Well, the storm that was on the horizon is now directly overhead, and we've hunkered down for the long haul. Soccer season officially began on Monday, and will run until Saturday, April 25th. That's 2hr. practices or multi-hour trips for games everyday except Sundays for 9 out of the next 10 weeks (Praise the Lord for Spring Break!). And that's in addition to the normal workloads of teaching, preparing Sunday school lessons, youth group devotionals, and the added workload of preparing for our move to California. So, as you can probably surmise, calling this a storm isn't a stretch. The coming months will not be easy, but Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do it, as long as our rest and trust is in Him. So, PRAY that we will indeed put our trust in, and find our strength in, Him.
I got our new uniforms ordered yesterday, and the company making them said they would be in next Thursday at the latest. Our first game is next Saturday, so we're cutting it a bit close. The uniform makers are usually pretty good about sticking to the time-frames they give. So, everything should work out well. The assistant coach and I picked-out FC Barcelona-style uniforms for our away jerseys and EPL Middlesborough-style uniforms for our home jerseys. We did everything online or over the phone, so right now I'm a little worried that something will be messed up when the uniforms arrive. The office worker that helped me with translation and everything is really good, though, so I hope that they turn out as good as we wanted. Our team has taken a lot of hits in the off-season. We had 3 senior starters last year, and 2 of them were our defensive wings, and the other was a mid-fielder. Our MVP from last year, who is a senior this year and was most likely going to be our team captain, is currently undergoing traction therapy for a slipped disc in his back, and will miss at least 3 weeks of the season. Our starting goalie cut up his leg on some razor wire bad enough to need stitches and won't be able to practice until late next week. And 3 other players from last year have been told by their parents that they can't play for academic reasons. So, that's no less than 8 players that we had last year that we don't have now (that's a third of the team roster). We are the defending champs this year, a role with which we are not familiar. I think we surprised everyone last year, but that will not be the case this year. The other teams will be gunning for us for sure. There are some bright spots, though. A few players from two years ago that weren't able to play last year have returned, and a few new students have signed-up and exhibited some promising potential. These new players are just needing to become familiar with our team's structure, and as we continue to practice and play together, I'm sure they will fall into the positions we need them to fill quite nicely. They are already showing a decent level of teamwork after just 3 days of practice. PRAY that Coach Lowell and I will have the wisdom necessary to draw them together as much as possible next week before our first game.
My younger son, David, is performing in a school play this evening. He has a minor speaking role in a play called "Nic at Night", a modern re-telling of the Biblical account of Nicodemus' meeting with Jesus in John 3. It has a strong Gospel message weaved into it, and our school chaplain will be sharing a salvation-based devotional after the play. There will be many unsaved parents and siblings there. Please PRAY that hearts will be drawn to Christ through the message of the play and devotional, and that souls will be won.
Next week is our Spiritual Emphasis Week at school. We have chapel services every day instead of just on Wednesday. The theme of the week is 'relationships'. We have a pastor from teh Philippines coming in to speak to the students on Wednesday through Friday, and Mr. Lowell and I are scheduled to speak on Monday and Tuesday. I will be bringing a message on sin's effect on relationships on Monday, and Mr. Lowell will be talking about friendships on Tuesday. PRAY that we will be used of God to impart the message that He has for the students, and that we will see meaningful and permanent changes in their lives.
The following week, on Thursday, March 5th, we will be conducting our annual Purity Seminar at school. This is when we split the boys from the girls, and high-schoolers from the middle-schoolers, and talk about Biblical perspectives concerning sexual matters. This year proves to have some interesting and needful topics. I will be bringing a workshop following up on a video we will share with the high school boys about three different aspects of love found in the Old Testament. Please PRAY that God's Holy Spirit will have complete freedom in the hearts and minds of the messengers and students alike that day.
Not much else is going on here. I haven't heard much word of any new developments in Martinez, but by and large, I assume that no news is good news for the time being. Continue to PRAY that God will provide the right living accomodations for my family and I, as I believe that Pastor Rushing is still looking at different places. And continue to PRAY that God will keep preparing our hearts and minds, and that of the congregation of Bethany Baptist, for our new ministry there.
In His Service,
Sam.
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