Coming up to Bat

The following is my first column as Sports Editor for the Murray State News:

In the big leagues, stepping up to bat for the first time has to be scary. You’re anxious, excited, intimidated and maybe a little queasy. 

That’s how I feel about becoming sports editor; it’s as if I’m coming up to bat for the first time and am trying to remember everything I learned in training. 

As I pick up my bat, which is more like a pencil, and head to the plate, which is more like a desk, my mind

reflects on all the people who have helped me reach this position.

Images of my general managers, my mom and dad, float through my mind. If it hadn’t been for them and their

encouragement I never would have made it this far. They are the best coaches I could have ever asked for and I am so thankful for their counsel, wisdom and example.

The photographs in my mind keep cycling as the pre-game jitters continue to work their way through my system. The role of trainer has been filled by Greg Waddell, whose encouragement, patience and guidance has set the foundation for my time on this team. I’m so grateful for his leadership and friendship which has been influential and instrumental in my development and growth.

As I approach the batter’s box, I remember all the time spent in preparation and visions flood my mind of teachers, mentors and friends who make up the coaching staff that has propelled me to this moment.

The walk to the plate seems unusually long as I remember the reason I fell in love with the game of sportswriting in the first place. With words one can capture so fully the raw emotions of a moment in life, the triumph and thrill of victory and the bitter taste of defeat. It has become a passion and a source of adrenaline; I love every part of it. 

Before reaching home plate I look back to the dugout and see the team, comprised of my classmates, peers and fellow staff members from The News. The team offers support, accountability and motivation to persevere even under the most difficult of circumstances. The team pushes you to find a way to win when it seems impossible, to pursue excellence with diligence and to exemplify the characteristics of a champion

at all times. For them I am exceedingly grateful. 

My mind drifts back a few moments when I was in the dugout, waiting to be called to play. Despite the lulls in the game, I enjoyed viewing the game from that perspective. There was a level of safety and ease found in being surrounded by teammates and endless cups of Gatorade.

This new perspective, however, forces me out of my comfort zone and into the exciting world of responsibility

and pressure. Accompanied with that, is the overwhelming fear of letting the team down. Despite the fear, excitement is creeping in my system as my long-held dream of being a sports journalist becomes reality.

Suddenly aware of the crowd, I glance at the faces filling the stadium. Countless people who have impacted my life smile their encouragement and I draw confidence just from their presence. I see my sister and her husband, as well as Kaitlin, Loree and so many others whose footprints on my heart will never be replaced or forgotten. I am so thankful each of you are a part of my life.

However, it is my owner, God, who has my biggest thanks, for it is He who bought me with a price and added me to His eternal team. It is an honor to play for Him.

The journey to the plate is almost complete. As I take the last few steps one goal resonates within me: to  represent my owner and team of Racers well. I may foul and strike out a few times along the way, but I vow to myself and the team to always give the very best effort possible and to share my passion of sports,  particularly Murray State sports, the Olympics and the St. Louis Cardinals, to the best of my ability. 

The slideshow in my head is finished and the nerves have started to subside. Excitement is taking over and a calm spirit has settled within me. My cleats are firmly planted in the dirt and I raise the bat and look to the

pitcher. He takes a sign and throws. I see the ball well and swing hard.

This is going to be a great season.

Quick Update

Six months later I'm writing another blog. 

God has done some huge things since December, here are a few random things that have happened over the last few months...

• Finished a full year of studies at Murray State.
• Hired as Sports Editor for the Murray State News.
• Went to Ecuador, South America for missions.
• God brought Himself glory through the most embarrassing moment of my life.
• The Lord has stretched my comfort zone too many ways to list.
• Adopted a Compassion Child! (Suleiman Ali, he's seven and from Kenya, Africa)
• Being a sports writer for the newspaper I was able to build relationships with athletes, coaches and sports information people that I never would have been able to, which has led to opportunities to share the Gospel as well as receive more encouragement than I have space to write about from people I would have never expected, including a Green Bay Packer. 
• God surrounded me with so many amazing friends at Murray and has given me the amazing honor, privilege and responsibility of leading some of the brightest and beautiful girls in the Word and in their walks. So humbling.
• Did a 'Works of the Flesh' and 'Fruits of the Spirit' study. So powerful.
• Read 1 & 2 Peter, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, Romans, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 John, Philemon, James and Isaiah. (Isaiah is my new favorite book of the Bible. SO GOOD!)
• Went to Passion 2011 with my sister. Too many memories to name... God is so huge! 
• He redirected my summer plans and placed me in a situation that forced me to seek His advice and approval more than others.
• Discovered Elisabeth Elliot is my hero (more on this to come). 

I can think of so many others but they all have long stories attached to them and I don't have the time to write all of those out.

Murray State Campus Outreach crew at New Years Conference

This summer I'm staying home and interning at my church, transcribing sermons and organizing a summer discipleship project for the 10-14 year old girls called True Beauty, where we will learn and discuss what a godly woman looks like. From cooking, cleaning and sewing, to etiquette, purity and modesty, we will explore Gospel-centered topics that reveal glimpses of God's heart and desire in designing the complex infrastructure known as the female.

I'm really excited about staying home and being with my family, but I do miss all my Murray friends who are in Orlando for the Campus Outreach Summer Project. So many prayers being lifted up for them! God is going to do huge things for them and I cannot wait to hear about it!

There are so many things that I want to say. So many things God has done that I want to share, but time escapes me and so does the proper amount of space for a blog that will keep people's attention. 

Here is my favorite verse of the moment, dive into this little nugget and swim around in the God's love for awhile:

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him." -Isaiah 30:18

Give and Take

This culture has a mindset of give and take. You give to me and then I'll give back to you.

But guess what? That's the culture, and, as New Testament Christians, we are called to be opposite of culture and what is popular with the world. Just look at Romans 12:2

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

So, if we're supposed to be opposite of the world, what does New Testament "giving and taking" look like? Well, if you look at scripture it's a whole lot more giving and very little taking, except for taking part in the immeasurable grace and lavish love of our amazing Father. Which, if you think about it, is enough to satisfy us for eternity. So give into His love and take part in His grace. For those of you keeping score at home, that's a win-win situation.

My wonderful brother-in-law, Whitt, has been sharing ways to "Give this Christmas Away" on his supremely awesome blog that you should read here. The inspiration for his daily posts encouraging giving come from Matthew West's book, appropriately titled, Give this Christmas Away, and the purpose of the devotionals is to recognize that God has given to us so we can give to others.

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." -2 Corinthians 9:11 

We are called to put others before ourselves and become servants, following the example of the greatest servant the world will ever know, Jesus Christ.

And, as I've been striving to live radically different from the world, God has heightened my awareness to different ways we can give to others, and as mom and I were standing in the check out lane at Walmart this week one of His ideas came to me.

Lets think about this, the Christmas season has become so commercialized that the hustle and bustle of the season have added two new buddies: stress and press (through the crowds). And who has to deal with these pesky little joy snatchers more than the workers in retail stores? They have to put up with inconsiderate people pushing and shoving, sometimes clawing their way to get to the best sale or to get that last toy on the shelf. Speaking of shelves, customers mess up the displays and don't put unwanted items back where they belong, they don't take the time to wait for others but are too caught up in the moment and the hunt of finding that certain gift to check off their list that they temporarily (or not-so-temporarily) lose even the simplest concern for the workers who must fix the displays, round up the carts left scattered across wintery parking lots and run the cash registers for them while dealing with a less than pleasant 'tude.

Okay, so not every shopping experience is like this. In fact, sometimes Christmas and the "spirit" of the season brings out the best in people (which the Bible says is like filthy rags...) and they're sweet, thoughtful and patient with every person they encounter, but, lets be honest, those occasions are few and far between.

But what if we purchased gift cards from stores or restaurants and carried them around with us and gave them to store workers who seem to be having a particularly rough day? Or maybe give one to the employee who seems to have joy unexplainable and isn't letting their stressful circumstances affect their attitude? Pray for the Spirit to show you who is to recieve the gift, sometimes it won't make sense but just be obedient and leave the results up to God.

Why should we give to others?

Most importantly because the Bible says too.

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." -1 John 3:17-18

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." -Luke 6:35

"Give and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put in your bosom for with the same measure that you use, it will be measure back to you." -Luke 6:38

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." -2 Corinthians 9:11

We love because God has loved us. We give because He has given to us. When we didn't deserve it. When we thought we could live without it. When we didn't want Him. When we spit in His face. When we rebelled.

So why shouldn't we pour out what He has poured into us? We are called to love the world and extend a picture of the Gospel to them through our lives. And you might notice as you read through Scripture and follow God through the highs and lows of life, that He didn't just give to us one time. No, He gives to us over and over, His mercies are new every morning. So this whole "season of giving" should be a life of giving, I mean, Jesus gave His whole life. Literally.  

Will you join me in living and giving radically to the world Jesus died for as He has so generously given to us?

Let's take less and give more this Christmas and throughout the rest of our lives.

Radically Different

That’s what we’re called to be… right?

By the way, I was going to try and see how many times I could incorporate the word ‘radical’ into this blog, but decided against it. Anyway, I finished reading Radical by David Platt this week and let me tell you it was such a blessing to read, despite how convicting it was at times (meaning from the first page to the last page).

In the book, Platt calls Christians to live as the Bible commands, radically different from the world and in the last chapter he encourages everyone to take a one year challenge:

1. Pray for the entire world.
2. Read through the entire Word.
3. Spend time in another context/culture
4. Sacrifice money for a specific purpose
5. Commit to being part of a local community of believers

So far I have number five down. The others? Well, I’m working on them. Operation World is helping with the first challenge, they feature a different country each day and you pray for them. You can even sign up to be emailed the new country each day.

Number four was especially heavy on my heart… How was I, a college student with limited funds, going to sacrifice money for a specific purpose when almost every expenditure feels like a sacrifice? As I prayed about how God would have me sacrifice money for others, He showed me exactly what I was supposed to do (funny how He does that… answer our prayers. Shocking).

So, for the next year I won’t be buying any clothes (or accessories) for myself, but will use the money I would have spent on clothes for someone else. I figure I typically spend at least $300 on clothes a year, so that’s the amount I’m starting with. I keep thinking about clean water for the world, as in building wells in Africa or the Dominican Republic but I know $300 won’t do that.

I’m going to Passion 2011 in January and they have their awesome “Do Something Now” center filled with solid ministry opportunities to share the Gospel with people who haven’t heard about Jesus as well as missions to bring health and life to the people hurting from diseases without aid in their own country, so maybe there God will show me a clearer view of where He wants the money to go.

Over the past year God has awakened my heart to global missions and this is another step in sharing the Gospel that is Jesus with the world, which is the cry of my heart at the present time.

I can’t wait to see what else God has in store for the future, I simply want to be obedient to whatever He wills, whether that be sharing the Gospel in Africa, Murray or Paducah, I just want to be closer to Him.

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."” –Isaiah 6:8

Giving Thanks

As much as I like to be original, I'm following in the path of my brother-in-law (Whitt Madden ) and others like him who have made lists of what they are thankful for.


So on this day, the last Thursday of November, I will share a few of the things that make me thankful.

• Salvation from the horrible sickness of sin that is given only from and through the Lord Jesus Christ. "Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free//For God the just was satisfied to look on Him and pardon me."
• The cross. This life doesn't make sense without it.
• The Word of God that is living and active and real.
• My family. I've been so blessed with godly parents who love Him and desire to live in a manner that brings glory to Him.
• Murray. The cute little city and school, but especially for the family of believers God has allowed me to be a part of. I am continually overwhelmed by their faith, testimony and desire to serve the Lord in all things, I'm so blessed to have friends my own age who are seeking the Lord's will for their lives and striving to live according to it.
• God's amazing provision.
• C&C (coffee and conversation) with my sister and brother-in-law.
• Music. Especially worship music like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Tenth Avenue North, and others who sing the truth and display God's majesty through song.
• Books; like Radical, 50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die, When God Writes Your Love Story, and more.
• This summer and all the lessons God taught me through the experience.
• The Church.
• Scripture that says I am the bride of Christ.
• Fall.
• Spring.
• Baseball (St. Louis Cardinals).
• My iPhone.
• Cameras.
• Christmas decorations.
• Love. Infinite, free, matchless, deep; the Love that came to die so we could live. Love that covers all.

It is so important for us to be filled with thanks before and after we are filled with food. Be thankful today and everyday.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." -Hebrews 12:28-29

How Many Ways Can You Spell Responsibility?

Only one way, really. (R-e-s-p-o-n-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y.) But it's spelled out pretty clearly in these verses:

""So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.""          -Ezekiel 33:7-9

Thanks to my sweet friend, Lauren for sharing these verses with me.

God's Unchanging, Amazing Character

God is so good. Through my time at Murray (and where has the semester gone?!) God has revealed Himself in ways that I never imagined; He is constantly overwhelming me with His grace and surrounding me with His faithfulness. He is just so good!

I went to my sister's church for "Gathering of Worshippers" Saturday night, and it was so refueling! So many people there just to sing praises "with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all," and it was such a great time of fellowship. During the laid back time of worship we took communion together and one guy in our group said as he thought about the bread representing the body of Christ this thought came to him: He was broken so we could be whole.

Basically there were instant tears pooling in my eyes at that amazing thought. Since then, that fact hasn't been far from my heart but has been joined with a couple other little ironic thoughts.

• Jesus took on our sickness (sin) and became sick so we could be healed.
• Jesus became death so we could live.
• The Father turned away from the Son so we could be joined with Him forever (separated so we could be joined together).

Little as they are, those thoughts melt me into a puddle of thankfulness. God is just beyond good. Despite our complete worthlessness, He sees value in us because we are hid in Christ.

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that Faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

"For as many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise."                                            -Galatians 3:23-29

I hope you are experiencing the beautiful love of the One who gave Himself for you. If you arent, ponder the words of the Lord:

"Come to Me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David."     -Isaiah 55:3