a -12.4 VORP. Hill is batting .148 and has thrown out 28%, and has a -4.8 VORP. Bowen is hitting .065 and has not had a runner attempt a steal against him as a Cub, and has a -5.4 VORP. Soto has a -.8 VORP. So is that really an upgrade? Some of the catchers in front of Kenall are Will Nieves, Paul Bako, and Jason Phillips! And the Cubs traded for this guy and believe it was a good move? Now you know why the Cubs have not won a World Series in almost 100 years. They are run by an inept front office.

Look Jim, I know you want to make a difference and add something to this team to help push it over the edge in terms of making the postseason, but Jason Kendall is not your answer. I mean you have the best record in baseball since June 4th and you have won 4 straight and 16 of 20, was the catching position really the place you needed to make a move? Why not start by looking for some relief help or better yet, how about an everyday rightfielder who has some power and plate discipline so that you don't have to run out a combination of Jacque Jones, Cliff Floyd, and Angel Pagan? I mean do they look like World Series contributors to you? So Jim, I know you felt like you needed to make a deal, but please all we Cub fans ask of you is to make sensible deals for real players who will make a real difference for the real problems you have! And if that doesn't work I have some ocean-front property in Arizona I would like to talk to you about.

1 Year In (Now Only 2.5 To Go)

Well I have finished one year of my doctoral work with another 2.5 to go before it is all said and done (literally). So I am celebrating this accomplishment by acting snobish and feeling superior to others (like those with Ph.Ds do). Anyway small comment right now, hope to be back a little later with some more posts.

GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLIE!!!

For years I was never a very big soccer fan ( I would watch the World Cup but nothing else), but after two trips to Scotland/England I have really learned to enjoy the sport. There is nothing like watching folks who know the game extremely well watch the World Cup and dissect it from a knowledgeable point of view. Recently I saw a couple of videos of a goalie scoring two goals in regulation soccer games. The first is on a kick from his own end that the other team misplays. An 80 yard strike on a free kick. The second video shows them bringing him down on what looks like a penalty kick and he heads it into goal. Impressive play from a goalie and England's #1 goalie on the national team no less. His name is Paul Robinson. Enjoy.

Do We Really Believe in God?

I find it interesting that we claim to believe in God, but when it comes to telling others about Him and His Word, we tend to leave out things we think people will disagree with. Or we come up with creative ways to tell them or get them to services. Why? Is it because we believe that God’s Word is not as powerful and able to turn hearts as years gone by? When did humans (the created) become smarter than God (the Creator)? Why do we find it necessary to take away from or add to His Word? Now don’t misunderstand me, because I think it is vital to make sure that we don’t make traditions law or make them apart of God’s Word when they are not. What I am saying is that we must be careful not to come to the conclusion that God’s Word is just not enough anymore and that we must add something to bring people to Him. Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 3:16 that the Word of God will make us complete. We know that without faith it is impossible to please God according to Heb. 11:6. Paul, in Rom. 10:17, tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. If that were not enough to convince you that the Word of God is the only thing that we need teach, then read Heb. 4:12 where we are told that God’s Word is alive and active and is powerful, more powerful than anything man can do on his own. Those who choose to sow something other than the Word of God are like the one who sowed weeds in the Parable of the Weeds in Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43. When will we realize that our mission is to sow the seed and let God give the increase? God calls us to spread His Word and to do so into all nations, teaching them as we have been taught (Matt. 28:18-20). When we realize the power our God has and the ability that His Word has to change lives, it is then that we will make sure to let God’s Word take center stage and change lives and truly believe in God and His power to save (Rom. 1:16)!

Swan Song

On Wednesday, March 14th I made my last official broadcast on college basketball. For the last 4 years I have been broadcasting Lion and Lady Lion basketball games for Freed-Hardeman University (the first 2 as color commentator and the last 2 as play-by-play). I have enjoyed this adventure more than I could ever put into words. I got to broadcast an Elite Eight game last year as the play-by-play man and have been to the NAIA National Tournament for DI Women's college basketball the last 4 years. I have worked with a lot of great people and met some really wonderful people along the way at various stops on our tour. I will never forget them for the encouragement they gave me as well as the wonderful advice on how to become a better broadcaster. My only regret is that the last broadcast I made was over a cell phone and not over our usual system as we had problems with the equipment we had and the phone lines at the National Tournament. I want to thank all the players, coaches, fans, studio directors, and people I worked with during the games for their contributions and help throughout the seasons. You guys are the ones who made the broadcasts, I was just along for the ride. My hope is that I was able to in some small way, give those listening a mental image of what was occurring on the court and that they were able to enjoy the games at home as much as we enjoyed them at the gyms.
I am also saying goodbye to broadcasting the Chester County football games which I have done for the last 2 years. It gave me a great opportunity to watch high school football and become friends with several in the community. I will miss all those wonderful moments and excitement that watching high school football brings. It is time for me to move on though. My hope is that I conveyed what was occurring on the field to those listening at home and that you were able to enjoy the games.
It is time for me to step away and move on to other responsibilities and projects that lay before me. My goal was to take the program up a level from where I started from and I hope I was able to leave the position in a better situation then when I took over. I want to thank all those before me who made the position a great situation to be in, and I hope that I was able to fill the shoes of those before me. I now leave the responsibilities of this job to others and I wish them the best. My advice to you is for you to know that task is not always as easy as it seems and it takes work to make the broadcasts acceptable, so never forget to give it your all, but most of all enjoy what you are doing and it will come through to the audience and they too will enjoy the broadcasts.

Things I Think I Think

Okay let me start by saying this: I stole this idea from Peter King at SI but I tried to contact him, could not find an address anywhere so I thought I would run with it. Anyway here are my musings for the week:

I think:

1. I might go insane by the time I finish my doctorate


2. Baseball is the greatest game ever invented


3. March Madness can indeed drive you mad, especially if you are a fan of a bad team


4. Ties were invented by women to choke the life out of men


5. Illinois will not make it past the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament


6. That the Cubs will not win the World Series this year (reverse jinx)


7. That coffee is good no matter the weather


8. That you stopped reading after number 6 and have no idea that this list went to 10 (It did not).