Thursday, August 29, 2019

The best defense


I posted a few weeks ago about the author, Tim Keller.   One of his books caught my attention, and I decided to use it as the subject matter for the Fall season of our ConnectGroup from church.  The book is called Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World.   There is so much skepticism in the world about religion, Tim addresses how Christians can overcome their own doubt and better share with others the basis for our beliefs.   If you would like to read along with us, I would love to hear your thoughts.  You can order the book here, or if you prefer to watch and listen, Tim gives an overview of the subject matter and takes questions in an open form at Google corporate. Video link.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Bragging Rights

I wanted you guys to know how proud I am of this one.  This is Evan, Michael and Emily's son, and my oldest grandchild.   He is 8 this year.  His parents are pretty smart, so Evan has never had much trouble with learning.  Evan loves the lake, as you can see here, and is an absolute animal when extreme tubing with the adults.  He has tried t-ball and soccer, but the t-ball only lasted one season.  We were all somewhat thankful for that.   He has excelled at soccer and has moved from a rec team to a club team this year.  We all know the time commitments will be significant, but love that he is enjoying it.  My favorite story from Evan came after a soccer game.  He was telling my wife, Caroline, about the game.  Their team had been behind, and then tied, but scored late to win the game.   Evan's words were, "we scored at the end of the game for the win".  It wasn't until later that we found out from his parents that it was Evan that had scored the winning goal.  Apparently he has learned a little something beyond his years.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Fighting the Fight


I am not a boxing fan.  In fact, the only boxing match I have ever been to was during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when a friend had been given some tickets and invited me to join him.   I remember enjoying the experience, but couldn't tell you who fought or won that night.  I saw this recent article where Sugar Ray Leonard was chiming in about a rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.  Mayweather, I have heard of.  Pacquiao, not so much.  It turns out Pacquiao is the only boxer to be world champion in 8 different divisions. Mayweather beat him by unanimous decision in their first fight on May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas.   After digging a little deeper, I found out that Pacquiao is fighting for something bigger outside of the ring.  He has been elected to public office in the Philippines and is a frequent spokesperson for how Jesus has changed his life.  Check out this short video with Pacquiao's testimony and praise God for what He is doing through him.

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Another Keller


Tim Keller is the founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, one of the largest churches in Manhattan.   The church has over 5000 members is attendance.  Keller's success with that church inspired Christian leaders from around the world to contact him to find out how to successfully start churches in the world's largest cities.  Keller used his experiences with those leaders to launch Redeemer City to City, where he now works full time.  Redeemer City to City inspires and trains leaders from around the world to start and grow churches in the world's largest cities.    Keller's books and videos have been translated into many languages to help his world-wide vision become a reality.  Click here for a quick introduction to Tim.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Running for Home



Fenway Park has to be one of the most recognizable sports venues in the country.  The Red Sox have no doubt provided great baseball memories for the fans that have visited there over the years.  This past week, more memories were made as the organization celebrated its 10th year of support for the Run to Homebase Program.  Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program, is dedicated to healing the invisible wounds for Veterans, Service Members and their families through world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research.  The foundation has raised more than $20 million and helped over 21,000 veterans and their families.  Our nation's celebrities are frequently criticized for their "all about me" attitudes, and I am certain that this is often justified.  But it is fantastic to see some use their celebrity for the benefit of others.  Click here to see a short video describing the event and "Go Sox!"