Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Hope everyone's day was as picture perfect as the rest of my family got in Minnesota with the peaceful four inches of snow that fell. What I REALLY hope is that you all feel the love of God this season and come to a deeper understanding of what it means that He came to this earth to die for our sins.

Leap Year

That's about as old school as -
What goes tick, tick woof?

Giggling Saltwater

Why do mother kangaroos hate it when it rains?

Back on the Air

It's been a few years, but I'm back on the air waves broadcasting ball games! I called a game Friday night, and I didn't realize until today how excited I am to do games again. I was a little worried about taking up too much of my free time and spending too much on gas, but I only average two games a week and gas is mostly covered. Throw in a small payment per game, and I feel I'm getting paid to have fun. It's kind of like playing in the NFL, only the lack of a good pension plan doesn't matter as much since I don't beat up my body...

Anyway, I'm calling about 15 games for the Waynesboro Generals, part of the Valley Baseball League. The league is 11 teams up and down the Shenandoah Valley. Each team is filled with college players from NAIA and JCs to big D-I prgrams. The goal of the league is to show talent to the scouts and provide college kids a chance to improve their skills.

Enough background...our games are webcast, so any of you can listen to me on the internet! Not sure if it's aired live, but I know they are archived, so you can listen afterwards. Here is the link:

http://www.futuremediaworld.com/waynesboro.htm

And here is the list of games I'm doing this year:
6-8: vs Haymarket
6-13: vs Covington
6-16: vs Luray
6-20: vs New Market
6-27: at Woodstock
6-28: at Staunton
7-7: vs Harrisonburg
7-13: at Staunton
7-14: vs Covington
7-15: at Front Royal
7-18: vs New Market
7-20: at Winchester
7-23: at Harrisonburg
7-27: at Haymarket

Hope you get a chance to listen to me.

Not consistent

If you can't tell, I'm not very consistent with the ole blogging thing. Sometimes I think my bro, I mean "Nickel," posts more on here than I do. OK, that's science...he does.

I don't post a lot because I have such a wonderful wife. To be blunt, I like her better than I like being on the computer! I would rather go to soccer games with her. I would rather go camping and hiking with her. I would rather watch a movie with her. Shoot, I would rather sit on the couch and just "be" with her than be on the computer too much. And THIS weekend, I would MUCH rather go to Chicago with her to celebrate my birthday! (Her idea, not mine...she's a good one.)

Wrigley Field, here we come!!!

I'm no mother!

Whoever wished me a Happy Mother's Day in my revious blog's comments...I've got news for you. My name is JAMES, I'm a MAN, and that makes it impossible to be a MOTHER. Then again, since the title of the day is "Mother's Day," I guess you could just be saying, "Have a happy day, which just happens to be Mother's Day." Anyway, as long as everyone understands I'm a man, I htink I'm OK.

And if there was any question, I'm not going to be an immensely consistent blogger. We finally got all of our stuff out of boxes (mostly), but if you guys want your wedding thank you's I need time, people!

I've really struggled with my devotional life recently. I get up at 7 in the morning and don't want to get up earlier. And when I come home from work it's time to eat and then I either have stuff to do or I'm just tired from a long day at work. I go to bed and WHALAH...I didn't do anything devotional. It's kind of frustrating and I'm a bit mad at myself. I know that I need to simply set aside time every day, but does anyone else have any thoughts on maintaining a devotional life for a young newlywed?

Don't Look Back

As the last child in my family, I spent a few years without any siblings to play with. Hence, I have many fond memories of playing pool or army guys in the basement, listening to music. One song that sticks in my head from those years is "Don't Look Back" from the Fine Young Cannibals. No comments on the musical choices, please (although it's amazing how little content can go into a pop song...)

Anyway, the lyric that stuck in my head is "don't look back, it won't do no good." Hey, it was catchy musically. The lyrics though? I liked them, but they don't really fit me. I like history. Check that, I LOVE history! I think history and looking back IS good. It shows how someone or something got to be the way it is. It helps you understand. It reminds you that God IS in control and His ways ARE being accomplished.

As a vastly mature and married 30-year-old, I would subscirbe to the concept of "look back, just don't regret." Regretting won't do no good.

When I look back on my life, I don't regret a thing. I didn't ENJOY everything, I just don't regret it. I've had some pretty tough and trying times. Times I didn't exactly want to be in. But I think we're called to hold tight to God's promises. He doesn't promise us an easy life or one always full of friends or fortune. But He does promise us He will never leave us. I have found that the trying times in my life have been a way for God to pull me closer to Him. He's refining me. He's making me more like Him. Fun? Not always. But good. And good to look back on.

So look back, just don't regret. It may not be a catchy phrase fit for a pop song, but hey, you can't win them all.