My youngest daughter stood in line for three hours to get an autographed copy of “One Last Strike” by Tony LaRussa. It is his story of the improbable 2011 World Series run by the St. Louis Cardinals.

She gave it to me for Christmas. I read the whole book in two days. It paints a good picture of how LaRussa thinks. Simply put, his philosophy for competing is “win through process.” On offense, play to make one run by making each at-bat count… Continue reading →

“This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Psalm 18:30 (ESV)

Boxer Robert Guerrero has one of the most inspiring journeys and stories I’ve ever encountered in my journalism career. When you look at all of the setbacks he has had (read his story here), you wonder if he’s a modern Job: destined to suffer for some of his life.

The interesting thing about Guerrero is that he never got down. Even in the heat of the fire, he would tell his manager, Bob Santos, “It’s okay, Bob, God has something bigger for us.”

“He never said, ‘Why is this happening?’” Santos says of Guerrero. “It was always, ‘God has something bigger for us. I know God has something bigger for us, Bob. Keep trucking. Keep trucking…’” Continue reading →

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” I Corinthians 13:4-7

Enduring Love

My mom and dad would drive my brother and I to Little League practice and games a lot when we were growing up. They seemed to never tire of the early Saturday mornings or the late practices during the week or the hours spent practicing with us… Continue reading →

“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” Matthew 16:15-16 (ESV)

Judah Smith, pastor of The City Church in Seattle, Wash., and good friend of 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, released a new book in 2013 called Jesus is ___. Watson wrote the foreword… Continue reading →

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day has no comparison. The excitement, hope and freshness of that day can’t be matched by any other sport. It’s likely because it signifies, for most, the beginning of sunny days and warm weather after spending the winter fighting icy and snowy conditions, unless, of course, you live in a tropical climate.

That’s what it felt like when I understood what it meant to follow Christ. The newness and hope were overwhelming because the worries of this life became insignificant when thinking what eternity with or without God would be like. The burden of fear, in regards to eternity, had been lifted… Continue reading →

“So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.”
Joshua 7:4-5

The year was 1991 and the Duke men’s basketball team was in the Final Four, facing an undefeated and defending NCAA champion UNLV team that had beaten Duke 103-73 for the national championship the previous year in the most lopsided title game in NCAA history… Continue reading →