CIY Move: Day 2

Well its 5:40am right now and day 2 of CIY is just beginning. Last night was an incredible time for everybody. The theme for the night was grace, and it was clear to see that our group was being lifted up in prayer. Everyone was involved during the worship time lead by Aaron Pelsue, and the speaker Tim Grey did a great job of sharing what Jesus' grace is all about.

At this point I have no clue what time the girls went to bed, but the guys ended up all in their beds with the lights out just at 12:30am. In just a few minutes I'll pop my head back in the room and make sure everyone is getting up, because we have an early 7am breakfast today. You didn't realize your kids were capable of getting up this early during the summer did you?

My prayer for this week hear, is that our group would be authentic before God and each other. As we all try and do that I also hope and pray that His Spirit moves in our lives in a life-changing way that causes us to know Him in new ways, and to join others in His kingdom work. You can be praying for us today as we talk about Truth and how Jesus and the Bible should be our source for truth. It looks likes its going to be a great day, and we appreciate all of your prayers.

Here are a couple of highlights from last night:

*Guys vs. Girls: Each night we are having a contest that pits are guys and girls in a friendly competition. Last night our group faced off with each other by having a twinkie eating contest. The twist to the contest though was each round a guy and a girl were blindfolded and had to find their twinkie to eat it. Their group helped them find it, but their other clue was each twinkie either had ketchup or mustard. They guys had the ketchup ones and the girls had mustard. The guys came from behind to win 3-2. It was pretty gross to watch.

*I really loved watching how the group interacted on the ride and here at Lee yesterday. They trust each other and enjoy hanging out with each other. I think that will add to the impact God can have on them this week. Thanks for praying!

CIY Move: We have arrived!

Hey everybody we made it here safe and sound. Thanks for all of your prayers. Believe it or not we made it all the way to the state of Tennessee before we had to stop for a bathroom break. Pretty impressive what people are capable when you tell them that it costs $20 per bathroom break.

It is just as hot here as it is in Cincy. We have forecasts in the 90's all week. The girls dorm is really close to the cafeteria and the main auditorium. The guys dorm is a little nicer, but we are going to end up walking 5 miles each day. It'll be good for us ha ha. We are about to go to dinner here in a few minutes and things get kicked off after that. I'll try and update on how things are going often. Thanks for praying for our group!

Seeing a Game with My Dad and Missing My Grandfather

This past Saturday, I got together with my Dad and my Father-In-Law and all three of us went to the Red's Hall of Fame and the Reds vs. Rockies game that night. We had an awesome time. We spent the whole afternoon checking out the Hall of Fame, and talking with Reds Legends. For an early dinner I took them over to Terry's Turf Club for the best burgers in Ohio. To top it all off we got to see a great game that included 4 Reds' Homers, and an awesome game pitched by Edinson Volquez (Not to mention Chris Sabo ended up sitting 4 rows BEHIND us for the whole game). All in all it was an incredible day.

The thing I loved most about it was having both my dad and Alicia's dad there with me. We got to share so many stories and memories we had. It was so awesome to be able to talk with my dad about staying up late with him as a 5 year old to watch the 1990 World Series. I really can't describe how special of a time it was. I have been so blessed to have a dad that threw the baseball with me in the back yard and pretended to be Hal Morris so I could pretend to be Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo.

While we were walking around the Museum I got a chance to meet one of the members of the Big Red Machine former Center fielder Cesar Geronimo. I got a picture with him and we actually got to have a pretty cool conversation swapping stories about my mission trips to the Dominican (Where he currently resides), and the Winter Ball that is played there. The first thought that popped into my mind after our conversation, was that I needed to call my Grandfather. My Granddad use to always tell me stories about the Big Red Machine, and he always told me the story of Cesar Geronimo and Johnny Bench warming up before each game by throwing from home plate to the CF wall and back again. He loved that story. The only thing was my Grandfather passed away almost 5 years ago.

For the rest of the day, I must have thought about calling my Granddad at least 3 more times. He would have loved hearing about everything. Even though it was kind of sad not being able to call him and tell him all about my day, it didn't take away from the experience. I really think it made it better. I got a chance to remember all those stories he told me, and all the things that made my grandfather so special. It also made me appreciate having my father there even more.

When we miss my Granddad, my mom and I will call each other sometimes. Almost every time one of us will encourage the other by mentioning Hebrews 12:1 which says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." I love imagining my grandfather and countless other people who have played a huge role in my spiritual growth being a part of that group of witnesses. I can see them cheering us on through every obstacle. They celebrate every victory, and root us on after every defeat. That is why I think memories are so special because for Christians they not only connect us to our past, but they speak of the hope we have in the future with Jesus. It's an incredible hope and a lasting one. (And you gotta believe there is gonna be baseball in heaven!)

Pictured from Left to Right: My Dad Rex, Myself, and My Father-In-Law Mike

My Picture with Big Red Machine CF Cesar Geranimo

Chris Sabo making his Red's HOF Induction Speech