Friday's post!

I wrote this post on Friday but forgot to put it up.  So here it is for you with my apologies.

Hello to everyone again.  Since the last time I wrote to you I have had a great couple days.  Besides classes, homework, and work, I have been playing basketball everyday with my friend Chris.  He and I go play one on one and are actually great competitors for each other.  He is a fast outside-shooting player, while I am a big in the paint kind of player.  He forces me to be quick on my feet and never quit moving because if I do not guard him up close he just hits the three, but if I guard him and do not force my feet to keep constantly shuffling he just burns me with his quick first two steps and has an easy lay-up.  In other words, if I decide to be lazy, he makes me pay for it.  He is quick on defense so I either have to hope my ten foot jump shots are on that day or use my footwork to beat him while down low.  I on the other hand force him to use his body to keep me out of the lane and use his position to have any chance at rebounds.  SO we make pretty good competitors and actually go back and forth on wins.  I am not only getting better at my jump shots, free throws, and defensive shuffle, but am also getting in better shape.  When I played my intramural game the other day, I did not get winded nearly as quickly as I had been the past few games.  So I am loving being able to play every day and getting the exercise all at once.  

Wednesday, I did not have classes and spent most the day in my room just catching up on a bunch of stuff.  It was a pretty relaxing day.  Then Thursday I had one class Hermeneutics.  We are still going through Dr. Voelz book titled What does this Mean.  Of course, the old joke as students work through this book is asking one another, "Seriously, what does this mean?"  It is a complex book, but makes you think about language, how you use it and what word choices you make.  It is basically trying to get us to realize that just because we know what we are trying to say or mean by our writings and speech, is that the same way the hearer or reader is going to understand it.  It makes me think about my vocabulary and just speech in general, which is always a good thing to do at this academic level.  Then I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and hanging out in my room.  Today, I am going to my four classes.  Then tonight Fort Wayne is in town for a basketball tournament.  So we all plan to go route on our preachers and enjoy the fellowship of our eastern brothers.  Tomorrow, I plan to go to the practice chapel and go through liturgy about a hundred times, or until I feel ready to lead it.  Again, I please ask that you keep me in your prayers as I prepare and lead liturgy.  

My thought for the day comes from an email from my neighbor. 

 "I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.  

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as amass of fetal tissue. While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we'll name him Timothy and we'll make him a preacher.
 Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam's youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father's ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam's son is Tim Tebow. The University of Florida's star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football's highest award, the Heisman Trophy.
 His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah. Tim's notoriety and the family's inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women's centers across the country. PamTebow believes that every little baby you save matters."

Dear Heavenly Father,

Gracious Father, we praise and thank You that You sent Your Son into our flesh to proclaim the Gospel of His saving work for all mankind. Continually pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us in Your Word and blessed Sacraments that we, with all Your Church, may faithfully confess Your saving name.  Allow Your Spirit to give us the strength to live our lives fulfilling our Christian vocations as a witness to Your love and honor. Keep us steadfast in the one true faith of Your name and Your Word until our final breath.  We offer up our prayers to You our dear Heavenly Father, through our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

Amen.