"A Victory"

 

I had to teach the youth group last night at church, so I couldn't be at Jachin and Micah's next playoff baseball game.  I did receive a text in the middle of the meeting advising about the time of the next game.  Next game?  That meant we won.  I wondered about the circumstances of the victory.  Come from behind in the bottom of the last inning?  A complete blowout from start to finish?  A close one all the way?  My questions were finally answered when Kel called later that night.  The score was 7 to 5 against us when the third inning ended.  At that moment the umpire raised his hands and declared, "That's the ball game."  He made it official that the Rangers were the winners.  Now.  "How?" you may ask.  It's like this.  There is an obscure rule in their Little League system that says a team may begin the game with as few as eight players, as long as they have at least nine by the end of the third inning.  You guessed it.  The other team's ninth player never arrived, so we won.  How significant is that?  It means that we officially did not come in last place.  That is one little piece of encouragement for this group of ragtag kids who were just starting to realize some of the more basic rules of the game.  Like when to swing the bat and that it's OK to pick up the ball if it is hit near you in the field.  They have another game tonight, but I have to go to a high school graduation, so I'll have to miss it.  Doesn't matter how they do, though.  They're a great group of kids.  I'm really proud of them. 

 

I had our resident youth group artist act as a police sketch artist last night.  I think she is planning to major in art when she goes off to college.  Lora drew a very quick image of every person there as part of the teaching.  The sketches became wanted posters for everyone – Wanted by Jesus.  She did an amazing job.  Even did one of Mom that was eerily accurate.  I plan to hang onto ours in case I forget what I look like.

 

1 John 4:19-21 says, "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

 

Father, bless our artist.  Give her opportunity to use her talent to bring glory to you and your kingdom.  Amen.