Center Focus

Being back home in Albuquerque is great, everyone that knows me knows how I feel about being able to come back and what it means to me. Here is what some don’t know, the one thing I can’t stand about coming back here, is the driving.

Abilene and Albuquerque differ in almost every way, but driving is the one that gets me the most. In Abilene, I’m never afraid of getting blind-sided, side-swiped, rear-ended, or being cut off. In Albuquerque, from the time I turn the car on, I am playing defense for my life. Exaggeration, somewhat, accurate though none the less. I will end my tangent on the statement of this; drivers in New Mexico are typically below average. I said it, so deal with it. And if you don’t agree with me, you are one of the drivers I have a hard time dealing with, sorry, much love.

I was driving down I40 just the other day and for the first time since I’ve been home I felt as if I was driving down a street in Abilene. Everyone was moving the same speed (or close to), no one was swerving in and out of lanes trying to get to the most important thing at that moment, and I wasn’t constantly having to check my mirrors for the next person who may be looking to make my life miserable and nerve racking. So I began to think, “How is this happening?” Like I stated before, everyone was going close to the same speed, why, it’s the law. This thing called the speed limit.

When driving everyone is aware there is something called the speed limit (or so you would think, joke). Everyone is to center their driving around that speed, the rest of the driving laws fall in place, signaling, yielding, etc. But I want to focus on the fact that the main center of driving safely/commonly is because of the speed limit.

As I was driving down I40, I was going close to the speed limit (rare for me in Albuquerque I must admit) and the cars surrounding me were as well. We were traveling smoothly, care-free, and everything was good with that.

Here’s the life spin on how that relates to our lives, get ready for this!
I hope I can do justice to the thought that has been spinning in my head since this happened.

Our lives, my life (I’ll speak for myself), is focused around something, faith. My life is focused around my relationship with Jesus Christ. I live my life, and do the things I do, with Christ at the center of all of them, to glorify Him. I’ve noticed and I’ve written before that I have many flaws and hard times in my walk, and here’s what I’ve come to realize as I sat in my car, driving down I40.

When traffic is moving the way it was, I had to look around to make sure it was real, that things were actually going that well, that it was really happening without flaws and life threatening events. Then a car came into my mirror, going at least 10 over, swerving in and out of traffic, passing everyone any way he could. That green explorer was zooming in and out, bypassing everyone, legally, illegally, and mostly, without consideration for anyone around him.

I have a lot of moving parts in my life, lots of things going on and constantly happening at one time, with me left to try to balance and coordinate it all. I hope by now you have caught on to what I am trying to point out, but if not, here it is.

The speed limit (should be) is the center of driving, and when everyone follows that, things move smoothly and in the manner they were supposed to happen. God is (should be) at the center of all the things in my life. When I give Him control of everything, things seem to go pretty good, obviously, because its according to His plan. But when I put one thing in a place of more importance than another, it is just like that green Explorer swerving in and out of traffic. When I put one thing at a higher importance that God at any given moment, things start to lose balance, things don’t go how they were supposed to. All it takes is one thing, and everything around it will start to shake and seem to change, usually not for the better.

I know that may not be clear, you had to be there maybe, but my closing is this:
Don’t let anything become more important than another, focus it all around God, and He will coordinate what is going to happen and when it is going to happen. Keep your eyes fixed


Much Love

Bigger Than Baseball

Last night I was involved in the most outrageous, incredible, stressful, thrilling, and utterly draining game of my entire life. I truly believe I will never play in a game that will mirror that (lets hope) for the fact that I’d rather take care of business in a more common fashion. There are two things I want to hit on though so stick with me.

1: We played a game last night that lasted 14 innings and took nearly 5 hours. We were leading in the game for 3 innings out of those 14. We came back in the last inning to push another inning 4 separate times. 18 roster players were used in the game. Miss College had 1 past ball all weekend, and it scored a tying run to push another inning. We made base running mistakes, defensive errors, missed spots pitching, didn’t get bunts down, the list goes on. We won the entire series by a score of 32-31. You can name off things I left out I know, but you think about this, we STILL won the game, and won the series. This TEAM was on its last pitch numerous times, this TEAM could have given up down 3 runs in the 9th, a run in the 11th, or down 2 runs in the 12th and 13th, but we didn’t. That’s not normal, teams don’t win a series the way this team did. Team’s don’t play games like that to advance, if I’m wrong please tell me what team and when (don’t even think about bringing up the Red Sox down 3-0, that’s old news and weak on so many levels). But you tell me if you have ever been apart of something like last night (for those of you there-thank you by the way to all the fans/supporters of HSU Baseball). This TEAM is special, this TEAM has something other team’s don’t. I can’t put a finger on exactly what it is but I do know this, God was at John J. Hunter Field last night watching over the Cowboys, and He wasn’t done with this TEAM.

2. You can believe what you want, you can tell me that “that’s baseball” and “miracles can happen” or “anything is possible”. Frankly, I’ll agree with you, but only to an extent. I do believe that in the great game of baseball that I love anything can happen, and anyone can win on any day, and crazy things can happen. But I do believe in a higher power. Last night I looked at guys in the dugout and we agreed, something bigger was taking place (long before the 14th inning). Something bigger than the men in the dugout was there last night. We talk about playing for a higher glory, the eternal glory, His glory. Talk is cheap, we’ve all heard that, and last night there was more than talk that happened. Don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying that it was us that won the game, however it was Him, in us. Him, in our team, in our dugout, in our purpose. God wasn’t done with the HSU Cowboys last night down 6-3 in the 9th inning. He wasn’t done with the baseball that we are going to play for His glory, He wasn’t done getting his glory through us.
Last night in Abilene, TX, God showed up to Hunter Field at Hardin-Simmons University for more than just 14 innings, he showed up at 12pm when we took the field to run/stretch/throw. He showed up and carried us for over 10 hours of baseball that up to this point, has defined our season. Phil 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Cliché? Maybe. But last night, I don’t think we can disagree that God was with us all, and He carried us to a victory when it looked (plenty of times) that the clock had struck midnight on our season.

This team isn’t done yet, the best is still yet to come, can’t wait to see what we do in Dallas! “Blessed is the man who perseveres”


Much Love