My! how things change

Man! Who knew that so much could happen in a week where I am out of touch with the world. I leave on retreat Monday morning early and don't have any contact with the world in which I live until Friday afternoon. When I finally catch up on the news of my friends, family, Baylor, and the greater outside world, I find out that Jerry Falwell and Martin Luther King's daughter have died. I check the web for Baylor sports to find out that Baylor Women's and Men's Tennis made it to the Sweet Sixteen as well as the Baylor Softball team sweeping the Regional Tournament and hosting Michigan this weekend in a Super Regional. Baylor Baseball swept Kansas State in their last home series (picture of me with dad included) to earn a 6th place seed at the Big 12 tournament this week.



My cousins from California are finally coming for a visit - to check out Baylor, none the less! And my dear friends, Forrest and Elizabeth Williams are having a BOY! I call them MSU (Mississipi State or missionary) couple because they were called to Alabama for a year and now will be moving...last week I left thinking they were moving to Waco, when I returned, I heard that they were interviewing at least one more time in Mississippi. Who can blame them for wanting to be close to family as they begin their own. Let's just say that they are walking by faith and letting God lead the way...I guess we might know something by Friday (their last day in their house). But no matter where they are...they are having a BOY!

Sic 'em!

Firewheels & the Hill Country

Spring Time in Texas!
What an incredible time it is deep in the heart of Texas.
Last month I showed you the bluebonnets and yellow....

Today, that same field in front of my house is filled with Indian Blankets or Firewheels. They bloom from April to June. It is combination of red, orange, and yellow and somewhat resembles a brightly woven tapestry.

This is undeniable proof that God is
the Creator of the Universe and the Sustainer of Life.

How can anyone deny it?

Do you take time to see the flowers and
wonder at the awe of God?

I am headed out of town on a true, albeit faculty, retreat. Almost 50 of us from Baylor will travel 3+ hours south, just outside Kerrville, TX to Laity Lodge for a 4 day, 4 night retreat in the Hill Country. We will have reflection and recreation, small group time, morning and evening prayer, and vocational sessions. This retreat sight is void of technology (no cell reception, no internet, and no television) and abundant with natural surroundings. So, I will be out of touch with friends and family until Friday, but hopefully in touch with co-workers, colleagues, and most importantly, God Himself. It is awsome to work in an organization that sees this sort of opportunity as valuable. I am blessed.

Life is Precious Life is Sweet

LIFE IS PRECIOUS LIFE IS SWEET
...like the earth beneath my feet,
though I know I am passing through
I know I belong to you.... (Wes King song)

What an emotional weekend...it is all jumbled together up there in my head so I am going to try to sort out my thoughts in this blog...bear with me...this week at Baylor, we lost our sixth student , Caitlyn Creed, to a car accident...it has been a long, hard year in terms of understanding the "whys." Then later this week, we had some very serious weather pass through. High winds and lots of thunder and lightening. This particular storm found a young mother, Melissa Brinegar, of 28 walking back from the lake hand-in-hand with her 5-year old daughter. Lightening struck her and killed her. She was 8 weeks pregnant. Her 5-year old is in Mia's (my niece) kindergarten class. The "whys" grow larger for all of us.


Today, after church as we headed to Fuddruckker's, Mia was sitting in the front seat and said to me... "today I want to take the training wheels off!" This comes on the heels of her riding up and down my parent's driveway on her bike with the training wheels. I have given her a hard time - just kidding around - about it. This statement came without any prompting. So, we decided to meet on the tennis court and work on the independence of two wheels v. four.


As I ran up and down the middle of the court holding the seat and trying to encourage her to "steer and pedal - steer and pedal" I finally figured out that she was afraid to fall. She would rather quit than fall. How true of all of us. We would rather give up when it gets hard. We would rather put the brakes on, put our feet down, or change directions than risk a fall that could injure or scar us. So, we stopped for a talk... I explained that she WAS going to fall. It is ok and we have all experienced it. She found the courage to keep trying. She fell. She got up and tried again. This is what I love about coaching...you know you were called to coach when you find greater satisfaction in the small successes of your students than if you did it yourself. I suppose the same can be said about parents. All in all it was a great afternoon. I worked with both Mia (6) and McKenna (9) on riding their bikes. They both made progress. We all felt good.


The "whys" still loom. Why was her life (and that of her small baby) cut short? Why should a 5-year old have to go through life without her mom? Why do most of us fear things that are so small (like falling off a bike)? Fear can only exist where God is absent. 1 John 4 says "God is Love..." later in that chapter is says, "There is no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear..." The words "Fear Not" appear 23 times in the New Testament. Jesus says to us...His beloved children...FEAR NOT, I am with you...FEAR NOT, I will never leave you...FEAR NOT, I have overcome the world.

Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! Seize TODAY!

Scopes & Doctors

Some reading this really won't appreciate it...so here is fair warning: If you have an adversion to medical terminology you may want to proceed with caution.
I promise it is not going to be graphic in any way.

I am amazed by the technological advances that we have come to take as common place. Every day you talk to friends who are going in for an ultrasound or who are going to have a stint or pacemaker put in their heart or who have just had "the scope" on their knee. Our great big God makes the wisdom of men seem like foolishness. We know and are cared for by the Creator and Sustainer of Life itself. He orchestrates the events and places people in our lives "for our good and His Glory." As one who has experienced more than a few surgeries (mainly knees) I am always amazed by what the doctors can do with less and less "invasion" or trauma to the body. Recovery time is minimal and overnight hospital stays are rare on many things that used be considered major surgeries. With very little research and experience, this is what I have learned:

Endoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the human body for medical reasons using an instrument called an endoscope. Endoscopy is a minimally invasive diagnostic medical procedure (MIS) used to assess the interior surfaces of an organ by inserting a tube into the body. The instrument may have a rigid or flexible tube and not only provide an image for visual inspection and photography, but also enable taking biopsies and retrieval of foreign objects. It delivers light to an organ under inspection through a fiber optic system and it also allows the entry of medical instruments such as heart valves and pacemakers or others used to repair damaged tissue.

Laparoscopic surgery is any MIS done in the abdomen. Knee arthroscopy is surgical procedure in which a small camera is used to examine tissues inside the knee joint. Arthroscopy allows for the visualization of the interior of a joint through the use of optic instruments. Surgery can now be performed on larger joints using direct visualization and miniaturized techniques.

My final thoughts regarding the amazing technological advancements and medical procedures turn to those of the highly trained doctors and nurses that have chosen a profession in which they have the honor of working for the Creator. Two of my three specialists are believers that are quick to give the glory for their success to the Lord. Each of them live out what they believe and are not afraid or ashamed to call upon the Almighty God for His hand of protection and wisdom. I am grateful to have Dr. Edward Contreras (Gastroenterologist and Internal Medicine) and Dr. J.P. Bramhall (Medical Director and Orthopedic surgeon for Texas A & M) taking care of me as God's hands extended.

Mall of America

Unbelievable...and I am not really a big shopper...but this place is Amazing! There are over 30 places to eat and over 500 stores on four floors anchored by Sears, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Nordstrom's. In the middle is an amusement park with a ferris wheel and roller coaster...16 movie theaters and believe it or not plenty of parking.

I was in Minneapolis for a conference and after the sessions were over for two nights, while my colleagues were our enjoying the nightlife, the Baylor staff headed over to the Mall of America. We didn't even put a dent in this mall, but it was fun to experience it. For you shoppers out there...this is well worth the trip. I suspect that you could spend days in here and not make it to each store...maybe the ones that interested you.

But one interesting thought I had as I dodged people with packages, teens in their herds, and baby strollers, was ... man, we (America) are the picture of desire...maybe even decadence. It is almost embarrasing that we don't think twice about going to get a new outfit for a special occaison and there are people who are half-naked and starving...yet we leave food on our plate all the time. It hit me that we are enamored with stuff. We are busy, but are we doing things that matter in light of eternity? We are loaded with stuff, but do we possess the character qualities that God cares about? We are geared to strive for more, but there are many with so much less that are far more rich. Now don't get me wrong, I am not condemning shopping, but I think for me I will set a "policy" for myself...for each thing I buy, I must give something away. I will not accumulate more than I already have and I will make the effort to simplify and weed out those thing that are extraneous. Hopefully, someone can benefit in some way from those things I choose to give away. You my friends, please hold me to it.

Blackberries & Cream

Blackberry - This is a brand of "smart phone." It will allows users to enjoy email, mobile phone, text messaging, organizer/calendar, contacts and web browser in an all-in-one mobile solution. I broke down and traded in the regular cell phone for a Blackberry. It synchronizes with my computer and the Baylor server instantaneously. My goal was accomplished this past weekend. I was able to leave for a relaxing weekend with friends, leave the laptop at home, and still not return to a jammed inbox. I don't know who thinks of these things or really how any of them work but I am grateful.


Now for the Cream: you have heard of "Cream of the Crop" and "Cream rises to the top" or "Creme de la Cream." All three phrases allude to the best of the best. This picture is of one of my Creams. Trish and I have been friends for over a decade. We met at Kanakuk on my second tour of duty. We are the same age and yet at very different stages in life. She is the Executive Women's Director at Kanakuk Kamps, Inc. She is a mother of three and wife to John. Her two boys love sports and are 100% active. Trish's daugher, Shayla (pictured here) is one of those athletic dancers who enjoys sports (mostly watching her brothers) and all things girl (thus the purple Princess bedroom). As I experienced this weekend, Trish runs the kind of home that I would want to have if I had teenagers. Her house is the place to be. She stocks her panty and refridgerator with food (as a draw I suppose) and opens her home up to all the boys' friends. While I was there for just over 48 hours, over 12 different kids spent time over at the house. Trish bathes her family in prayer. She also covers her staff with prayer. She runs her own Arbonne business while John runs a fireworks business. Both Trish and John have individual identities as well as the "two become one" unity of a couple.



Back to Cream...rarely have I had the opportunity in my life to find a friend that I respect professionally and admire in their personal life. Trish is one of those people to me. We have never lived in the same town, except for those three month stints I was in Branson for the summers. We developed our friendship the very first summer and since that time we have lived well, laughed hard and loved much.

Proverbs 27:17 says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
Ecclesiates 4:12 says "...a cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

We have been through alot over the years and it has only served to push us to communicate and become stronger. I am thankful for something as insignificant as a blackberry and moreover, someone as priceless as Trish the Dish...she's the Cream!

Miracle of Life

So many of my friends are deeply involved in the Miracle of Life. From those who are GWC (Great With Child) now, to those who have taken a few turns in that seat, to those who are in the stage of teaching the ABC's or the birds and the bees...all who are parents are involved in the Miracle of Life. Our Great Big God is the Giver and Sustainer of Life. He says in John 11:25 "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

God has been the Creator since the dawn of time. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. In fact, He is infinite and we are finite. We cannot understand how or when or why about birth. That is why we come to Him in faith. There are so many amazing miracle stories of conception through birth among my friends. In fact, several of my friends are presently GWC now, watching that baby grow as each week passes. I am so thankful for their stories of pain and patience, faith and family. Three of my friends are all due within about two weeks of each other: Elizabeth, Hope, and Kristin. October will be a month of celebration for sure. Three other of my friends are parents of toddlers and spend their days chasing little ones around the home teaching all along the way.



I have one friend in particular who has experienced the most recent miracle. Six years ago, Angel finally gave birth to her son Parker. She stayed in the hospital for a cumulative total of three months prior to her C-section. When Parker was born, he spent 2.5 weeks in the hospital. Six years later, after several pregnancies and miscarriages, Angel and Gary decided to pursue adoption. They got a call to visit with a pregnant young woman. Within 2 weeks, she gave birth and they were the new parents of Addison. Less than two weeks later, Angel found out she was GWC. Eight months later, she gave birth to Jackson (see picture). This time around, she had zero complications (except for the time that Addison decided to start crawling at seven months!) and took Jackson home as a healthy, strong baby boy.

All this to agree with the song, "God is Good ~ All the Time ~ ~ ~ All the Time ~ God is Good!"