Cousins!!

Here's Abby...


Josiah...


And Anna holding brand new Baby Levi!!!


More pics after the post:


Getting Ready

As I walked out onto the field to watch the high school football team practice yesterday, I had to step with caution over someone’s lunch… they had obviously underestimated the heat and the intensity of the workout, because they should have said “No” to that last piece of pizza. Then I heard Dad going off on some guy because he got yet another headache after their group had already been given four water-breaks in that half hour. I smiled to myself as I heard him deliver that familiar speech about how these players had obviously spent their summer “sittin’ around in front of the T.V in the air conditionin’!” I can remember being in high school before summer practice began sitting on the couch in the cool house when Dad would come downstairs and say, “Son, if you don’t get off that couch, get out in the heat and run a little bit, you’re gonna die a thousand deaths come two-a-days!” Eventually he brought home a pair of practice cleats, set them down in front of me and turned the T.V off. I went out into the heat and ran sprints.

Two-a-days are hard, no matter how you slice it. Getting up early in July, practicing football as hard as you can for hours, then taking a break and practicing for another couple of hours every day just wears you out. But it’s so much worse if you’re out of shape! The sprints are hard. The drills are hard. The days are long and the intensity is high, but if you’re out of shape, it does feel kind of like dying a thousand deaths… After my first year of varsity football, I stayed in excellent shape all summer long and the reason was simple: There’s no stopping two-a-days! They’re coming whether you like it or not! You can’t change the heat, you can’t change the intensity and you can’t change the fact that you have to practice twice a day. The only way you can make a difference in two-a-days is to get on board now… get in shape now, so you’re ready to go.

This morning I was reading Psalm 2, which talks about how God is setting up the Messiah as His King to run this world. The folks in power think they’re calling the shots, but the Psalmist says that God just laughs at them in this attitude. They try to throw off His control, but God mocks them. Verse 6 says, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” It struck me that God is saying, “I declare Jesus to be King and give Him authorization to rule over all. One day He’s totally going to do just that!” In other words, He is the King and one day every creature will acknowledge it. You can’t stop it. You can’t affect a change or influence a swing vote against Him. One day He will openly rule this entire universe with complete and final authority. The only thing you can change is yourself…

You can get ready! God has made Him King. Have you? God has crowned Him Sovereign. Have you crowned Him today? God has given him total control and complete authority. Have you given Him this? There is no getting around it… One day soon He will be your King. The only thing you can do about it is to go ahead and make Him your King. If you do, you’ll find out just how good life is in this realm… Emmanuel’s Land. Make Him your King today. Go ahead and crown Him. You’ll find out just how good He is!

Levi...