July 16th, 2008 Jeff
Josh Hamilton, All-Star centerfielder for the Texas Rangers tells his incredible testimony of a life thrown away only to have Christ redeem him. If you are a sports fan, then you want to get to know Josh Hamilton and our Savior Jesus who rescued him. If you are a fan of God’s redemptive work in and through restored lives, then this story is for you.
Actually, if you are breathing … read this story .
(The story ran July 5, 2007. I first read it last Summer in ESPN The Magazine and am stoked to follow Josh’s comeback all the way to the big leagues and testimony for Jesus the Christ.)
The real hero is his wife Katie who stuck with him through thick and thin, and you can sense Josh’s sheer admiration of his better half.
About his new purpose in life, Josh speaks:
"I have a mission now. My mission is to be the ray of hope, the guy who stands out there on that beautiful field and owns up to his mistakes and lets people know it’s never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go to bed at night, sober and happy, praying I can be a good messenger."
And:
Baseball is third in my life right now, behind my relationship with God and my family. Without the first two, baseball isn’t even in the picture. Believe me, I know…
Read the whole article .
[HT: Tim Challies, A la Carte for the reminder]
Posted in Blog, Sports, Stories | No Comments »
May 26th, 2008 Jeff
"All of us get completely covered, from head to toe to teeth, in the dust of the cradle of civilization."
- First Lieutenant Ted Janis, platoon leader of 3rd Platoon, Angel Company, 3rd Battalion, 187 Infantry Regiment of 3rd Brigade Rakkasans, 101st Airborne Division
One of the best sports stories I’ve ever read: Infantry Hoops In Iraq
Remember our troops and happy Memorial Day
Posted in Blog, History, Holidays, Sports, Stories | No Comments »
October 10th, 2007 Jeff
Kari is continuing her retelling of our story, “The Road to Santa Clara,” detailing our experiences in leaving all for a ministry opportunity a few years ago. The lessons learned along the way have proved to be invaluable, and although we wouldn’t sign up for it again, we wouldn’t trade it for the world. It is a redemptive story of God’s sustaining grace and the depth of friendship in the midst of confusion and frustrating circumstances.
The entire story is now up:
Ch. 1: The Phone Call | Ch. 2: The U-turn | Ch. 3: The Jeep | Ch. 4: The Apartment | Ch. 5: The Meeting | Ch. 6: The Rack | Ch. 7: The Barium Vials | Ch. 8: The Interview | Ch. 9: The Coffee Shop | Ch. 10: The Memorial Service | Ch. 11: The Seifers | Ch. 12: The Right Stuff | Ch. 13: The Acropolis | Ch. 14: The Home Fellowship | Ch. 15: The Settlers of Catan | Ch. 16: The Valentine Dinner | Ch. 17: The SonShiners | Ch. 18: The Road Home | The Epilogue
Posted in Adventures, Blog, Faithfulness, Kari, Reading, Sanctification, Stories, Theodicy, Theology, Web, godly trajectory | No Comments »
September 11th, 2007 Jeff
Kari is continuing her retelling of our story, “The Road to Santa Clara,” detailing our experiences in leaving all for a ministry opportunity a few years ago. The lessons learned along the way have proved to be invaluable, and although we wouldn’t sign up for it again, we wouldn’t trade it for the world. It is a redemptive story of God’s sustaining grace and the depth of friendship in the midst of confusion and frustrating circumstances.
There are 6 chapters thus far, not quite half way through:
Note: the name of places, people, etc. have been changed in this story. (For example, we didn’t move to Santa Clara, but rather somewhere near there.)
Chapter 7 will detail lessons learned while at my temporary job … more to follow.
Posted in Blog, Family, Kari, Stories | No Comments »
A short article/reflection of mine has been posted at Going to Seminary:
