I just checked my Sitmeter to discover the 10th person who visits today following the publishing of my blog will be lucky guest number 10,000. Who will it be?

-------------

April is always a month of fun-filled overload in my life. Why? Because my two most treasured passions, outside of faith and family, both begin. Turkey hunting and Baseball.

This time next week, I'll be back at the Howard Mountain Hunting Lease on the Garland/Saline county border. I can hardly stand the anticipation! The thrill of spring, the shrill gobble of an awakening tom and the opportunity to spend some quality time with my dad are drawing me back home.

For the last two years, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has instituted a Youth Hunt on the Saturday preceding the season opener. And for the last two years, on the first Saturday in April, I have been in the woods with Mike and Kim Sykora's sons.

On the first year of the youth hunt, Zachary bagged a nice 20 lbs. adult tom. It was a fabulous hunt that took all of about 10 minutes. We had set up in a popular hardwood roost area near the crest of Puckett Mountain. When the first turkey gobbled, we cut the distance, setting up to call. No sooner did I call than not one, not two, but three mature, adult gobblers responded. Immediately following their gobbles, Zach and I could hear the unmistakeable sound of turkeys sprinting through the leaves. These three gobblers came and presented themselves, two perescoping the scene for the dominant tom who lurked in the back, strutting like there was no tomorrow. With the two lead turkeys within about 20 feet, I made a soft call so Zach could see the turkeys gobble. All three just about blew us over with their vociferous gobble. With that, I whispered to Zach to shoot and he leveled one of the periscoping birds. It was a great day and a great memory.

Last year, the youth hunt day was frigidly cold. With Zach's turkey harvested the year before, little brother Tyler got his turn. Only this time, our luck wasn't as favorable. We decided to start off on Bearcat Mountain and, just as the year before, a couple of turkeys began gobbling to the west of our listening post. We made our way down an old logging road, getting to within about 100 yards of where we thought the turkeys were roosted. we set up and they cooperated from their roost trees, answering my every call. We heard them fly down and gobble upon hitting the ground. "Sit tight," I told Tyler, "they'll be here any second."

Wrong!

They didn't show up. After a few minutes of anxious anticipation, I made a soft call and suddenly, from behind us, that unmistakeable sound of turkeys jogging through the fallen leaves caught my attention. "We're busted," I whispered to Tyler. "Either they've circled us or we've called in another batch from the rear." Hearing the sound of the turkeys behind us didn't leave time to turn around on our set-up tree to position for their arrival.

And what an arrival it was! When the turkeys -- once again, three gobblers, just like the year before -- arrived at our backs, the dominant tom let out a gobble that nearly scared us out of our skin. When a turkey gobbles from within about 10 yards of you, it is hard to describe how deafening the sound truly is. And, as bad luck would have it, no sooner did he cut loose the gobble than they spotted us and made a made dash downhill toward the Puckett hollow road.

Tyler and I went and retrieved my dad who was on another part of our 6,000 acre lease listening tracking turkeys we would hunt the following Saturday. We shared with dad our experience and solicited his help. Having been busted already, it would take some real savvy to get them to come back. We made our way after the turkeys and caught up with them down near the Puckett Hollow road. But we never could get in front of them. They gave us some token gobbles but continued their path away from us to the south.

Tomorrow morning, Tyler is going to make another run at it. And this time he's got a pro on his side. Since I'm not around to go, my dad is going to take Tyler. Something tells me his luck will change tomorrow.

Section 22. Row 2. Seat 8. That is where I will be planted on Monday as the Rangers open the season against the Boston Red Sox at the Palace in Dallas. A huge, extra special "Thank You" to Jim White for his generosity in sharing these tickets with Allan and me.

-------------

One of the affects of the postmodern shift in our culture is the inherent call for the church to return to its roots of identity in living out the mission of Jesus. Astute analysts of the church in North America today decry how modernism's affect was to remake church not in the mission of Jesus but in the equivalent form of a mall where the felt needs of every person were satisfied. The product of modernism has been to gauge "successful" churches on the basis of building, budgets and bodies in the pew. But the missional call summons churches back to the very roots of the first church by living as participants in the advancing reign of God in the world.

The call of Jesus on our lives is not just to bless with eternity in the distant future, which leads to "the gospel of sin management," as Dallas Willard calls it. No, the call of Jesus is a call to participation in what God is doing in the world today. To be sensitive to the activity of God in the world and to join God in advancing the reign of God's kingdom. To see ourselves within the church not as consumers of religion, but as servants of the King. To, as Micah said, "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6.8).

Last night, I finished off a book given me by Terry and Marty Johnson for my birthday that addressed this reality as clearly as any book I've read. Stormfront: The Good News of God was written by four different authors as part of the Gospel and our Culture Series. Here are some excerpts.

"Followers of Christ do not interpret their covenantal relationship with God through external statutes and ordinances but through the person of Jesus Christ. Their obedience to God is not accomplished through dutiful human achievement, but it is offered in faithful relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship is made visible to the world as Christ's disciples participate in the community of those who would follow Jesus. The new creation, the new way of life in God's kingdom, is already a reality within the life of the community of Jesus' disciples. And as this community assumes the yoke of Jesus -- the promise and the summons of his way of life -- it participates in the blessedness of a covenant relationship with God. Living within this relationship, watching for and welcoming the signs of God's reign that it sees in its own life, the community discovers its true purpose: to participate in God's redemptive mission in the world" (111).

"The church proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ by offering a faithful performance of the gospel. Life within God's new social order issues in behavior which is in agreement with God's will -- the rightness of life before God. The criteria for such behavior is not the performance of miracles or the dutiful adherence to rules, but the love of God and of neighbor (Matthew 22.34-40). Thus the church does not only care about how it thinks or believes, but also how it lives, day-to-day...Practicing a way of life goes to the roots of our lives as human beings; the disciple community seeks to practice a way of life that is grounded in God as source, motivation and authority. It finds its righteousness -- the righteousness that satisfies -- only in receiving, celebrating, and manifesting the love, mercy and forgiveness of God" (123).

The tragic death of Matthew Winkler, the minister for the Fourth Street Church of Christ in Selmer, Tennessee has gripped our nation and caused many people to wrestle with the question of "Why?"

Bobby Ross, editor for the Christian Chronicle, was in Selmer Sunday to worship with the Fourth Street church in the aftermath of Winkler's death. He shares his reflections here.

One paragraph within his story deeply moved me as Bobby shares the reflections of Dan Winkler, Matthew's father and minister for the Huntingdon, Tennessee church.

About 70 miles away, at the Huntingdon, Tenn., Church of Christ where Matthew Winkler's dad, Dan Winkler, preaches, a guest speaker was supposed to handle the preaching duties. But a tearful Dan Winkler ended up preaching, including an emotional reading of Psalm 23. Dan talked about how he and his wife had gone to see Mary Winkler and told her they loved her. (Under the circumstances, I'm not certain I'd be able to demonstrate that same kind of Christian compassion and forgiveness.) He talked about his son and what a good man he was. He reflected on his three young granddaughters and how important it will be to shield them from the ugliness sure to emerge in this case.

Since I have blogged the last two days on the spiritual discipline of prayer, I encourage you today to carve out some time to be in prayer for the Winkler family, especially the three little girls whose lives have been wrecked by this tragedy.

Last night was one of those serendipitous moments in life when a vast treasure is discovered bringing happiness and joy. The treasure? The Rangers were on Fox Sports Southwest again last night! A thrilling (if it is okay to say that about a Spring Training game) one-run game with the Mariners.

The real serendipity last night, though, was both of my girls wanted to sit in my lap and watch the game with me. Granted Tori's attention span for baseball is short...real short, but Trae sat glued to the game. We had practiced her swing yesterday after school and she was intent on watching how the big leaguers swing in order to help her.

The Rangers head toward the Metroplex on Thursday for a couple of final tune-ups with the Marlins on Friday and Saturday before beginning the season next Monday with the Boston Red Sox. Kevin Millwood for the Rangers. Curt Schilling for the Red Sox. Mack Brown throws out the first pitch. And Roger Clemens in attendance, courtesy of team owner Tom Hicks.

And I will be there! My first opening day game! I can't wait!

-----------------

"The 'open secret' of many 'Bible believing' churches is that a vanishingly small percentage of those talking about prayer...are actually doing what they are talking about. They have not been shown how to change their life as a whole, permeating it with appropriate disciplines, so that prayer...will be spiritually successful" (Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, 186).

I admitted to you yesterday that when it comes to the discipline of personal prayer, I find my greatest spiritual struggle. It's not that I fail to pray, it's just the belief that my prayer life is so much less than it could be.

Perhaps you feel that way as well. We hear and read about spiritual giants of the past who devoted countless hours to personal prayer and feel ourselves lacking in comparison.

Yet to pray is take part in one of the most awesome responsibilities and opportunities afforded to God's people. In prayer, we are participating in concert with God to determine the future! What separates many of my prayers from the great pray-ers in Scripture is their strong belief that their prayers could and would make an objective difference in their lives and in the world!

If nothing else, that realization challenges me to grow deeper in my prayer life.

So how do I get more out of my prayer life? I think back to something my late mentor and friend, Jim Mabery, once shared with me. He told me how he liked to walk the paths and trails of Hot Springs Village for his TAG (Time Alone with God) time. He told me how he would not only pray, but sing, with God and nature serving as his audience.

Throughout Scripture, we repeatedly find prayer in connection with other disciplines: fasting, worship, singing, solitude. Sometimes, I fear we short-change the real power in prayer by using simple sentence prayers under the banner of "pray(ing) without ceasing." The result? Real concentrated, devoted times of communion with God are sacrificed. But those times of real concentrated, devoted prayer are the very catalyst for real life transformation. "In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God's thoughts after Him: to desire the things He desires, to love the things He loves, to will the things He wills. Progressively, we are taught to see things from His point of view" (Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 33-34).

Getting more out of our prayer life is as simple as combining more disciplines, like fasting, meditation, solitude and personal worship, to our times of prayer. Prayer changes things...including the pray-er!

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!

--------------

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.

--------------

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.

--------------

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.

Last night, my dad and I had a lengthy phone conversation as the LSU/Duke game drew to a close, prompted by my dad's amazement that four Duke players couldn't block out a free throw attempt by Baby Davis in the waning seconds. With the tip of the Texas/West Virginia game approaching, I asked my dad, "Are you going to watch all of this next game?" To which my dad replied, "Nah. I'm getting a little tired. I think I'll just watch till halftime."

Here's hoping he didn't go to bed at halftime.

The nail-biting finishes of both the Texas/WVU game and the UCLA/Gonzaga were classics.

The guys on 1300 The Zone in Austin this morning are saying Paulino's last second shot was the biggest shot in UT hoops history. I disagree. Had he missed the shot, the game still would have gone to overtime. It led to a great win for the Horns but the consequences, had he missed, weren't catastrophic.

You gotta give a lot of props to the Mountaineers, though. I remember last year how impressed I was by their character and determination in making a run to the Elite 8.

But somewhere in the West Virginia hills this morning, the sound of Mike Cleveland singing "The Eyes of Texas" must surely resound.

-----------------

I am blessed tonight with the opportunity to speak to the Fishers of Men Tour which will be held this weekend on Lake LBJ. The Fishers of Men is a unique program providing fishing tournament opportunities in a Christian setting. In an effort to connect with my audience, Jim McKay and I were supposed to do to some crappie fishing this morning on Lake LBJ, but according to Jim, the recent cool front has caused the crappie to go shut-mouth.

------------------

Yesterday's blog generated more email feedback than any other blog in the last year. Thanks so much for your interest. And for all of you who said you were going to rush out and purchase Home to Harmony, be sure to let me know what you think.

------------------

Thanks for all your comments and insights yesterday on John 14.27 and the path to peace. I was impressed by the obvious time some of you took in reflecting on John 14.27 based on your emails.

Your effort yesterday in reflecting on what John 14.27 says strikes at the very ideal of meditation. To meditate as spiritual discipline is to allow your mind to be consumed by the text. Absorbed by the text. It is a time of deep reflection so as to be changed by the text.

As a spokesman for God and His Scripture, one of my greatest frustrations is people who come to the text to critique rather than to change; of people who assemble with the mistaken notion that they are the audience rather than God.

Meditation moves us out of the temptation to be consumer-driven Christians who critique every text and every teaching to servant-driven Christians who are intent on being changed at heart-level by every text and every teaching.

Anyway, back to John 14.27.

The path to peace is not political power. World powers have historically assumed that strong arming other nations will bring about peace.

But have you noticed, with a long track record of history to prove it, that political power is no means to peace? Peace seems so elusive in our world...and in our own lives.

Unfortunately, the path to peace has been clearly laid out in Jesus's words in John 14.27. It's been "right in front of our face," yet we haven't noticed it.

The path to peace is the acceptance of a gift. Peace is a gift. Peace is not an ideal emotional state that can be gained in your life through will power or in our world through political power. Peace is gained when it is received for what it truly is...a gift from Jesus Christ. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you."

Neat, huh? A powerful reality of God's truth and a fresh insight packed into one tiny, seemingly obscure verse of Scripture tucked away in John 14.

As you move into your weekend, carve out some time to meditate on God's Word. Perhaps you are doing aDaily Bible reading schedule. Can I encourage you to avoid flying through your reading for the sake of reading and really grasp what God is communicating to you through His Word. Try meditating this weekend on God's Word. Perhaps you won't read as much, but what you read will sink deeper with meaning, insight and direction for your life.

With apologies this morning to all my great friends back in the West Virginia hills, tonight the pride of my current homestate (Texas) will hold back the pride of the first state Mandy and I lived in after our wedding (West Virginia). The Longhorns take down the Mountaineers in a close one while Duke knocks out LSU in the other regional semifinal in Atlanta, setting up a Duke/Texas rematch on Saturday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

------------

Yesterday, Jim and Helen Dobbs presented me with a fascinating book for my birthday. The book is titled Home to Harmony, written by Quaker minister and writer Philip Gulley.

The story is fiction, telling a fascinating tale about a minister who moves back to his hometown and assumes the pastorate of the church of his youth. It tells hilarious tales of squabbles in elders meetings and the inner working of the political machine in small town churches.

I cannot recommend Gulley's writing enough, after devouring the entire book yesterday. For a light read, with a dose of funny realism, Gulley is unmatched.

-------------

This morning was Daddy Donut Day at school. Trae and I woke up earlier than usual so we could enjoy breakfast together at the school cafeteria.

When the bell rang for the kids to make their way to class, Trae asked me to escort her to class. I asked her if she would hold my hand.

When Trae was in kindergarten, she always wanted me to take her to class and our typical walk included holding hands from the parking lot to the classroom. One day on our walk, I told Trae how that when kids grow older, they don't like being seen in public holding hands with their daddy. Trae promised me that would never happen to us -- that she would always want to hold my hand.

But this morning she didn't want to!

Seems as though she has this little crush on a boy in her class named Daniel. When Mandy asked her over spring break what was so special about Daniel, Trae said, "I like Daniel because he has the same toothbrush as me." What sweet innocence.

As we made our way toward class, with Daniel safely out of the line of sight (Trae's head was turning left and right to survey the scene), she said, "Daddy, let's hold hands now." And we did.

--------------

When it comes to spiritual discipline, one of the first disciplines to emphasize is the discipline of meditation. Because of the influence of eastern religion, our typical inclination of meditation likely generates thoughts of yoga or transcendental meditation.

But meditation as spoken of in scripture doesn't involve some painful posture of our bodies or some weird incantation chant. It is simply the total concentration of the mind on the thought and intent of the Word.

I'd like to challenge you today to meditate on just one verse of Scripture, John 14.27, where Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

As you meditate on that verse, think about the implications of Jesus's statement as it relates to the pursuit of peace. What is Jesus saying about the true path to peace in your life and in our world? Email me your insights (jim.gardner@hotmail.com) and tomorrow, I will come back and share with you my thoughts on the path to peace.

Meditation adds strength to our reading of the Bible. So often in our quest to be daily Bible readers and to read through our Bible in a year, we forget to pause on powerful statements in the Word to grasp the full effect of God's will. This text in John 14.27 is just one example.

Last Christmas, there was an extra gift under the Christmas tree for Grammy as a result of being the 5000 visitor to my blog. Now we are coming up on 10,000 visitors, having averaged about 1000 visitors each month since Christmas. We should cross that 10,000 visitor threshold in the next seven days so just like before, when my sitemeter alerts me of the 10,000th visitor, I will get in touch with the lucky person to send them a gift. Thanks for reading my blog and for all the emails commenting and conversing about the things I share here. This is, for me, a personal journal chronicling my faith which is being bound into book form for my girls when they are older. I'm grateful for all of you what are sharing this journey with me.

-------------

Because of the influence of grace, we’ve often overlooked the critical part our own involvement plays in transformation. Spiritual formation is a grace of God, but it does not come into our lives to change us into the image of Jesus Christ without our own involvement and effort in the process.

That is why the whole discussion of the spiritual disciplines has become more mainstream in the last twenty-five years. With Richard Foster’s landmark writing The Celebration of Discipline, a fresh awareness of the role of the spiritual disciplines in spiritual formation has been gained.

What is meant by “spiritual discipline”? Foster categorizes the spiritual disciplines this way: The Inward Disciplines – meditation, prayer, fasting and study; The Outward Disciplines – simplicity, solitude, submission and service; The Corporate Disciplines – confession, worship, guidance and celebration. Dallas Willard categorizes the spiritual disciplines with a little different slant: Disciplines of Abstinence – solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy and sacrifice; Disciplines of Engagement – study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession and submission.

The critical piece regarding the disciplines is to remember these are not avenues to “earn” redemption but that they are things we do because we are redeemed.

For the next few days, I’m going to share some of the fruit of my personal study on the spiritual disciplines in the hopes that it will provide some fresh motivation for your walk with Jesus; that the disciplines can serve as a means to the formation of Christ in the heart, mind, body and soul of His people.

Can I share with you this morning something about the way we do church in contemporary America that has always troubled me? My trouble has to do with the way we, who are charged as leaders in church, equip saints for ministry. In the average church in America, equipping ministry is often accidental; there is not an intentional strategy to move converts from the point of conversion to the point of maturity into Christlikeness. Sure, we teach the Word, but the very nature of doing what the Word says, in holiness to be transformed into the character and way of Jesus, is often on auto-pilot.

I just finished off an excellent read, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by one of my favorite writers, Dallas Willard. In chapter 7 entitled "St. Paul's Psychology of Redemption," Willard combats this automatic, accidental approach to equipping head-on.

"Paul understood redemption as a progressive sequence of real human and divine actions and events that resulted in the transformation of the body and the mind. For him these were actions -- events -- real experiences we humans have, real parts of our lives, so real we cannot ignore them.

Some of the greatest literature in the English language has contributed to the loss of biblical realism. The great works of writers such as Milton and Bunyan have had the effect of wholly allegorizing the battle between good and evil as well as the Christian's struggle to follow the Lord. This is true to such an extent that generations of readers have emerged with a head full of images, but no idea of what to do in their own individual 'pilgrim's progress' or 'paradise regained.' Worse still, the impression is conveyed that this progress will somehow automatically take place through the normal course of life, if only the pilgrim holds on to certain beliefs.

Certainly I do not attack this literature in its own right as literature. But it has entered into a fatal combination with the general Protestant overreaction against (spiritual) disciplinary practices. A 'head trip' of mental assent to doctrine and the enoyment of pleasant imagery and imagination is quietly substituted for a rigorous practice of discipleship that would bring a true transformation of character.

But the new life in Christ simply is not an inner life of belief and imagination, even if spiritually inspired. It is a life of the whole embodied person in the social context. Peter's great revelation of Jesus being the Christ was genuine. But subsequent events proved that it alone did not transform his life. What he lived through did that, as was also the case even with our Lord, who 'learned obedience by the things he suffered' (Heb 5.8-9). An adequate psychology of redemption must make much of this crucial point, and Paul's writings, as well as the rest of the Bible, must be read in light of it" (111-112).

With one weekend down on the road to the Final Four, how is your bracket looking? I have a hard time believing very many of you had those vaunted juggernauts from George Mason and Wichita State meeting in the Sweet Sixteen (although I am absolutely positive that Jeanne, Myron, Dan and Jana all had the Shockers there!). If Rick Barnes's Longhorns can't win it all, then count me on the Wheatshocker bandwagon!

----------

One of the four regionals in the women's NCAA Tournament is slated for San Antonio. It just happens to be the region where Oklahoma has been placed. Oklahoma, the #2 seed in the San Antonio region, is coached by Sherri Coale, who's gotten a lot of ink in the Christian Chronicle as of late. Should the Sooners and the #1 seed LSU Tigers meet in the final, it would be an ideal opportunity for a daddy/daughter night since Trae seems to be developing a greater love for the game of basketball.

----------

Really great news from the U.S. Census Bureau, via the Austin American Statesman newspaper in last Thursday’s edition. The paper reported that Burnet County is the 11th fastest growing county of Texas’s 254 counties. Projections are for the population boom to continue over the next 10 years.

----------

During my time on the Jessieville School District Board of Directors, I had the privilege to attend several training sessions of the Arkansas School Boards Association. One of the overarching messages of ASBA to school board members was to be an “agenda-less” board member, i.e. do not allow a personal agenda to drive your service to the children of the school district.

During my time in ministry, I have defended the misguided charge that as a Preaching Minister, I have some sort of “hidden agenda” to advance and the local church is simply the pawn to advance it. Can I be so honest as to say that only one agenda drives my ministry and that is the transformation of men and women into the image of Jesus Christ? Through the taught Word, the convicting and empowering Holy Spirit of God, the realization of the redemptive spiritual blessings found in Christ, men and women can be recreated into the image for which mankind was originally created.

That is my only agenda. That is my sole aim.

-------------

Why do some Christians allow fear to be the guiding force in their quest for Christlikeness? Why do some Christians allow fear to rule their spiritual roost?

Perhaps it was a sense of that very barrier to growth in the church at Ephesus that propelled the aged apostle John to write as he does in his first epistle. The first letter of John is chock-full of blessings available from living in a loving relationship with God and believers in a community of faith.

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4.15-18).

So how is your bracket looking after day one of the NCAA Tournament? My upset specials yesterday were 15th seeded Winthrop (who narrowly lost to 2nd seeded Tennessee), Texas A&M and Montana (both 12 seeds who did upset 5th seeds).

Today, it's an like an old Southwest Conference reunion in Dallas where Arkansas plays Bucknell at 11:30 am. and Texas battles Penn at 8:40 pm.

My final four picks are: Duke, UConn, Boston College and UCLA.

Great, great news! My sister, Melissa and her husband, Ryan found out today that the in-vitro worked and she is officially pregnant! Now we have to wait two weeks to find out if she is pregnant with one baby or twins.

I am so proud of Melissa for her faith in the face of two miscarriages. Here is the text of an email Melissa sent out to all her family and friends announcing the good news. Like her, I thank all of you who were diligent in prayer, interceding on her behalf.

WE'RE HAVING A BABY (OR BABIES???)!!!!!

We just got the call confirming that yes we are having a baby or babies! We will know more in two weeks whether there is one or two. I know you all have jinxed me for two ADHD boys so we'll see! We will also no more in two weeks if this pregnancy is in the tube or not, which most people don't have to worry about but with our past it is a concern. But we know after this miracle that all will be fine. Just keep those prayers coming that all will go smoothly. My niece Trae already called to ask me if I have gotten fat yet and to tell me she thinks that I should name the baby Kent if it is a boy and Delilah if it is a girl! Where she comes up with this stuff I will never know!

Ryan and I will never be able to thank you for all your prayers and support so far in this journey! God has blessed us beyond belief with such supportive friends & family. You are our angels and we just ask you to keep praying from here on out for a smooth & healthy pregnancy and baby this time around!

For the girls in my bible study group.....HE CAN DO WHAT HE SAY HE CAN DO!!!!! How many more amazing miracles is He going to bless us with? You girls have been my rock through this and I thank you so much for your love & support. I can't wait to celebrate at group this Sunday with you all!

I hope everyone is having a great day & I hope this little bit of news puts a smile on all your faces! You are going to be the best aunts & uncles this kid (or kids) could ever hope for!

The other day, I visited Hogville to catch up on the goings-on back in the Natural State. My old friend in the Village, Lanny, runs Hogville and it is an excellent source for all things Arkansas, especially Razorback related.

The discussion in one of the threads on the board was directed toward native Arkansans who'd left their homestate and asked, "What do you miss most about not living in Arkansas?"

For the first time since leaving Arkansas for Texas, homesickness washed all over me as I read the detailed response of how one native Arkansan so missed being in the mountains on a cool, crisp spring morning, listening to the vociferous gobble of a wild turkey boom through the hills and hollers.

Spring turkey season begins in Arkansas on Saturday, April 8. For the last seven springs, I was blessed to live on the backdoor of our hunting lease. Many March mornings in the last seven years were devoted to rolling out of bed before dawn for the sheer thrill of hearing the Toms awaken, leaving their slumber of a Ouachita Mountain roost tree with a booming gobble.

Tonight, my dad and I talked and began making our plans for the opening week of Arkansas spring turkey season. I can't wait!

--------------

Why is turkey season so special to me? If you have never tried it, there is nothing more exhilirating for your faith than watching dawn break over the Ouachita Mountains. As darkness gives way to daylight, the crisp air, the singing of cardinals, and the awakening of God's creation to greet another day is a solemn testimony to the sustaining power of God.

Turkey hunting for me is part of my heritage. Three of the most treasured pictures in my office were given me by my parents two years ago. They are the pictures of my grandfather's first turkey, my dad's first turkey and my first turkey.

But what makes spring turkey hunting so much fun for me is the simple pleasure of spending quality time with my dad. Since becoming an adult, some of my most treasured memories with my dad have been made in the woods, hunting and sharing together.

What more could a guy want? To be known and loved by two fathers, one visible and one invisible -- though the invisible Father leaves ample evidence splashed all over creation of His majestic greatness. Both of my fathers help to form my identity. And in just three weeks, I will be fortunate to meet up with both of them again in a most treasured way.

With Mandy and the girls in Arkansas, I have, in the words of my dad, "gotten my days and nights mixed up!" Without the usual roar in the house of the girls playing and the usual routine of putting them to sleep, I'm finding hard to go to bed.

It's been good for the reading catch-up, but awful for the blogging (and no, don't even ask what time I woke up yesterday!).

----------------

"Hello, my name is Jim and I am an alcoholic."

And so it was, for a brief moment yesterday, as I participated in my first-ever Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

About six months, a group leader for A.A. in our community visited me requesting to use our church facility for two groups she leads. Since that time, another group has been added. Three nights each week, people struggling through the disease of alcoholism are meeting in our church building, finding support in a community of fellow strugglers.

About 20 sat around the circle sharing last night. As I took in their words, several things hit me in the face about A.A. that we, in the community of people struggling to overcome the disease of sin, could use.

First, there seemed to be a safe atmosphere for complete transparency. I heard more honest sharing of lives yesterday in one hour than I have in the last year in church meetings. With the admission of alcoholism already established, each person seemed free to be open, sincere and completely honest with their fellow strugglers.

Second, the atmosphere for acceptance was clear. As I watched intently the dynamics of the meeting, I was overcome by the fact that never a time did I see a judgmental glance. Never once did I hear a judmental word. It was clear from the body language to the verbal language that this small group was resolute on accepting each other as he/she is for the purpose of overcoming.

One man's comment struck me deeply. As he shared from the recent events in his life and the struggle to overcome, he said this: "I think A.A. is the most powerful force in the world. It is my higher power. There is nothing more powerful in my life to helping me overcome than A.A."

My mind paused to reflect: Why wasn't that man sitting in our worship assembly on Sunday making the same claim about the community of faith? What is A.A. doing in empowering people to overcome the disease of alcohol that the church is failing to do in empowering people to overcome the disease of sin?

Alright, answer me this: is the Rocket being honest or is he just playing every team against the other to get the best deal for himself? After watching the Southwest Sports Report on Thursday night, it seemed like the Rocket was genuinely, sincerely interested in the Rangers.

It probably didn’t hurt that Tom Hicks noted the flag flying alongside the flag of the United States at the Rangers spring training complex in Surprise, Arizona. The aforementioned flag was emblazoned with the Longhorns National Championship logo from this past football season.

The camera crew caught a great line from Kam Loe as he passed the Rocket in the clubhouse. “We’re going to the World Series,” Loe said. “Why don’t you come and join us!”

Classic.

During the segment, the Southwest Sports Report had an interesting statistical tidbit comparing the run production the Astros provided for the Rocket on the days he started in 2005 versus the Rangers run production on the same day. The conclusion? The Rangers scored 190 runs on the same day in which the Astros only plated 109. Had the Rocket pitched for the Rangers on the exact days in 2005, his record would have likely been 23-4 (versus the 13-8 he registered with the Astros).

I’m keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed on this one.

------------

What a blessing this evening to spend a quiet evening over dinner with my wife. Mandy is so precious to me. As a minister’s wife, she is the perfect blend of loving support and positive encouragement. We were blessed by Kate Schumacher’s offer to keep our girls, allowing Mandy and I to spend the evening together before she and the girls set out for Arkansas tomorrow during Trae’s spring break.

------------

John Maxwell, prolific writer on leadership from a spiritual perspective, has written an excellent little book entitled Running with Giants. In the book, Maxwell draws on the race imagery of Hebrews 12 and uses each chapter to illustrate what the great heroes of the Old Testament might say to us as counsel for our own marathon through life.

I especially love his words in the chapter on Moses, calling us out of the “safe zone” and into the “faith zone.”

“We do not naturally leave the safe zone. I didn’t want to leave Egypt; it was all I knew. Yet if I hadn’t, I never would have experienced the burning bush. Then I didn’t want to leave the Midian desert. But if I hadn’t left the desert, I never would have seen God part the Red Sea or deliver His people. And I never would have talked to God face-to-face. Just because you don’t want to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!”

“Growth begins when we leave the safe zone. For forty years, I benefited from everything Egypt had to offer. But only after I left Egypt for the first time did I begin to learn what was really important. And it took another forty years in the desert to discover how God intended to use me. By then, I had been broken and remade by God. I had learned humility. You can’t stay the same and learn at the same time. If you want to grow, you need to go.”

“The safe zones rob us of our greatest moments and memories. Many people are so afraid of risk that they spend their entire lives in Egypt, the land of ‘not enough.’ A few are willing to get out of their safe zone, and as a result, they enter the desert, the land of ‘just enough.’ But God wants more for you. He wants you to leave the wilderness and enter the promised land, the land of ‘more than enough.’ It was by faith that I left my comfort zone, and that is what is required of you if you want to enjoy God’s blessings to the fullest. Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the risks you didn’t take than by the ones you did. Defeat tomorrow’s regret by moving forward and getting into the faith zone today” (44-45).

"Surprise, surprise, surprise." Guess who is going to be in Surprise today? The Rocket, Roger Clemens.

Late last night, an email alert appeared in my inbox courtesy of the Dallas Morning News announcing that Clemens, along with Michael Young and Mark Teixeira, would take leave from Team USA today to journey northwest of Phoenix to the Rangers spring training complex.

Clemens has gone on record as saying that, if he pitches in 2006, he will do so for one of four teams: the Yankees, Red Sox, Astros or Rangers. Here's hoping for a wonderful day for the Rocket, complete with Tom Hicks drawing on their mutual interest in the University of Texas, imploring the Rocket to lead the other team in Texas to the World Series.

--------------

It was interesting to read some of your feedback to my call for Bud Selig to toss out Barry Bonds's chase of the Home Run record. As Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated said yesterday on the Dan Patrick show, baseball duped the fans for a decade, thus "turning the record book into a comic book."

So, if you are against tossing Bonds's records, are you in favor of disallowing him entrance into the Hall of Fame? If Peter Edward Rose can't be enshrined in Cooperstown, why should Barry Bonds?

---------------

Last week, it came to my attention that N.T. Wright, one of my favorite theology writers, has a set of New Testament commentaries. They are simply written under the name "Tom Wright" (I think he writes as N.T. Wright when the discussion is theologically deep and Tom Wright when the discussion is based on a more simple approach). Yesterday, I received from Amazon two of the commentaries (Romans 1-8 and The Prison Letters) and after a cursory reading last night, am highly impressed.

If you've been looking for a New Testament commentary series that reads devotionally as an aid to your personal Bible study, I highly recommend you consider Wright's work.

----------------

Last night, we kicked off a new Wednesday night ministry called "The Oasis." In our last Education Ministry meeting, several noted that the traditional, in-depth Wednesday evening Bible study is lacking. Not lacking in Bible study but in participatory worship.

Allan Stanglin, our associate minister, and I created the Oasis as a blend of song, devotional and prayer to speak to the need for a more participatory Wednesday evening experience. I hope you'll give it a try. I think your soul will appreciate it!

"Surprise, surprise, surprise." Guess who is going to be in Surprise today? The Rocket, Roger Clemens.

Late last night, an email alert appeared in my inbox courtesy of the Dallas Morning News announcing that Clemens, along with Michael Young and Mark Teixeira, would take leave from Team USA today to journey northwest of Phoenix to the Rangers spring training complex.

Clemens has gone on record as saying that, if he pitches in 2006, he will do so for one of four teams: the Yankees, Red Sox, Astros or Rangers. Here's hoping for a wonderful day for the Rocket, complete with Tom Hicks drawing on their mutual interest in the University of Texas, imploring the Rocket to lead the other team in Texas to the World Series.

--------------

It was interesting to read some of your feedback to my call for Bud Selig to toss out Barry Bonds's chase of the Home Run record. As Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated said yesterday on the Dan Patrick show, baseball duped the fans for a decade, thus "turning the record book into a comic book."

So, if you are against tossing Bonds's records, are you in favor of disallowing him entrance into the Hall of Fame? If Peter Edward Rose can't be enshrined in Cooperstown, why should Barry Bonds?

---------------

Last week, it came to my attention that N.T. Wright, one of my favorite theology writers, has a set of New Testament commentaries. They are simply written under the name "Tom Wright" (I think he writes as N.T. Wright when the discussion is theologically deep and Tom Wright when the discussion is based on a more simple approach). Yesterday, I received from Amazon two of the commentaries (Romans 1-8 and The Prison Letters) and after a cursory reading last night, am highly impressed.

If you've been looking for a New Testament commentary series that reads devotionally as an aid to your personal Bible study, I highly recommend you consider Wright's work.

----------------

Last night, we kicked off a new Wednesday night ministry called "The Oasis." In our last Education Ministry meeting, several noted that the traditional, in-depth Wednesday evening Bible study is lacking. Not lacking in Bible study but in participatory worship.

Allan Stanglin, our associate minister, and I created the Oasis as a blend of song, devotional and prayer to speak to the need for a more participatory Wednesday evening experience. I hope you'll give it a try. I think your soul will appreciate it!

Those of you who've visited my blog from its inception know that come spring, I'm inclined to distraction by baseball -- the greatest game ever invented.

Yesterday, I coached my first girls softball practice in Texas. Trae is one of eleven 7 and 8 year-olds who will be playing for a team affectionately known as "The Rangers" -- I let Trae and her friend, Morgan pick out the team name...Seriously! It was great to be back on a diamond, working with and teaching youngsters fundamentals that produce fun in competition.

--------------

Last night following practice, Mandy and I took the girls to McDonalds to eat and play and then to Marble Slab for dessert. Tori was the highlight of the entire place. For the first time, we let Tori select her own cone, her own ice cream and her own "mixin's." She, of course, chose the most elaborate waffle cone with icing and sprinkles, vanilla ice cream and M&M's mixed in.

The funny part was, when it was all put together, the thing was almost as tall as Tori! She was a gooey, sticky mess when it was over but everyone in Marble Slab enjoyed watching her try to eat her cone.

--------------

An update from Surprise, Arizona (hey Rick, I wish we were there again this spring!) from Mike Hindman courtesy of the Newberg Report.

It was another outstanding day at the office for Ian Kinsler, who appears to be making a joke of the "competition" for the starting second base job: 1-2 with a double bringing him to .375 / .643 / .875 through 14 plate appearances. Star-Telegram writer Kat O’Brien adds that Kinsler also impressed defensively, executing a bare hander on a slow roller to get a runner at first.

Say what you want about Mark DeRosa, but remember this: yesterday, he told the Star-Telegram’s Kat O’Brien that it was a "no brainer" that Ian Kinsler could hit big league pitching and was ready defensively for a starting big league job: "I'm not campaigning for him; I want that job more than anybody. I just am not going to be a guy that's rooting against a teammate. That's not beneficial to anybody. ..." And you wonder why baseball people love this guy?


-------------

Finally, those of you who know me know the frustration I hold toward Bud Selig and the leadership of Major League Baseball. I've never figured out exactly if it is a lack of savvy or a lack of smarts, but Bud just doesn't do it for me as the Commish of MLB.

Yesterday, word began to surface of an upcoming book release chronicling steroid abuse by Barry Bonds. It is alleged that over a 5-year period, from 1998 to 2003, Bonds abused steroids, making a mockery of the sport I love so much.

Will Bud Selig put his foot down and demand that the tainted records produced by Barry Bonds be excised from the record book? Are Bonds's transgressions, which no doubt taint the integrity of baseball's record book, any less a compromise of the sanctity of the game than Pete Rose's alleged gambling?

Do the right thing, Bud. Toss Bonds's home run record setting chase from the record book. The game is too pure to allow Bonds's tarnished career to override the sanctity of the game.

Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, was famous for his baseball talents and his love of the game. The most famous quote attributed to Banks is, "Let's play two!" Banks so loved the game that on glorious summer afternoons, he'd just as soon play two games as one.

With that in mind, I share with you this. My sister had two fertilized eggs implanted yesterday courtesy of in-vitro. Could there be two little Halfords on the way to join our family? I hope so and pray so!

------------

Sad news out of Phoenix last night. Kirby Puckett, the diminuitive 5'8" sparkplug of the Minnesota Twins died after a massive stroke on Sunday. Listening to teammates talk about Puckett last night on Sportscenter was moving. I'll never forget watching him lead the Twins to the 1991 World Series championship over the Atlanta Braves.

------------

Today is primary election day in Texas. I hope all of my fellow Texans will exercise their citizenship stewarship today and vote.

The Bible makes clear, especially Paul's words to the Philippians in 3.17-21 and the Hebrew writers words in 11.13-16 that our real citizenship is in heaven. We must never forget that we are citizens of a far greater land than this. Our real citizenship resides in a place where there are no tears, no pain, and no elections for the King of the land.

Yet that reality doesn't absolve us from the responsibility to live as light in this world. I can't show you a specific text that commands believers, "Thou shalt vote!" but I can point you to a number of texts that speak to a stewardship principle inherent in our time on this earth. For example, Psalm 33.12 says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." Psalm 9.7-8, 17 warns about "nations that forget God." Proverbs 14.34 declares, "Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a disgrace..." In the Lord's prayer in Matthew 7.9-10, Jesus implores that the Father's will would be accomplished "on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus admonished his disciples to "give to Ceaser what is Ceaser's and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22.17-21) and Paul told the Romans "there is no authority except that which God has established" (Romans 13.1-2, 6-7).

All that said, our real citizenship lies in heaven and as citizens of heaven, it should influence our citizenship stewardship during our time on this earth.

I hope the following words from Howard Norton stick with you as you consider your citizenship stewardship:

"Every presidential election is important. So is every other election of public officials. So is every election that creates public policy. We are part of the very few in world history who have had the opportunity to exercise a significant amount of influence in determining the kind of nation we will live in and the caliber of the people who will lead us.

Sadly, many of us who enjoy the privileges of freedom fail to fulfill that responsibility for making careful choices at the polling booth concerning the people and policies that, to some extent, will determine the quality and even the direction of our lives.

In a letter from Joe Seay of Greenbrier, Arkansas to the editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, published October 3, 2000, Mr. Seay reports that results of an unnamed poll showing that '75% of people who consider themselves to be Christians did not vote in the last general election and 81% of those who consider themselves evangelical Christians did not vote.' Then he says, 'Now I understand how ungodly people have seized control of our nation: 75-81% of the people who call themselves Christians didn't even vote. They stayed home at election time and, by doing so, gave control of our nation to ungodly leaders" (Howard Norton. "How Should Christians Vote?" The Arkansas Christian Herald. November, 2000, p. 4).

So I encourage you to vote today. The greatest issue in every election, for the born-again believer in Jesus and citizen of heaven is not taxes, social security, foreign policy or partisan loyalty. The greatest issue is who will represent the will and character of Almighty God!

Sorry for the delay this morning but it was out of my control. The blogger server was having major technical difficulties but things seem to be running smoothly again.

----------------

Two big prayer requests today. First, my sister and brother-in-law are at UAMS today for the final step of the in-vitro process. I am praying that God will answer and bless Melissa and Ryan with a healthy pregnancy. Second, Jeff Bearden, a dear friend who has been diagnosed with cancer, begins chemo treatments today in Hot Springs. Jeff, Michelle, Dane and Jacob are in need of a host of prayer warriors at this time of anxiety in their lives. Join me today in earnest prayer for these people whom I love so much.

------------------

So much contemporary reading in theology is transitioning from reading Scripture against the lens of science to recovering a reading of Scripture as art. Donald Miller in Searching for God Knows What summarizes well the shortcomings of the dominant hermeneutical paradigm -- reading Scripture scientifically -- of the last 250 years.

When the church began to doubt its own integrity after the Darwinian attack on Genesis 1 and 2, we began to answer science, not be appealing to something greater, the realm of beauty and art and spirituality, but by attempting to translate spiritual realities through scientific equations, thus justifying ourselves to culture, as if culture had some kind of authority to redeem us in the first place.

Because we have approached faith through the lens of science, the rich legacy of art that once flowed out of the Christian community has dried up. The poetry of Scripture, especially in the case of Moses, began to be interpreted literally and mathematically, and whole books such as the Song of Songs were completely and totally ignored. They weren’t scientific. You couldn’t break them down into bullet points. Morality became a code, rather than a manifestation of a love for Christ. These relational ideas were replaced with right and wrong, good and bad, with only hinted suggestions as to where right and wrong and good and bad actually came from. Old Testament stories became formulas for personal growth rather than stories to help us understand the character and nature of the God with whom we interact.

In a culture that worships science, relational propositions will always be left out of arguments attempting to surface truth. We believe, quite simply, that unless we can chart something, it doesn’t exist. And you can’t chart relationships. Furthermore, in our attempts to make relational propositions look like charitable realities, all beauty and mystery is lost. And so when times get hard, when reality knows us (down), mathematical propositions are unable to comfort our failing hearts. How many people have walked away from faith because their systematic theology proved unable to answer the deep longings and questions of the soul? What we need here, truly, is faith in (God), not a list of ideas.

And one should not think our current method of interpreting Scripture has an ancient legacy. The modern view of Scripture originated in an age of industrial revolution when corporations were becoming more important than family (the husband, for the first time, left the home and joined Corporate America, building cars instead of families), and productivity was more important than relationships. “How can God help me get what I want?” was the idea, not “Who is God, and how can I know Him” (160-1)?

It's Sunday morning, a beautiful morning in the Hill Country. Perhaps it was a morning just like this when Jesus rose to life again.

I've been in my office, all alone in the quiet for a couple of hours. In a matter of moments, Allan and Jimmy will arrive and we will move into our Sunday morning routine.

We'll visit briefly about our weekends and then we will pray. Earnestly pray. We'll pray for every person who comes to this building this morning -- that they will come with open hearts to receive God's message. That they will come with passion to worship the LORD with enthusiasm. That they will receive their marching orders for the week and then, go back into the world renewed and filled with hope.

This morning, I'm beginning a new sermon series called "Defeating Your Goliaths." It is a series I've done in the past that has been warmly received. Like the 9'9" champion from Gath, we have giants that come into our lives defying the work and will of God. Goliaths like temptation, doubt, bitterness, loneliness, discouragement, worry and anger. For the next several weeks, I am going to unpack the Bible's teaching on these giants. My prayer this morning is that we won't see these besetting sins as impossible giants to conquer, dismissing our inability to overcome with the cliche, "I am only human." My prayer is that we will see the power and possibility of God to overcome, not in our own strength but, like David, with a heavy reliance upon the LORD. It is only through God that satanic strongholds can be conquered!

What a marvelous day yesterday turned out to be! The weather was just spectacular --too good, in fact, to be holed up in an office after four full nights of seminar. So, after picking up Trae at school, the girls and I got into some comfortable clothes and stayed outside until sundown.

We swang. We chased ducks. We played at the park. We played pitch. We went for a walk through the neighborhood. We picked some budding bluebonnets. We rode bicycles. We visited with neighbors. We talked. We laughed. We shared.

I think I've reached a stage of life where days like yesterday are just about perfect. It didn't cost a lot of money. Didn't require a lot of travel. But the investment of time always produces sweet memories.

-----------------------

Last year at the Tahoe Encampment, Truitt Adair peared into his crystal ball and made this poignant prediction: The left will leave and the right will fight while the mainstream maintains.

Now, I know the left leaving gets a lot of play, especially with the forthcoming Tulsa Workshop's commitment to a 100-year family reunion with our relatives in the independent Christian churches.

But what about the right? Take a look at this Contending for the Faith Lectureship Schedule and tell me the far-right isn't going to fight their way into oblivion. For an interesting on-line discussion related to this very thought, see Mike Cope's blog from yesterday.

------------------

Finally, let me ask this question, one that baffles me to no-end: Why do we invest any time or energy whatsoever in what another church teaches or how they worship when one of the hallmarks of our heritage is autonomy? Why is the engine that drives the train in many churches "brotherhood issues" when those said issues have no bearing whatsoever on the autonomy of the local church?

For the last two months, my sister, Melissa and her husband, Ryan have been involved in preparatory efforts for in-vitro fertilization. That process will culminate over the next week, as Melissa is now at our parents' home to be close to the specialists in Little Rock.

Thus far, Melissa and Ryan have experienced the heartbreak of two pregnancies which had to be terminated due to extreme complications. Their doctors have basically assured them that normal pregnancy will never be an option.

I'm anxious in prayer -- and am asking that you partner with me -- because I think any child would be lucky to have my sister and her husband for parents. Ryan and Melissa's combination of enthusiasm, humor and love would be a blessing to any little gift God would choose to send their way.

--------------

One of the exciting things about living in central Texas is that KRLD 1080 -- the flagship station of the Texas Rangers -- comes in clear as a bell. This afternoon at 2:05, Eric Nadel and Victor Rojas will be at the mic as the Rangers and Royals open Cactus League play from Surprise Stadium.

-------------

Did you see the dilemma Koby Clemens put his dad in the other day? Seems as though Roger Clemens, in an effort to get in "game shape" in advance of the World Bible Classic, decided to pitch a few innings of BP to some Houston Astro minor leaguers. The first batter, Rocket's son Koby, homered off his dad.

So guess what happens the next time Koby digs in? You guessed it...dad fired one right at the earhole on his batting helmet.

--------------

What a blessing yesterday morning to spend nearly 3 hours with Jerry Jones. He stopped in for what I thought would be a brief, casual chat. Next thing I know, he's asking for an easel, a marker, and a couple of different translations of the Biblical text. What followed was a blitzkrieg through the highlights of Jerry's trilogy on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage, one of which will be released annually in conjunction with the Pepperdine lectures.

--------------

Finally this morning, an insightful comment from Eugene Peterson in his newly released work entitled Eat This Book.

I sometimes marvel that God chose to risk his revelation in the ambiguities of language. If he had wanted to make sure that the truth was absolutely clear, without any possibility of misunderstanding, he should have revealed his truth by means of mathematics. Mathematics is the most precise, unambiguous language that we have. But then, of course, you can't say 'I Love You' in algebra.

So it is important to not assume too much (see Rick Atchley's quote yesterday). It is important to listen to the counsel of our Christian brothers or sisters, who place an open Bible before us and tell us, 'Read. Read only what is here, but also be sure that you read it the way that it is here'" (93).

Can I give you a piece of advice this morning? If Jerry and Lynn Jones are ever in your area to present their Marriage Matters Workshop, run(!) don't walk, to participate! I have been blessed to sit at the feet of a number of skilled marriage counselors: Joe Beam, Paul Faulkner, Carl Breechen, Adrion Hickmon, and Lew Moore among other, but for content and depth, it's hard to beat what the Jones's offer.

----------------

The workshop has been a big boost for Mandy and me and our relationship together. But throughout the workshop, I've been enlightened by a number of parallels between the relationship within a marriage and our relationships within church (see Ephesians 5.22-33 and note how Paul draws on the same parallels).

For instance, last night the Jones's shared one of the unhealthy, unrealistic expectations that destroys marriages, namely, "that my mate should always agree with me and if he/she doesn't, I will change his/her mind." Further, they noted how that stability within a union values the differences and doesn't demand an identical clone in thought.

Their counsel was wise, especially as it relates to "control freaks" like myself. We like things to be predictable -- as we measure predictability within ourselves -- and if not, we set out to change the minds of others in order to produce the predictability we crave.

And yet, as Jerry and Lynn so succintly noted last night, that predictability to control others is simply an illusion.

With that in mind, let me ask you what I asked myself last night: do we, within our churches, ever aim for predictability? Do we ever try to control events within the kingdom in order to make ourselves more comfortable? Why? If so, is that not an indictment on our selfish notion that we can control things when the Lordship of the church is supposed to rest with Jesus and Him alone?

-----------------

The Christian Chronicle has an excellent summary of the recent ACU Lectureship, especially the Restoration Unity Forum on their webpage.

I highlight just one quote from the article. "Where the Bible speaks, we speak and where the Bible is silent, we have even more to say" (Rick Atchley).

Might that have something to do with our desire to control and rather than allowing Jesus to be the sovereign Lord?

----------------

Last night as things were winding down at our home, the phone rang. It was about 10:30 p.m. and I've long-since-learned that when the phone rings after 10:00 p.m., it is rarely a good thing.

The voice on the other end was a friendly one, Clyde Berry, one of the new Shepherds of the Village church, with the sad news that Mike Sykora's father, Bernie, had passed away with a massive heart attack.

Nearly eight years ago, I first met Mike and Kim and their boys, Zach and Tyler. Mike was a typical fringe church member. A hard worker as a home construction superintendent for Cooper Homes, Mike's passions were his family and the outdoors. Church? An hour a week was good enough.

But in our seven years together, a friendship developed, not only between myself and Mike but much more importantly, between Mike and Jesus. Kim would later share with us how that she prayed everyday that Mike would grow into the image of Jesus and become the spiritual leader of their home.

About four years ago, Kim's prayers began to be answered and Mike's transformation began. I can say without any doubt, of all the men I've ever known in my life, I've never seen God so work over a heart like he has Mike's. Now a deacon and leader within the Village church, Mike Sykora is a bedrock of faith, a spiritual leader among men, a beacon of faith, and a father to his sons whom I deeply admire.

As we shared together over the phone last night, I became more acutely aware of how truly blessed I am to have a friend like Mike. Frankly, I want to be like Mike...because Mike is so much like Jesus.

I ask you to remember Mike, Kim, Zach and Tyler in your prayers as they make the long journey to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to lay to rest Bernie. I also ask that you keep Mike's mom, Fran, in your prayers.