Baseball and Tears....

Nothing like a great day at the ballpark.  I walked away as proud as a father could be.  I walked away with my chest out because my son came through when he was needed.  Today wasn't the best day at the ballpark for our team.  We won both games, but you could tell we were a little rusty.  There were a few routine plays that went terribly wrong and there were several times the boys were just not on their game.  I had decided that today I would make sure and not be negative to my son or the other boys.  I had made up my mind, no matter what, I would be positive to the kids and encourage them as best I could.

As I walked to first base every inning, I tried to leave the dugout after saying some encouraging words to our team.  I even would pick up the ball for the opposing pitcher if the opportunity presented itself.

On first base, as a coach, there are several conversations that go on between the opposing coaches, the umpires, and the players as they reach first base.  The conversations range from the Thunder pulling through, the weather, where all our kids go to school, and any other topic outside of baseball you can think of.  I sat back in more of a quiet mindset today and listened to the coaches from the other teams.  I was unbelievably amazed at what I heard as they talked to their players and to each other.

I started thinking about how much pressure we put on our kids to be perfect at every bat, every pitch, every play, and every moment they are on the field.  I starting thinking about how much expectation we put on them every time they step on the field.  Don't get me wrong, I think you should be prepared, but if you aren't, how can we hold them accountable.

Then it happened.  The learning moment for a coach, father, and christian.

Parker was at the plate during a really tense and stressful situation.  We had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs in the last inning.  It was our last at bat and we were down by 1 run.  I walked down closer to home plate than usual and hollered to my son.  I yelled to him, "I want to to dig down deep and see exactly what you are made of son."  He responded with his usual nod and went back to his practice swing.  Here comes the pitch.  He swings and fouls it off.  As the battle at the plate went back and forth for another 4 or 5 foul balls, I started hearing a conversation in the dugout next to me from the opposing coaches.  They were talking about how all they needed was one more out and the kid at the plate hadn't been on base all game.  I heard them saying how all they needed was one more strike.  They knew all they needed was one out to end the game and win.

In the middle of their conversation, I hollered to my son and told him again, "you got this, dig down deep and give it all you have, son...."

As I walked back to the dugout, I looked over at the coaches and told them, "I love players being in theses type situations....I love them being put to the test..."

The replied with saying how the felt the exact opposite.  I looked at them and said, "HE is going to do this....we got faith in him..."

As I turned around, the pitcher goes through his stretch and throws the ball..Parker hits the ball harder than he had all day...he hits the ball between the 1st baseman and 2nd baseman and it gets through....

Both runs score and we win the game...

As he stood on the bag with the winning run crossing the plate, I grabbed him and held him up as he pumped his hands in the air and I told him how proud I was of him and I knew he was going to do it...I knew he was going to come through for his team...

Then it happened...The lesson was presenting itself to be learned...

I looked over at Parker with tears of joy running down his face at what he had done and I smiled because I was already teared up.  His teammates were hugging him and chest bumping with him as they celebrated their victory.  We were both so happy we couldn't do anything but cry.  As his team mates asked him if he was okay, he just smiled and cried some more at the accomplishment he just had...

You know they say, "there's no crying in baseball."  Today on the Blake Auld Memorial Fields in Seminole, OK. there was crying in baseball.  And if you have a problem with it, my son and I don't care...

I am going to cry when I want too.  I am going to encourage our team as much as I can. I am going to keep trying to inspire our kids to know they can come through when they are in a tough situation.  I am going to keep trying to help these young boys become Godly young men.  I'm going to let them know I believe in them.

If they strike out, it can all go away with one hit.
If they overthrow a base, it can all go away with one gunned down baserunner.
If they get thrown out, it can all go away with another stole base.
If they get a bad hop, it can all go away with another caught ground ball.
If they have a bad inning, it can go away with a good inning.

If they cry over a victory and personal accomplishment, I hope that heart never changes....Ever....

War Zone Everyday......

This morning as I drove to work, I happened to receive an update on a post from last night on Facebook.  As I glanced at it, something caught my eye.  Something that has hit me at the core of who I am.  The post simply read, "Pray for Byng Schools..."  When I got to the office, I sat in my car and cried as I read about my children's school being the topic of a possible attack.  I immediately called my home to see if anyone was able to talk.  As my son answered, I told him I loved him.  I told him to be aware of anything out of the ordinary.  I told him to pray for protection today and I was praying for him too.  I told him to pay attention and if there were people at the school who weren't normally there to make sure and tell someone....

I asked to talk to his sister and she had already headed out the door and I didn't get to talk to her.  Then, in the stillness of the parking lot with my car running, I prayed.  I prayed for my children.  I prayed for all the students.  I prayed for my children's teachers.  I prayed for the kids who wrote such horrific posts on social media pages.

When I was talking to my son, I felt as if I was sending him into battle...I thought that today he could be fighting for his life or someone else's.  I had thoughts of total desperation of what may happen based on threats....

Then God said, "Why are you only worried about today? Why are you only worried about the worst case scenario?  "Are they ready?"

Parents,

We are sending our kids into battle each and every day.  We send them into a place of beauty and darkness.  We must be more active in prayer daily for our children.  I don't think we understand our children are learning more about "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" at an earlier age than we ever did.  There are kids all around the state who are experimenting with sex and drugs at earlier and earlier ages.....

We send our kids into a war zone of peer pressure and bullying.  We send our kids into a war zone where their faith may be put to the test.  We send our kids into war every day.....

The questions on my heart are.......

Are my children equipped to handle the war they are in?
Have I done all I could do to make sure when the battle begins they can fight?
Have I made sure they know I love them?
Have I taught them who God is by my actions?
Am I ready for the war they are in?

The fact is, today should be an eye opening experience for all of us.....

What are you going to do now?


Justin Presley

Just the plain simple truth.....

This blog isn't a feel good one, so if you can't handle the truth, stop right now....just a warning...


I am sitting in my living room at 12:02 am in complete darkness listening to the kids tv blaring as they sleep, the wind is whispering outside the windows, a humidifier is buzzing down the hall, and I can't sleep.  My mind is racing in several different directions.  Occasionally the sound of a car races by my house.  I'm wondering why I feel so lost.  I have felt like something in my life isn't as it should be.  I am not doing anything wrong.  I am just so overwhelmed with ideas and strategy I can't move.  It is like I am frozen in time and just getting lost in the shuffle and hustle of baseball tournaments, tball games, end of year programs, field trips, business decisions, ministry decisions, working out, and anything else you throw at us on a daily basis.  I know none of you reading this feel the same way.

I met with a dear friend of mine this week and we discussed all that was going on with our lives.  We talked about all the things interfering with what we should be doing.  I began to feel a strong sense of stress and conviction in my heart.

You see, the reason I am so out of sorts, God isn't where he should be in my life.  I have allowed time, effort, energy, and desire to get in the way of His place in my life.  I haven't been the spiritual leader in my home that I should be.  My quiet time has been taken over by sleep and car rides for work.  My scriptural desire has been replaced with strategic planning sessions and a desire of success.    I have replaced God with DVR recordings and conversations about business decisions.  I haven't done it on purpose, but it has happened.  My wife and I have replaced good conversation about the direction in our marriage with deciding where the kids are going so we can make all the events we have placed at such a huge priority in life.

Where is God in all this?  I think we have just set him on the shelf and forgot Him.  I truly believe we have done this without malice towards our beliefs and love for Him.  We just have gotten too busy.

Tonight I laid in bed and prayed to God to help me. To guide me.  To give me the courage to make the changes necessary in my life to be what I told Him I would be when I answered the call He has on my life.  I begged His forgiveness.  I asked Him to work in Heather's heart and my heart and bring us closer to Him and each other.  I pleaded with Him to help me stand as a man of God in front of my children no matter where we are.  I prayed he would give me the courage to leap and become the leader He needs me to be outside of the home.  I asked Him to guide me in the decisions I need to make.

Maybe you feel the same way I do....But tonight, God has taken over and I am resting in the shadow of the Almighty...

It is time for us to do what God has called us to do...No matter how crazy it may seem....

Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him

    and show him my salvation.” 

Little Girls and Daddy's.....

When I saw her at 4 months old, I thought she was the chubbiest baby I had ever seen.  She had cute chubby cheeks and rubber banded chubby legs and was very attached to her momma.  I never knew she would change my life forever.  As I sat in the judges chambers, around a year and a half later, I will never forget the moment she became mine.  The judge asked her who her daddy was and she looked at me and pointed to my chest as she sat on my lap.  The judge and I signed the paperwork and my wife, daughter, and I went home.

Since that day, I have learned so much about being a daddy to a little girl.  You see up to that day, I only had a son.  Boys and girls are way different.  I didn't know she wouldn't get up after falling just because I told her too.  I didn't know she wouldn't quit crying if I raised my voice, it only made it worse.  I didn't know when you changed a diaper, girls have a lot to get completely clean.  I didn't know she would tear up at the drop of a hat when I got angry.  I didn't know girls have their own way of doing things.  I didn't know how to play with dolls and babies, but I learned.  I didn't know wrestling would scare her.  I didn't know she would love it when I told her how beautiful she is.  I didn't know I would have to treat her different than my son.

I didn't know I could love her like I do.....

This past weekend, we had a special time together.  We were able to attend the Daddy/Daughter dance.  It was the first year for me to get to take her.  Last year, due to circumstances out of my control, I was unable to go.  She was devastated and I was too.  This year, I was determined to make it the best ever.  For Christmas, I picked out a dress to give her to wear to the dance and I knew exactly what I would wear to match her dress.  I bought her some high heels to wear even though her momma thought I was crazy.  I wanted to make the night as awesome as it could be for her.

When I walked into the door to get ready for the dance, she was standing there in her dress.  She looked at me and I could tell she was needing me to tell her how beautiful she was.  Her hair was curled like she was going to the prom.  A new necklace hung from her neck.  Her dress hung seamlessly below her knees as she stood with her legs slightly crossed waiting for my approval.  I looked at her and saw the little chubby girl I met 7 and a half year ago.  I was amazed at her slender shaped face and long slender legs.  I saw a young woman standing before me waiting on her daddy to tell her she was beautiful.

After I got ready, I asked her if she needed a wristlet bouquet to make her outfit final.  She gasped and a huge smile went all over her face as she said yes.  As we drove to the dance, the excitement was building.  She was ready to get there.  She was ready to see her friends.  She was ready to dance and have fun.  The next 3 hours, I learned a lot about little girls and daddy's.

1.  Little girls want to fall in love with their daddy's first.

2.  Little girls just want you to dance with them.  They don't care if you feel goofy.

3.  Little girls love to scream.  And scream.

4.  Little girls don't understand why you won't dance with them.

5.  Little girls are waiting for someone to dance with them.

6.  Little girls will expect other men to love them and treat them the way you do daddy.

7.  Little girls love it when you tell them they are beautiful over and over and over again.

8.  Little girls grow up to be women.

9.  Little girls need you to be there dancing with them.

10.  My daughter needs a good example of what a man is suppose to be...


My daughter came up to me after we danced to the cupid shuffle, chicken dance, YMCA, and other songs with her hand stretched out.  She had requested a song for us to dance too...As I held her in my arms, these are the words that were playing and they ring true...I stood amazed that my 8 year old daughter would teach me so much in one night about being a daddy......

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing the weight of the world on my shoulders
It's been a long day and there's still work to do
She's pulling at me saying "Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited
and I need to practice my dancin'
Oh please, Daddy, please!"


She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancin'
Oh please, Daddy, please!"


But she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away but I need to practice my dancin'
Oh please, Daddy, please!"


So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

"Your doing the right thing."

You ever wonder if what you are doing is the right thing? We are in the Christmas season and we often wonder if we got the right gift or if they will even like the gift we bought.  We wait in antcipation as our loved ones open the gifts wrapped in pretty paper and ribbons.  We wait to see the look on their faces as the gift we bought specifically for them is finally shown.  Then we all sit around and talk about how thankful we are that we have so much and how God has blessed us and our family's.  We even pray that God will continue to bless our families....

You ever wonder if you are doing the right thing?  We are in the Christmas season and we often give of our blessings to others.  You get your angel tree kid or you find a group at church that is sponsoring a child or family.  When you are doing your Christmas shopping you grab an extra toy or give money so someone else can go buy it for you.  Then you question if the children will really get the gift or clothes.  We have even went as far as to take the tags out, so those mean and terrible parents can't take them back and get the money or exchange them....

You ever wonder if you are doing the right thing?  We are in the Christmas season and we often spend more time shopping and getting ready for the thrill of opening presents on Christmas morning than we do focusing on what this season really is.  We give Jesus a prayer and some time on the Sunday we celebrate Christmas at church.  We typically show up in our new clothes and new shoes to let everyone know what we got for Christmas.  I am talking to myself too, folks....

You ever wonder if you are doing the right thing?  We are in the Christmas season and we often forget we can give a gift of life rather than a gift of food, clothes, money, or toys.  What if your family opened up presents from you that had a piece of paper in it that read, "DO YOU KNOW JESUS?  I LOVE YOU AND WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO HIM."  Or would that be too uncomfortable?  Would that be too weird?  Would that be asking too much of us as Christians?

The reason I ask this is because I spent 7 days in Honduras wondering if I did the riight thing.  I wondered from the day I left if I was supposed to be there.  I wondered what I was suppose to see.  I wondered what God had for me in that country.  I am not going to lie, I spent most of the week in Honduras upset because humans didn't care and don't care about what is going on in that country.  I spent most of the week mad because we(CHRISTIANS) say that we love God but don't show His love to the least of these.  I spent most of the week humbled and crying because I felt guilty for everything I had. I can tell you I learned so much about what God needs us to do as Christians, but the real lesson I learned was waiting for me when I returned to my house with my family.  

As I unpacked my suit case, my oldest daughter asked me if I had read her note while I was gone.  I guess she had stuck is way down in the bottom of my suitcase and I never even saw it.  I told her I had not seen the note and I would look for it right then.  As I dug through the dirty clothes and smelled Honduras and sweat all over again, I found a note folded up like it should fit into a bottle.  As I unfolded it, it read:

Then I saw what I was looking for....As I folded the note back up and was going to tell her how much I loved her, I saw it.....

I stood there with tears in my eyes as I read this to my wife and we both just sat with our questions ansered and minds open.  A lesson I had to learn after traveling thousands of miles was taught by my daughter the day I got home.

As adults we wonder if we are doing the right thing.  We wonder about how we should or shouldn't do things....

My 8 year old daughter taught me that when you trust God and follow His lead, "Your doing the right thing."

Being a Christian is not about questioning God....It is about the action of love.  If the Holy Spirit leads you to do something today, don't wait....don't question....just love....without hesitation....

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

My Shadow….His Lesson…

As I got into the truck with Shawn to head to Dallas, I was nervous as a cat on a tin roof.  When we arrived at DFW, I was still nervous about what was going ot happen.  What would these people be like?  How would the plane ride be?  Would it be hot there?  Would the people like me?  Would I really see what I sought out to see?  All these questions were running through my mind and I couldn't help but wonder.  Then I started meeting each person I would be sharing this experience with one by one.  I worried about being accepted by the group and worried I would be too much for them to handle.  Boarding the plane was the final straw.  I knew I was going to Honduras.  I was going to leave my comfortable life with my beautiful wife and 4 awesome kids to go serve in a foreign country.

When the plane touched down in Tegus, my life would never be the same.  I had no idea what would begin to happen in my heart and mind.  God was going to make me so uncomfortable in my own skin, it was crazy.

There are so many stories to tell and I will tell them one by one as I learn the lessons God has taught me.

The Dump....

All week long and ever since I decided to go to Honduras, I heard about the dump and how crazy it was.  I heard all the stories of despair, grief, challenge, smell, people, children, cows, vultures, gangs, lawlessness, poverty, and hope.

On the last day of our week, we finally worked it out to go to the dump.  I was amazed as we begin to drive into the dump.  What hits you first is the smell.  If you have ever smelled rotten eggs and dirty feet with a little bit of dead fish all mixed up together, you would not even begin to come close to what the dump smells like.  Driving in on the bus, we were told to make sure we put all our windows up so no one could reach in and take our valuables.  We were then instructed to make sure we didn't leave any of our cameras or phones laying around or they would become property of the dump.  

Walking off the bus will be a moment I never forget.  My eyes gazed at an amazing landscape.  One where dogs, cows, vultures, and humans live side by side.  I looked at the people who work and live in the dump as they formed 2 lines for the food they were going to receive.  I found myself with feelings of anger at the fact they were even there.  I found myself with feelings of sadness that we as humans have allowed this to happen.

 
I held back tears as I saw young children walking to the back of the truck to get a piece of chicken and a fruit drink.  I wondered what their story was or if I even wanted to know.  As they reached for their chicken, I noticed the dirt and filth on their hands and clothes.  I noticed the miss matched shoes falling off their feet because they didn't fit or were just worn out.

I thought about all my family had and I felt guilty.  I felt like I had never felt before.  I stood in the back of a pickup watching person after person lifted their hands, covered in dirt and grime with finger nails black with filth reaching for some food and  I was angry.  I was angry that humans had allowed this…We had turned our back and allowed this to be…I was mad the country was allowing people to live like this and not do anything about it…All I could do was watch and pray…As I walked off by myself to wipe the tears I had falling off my cheeks,  I noticed my shadow in front of me on the ground of the dump.

I was there.  I wasn't sitting in the comfort of my office, home, car, or restaurant.  I wasn't talking about what we should buy my kids for Christmas.  In that moment, I wasn't worried about what I was going to eat for dinner.  I wasn't worried about what pair of shoes I was going to wear.  I wasn't thinking about anything except what God needed me to do to change this type of situation….I wasn't thinking about how I could make my life better, I was thinking of how I could make others life better….

If you have read this far, you will probably get mad in the next few sentences….

1.  You have more than you need.

2.  You have more than you deserve.

3.  You need to give more to others.

4.  You have a responsibility as a human to help others in need.

5.  If you are a "Christian", you have a command from God to treat others better than yourself.

6.  Your children have more than they need.

7.  If your kids can't tell you what they want for Christmas, think about what that means…

These statements are what went through my mind as I looked at my shadow when I was standing in the dump.  Then I looked up and saw the beauty of Gods love.  I saw God in the eyes of the people living and working in the dump for less than $1.00 to $4.00 a day.  You see, I went to Honduras to do what I thought was mission work for others and in the last day, I finally saw what Gods mission for us really is.  He tells us to love others more than we love ourselves.  We get hung up on all the details of music or no music, shorts or no shorts, hymnals or no hymnals, names on church buildings and whether or not they are the right church because they believe the right thing, doctrine, family, how much money we have in the bank, and the list goes on….

Jesus said, "Whatever you do to the least of these, You have done to me…"

What have you done for others…..

"You want to know how big GOD is?"

I am absolutely amazed at how big God is.  All we have been through in the past year and where we are right now is like night and day.  It was about this time last year I finally decided to start a ministry and follow God's call on my life.  It wasn't long before all hell would break loose and God would show me exactly how he needed to use me in this world.  Up until the lowest point in my life, secluded from friends and family, my job, and what I thought was important,  I was going to use God to get what I wanted out of life.  I was going to use God to make a name for myself.  I was going to use God to get riches and glory from man….

I know none of you reading have ever thought that….I just hope lightning doesn't strike close to you….

So how big is God?  Let me tell you…

2 months ago I decided to raise money for kids in the Ada area who do not eat after they leave school.  The only meals they get are at school each and every day.  The schools are aware of the problem and every friday selected kids gets back pack to take home with enough food to last throughout the weekend so they won't go hungry.  I didn't know how, what, or when, but I did know God was calling me to raise money to feed hungry children.  I started reading my bible and praying about how we could do this?  What would it take?  What did I need to do?  One day as I read, I found a story where Jesus fed 5000 people strong.

The disciples were in the same place I was…How, Where, Why….they asked Jesus…He replied,"You go feed them…."

There was no debate…Then I read a little further in the scripture.  It says that Jesus took what they had and blessed it and it fed everyone and there was enough left over for 12 baskets full of fish and bread…

Wow, thats how big God is…

We just decided to go feed them….

Over the past few months, I have seen people donate money, time, energy, and effort they didn't have too for our cause.  I have seen God provide interviews on TV and in the newspaper so we didn't have to spend money and take away form the reason we are doing this.  I have seen God change peoples heart by bringing awareness of the needs in our own town.  I have seen God move in schools and groups of students who are donating time to help at our event.  I have seen churches donate without question of obligation or affiliation.  I have seen young children willing to give up money so they can help their friends that don't get to eat.  On Saturday night, November 23, God is going to bless our efforts to raise money for hungry children in our area…

Thats how big God is…

As I walked out of the Pontotoc County Agri Plex yesterday, I looked across the north parking lot and stopped and stared at the Pontotoc County Justice Center…where just 10 months ago, I sat in a jail cell at the lowest point in my life.  In an instant, I was brought back to how big God is.  How he provided a way for truth to shine through.  You see, God doesn't need any help doing His job…He is the boss, we just need to work…

I challenge you today, to make a difference…I challenge you today, to check yourself with God's word…I challenge you today, to let God take over…..

For more information on how you can help go to www.inoroutfaith.com or you can register for our event @ www.signmeup.com/95798