Brennan Manning

Nolan Ryan and Baseball

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I still remember the first Major League baseball game I ever saw.

It was September 26, 1981 and I was 9 years old. The Houston Astros were playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. I didn’t know much about baseball (or at least not as much as I do now), but I knew something special was happening.

A pitcher named Nolan Ryan had held the Dodgers hitless through 8 2/3 innings and was going for the final out and his record fifth no-hitter. When Dusty Baker grounded out to third base, the record was official.

Ok, I didn’t exactly remember all those details. I had a little help from Wikipedia. But I do remember thinking what a great game baseball could be.

I still think that Nolan Ryan is one of the best players ever to play the game– maybe the best pitcher ever. I recently found one of his Astro jerseys on ebay and of course I had to get one.

I confess that I don’t follow baseball as closely as I used to. I’m not as familiar with the players anymore and it’s hard to keep track of who plays for what team with all the free agency and trades.

I can say that once the playoffs get started, I’ll be paying much closer attention. I’ll be pulling as usual for my favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals, but I’ll still wear my Nolan Ryan Astros jersey with pride, remembering that first ever game.

 

Morning and Evening

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“Pause and wonder. You had ‘goings forth’ in the person of Jesus ‘from everlasting.’ Before you were born, Christ loved you., for His delights were with human beings even before there were any children. He though often of them, and from ‘everlasting to everlasting’ He had set His affection on them.

My soul, has He been drawing you  to Him for such a long time that He will not accomplish it? Has He from everlasting been going to save me and will He lose me now?  Has He carried me like a precious jewel for so long only to let me slip through His fingers now? Did He choose me before the mountains were created, before the oceans were dug, only to reject me today?

Impossible! He would not have loved me this long had he not been a changeless Lover. If He could have grown weary of me it would have happened long before now. If His love were not as deep as hell and as strong as death, He would have abandoned me long ago.

Joy above all joys, I know that I am His everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to Him by His Father before creation. Everlasting love will be my pillow tonight” (Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening).

Every year, I pick out a new devotional to accompany my morning Bible reading. In years past, I’ve read the likes of Henri Nouwen, Frederick Buechner, and Oswald Chambers.

This year, I chose Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. As the title indicates, there’s two devotionals for each day. As I’m continuing to find out, you can’t go wrong with the classics. While I hold nothing against new books and new writers, there’s something about an old book that has stood the test of time and ministered to people for generations.

If you’re looking for a classic, I recommend My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers or Streams in the Desert by Lettie Cowman, as well as Mornings and Evenings. A good rule of thumb for me is that anything that’s over 100 years old and still in print is bound to be valuable and worthwhile.

 

 

 

The Adventure Begins

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Recently, I posted on social media about my desire to watch all the Doctor Who episodes (that still exist) in order from the very beginning. It seemed like a tall order to find a way to stream all the classic episodes that were made from 1963 to 1989.

My quest has begun in earnest, thanks to an app called Britbox.

I’m two episodes in to the William Hartnell era.  He was the first doctor, and he was a far cry to any of the modern doctors. He could be a little cold and arrogant, and not exactly a fan of humans.

I’m not expecting CGI or any kind of award-winning special effects early on. I’m aware that the BBC is notorious for not having the best visual effects. Then again, the viewer exercised more of his own imagination to fill in what the costumes and set designs lacked.

So far, so good. I learned that the TARDIS machine originally could change form from one place to the next, depending on the time period. Apparently, some circuit malfunctioned, so the end result was that it was always in the form of the familiar police boxes from the 60’s.

I believe there are quite a few episodes missing from the early years. The BBC didn’t think they’d be worth saving past the initial run, so many of the tapes used for the first series got erased to be used over.

Anyway, my little inner nerd is very happy. I’m expecting all kinds of wibbily wobbly timey wimey stuff ahead. Be warned.

A Beautiful Picture of Death

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I’ve always loved the story about the doctor and the patient who was asking about death. Not that I obsess over death, but I was reminded again of this little story that sums up faith so very neatly. Maybe it will speak to you in your grieving.

“A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to
Leave the examination room and said,
‘Doctor, I am afraid to die.
Tell me what lies on the other side.’
Very quietly, the doctor said, ‘I don’t know..’
‘You don’t know? You’re, a God fearing person,
and don’t know what’s on the other side?’
The doctor was holding the handle of the door;
On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,
And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room
And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said,
‘Did you notice my dog?
He’s never been in this room before.
He didn’t know what was inside.
He knew nothing except that his master was here,
And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death,
But I do know one thing…
I know my Master is there and that is enough’”

Heaven won’t be wonderful because of golden harps or white robes or streets of gold.

Heaven won’t be so desirable for mansions or biblical heroes or anything like that.

The best part of Heaven, the part I long for someday, is that Jesus, God made flesh, will be there.

And that will be enough.

Happy Birthday Eve to Me (Again)

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Tomorrow’s my birthday, so I suppose today’s my birthday eve. I’ve been telling people that I’m going to be 30 plus shipping and handling this year.

I’ve enjoyed being in my 30’s so much that I’ve been there for 16 years. Nothing like a little change of perspective to make growing old sound less . . . . old.

Anyway, I made it through another year. That’s not something I take for granted anymore. I’ve known of too many who didn’t make it to 46, including some family and friends.

The best way to stay young in my opinion is to try to think positively as much as possible and to always have an attitude of gratitude, especially for the small things. Like waking up every morning. Like the ability to walk and talk. Like another beautiful sunny day.

So happy birthday eve to me (and to everyone else who shares February 28 as their birthday). May it be another good one.

Just a Change of Address

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“Some day you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God” (Billy Graham)

I just read where the funeral of Billy Graham will be held on March 2, honoring 99 years of one of God’s most faithful servants.

I’m sure Billy Graham would be embarrassed at all this fuss being made about him. He’d say that he was a simple Baptist preacher who surrendered to God’s call on his life so many years ago. He simply made himself available, and God did all the rest.

But Billy Graham is really not dead.

I don’t mean that the media or some other organization faked his death to whisk him away to a secret location.

I mean that he’s fully healed and fully alive in the very presence of the Jesus he proclaimed from his very first sermon to his very last.

That’s true of any of those who have put their faith in Jesus. For them, death is not the end, but the beginning of the real adventure. They are the ones who are truly alive.

To all those who are uncertain of their eternal status, I urge you to watch this short invitation from Rev. Billy Graham himself.

A Peanut Gallery Update

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I can’t call my little Peanut my little kitten anymore.

She officially weighs 10 pounds at 10 months old.

She’s not so little anymore.

Since that fateful gotcha day, she’s been nothing but loving and sweet and affectionate. She’s the poster child for tortie cats. Or should I say, the poster kitten.

I suppose I’ll always remember June 30, 2017 as the day she picked me at the Williamson County Animal Shelter, nine days after my Lucy crossed the rainbow bridge.

I had another kitten ready to take home. He was in the crate and all that was left was to sign the papers and be on my way.

Then I turned around and saw a tiny paw stretched out, reaching toward me. I heard this piteous little mew and saw Peanut. I went over to her cage and reached my fingers through the cage to pet her. Immediately, she started purring and the rest is history.

The other cat probably ended up getting just as good of a home with someone else, and I got picked by a cat.

God does work in mysterious ways, even at animal shelters in the middle of June.

 

Lent Update

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As per usual, I’m taking my usual break from all things social media for Lent, with the notable exception of Timehop, where I get to see what I was doing and where I was on this day last year, 2 years ago, 3 years ago, etc. I get to see pictures of my old cat Lucy when she was happy and healthy and not sick.

I’m also fasting from Netflix. That means no Sons of Anarchy, no Bates Motel, and no Lemony Snicket until after April 1. That’s been the one that I’ve missed the most.

Social media on the other hand? Meh. I’m not missing that as much these days. I definitely don’t miss all the negative political posts that will most like likely end up changing no one’s mind but rather be read and approved by people who already agreed with their positions in the first place.

Also, I’m forgoing Candy Crush. Just an FYI.

For me, Lent fasting is partly to make time for God to speak and for me to hear His voice in His word. It’s also partly to show that these things, i.e. social media, Netflix, Candy Crush Saga, don’t control me and that I can live without them.

At this point, I’ve made it through 9 days. Only 35 more to go.

 

 

A Fitting End

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“I’ve read the last page of the Bible, it’s all going to turn out all right” (Billy Graham).

I read today where Billy Graham will be buried in a simple pinewood casket made by inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. I find that very fitting for a man who saw himself as a humble Southern Baptist preacher blessed to be able to present the Gospel to so many over a long and faithful life.

I think Billy Graham himself would say that it’s only his mortal shell that’s being put six feet deep in the ground. He is face to face with Jesus, hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He is reunited with his wife Ruth. He is home.

I think he’s finding out how true those words he spoke so long ago are. If you’ve read the last page of the Bible, then you know that it’s truly going to be all right.

In case you haven’t gotten to the end of the Bible, spoiler alert– here’s how it ends.

“The Spirit and the Bride: Come.

And let everyone who hears these words say, ‘Come.’

And let those who thirst come.
All who desire to drink, let them take and drink freely from the water of life” (Revelation 22:17, The Voice).

I believe Billy Graham would want his funeral to be one more opportunity for people to be able to respond to a Gospel invitation. He would want his death to result in more people coming to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Maybe you can be one of those who will join Billy Graham in heaven.

https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/salvation-through-christ-a-matter-of-faith.html

 

 

Happy Friday Eve, Everyone!

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I read recently that if 40 is the new 30, then why can’t Thursday be the new Friday?

Well, for me at least it’s Friday Eve. I know it doesn’t quite have the impact of Christmas Eve in terms of excitement, but for those who have had a long, if not necessarily bad, week, Friday Eve comes as sort of a welcome relief.

I for one am looking forward to turning off my alarm clock on Friday night and sleeping in to my little heart’s content on Saturday.

It’s good to celebrate the little victories, like making it through another week. Like waking up this morning. Like the ability to write (or read) these blog posts that sometimes are very last minute, off the cuff products.

Happy Friday Eve!