On the 12 Day of Christmas...

Let's review, shall we?

12 Days of Christmas: God's Gift to Me
First Day: a wife
Second Day: 2 years of running
Third Day: 3 years of stable residence
Fourth Day: 4 children
Fifth Day: 5 year plan
Sixth Day: 6 books
Seventh Day: 7 episodes of disappointment & failure
Eight Day: 8th grade year and no memory of it
Ninth Day: 9 years of wonderful marriage
Tenth Day: 10th grade salvation experience
Eleventh Day: 11 years of work



My passion is baseball. Most of you who know me personally know that all too well. I cannot get enough. It's been that way since I was eight years old. I had the opportunity to play organized baseball throughout my childhood and I enjoyed every second of it. Even as a young adult, God gave me just enough ability and perseverance to play. On this last day of Christmas blogs let me just state that the number 12 was sewn on my back as I played for the Asbury College Eagles.


The baseball field was the most effective classroom setting I ever experienced. My coaches and teammates throughout the 12 years I played were the greatest teachers. There was something about the team concept and the experiential learning environment that was just right for meeting my educational needs. Basic but important lessons and skills were learned and developed during these fun years. Not everyone gets a chance to play sports at the college level, and I am so grateful to God for that chance.

On the 11th Day of Christmas...

God has given me 11 years of work. This might sound lame but with the current economic meltdown, I am reminded of the fragile job market and how I am not burdened with unemployment. Many are struggling, trying to piece together life with little resources, or none. To some small extent I can relate as there was a period of six months that I was unemployed. This period began just days before our second child was born. I was sent home--laid off/let go/freed up/downsized/available for other opportunities--whatever you want to call it. This was a scary time with medical bills on the way. God, in His mercy, opened up a new door and the fear was replaced with thanks. Although I am confident that all my needs will be met, I also understand that I am not immune to the reality of this down turn in prosperity.

Modest living with responsible and strategic financial planning, all wrapped up in faithful devotion to the One that makes life possible; that's the only advice I can give. Now back to work...

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

I've been granted new life because of Christ and God's work of grace as my 10th grade salvation experience will testify. That story is remarkable because it's my story. I didn't always have this opinion though. Early on, I was content to believe that my experience of faith was ordinary and anti-dramatic. As my faith matured and my knowledge of who God is expanded, my opinion changed.

I was an average kid I guess, with typical youthful tendencies and attitudes. Even though I had grown up in the church I was confused about what it meant to be a follower of Christ. My understanding was that attendance on Sunday was sufficient. As I got older, I struggled with direction and wrestled with identity (as most youth do I suppose). In the fall of my sophomore year in high school I met a classmate named Rodney Prater. We had an art class together and this meeting and the subsequent time spent as classmates set in motion a bigger story of what God was doing in my life. Our interactions together seem innocent enough, especially to outsiders who might have been paying attention. Although casual, our conversations and the way he conducted himself played big in my mind. Questions started to form but not to the extent where I was prepared to ask.

It was Super Bowl Sunday that year when he was on his way to his youth group Bowl party. Of course, being January, it was dark and the Kentucky country roads are as straight as a silly straw. Driving to the party, he rounded a bend in the road to fast and crashed head on into a electric poll. His car sunk down off the road and into the ditch below the road above. A day had passed before he was found. It was assumed by the medical professionals that he died upon impact. When the news broke, I was devastated.

It was at this point that the questions that had begun to form were now concrete and demanding my response. I couldn't understand why a person like Rodney, a serious and faithful follower of Jesus, would be gone this way, and so soon.

The only thing I knew to do at this point was to ask the questions out loud. I sought out the pastor of the church I attended each Sunday and began unwrapping the hurt and confusion and fear. The only thing he could do for me was to present to me again who Jesus is, and in this context, the message started to make sense. Shortly after, I decided to be a serious Jesus follower. I believed.

I am convinced that God's plan all along was to use Rodney Prater's life and death to get to me. There are probably others that can make this same boast. My faith story is big-time, as are all stories of salvation, because God brought me from death to life.

On the 9th Day of Christmas...

God has given me 9 years of wonderful marriage. The main pastor of our church recently said in a weekend message that marriage is the greatest exercise of self discovery. How true. I have learned so much about myself in these nine years that at times I haven't liked myself very much. Hilary is the real hero in this story as she has had to live with me. She is not my "better half," nor does she "complete me." She is, however, my life partner who supports and encourages me in good times or bad. We hold each other accountable to all that God wants in our lives. Accountability is the part no one likes but it's the part that creates the best fruit.

Marriage is an on-going spiritual retreat that requires thoughtful effort and honest responses. It is a practical demonstration of a spiritual reality, that being, the relationship between Christ and those who follow Him in devotion. Our lives of faith are stronger and maturing because of our relationship with one another. Our relationship is at it's best when we are investing in each other, seeking the best and serving one another. Funny how that same formula works as we pursue God. Our closeness or distance to God correlates with our attitude and service to others.

My marriage truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

On the 8th Day of Christmas...

12 Days of Christmas: God's Gift To Me.

First Day: a wife

Second Day: 2 years of running

Third Day: 3 years of stable residence

Fourth Day: 4 children

Fifth Day: 5 year plan

Sixth Day: 6 books

Seventh Day: 7 episodes of disappointment & failure

Now here is where this Christmas series of blogs gets dicey. I don't have eight of anything. I really only have two choices, ideas that seem plausible. The first being Facebook, as Kate Gosselin keeps appearing as a friend suggestion. I could befriend her and claim that I know someone with 8 kids. It kind of weirds me out that her profile pic keeps showing up to begin with, not to mention the idea of befriending a single, female Hollywood star.

Or, I could go with the fact that I have no memory whatsoever of 8th grade year. Seriously. I know the name of the building I walked into every morning that year but that's it. I don't recall any teachers' names or funny pranks or anything associated with any extra curriculars. There was my three day bus suspension for fighting, my failed attempt with the Speech & Drama team, the cracking noise my voice started making, rigging the locker so I could forget the combination, the incessant acne, and the archery unit in P.E. Other than that, my mind is drawing a blank.