Play Ball!

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Hey guys,

I am having a blast… I was asked to manage/coach a baseball team here in Kirksville. This is a group of 16-18 yr old guys, and a lot of them are Stevens’s friends. We are called the Mustangs, and will be playing a bunch of games both in Kirksville and on the road this summer.

Most of are games are on the weekends, and we will be traveling to Booneville, Canton, Quincy, Wayland, Lewistown… and a bunch of other places.

This is a great group of guys. They are all good athletes and several of them are on the High School Football and Wrestling teams. I am excited to have Matt Small (my nephew) on the team. He is a strong guy and can really pitch and hit. Right now we are getting organized, having practice, and finding sponsors.

One thing I am finding out is that baseball at this level is not cheap. KBSA is our covering organization here in Kirksville, but we will be playing Senior Babe Ruth and American Legion Leagues. We will also play some High School and JV College type teams.

I will try to keep bogging about this experience as the summer goes on… GO MUSTANGS!!!

Wow… its been busy… Last Saturday I was called to Quincy to meet with a group that gathers on Saturday mornings at Elena Kroeger’s house for Bible study. I was glad to see that this group was growing in both number and maturity. One person surrendered their life to Christ, and another man rededicated his life back to Jesus… I taught them about how the Lord uses every situation in our life to help us grow… No matter whether we think our circumstances are positive or negative… Jesus is at work. The best way to live is in total surrender to Him.

This reminds me of the difference between commitment and surrender. I have heard many Christians talk about making a commitment to Christ, and living a committed Christian life. In fact these are terms that I have used myself. I don’t think that these words are wrong… but I do feel that they fall short of describing what He is really looking for. In fact if we live only in an "I’m Committed Zone…" we are in danger in living in legalism rather than grace.

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Its been a few days since I have posted… so here’s an update. 

 I have spent a couple of days with a group of guys in Quincy. These men are  followers of Jesus who are eager to grow. It is so refreshing to talk with guys who are sincere and hungry. Several of them have backgrounds that are not so pretty, and they don’t fit into typical church settings at this time. That makes me wonder about the "Typical Church" in America… I love teaching them the bible… and watching them as they discover and experience Jesus in there lives.

 It was also a joy to spend several hours with a woman who grew up in the Kirksville church. I remember her as a little girl, and watched her grow up through our High School and then the Bible College. She enlightened me about her life, and the changes she has experienced in the past five years. 

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Grandma Bonnie: I miss you…

It was so comforting to know that you were there. Some people may think that time passed you by a long while ago… but I think you had a hold on something beyond time. The truths that you passed on to us were eternal.

How many times did I sit down in your front room after throwing a couple logs in your wood burning stove, only to listen to you talk about your latest musings? It was uncanny how right on your words were. It seemed like you were a prophetess or something. No matter what troubles I had on my mind, you always seemed to know right were I was. Your stories from the past, or the special Ozark retellings of familier bible themes, or words of advice, were always right on the money.

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