Adjusting to Life Once Again in the Midwest

Well today was the first full day I spent out here in the small town of Quincy, IL. I slept great in my new environment and it is already starting to feel like home. Walked down stairs, had a delicious homemade breakfast, and headed to Church. Church was awesome it is called The Crossing and it reminded me a lot of my home church back in Corona. Between the worship, message, and seeing how much the church is growing I can really tell that the church is having a large impact not only on the community but throughout the world.

Later on in the day I had a "meet an greet" with the team and other host parents along with the coaches. It was kind of small seeing that there was only 5 players who showed up. There are a lot of players that are still in the NCAA tournament and wont be here till sometime next week. That means that we may struggle in the first week of play but hopefully we will get enough players to get things going. Games couldn't come any sooner I can't wait to get on the baseball field and compete again. It has been over a month since I have been able to play in a game and it's killing me.

Lately I have been watching the T.V. "Lost." Yea I know it has taken me a while to get into the loop of things but I felt like if I missed the first season then there would be no point in following it. Finally my friend talked me into starting from season 1 and getting all the way through. Well that was a few weeks ago and I have become almost addicted to the whole thing. I am on season 3 and each season has about 24 episodes. As you can see I have been spending a lot of my free time watching Lost even on the airplane which is kind of weird but I really enjoy it. Through thinking about the situation I often wonder what I would do in certain situations if I survived something like that. Obviously there are two separate groups in the show. The leaders and the followers. What one would I be? How Would I handle it? Well in the next section I explain.

As Christians we are being lead by the ultimate leader which is Jesus but we should always be leaders to one another, and to those who do not believe. We need to be able to set a positive example for those around us. One of the biggest things I pray for is that Jesus will shine through me and my actions. After spending enough time in the Word and having that personal relationship with Jesus, this can become an everyday part of life and we wont even know we are doing it. Sometimes we don't even need to say anything to impact others. Whether it be positive thoughts, not showing anger, controlling your words, thoughts, and actions we can be an influence without preaching. Jesus works in funny and mysterious ways and this could be one of them. As long as we have him living through us then he can help us have a Christ like attitude through life. So let us follow Him so we can lead others to Him. So I want to be a leader.

Now I know all of that isn't easy. Although I pray about it all the time it is one of my biggest struggles. Whether it be anger in a baseball game, frustration with school, negative thoughts, or even acting one way when around others but sinning behind closed doors. Lately it has been pretty rough to be honest and I have been having to fight through it all. What I do know, is that no matter what happens Jesus forgives me for my sins and that things can only get better when I am closer to him. Although this is only my second writing in over six months, it is already impacting me in more ways then you would believe. I pray that I can continue to take the time to write whenever I can and that this summer will be unforgettable.

Well tomorrow is our first practice. I don't know what we can really do with five guys but maybe more will show up.


Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

GODISNOWHERE.