Life's Curve Balls

When I was in high school and playing baseball, one thing I struggled with was hitting a curve ball. This skill is usually what keeps young athletes from moving on to college baseball and college baseball players from moving on to the pros. But, when I came up against a pitcher who was throwing curves, I would often move up in the batter’s box (closer to the pitcher) and choke up on the bat. By moving closer I was attempting to try and hit the ball before it actually curved. While this didn't always work I found I was more succesful than just waiting on the ball to break and reacting.

Many people are being thrown curves by life and they aren’t sure how to handle it. I know someone who is having a particularly difficult time, and it has left him feeling that God is vindictive and punishing him. He has been unemployed for over a year and there are no prospects in sight. His health has deteriorated to a point where he says he has prayed his heart would stop.

There are others who wonder if there is a God at all. They see little children coming down with horrible diseases or a father of two being killed while he sits at his desk one Tuesday morning and some evil people fly an airplane into his office building. “If there is a God, how could he allow these things to happen?” they ask.

I used to be in that place. I remember a night in November 1996 when the woman I loved told me she didn't love me and was leaving me. My world crashed in around me, the plan for my life had just changed.

The good news is there is a God, and he isn’t a punishing or vindictive God but a loving God. He is our Heavenly Father and now that I am a parent I understand so much more about how God works. He wants the very best for all of us, but sometimes the road of life is a little rocky, and instead of shielding us from everything, he lets us learn from choices we make and from events that we have no control over.

God gave each of us free will to make our own choices. He didn’t create a bunch of robots. In many, many cases, the problems people suffer are not hard to explain. People have problems because they have made some poor choices in their life. Take the example of a man who loses his job and marriage because he had affair with an employee. Is God to blame for the consequences? What about the person who wrecks his car because he drove while being intoxicated? Is God punishing him or being vengeful? No, these individuals are just suffering the consequences of their choices.

There are things that we will never understand, but God has a plan. If one assumes there isn’t a God then one must assume or believe that everything in the world occurs at random. Because if it weren’t random then that would mean someone is in control and planning it all out.

But, look around. Is what you see a culmination of random events? I don’t understand how anyone could believe that. Things that happen in Random are not generally beautiful. Go grab some leaves and flower petals and roll them in glue and stick them to a sheet of paper. Now, how does what you see compare to a vast field of Bluebonnets in Texas? It doesn’t compare because the field of Bluebonnets was carefully planned and created by our God.

Our God is a God who is in control and has a plan for each of us. That plan may not always be clear or even seem to make sense but there will come a day when it does. Our job while we are here on this earth is to be obedient.

One reason so many people don’t understand life is because they haven’t read the Bible, God’s Word to us. The Bible is a book of letters written by a variety of different authors. These writers were witnesses to God’s miracles and lived through more difficult times than people I know. Ninety percent (90%) of what we need to know about living on this earth is in there. One hundred percent (100%) of what we need to know about what happens when we die is in there.

So, instead of sitting back in life and waiting for the pitch to break so you can swing and miss, step up in the batter’s box and try to hit it before it curves.

The Power of Terry Storch

Yesterday Terry Storch introduced my blog on his blog and look at what it did to my traffic. I have been averaging about 15 visitors a day and yesterday I had 112. Now I am curious if any of those will return.

Introduction from Terry Storch

Terry Storch just posted an introduction to me on his blog. This is an extremely exciting and incredible honor but also a little surprising. As Terry points out, we really don't know each other. But, as an example of the power of the blog, we have connected and share some sort of bond. Also, this is a big honor because Terry has only done 10 introductions up to now and to be one of those is really cool.

Thanks, Terry.

Can you speak two and half year old?

If I were to say to you "yatch shakes sphere?" what would I be saying?

Answer - Can I watch Baby Shakespeare from Baby Einstein?

Joys of Fatherhood #10

Chase smiled!

Yes, our 6 week old really smiled for the first time yesterday. It is so cool to see them smile when they hear your voice.

2nd Amendment Blogger Fired

Read this story on Michelle Malkin's blog about a man who was fired because of his blogging regarding gun rights.

Should you say Should?

One of the first things Shelley and I began learning when we started attending counseling is the power of vocabulary. Our counselor began removing certain words and replacing them with others. One of those is the word "should."

How often do you say "My wife should...." or "I should...."

Try replacing "should" with "beneficial." "It would be beneficial if I did.." or "Honey, it would be beneficial if ..."

The response you get from people is amazing. They will be much more receptive to what you are saying.

Being a Pastor to your Wife

I am reading a book from Tony Evans titled A Man's Role in the Home. He says the man needs to be the Pastor in the home, a shepard who knows how to open up the Word and minister to his family. He says, "If your wife has to go to church to find a pastor, then you are giving another man more influence over your wife and family than you have."

Ouch!

It is one thing to know you have a weakness, but when it jumps out of a book and hits you between the eyes, it can be very convicting.

What is the point?

This morning I went to Home Depot to purchase some tools. I purchased about $200 worth of tools and when I checked out one of the security devices must not have been properly deactivated because all of the alarms went off as I tried to exit. I stopped, turned around expecting someone to be coming my way but not one person had even looked up? Apparently everyone had come desensitized to these alarms.

What is the point then?

Armed Citizen #2

Judith Kuntz, a 64-year-old homeowner from Fort Lauderdale, FL., was awakened by the sound of glass breaking during a forced entry. She was prepared for such an event and had a revolver in her hand when the intruder entered her room. Her shot struck and killed the man from 10 ft. away.

Can you Relate?

Doesn't matter if you are a nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States or just the Director of Technology for a medium sized company, if you are a parent, children can brings us all to the same level.

Update
The previous posted link doesn't work. If you want to see the video then go to Link and then watch the video under "Why was President Bush Smirking Last Night"

Republican?

Because of some recent comments I have made on other blogs I suspect I may be getting traffic from people who ordinarily might not make it to my blog. I thought it only fair that they understand I am a Conservative Republican, and besides my beliefs and ideology, here are a few other pieces of evidence.

1. My oldest son's middle name is Reagan.
2. My youngest son's middle name is Walker, and I lovingly call him "dubya."
3. I have an old and faded "W-04" sticker on the back window of my car that has been there at least 3 years.
4. On our first date, after exchanging a few pleasantries, my wife said to me, "I am going to put this on the table right now; I'm a conservative Republican."
5. My oldest son has belonged to the NRA for 2 years now. (He's only 2 and half.)

Ring of Honor

Congratulations Troy, Emmitt and Michael on being selected to go into the Dallas Cowboy's Ring of Honor

Accidents

When I was growing up and even still today, I was always very cautious, thus I didn't have many accidents growing up. My brother on the other hand was a different story. There was the time he was hit by a car when he was about 9, or the time when he was about 2 or 3 and I put a 1 inch box staple into his forehead, or how about the time he accidentally discharged a handgun in our basement when he 14 or 15.

It is still undetermined yet if Seth is going to be more like me or more like my brother. When Seth was younger he was very cautious so it seemed like he was going to be more like me but lately that trend seems to have shifted a little. Then yesterday he had an accident (don't really want to go into the details in case Child Protective Services is reading this) and while it wasn't too bad it had the potential for a very tragic ending. As I sat last night alone and it starting sinking in how bad it could have been, I just about lost it. Things can change in the blink of an eye.

I am so thankful God protected Seth yesterday.

Joys of Fatherhood #9

When we go to church we take Seth to their pre-school area. Once the service is out and we go to pick him up, he is often in the back of the room looking out the window.

The teacher will say, "Seth, your Daddy is here."

He will then turn and begin running the 30 feet to the door yelling "Daddy, Daddy, My Daddy"

I think it is the "My daddy" part that makes my heart melt.

I demand a recount?

Its not surprising that I have the same score as my wife, but I wonder what I answered that subtracted 14%?

You Are 86% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges. Tough and independent, you think big. You love everything about the US, wrong or right. And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

How American Are You?

Saddam and Osama

Democrats and the media have insisted that Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were not associated. They want us to believe that the War in Iraq is not related to the War on Terrorism but is an unjust war. Prior to this becoming a political issue it was common knowledge that Saddam and Osama had a relationship and that common knowledge is reflected in this ABC Video from five years ago.

Watch it and let me know if you think Saddam and Osama might have been working together.

Thanks to the guys at Powerline for this information.

Army PFC Stephen Tschiderer

Found this story on Michelle Malkin's blog.

Read this account (PDF) of the incident from the 256th Brigade Combat Team.

Watch this video.

I bet you won't hear about this story in the Main Stream Media.

Picture Day

Today we are taking Chase to Kiddie Kandids for his 1 month picture. I'm wondering if it will go better than when we took Seth for his first picture.

The scene is this. We have a brand new mother, a pre-mature baby who doesn't even weigh five pounds and a crowded mall.

Kiddie Kandids was crowded and it was taking a lot longer than we had anticipated. (Who would have thought there would be that many people wanting to get their kids picture taken?). We quickly went through the window of opportunity we had calculated to get this accomplished as Seth was starting to get tired and hungry and Shelley determined that the Staff of Kiddie Kandids weren't doing their jobs properly. I had to practically restrain her from crawling over the counter and going after a couple of the employees.

On a scale of 1 to 10 the stress level had hit 12.

I am sure today will go much better....

UPDATE - We had a great time getting the pictures done and we got some very precious pictures.

Karl Rove

Have you been following this Karl Rove, Rober Novak, Valerie Plame story? I have to a small degree and have been struck by how quiet the administration has been on the whole matter. There has been little effort to defend themselves and to me it seemed like they were content to let democrats and the media run wild with this story. I've been asking myself why they would do this while knowing the answer all along. Because they know there isn't anything there and they know the truth will eventually be revealed and then everyone who has been clamoring for the removal, firing and prosecution of Karl Rove may have to start looking at their own.

Well, it looks like that might be starting to happen. Check this out. Link

Gas Prices

Am I the only one who doesn't understand how gas prices are set?

Last night I drove by my local QT and the price of gas was $2.19. This morning I go by and it is now $2.25 but they haven't had a fuel delivery of any type. So the gas I would have put in my car last night cost them the same as the gas I would have put it in this morning but it is costing me .06 extra a gallon.

July 13, 1968

Thirty-seven years ago today in Durant, Oklahoma a little girl was born and named Richelle Lynn Goodwin. I was 23 months old when this happened and obviously I didn't know the impact that this day would have on me.

Fast forward 29 years to a rainy night in a hotel bar (it wasn't as sleazy as it might sound) where these two souls come together and connect over a common interest in Seinfeld.

Today is my wife's birthday and I realize that there isn't anything that I can say or do that would adequately express my love and gratitude for having the opportunity to have her in my life. I only hope she feels loved, valuable, safe and secure.

Happy Birthday Shelley!!

No Sleep

I haven't slept but a few hours in the last two days. I know I have a newborn and I'm not suppose to be sleeping but I wish I could blame it on that. But, Chase has been sleeping very well the last two days and I know that because I've been awake.

Today should be a fun day because I am going on just a few hours sleep and we have no airconditioning at work. My office is approaching 80 degrees right now and it is just 6 am.

4 Weeks Old

Chase is 4 weeks old today.

When do you stop counting their age in weeks? I think I am switching to months so on Thursday we can celebrate is 1 month birthday.

Next question, when do you stop counting their age in months? I'm not sure when I stopped with Seth but I think it was when he turned two.

My Dream List

The message at church this week was about not letting your fears prevent you from achieving your dreams. As children we had great imaginations and dreamed constantly about what we would do in the future. But, as we became adults we become too "realistic" and often forget about our dreams. One suggestion was to actually write down your dreams, so here is a short list of mine. Hopefully as time goes by I can write how I achieved some of these.

1. Have an impact on someone's life.
2. Watch my two sons accept Christ into their hearts and get baptized.
3. Be Self-Employed.
4. Write a book
5. Go to the Masters.
6. Own a house with some land where we can take the boys to just be boys.
7. Go to the World Series
8. Ride in a balloon.
9. Go to Greece
10. Go to Israel
11. Play a round of golf at Augusta National.
12. Take an Alaskan cruise.

This is just the beginning. I plan to continue to update this list.

What are your dreams?

The Most Ridiculous Item of The Day

Sorry Bill O'Reilly that I'm stealing the title from your segment but it just seemed appropriate.

Shelley directed to me to this blog entry today. I hate to link to it but I can't give it justice so if you are curious you will need to read it yourself.

In summary, it basically states that George Bush and Tony Blair are to blame for the attacks this week in London. Here is one quote from the post, "Both of you should share responsibility for these deaths as well, for you have created a deadly war that can engulf us all."

I respect other people's opinions and I know we all are entitled to those opinions. But, a belief such as the one stated in that entry is ridiculous. The sad thing is that there are many people who have this warped view of reality and many are within the main stream media. How anyone can believe that George Bush or Tony Blair are the equivalent, or as this author seems to believe, worse than Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, just baffles me. I think it is a clear lack of understanding of the difference between Good and Evil.

Google Earth

Another cool thing from Google, Google Earth.

Using Google Maps for Bike and Running Distances

I found this on ktoddstorch@businessthoughts. It is an application that uses Google Maps to determine distances for running, biking or walking routes.

Link to GMaps Pedometer.

The Oprah Effect

A must read. Link

Swimming Lessons

Last night I took Seth to his first swimming lesson and it has me asking this question, "Am I too old for this?"

I am sitting here nursing a sore back and a strained groin muscle following my 45 minute water wrestling session AKA "swimming lessons."

Overall Seth did a great job for a two and half year old. He wasn't afraid of getting in the water or even going under water but I don't think he even realized there was an instructor. He seemed to have his own thoughts on how he was going to learn how to swim and it didn't involve me or anyone else. He spent his time doing his best to get out of my grip. I think he might do better just throwing him in the water and letting him figure it out.

Well, I better go, I have less than 36 hours to rest and heal before our next "swimming lesson."

3 Weeks Old

Chase is 3 weeks old. I can't believe we have had him for 3 weeks now.

Happy Birthday President Bush

Today is President George W. Bush's 59th birthday.

Happy Birthday W!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! Have a safe and wonderful Holiday.

God Bless America!

Quagmire?

As we celebrate the 4th of July my thoughts go back to our founding fathers and the sacrifices they made for the country and freedoms we know today. I also can't help think about the events going on today like Brian Williams calling our forefathers like George Washington a terrorist.

The American Revolution began on April 19, 1975 with the shot heard around the world. The war continued for 8 years until the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1983. There were 4400 deaths and 6100 wounded.

I'm sure the Main Stream Media of today would also consider this a Quagmire and would they have called this George Washington's Vietnam?

I am greatful that the founding fathers had the conviction to stick with what that knew was right and that was the pursuit of freedom, independence and democracy.

Home Alone

I'm all alone, everyone has made a trip to Oklahoma. It is very quiet and you would think that I would be savoring a little quiet time. While it is nice to be able to watch something on TV besides "Little Bear" it is just too quiet.

Things That Make You Go "Hmmm?"

Why isn't the word "Blog" in the spellchecker for Blogger by default?

Terry Storch

I just found out that Terry Storch has posted a link to my blog on his blog under a section called Blogfluence. Terry's blog is responsible for sparking my interest in blogs and ultimately getting me to create my own blog.

A big thanks to Terry and if you aren't reading Terry on a daily basis, I highly recommend it.

(Now I'm feeling some pressure to live up to the standards Terry has created)