This is a familiar clique, to be mindful of your wishes. Because you just may get what you ask for, of course. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and I have been thinking about those things for which I am grateful. Thanksgiving Day is not considered a traditional religious holiday although I tend to make it one because of the good stuff I enjoy has a source. God is the one who blesses me and you and sometimes His blessings aren't enjoyable. Things like correction and conviction aren't' fun but are beneficial to our lives because our sights are shallow compared to God's vision which stretches out beyond the edges of eternity. Then there are seasons of life that God seems to not have a response to our requests. Sometimes our prayers go unanswered.Recently in my reading I reviewed the story of the triumphal entry. I'll quote from Matthew's perspective found in his writings, chapter 21:1-11.As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the
Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village
ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by
her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to
you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to
the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a
donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " The disciples went and did as
Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed
their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread
their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread
them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that
followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus
entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in
Galilee."
The Jews were expecting a Messiah, had been for generations. The Jews were also expecting the Messiah to lead them to freedom from the overwhelming authority of the Roman government who ruled their land. Jesus was not the military commander or political figure that they wanted. The folks understood that Jesus was God's son, but they didn't seem to understand the kind of freedom Jesus was to provide. Jesus is a king but not in the worldly sense that we understand. He is the king of another type, the king of salvation. The followers of Jesus didn't get what they were hoping for and it's a good thing too, otherwise sin would not have been defeated. God didn't desire us to be saved from the Romans (insert here whatever is dogging you), His desire was to save us from our corrupt selves.So, this Thanksgiving I'm thinking about the things that didn't happen this year and why I'm grateful.
The Henson family participated in TurkeyFest at VCC this morning. We picked up a food box last weekend and filled it up with all the items that would constitute traditional Thanksgiving dinner fare. These grocery boxes (1,200 plus were delivered today) are meant for those in our city whose life's circumstances are under stress. The church was at work today, serving those specifically singled out by the Holy Spirit.
Listen, that last sentence is not just some cute, church jargon thrown out to sound pure or holy or theologically sound. The Holy Spirit moved among His people today and the church was empowered. The Hensons were empowered. When we arrived this morning we had no idea who would receive the box we had prepared. In fact, a stack of loose sheets of paper with what seemed to be random names and address were sent down each isle. Each family or person participating was to take one and go. As the stack came to me I grabbed the one on top and passed the remaining stack to the guy next to me. Turns out, the person we delivered our TurkeyFest box to happens to live just a couple of miles from us.
Recently, as in yesterday, Hilary and I were talking about our time here in NCH and our desire to get more plugged-in to the community. We were sort of complaining about how disconnected we feel sometimes although we agreed it was our own fault. We are looking for ways to serve in our own neighborhood; meeting new people and letting God use us. So, of the 1,200 grocery boxes delivered all over greater Cincinnati today, we had the privilege of serving a lady right down the street.
Truth is, I don't really believe that stack of papers identifying those in need was random at all. Sure, those in dire circumstance are to be loved and served regardless of where they live. If we had delivered our box to a family in Loveland or Milford, the same Holy Spirit would have empowered us to bless and serve another just the same. I think God may be trying to tell us that our conversation about our neighborhood and our place in it was legit. God blessed us with just the opportunity we were looking for.
The weather has turned real cold here and there have actually been quite a few snow flakes fall. For a baseball fan, that forecast is a real downer because the upcoming season feels so far away. Even though it is cold and only November, there are plenty of interesting story lines to follow. In fact, I find myself regularly checking all my favorite sports web sites reading about potential trades and free agent signings. MLB calls this time of year the Hot Stove League. I love baseball because of its year round action, even during the off season. Watching for the trades and reading all the rumors helps me get through the dreadful winter. I guess that makes me a baseball nerd, or junkie, or addict, or whatever name you want. I have to admit that sometimes I more than regularly check my favorite websites. There is this one site called MLB trade rumors that I tend to check 3 or 4 times a day. Hey, if the news and rumors were not updated as often as it is then my visits would not be as frequent.
I think the most compelling part of the Hot Stove League, apart from the rumors, are the actual trades. For a major sports enterprise that has no salary cap one would think that trades would be quite frequent. I think the statistics would show that, although I do not have any numbers on my windshield to back up this claim. Compared to the NFL and NBA, MLB franchises seemingly make more trades. Since trades are fairly 
frequent, especially in the winter, the hot stove fuels all the rumors--talk of player swaps and free agent signings.
The casual fan ignores this part of the baseball calendar but the freak (like me) follows it like he follows the rise and fall of the NASDAQ or the daily weather forecast. Why? Because in November thru February all teams are equal, zero games back. It is during this portion of the calendar that the rosters are being built. Changes are being made as a result of the previous seasons performance, filling the holes and improving the deficiencies. With all the trades, rumors of trades, and free agent signings, it keeps a freak fan locked it and excited about the possibilities for the upcoming season. Why do you think the Cubs fan always say, "There's always next year."? It is not exclusively because the Cubs have a 100 year streak without a World Series win. Hold on, maybe that is the primary reason. (I digress.) Anyway, the point is that the hot stove action generates the optimism of spring when every fan and every team has hope for a season with a different outcome, unlike the season prior.
I am impatiently waiting for what my favorite team is going to do. The Jake Peavy to the Braves trade rumor has been swirling for some three weeks now. As recent as today there is talk of the Braves trading for Roy Halladay. The Braves have a lot of upgrades to make especially with the starting rotation and acquiring more power and increased run production in the line-up. If they can do all that then they have a shot. See what I mean? I am getting excited about a team that lost 90 games last season.
Now, off to scour the latest rumors and headlines. Maybe a trade is going down even as we speak!
I made a word cloud of More Questions Than Answers. I did this at Wordle; a free online software apparatus. It is kind of artistic the way the words appear but also interesting to see the words I have used. This could be the deepest insight into understanding what actually lies within my skull. Caution! What you find in there could be dangerous (definitely not normal).
Here is my latest entry in a short fiction experiment called 110words. This entry was submitted on Election Day eve and as you can see, politics was my source of inspiration. Maybe inspiration isn't exactly the right word. It must have struck a nerve because it was chosen as the feature last week.
Dirty Politics"Geez Joe! Say it ain't so", Sarah shouts."Now that I'm VP I don't have all that much to do," Joe responds. "So I thought I would convert this restroom to accommodate both sexes like the North Koreans have done in public places. I am the foreign policy expert you know.""This is the U.S. Capitol building, NOT North Korea." Condescendingly Sarah jabs, "Haven't you ever heard of freedom?""That's unfair," Joe says."Is it?" Sarah replies, "You're peering over my restroom stall. Unless you're here to diffuse a nuclear bomb I don't need you in every aspect of my life."Joe concludes, "You haven't see the half of it."
I remember my first exposure to baseball. I was eight years old and, at that time, the only thing that had my interest was drawing--no sports whatsoever. Sports of any type were unknown to me. One evening I was watching TV with my dad. Since remote controls were non-existent in those days my job was to push the channel buttons on the set as my dad prompted from his chair. So I pushed the buttons that night, up and down the channel line-up hoping I would be prompted to land on something good. As I was flipping, my curiosity spiked when the picture rotation briefly stopped on a baseball game. Of course, I did not watch long as I was prompted to change the channel. After previewing all that cable had to offer that night, Dad declared there was "nothing on." Realizing an opportunity to go back to the game I asked if I could watch. He approved my request and together we watched. My only memory of the game itself is of a tall, lanky outfielder-number "3", hitting a home run. I was confused at first because it seemed to me futile to hit a ball so far that the other players were not able to participate. As the TV camera captured the fans excitement I quickly realized that something "good" had just happened. Number "3" was Dale Murphy and he became my childhood hero.
I love baseball because it reminds me of how great it is to be a kid. I remember those days and how much fun I had playing and following the game. Waiting for baseball season, winter crept along; passing much too slow. My addiction to baseball made the summer pass much too fast. Life was simple then, just school and baseball.
I love baseball because it is a link to my father. There were those games of catch and ground ball practice after he came home from work and on weekends. There was also the talk he gave about not quitting and finishing what you start. In his mind, I am a major leaguer. As he and Mom were the only ones who believed in me as I pursued my dream of playing professionally. It was their dream too.
I love baseball because of what the game has taught me. Out on that diamond I learned how to be a team player by focusing on my specific role. I discovered what it meant to work hard and prepare, improving my skills as a result. I learned how to set goals, persevering when achievement seemed unlikely. I understood that winning is no accident and that talent does not guarantee success. I realized that learning to be a leader meant first learning to be lead. Baseball has been a great teacher and currently is a great reminder of those lessons. Gone are the days of my childhood and life is much harder now, but the lessons taught by baseball have been foundational and truly important.
There are 147 days until opening day! What am I going to do until then?
I continue to submit weekly entries in this short fiction experiment. Lately the instructions have included a prompt which exists to generate creativity in story telling. For #011 the prompt was: "What ridiculous event is the man in the photo driving away from?" Here is my entry.
Car Ride Home
Larry's car hummed a deep growl as it idled in front of room 12A. He waits for her. This is not the first time; in fact, they had grown accomstomed to these secret encounters. Larry flicks the gray head off his cigarette and draws in another dose. As the nicotine mixes with the idle fumes, his mind suddenly begins to race. The muscles in his gut tighten and guilt overwhelmes. Larry curses himself wondering why he cannot control his urges. Frustrated, he turns up the radio trying to kill the conviction and fear. Still waiting for her, the conviction and fear win out. Larry revs the engine and drives home.
