Summer Plans

This is 2011 and that means that it’s a year for our National Staff Conference in Ft. Collins, CO. We’ll spend two-plus weeks in July at Colorado State University as a large group of staff, as our national leadership builds into us, gives us direction, and prepares us for the future. We love being at CSU for the Staff Conference, as it’s a wonderful time to be with our staff family.

We also have another unique opportunity. Athletes in Action sponsors a team in the Alaska Baseball League, a top level amateur league similar to the Cape Cod League in Massachusetts. Many of the best college players will be there. I will be taking Steven with me, and I will be serving as a chaplain for the team and the league for two-plus weeks, and Steven will serve the team in numerous ways. This will be a step of faith for Steven especially, and we’re excited that he spent time praying and seeking God’s will about this opportunity. We’ll be in Alaska from the end of June through the 2^nd week of July. Please pray for us as we need to raise $3,000 for the AIA trip, and another $8,000 for the Staff Conference.

Connecticut Sun!

March Madness is always a great time in our home, not just because we love to follow UConn through both the men’s and women’s brackets, but because it also serves to remind me that the WNBA season is right around the corner. This will mark my 7^th season serving as a chaplain for the Connecticut Sun, and as usual, I am looking forward to see what God has in store for us this year. While we had an unprecedented turnout for last year’s pre-game chapels – and many of those players are projected to return to the Sun this season – I would love to see our role as chaplains expand this year to include more one-on-one discipleship of the returning players as well as to have an opportunity to lead a team Bible study. Please pray with me towards these ends, as well as for the players during this time:

- for safety and good health as many return from overseas to play here in CT;

- for wisdom for all the chaplains as we consider how we can serve this season;

- and for God to give us opportunities to connect well, early on, with the players He would have us minister to this year.

Free Byrd!

Every now and then we get to do something on campus that is out of the ordinary. Several weeks ago, we had the privilege of hosting Paul Byrd, former major league all-star pitcher, and his wife Kym. They came and spoke with our students at UConn, with both Paul and Kym sharing about their lives in and out of baseball, and how their faith in Christ has been a key to their success in sports and as a family.

We also brought them to E.O. Smith High School to speak with the varsity, JV, and freshman baseball teams. There, Paul told many funny and poignant stories about life in the big leagues, and he helped the kids gain a perspective on what it takes to be successful. It was a blessing to UConn and to E.O. Smith to have the Byrds in hand.