It's Time for some Softball!

 I love teaching the FUNdamentals
of softball!  I travel all over the
country to do clinics, so it's
always nice when I can stay
home and work with young
softball players.

In early Feb, I put on a clinic
with Chino Girls Fastpitch:

The place where I got my
START in softball!  I love
looking the little girls in the
eyes and saying, "I never
knew that I could be an
Olympian in softball, but
that dream came true when
they added softball to the
Olympics when I was in
college.  We are fighting to
get this sport back into the
Olympics for all of you!  You
also now have more opportunities
than I had in college as well
as the professional league!"

 These girls were the cutest!!
You are never too little- if
you try and have fun, anything
is possible!!

 I get so excited to see little
ones with great mechanics!!

 Later in Feb I went out to
work with Rialto Girls Softball!
We had a great turnout and a
perfect day!

 We worked A LOT on
hitting at this clinic!!

 And of course we practiced defense
too!

 Then it was time to watch the
Pros play this sport.  I coached
the Florida Pride when they
came to play in So Cal.  We
had 2 games in Palm Springs
during a college tournament,
and then 2 games in Perris
at Big League Dreams against
Team Toyota from Japan.

 My kids and niece and
nephew love the girls on the
team!

 It was another week of beautiful
weather. I was thankful to have
Hannah stay with us for the
week to help me watch the boys!
She loves softball too, so it's
fun for all of us!

 Of course, it was also a treat
to stay at the JW Marriott in
Palm Desert. 

It worked out perfect because the
boys had the week off of school
for winter break. I know we have
been very blessed- I am so grateful
for every blessing in my life.

I will be traveling to do some
speaking for FCA and Sports
World the next couple months
and have a couple softball clinics
in April and May.  I will be doing
radio for the NCAA Championships
for College Softball in OK City
again in June!  I have enjoyed being
home a lot this winter!

Big Bear 2013

 Last year we took our annual
vacation to Big Bear and there
was very little snow.  This year
we got lucky- there was a storm
the day we were supposed to
head up the mountain.  So we
decided to wait til the next morning
and there was plenty of snow
waiting for us when we arrived.
We immediately pulled out the
new snow tubes we bought and
found a perfect spot right outside
the door of our place!

 I love taking these types of trips-
the boys LOVE to explore.  They
find things, make up games, eat
lots of snow, and just use their
imagination.

 The weather was perfect- the
sun was shining and we found
lots of other hills to tube down.

 My boys are at such a fun age!
They all have no fear- they tube
head first, they flip, they fall,
they crash, and they just get
right back up and do it again!

 We took breaks and worked hard
on what we needed to get done for
school.

 I love my boys!

 We found snowmen that people
had made! 

 One day when Tommy wasn't feeling
well, the boys and I set out on a hike.
It was so beautiful when we made
it toward the top of the hill.  The
snow was fresh because it had
snowed the night before.  Nobody
was around- it was like we had
the whole mountain area to
ourselves!

 The hike wore Luke out- he
fell asleep on me as soon as
we got back to our place.

 My honey and me

 One day we found an area that
hadn't been touched so we made
a great tube path.

 We came home on Tuesday, just
around the time when they got
calls about Dorner (the one
who was out to kill cops),
and we had to go through
a checkpoint to be cleared to
get off the mountain.  It was
pretty intense! We were glued
to the TV the rest of the day
watching the whole thing unfold.

 Tommy had to work so I took
the boys back up after school
the next day.  My best friend and
her family (she also has 3 boys!)
came with us this time.

 Jake and baby Keaton

 It was such a great vacation,
family first, then time with
friends.

Our whole family looks forward
to this trip each year now!  I
always pray that there will
be lots of snow and this year
it was so much fun because
of the storm right before we
went to Big Bear!  I know
these are memories my boys
will keep forever!

Park days. . .

The weather is heating up.   It's been
beautiful lately, so we have been
getting the bikes and scooters out
and heading to the park.  My
boys are getting too big!

Biola Softball

Biola:

Bible Institute of Los Angeles

That is the University and this is

their softball team.

 Jesus and Softball: my two passions!

I was so excited and honored to speak
at their retreat where they had high
school softball players as well.
The theme was "Shine Your Light"
and I shared how much God had
changed my life and truly used
a teammate who was shining
brightly for Him.  God does not
discriminate- He will use anyone
who desires to be available, obedient,
and wants to honor Him.  And yes,
God can even use us on the softball
field! 

The coaching staff was wonderful!
I connected with them and love
their hearts and passion to spur
this team on to be an example
to all they compete against. 

I am always encouraged after I
speak when I get to talk to
some of the girls I spoke to.
I loved the light I saw in their
eyes and was so excited when
they shared about how they
believe God prepared them for
what I shared that morning. 
At the end of the day, I am
just thankful for each opportunity
I get to use the shiny Gold Medals
to tell people how God helped
me get them!  We all have a
purpose and we all have different
talents/gifts.  What we do with
them is our choice!  I hope we
all will choose to use them to
shine God's light wherever we go!

Seeing God do Big Things

Last week I prayed, "God,  I want to

see you work in mighty ways in

my life.  I want to experience you

doing something only you can do."

That same night I went out to feed

our homeless friends at the park.

A couple powerful things happened

that night.

First, "Big Mike" as we call him

(pictured below), has not been

doing well the past 10 months.

He has had stomach cancer

that has returned and had lost

37 lbs.  He didn't look good lately,

and we could tell that he felt

really bad.  He couldn't eat much

at all and said he coughed up blood

each morning. 

When we got to the park, he couldn't

wait to share some good news.  He

told us that on Saturday, he could

not get up at all.  But on Sunday

he forced himself up early and

headed to a local church.  He

said he went to the pastor and told

him that he wanted to be prayed

over by the 7am, 9am, and 11am

services.  He told us that the people

gatherer around and laid hands on

him and prayed for God to heal

him.  Afterward he went to get

some scans done and really wanted to

see the results but had to wait until

Tuesday.  When he finally saw the

x-rays, he said his body showed

no cancer!  I am praying that is

the case, but I will say that there

was noticable difference in his

spirit, in his physical body, he

said he hadn't coughed up blood

since Sunday, and he could eat

regular food again.

After we fed everyone, we decided
to do something different.  Normally
a friend who is a pastor gives a message.
This time we all joined hands and
anyone who wanted to was invited
to pray out loud.  It was so amazing
to hear the prayers of those we come
to feed as well as those of us who
serve.  God does a work when people
minister to us and also when we are the
ones who serve and minister to others.
Also, I noticed that "Big Mike" (who
usually stutters when he talks) did not
stutter one time when he was praying!!
I thought that was so amazing.

There was also another special incident-
there is a man named Kevin who has
been refusing to eat and is drinking
alcohol all the time and hasn't been
doing well for a long time.  We hadn't
seen him for months.  He was at the
park last week with a walker and
looked very bad.  I found out he
had just got out of the hospital
because he was having seizures.

When we were praying, he left the
park to where he was going to
sleep.  He could barely walk so
one of his friends helped him.
A few of us really felt like we
needed to talk to him and tell
him that if he dies, he needs to
be ready to meet God.  We
got down and talked to him and
told him that it did not matter
what he had done, that God
wants him to give his life to
Him.  We told him God loves
him and forgives him, but that
he has to make a choice to
choose God or face his judgement
one day if he doesn't choose Him.

As 3 of us shared from our hearts,
and we were in this dark place
with this man who has given up
on life, I couldn't help but feel
that this is exactly what Jesus
would do.  He goes to those that
are so lost to tell them that He
offers hope that you can't find
without Him.  It still comes down
to a choice, but I am so thankful
that I know that Kevin has heard
the good news that is offered to
all.  I don't know if he'll get better
or the end of his life is coming soon,
but I pray that when he closed his
eyes that night, that he has chosen
Jesus like we shared with him.

I asked God to work in big ways,
and He answered in a big way!

Friends are Friends Forever. . .

if the Lord's the Lord of them. . .

That is a line from a Michael W. Smith

song and it makes me think of some

friends of ours who moved away

a few years ago and just came to visit.

The Lopez Family with their 3 kids,

spent a weekend in So. Cal and

after hanging out with them for

a couple days, it was so awesome

to be able to still be connected to

them.  Distance makes it hard to

stay close, and even those who live

nearby start to drift apart when

schedules get busy and kids start

growing.  It seems like we start going

in so many different directions and

you only get time with those you are

intentional about making plans with

or if your kids are involved in the

same things.

Sarah and I used to be in the same
Bible study and I always loved her
wisdom, even though she's much
younger than me :).  Our bond in
Jesus is something that always
keeps us connected and it was fun
to see their kids because two of them
were very young when they moved
away. 

It brought back a lot of memories.
Friends are a true blessing in life.
I am so grateful that God has brought
some very special women into my
life who are examples to me, who
are there for me, who I can laugh
and cry with, and who have Jesus
as the most important thing in
their lives!

Back to the Bible Study

Bible study started again this week and

I was ready for it.  I love being a part

of a group of women who are like

minded and who desire to grow in

the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

This Beth Moore study about the life

of John is another great one.

It has been great to see Jesus

through the eyes of one of

the youngest disciples and who

was so very close to Jesus.

To think it all began when Jesus

said, "Come and Follow Me"

and John did just that.

I can relate to how much God

changed my life when I

"went and followed Him."

My life too was dramatically changed

and I saw things from a new

perspective.  Thankfully, we never

"arrive"- we will always have room

to "grow and change" when becoming

more like Christ.

These are the women who God has

chosen to put in my path for

this chapter in my life.  We can relate

to all the "mom stories" and other

things that women go through!

I am so very thankful for these

ladies!

They are not only beautiful on the outside,

the shine brightly on the inside for

the Lord!

2013 is in full swing

Happy New Year!  I hope you are having
a great start to 2013.  The first week of
this new year has flown by.  The boys
started school yesterday again, but the
flu has been hanging around in our house
for the past week.  Luke had high fevers
for a few days and now it's Drew's turn.
Both have bad coughs and Tommy had
3 days of feeling really bad and now is
congested.  Not such a great start but
we still count our blessings!  I am praying
I avoid this bug this time around.

My first trip of this year is this upcoming
weekend. I fly to northern California
to speak at Nor Cal Girls Softball
Conference.  I'm looking forward to
encouraging the coaches in that area
to impact the girls in this sport because
I know how much I was impacted by
the coaches in my life!

Tommy and I celebrated 14 years
of marriage on January 3 (the
same day as my mom's
Birthday)!  I am amazed
at all we have experienced together.
We have been so blessed and I know
all the glory goes to God!  I am thankful
for the fact that I have a husband that
loves God and  that we are teaching our
children to love Jesus with all their
hearts. 

I am excited for what this year will
bring and yet I know that the Lord
holds all things in His hands.  He is
the One who knows what tomorrow
holds, so I will hold on tight to Him
and His truth.  My boys and I are
starting the year off with memory
verses.  The first one this year was
Matthew 6:33:

"But see ye first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness and all these
things will be added to you."

Our second is Matthew 5:19:

"Let your light shine before men that
they may see your good deeds and
glorify your Father in heaven."

I hope you are seeking God because
He says if we will seek, we will FIND.
I am so encouraged when I pick up
the Bible and realize that when I get
to busy, I miss out on the blessing
and truth that I receive from reading
it.  God's Word is living!  Let's read
it and live it and then people will see
the light of Christ in us and glorify
God!  Happy 2013!