Excuse me while I have a proud papa moment! This picture of Trae is from Easter and to me, is just a gorgeous picture. I am so proud of my Trae-girl, age 9 going on 18! Seriously, so many people have advised the seizing of every moment with children because of the rapid pace at which they grow. It seems to me like just yesterday we brought Trae home from the North Florida Regional Med Center in Gainesville. Without a doubt, since the moment of her arrival, she has brought the beauty of her personality to her dad's life; a beauty that matches the beauty of her face! ---------------
All is well in the world. It is Sunday evening. The true MLB opener (the Sox/A's two-game series in Japan doesn't qualify) and the dulcet tones of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan accompany the spectacular scenes from brand-new Nationals Park on ESPN-HD.
It's baseball time. And all is well with the world.
But it isn't just baseball that satisfies my disposition this evening. It is the fact that for the first time in 12 years, I had the distinct honor and privilege to speak to my home congregation, the Northside Church of Christ in Benton, Arkansas. Northside is home to me -- home because on the day of my birth, both of my grandfathers were actively serving as elders at the Northside church. Home because my father would later follow in their footsteps. Home because it is here that the formative years of my faith were lived.
The roots of my faith run deep into the soil that is the Northside church in Benton.
Today, I was privileged to work in tandem with Jimmy Mitchell who did a spectacular job leading songs. I was blessed to speak to an overflow auditorium. And I was blessed to stand in a place where so many powerful sermons from the past have altered for eternity the lives of its hearers.
Yes, today has been a good day -- one of the most fulfilling Sundays in my life!
Yes, all is well with the world.
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Time for the pre-season picks for the '08 season:
AL EAST -- Red Sox
AL CENTRAL -- Tigers
AL WEST -- Angels
AL WILD CARD -- Mariners
NL EAST -- Mets
NL CENTRAL -- Brewers
NL WEST -- Diamondbacks
NL WILD CARD -- Cubs
ALCS -- Red Sox v. Tigers
NLCS -- Mets v. Diamondbacks
WORLD SERIES -- Tigers v. Mets
WORLD CHAMP -- Mets
