Thoughts to ponder. . .

I love this study I'm doing by Eddie Rasnake-
"Using Your Spiritual Gifts" and he has some
great lines that he shares, so I thought I'd
pass them along. They make you think if you
pause long enough to take it in:

1. God has a purpose for the REST of our time
on Planet Earth- and it isn't to make money. God
leaves us here because He wants others to come
to know His love and mercy through our witness.

2. The outcome of God working in us ought to
be His working THROUGH us.

3. Church life in a lot of places is much like
a sporting event, where you have a hand full of
people in the action in desperate need of rest being
cheered on by thousands in the stands in desperate
need of exercise.

4. Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him
who sent Me and to accomplish His work." John 4:34
What is the purpose of food? It is necessary to sustain
us, but it is also to SATISFY us.

5. There is all the difference in the world between
us working for God and allowing God to work through
us.

6. In John 15:5, Jesus said, "apart from Me, you can
do nothing." There are two different ways Jesus could
have said "nothing" in Greek, and the one He chose means
"not even one thing."

7. In a word, the key to power serving is surrender. It
is saying to the Lord, "I can't, but You can."

8. Andrew Jackson once defined courage in this way:
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness
to do the thing you fear."

9. True ministry is received, not achieved. Colossians 4:17:
"Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord,
that you may fulfill it."

10. It isn't a sin to be afraid, but it can become sin
if our fears keep us from trusting the Lord and obeying
His instruction.

What does it mean to be content?

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we
can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing,
with these we shall be content." 1 Tim 6:6-8

"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned
in whatever state I am, to be content;
I know how to be abased (humiliated), and I know how
to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned
both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and
to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13

The apostle Paul wrote both of these statements in
the Bible and I want to write about contentment.
A synonym for contentment is to be satisfied.
Contentment can be very hard for us in America.
We all strive to be more and to have more. It's an
interesting emotion that takes over when we are not
content. Many times, the more we have, the more we
want and we are not satisified until we get what we
want. Other times, we want something because we see
other people with something that we don't have. Every
year I made the USA National Team, we would receive
new pratice outfits, warm up suits, sweatshirts, polos,
and shoes. It was like Christmas in the summer! We
loved our clothes until the latest style changed and
something new came out. Suddenly, I thought that the
new practice shirt was better than the current one
and couldn't wait to get the new style! How quickly I
would forget about all my clothing I had and looked ahead
to what I wanted. God started to show me something:
as I took my eyes off of Him and turned them to all that
was around me, I would never be satisfied. God showed
me that the only way to be truly content is to thank
Him for all the blessings in my own life! When I start
to look at all that I do have, I become much more grateful.
Like Paul, I should be able to be content with little or
much. I need to be content with clothing and food. I
need to recall that God has not only provided for all
my needs, but for many of my wants as well. I will strive
to make these verses true in my life at all times and I
hope you will do the same!

So Cal Crunch Practice

Today I went to speak to the 10&Under softball
team: the So Cal Crunch. The coach, Sean Brashear,
is the brother of one of my closest friends and
teammates in softball and soccer growing up. Now
his daughter is on the team and loves to compete.
The team is one of the best in the country in their
division and has a chance to bring home the National
Championship in TN in a couple weeks. I won my 1st
ever National Championship when I was 14 yrs. old
in Chattanooga, TN. That was the spark in my career
that opened my eyes to what I could accomplish in
softball. These girls have practices on Saturdays
from 9am-2pm and play games on Sundays. This reminds
me of all the time I spent on the field practicing with
my teammates, and going to my own individual pitching
lessons as well. There is so much time put into training.
I always tell people: "hard work pays off!" If we work hard,
the success will follow. We will see the benefits
of time spent on fundamentals. Practice isn't as fun
as games, but it's the foundation to success! I wish
the So Cal Crunch the best of luck! Bring home the title!

After speaking to the girls about the importance of being
a "team" and being "coachable", I signed a bunch of autographs.
They had me sign their gloves, bats, helmets, shirts, wristbands,
and even their shoes! I had a good time with the girls.

JCTV Show- "Top 3"

Sharing the Gold


On Friday, I was interviewed for the JCTV (Christian TV under
the TBN umbrella) show "Top 3". It was in the studio down
the hall from where we shoot "More Than Conqerors", so I
felt right at home. The hosts (Rich, Larissa, Chad and Reba)
asked me questions about the Olympics and about my faith in
Christ. The show features pastors, recording artists, actors,
athletes and more. You can check out more info on the show
at www.jctv.org.

On the set of "Top 3"

Family Pics

Here are some pictures from 4th of July.
We swam, bar-b-qued, played sports and
had fireworks! It was a great day with
the family.

Drew and Micah played football with my
brother, Keith

Here I am with Drew and my nephew, Micah. They
are 10 months apart in age and they are best
buddies- soon to be teammates I'm sure!

Luke having some fun on the scooter

Cousins: Jake, Taylor and Justin (and Hannah too)

Luke in the pool- he's tired but comfy!

Tommy with Luke watching everybody

Jake is a pro now!

Luke's turn to play with sparklers

Drew smiling for the camera!

Our own little fireworks show!

Words of Wisdom from Proverbs

I love the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
There are so many truths and promises from
God. I just thought I'd write a few to reflect
on!

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart." Prov 21:2

"There are many plans in a man's heart,
Neverthelss the Lord's counsel- that will
stand." Prov 19:21

"Commit your works to the Lord, and your
thoughts will be established." Prov 16:3

"My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man."
Proverbs 3:1-4

Happy 8th Birthday Jake!

Happy Birthday Jake!

Today is Jake's 8th Birthday! I can't believe
it's been 8 years since I had my first son!
Time goes by so fast and the kids change so much.
Jake had a celebration with some friends and
got his long awaited DS from us. I even had
a good time at Pump It Up- they have obstacle
courses and I raced a bunch. I ended up with
burns on my arms and didn't do too well in the
win column! Happy Birthday Jake- I love you!

Taking a time out for a picture!

Having a good time with friends

Jake with Dad and Mom

Cousins: Taylor, Jake and Justin

A group of friends to celebrate


Jake finally got his DS he has been longing for!

My 1st DS Game from my Aunt Amy and Family

Happy 4th of July!

We have symbols of freedom: Statue of Liberty
and the American Flag

The foundation of our Country was the Bible!

Iwo Jima- Men and Women gave their very lives
for our freedom, and still do today! We need to pray for them!

Happy 4th of July! I am so thankful that we live in
a FREE country! Even more than that, I am thankful
that I have the ultimate freedom. . . I am FREE in
Christ Jesus! Here is what the Bible says about
freedom:

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us FREE. Stand
firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again
for a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

"You, my brothers, were called to be FREE. But do not
use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature; rather,
serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you FREE." John 8:32

"So if the Son (Jesus Christ) sets you FREE, you will
be FREE indeed." John 8:36

I am proud to be an American. I am thankful for
the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice
for this country!

We even enjoy freedom to choose our hobbies!

Running the Race

2 Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the RACE, I have kept the FAITH".

The apostle Paul compares the Christian life to
a race and I was thinking about some interesting
comparisons. First of all, we have to decide that
we want to join the race (give our lives to Christ-
ask Him to be the Lord of our lives). If we join
we have to start moving. We can be running the race
and get tired and want to stop. Others may get off
the course and find a different road that won't lead
to the correct finish line. Finally, those that
stay on the path, get up when they stumble, press
on when it gets hard, help others along the way
to find the finish line and FINISH the race will
receive their reward in full! Paul says in 2 Tim 4:8:
"Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to
me on that Day, and not to me only but also to ALL who
have loved His appearing."

Do you look forward to the return of Jesus Christ?
The Bible tells us that we will receive the crown
of righteousness if we do. Are you running the
race and receiving the victory? Trust in Christ,
lean on Him, learn from Him and grow in Him and
you will receive the prize on that Day!

Just remember- Jesus came for the lost, broken-hearted,
sinners who need a Savior! When we know we
can't do it on our own, God shows up the most!
It's when we're prideful and think we can run the
race on our own and win the prize on our own that
we will lose the ultimate prize: eternal life.
I need God, and He is faithful in my life!

FCA Camp- So. Cal.

Last night I spoke for a few minutes and shared my
story at FCA Camp (fca.org) being held at UCLA. There were
600 High School athletes attending the weeklong camp.
It was such a great atmosphere! During the day, the
athletes work out at their sport and at night they
have a session with a teaching and then they break
up into smaller huddle groups to have discussion.
There are so many great people involved with Fellowship
of Christian Athletes and so many great volunteers!
I also brought a friend's sister, Janie, with me
to spend some time together. We had a great time.

After the MC's (Josh and Ta-Tyana who goes by "Ty")
opened the session, they had break dancers, a comedian
who cracked me up, I spoke, the Katinas performed
and led worship and then Kevin Singleton gave the teaching
and will be teaching throughout the week. He was amazing!
He not only teaches the Word and makes it easy to understand,
he is a stud with the basketball. He did tricks to music
with 2 and then 3 basketballs at a time! I was impressed!
You can check out his website at www.kevinsingleton.com.
I was grateful to be a part of the evening and was so blessed
to be around others who have a passion for sports and more
importantly a passion for God and a love for others!

A packed house


Janie and me

Speaking and sharing the GOLD

The Katinas rocked!

Hanging with MC's Josh and "Ty"(Oregon St. Softball Alumni)

Posing with Barry (FCA Pastor) and Bethany (my contact and fellow SB player!)

Kevin showing his skills!

Dribbling 3 basketballs- now that's talent!