Blog
Consistency
On this last Wednesday night, my son and I watched the San Antonio Spurs run a basketball clinic at the expense of the Minnesota Timberwolves. To watch Manu Ginobili when his eye and his hand coordinate to create laser accurate passes is to watch a demonstration of the incredible power of the human mind and body. God’s majesty presents itself in every way when we watch for it...
ACT OF VALOR
Act of Valor got to the big screen and has been a hit with audiences nationwide, even without applying Hollywood’s standard politically correct formula. It is unapologetically pro-American. The enemy, an Islamic Radical, is clearly depicted as evil. Not simply confused or justly angry with capitalism, but eeeeviilll. How often do we see this? Act of Valor does not ask us to
BEER FOR MY HORSES
I was by myself with the windows down in Big Bend National Park. Mine was the only car on the highway, meandering through painfully beautiful landscapes and listening to a playlist I created for just such quintessential Texas moments. With the red granite cliffs of the Chisos Mountains to the left of me and the desert to the right and in front of me, the imposing landscape begged to be complemented with loud music from the masters of Texas songwriting:
Who is to Blame?
In the last few weeks, I have heard news of several personal tragedies in the area that we live. Suicide, overdose, cancer, betrayal, and more that cannot even be described with a single adjective. It casts a cloud of sadness over life. It is a reminder of the abject brokenness of the world, and the effect it has on the human soul and body...
BELOVED SONS AND WARRIORS
"Train a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6
As I have the privilege of playing baseball with these 8 and 9 year old boys I am constantly reminded of the critical and fragile role a man plays in his son’s ever-evolving world. It’s sad but true that, as a culture, we've largely forgotten the art of raising boys into men. It's only been in the last 1-2 generations that father and son have not worked awkwardly close to one another in a field or a workshop. Fathering a young boy skillfully to manhood is an art
Coach Jay's Awesome Baseball Blog
This Blog is dedicated to encouraging and equipping my young warriors on the diamond to run faster, throw truer, hit harder and play smarter. Every sport and challenge God gives us is an opportunity to learn more about life and about ourselves. Every honest victory is reason to celebrate, and every defeat is an opportunity to learn, improve, and show true grit. Baseball is the perfect place to learn some of the great lessons on becoming a man. As a man
Small Town Parade
This week was homecoming for the high school my two girls attend. Since we live in what is essentially a small town in the middle of a large city, some small town events still occur. One of them is the annual homecoming parade. It occurs at 4:00 in the afternoon and travels about 2 miles up the main street of the town. It is led by the town police cruiser and the big ladder truck from the fire department.
KING ME.
“The story of man is the story of God’s desire to make men into kings and men’s inability to handle it.” This is a poor translation from memory of a quote by Dallas Willard (or somebody else). The author’s name didn’t stick with me but the quote did, and for two reasons: 1. I know the statement is absolutely true and 2. I
THE THING WE HAVE TO FEAR
My daughter’s fear is that she isn’t safe in the middle of the night.
She’s also afraid to leave the house with her hair out of place.
Fear makes her shy. It makes her cry.
My wife is the same.
My son’s fear is that another kid will best him...
Long's Peak
“Step again, old man. Breathe.”. That's what my head kept telling me to do. So I did. Thousands of times. The hypnotic voice talked me up to 14,255 feet where the air is thin (compared to San Antonio) and the view is...indescribable. It was like being in an airplane, except that it was cold and windy and you had plenty of legroom (but without the desire to move your legs any more).
Eclipse
“Once upon a time I was falling in love, now I’m only falling apart
There’s nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart”
Bonnie Tyler
I was driving this morning when these lyrics entered my conscious from the radio speakers. The reasons that Bonnie Tyler wrote these lyrics is not something I know, but I really know what it feels like to have a heart that is not exposed to the light.
ENGINEERS AND THEOLOGIANS
I spent a few hours with my Band of Brothers tonight. Our discourse floated around from jobs to sports camps to the expenses and emotions associated with a daughter's wedding. But somehow we kept coming back to the topic: “How does the beauty of the gospel become visible to the common man?” The talk wandered again, this time to
Turning 50
I turned 50 last month. It is supposed to be a big deal birthday with lots of reflection and pondering on life, both past and future. The world says that you’re an idiot if you don’t have your portfolio secured and a 2nd house by this time.
Water: Good for Drinking, Sailing, and Turning into Wine
This is Alan Pyle's first blog. It's pretty short.
JOY KILLER
Last night I was told by Doug, my loud-mouthed Canadian buddy, that the problem with me is that I'm a huge control freak. Are these the words of a friend? I immediately asked him to repeat the statement, fully expecting it's revocation with some followup like "Only kidding. Lighten up man." What I got was a repeat without hesitation and with greater emphasis on the word HUGE... "You are a HUGE control freak." Ouch!