Is God Really In Control? (LB)

LOOKING BACK - Repeating a blog that I first published on December 22, 2008

          God can work in amazing ways - here are a few things that we experienced during the past few days.  (1)  I took our car for inspection and while the car passed they told me that I needed four new tires before winter - $500!  I refused their "offer" because I had just had them checked a month earlier.  But right after a 400 mile trip we found that we had picked up a screw in a front tire so I went to a tire dealer that I trust.  He told me that my tires would last another year, but because there was some early cracking and they were guaranteed, they could replace them for $240, including alignment.  I accepted and replaced all four not realizing all the driving we would do, in snowy icy weather, the following week when Dianne's dad died.  How much safer we felt.  PTL!  

          (2)  We needed to find a motel in the Sunbury area and at our third stop we met a manager who had been a neighbor of Dianne's dad several years ago.  And while we didn't know her, because of his death, she gave us a bargain price for the three nights that we stayed there. PTL!  

          (3) When we heard that Dianne's dad's condition was terminal, we were concerned that because of the holiday the church would not be available.  We also knew that the pastor would be away on vacation for the week.  But God's timing was perfect and we were able to bury him on Saturday morning before Christmas week. PTL!

          (4)  When we received the call about her dad's death at 1 in the morning, I was concerned because they were predicting sleet and freezing rain.  So we decided to leave for Sunbury early in the morning and we drove through sleet for an hour until suddenly, above Harrisburg, the weather cleared.  We were able to do all the funeral planning that day in clear weather, while back home they had slick roads.  PTL! 

           PTL!  (5)  The week of his death we experienced a series of winter storms.  They had predicted six inches or more of snow in Sunbury on Friday before the Saturday funeral.  But the snow turned to rain late Friday afternoon allowing our children to safely make the trip.  Saturday was clear and very cold and while we couldn't get into the cemetery because of the ice and snow, we were able to have the graveside ceremony from the church parking lot only about 40 yards from the grave.  PTL!  

          (6)  We were perplexed about how much food to purchase for the luncheon to be held after the service since we didn't know how the weather would affect the attendance.  In fact we had planned not to eat if we had more people stay than we predicted.  The cold icy weather did prevent many from coming and we had an adequate amount of food for all who stayed.  PTL!  

          So were all of these situations just lucky coincidences or did the Lord intervene and answer many prayers, including those about the weather?   You may have your own opinion, but I personally believe that the Lord does answer prayer and we had many folks on our prayer chain taking our concerns before the Lord.  

          I am reminded of a song that our family used to sing when we did programs as part of our family ministry.
  

He holds the future in the palm of His Hand, 

And He has never failed me yet, 

I know He's leading and still has control, 

So why should I worry or fret. 

I know He holds the future, 

and I know He holds my hand, 

I know just as sure as I'm singing this song, 

I'm a part of His almighty plan. 

I believe, I believe, I believe, 

So why should I worry or fret."  

Maybe I needed to repeat this blog for myself if for nobody else.  As we face many new challenges it often becomes easy to forget how God has led and provided in the past.  I daily need to get over the worry and fretting, because He really is in control.

17 Inches

          Somebody recently sent this story to me and I felt that I needed to share it here in my blog.  Unfortunately I don't know who the author is.

          Twenty years ago, in Nashville, Tennessee, during the first week of January, 1996, more than 4,000 baseball coaches descended upon the Opryland Hotel for the 52nd annual ABCA's convention. While I waited in line to register with the hotel staff, I heard other more veteran coaches rumbling about the lineup of speakers scheduled to present during the weekend. One name kept resurfacing, always with the same sentiment — "John Scolinos is here? Oh, man, worth every penny of my airfare."
          Who is John Scolinos, I wondered. No matter; I was just happy to be there. In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching career that began in 1948. He shuffled to the stage to an impressive standing ovation, wearing dark polyester pants, a light blue shirt, and a string around his neck from which home plate hung -  a full-sized, stark-white home plate.  Seriously, I wondered, who is this guy?
         After speaking for twenty-five minutes, not once mentioning the prop hanging around his neck, Coach Scolinos appeared to notice the snickering among some of the coaches. Even those who knew Coach Scolinos had to wonder exactly where he was going with this, or if he had simply forgotten about home plate since he'd gotten on stage.
          Then, finally … "You're probably all wondering why I'm wearing home plate around my neck," he said, his voice growing irascible. I laughed along with the others, acknowledging the possibility. "I may be old, but I'm not crazy. The reason I stand before you today is to share with you baseball people what I've learned in my life, what I've learned about home plate in my 78 years."
          Several hands went up when Scolinos asked how many Little League coaches were in the room. "Do you know how wide home plate is in Little League?"  After a pause, someone offered, "Seventeen inches?", more of a question than answer.
          "That's right," he said. "How about in Babe Ruth's day? Any Babe Ruth coaches in the house?" Another long pause.  "Seventeen inches?" a guess from another reluctant coach.
          "That's right," said Scolinos. "Now, how many high school coaches do we have in the room?" Hundreds of hands shot up, as the pattern began to appear. "How wide is home plate in high school baseball?"  "Seventeen inches," they said, sounding more confident.
          "You're right!" Scolinos barked. "And you college coaches, how wide is home plate in college?"   "Seventeen inches!" we said, in unison.
          "Any Minor League coaches here? How wide is home plate in pro ball?"............"Seventeen inches!"   "RIGHT! And in the Major Leagues, how wide home plate is in the Major Leagues?   "Seventeen inches!"
          "SEV-EN-TEEN INCHES!" he confirmed, his voice bellowing off the walls. "And what do they do with a Big League pitcher who can't throw the ball over seventeen inches?" Pause. "They send him to Pocatello !" he hollered, drawing raucous laughter. "What they don't do is this: they don't say, 'Ah, that's okay, Jimmy. If you can't hit a seventeen-inch target we'll make it eighteen inches or nineteen inches. We'll make it twenty inches so you have a better chance of hitting it. If you can't hit that, let us know so we can make it wider still, say twenty-five inches.'"
          Pause. "Coaches… what do we do when your best player shows up late to practice, or when our team rules forbid facial hair and a guy shows up unshaven? What if he gets caught drinking? Do we hold him accountable? Or do we change the rules to fit him? Do we widen home plate? "
          The chuckles gradually faded as four thousand coaches grew quiet, the fog lifting as the old coach's message began to unfold. He turned the plate toward himself and, using a Sharpie, began to draw something. When he turned it toward the crowd, point up, a house was revealed, complete with a freshly drawn door and two windows. "This is the problem in our homes today. With our marriages, with the way we parent our kids. With our discipline.   We don't teach accountability to our kids, and there is no consequence for failing to meet standards. We just widen the plate!"
         Pause. Then, to the point at the top of the house he added a small American flag. "This is the problem in our schools today. The quality of our education is going downhill fast and teachers have been stripped of the tools they need to be successful, and to educate and discipline our young people. We are allowing others to widen home plate! Where is that getting us?"
         Silence. He replaced the flag with a Cross. "And this is the problem in the church, where powerful people in positions of authority have taken advantage of young children, only to have such an atrocity swept under the rug for years. Our church leaders are widening home plate for themselves! And we allow it."
         "And the same is true with our government. Our so-called representatives make rules for us that don't apply to themselves. They take bribes from lobbyists and foreign countries. They no longer serve us. And we allow them to widen home plate! We see our country falling into a dark abyss while we just watch."
         I was amazed. At a baseball convention where I expected to learn something about curve balls and bunting and how to run better practices, I had learned something far more valuable.   From an old man with home plate strung around his neck, I had learned something about life, about myself, about my own weaknesses and about my responsibilities as a leader. I had to hold myself and others accountable to that which I knew to be right, lest our families, our faith, and our society continue down an undesirable path.
         "If I am lucky," Coach Scolinos concluded, "you will remember one thing from this old coach today. It is this: "If we fail to hold ourselves to a higher standard, a standard of what we know to be right; if we fail to hold our spouses and our children to the same standards, if we are unwilling or unable to provide a consequence when they do not meet the standard; and if our schools, churches and our government fail to hold themselves accountable to those they serve, there is but one thing to look forward to …"
         With that, he held home plate in front of his chest, turned it around, and revealed its dark black backside…"We have dark days ahead!."
         Note: Coach Scolinos died in 2009 at the age of 91, but not before touching the lives of hundreds of players and coaches, including mine. Meeting him at my first ABCA convention kept me returning year after year, looking for similar wisdom and inspiration from other coaches. He is the best clinic speaker the ABCA has ever known because he was so much more than a baseball coach. His message was clear: "Coaches, keep your players - no matter how good they are - your own children, your churches, your government, and most of all, keep yourself at seventeen inches."
          And this my friends is what our country has become and what is wrong with it today, and now go out there and fix it!
          "Don't widen the plate."

And Then It Is Winter

         Solomon said, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."  Ecclesiastes 3:11. or those of us who are seniors, we get the sense of this being played out in the writings like this one below.  I don't know the author but I think he/she is very wise in his/her observations.  And for those who aren't yet seniors, know that these years will come sooner than you expect.

             You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.  It seems like yesterday that I was young, just married, and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all those years went.  I know that I lived them all.  I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.   But, here it is ...  the winter of my life, and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? 
         Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those "older people" were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.  
          But, here it is .. . my friends are retired and getting grey ..  they move slower and I see an older person in myself now.   Some are in better and some worse shape than me... but, I see the great change .. Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant ... but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.
          Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!  And taking a nap is not a treat anymore ...  it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will ...  I just fall asleep where I sit!   And so ...  now I enter this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!   But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last ... this I know, that when it's over on this earth ...  it's over. A new adventure will begin!
          Yes, I have regrets.  There are things I wish I hadn't done ...  things I should have done, but indeed, there are also many things I'm happy to have done.   It's all in a lifetime.
          So, if you're not in your winter yet. .. l et me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.  So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly!  Don't put things off too long!!  Life goes by quickly.  So, do what you can TODAY, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!  
          You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life ... so, LIVE FOR CHRIST TODAY and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember ..  and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!
           "Life" is a GIFT to you.  The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.   Make it a fantastic one.    Remember:  "It is Health that is real Wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."

~Your kids are becoming you .... but your grandchildren are perfect!

~Going out is good .. coming home is even better!

~You forget names... but it's OK, because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything ... especially golf.

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep."

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch.

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"... "when?"... ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet ...  2 of which you will never wear.

~But "Old" is good in some things:   Old Songs, Old movies ...  and best of all, our dear ... OLD FRIENDS!!    Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!"

1.     In His time, In His time,

He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Lord please show me every day

As You're teaching me Your way

That You do just what You say 

In Your time.

2.   In Your time, in Your time,

You make all things beautiful in Your time.

Lord my life to You I bring 

May each song I have to sing

Be to you a lovely thing 

In Your time.

Professional or Amateur?

          Sometimes performances by amateurs can actually be better than some done by professionals.
          For the past two years we have not been able to go out much because of the numerous physical challenges we have been dealing with.  And I must admit that I have missed the opportunities to go out to visit friends or to eat or to enjoy plays or even to attend athletic contests.  Most of our "social activities" have revolved around our church and our responsibilities there.
          But a few weeks ago I decided to take my wife out on a date to see a production at Dutch Apple.  In the past we have enjoyed shows there. We skipped the meal but were able to get tickets for two seats just for the show.  I had read the information about the play "Lucky Stiff" and it sounded like it would be a good night of comedy.
          But the first clue that it might not be too great came when we arrived and found that the auditorium was only half full, or should I say half-empty. That was unusual.  The story line turned out to be rather stupid - a millionaire had died and named his nephew as his beneficiary.  But to earn his huge inheritance he had to take his uncle - after he died - to Monte Carlo to "enjoy" a number of activities that had already been set up.  So the whole story was about taking this "stiff" to all these prearranged activities while a female friend tried to keep him from completing these requirements.  And, of course, there was a stupid ending to this stupid plot.  I guess we laughed a few times, but not too much.  And I guess it was a night out even though I could now find some better ways to have spent my money.
          Then, a few days later we went to see a production by the Conestoga Valley Middle School - grades seven and eight.  We had seen their plays previously when both of our granddaughters had parts.  And, despite being done by seventh and eighth graders, the plays were always very well done and enjoyable.  This time our youngest grandson, Brodie, had two parts in the play.
          The basic story was about a king and a queen who had four adult children who were rude and obnoxious.  The parents tried all sorts of things, including marriage, to get them out of the house for good.  In one scene they brought in a prince - our Brodie - to try and make a match with the older daughter, Princess Cinnamon, but she had no time at all for him or anybody else.
           During the intermission Brodie came and sat in the audience between my wife and I.  In the second half the royal parents tried to use some special brews to change their rude kids.  And Princess Cinnamon mistakenly drank a brew that would make her fall in love with the first person she would see.  And after drinking it she wandered to the edge of the stage where she saw Brodie.  The spotlight then shown on him.  He was now Eddie the Plumber and he went to the stage where they discussed plumbing and promptly fell in love.  There were all sorts of other outcomes for the other children, but the best was the marriage between Princess Cinnamon and "Eddie the Plumber from Leola".  (Incidentally the Princess was actually the daughter of one of a well know pastor of a large area fundamental church).
          The play was well done with great special effects. The actors were excellent. The story line was intriguing and better than that of the lucky stiff.  And we laughed and enjoyed ourselves.  And we didn't need to pay Dutch Apple fees.  It certainly was a much better evening out.
          I'm not really sure what the moral of this blog is except that you don't always need to pay a huge fee to have a relaxing evening.  Sometimes young amateurs can produce a more enjoyable evening than professionals.

  1. All my life I had a longing

For a drink from some clear spring,

That I hoped would quench the burning

Of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! I have found Him

Whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longings,

Through His blood I now am saved.

 2. Feeding on the husks around me,

Till my strength was almost gone,

Longed my soul for something better,

Only still to hunger on.

Hallelujah! I have found Him

Whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longings,

Through His blood I now am saved.

 3. Poor I was, and sought for riches,

Something that would satisfy,

But the dust I gathered round me

Only mocked my soul's sad cry.

Hallelujah! I have found Him

Whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longings,

Through His blood I now am saved.

 4. Well of water, ever springing,

Bread of life so rich and free,

Untold wealth that never faileth,

My Redeemer is to me.

Hallelujah! I have found Him

Whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longings,

Through His blood I now am saved.

50 YEARS (LB)

LOOKING BACK - Repeating a blog that I first published on June 5, 2013.   Of course now it is 57 years rather than 50!

          50 years sounds like a long time. A half century sounds even longer.  But to me the past 50 years of married life have gone by so quickly.  And I would not trade them for anything. Dianne and I were brought together by the Lord who has guided us with His faithfulness and presence.  We may be very unusual because in 50 years we have never had a major disagreement or fight.  On our honeymoon the Lord gave us  Psalm 92:13, "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." And we have tried to follow those words for 50 years and we rejoice in God's goodness.  
         Now how do you describe 50 years?  Well let me make an attempt by listing 50 things for which I am especially thankful.  1-3  are Craig, Ken and Tim, our three sons.  They love and serve the Lord and are great fathers.  What more could we want?   4-6 are Kisha, Sandy and Wendy, our three daughter-in-laws.  We love them like daughters and thank God for them.  7-13 are Zach, Josh, Taylor, Noah, Chloe, Lexie and Brodie, our seven grandchildren.  All have asked the Lord to be their Savior.  14 -17 would be our parents.  All four loved the Lord and modeled Him to us.  All four are now with Him in heaven. 18 would be our extended family.  We have been blessed with grandparents, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, in-laws, cousins and nephews and nieces who love the Lord.  19.  Friends - we have been blessed with numerous friends who have enriched our married life over 50 years.  Many of them are now in heaven.  
          20-23 would by the four homes that we have lived in.  Each were special provisions with special stories about them. The present one has now been our home for almost 42 years.  24-25 Two estates settled, at the same time.  I'm not sure that I ever want to be an executor again, but we learned much and saw so many special answers to prayer during that time.  26 - My special job as a teacher/administrator for 39 years.  Few people can stay that long at one place and say that they enjoyed it all.  It was God's special provision to us and a definite answer to prayer when I had to choose from four job offers nearly 50 years ago.  27 - Many part-time jobs over the years that supplemented a teacher's salary and enabled Dianne to stay at home and be a full-time mother.  These included writing questions for Educational Testing Service, teaching adult ed, doing homebound instruction, coaching, working for the Sunday News for 25 years, Books In Print editorial staff. chief statistician for PIAA basketball play-offs for 25 years, Cherry Hill Orchards, software prep for ISC, consultant for an Addison Wesley geometry textbook and working with my wife for the Lancaster County Election Bureau for ten years.  28 - The opportunity for us to travel and visit 25 major cities in the U.S. and Canada as part of my job responsibilities.  This included speaking at five major national conventions.  29 - Having a family ministry for 25 years including and presenting almost 100 programs a year.  We won't know until heaven how many families were touched by the Lord, but we do know that it taught our boys many lessons and developed in them special strengths and skills which they use today.  
          30 - Over 40 years of ministry at Pinebrook working with children and music.  For most of those years it was a ministry in the summer but for the last ten it has been with hymn sings and retreats throughout the year.  31 - Multiple opportunities to serve, often side-by-side, for 50 years in our church.  This has included Sunday School (teachers, department leader, superintendent), music (piano, organ, solos, duets, choir, administration, Christmas Eve program leadership), adult Bible studies, elder and committees, prayer chain coordinators.  32 - Awana.  What can I say about the opportunity to lead for 30 years, to minister to children, and to provide training for adults.  Together we have now completed all three levels of Awana college training in Hershey, Pittsburgh and Chicago.  These years with this great program have been very special.  
          33 - 50 represent 18 operations and procedures under anesthesia.  They include numerous biopsies, only one of which has shown cancer.  In addition there have been many dozens of other tests.  But through all of this we thank God for the health and life that He has given us.  We don't know what lies ahead, but God is faithful and He goes before us.  So there are 50.  I could easily list another 50.  We just say, thank you Lord for 50 great years together.  Our desire is to continue to live for Him and to serve Him here on earth as long as He gives us the health and strength to do so.  And, by the way, 50 years goes faster than you can imagine.  So use your today to live for Him.

          (Note - Much more has happened in the seven years since this has written but God and His blessing upon us hasn't changed.  Yesterday, today and forever He will remain faithful to His children.)