Sunday afternoon, the first Rangers telecast of the season was on Fox Sports Southwest from the Rangers' Spring Training home in Surprise, Arizona. I typically spend my entire Sunday afternoon at the office in preparation for Sunday evening, but not yesterday. Sneaking home to catch a couple of innings of the Rangers, with Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve at the mic, did wonders for my baseball passion!
The Rangers begin the 2006 season one week from today with a home opener (for the first time in four years) against the Boston Red Sox. Thanks to the generosity of Jim White, one of the newer member of the Marble Falls church, Allan Stanglin and I will be there…with field-level box seats!
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Alright, be honest now. Did you have George Mason as a Final Four pick in your pre-NCAA Tournament bracket? Neither did I. What an amazing run by the Patriots who’ve stolen the heart of America on their Cinderella run.
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Melissa, my little sister, called Friday evening on the way home from her doctor to tell us the long-awaited news: she is having twins! Her doctor confirmed Friday afternoon the presence of not one but two little babies. The in-vitro process has worked and now my sister and brother-in-law enjoy an excitement that wouldn't be possible without the intervention of modern medicine and a marvelous God. What a blessing for Melissa, Ryan and our entire family.
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For the next two days, I want to blog a bit about prayer. The spiritual disciplines serve to deepen our walk with the Lord; to bring us into His presence in a way that we are shaped and transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
Prayer is one of the avenues that brings us into deeper, abiding presence with the Lord.
And yet, prayer is one of the toughest of all the spiritual disciplines for me. Studying the Word? No problem. Meditation? Piece of cake. Fasting? No sweat. But prayer?
I don't know about you but my personal TAG (Time Alone with God) time is often filled with mental distractions. My mind is prone to wander aimlessly when I pause to personally pray.
What about you? How is your personal prayer life? Do you share my struggle in your own prayer life? What have you found to be a real benefit in helping you focus and concentrate through your times of personal prayer? Email me (jim.gardner@hotmail.com) today with your practical suggestions and tomorrow, I'll be back to share a bit more on how the discipline of prayer shapes us.
