The Beginning of the Falcons Dynasty; Part 2

To recap Part 1...The Atlanta Braves, after 25 years of futility with only 2 playoff appearances and no playoff wins, finally made it to the World Series in 1991. The Braves suffered a devastating loss in the 7th game of the World Series that year. They were defeated 1 to 0 in extra innings. Little did we know in 1991 that the Braves would win 14 Division Titles in-a row, Win 5 NLCS (1991, 92, 95, 96 & 99), and a World Series Championship in 1995.

Part 2
Let's compare the Atlanta Falcons' history and predictions for their future.
In 1966, the Atlanta Falcons entered the NFL as an expansion team. Their first 5 years were disastrous. Finally, in 1971, the Falcons compiled a season record of 7 wins, 6 losses, and 1 tie! In 1972, the team would finish with a 7 and 7 record. The 1973 team compiled a 9 win and 5 loss season, and barely missed the playoffs. 1978 would be a water-mark year as the Falcons finished with a 9 and 7 record. This was the very first year of the NFL wild-card playoff game, and the Falcons were a part of the NFC game. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 14-13 for their first ever playoff win! However, the next week the Falcons lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a Divisional game by a score of 27 to 20. After a 6 and 10 season in 1979, the Falcons bounced back with their best regular season in their history to that point. They were 12 and 4, and hosted the Cowboys in a Divisional playoff game. Eerie to say, but the Falcons blew a 4th quarter lead as they lost by a score of 30 to 27! The 1982 was a strike-shortened season. Atlanta compiled a record of 5 wins and 4 losses. They lost to the Vikings in the playoffs by a score of 30 to 24. The next 8 seasons of Falcon Football was pathetic! They had a losing record all 8 years.

Let's compare the Braves' first 25 years to the Falcons' first years.
The Braves reached the playoffs twice with 0 playoff wins.
The Falcons reached the playoffs three seasons with a record of 1 and 3.

Please recall the Braves went from worst to first in 1991. Well, the Falcons under the leadership of flamboyant, second-year head coach Jerry Glanville also had a good season in 1991! They finished the regular season with a record of 10 and 6. They defeated the Saints in the Wild-Game playoff 27-20. The Redskins ended the Falcons' season in the divisional playoff round by a score of 24-7. The Falcons next 3 disastrous years ended with wins totaling 6, 6, and 7. However, 1995 second-year head coach June Jones would lead the Falcons to a 9 and 7 regular season record, but a loss to the Packers in the Wild-Card playoff by a score of 37-20. Once again, the Falcons can't stand prosperity as they have 2 sub-.500 seasons. Lo and behold another pattern continues: under the leadership of second-year head coach Dan Reaves, the Falcons bounce back with their best regular season ever! They compiled a 14 and 2 regular season record! The Dirty Birds (as they became known) defeated the 49ers 20-18 in a Divisional playoff. Then, in one of the most bizarre games ever, Atlanta defeated the Vikings in OT by a score of 30-27! FINALLY, the Falcons are going to the SUPER BOWL! Yahhhhhhh! Then, they were soundly thrashed by the Denver Broncos. In 2002, which would be Dan Reaves final full year, he led the Falcons to 9 wins, 6 losses, and 1 tie record. Atlanta defeated the Packers in the playoffs (which was the Packers' first playoff lost at their home, Lambeau Field). The Falcons followed this with a loss to the Eagles in a Divisional round playoff game 20-6. After a 5 and 11 year, Jim Mora would come in as the Falcons' Head Coach and turn things around immediately. In 2004, the team posted a 11 and 5 regular season record, while defeating the Rams in the Divisionals 47-17, followed by a NFC Championship loss to the Eagles 27-10. After a 4 and 12 season in 2007, Mike Smith was hired as the Falcons Head Coach. He really turned the team around! In 2009, the Falcons finished 9 and 7. Then, they went on a run! In 2010, they were 13 and 3 with a Divisional playoff loss to the Packers (48-21). In 2011, a 10 and 6 record gave them a Wild-Card playoff game, but they lost to the Giants by a weird score of 24-2. The 2012 team posted another 11 and 3 record. This time, they beat the Seahawks in the Divisional 30-28, but lost the NFC Championship to the 49ers 28-24.  The next 2 seasons, the team posted wins of 4 and 6, and Mike Smith was fired. Dan Quinn was hired, and the team finished 8 and 8. The pattern for favor for Falcon second-year coaches held! In Quinn's second year, the Falcons finish 11-5. They went on to win the Divisionals 36-20 over the Seahawks, and defeated the Packers 44-21 in the NFC Championship! On to the SUPER BOWL for only the second time in Falcons' Team History! Yahhhhhh! WOW! The Falcons were kicking on ALL cylinders and built a 25-point-4th quarter lead!! UH-OH...you know the rest of the story. The falcons lost in OT to the Patriots 34-28.

Here's the Braves-Falcon Comparison and prediction. In 1991, the Braves had the best GM in baseball, John Shuerholz and a Hall-of-Fame manager, Bobby Cox. Even though the Braves lost the final game of the World Series in extra innings, that was NOT the end! It was only the beginning.
In 2016, the Falcons have one of the very top GMs in the NFL, Thomas Dimitroff, and an awesome, veteran-loving, enthusiastic Head Coach, Dan Qinn! Yes, the Super Bowl collapse was the best collapse in NFL history. But, it is NOT the end! This is the beginning of the Falcons' Dynasty! They will not win the Super Bowl every year, but they will win it within the next 5 years!

The Beginning of the Atlanta Falcons' Dynasty: PART ONE

Part One

Oddly enough, part one will focus totally on the Atlanta Braves' rise to Dynasty Proportion to later compare my predicted rise of the Falcons' to Dynasty Proportions.

The Braves moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee in 1966. Four of their first six years in Atlanta, the team would compile a season record of above.500 winning percentage. In 1969, they would win the West Division Title. Yes, the Braves were in the Western Division from 1969-1993. This was so unfair since they had to travel to 3 west-coast teams for divisional play. Back to '69: In the National League playoffs, the Miracle Mets swept the Braves in 3 games while going on to win the World Series! The Braves would not finish better than third in the West Division until 1982. Under the Management of Joe Torre, the Braves began this magical season with a 13-game winning streak. They would play only 3 games over .500 the rest of the way, but that was enough to win the division. Once again they were swept in the NLCS. This time the Cardinals were the spoilers. The Braves would finish second in the division for the next 2 years. The hated Dodgers won the division both years. It one of the most unbelievable Braves' moves ever, and they've had about a million, the team fired manager Joe Torre.
Now, they were back to TERRIBLE again! Winning more than 70 games (out of 162) only once in the next 7 years! It was awful to be a Braves fan.

Then 1991 happened! The phrase "From Worst to First" was owned by Atlanta! After finishing dead last in the division for 3 years in-a-row, the Braves won the West! Atlanta had a record of 94 wins and 68 losses. It was their best record since arriving in Atlanta in '66. For the first time in Atlanta Braves history, they were NOT swept in the NLCS! As a matter of fact, they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in dramatic fashion by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, after trading by 1 run entering the inning!
On to the World Series to play the Minnesota Twins. It was one of the best World Series in MLB history. It all came down to the 7th and final game of the series. The Braves would send John Smoltz to the mound, while the Twins countered with Jack Morris. After 9 innings, the game was tied 0 to 0! WOW! In the bottom of the 10th inning, the Twins scored a run to defeat the Braves 1 to 0. A crushing defeat!

Honestly, I don't remember how people reacted to the game, other than disappointment and second guessing. But, after 25 years with only 2 division titles and no playoff wins, this was a DREAM SEASON! We are talking from worst to first! After literally enduring thousands of losses in 25 years of Atlanta Braves baseball, this may have been enough to last us weary fans for a few years. But thankfully, there was more to come! The Braves would rattle off 14 Division Titles in-a-row! The Braves went on to win 4 more NLCS in the decade of the 1990s! Therefore, they were the National League Champs in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 1999. But the crown jewel was the World Series win against the Cleveland Indians in 1995, 4 games to 2! That's right...The Atlanta Braves had built a Dynasty! Plus, they had given Atlanta their only Major Sports Professional Championship with the 1995 World Series win! They were the team of the 90s! The Braves followed their 90s run with 6 straight Division Titles!

What's the connection? If the Braves' Dynasty began in 1991, which ended in a crushing extra inning loss, could it be there is another team in Atlanta ready to begin their own dynasty?! Even if that team ended their wonderful season with a crushing over-time loss?!

The Atlanta Braves of the '70s

The decade of the 1970s began with music on vinyl, and WVOP AM playing Top 40 Hits. Nixon was President, and we were in the middle of the Vietnam Conflict/War. Integration of public schools had just begun in the Deep South. In Vidalia, we had 4 channels to watch on television. Pete's Drive-In was a local attraction for movies. Downtown Vidalia was a vibrant shopping area, there was a strip (Highway 280) for teenagers to cruise with a timely break to eat at Jack's "fast-food" restaurant. I was 8 years-old and baseball was my favorite sport.

The Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1965. As the team entered the decade of the '70s, they were fresh off of a 1969 Division Title. However, they were swept by the Mets in the playoffs. As a matter of fact, it would be 13 years before they won another Division Title (1982), and they were once again swept in the playoffs (by the Cardinals). The '70s decade was basically my childhood, ages 8-17. So for better or worse, I was invested in the Braves. The Braves teams of the early part of the decade were pretty good, but by the latter part, there were rotten. They were sometimes called a minor league team playing in the Bigs.

As we turn back to 1965 and the arrival of the Braves in Atlanta, it was a big deal. This was the first Major League baseball team in the Southeast, so the team had fans from states throughout the Southeast! Up until the mid-70s, we did not have cable. We had 4 channels to choose from on television. So, we listened to the Braves on the radio, and we loved it! If you don't know any better, you don't know any better! I can remember vacationing at Savannah Beach and listening to the Braves as part of our night-time entertainment. However, there was 1 game per week shown nationally on Monday Night Baseball. But the only Braves game that I remember being a part of the Monday night line-up was an April night in 1974 when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time Home-Run record by hitting number 715!

Looking back at some of the seasons of the 70s, there were some shining moments. The 1973 team boasted of the first team in major league history to have 3 players hit 40 or more home-runs: Darrel Evans 43, Dave Johnson 41, & Hank 40. The '74 team actually finished above .500 led by a pitching staff that included Ace Buzz Capra, who had a 9-game winning streak during the season. The best thing that happened to the Braves in the mid-70s was being shown on cable, which we fortunately were hooked up with in Vidalia. We were appreciative WTGS showed the Braves. WTGS later became WTBS, and finally TBS as it is know today.

My family went to the Braves's games almost every year in the 70s. One positive about having a terrible team was the great seats available! Then, there was the hour prior to the game. As a boy, this wait was excruciating! I can't believe how excited I was to watch those games! I am very appreciative to my parents for giving me that gift of those games.

As I think back to the players the Braves put on the field in the '70s, I liked all of them whether they were good or terrible. There must have been well over 300 players during the decade, so I will just list a few from memory. We must start with Hank Aaron, who gave the city pride by being the home-run king for over 30 years until Barry Bonds broke his record. There was the "Road Runner" Ralph Garr. Rico Carty, who said, "I can hit in any league," and he could. Howdy Doody Darell Evans was a great home-run hitter with over 400 life-time homers for several teams. One of my favorite names: Larvell "Sugar Bear" Blanks, who played SS. Other infielders included: Clete Boyer, Darrel Chaney, Mike Lum, Rod Gilbreath, Felix Millan, and Bob Horner. Outfielders included: Gary Matthews, Jeff Burroughs, Rowland Office, Dave May, and Dale Murphy. Pitchers included: Phil Niekro, Gene Garber, Rick Mahler, Dick Ruthven, Andy Messersmith, Rick Camp, and Buzz Capra. Catchers included Biff Pocoroba and Vic Correll. Special Pinch Hitter: Cito Gaston.

Finally, it's weird how a not-so-fancy stadium like Atlanta Fulton County Stadium can become one of your favorite places in the world, but it was one for me! I can still hear the late-great Marshall Mann on the PA saying, "Fans, you don't want to miss this opportunity!" or "Go to Aisle 102 to pick up your prize." While the Atlanta Braves of the 1970s were not the BEST team, they were OUR team! By the way, if you wonder how it felt to be a Braves fan of the 1970s, the last 2 seasons have given you a great model!

DEVINE DETOURS

  

                             Reference: WILD GOOSE CHASE by Mark Batterson

There are times in life that we all fail. Failure handled improperly can be devastating, but failure handled properly is the best thing that can happen to us. Sometimes we can look back and be very grateful our plan didn’t work like we hoped it would. 

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Remember, God sometimes presents devine detours to us. Recognize! Don’t panic!

We like to be in control of our lives, but it’s a grand illusion. We can’t make the sunrise, save ourselves, or heal ourselves. However, God makes the sun rise, he saves, and He has the power to heal. (J Lo)

Give Jesus complete editorial control of your life. We have to quit trying to write our own story. When we allow Jesus control, He begins writing His-story through our lives.

We must have total dependence on God. Sometimes God disorients us. Disorientation is natural and healthy. God is far more concerned about our future than we are. He has angels at His disposal. He can cause devine delays and devine detours. He loves us enough that He allowed His only begotten Son to die for us. Let's be committed to trust Him!

We are one trip…one meeting…one article…one conversation AWAY from God changing our direction. As we run free like animals on the Galapagos Islands, God can direct us. He can’t direct us if we allow ourselves to stay in a cage. There are factors God can use to accomplish His plan. Reasons we aren’t even aware of, like Paul’s shipwreck that landed him on Malta. Sometimes we want to know the will of God more than we want to know God. Always be seekers of Him, like the Wisemen.

Oswald Chambers: “What we call the process, God calls the end.”

DEVINE DETOUR APPRECIATIONS

• The longer you wait, the more you appreciate.
• Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just hang in there.
• A sense of humor can get you through just about anything.

All We Can Give is All We Have

This blog is very heavily referenced to: THE GRAVE ROBBER by Mark Batterson

J Lo Questions...
Am I satisfied with my life?
Is there anything about my life that I would like to change?
Do I believe in stuff (including spiritual matters) just because it's always been done that way?
Do I search the scriptures for truth on my own?
Do I search for God on my own or do I depend on the preacher?
Mark writes a great deal about the way things can be changed and why we sometimes keep the status quo. The following part of this blog are lessons taken from THE GRAVE ROBBER.
"If you want to repeat history, do it the same way it's always been done."
"Jesus offended the Pharisees with great intentionality and consistency."
Pharisees, over many centuries, compiled a list of do's and don't's called the MITZVOT.
It included 613 CODIFIED LAWS!
There were 248 POSITIVE COMMANDS.
There were 365 NEGATIVE COMMANDS.
Recall the miracle of Jesus healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda (found in John 5). Jesus told him to stand up, pick up his mat and walk. The man was healed instantly! The man, who had been an invalid for 38 years, broke the MITZVOT by carrying something (his mat) on the Sabbath.
My reaction: WOW! Are you kidding me?! We must NOT continue doing something just because it's been done that way for a long time. Especially, if we are making up rules that shackle people. Jesus came to set us free!
Mark does some in-depth teaching at this point.
1st Order Change is BEHAVIORAL. It's doing things different (little by little).
2nd Order Change is QUANTUM. This is change that happens all at once. It sees things differently. It's thinking about the problem differently. If Jesus would have tried to solve the problem as presented, he would have repositioned the man closer to the pool. However, Jesus changed his life by changing the rules.
* Convergent thinking is whittling away at a problem until you find the solution for it.
* Divergent thinking is the ability to look at the natural and see the supernatural.
Rolf Smith did a study:
* Children ask 125 probing questions per day.
* Adults ask 6 probing questions per day.
Mark concludes WE LOSE 119 QUESTIONS PER DAY AS ADULTS!
He goes on to say: Our imagination dies. It's also the day miracles stop happening.
We're too quick to explain what we don't understand.
God is predictably unpredictable.
Recall the miracle of feeding the 5,000 (men), plus the women and children. Here is a boy with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish. But, how far will that go among so many? There are about 40,000 residents of Galilee and about half (or 20,000 ) are there.
Phillip's response: IT WOULD TAKE MORE THAN HALF A YEAR'S WAGES TO BUY ENOUGH FOOD FOR EACH ONE TO HAVE A BITE.
Mark's insightful response: THE LITTLE BOY DIDN'T LET WHAT HE DIDN'T HAVE KEEP HIM FROM GIVING WHAT HE DID HAVE.
J Lo's learning from God through Mark Batterson: All we can give is all we have.

The Bishop Comes To Town!

                                           

I am a member of the First United Methodist Church in Vidalia, GA. Today, we were honored to have the South Georgia Bishop, Lawson Bryan visit us. His territory includes 600 churches and over 100,000 members! He had a great message from Ephesians 1 & 2. 

It is very cool that God reveals His plan to us…Ephesians 1, v.9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. v.10 And this is the plan: at the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.

The bishop preached on the theme of TOGETHER. There are many things attempting to tear us apart in this world, but God is not one of them! As different as we each are, God wants us to come together in Christ. The Bishop went on to implore us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and obey Him. Even acts that we might seem as unimportant, like speaking to a visitor at church or inviting someone to come to Sunday school or inviting someone to come to worship, are the very essence of serving God and helping God’s plan of coming together to succeed. 

For me, I heard this message: I don’t have to do “the spectacular” in human perception. I only need to do what God commands me. This may seem small and it will probably be in my 15-foot circle. In other words, I will affect those that are immediately around me. After all, that is what Jesus did so many times while here on earth. For sure, there was the the miraculous feeding of the 4,000 and later the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. But, so many lessons we learn from Jesus were his teachings to a few people or his healing of one person or his care for one person. Now, I have a life-goal of being a Contemporary Christian Radio DJ, and I will continue to petition God for this desire of my heart. When that happens, my words will reach scores of people. It will be such a blessing to broadcast God’s music that I have loved for 40 years! However, I feel God tugging at my heart and using me to minister to one or a few people at a time. In turn, I am usually ministered to by one or a few people at a time. It’s kinda cool, because it has a personal touch. Amazingly enough, our all-powerful God has a personal way of ministering to us. Praise God that He would care that much forf us! Praise God that the Father gave His one and only Son so that each of us could be forgiven and be free! 

As I think of the wrap-up, Bishop Bryan’s word of TOGETHER makes me think of the power God brings to His kingdom through us when we are willing to come together under the banner of Jesus Christ! LET IT BE!!

The Strange Way Basketball has Bounced During my Life!

My first 14 years as a teacher, I was in the gym during basketball season...as an employee! The first 6 years consisted of 6 days every week in the Darby gym (at that time it was called the J R Trippe gym) as a scorekeeper, clock-operator, coach, and seldom-used official. The next three years, I found myself as the Head B-Team and assistant coach for the Vidalia High School Girls Basketball program. Finally, I was the first Girls Basketball Coach at the "new" J R Trippe for the first 5 years of our program. I was never a great basketball player. I was not a good shooter. I was not a good dribbler. But, I was adept at fouling. As a fan, I grew up watching VHS basketball since my sister played from 72-74. We had a great program with the girls coached by Chunk Reid and the boys coached by Ralph Parsons. So, I continued to be a fan through the 70s and much of the 80s. I began working at the VRD in the Fall of 1987, so working and being a fan overlapped.

Another part of B-Ball that I loved was the ACC in the 70s and 80s. It was THE league for much of that time period! My favorite moment for the ACC was the play of Lynn Bias in the 1986 ACC Tournament. It was absolutely crazy how well he played! For the folks that don't know, a few weeks later, he tragically died of a cocaine over-dose on the night he was drafted by the Celtics. Speaking of the NBA...I am a homer, and I have always loved the Hawks. As a fan, one of the most important games of my life was game 6 of the Hawks vs the Celtics in the 1988 playoffs. The Hawks were at home leading 3 games to 2. There was no such thing as a big screen TV, but I made one by pulling the chair up to about a foot from the screen.! Well, the Hawks broke my heart by losing that game and game 7, which was one of the most famous games in NBA history due to a shootout between Dominique and Bird. Speaking of Larry Bird, the Celtics and Lakers were soooo good back then. They were the class of the League. Then, came the thugs (I mean Bad Boys) called the Pistons in the late 80s. They dethroned the Celtics, and beat back Atlanta's hopes of being the power in the East. Finally, Jordan and the Bulls defeated those chumps...I mean Pistons. I continued to enjoy the NBA into the 90s, but somewhere along the way, I lost my taste for it. College basketball wasn't as much fun, either. As a matter of fact, I got sick of ALL basketball! Maybe the pounding of that ball day in and day out for 14 years took its toll on me.

With ALL that said, I have really enjoyed watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament this year! I watched South Carolina destroy Duke in the second half last week. Friday night, South Carolina man-handled Baylor by a score of 70-50. Meanwhile UCLA and Kentucky were playing ball like the old ACC used to play. Great teamwork and playing like it could be their last game...and it was for many players! Kentucky's freshman were too much for UCLA. Finally, Wisconsin ties Florida on a 3-point shot with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation. The game did go in to overtime where Florida, while trailing by 2 points, won the game with a 3-pointer with no time on the clock! Amazing how you can be utterly surprised how enjoyable a sport can be that you have long written off. It took great play for it to happen, and I am looking forward to more tonight!

The Man who Died Three Times!

NOTE: This a paraphrase from my blessing of listening to a caller on K-Love.

As I was listening to K-Love radio yesterday, a very interesting caller told a story of the time he died three times. He actually was revived twice. The third time was unsuccessful, and they were about to call hime dead. However, the doctor said to hit him one more time with the paddles. Praise God, He came back to life.

And now let’s backtrack. This young man was a veteran suffering from PTSD. He began doing drugs…not to numb the situation, but the reverse. He said he was already numb and the drugs made him at least feel something. But, we all know this was not a solution. I don’t know how long he had been a user when the fateful weekend occurred. It was very bizarre! The dude was partying in one part of Illinois…maybe Champagne? I don’t remember. Anyway, he remembers partying there on a Friday night. The following Tuesday, he was revived in a hospital in Chicago. He has no remembrance of how he got there. Upon further investigation, a store owner found him laying outside his business. He called the police. Who in turn took him to the hospital. 

Fast forward to the time after he is revived in that hospital in Chicago. He ends up going to jail. After he has been there for quite a while, he began to question the meaning of life. At some point as he is sitting in his cell, something tells him to turn on the radio, and he does. The song that has just begun to play is Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave. As the words soak over him, he realizes he has been blaming everybody and everything else for his situation. He realizes he has to take responsibility for himself, but more than that: there is a God who will redeem him. He cried in his cell. He didn’t make it clear if he was saved that night, but it sure was the beginning of his turn around. He went on to mention he has had a relationship with the Lord since 2013. His third child is on the way.

One previous problem that added to getting him down was the lack of a job. He now has a full time job! More excitingly, he is ministering to veterans suffering from PTSD. There are times they tell him, “You don’t know what I’m going through!” He replies, “Yes, I do.” Praise God for the doctor telling the nurse to hit him one more time with those paddles so that he didn’t die in that state he found himself in. Praise God that even in jail, God ministered to him through a Daddy Weave song on the radio. Praise God for a radio station choosing to play Christian music. Praise God for the sharing of his story and his willingness to give back to help others. He is truly Loving others as himself.

One thing he tells the veterans he ministers to: 

In a car, the rearview mirror is small. We need to learn from our past, but not live there. The front windshield is much bigger, therefore we need to look ahead. WOW! That is a wonderful message for all of us. 

One of the DJs, Kank mentioned that God wants us to press on. 

We find this in Philippians 3:14; I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Romans 8:28 tells us: And we know God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

What Are You Going To Do About It?

    (heavy reference to WILD GOOSE CHASE by Mark Batterson)

I. Mark Batterson writes that the Book of Acts is self-explanatory. It’s NOT the book of IDEAS or THEORIES or WORDS. 

1. God will not say, “Well THOUGHT, good and faithful servant.” 
2. God will not say, “Well SAID, good and faithful servant.”
3. God will not say, “Well THEORIZED, good and faithful servant.”

Scripture: Matthew 25:23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”

II. Signs follow faith.

In Joshua, God tells the priests to take a few steps into the river, THEN it parted! We can’t always wait for a sign…they often follow our act of faith. 

Scripture: Joshua 3:14-16; 14 So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priest who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. 15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

III. Think about Joseph. (Genesis 37-50)

1. He was sold into slavery at age 17.
2. Because of God, he found favor with Potiphar.
3. He was falsely accused and thrown into prison.
4. Because of God, he found favor with the Head Jailer.
5. He had a dream that helped Pharaoh’s Cupbearer, and two years later the Cupbearer remembered Joseph.
6. Because of God’s favor, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was made Second-in-Command to Pharaoh.
7. He saved the world and won his family back.

IV. How about Agnes and her 3 pennies!

With God’s help, she built an orphanage. She would minister to countless people in her native land of India. Agnes was also known as Mother Teresa. When asked, “What can I do for God?” She said, “Find your own Calcutta.” (This referred to her own place of ministry in Calcutta, India.)

***So, WHAT IS YOUR CALCUTTA  AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?***

"If I Were in Charge of American Sports, I Would Change Three things..."

1. The MLB All-Star game winner would not determine the home-field advantage for the World Series!

* Why not?
A. The fans vote for the starters.
B. Every MLB team is required to have a representative on the team.
C. It is an EXHIBITION!

* So what would I do?
Since there is currently inter-league play, the team in either the NL or the AL with the best over-all regular season record, would host the World Series. If that team didn't last until the World Series, then the team with the second-best record, then the third-best record. An so on, and so on.

2. The NFL Overtime Rule is a joke!
A coin flip determines the winner of the Super Bowl?!
Need I say more? Ok, I will. The NFL should adopt the college rules for overtime games.

3. Create 4 quarters for NCAA Men's Basketball as opposed to the current two twenty-minute halves. Any other level of basketball from Middle School, High School, NCAA Women's, and the Pros have 4 quarters of basketball. While each level has different amount of time per quarters, they still have 4 quarters. While I am not going to lose any sleep over this one, my OCD is screaming for uniformity!

HIT THE MAN!!!

                           
The title, "HIT THE MAN," are the words that came out of my daddy's mouth one day as he was teaching me to drive! But, we'll come back to that.

Background: My father could get uptight about things, to say the least. And, if it came to spending money, that was really a clencher. He died in 1979, when I was 18, so many of you never knew him. I'll take this time to educate you with a glimpse of the life of being a child of Ronald. (Shout out to my sister, Nancy!)

As I was learning to drive, my father "helped" me with this endeavor. I admit I was terrible at driving when I was 15 and even 16. Here are 3 events that seemed a little traumatic at the time, but I look back now and just have to laugh.

1. One driving lesson, we were out on some country road, and I must having been doing something wrong...who knows?! A reasonable person would think a driving teacher would need to help keep his student calm. I guess that was my daddy's intention when he suddenly yelled out, "RELAX!" Really? That sent me into panic mode!

2. Another wonderful lesson with Ronald: As we drove along another country road, I approached a man walking on the side of the road. He looked kind of close to the road, so I started moving away from the side of the road...and towards the center line. About that same time a car is approaching me, and honestly I was getting closer and closer to the other car, infringing on his part of the road. Well, Daddy was beyond incensed! He starting yelling, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" "GET BACK ON YOUR SIDE OF THE ROAD" (I think...His relaxed techniques weren't working well, and I don't remember his exact words.) After disaster was avoided, my 'driving teacher' continued to probe me for a reason for getting in the other driver's space. I told him I didn't want to hit the man that was walking on the side of the road. His lesson was as follows, "HIT THE MAN!" "DON'T HIT THE CAR!" "HIT THE MAN!"

3. One day it was my mother's turn to teach me to drive. Georgia was her name. She died in 1993 when I was 31. Many of you may not have known her, but I'm sure several of you remember her. She was more quietly spoken than my daddy, but she didn't have much fun with my driving lessons, either! I am telling you: I was TERRIBLE!! Well that day's lesson was coming to a close. I wheeled our big ole Oldsmobile into the driveway and approached the garage. For some reason, I pressed the gas instead of the break! Yes, I hit the garage. Guess who just happened to be home...Daddy! He came tearing out of the house, and honestly I don't remember his first words. However, I remember mine. I said, "Daddy, I just tapped it (the garage)." His response, "You tapped it with two tons!" We then proceeded into the Living Room for a 'classroom driving lesson'. He was in one recliner and I was in another. He quizzed me and advised me and drilled me for about an hour until I was crying! Woo Baby!

The lesson I mostly learned from all this teaching was: HIT THE MAN! Of course, almost every time that I am driving and pass a pedestrian beside the road--like this morning--I think (and sometimes yell) HIT THE MAN!!

Prayer and Visitation

This past weekend was FULL of blessings! I want to share about two specific events.

First, was a PRAYER STATION we provided this past Saturday from 9:00-11:00 at the Second Blessings parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Vidalia, GA. Eddie Tyson recently secured signs for our project. They were in the shape of a STOP sign and read, "STOP here if you need prayer". We set up one on Highway 280 and one on Church Street. Larry Sweat joined Eddie and myself to comprise the Prayer Team. We had a fantastic time talking, semi-arguing, laughing, and of course praying. The time flew by! However, we had not had a customer to stop and pray with us. Then, there was a point when all of a sudden, Eddie prayed, "Lord, send us just one person." I looked at the clock...it was 10:41. Well, about 11:00, we stood to have our closing prayer. Before that occurred, a man came walking up for prayer! Hallelujah! His prayer was for someone close to him who was in the hospital with an aneurysm. We gathered around him, placed hands on him, and prayed for this lady who was in need. When we were finished praying, he said, "I accept the prayer." He stood, hugged each of us, and told us he loved us! He left, and we were so glad someone had come to ask for prayer! We began to clean out the items that were under our Prayer Tent, and a lady approached us. She said she wanted prayer for her grandson who was dealing with anger problems. We prayed for her, her daughter, and of course her grandson. When we were finished praying, she said she felt a peace! Glory to God! We closed up shop, and we went away blessed and joyful! Praise God!!!
2 Chronicles 7:14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Next, was a visitation to the Oaks at Bethany Nursing Home. I have been a part of a ministry involving the Bethany Home for almost 20 years. We attempt to go once a month. We currently plan to go on the second Sunday of each month. Our core group is a bunch of young people. We have a few older people who tag along, but these youth are dynamite! We have sooooo much fun! We talk with the residents; we sing; and we pray. The residents love on us as much as we love on them! If we hit a clunker while singing, they don't mind a bit. And, it's a good thing, because we will hit a few clunkers here and there. We have a standard song lineup: "Do Lord", "This Little Light of Mine", "Sanctuary", "Amazing Grace", "In the Garden", "Oceans", "Oh How He Loves", and whatever else we are feeling that day! One of our favorite friends is Stephen. He loves Rock and Roll, and we give it to him! One of the many blessings of our visits is hearing Stephen laugh. It is priceless and gives me enormous joy! I also like some of the looks we get, like: "Y'all can't sing" and "Y'all are kinda crazy, but we like you!" That's my interpretation, anyway.
James 1:29 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

God uses Jonathan's bravery to reveal His Glory!

JONATHAN

*Background from the Bible: 1 Samuel 13: Israel's first king was Saul. He had a son named Jonathan. Jonathan had already attacked the garrison of the Philistines with 1000 men and defeated them at Gaba. This made the Philistines mad. They mobilized. Their warriors numbered as grains of sand on the seashore. 1 Samuel 13: 6&7 tells us: "The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead."

Our main story for today is about Jonathan. This account takes place in the Bible in 1 Samuel 14.

  Saul and 600 men who were left out of 3000. They were camped out under a pomegranate tree at Migron, on the outskirts of Gibeah. At this time, Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come on, let's go over to where the Philistines have their outpost." Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing.

Jonathan goes down between two rocky cliffs. He tells his armor bearer, "Let's go across the out post of these pagans. Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle with many warriors or a few."

Jonathan told his armor bearer that the two of them would cross over and let the Philistines see them. he went on to explain, if the Philistines tell them, 'Stay where you are or we'll kill you,' then they would stop and not go up to them. But if the Philistines said, "Come on up and fight, " they would go up. Jonathan said that would be the Lord's sign that he will help them defeat the Philistines.

Well, sure enough the Philistines saw them. They said, "Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!" Then the men from the outpost shouted, "Come up here, and we'll teach you a lesson." Jonathan told his armor bearer to crawl right behind him. Jonathan said, "The Lord will help us defeat them!"

So Jonathan and the armor bearer climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed all those who came behind. They killed some 20 men in all.

Suddenly, panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in camp and in the field. Just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified. Saul's lookout saw the Philistine army melting away. After calling role, they knew only Jonathan and his armor bearer were missing.

As Saul was talking to Ahijah, the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. Then Saul rushed out to the battle and saw the Philistines killing each other. The Hebrews who had defected to the Philistines, joined the Israelites. Also, the men who were hiding in the hill country of Ephraim joint the chase when they saw the Philistines running.

So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle continued to rage even beyond Beth-aven. The Israelites chased and killed the Philistines all day. Saul finally called his weary troops back and the Philistines returned home.

***My thoughts:
1. Don't ever think one person (or two ) can't make a difference.
2. God can show His power in our weakness and defy ALL odds for His glory!
3. Praise God for my 1st BLOG!!!