Cold Winter?

It's a bit chilly this morning, and I am reminded of the shorts news article I read yesterday, claiming that this winter could be the coldest in ten years. Happily for us, we have a gas fireplace upstairs and a wood fireplace on the bottom floor. No use taking chances! I'm going out today to check our woodpile, but I am fairly certain we'll have enough fuel to carry us through.

I came back exhausted from the Premier Basketball League's Washington DC Combines, and it was quite a sight - scores of young athletes trying to earn a place on the roster. I can't help but be impressed by the fact that many men have placed months of practice and years of hope on Sunday's Combine. Through my career I well remember the joys of victory and the hurt of defeat, as I'm sure you do too.

I'm having a fantastic time in the Scripture reading. I was given a "read through the Bible in a year" edition and I find it hard to put it down - as it is, I'm almost three weeks ahead of the reading. I'm now in the opening pages of the New Testament, of the coming of the Messiah. It's as exciting as the first time I heard the story.

God's Holiness

God is holy - that truth constantly amazes me and stops me cold whenever I try to follow my own paths. We often overlook God's sacred separateness and try to fit Him into a category that would satisfy our selfish needs. We cannot overlook the fact that the Scriptures constantly remind us of God's holiness.

Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Ex.15:11

Give unto the LORD the glory [due] unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 1 Chr. 16:29

Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Psalm 30:4

God sits upon the throne of his holiness. Psalm 47:8

God hath spoken in his holiness. Psalm 60:6

Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? Hbk 1:12

Good things

Tomorrow is the Hot Air Balloon Festival at Pellissippi State.


We had a great week with my father coming to visit. I have not seen him since last year and it's great whenever he comes to stay for a while. We treated him to the movies, Italian restaurants, trips around town, Chinese restaurants, shopping, BBQ restaurants... you get the idea. Dad is 80 and moves around like he's 30. WE were hoping he'd come back for Thanksgiving, but he's back in PA, active in his Jazz band and doesn't think he can shake loose.

Jill has been readying the house for fall - it looks great. I'll try to post some pictures later on. Our "new" flooring is parquet - we found it whenever I was ripping up the old carpet. Hey, great savings! No new carpet to purchase.

Julianne has been Supergirl, Cinderella and Batgirl this week. Hard to keep up with all of the fictional characters. Easier than last month - she was Wall-E for a week.

Peter has just today gotten over the flu. He was in severe pain, with nausea and fever. Swine flu? We never could tell. He's recovered and will be back on the football field. It's a bye week so he has some days to get his strength back.

I had a great time speaking at GCA's chapel yesterday. Talked about forgiveness. God took over.

I had a great reading this morning in Nehemiah. What a story. One of the best verses is in 9:6:

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Premier Basketball League

This Sunday I will be at Washington DC for the Premier Basketball League Combine, a pre-season tryout camp for players, coaches and even referees. No, I'm not going to take to the court - I never was a basketball player of any worth (one year playing in a church league, where we went 1-11 and the one win was a forfeit. We lost a game by a score of 73-10. I am not kidding).

I will be writing articles about the 11 teams in the PBL and chatting with the coaches, preparing the brand new league website for content. I have been given the position of Vice President of Media Operations for the Premier Basketball League, assisting in the promotion and marketing of the teams. A new website will be posted during the first week of October.

Quote by Hawking

"The odds against a universe like ours emerging out of something like the big bang are enormous... I think clearly there are religious implications whenever you start to discuss the origins of the universe."

- Stephen W. Hawking,
Stephen Hawking's Universe,
page 109.

Giving it all over to Jesus

The past months have been an eventful, and at times fun, period in our household. Nicholas has now graduated from the AirForce trainiing in San Antonio, and Peter is settled into his regimen at his final year at Grace Christian Academy. My work with the American Basketball Association, Premier Basketball League, TownMe, Project Doulos and other companies has made my office busy to say the least.

But I'm looking to see what the Lord Jesus Christ would have us to do now. But I'm letting Jesus open the doors.

For the past months I've been almost exclusively working with secular companies and have had an ache to serve in the ministry in the area of writing. Enhancing this yearning is the great time we have each Sunday evening as University of Tennessee students come in for our Bible study. At times I want to minister so much more that it keeps me awake at night.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

However, I see the Lord telling me that patience is the key here.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalm 46:10

My daily reading in the Scripture (Ezekiel and Jeremiah) have constantly shown me the principle of slowing down and waiting.

And for once in my life that is what I'm going to do. In doing so, I am openly laying out all plans and hopes solely on the lap of the risen Christ. There's a great peace in doing this.