A Special Encouragement

Micah received a very special email yesterday...I wish you could have seen the grin on his face! His email came from someone that he looks up to, roots for and did his best to imitate this past baseball season...it came from one of the pitchers of the Kansas City Royals...Brian Bannister.

Micah-

This is Brian Bannister with the "other" Royals...I just wanted to wish you a huge congratulations on all your accomplishments this season. My favorite years of baseball were when I was 10-12 and I had so much fun. God has a wonderful plan for you and your life. Develop the gifts that He gave you and let Him work through you. Always put God first and make sure that in everything you do He is glorified. It doesn't matter if it is in baseball or something else, always work hard and love others, and you will end up in God's Hall of Fame one day!

To God Be The Glory.

Sincerely,

Brian

Hopefully Brian will not mind that I posted his email here :)...but we were all so blessed by it...and, as parents, it brings big smiles to our faces to see our son want to be like a man who loves Jesus so very much and encourages Micah to put God first and give Him the glory!

Plus...I figured it was a great opportunity to encourage you all to become "Brian Bannister" fans and cheer him on as we head into the midway point of baseball!:) tee-hee

Speaking of sports and cheering and playing...Micah and I are in the midst of reading a short book (Bryan already finished it!) called, "Game Day for the Glory of God: A Guide for Athletes, Fans, & Wannabes" by Stephen Altrogge. It's written for adults (but simple enough for Micah to get it!) and it really is GREAT! I have never read a book devoted to the topic of sports and, considering how big sports are in our day and age, I think it is not only timely but full of lots of wonderful truths and encouragements! It's put out by Crossway Publishing and recommended by CJ Mahaney...and the Pichura Family would join in a hearty recommendation too!:) I'll leave you with a few thoughts from the book:

"Our athletic abilities were given to us by God as gifts for the purpose of glorifying Him. We haven't done anything to earn or deserve them. How can we boast about an undeserved gift?...God is great, we are not, and He has created us so that we might show Him to be exceedingly great. We should desire that people would be amazed at God, not at us."

"We can glorify God through the pursuit of excellence, and excellence only comes through hard work. God isn't glorified by halfhearted, mediocre efforts. So work hard in practice, not for your own honor and praise, but for the glory of God...when you are watching sports and see an athlete make a play that brings your hands up and your jaw down, let that direct your thoughts to God. Take a moment to praise Him for the gifts that He's given to men, and praise Him for His superior excellence."