Way to go Tex! Mark Teixeira, after a less than stellar effort in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, hit a tremendous homer last night off Dontrelle Willis to help the American League to their ninth consecutive All-Star Game victory.
Yesterday's Dallas Morning-News had a wonderful feature story on Tex. He has a great perspective on life and the game. His values -- in contrast to some of the black eye events that have marred the Rangers in the last year -- are impeccable and he, along with Michael Young and Hank Blalock, provide the face of the future of the organization.
In his report today, Jamey Newberg suggests making a long-term commitment to Tex would be the most significant movement the Rangers could make this coming offseason. I couldn't agree more!
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"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest" (Proverbs 14.4).
That proverb has a lot to say to me right now. You see, we're in the process of selling our home. Last Friday evening, we had our carpet cleaned. I talked with Mandy and the girls about the absolute necessity of keeping the carpet clean so that our house would show well.
Well, guess what? Saturday morning, as I'm rolling out of bed, I notice Tori walking the down the hall toward her bedroom, with a bottle of chocolate milk turned upside down. Her unmistakable trail was impossible to miss.
Then, on Sunday night after church, Trae dropped a glass of tea just outside of the kitchen, spilling it all over the carpet in the entryway of our home.
(I guess we should have waited till Monday to get the carpet cleaned, huh?)
The point is this: Proverbs 14.4 makes clear that in the absence of the ox, the barn is perfectly clean. It doesn't stink. There are no messes to clean up. There is no intense labor in caring for the ox and cleaning up the mess.
But what is lost when the barn is pristine perfect? There is no abundant harvest! It is through the presence of the ox, mess and all, that the blessing comes. That's true in agriculture. It's true in a home. It's true in a church family.
Just think how often we focus on the mess and miss the blessing! When we focus on the a stain on the carpet and overlook the blessing to have a stain. Carpet is replaceable (and that might be inevitable if we are to sell our home) but the heart of the peson who created the stain (be it in a marriage, a home or a church) isn't.
I'm grateful to serve a God who sent His Son to deal with the stains in my life. I'm grateful to worship a God who looked past the mess and sent His Son with a message -- a message of hope and healing, of recovery and renewal.
"You can't have a message without a mess" someone has said. How true!
