Fantasy Baseball

Ok sorry to clog up the blog with fantasy stuff but I wanted to make sure everyone had the opportunity to be at the draft. A few teams responded to draft possiblities so I went ahead and set the draft for April 2 (Friday) at 10 PM. Everyone responded with a weekend late night time so this is when it will be. Hope you all can be there. Loves yall

Kev

World Cup

Hey Fellas,

I posted this on Facebook, but I had to add it here too! I'm getting really excited for the World Cup so I wanted to give you something to get you excited even more than I know you already are. The YANKS are coming baby!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxBlpzVSOCQ

Fantasy Baseball

What up brothers?! I have created A Bat and Two Balls part 5. If you are interested in playing let me know and please give me your email address. Bettwy and Wheeler I already sent you an invite. Bettwy, you said that you had others in mind. Either you email them an invite or let me know what their address is. Also it may be hard to get a draft time where everyone can be there...any suggestions? And what is Walker's email address? I don't have it anymore.

Hearts and Farts

Global glory

I've been called of late to know what I want. Right now, I want the nations to know the glory of the Father. So, I've committed to lifting up the nations, one-by-one, starting a few weeks ago at Afghanistan and continuing daily until I get through to Zimbabwe sometime in 2011.

Each day, I'll be asking for a different nation and asking that He'd be known there, plus reading about the nation on the bbc news's country profile page. Think there's no pr. requests given specifically by nations? Reading the history of Algeria today made me yearn for the freedom of the people there from generational sin, injustice, war, poverty; before today, I couldn't have located Algeria on a map.

Ask for my heart in this pursuit, as it is time-consuming and rather exhausting. Ask that I'd do it and be joyful in it. Ask that my asking would be specific and not general, especially in asking for the leaders of the nations by name.

Praise the father that he moves us to ask for the nations!

Dancing with danger

I enjoy living in this country in East Asia for a lot of reasons. One reason, though, that I struggle with the country I'm living in is censorship: things like blocked websites. We've gotten creative with technology and been able to find ways around that (as, for instance, "blogger.com" is blocked in this country, but here I am typing!) A marvel to witness, indeed. So, I want to celebrate freedom by sharing some blocked sites with y'all! Here's an exciting one I found today about national integrity:

http://report.globalintegrity.org/?gclid=CKOrxvTcwqACFSgnawodoHNGbA

Gut check

This list is a gut-check for more than just students:

http://fromthestudy.com/2008/05/14/how-to-waste-your-theological-education/

Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy baseball season has come upon us. I know we had a tough season last year (6 teams in all) but I'm confident we can have 8 (or more!) this season. I have at least one guy and a few more who expressed some interest. Everyone still interested in "A Bat and Two Balls 5"?

Bettwy

On starting the semmester and considering the future

Fellas,

I'm starting to teach a new semester tomorrow (3/8). I ask that you would each be lifting up my heart, as I desire to be all in what I'm doing here. Ask for my team and I to be able to focus well and not drift off mentally to what will be in another station of our lives.

I told my supervisor, Newt Hetrick, that I'll be pursuing grad school for next year instead of coming back here for a third trip on this merry-go-round in China. I'm excited, but still somewhat uneasy about this decision. Please ask for patience and a heart to pursue these conflicting passions well, even as planning for the one might take time and focus from the other. Ask for a multiplication of blessings on this season as we continue to mutually pursue the King.

I love you each dearly,
Ryan

if we were on our porch right now...

having some alone time tonight boys. started reading ol bettwys book. thanks for being yourselves my friends. I miss our closeness but as bettwy so innocently writes in his book: he prays that we go on to do great things and be great men. and I beleivve that is happening now, amidst our best efforts to screw it up! haha. I cant help but have a bitter feeling in my heart when looking back on our great times together. I wish that I enjoyed it more in the moment. I wish I appreciated it more then. I wish I was content and loved life, those around me, and the God of the universe more while in blacksburg. Maybe that is an inevitable thought that comes with age. but I dont want it to be. I pray that God works in our lives so that we ARE joyful even when we think things are going wrong. the thing is Jeremiah says he has plans for us to prosper and the big man upstairs has made it clear over and over that we are not going to screw those plans up. let us all pray for this for eachother and I ask it for myself too because I feel I really struggle with this. not feel... know... I admire bettwy for his ability in this arena. yet he tells me he admires my ambition... oh how we all fit together. coincidence? psh.... guys lets stay true to our King, our general. I say this as a reminder to myself as much as to all of us, but we have to avoid the thought that money will make things ok. let us live simply and enjoy the blessings that we are freaking drenched in. we are free. we are still in blacksburg! this earth is the burg. God help us to love you and life NOW. in your sons name.

seek the kingdom first and all these things will be granted to you.

there is nothing better for a man than to love his family, eat his food, love his toil, and praise God. For that is his lot.