Justin Sullivan A Life Worth Following

After leaving the dump yesterday, we made our way back from Chinendega to get ready for our clinic and game. The guys were both emotionally and spiritually drained. THey were also a little tired because sleep is not something we find in abundance on a mission trip to Nicaragua. On this morning trip, we definitely made a few memories. Our bat boy threw up his breakfast all over Holt's shoes. Two good things about that, Holt was asleep and it did not stink. Two real blessings if you are going to have that experience. A couple of fellas had to pull over on the side of the road to go to the bathroom. This is widely practiced in Nicaragua by both foreign and domestic visitors. We also had a few that deposited more significant items on the side of the road. Events like this add color, adventure and sometimes fertilizer to a foreign mission trip. We finally made it back just in time for our clinic. Everyone was pretty hungry and tired so Coach V, James Tunnerll and Adrian agreed to go take care of the clinic so the guys could eat and rest. Everyone had the opportunity to stay back and take a nap. The coaches were going to take care of it. However, after the guys ate lunch, they decided as a team that they wanted to come to the clinic anyway. They jumped on the bus and came on out to the field. Dustin Gibson got left so he jumped on a bike with one of our interpreters cause he did not want to miss out on the action. I was really proud of these guys for making that choice. After the clinic, we wanted to reward them for their amazingly hard and faithful work. Franky and I snuck off to the local Pizza parlor and bought 22 good old fashioned American Pizza. All week long, the food has been good but it has been Nicaraguan food. We all needed a little taste of home and they were all really pumped to see that grub walk in the door. FYI, if you are traveling with a big group of baseball players in Nicaragua and they are really hungry, show up with a bunch of pizzas and they will really like you. After scarfing down the pizza, we were off to play some baseball. Nicaragua is an amazing place to play baseball. Our games are making quite a splash in this community. I can't remember if I mentioned this earlier. On the day that we went to the hospital to pray for the kids, we prayed for a little boy who had pneumonia. His mother sat there holding him while wearing a baseball bracelet that she had received at one of our games. Last night, we played our second game. We played a Leon All-star game which comprised of players of all ages from this community. We started out in the hole as the Nicaraguans took a 3-2 lead in the first inning. Kyle Vail was pitching. It really does take a while to get used to playing a baseball game here. The crowd presses in around you. If you sit in the dugout, it is impossible to see the game because the crowd gathers all the way downy the baseline. We have to constantly ask kids, adults, mothers with babies to move back. Last night, there was a young mother holding her 1 year old son right next to me. She was literally 8 feet from the first base bag. Every time a runner got to first and the pitcher tried to pick off the runner, she would simply turn and try to shield her baby in case the first baseman missed the ball or there was a wild throw. Last night a six year old boy was hit in the leg with a line drive foul ball. In spite of these dangers, as soon as someone moves from their spot, it quickly fills in with someone else. I tried to take a picture last night of the right field baseline. People were so interested in the game, they were actually sitting on the field of play just so they could see the action. It's just an amazing thing to seel. Last night our band was back. My son Eric (our bat boy) has learned to play the guitar. They actually allowed him to play with them last night. He felt pretty big time busting out Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi with the Nicaraguan band. What is crazy about this band and this sound system, they never stop playing music and commenting on the baseball game. It is just hilarious. After we completed the game with a victory of 19-4 (We started hitting again), we gathered the crowd together to share the gospel. Luke Sandoval kicked things off sharing our Ambassador story which led into his testimony. He shared with the crowd about losing his dad and how God used that to bring Him closer to the Lord. It was a powerful moment because many of these people understand loss. Luke did such an incredible job. After Luke shared, Adrian shared his testimony and shared the gospel with all of the people gathered on that field. Over 1000 people gathered together and it was just an amazing sight to see and encounter to experience. People really do need Jesus and they really will listen if we live right and speak up. Let's choose to do that more often. God moved last night on a baseball field. People heard the message of salvation. People prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Our guys heard that. They saw that take place. It was tremendous. Many of you reading this blog sacrificed to support the Ambassadors this summer. I assure you tonight that your gift was not wasted. You made an eternal investment that will last into eternity. Now that I am caught up to yesterday's experiences, I will need to wrap it up and get to our game for this evening. We are playing a local university team and are really looking forward to the game. Tonight, Chris Kuykendall is going to share his story and I am going share the gospel. We fed some more kids today and got to do a little shopping this afternoon You all need to get ready because I saw some of your presents. Your gonna love your Nicaraguan market items. Don't worry if they don't fit or work right, you can always put them in your next garage sale. I will try and post something in the morning. Tomorrow we are going to head to the beach for a little R&R and then we will play our final game in Nicaragua. ON Sunday, we will head back home. We are all grateful for Nicaragua but Dorothy really said it best, "There really is no place like home". We are all missing our families and are grateful for your support and prayers as we walked through this door the Lord opened in our lives. God Bless and Hasta Mañana

As we pulled up, Juliann Sullivan noticed the Cana´s  and commented how much prettier those were than the one growing in her yard.  They really were beautiful.  This tropical climate produces some of the most beautiful flowers the Lord has created.  The strange thing was the scene surrounding these beautiful flowers. 

We began yesterday morning fairly early.  Though all of us would have loved to sleep in a little longer, no one regretted sacrificing a little sleep.   

Pastor Panteleon sounded the horn on the bus and the kids started coming from everywhere.  As we clamored out like the Volkswagon bug at the circus, we were greeted by the most precious little boy who was all smiles even though he was barefoot and very dirty.  He had his bowl in hand and was fired up to see these big ol boys.  In Nicaragua, when the horn sounded, these kids knew the food had arrived. 

It is very difficult to describe scene.  We wanted to take pictures but something inside all of us compelled us to keep our camera´s in the bag.  There are some photos that are to significant, thought provoking and impactful and it´s best to keep them in your heart.  Yesterday morning, we discovered why Nicaragua is truly a third world country. 

Since God´s plan is to use the church to change the world, we were excited to meet the man who was called to pastor this little church in the Chinendega City Dump.  In 1998, Hurricane Mitch hit Nicaragua with devestating force.  Many people were displaced and the government sent a large community of survivors outside the dump in the small town of Chinendega.  The plan was to temporarily relocate people to this area but due to a variety of issues, were unable to help any further.  Therefore, a community developed. 

These are people who are very poor.  As the ladies in this ministry began preparing the food for the kids, Oscar walked around with us sharing the history of the area.  We all were deeply impacted as we walked through this neighborhood.  The houses are pieced together with scraps found in the city dump.  It was very difficult to embrace the fact that people are raising their families in these little Shanty homes with dirt floors.  As we weaved our way through the tall tropical vegitation, we began to notice a strange burning smell.  We all gingerly crossed a very dirty creek and made our way up a hill to reveal the source of the pungant odor piercing the atmosphere.  

At the top of the hill, we walked into the City Dump of Chinendega.  We walked over broken glass and through worn out trails surrounded by burning embers and discarded bottles, clothes, wrappers and debris.  As we came into a clearing where we could gather together, we saw a trash truck rolling in about 250 yards from our location.  As soon as the truck came to a halt, people of all ages, jumped up on the truck to see if there were any valuable resources that could be used in their lives.  Oscar told us that these people are very poor and one of the ways they try to provide for their families was to go through the discarded trash.  It was a very important but difficult experience in all of our lives.  It was a level of world poverty that none of us had ever experienced before.  The entire group was speechless as we stood and prayed for these people and then made our way back to the church to play with these children and feed them a meal. 

As we retraced our steps, we stopped at the house of a young mother named Sylvia.  She was a beatiful lady who lived in a little one room shack with her two children.  She was pregnant with her third and had recently given her life to Christ.  She welcomed us into her home and greeted us all with open arms.  Since one of our Coaches had slipped crossing the creek, (He was OK, just got a little wet), Sylvia went into action and took his shoes, socks, her disinfectant soap and began to wash his feet.  It was very humbling and very significant that this lady was so willing and eager to serve us like this. 

She allowed us to tour her home and though this may sound very strange it is very true.  She had the cleanest dirt floors that I had ever seen in my life.  It is hard to put this entire experience into words.  To be honest, I need some more time to process this experience.  If you have the time to sit down with an Ambassador in the next few weeks or so, please ask them to talk through this part of their journey.  Sylvia was another beautiful flower we found at the dump in Chinendega.

We made one more stop before making it back to the church with the pastor.  This amazing man wanted us to go to the house of one of his first converts in Chinendega.  They have a vision to help these people build real homes our of brick.  The cost of a home is $4500.  We were all so moved at this conversation, we gathered together as a team and prayed for the Lord to provide a home for this family by Christmas time.  The need here is so great.  The Bible say´s ¨to whom much is given, much is required¨.  God has given us much.  God requires much from us.  We are all beginning to understand more clearly our responsibilty in the world.  To be an Ambassadors is much more than baseball.  It is a life long calling and it is my prayer that these young men embrace the call to be an Ambassador for Christ for the remainder of their lives.  Please join with us in praying for this provision.  God is calling us to be a part of this. 

After praying for this provision, we had an absolute blast playing for three hours with these kids.  250 children showed up and we fed every one of them, played soccer, football, face painting and tag.  While we were playing, all of forgot that we were right outside of the dump in Chinendega.  Everyone of at this event were laughing, running, sweating, playing and having the time of our lives.  These little kids were more beautiful flowers growing up in the midst of the dump in Chinendega. 

Last night, Chase Kuwitsky commented on this experience.  He said it was surreal.  It was like he was immediately transported into one of those infomercials.  The difference here was that it was real. 

Yesterday was a challenging morning.  It was an impactful morning.  It was a life changing morning.  It was a morning that we discovered that flowers really can grow in a dump.  It also showed us all that we should not ignore our responsibilities in the world.  We have a job to do. 

Justin Sullivan wrote that there will come a day when we will all see God face to face.  This is when we will understand things fully.  When God asks me to believe something that is beyond belief, I decide if I will trust my five senses or have enough sense to believe in Him. 

Coach V and I were walking together.  He said to me, Where is God in this place?  I believe that God´s hand is here in powerful ways.  God´s hand sent us here with young men who are the future leaders of our country.  Not just future leaders, but future spiritual leaders who are being called to make great contributions for the Kingdom of God. 

This entire experience is more than baseball and for that I am truly grateful to the Lord. 

There is more to yesterday but right now I need to go.  Hopefully later today, I will be able to write about our game last night, Luke Sandoval and Coach Savedra sharing with over 1000 people very very effectively and a few laughs we have had a long the way.

I love hanging with these guys.  I also love being an Ambassador. 

Also, everyone is feeling better. (for the most part)

Describing the last 24 hours is shaping up to be a truly difficult task. I am sorry that I am just now getting to the blog. Today has been very very full. We just finished our daily wrap up with the team and I am going to write till I stop making sense. It's been a long day so I will try to type fast. In tonight's wrap up, Chase Kuwitsky gets the credit for the title of the blog. As we were processing the last 24 hours, he said, "The only way to describe last night and all day today is: outside the box". Believe me, Chase hit the nail right on the head. To pick up where we left off in yesterday's blog: We went to church last night and it was a very different experience for all of us. Words are really not going to do this justice so if we decide to release the video (which we have) you are just going to have to see it. It was an absolute crazy blast for everyone there and it was most definitely "outside of the box". Because I really want to get to our experience today, I will give you a short descriptive Top 10 list: 1. 3 hour service with about 300 Nicaraguans that leaned to the Pentecostal flavor. 2. A messianic Jewish rabbi with an awesome beard that he's worked on for a long time. 3. An interesting service kickoff with a great band and the rabbi playing two Shofar's with the band singing in Spanish, Hebrew and English. 4. This same rabbi proceeded to lead worships with the band for 2 hours. He also rapped a little in Spanish, Hebrew and English. 5. Every Ambassador leading the entire congregation with the Rabbi in congregational dancing that turned into a huge Congo line. 6. Lot's of sweat and exercise, more than any baseball game played so far in Nicaragua. 7. Very interesting interpretive dancing by the Rabbi's dance team. 8. A message given by the same Rabbi which was actually a little long. 9. A mystery Nicaraguan pot luck dinner with the entire congregation. 10. A few guys on the team began to have a little case of irritable bowel syndrome which often happens when you head south of the border of the United States of America. Thankfully we found some toilet paper for a few of the guys. It took a little work but the paper was finally secured and utilized. A few on the team have carried this same syndrome with them throughout the day today. Thankfully all are on the mend. Well, as expected, my typing and thinking are struggling a bit. In the morning we are not leaving till 8:50 so I will have time to catch you all up about today's activities. I am so thankful for this experience. I am very proud of our guys. They are serving the Lord very well and God is truly working in and through their lives. Thank you all for your prayers and we are grateful for our families back home.

This is truly an experience like no other. 

Yesterday afternoon, we came back to Oscar´¨s house and got a little rest.  It really was great to have an hour of down time because the day had been a long one. 

By 4:30p.m. we headed back to one of the schools we had visited.  It¨s really hard to describe the experience we had but I will give it a shot.  The school is about a 10 minute walk from the baseball field and we were met by our opponents for the evening along with a band, drum line, a great crowd lining the streets, and three other things that you just had to see.  I am sure they have a name but I can only describe them as 3 very large women costumes approximately 15 feet tall.  These large ladies led the procession with the band and danced the entire time.  You just have to see the video when we get home. 

 After the parade march through town, we arrived at the field and the crowds started pouring in.  Thanks to Council Road Baptist Church, we were able to hire a sound system and a Christian Band in Nicaragua to come out and play for the games we are playing.  This is an instrumental tool for us because it allows us to clearly communicate to the crowds that come. 

Remember in yesterday´s blog when I mentioned that we prayer walked on the baseball field.  The guys walked all over the field for 20 minutes asking the Lord to bless our time that evening.  We asked that people would be able to hear His message and that God would use us. 

Well, an amazing thing happened right before our eyes and it was directly from God.  There is no doubt about this.  We had blue skies all day long.  The temp is about 90 and it is pretty humid because it is the rainy season in Nicaragua.  All of a sudden, very dark clouds formed all around us.  Coach V was mad at me because I had commented 30 minutes earlier, ¨I am really glad it hasn´t rained today.¨´  Right after I said that, here comes the clouds, lightning and the big time rain.  The temperature dropped about 15 degrees in a matter of minutes so we loaded up our stuff in the bus and prepared for the deluge.  To make matters worse, all of the lights at the field suddenly went out.  We were done and it was all my fault for commenting on the clear skies.  (Why are Baseball people so superstitious about stuff?  Have you noticed that?)

After we had finally accepted the reality of the rain due to the fact that the sprinkles had begun, for some strange reason, the clouds and lightning seemed to just move all around us but not over us.  Within 30 minutes, the lights began to flicker again and come back on, the music started playing, the people started coming back and the umpire said, ¨Juega¨ which is translated ¨Play Ball¨.  It was truly awesome. Our opponents were the championship High School team from Leon.  They played hard and played well.  God chose to supernaturally answer our prayers. 

As the game commensed, people were coming out of the woodwork.  I wish all of you could experience a baseball game in Nicaragua.  It is unlike anything you have ever experienced before. 

(Momma P, Wacey just said hi.  He said that he was fine even though his mouth still hurts from the minuture pepper eating contest that we had this morning.  Kyle Vail won first, Sydni Sullivan came in second and Ramon got third.)

Back to the baseball game.  It truly is an experience like none other. The field, the atmosphere, the band that never stops playing, the backstop that is more holes than fence, the people that gather dangerously close to the action on the field, the dogs that ran on the field in the middle of the game, outfielders making catches while running through the crowd watching the game, the cart vendors walking around, the experience is just absolutely amazing.  You gotta come and experience this some time.  I don´t want to make you all feel bad at home but it´s an experience you don´t want to miss in your life. especially if you are a baseball person.  

In the middle of the 6th inning, we gathered all of the crowd together by the stage and asked if we could share with them.  We brought some extra baseballs and some old Ambassador shirts for give aways and the crowd gathered quickly and closely to take advantage of the Ambassador gear.  It got a little interesting when Oscar decided to give a way a new bat and chunked it into the crowd.  We probably shouldn´t do that again because the 14 people who all grabbed that bat simultaneously really wanted it.  I actually videoed the entire ordeal and it was a little crazy.  

After the bat had finally been secured and all the gifts had been given, Coach V got up to share the gospel.  It was a powerful thing to listen to Coach V share our story and the message of Christ to all those people gathered on that baseball field.  For four years now, I have watched the Lord create supernatural moments on baseball fields both in the United States and abroad.  I am convinced that in our post-Christian society, we are experiencing a modern day revival as we take the gospel to the world rather than sitting in our churches waiting for the world to come to us.  

We have to stop waiting.  We have to start going both at home and across the globe.  Shouldn´t we all be speaking up about Christ?  I pray that you begin today right where you are.  

God moved last night and it was an awesome sight to see and event to experience.  After we shared our faith, we finished the game.  We had to stop in the 8th inning because we were out of our 2 dozen baseballs allotted for this game.  Since the score was 17-2 in favor of the Ambassadors, we went ahead and called the game.  

Did I mention that we brought magic baseballs with us to Nicaragua.  It´s amazing because everytime there is a foul ball, a home run or a ball that gets off the field, it miraculously disappears.  We have the opportunity to play with these magic baseballs every game and we just love it.  

I was very grateful last night because, before the game was over, Juliann and Sydni Sullivan, Brian Holt, Ryan Lenaburg and Codey McElroy all showed up.  I am glad they got to see some of the baseball game.  It was fun to see their surprise, awe and excitement about the experience.  

We came back to Oscar´s last night and had an amazing time together processing the day.  I wish all of you could hear the many amazing things God is teaching these boys.  The Lord is truly allowing us to shape leaders in this ministry.  Our prayers and dreams are being answered becasue each and every one of these guys are starting to see the value of their influence, a vision for the world and the true and amazing power of the God of All Creation.  I just love it.

We got to be around mid-night or later and tried to get some needed rest.  

I know this is long but since I have a few more minutes, I need to go ahead and catch you up on this day so far.  

After breakfast, we took some time to go to the hospital in Nicaragua to pray for kids in the children´s unit.  This was a moving experience.  We don´t have pictures because there are some things in life that are meant only for your heart.  We passed out candy and simply prayed for children.  It was moving, it was significant, it was difficult, it was powerful.  I am so thankful the Lord gave us that opportunity.

After the hospital, we went to one of the neighborhoods where this ministry feeds children.  We went door to door connecting with people passing out flyers for our clinics and baseball games.  We divided with our translators into 6 or 7 groups and walked around this little neighborhood. 

It was moving to see our guys love people who were proud of their homes even though their floors were dirt.  These people have pride in their lives in spite of the economic status.  They smile, they love their children and they are content in their lives.  All of this helps us understand that stuff really doesn´t bring happiness.  We all ought to stop seeking after things that don´t matter. 

I was particulary proud of Jared Sterling and Coach Nation.  We were in a group going door to door and we had the opportunity to lead one guy to faith in Christ.  God really used Jared and Larry as they shared their journey with Jesus.  God can and use anyone who is able and willing to be used.  There really is nothing like jumping out of your comfort zone and allowing the God of all creation to use your life as His instrument.  Once you start doing that you gotta keep it up.  You should start that today and not let any more time go by missing out on that experience. 

As we gathered back to the area where the hundres of kids were going to come together to eat today, Coach Savedra pulled out his clump of little peppers.  It was then that the pepper eating contest commensed.  It was one of the more comical moments of the trip.  As these guys came together to challenge each other´s manhood on their pepper tolerance, every Ambassador mouth was soon on fire.  I have already told you who one the contest but it was a great event to witness.  I only ate 2.  Since I already have a beautiful wife, I have nothing else to prove in my life.  That is my conviction and I wasn´t about to put more than 2 of those little fireballs in my mouth. 

The rest of the day will be a blast.  In about 30 minutes, we are off to our first baseball clinic and it is going to be packed out.  It will be the biggest clinic of the summer by far.  After the clinic we are going to church tonight Nicaraguan Style.  It´s gonna be a blast and I can´t wait.  We have three more baseball games, one more clinic and a lot more experiences that are not on the agenda. 

We are pumped and having a great experience.  Thanks for praying and thanks for being patient with all my typing errors.  I don´t have my lovely wife with me to correct all my grammatical mistakes so please for give my errors.

Have a great day today and keep lifting us up to the Lord.

Chris Wall

.

WOW, what an experience so far. 

 Yesterday the 26 Ambassadors loaded up on a plane and headed for Leon Nicaragua.  The fact that the Lord provided all the funds for us to go was truly a miracle from the Lord.  For it we are truly thankful because it has been our prayer from the beginning to have the opportunity to expose these future leaders to a world wide vision that impacts God´s Kingdom.

All the flights yesterday went pretty smoothly and no one actually threw up, passed out or flipped out on the plane.  I gotta tell you that it is really funny watching the look on some of faces of these studly athletes as they walk on a plane for the first time.  Some of these boys were flat out scared but I promised not to mention Wacey Henderson´s name so I want to keep my word.  I have to tell you that it is really amazing to see the impact these guys have when they walk on a plane.  For some reason, people know we are baseball team and they ask us what we are doing.  Many of our guys, including our bat boy, were faithful to share our story with people on the plane.  As is our custom, when we share our story, we hand out bracelets and it is quite a sight seeing people walk off the tarmack proudly wearing their Ambassador bracelets.  It just goes to show that people really are interested in the gospel story.  We all need to learn from our Ambassadors here and speak up more often about our faith in Christ. 

Yesterday, we did have one little delay in Miami.  The plane sat on the runway for two hours and then had to go back to the gate.  It was a little invonvienient but it sure beat sitting on the yellow bus.  (I don´t want to sound ungrateful, the yellow bus is really awesome}.  It was pretty funny when Carson woke up, saw we were at the gate and really believed we had already arrived in Nicaragua.  

Even though we were 3 hours late, we finally made it to Managua.  After a fairly quick trip through customs, we made it to our vehicles and started the journey to Leon.  It took us about two hours to get to this wonderful city.  This week in Leon, we have some wonderful hosts.  Oscar and his crew welcomed us with open arms.  It was a lot of fun last night busting out all of the Ambassador gear and giving it to our friends here in Nicaragua.  After some instructions about the next day, we got situated and we all crashed for our early morning on the town.  

Sleep was fast and but restful.  Breakfast was at 6:30am and by 6:50 everyone had donned their Ambassador gear and we were off to the press conference and meeting with the Mayor of Leon.  This meeting had to take place early because this week in Leon is a festival marking the city´s history.  The mayor walked through many details about the city and greeted us with open arms.  We then had the opportunity to present him an original Justin Sullivan Ambassador jersey and share our story with him.  It was a great opportunity to share the gospel with the point leader of this great city and I am still so amazed how the Lord continues to open doors for us.  

After our time with the mayor, we went to a local high school.  We divided up our six translators and spread out all over the campus.  The leaders of the school allowed us to go class to class sharing our story and sharing the gospel room by room.  I wish you could have seen our Ambassadors step up to the plate here.  They all boldly and passionately shared their story of faith with several hundred teenagers in Leon.  It was really cool. 

After going to the high school, we went by the field to pray for our minstry tonight.  So far we have four games set up over the next several days with more teams asking us to play.  We will play as much as possible.  Baseball is actually the national sport for Nicaragua and has a very large following in this country.  Our guys strolled into this High School and you would have thought the New York Yankees (wearing gold of course) just showed up.  It is truly amazing to see the impact a group of athletes can have for the kingdom of God.   

After going to the high school, we went to our baseball field to pray for our night tonight.  All the guys broke up into their positions and spent 20 minutes prayer walking through their area on the field.  I wish you could see this field.  It´s just not like anything you have seen in the United States.  Greg Disney marked off the baselines and 1st base was 90´¨ and third base is 93¨.  This pitcher´s mound is a little off and the back stop has a huge gaping hole in the fence.  Actually, there really is more hole than fence in the back stop.  Not to worry though because tonight, at 6:00 p.m. when we face our first opponent there will be a wall of people to stop any balls that get a way.  :0.  We have hired a band and a sound system for the week and in the 7th inning stretch, we will stop play and share the gospel with all who come.  It is just going to be an amazing night. 

Well it´s time to get a little lunch Nicaraguan style and then we are off to another high school this afternoon to share our story.  This has already been an amazing experience for each one of our coaches and players.  We are taking a lot of video and pics to try to capture the significance of this experience. 

We ask that you continue to pray for the Ambassadors as we serve the Lord through our gifts on and off the baseball field.  Here are a few ways  you can pray for us.

Pray for divine appointments for us. 

Pray the Lord opens the hearts of people we meet. 

Pray the Lord moves in the hearts and lives of our players. 

Pray that people come to know Christ through our work today.

Have a great week back home.  We appreciate all of your support which has allowed us to serve the Lord here. 

Chris Wall

 

This morning, Jennifer Jewell, Justin Sullivan's cousin posted this on her blog at jennjewell.blogspot.com.    

I remember it like it was yesterday...

The crackling of leaves under our footsteps while trekking through the green luscious woods of deep Tennessee. The feel of summer's humidity and sweat against my skin after white-water rafting, rock climbing and hiking the day straight into evening.

{My sweet friend, Sarah, and I had flown across country during the in operable space found between high school and college to join some family friends for outdoor adventure}.

Almost back to our campground, we started up a steep, outdoor staircase. Shouting was heard from up top, some men looking for the dad of the family we were with. My heart stopped. My mind raced...

We're in the middle of no where. What could they possibly want and how did they find us? This can't be good.

My pulse shifted from non-existant to rapid. Sarah and I continued to climb, bringing up the tail, quietly questioning if something could have happened to their grandmother, who had been sick.

The men turned out to be firemen, who had apparently been searching for us all afternoon. They were solemn and discrete as they spoke with John under the shade of a large tree. I could hear throbbing in my ears as I prepared myself to comfort our friends. But as John turned around, his eyes searched for mine. His face was pale, filled with pain and sadness. At that moment, I knew. Someone was gone, and by the look in his eye, it was someone I loved deeply.

"It's Justin," his voice trailed off.

A hopeless feeling like I've never known rushed through me. I remember sobbing myself into the woods and crashing to the ground. I remember us all, even the firemen, face down on the dirt in desperate prayer. I remember making a phone call, only to find no words. I remember our friends driving all day and night to get me home. I remember Sarah's firm grip on my hand.

My cousin, who was so much more than just a cousin. My best friend. A brother. Exactly two months apart, we truly had a unique closeness from the beginning. Same town, same church, same school. Unconditional love, friendship and laughter. Late night contemplations and conversations about anything and everything. Valedictorian. Unmatched honors as an athlete. Named 'Oklahoma Player of the Year' one day before his death. Passionate follower of Christ.

Gone in the blink of an eye.

"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14

As horrible as that event was, it's inevitably going to happen to us all. I'm pretty sure the statistics can speak for themselves... 100% of all people die. Our family was broken. As much as we still ache for him now, we know Justin had a relationship with our almighty God and we can look forward to seeing him again!

What about YOU?

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

It's a free gift, but we have to ACCEPT it.

Today my memory is flooded. Today I honor Justin Sullivan, an incredible man of God. Today I remember June 3, 2002 and how this world is not our home.

"God has a plan for my life and will work in the most mysterious of ways,"Justin journaled four months before his death.

Today is a day that will not be forgotten.

Tonight, it is going to be hard to get to sleep because tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m. the 2011 Ambassadors report for the season.  

We are so excited about what God is doing and it is just amazing to experience God's answer to the prayers we have prayed.  

Now it is time to get to work.  It is time to get focused and it is time to make sure our mission and our vision is in focus. 

The mission of A Life Worth Following and The Oklahoma City Ambassadors is to impact the lives of people through our gifts on and off the baseball field.

Our vision is to develop elite baseball teams that compete at the highest level while playing baseball tournaments around the country.  In addition, we are giving back through our nationally recognized baseball clinics and mission experiences that share Christ’s message around the world.

Off the baseball field, we want to help athletes develop a vision for the many ways the Lord wants to use their abilities to impact God’s kingdom. We believe this will not only help them while they are baseball players but will help them throughout their entire life.

On the baseball field, our athletes are gaining exposure to college coaches and scouts enabling them to move to the next level in their baseball career.

Our philosophy is very simple: We are intentionally developing great leaders and great athletes who are discovering how to live for a greater purpose. This purpose is to love God with their heart, mind, soul and strength and love their neighbor as themselves. 

Thank you so much for supporting the Ambassadors this season and we hope you not only follow our story but that you faithfully lift us to the Lord as we head out on this amazing summer long mission experience.  

We are excited to report because it truly is amazing to see these young players and coaches growing a sincere passion for the souls of men while experiencing a deepening love for God as we travel and serve.

Get some rest tonight because it is Time to Report.

On March 19, 2002, after spending some significant time with the Lord, Justin Sullivan took out his spiritual journal and penned these words:

"There will come a day when we will all see God face to face.  This is when we will understand things fully.  When God asks me to believe something that is beyond belief, I decide if I will trust my five senses or have enough sense to believe in Him."

Over the years, I have not only thought about this quote from Justin's journal but also thought about how this experience with the Ambassadors has impacted my life.  Most importantly, God has used the entire Ambassador journey to produce a greater sense of urgency with the gospel of Christ.

Here is a fact that must not be ignored by none reading this:  Life is short.  

Whether you live eighteen years like Justin or eighty five years like my grandfather.  Life goes fast and ultimately every person will one day stand before the Lord.

The scripture is clear on this:

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."  2 Corinthians 5:10

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life.  The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books."  Revelation 20:12

As Ambassadors, it is our calling to communicate the gospel very clearly.  The gospel is the news about the one and only God, who is holy, made us in His image to know Him.  Tragically, we all sinned and that severed our relationship with Him.  However, in His great love, God became man in Jesus, lived a perfect life and died on the cross.  This act fulfilled the law of God because Jesus took the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust Him.  Then, He rose from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ' sacrifice.  He now calls all people to repent of sins and trust Christ alone for our forgiveness.  The moment we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life.  An eternal life.  

That is the good news we are called to faithfully share with everyone who crosses our path this summer.  

I am so very thankful that God saved us and has moved in our lives in such significant ways.  Truly God has guided us to begin this baseball ministry and this fact is evident by the fruit we see in the lives of our baseball players.  

Right now, four of our Ambassadors are not only playing baseball for Southern Nazarene University, they are also taking a stand for the Lord on and off the baseball field.  Williams, Cole, Tunnell and McIntosh are leading weekly bible studies with their teammates in the locker room while they juggle their studies and a grueling baseball schedule.  I am proud that these guys have been faithful to carry the Ambassador legacy to their college baseball team.  

In addition to this, Cole and Caden Cleveland are also continuing the Ambassador legacy at Morehead State University.  Because of their stand for the Lord this year, they were called upon to help lead out in a university wide prayer service as their community walked through a tragedy this year.  http://337hearts.shutterfly.com

Today, I am thankful that God continues to move in and through our Ambassadors even as they grow up and move on through their lives.  This is fruit of ministry that lasts and we are so very thankful.

I would like to ask you to continue to pray.  As you know, we are in the middle of our fundraising campaign for this year's Ambassadors.  As of today, we are $32,000 away from being completely funded.  For those of you who have responded to being 1 of 200 people giving $200.  We thank you very much and wholeheartedly believe God is going to use your gift to produce great fruit for His kingdom.

Sincerely,

Chris Wall

   

Dear Ambassador Family,

We would like to respectfully request your prayers and your financial support for the 2011 Ambassador Season. We pray that you will prayerfully consider being one of 200 people who will make a tax deductible donation of $200 which will help us reach our goal of $50,000 for our 4th Ambassador baseball season.

It is hard to believe that this summer will mark our fourth year investing in life-long Ambassadors. God continues to bring new families just like yours who love the Lord and love the game of baseball. For this, we continue to be grateful to His leadership.

So far, we have sold over 5,000 books and have sent them all across the country. It is amazing to witness the Lord’s work as he continues to open the doors for us. Inspired by Justin’s life, the book and writings continue to resource The Oklahoma City Ambassadors.

Amazingly, we continue to connect with elite baseball families and players from all over the country. All of our athletes have been taught how to share their faith in Christ and have faithfully communicated God’s hope on and off the baseball field through Justin’s story. Thousands of people have been impacted all across the United States, Nicaragua and Mexico. We continue to see tremendous life-change while competing in tournaments across the southwest, conducting free baseball clinics.

It is thrilling to see young men learn how to communicate the Gospel to teammates, opponents and fans. As you know, we are continuing to conclude each season with international mission trips to Nicaragua and Mexico.

We really need your help to accomplish this goal.

Here are some of the incredible results we have experienced in the last three years:

• Annually over 10,000 people hear the Gospel on baseball fields.
• Every summer, over 1,000 kids attend free Ambassador baseball clinics.
• Since the beginning, we have seen hundreds of people give their lives to Christ!
• In addition, the Ambassadors helped 68 members of our team have earned college baseball scholarships across the country.
• Three Ambassador players have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams.
• More importantly, 73 young men are now life-long Ambassadors and are equipped to articulate their faith in a clear and compelling way.

We believe that God’s hand is on this ministry. He has faithfully opened a door for the Gospel to be shared through His word and Justin’s life. This journey has been a step of faith for all of us, and we have been amazed at how the Lord has provided.

Thank you for helping us to share the Gospel through your gifts on and off the baseball field. Also, thank you for helping us spread the word about how the Lord is moving in our ministry. If you would like additional information or to make an online donation, go to www.alifeworthfollowing.org or send a check to Justin Sullivan, ALWF at P. O. Box 720782, OKC, OK 73172-0782. Remember, Justin Sullivan, ALWF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

Thank you for blessing us. We would appreciate your prayers as we move forward.

David, Juliann, Chris, Jim, Vince
ALWF Board Members

The 2011 Ambassador season is almost here.  The Coaches have been working hard on the roster for the summer and we are pleased to say that many of the former Ambassadors still young enough to play are planning to come back.  In addition to this, there have been some incredible athletes express interest in playing for the Ambassadors this coming summer.  We are praying hard over the roster and seeking the Lord for His guidance and leadership as we set the 2011 Ambassador team.  I continue to be amazed how the Lord calls young men to be a part of our Ambassador family.  It is such an amazing experience to see these young guys not only grow as athletes, but more importantly to grow up as leaders who are faithful to the gospel.  

We ask that you continue to lift us up in prayer as we recruit our athletes and raise the funds for the 2011 season.  So far this month, we have raised $6000 towards our goal of $50,000 which will complete the funding for the 2011 season.  If the Lord would move your heart to help us raise up these athletes as gospel focused missional leaders, we invite you to donate to our ministry.  Every little bit helps us fulfill the calling God has placed on our lives.  

We have finally set the schedule for the summer and wanted to communicate this with you.

June 2-5 - Little Rock

June 9-12 - Justin Sullivan Memorial - OKC

June 16-19 - Tulsa

June 21-24 - Omaha

June 26 - July 4 - Off week

July 7-10 - Kansas State

July 14-17 - Stephen F. Austin - Nacogdoches Texas

July 21-24 - University of Oklahoma

July 25-30 - Nicaragua

We ask that you pray for Divine appointments both on and off the baseball field this summer.  We can't wait to hit the road.

To all those who have supported the Ambassadors, "Thank You" for investing in our lives. 

As you know, and have also read in the book, A Life Worth Following, God has truly moved in and through us.  In 2007, when this book arrived, we had no idea that it would serve as the catalyst to the OKC Ambassadors.  If you were in the state of Oklahoma in 2002, you remember that June day, Justin, a graduated senior at Yukon High School, was named baseball player of the year for the state of Oklahoma. The very next day, he was killed when the back wheels of a semi-tractor trailer broke, crossed the median and struck his car. Even though Justin’s life was cut short, his legacy continues.

So far, we have distributed over 5500 books and sent them all across the country.  The Ambassadors Baseball team has amazingly connected with elite baseball players all over the country. So far we have recruited some of the best baseball players in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. These elite high school players have been taught how to communicate their faith in Christ and have faithfully communicated God’s hope on and off the baseball field through Justin’s story to thousands of people all across the United States, Nicaragua and Mexico. The Ambassadors made a tremendous impact competing in tournaments across the southwest, conducting free baseball clinics, communicating the Gospel to teams and fans, and concluding each season with international mission trips to Nicaragua and Mexico. Here are some of the incredible results we experienced in the last three years:

At least 10,000 people heard the Gospel on baseball fields each year. Around 1000 kids have attended free Ambassador baseball clinics every year.  We have seen hundreds of people give their lives to Christ each year and have helped 68 members of our team earn college baseball scholarships across the country.  3 Ambassadors have been drafted by Major League Baseball but more importantly, 73 young men are now life-long Ambassadors and are equipped to articulate their faith in a clear and compelling way.

Many of you reading this blog, gave to support this ministry.  Your gift is helping to effectively spread the gospel and I want to thank you.  I am amazed how God is continuing to use Justin’s life and our current Ambassadors to impact people across that country. We believe that God’s hand is on this ministry. He has faithfully opened a door for the gospel through His word, Justin’s life and our Ambassadors.  This journey has been a step of faith for all of us and we have been amazed at how the Lord has provided.

I simply want to say "Thank you" for enabling us to share the gospel through our gifts on and off the baseball field. We could not have done it without you prayers and your financial support along the way. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Wall

If you read the previous blog, I had a little typo. 

The Ambassadors actually finished the summer of 2010 with a record of 44 wins and 20 losses.  I accidentally left out one of the 4's. 

I just wanted to clarify the stats.  You know how we "baseball people" are about our stats :)

It is hard to believe that Summer 2010 is already over.  The Ambassador season is in the books and all of us are gearing up for the Fall.  Many are preparing for their High School Season or are beginning to get settled on their college campus. 

The Lord gave us such an incredible summer.  Not only did the team finish up with a record of 4 wins and 20 losses, but more importantly, we shared the gospel with thousands of people both in the United States and in Mexico.  

For years, I have gone on Mission Trips.  On those trips, we have seen the Lord do some really neat things in the lives of people.  However, since the birth of the Ambassadors, I have never seen such impact in a community.

I am amazed at how God is used our abilities on the baseball field to build an audience that willingly listened to the gospel.  It has been honestly, one of the most effective evangelistic tools I have ever seen in my life. 

Today, I wanted to share a link on youtube with you because it will give you a quick glance of our trip to Mexico.  We are currently working on a highlight of the entire summer.  I will post the link when it is complete. 

The video can be found at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOY_1MTcbH0 or you can search 2010 OKC Ambassadors.

In addition to watching the video, I would like to ask that you take a minute to pray for God's provision for next summer.  I wholeheartedly believe that God's hand is on this ministry.  The Kingdom impact is evident.  Now I pray for God's provision for next summer.  Please join me in this prayer for the Ambassadors. 

Sorry that I missed the blog last night.  It was a late night and we were just flat out tired after yesterday's journey.  

Even though we were tired, it was an amazing day in Monclova Mexico.

We rolled into town around 10 a.m. and headed straight to our hotel.  We dropped off all of our stuff and had to head out pretty quickly.  We made it to the baseball field by 11:15 and 60 kids were waiting on us for our baseball clinic.  I am so proud of our Ambassadors.  Most of our guys couldn't speak a lick of Spanish but it was amazing to see how well they communicated to these kids in Mexico.  It is really fun watching the Lord use these Ambassadors not only to help these kids become better baseball players, but more importantly, seeing the Lord use their abilities to challenge people to turn their heart to Jesus.  It is so amazing to see this take place right before our eyes.  

After the clinic, we got some lunch and had to rush back to the hotel to get changed for our game.  We were a few minutes late to the ballpark but since there is a thing called Mexican time, it was really OK.  You know what they say, "When in Mexico, do what the Mexicans do".  It goes something like that.  Anyway, when we arrived at the field, we started warming up quickly because the other team was ready to go.  

It is truly remarkable to see the impression that the Ambassadors had on Mexico last year.  Coming back to this area has revealed the impact on the community.  Last year, we came to Mexico and won every game.  The papers in the state of Coahuila wrote several articles about how the Ambassadors destroyed the local baseball players in Saltillo.  Well, they have been waiting for us to come back for the re-match.  Yesterday morning, the paper fueled the fire because the lead story on the local sports page read, Ambassadors destroyed Piedras Negras.  In Monclova, baseball is really big and they wanted to knock us off our baseball pedestal.  After watching our opponents warm up, it was obvious that this was going to be the toughest international opponent in Ambassador history.  We could tell from the beginning that we were in for a dogfight.

Since our game was broadcast on the radio, we had to make sure all the technical issues were covered.  After that was all set up, we began with introductions.  I had the opportunity to introduce all of the Ambassadors.  Many of the kids from the clinic were lined up across the field and as each Ambassador was introduced, they ran out, gave each kid a fist bump and lined up down the 3rd base line.  The team from Monclova did the same.  The announcer introduced all the special guests in attendance which included several city officials, represenatives from several professional teams in Monclova and Saltillo, and the baseball leaders from around the city.  After these formalities, the game was on and it was a battle.  

We started out strong and took an early lead.  Aaron Cornell and Chris Hinkley got us going with some early hits but these guys could play.  Coach and Mexico player Chase Roten was on the mound and he pitched a great game.  We made a few errors that cost us some early runs but we managed to keep the lead early on in the game.  For the most part, we did not play our best baseball but our guys still fought really hard.  Chase went 7 innings and pitched his heart out the entire way.  When he started cramping up, the tallest kicker and punter in the State of Oklahoma, Cole Way, came in for relief.  Cole did a great job wrapping up the game for us but we lost 6-4.  

After the game, we gathered with our opponents on the field and had the opportunity to share the gospel on their sound system with the team and everyone else in the stands.  Many people came to know Christ.  Even though we lost a tough battle on the baseball field, we were able to see the Lord win an incredible victory.  

After the share time, the baseball leaders for Monclova invited us to dinner.  This was an absolutely incredible experience.  A few miles away was their home baseball field.  We are playing our games on a very nice turf field in the city of Monclova.  These baseball leaders took us to another field that was not as nice to eat.  They grilled out and we had some amazing Carne Asada grilled right next to the dugout.  After we ate and played an in-prompt-to soccer game where Caleb St. Laurent scored the winning goal, we shared the gospel with all of these guys, gave them a dozen baseballs for their teams and handed out Bibles to every person.  It was incredible.   

Honestly, there is no way to measure the spiritual impact that is taking place.  I believe that when we get to heaven, we will be able to see all the ways the Lord moved through our gifts on and off the baseball field.  God has so faithfully answered our prayers for this trip and for this we are so grateful.  Last night we were talking about our experience so far and incredibly we have seen over 300 people pray to receive Christ, we have seen people in both Piedras Negras and Monclova begin to connect with our host churches and we have been able to begin some relationships with many who do not know Christ.  

Thankfully, the Lord has gone before us.  He is also leading us the entire way.  Keep praying for the Ambassadors as we serve the Lord here in Mexico.  

Also, stay connected to the blog.  Today has also been amazing.  So many things have happened today and I just can't wait to share the stories.  However, right now, we have a very very tough baseball game.  

So as they say in Mexico, Hasta Luego! Regrasamos.

 

We arrived in Saltillo Mexico by 10:15 in the morning and headed straight to our hotel. We only had time to drop off our stuff because our clinic was supposed to start by 11:00.

Even though it was raining, we did not drive all this way to let that stop us. When we arrived at the baseball field, there were only 10 kids waiting on us. The field was pretty wet but the dirt in Mexico is so hard that it held up well, and it was not pouring, only moderately raining. The clinic was set up at a little league field right outside the Saltillo Seraperos professional stadium. It was really nice and is the field where the city’s little league plays their big games. In every town we have visited, the people who run the youth baseball leagues in their particular city have helped us. God has been so faithful to give us favor with these community leaders. These are the baseball people in each city and though many do not know Christ, they willingly listen to our message because of our common love for baseball.

Due to the rain, Coach V decided not to do an official clinic but split the guys up and play a game with the kids. .
As we began dividing up, the Mexican crowd kept growing little by little. Before we knew it, there were 50 kids on the field plus all of the Ambassadors and the baseball game was on. Ambassadors were divided in half, Mexican kids were divided in half and it was 1 ½ hours of sandlot baseball in the rain on our last day in Mexico.
After the game, we gathered in the stands, shared the gospel and prayed with many more people who came to Christ. I got to thinking the other day, people giving their lives to Christ is something we see on a regular basis. We must never forget that there is real power in the gospel of Christ. Sometimes we all get in the middle of our normal lives that we forget this incredible reality. I hope and pray that seeing people come to Christ is just as normal as having lunch. It is a regular occurrence. I want to challenge us all to make this our prayer?

After the Mexican Sandlot baseball game, we blew some “pesos” in the Saraperos pro shop. The Seraperos are in the playoffs for the Professional Baseball League of Mexico. There were lots of cool stuff available and they were happy to sell it to us. As we were going through the pro-shop and touring the facility, the manager of the park asked us if we would come back next year and play on their field. He remembered when we played there last year and really wanted us to come back. Just another amazing blessing!

After lunch, we got ready and headed to Ardiaga Mexico. That is a suburb right outside of Saltillo nestled in between a beautiful mountain range. The government of Mexico just built a new stadium in this area and we had been invited to play the top team in the Liga Saltillo.

We arrived early to warm up and the field was in a beautiful location. Though the grass was pretty, the field was pretty rocky and rough. But, hey, this is Mexico right? It was going to be a great day of baseball.

All the coaches met at home plate and we all commented on how the head coach was a pretty stout fellow. We decided to make sure he was our friend. After we agreed on the specific rules of the game, we were playing baseball.

Aaron Cornell started off with a bunt down the line, which hit him on his way to 1st he was called out. Adrian did his best to argue the call but because the coach for the other team was one big muscle, he did not complain too much.

After AC, our bats came alive and this game was 9-0 before we knew it, Even though we were just killing this team, they never gave up and fought really hard the entire time. Probably because their coach could pinch their head off with one hand if he got mad.

Anyway, we respected the way they played hard and came back with 6 runs.

In the end, we won the game 16-6 and had a great time sharing Justin’s Story with them after the game. One more time, several people came to know Christ right in front of our eyes.

Coach V felt led to give the coach his jersey and we presented it to him during our share time. After that, the man we now know as Spartico, revealed the incredible news that he was a Luchador (Professional Wrestler in Mexico) and he had a match right after the game. He invited us to the match and that was an invitation we just could not refuse.

We left the game and drove directly to the Luchador match. Of course, if you had the privilege of seeing the Academy Award Winning movie called “Nacho Libre”, you understand how big Professional wrestling is in Mexico. It is different in the United States. Jack Black actually does an excellent job depicting what a Luchador match is like in Mexico.

All of the Ambassadors, in full uniforms showed up at the match and I am not going to lie, it was a blast. We were all cheering, booing and laughing our heads off. I am not going to try to explain it, just check out all the pictures that are blowing up facebook tonight. It was a blast and an incredible way to spend our last night in Mexico.

After getting our picture made with Spartico and seeing him bring home the Championship in the ring, we were off to some incredible food at Las Brazas. Boy howdy, that was some good food.

After dinner, we were back at the hotel and all of us were ready for some sleep. My son Eric was so wiped out, he actually fell asleep with his head on the table at Las Brazas.

This morning, all of us were surprised when Spartico himself showed up at our hotel with Wrestling T-shirts for everyone.  He autographed most of them and we gave him an autographed baseball by every Ambassador.  Spartico is not just a Luchedor but he is the owner of an Electric Company that services Saltillo.  He has a very large house outside of Saltillo and invited the entire team to stay with him next time we come.  At his house, he can sleep up to 20 in beds. His invitation was an incredible honor for us. 

After he invited us to stay at his house, I could not help but think about the significance of his request.  All through history, as missionaries go into a community, they pray for the Lord to allow them to build relationships with the people of influence.  If a missionary can earn the trust of the leaders, they will be able to gain an audience with all of the people. 

For years, I have traveled to other countries on mission trips.  We have done great work and it has been a blessing both to the people we have taken with us and the people we have served.  However, never in my life have I seen such impact with people of influence.  For some reason, God has put His hand on our abilities with baseball and is opening doors to communicate the gospel. 

I praise Him for that. 

We were up and out the door by 9:30. Got some money changed for our trip to the Market so all those back home will have something to sell in your next garage sale.

We made a small dent in the market, got some more tacos and made the 7 hour journey to Eagle Pass Texas.

Tonight, is our share time and wrap up of the season. There will be testimonies from everyone, lots of tears followed by late night Spaids and Mafia.

What a great trip to Mexico. I wish the entire team could have come but I know for the 15 guys who made this trip, it changed their lives and will be a week they will never forget.

I praise the Lord for the Ambassadors and am thankful to be a part of this incredible group of young men.

I can’t wait to see how the Lord leads them in their lives.

This is long and there might be some grammatical mistakes so please be gracious. We are in Saltillo and off to our clinic.

The Headline in Wednesday’s paper read: Monclova…Mostro poder de acero! Your basic translation of that headline is Monclova showed the power of iron! Of course, that was in reference to Monclova’s victory over the Ambassadors on Tuesday afternoon. Coach V made the decision to wait to tell our guys about the article until right before Wednesday’s game in our pre-game talk.

Because of this decision, we chose only to show the guys the newspaper articles about our clinics.

I wish each of you back home could see that in addition to broadcasting Monclova’s victory over the Ambassadors, the reporters in this city did a wonderful job describing how the Ambassadors came to Monclova to help their kids become better baseball players. The photos in the paper and the interviews of our players and coaches depicted a beautiful scene of two cultures coming together by a common love for baseball. Even though they mentioned that we came to Mexico because we love baseball they also described how we love God even more than baseball. The reporters stated that the Ambassadors are not just playing baseball but more importantly we are telling and showing others about the love of God. Thank the Lord that all have heard our message. I praise the Lord even more that some have not just heard our message but understood our message. The Bible is clear. Many people hear, but they do not understand. I hurt for the people that don’t understand the gospel. If you are reading this blog and you are a follower of Christ, I pray that hurt for the lost so badly that it leads you to action. Jesus has touched our lives and because of His forgiveness, we must not remain stationary. How are you putting your faith into action?

I know that there are a lot of news reports back home about violence in Mexico. The truth is that there are terrible things that happen in Mexico but it is truly no different than other places around the world. This week in Mexico, we have been experiencing people just like us. They love their country. They love their family. They love their home. And, they love baseball.

Even in the United States, there are places and people where violence, corruption and drug use are destroying lives. Everywhere in the world, the root cause of this problem is sin. You do realize that 2 Corinthians 5:20 say’s:
“We are therefore, Christ’s Ambassadors. It is as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin, to be sin for us. So that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.”

Since God has commissioned us to be the vessels that He uses to communicate freedom from sin, we have to go all over the world. The gospel is the only good news that can deliver mankind from the grip of sin. We have to go deliver this message and it is amazing to see how God can use our abilities with baseball as a platform to communicate the love of Christ. Baseball draws a crowd and it is phenomenal how people will stop and listen to us after we play this game. This kind of thing just “winds my watch”.
OK, sorry for all of the preaching. It just comes out sometimes and I just can’t help it.

As I stated yesterday, after last year’s sweep in Mexico, the locals have been planning and recruiting for our return. It has been their goal to beat us and they accomplished that on Tuesday with a 6-4 victory in a hard fought baseball game. The team we battled on Tuesday was by far the best competition we have faced on an international stage. However, Wednesday’s game was supposed to be much more difficult. We were playing the Diablos (Devils). We were going to have the honor and opportunity to face the best baseball players in the state of Coahuila on Wednesday afternoon.

However, before our game, we still had a baseball clinic to conduct. We loaded up the bus and headed to the field for the clinic. The guys were pretty tired but God just seems to give us the energy we need every day.

When we pulled up at the clinic, we were just blown away at the 130 kids and their parents who were already on the field waiting for us to arrive. Our baseball clinic was 2 ½ hours of Rapido Spanglish Mayhem. It was a blast.
So many cool things happened at the clinic. One really cool element that I need to mention was a guy named Angel Batista. Angel was a Mexican League All Star from the Dominican Republic. He played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the Big Leagues and was in his late 20’s. He played for the Diablos and had read in the paper about our baseball clinics. He showed up to see what we were doing. All he knew about us was that we were doing clinics for kids and he was playing us that afternoon. He was so impacted by our message and our team, he jumped in and helped us translate at the clinic. Angel is a Christian. He said, “I have never seen anything like this before. Using baseball as a platform to talk about Jesus is the most incredible thing he had ever seen.” In his past, baseball and faith in Christ have always been two separate things. From now on, things will be different for him.
After the clinic we got some quick lunch at small taco place. Then we were off to Monclova’s Major League field and store. They opened the store for us and we got a tour of their field and work out facility. It was really cool.
After an hour rest at the hotel, we were off to the game.

After our warm up, Coach V called everyone out to Center field. It was almost game time and we all knew we were about to face Angel Batista and his crew of Mexican All-Stars on the Diablos. I wish I could really communicate what a big deal this was in Monclova Mexico. Five of the guys on this team are local superstars. This was a big time experience.
Coach V, told everyone to take a knee at center field. After everyone got settled, the pre-game speech commenced. In my humble opinion, Coach V’s pregame pep talk is hands down, the best I have ever heard. In summary, his challenge was to play this game hard. Hustle at all times and leave everything on the field. He reminded the guys of the spiritual impact that was taking place right before their eyes. He also reminded them that each one of them could flat out play this game. The bottom line is that he fired up the Ambassadors and challenged them to go win a ball game.

After Coach V’s speech, Aaron Cornell took the middle of the circle and rallied the Ambassadors. From that point on, the team was focused and the fight was on.

Aaron Cornell lead off with a hit up the middle followed by Chris Hinkley’s bunt down the line. Before we could blink, the Ambassadors were up 3-0 in the top half of the 1st inning and we captured all the momentum.
AC, then took the mound and we had the opportunity to see if these guys could hit the baseball. Well, the answer to the question is, Yes they can. One of the Mexican All-Stars, Sergio Villarreal hit a 3 run bomb that was just smoked over the left field fence. However, Aaron kept giving them fits with his pitching. Brian Holt behind the plate, the Hinckley’s in the middle and Kolby Baxter at third also contributed to some solid defense.

In addition to some solid defense, we continued to swing the bat really well. We were up 6-3 going into the 5th inning. Because these guys could swing so well, we really needed a few more runs. We had two outs with runners on the corners and Cisco was coming to the plate. The pitcher we were facing was really tough. He had a slider that looked like it was coming straight at you then would come in hard for a strike. Cisco got a head in the count, then he smoked Cesar Hernandez’s fastball over the right field fence for a 3 run home run. This put us up 9-3 and that is how the game ended. It was amazing.

The Ambassadors came to Mexico and earned the respect of people both on and off the field. After the game, we shared the gospel with the Diablos and all those in the stands and it was incredible to see many come to faith in Christ.

One of the leaders of the church in Monclova told us, “I have never seen this kind of impact for Christ in our city.” She was so grateful that we came to tell people about Jesus.

After sharing the gospel, the Diablos started taking off their jerseys and trading jersey’s with the Ambassadors. In Spanish, Diablos means Devils. Well, we came to Mexico this week and literally kicked the Devil’s rear. After that, we took their shirts and God turned them into Ambassadors. It was so cool to see all those Diablos wearing Ambassador jerseys. I wish all of you could have been there.

After trading jersey’s, the head coach for the head coach for the Diablos began rattling off a bunch of Spanish to Coach V. David grabbed Cristobal Lopez, the Hispanic pastor at Council Road, to find out what he was saying.

The Coach told Coach V, “It was an honor to play a team who played the game with such incredible discipline. In Mexico, we don’t have competition like the Ambassadors. Thank you so much for coming.”

God is really good.

We woke up early this morning and now we are in Saltillo. We are looking forward to another day of impactful ministry both on and off the baseball field. We have a clinic at 11:00 a.m. and then we will play a game later this afternoon. Before we left Monclova we stopped to buy papers. They had more articles about our clinics yesterday and did another great job of talking about the Lord.

However, because of our victory yesterday the headline about the game was a lot different.

It read: “Embajadores le pego a Diablos!” and Le Pego we did.

Around 3:00 p.m. we headed out to our first game in Mexico.  We filled up our water jug because it is HOT south of the border.  When we pulled up at the field it was vintage Mexico.  It was a cinderblock ball park that could seat around 1000 people.  It is actually the home field of the really good baseball league in Piedras Negras.  Both teams started warming up as a lot of our clinic kids started rolling into the stadium.   

The team we played today was made up of select players from Piedras Negras.  The youngest was 15 and the oldest may have been in his 30's.  Since some of our opponents had some maturity to them, I hit a round of infield to our coaches just to see if Coach V and Adrian wanted to give it a go.  After seeing the rust on those two guys and Adrian almost breaking a hip, we decided it would be best to have them just coach.   I think after a little "Icy Hot", Adrian will be OK. 

Before we knew it, the pre-game rituals were complete, the umpires were in place and we heard the familiar term, "JUGAMOS" from the guys in blue.  Our first 9 inning game in Mexico was finally underway.   

Aaron Cornell got things started with a lead off triple and both Hinkley brothers followed up with two solid hits.  We ended the top half of the 1st inning with a 2-0 lead and our International winning streak seemed to be off to the right start.  We started the game with Brian Holt on the mound and our defense looked really solid. 

Coach Nation took the reigns at First Base and Davey guided the ship from the Third Base coaching box.  However, the real story line for our first game goes to Brian Holt because he was a bulldog.  He threw 107 pitches and went all nine innings.  All the Mexican's were a little disappointed that Holt went the entire game because they all wanted to see our 6'9 Cole Way stand on the mound and throw the baseball.  However, it was Holt's game and he wanted to finish it out and finish is exactly what he did.  We won our first international game of 2010 by the score of 6-1.  It was a great day of baseball and a great outing for all of our guys, especially Brian.

After the game, we shared the gospel with all those who came to the game and many prayed to receive Christ.  Including many of the kids who played on the team from Baja California. Honestly, I have been a little overwhelmed at the fact that God has opened up a door to share the gospel with the Little League kids in Mexico.  Think about the legacy potential in that supernaturally opened door.  God is allowing us to influence the future of baseball in Mexico by allowing us to tell it's future baseball stars about Jesus.  We are not just sharing with kids from Piedras Negras but are sharing with the best baseball teams from all over this country.  That is really amazing to me. 

As we were clearing the dugout, a man named Ricardo, who works for one of the local radio stations came up to ask some questions about the Ambassadors. He was late to the game so he missed the 6-1 victory but we were able to share with him who we are and why we came to Mexico. 

He had heard that we were in town and came to see what we were about.  He interviewed Cristobal and I asking us questions about baseball.  Our conversation very quickly turned  to Ricardo's spiritual condition when he asked a key question, "You mean to tell me that you play baseball and you also talk to others about God?"  This lead to the gospel and Ricardo prayed to received Christ.  It was an incredible moment.  After he accepted Christ, Coach V was able to give him one of the Bibles his church in Blanchard graciously donated to us for us to give out to to others in need, a brand new bracelet and a media guide.

It is so amazingly cool to see people come to know Christ.   

Ricardo responded to the gospel when we asked if we could share with him.  I wonder how many people back home would respond to the gospel if we asked?  Maybe we should do more asking?

After Ricardo got saved, we came back to the hotel to shower and then we went to eat the most amazing Carne Asada cooked by Ariel, the head of all the Little League players in Mexico and our umpires.  This Carne Asada was legit and it was likely the very best food I have put in my mouth.  

After we stuffed our faces, Coach V and I got into a little contest to see who could eat the hottest pepper.  Though there was some debate on this, I am pretty sure that I won but Coach V may have a different perspective.  All I will choose to say for now is this:  Stay away from the little green peppers.  They are hot and get a lot hotter after about 4 minutes of eating them.  Before we knew it, all the guys were joining into the pepper eating contest.  It was so much fun watching each other suffer after throwing down ice cubes after those big bites of jalepeno peppers.  This is such a guy thing but it was so much fun.  All of us are a little worried how those peppers are going to be on the back end of tonights experience if you know what I mean?  But I guess we will reap what we sow.   

After the amazing dinner we are back at the hotel and I am dozing as I write so I really should be off to bed. 

Thank you Lord for an amazing experience in Mexico.  Thank you for allowing us to follow Your road.

Today was an absolute amazing experience.  We headed out around 8:30 this morning and caught a couple of games at the Mexican version of the Little League World Series.  Chiuahuaha was playing Saltillo and these kids were hitting bombs.  From the very beginning we were all hooked into the experience. 

I wish I could express what the atmosphere was like.  It was one of those experiences that you just had to see to really understand.  We got off the bus and the crowd was electric.  All of the families of the players were effectively utilizing their homemade percussion devices and they were not missing a beat.  We divided the Ambassadors in half and some cheered for Chihuahua and the others cheered for Saltillo.  It was so much fun. 

After the game, we went out on the field and got to share with all of the teams who were playing.  It was so amazing to watch the gospel being presented by our guys through translators and seeing these little kids and their families listening to every word.  Brian Holt told me at lunch today that had to have been what the Disciples felt like when Christ spoke to people.  He told me that outside of being at Falls Creek, he had never experienced so many people listening to the gospel.  That was an amazing statement from Brian today.

After we shared with the kids and their families, somehow we started an in-prompt-to baseball clinic with one team from Monclova and one team from Saltillo.  It was challenging to communicate because of the language barrier but It was amazing. The clinic was a blast and had everything from pitching, hitting, fielding and even a couple of dog piles.  I am sure you will be able to catch some pictures on facebook. 

After the clinic, we were pretty hungry.  Pastor Jesus, (Isn't that a great name for a pastor?) invited us to his church where several ladies cooked some of the best Mexican grub that I have ever put in my mouth.  After lunch, we were back to the hotel for an hour nap.  I gotta tell you, that was a good nap.

I am going to go ahead and stop here because I am ready for some dinner.  I will finish telling you about day 2 after some Carne Asada and tortillas. 

Man, I love Mexico.

I know parents back home are anxious so keep your eyes peeled to the blog before your bedtime or get up early to catch the rest of Day 2.  The rest of the story is pretty cool.

After the clinics

We are about to head out for Day 2. 

 Today, in Piedras Negras, we are going to the Mexican version of the Little League World Series.  Teams from all over the country are in Piedras and we are going to spend some time with the youngest division.  We will be watching a few of their games this morning and then we will get to share our story and most importantly, His Story with these kids.

It is a lot of fun because several of the teams are staying at our hotel. 

After we hang with the Little League kiddos, we are off to some lunch and then at 5:00p.m. we have our first game in Piedras.  According to the Director of Baseball for Mexico, we are picked to win today's game but in Monclova, we are the underdog. 

I love it. 

So far, Ambassadors have an international record of 10-1. 

Today is going to be an awesome day for both playing baseball and sharing the gospel.  Please Pray the Lord leads us today, allows us to listen to His Spirit and enables us to be sensitive to the Divine appointments that are right in front of us.

Serving the Lord is such an incredible ride.  Everyone should really experience His adventure in life. 

We are doing really well. We had a really long day but it was a great day. The name of the hotel in Piedras Negras is Autel Rio. We just got settled in. All of our paperwork is done and we just had a really late but incredible dinner.

It is time to crash.

Tomorrow is going to be amazing. We are going to share the gospel with 6 little league teams from multiple states in Mexico. It is essentially the top little league teams in the country. Then tomorrow, we have our first game.

Tonight, we had dinner with Ariel and his family. He is the Little League Coordinator for the entire country of Mexico.

It was great day and we appreciate your prayers for our week of ministry, the Gospel and baseball. 

 

In the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, the scripture commands us to "go to all the nations".  In the original language, it literally mean "as you go" or "as you are going", make disciples. 

This truth found in the Word of God has greatly influenced everything we do with the Ambassadors.  This past week, the teams were in Missouri and the Lord allowed our team to represent His name in a significant way. I am so thankful to the Lord that He has His hand on the Ambassadors.  

The following are a few comments left on our website.  I very grateful for these people taking the time to go to our site and share how the Lord spoke to their heart through some young men who are learning how to be true Ambassadors for Christ.  

This is a most amazing story. My husband, myself and our children ran into the players at Subway in Ozark, Missouri today!! The young men were so outstanding. They shared the story and gave us the bracelets to remember them and keep them in prayer. We were so impressed by them we will continue to lift them up in prayer! My 13 year old son loved the story they shared, I want to thank them for taking the time. It is always wonderful as a parent when your son finds young people who are Christians and can look up to them!!!! Thank you!!! We will be supporting this ministry!! To make things even better they are on their way to Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri to play!!!! It's our Alma Mater!!!
Thank you to these young men for all they will do this summer... countless lives will be touched that they don't even realize! They are truly representing Justin's story and Godly walk!
Sincerely,
Dr & Mrs Jess Lyon
if you need anything in this area, please feel free to contact us!!

 

My husband and I ran into the team at Lamberts in Ozark. What an amazing group of young men. We stopped one of the team and he went right into the story of Justin the their ministry. we were both given a bracelet and we wear them proudly. There is truly hope for the future knowing these young men are spreading God's message.
God bless you and give peace to Justin's friends and family ! from Dyana Booker

 

My wife and I live in Illinois. We saw the team in Branson this past Thursday at the Fudrucker's restuarant. My wife and I were impressed by the team's behavior. Being a college coach, I approached Coach Vallerand to share what we had witnessed in their behavior. (I appreciate it when someone compliments my teams' behavior!)

Coach shared Justin's story with us. My son played baseball and had opportunities to travel around the world through baseball. However, when my wife and shared Justin's story and the mission of the Ambassadors, he felt as we did....that sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through baseball would have been an incredible experience.

As I had an opportunity to share from a pulpit thispast Sunday, I made mention of the mission work these young men are doing. Our church will lift the team up in prayers aswe do other missionaries. We are wearing our bracelets coach gave us to spark conversation with others. It has already opened doors for us to share themessage of Jesus Christ with others.

I pray that God will continue to bless this ministry and that lives will be changed and souls won.  from Jim and Marietta Augenstein

 

Thank you all for sharing your story with us.

 

 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

Eight years ago today we came face to face with tragedy.  On June 3, 2002, a tire broke off a truck, crossed the median on I-44 in the middle of Oklahoma City, and killed Justin Sullivan the day after our newspaper named him Baseball player of the year for the State of Oklahoma.  

As we walked through this very difficult day, God spoke to us through Romans 8:28.  To be honest, I could not understand how anything good could come from this but the Lord kept His promise to us, showed up in our lives, and is still working things together for good.   

The 2010 Ambassador season has started and the Ambassadors are off and running.  This morning, both of our teams are in Branson Missouri.  At 8:30 this morning, we will be conducting our first baseball clinic of the season and this evening will be playing in our first tournament of the season in Springfield Missouri.

On this anniversary of Justin's death, a group of little league baseball players will hear the message of Christ on a baseball field, two teams will hear the gospel after our games tonight and the legacy of a young man who walked with God continues to point people to an authentic relationship with Christ.

Not only is the legacy continuing in Branson Missouri today, I wanted to share with you an article that was written by reporter Ryan Young from the The Beaumont Enterprise in Beaumont Texas.  Yesterday, he wrote the following article about one of our Ambassadors named Ty Parker and I wanted to pass it on to our Ambassador Family.   

A bout with mononucleosis last season made Jasper baseball player Ty Parker weaker, but a summer concentrating on baseball and God is what has made him a stronger player.

Parker was a junior when he contracted mono and the illness was so devastating that he lost 25 pounds and had trouble lasting through a seven-inning game.

When the season ended, Parker went to Oklahoma to play in a Christian-based baseball team where, during the day, the players talked about God and at night, they played baseball.

The experience allowed Parker to get stronger in many ways. His area-high 10 home runs has helped lead Jasper (32-4) to its second regional final round appearance in four seasons. He now looks to use the same strength to give Jasper its second state title in as many years.

"There were games where I'd hit a ball and I felt like it was going far," Parker said. "But it'd barely get over the shortstop's head. It was frustrating."

Parker woke up one morning last year and felt weak. His stomach felt like he had been repeatedly stabbed and he couldn't sleep because the pain was so intense. Parker visited two doctors before he was diagnosed with mono.

"The doctor said it was the worse case she'd ever seen," Parker said. "It was scary because there were some days where it hurt so much, I thought I was dying."

Parker's teammate, Parker Phillips, said that the team was worried about him because they hadn't heard much about his status.
Phillips said that when Parker returned with about a month left in the season, his weight loss had been noticeable.

"We had to look at some pictures at first," Phillips said. "But once we saw the pictures, you could tell that he got small."
Parker helped Jasper reach the third round of the playoffs last year before it was eliminated by Carthage. When the season ended, Parker and Buna first baseman Josh Clark were invited to play in the summer team in Oklahoma.

The team was composed of players from Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Parker said that when he wasn't playing baseball, he was telling children at the games about Justin Sullivan.
"He was a high school baseball player that was the Baseball Player of the Year," Parker said. "The next day, he died (in a car accident). Talking and learning about him showed me and really all of us that you can be on top of the world one day and possibly be dead the next. It makes you realize how important but short life is."

The experience was enough for Parker to basically live in the weight room during the fall, where he gained about 30 pounds of muscle, making up for what he lost.

His work paid off as he was part of a Jasper lineup that hit an area-high 31 home runs en route to winning a District 18-3A title.
Jasper baseball coach Shawn Mixon said there are a lot of intangibles Parker has, but his work ethic is easily his strongest.
"He's always going 100 miles per hour here at practice or in a game," he said. "Ty works hard. I wouldn't trade him for any other catcher."

The good season, along with the praise from his coach, has helped Parker get a scholarship with Texarkana College.
It has also helped Jasper reach the regional final round where it plays Orangefield (29-4) starting Thursday at Lamar University's Vincent-Beck Stadium.

Jasper and Orangefield have been two teams that have generated a lot of buzz because of their strong seasons and their catchers.
Jasper, of course has Parker while Orangefield has Texas signee Jacob Felts.

"I know a lot of people have talked about them this season," Parker said. "But we're not so bad ourselves."

Today, on the anniversary of this tragedy, I am inspired by Justin's legacy because his life continues to point people to Jesus.  It is amazing to me that eight years after Justin went to heaven, God is still communicating His message of salvation through an eighteen year old kid who beleived God's word and lived it out in his daily life. 

God will use our Ambassadors today to share the gospel as they share Justin's story in Missouri.  God has touched Ty Parker and is blessing his influence on and off the baseball field in the state of Texas. 

Thank you Lord for continuing the legacy.  Thank you for allowing us to rub shoulders with Justin Sullivan and for enabling him to live a life worth following. 

The winter of 2010 brought the Olympic games to Vancouver Canada.  It was incredibly exciting watching these athletes compete in the various events on the slopes and in the arenas.  One of the highlights of the games featured Shaun White in the Super pipe snowboarding competition.  Incredibly, after his first run, he had the gold medal wrapped up.  His scores were so high in his first attempt that his second run was not even necessary.  When he was informed that his second run was optional, without hesitation, he went to the top of the hill to prepare to give it his all.  The reason that Shaun White did not hesitate to head back up the hill is because he is not just an Olympian, he is first and foremost, a snowboarder.  As a snowboarder, he has prepared himself and mastered foundational skills that enable him to perform very well.  Amazingly, this young Olympic athlete not only completed his second run but he delivered an amazingly gutsy performance that blew his previous gold medal performance away.

Even though most of us will never have the opportunity to get on a snowboard and compete for a medal of any kind, all Christ-followers, like Shaun White have a race to finish.  Amazingly, God has given each one of us the calling to be His Ambassadors in a world that desperately needs to know that Jesus came to pay the price for each man's sin debt.  It is amazing to me that God allows each one of us to participate with Him in the effort to communicate this news to people around the world.  This calling is so important that all Ambassadors for Christ must make sure that we pay attention to the Word of God because in doing so, we ensure that we are prepared to run our races well.   

Honestly, as Shaun White was flying through that half-pipe on his snowboard, I could not help but think about how I will finish this race of ministry to which God has called me to run.  Thankfully, God's word helps all of us discover, understand and implement the fundamentals that help us to faithfully and effectively run our races.  After watching Shaun White get on a snowboard and execute his run with passion, purpose and precision, I asked the Lord to help me finish this race of ministry with that kind of confidence and expectation.  After praying that prayer, the Lord quickly responded through the heart and life of the Apostle Peter.  In the book of II Peter, this "colorful" apostle helps us discover some incredible “race finishing” nuggets of wisdom that all of us need to encounter today. Listen to what he says:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."  Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.  For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  II Peter 1:3-11

The fact is that in my life, I not only want to run a good race but I want to run in such a way that the Lord will be greatly pleased on the day I am blessed to stand before Him.  In order to finish my race in “gold medal” form, studying God's word and putting it into practice will lead me to the necessary spiritual disciplines that will ensure not only a race run well but also a meeting with the Master that will be a treasured experience. 

Today, how well are you running your race?  Could you honestly say that these spiritual qualities that Peter listed in this passage are increasing in your life? What is it that is keeping you from faithfully following Jesus right now?  Is that habit or lifestyle really producing the fulfillment that you are looking for?

Can I challenge you that with this amazing truth?  Every time a person chooses to put God's words into practice, he or she will be able to not only complete their race of life but will experience a gold medal victory in something that lasts much longer than a 2010 Olympic gold medal.   If Jesus Christ is your Savior, He has forgiven you of your past sins.  That is something we should never forget.  In fact, the experience of forgiveness is something that we should never stop talking about as long as we live. 

Incredibly, God's forgiveness has touched us and this is what compels us to use our gifts to go all over the world doing our best to point people to Jesus. 

Be an Ambassador for Christ today! Make sure that these disciplines are on the increase in your life.  In doing so, you will be going for the REAL gold medal and that is a ceremony more spectacular than you could even imagine. 

Have you ever read Psalms 77?  

This is a very interesting chapter to me because the scripture records a song written by a music minister named Asaph who is obviously going through one of the most difficult times of his life.  In fact, things are so bad for him, this worship leader asks some pretty "whiny" questions directly to God that at first glance seem pretty inappropriate.  For example,

"Will the Lord reject forever?  Will he never show his favor again?  Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful?  Has he in anger withheld His compassion?"  Psalms 77:7-9

The first time I read these questions, I was a little surprised that God allowed these to be put into His word.  Who is this guy that he thinks he can go to the Creator of the Universe and ask Him if His love and promises have failed for all time? 

Initially, I wondered why the Lord would include this guy's complaints in His Holy Word recorded for all generations to read.  I was puzzeled that God would allow this one guy to be so bold in approaching Him with such doubt and brashness.  To be honest, I was expecting the next verse to say, "And God smacked Asaph upside the head for being so disrespectful to the King of All Kings."   

The truth is, I questioned this guy until I experienced tragedy in my own life.  To be honest, I don't know the entire set of circumstances that Asaph was going through but it was obviously a very big storm in his life.  For all of us, there will be times that life will throw some curve balls our way that are truly unexpected.  When they come, God's word reveals that it is OK for you to bring your questions to the King of the Universe and for that I am very grateful.     

This has been a difficult week for us here in Oklahoma.  Over the next three days, many people in our church will be dealing with three separate funerals, two suicides and one very tragic situation that has impacted the Ambassadors.  As you read this short post, I would like to ask that you take a moment and pray for us as we navigate through some of life's stormy waters. 

If you have not heard, Tuesday afternoon, Nathan Johnson went to be with the Lord.  Nathan is the brother of Tyler Johnson who was an outfielder for the 2008 Ambassador baseball team.  Last Saturday night, Nathan had just won his third fight in the tough man contest in downtown Oklahoma City when all of a sudden, he went into cardiac arrest inside the ring.  He was rushed to the hospital with internal brain injuries and a few days later, he went to be with the Lord.  

At this point the funeral is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Ada Oklahoma.  This is a very challenging storm for the Johnson family and our hearts really break for T.J.  As I was praying for help during this storm, the Lord brought to my mind one of the journal entries from our first Ambassador, Justin Sullivan.  On February 24, 2002 Justin wrote 

Set my sights on Jesus during life’s storms.  Ask for a discerning heart.  Seek more than knowledge, seek wisdom as well.

This week is a time that we must set our sights on Jesus.  I am thankful that He takes the time to walk us through the chaos of our lives.  I am thankful that He is big enough to handle all of our questions and I am thankful that He gives us the strength to keep going regardless of the circumstances we face. 

Today, I am thankful that God allowed Asaph's questions to be in His Word.  I am thankful that we serve a King that not only understands our suffering but teaches us more about Him through even the most difficult times. 

Today, I believe that God is faithful because God's presence is felt through your prayers.  Thank you for lifting us up over the next few days as we strive to live out our journey as Ambassadors for Christ and thank you for praying for Nathan Johnson's family. 

Do you remember when Jesus came into your life?  I will never forget as an eight-year-old boy walking upstairs and asking my mother how I could know for sure that Jesus was Lord of my life.  As an eight-year-old, I was unable to articulate my thoughts in an eloquent manner but thankfully God drew my heart to Him, heard my prayer of repentance and changed my life.  

That was 30 years ago and since then, I have been on a journey of striving to walk with the Lord.  There have been many times along the way that I have failed, but the Lord continues to lead me down a path that challenges me to trust Him and motivates me to follow Him with all of my heart.   

Just this morning, I was spending some moments praying for the 2010 Ambassador season and God brought to mind a passage of scripture that my mom and I memorized after Jesus touched my life.    

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  Psalms 100

That passage has been written on my heart for many years now, and it is amazing how the Lord continues to teach me new things from His timeless Word.  Psalms 100 says so many things about who God is and what He is like.  Today, as I was praying for the Ambassadors, the Lord caused the very last verse in Psalms 100 to leap off the page and penetrate my soul.  "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." 

Today, I could not help but be amazed at how God's hand has moved in so many ways through all the generations.  In the midst of a culture that seems to be moving further and further away from the heart of God, today His Word reminded me that God is faithful to move in the lives of people in every generation.  God's faithfulness and His pursuit of man is just amazing to me.

 What is even more amazing is the fact that God allows us to play a part in His pursuit of man.  This morning, I was just blown away that God has chosen us to be ambassadors for Him.  God is the One who is moving in our generation and is allowing us to go communicate His message.  God is so faithful and creative to connect with each generation that He gave us abilities on a baseball field and is sending us to serve as His ambassadors.  In His ivine plan, He has allowed us to be influential as athletes on a baseball field and we are called to simply walk His road.

What an honor it is to follow Jesus and serve as Ambassadors for Christ.

Amazingly, 2010 is shaping up and things are moving fast and furious.  We are excited because many of our former Ambassadors are coming back to play with us.  Guys like Aaron Cornell from Roff, Josh Clark from Buna Texas, Jordan Booth from Red Oak, Caden Cleveland from OKC, Chase Payton from Midland Texas and Brendan Barr from Roff, to name a few.  God is also sending some new athletes to us who are not only blessed on the baseball field but are young men who want to use their talents to serve the Lord like Dillon Tinkler from Latta, Taylor Richie from Fort Gibson, Josh Johnston from Tulsa , and Ramon Perez from the Dominican Republic. 

Amazingly, God is continuing this promise to reveal His faithfulness to our generation and one of the ways He is following through with that is calling us to share His message on a baseball field this summer.  We are getting ready to serve as Ambassadors so join us in praying for our 2010 season.  

Here is the schedule for the summer so do your best to adjust your calendar to come out and watch a game or two. 

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June 1                        SW Shockers                        OKC, OK          

3 - 5                           Queen City Classic               Springfield, MO    

8                                 Woodward                           Woodward, OK       

10 - 13                       Justin Sullivan Tourn.          OKC/Edmond, OK        

15                             Okla. Baseball Academy        TBA                

17 - 20                      Colorado Classic                    Colorado            

22 - 25                     Brett Brothers Tourn.              Lincoln, NB    

June 27 - July 4th         OFF WEEK

July 6                        Woodward                            OKC, OK

8 - 11                      Air Hogs Showcase                 Grand Prairie, TX

13                           Ada Braves                              Ada, Oklahoma

15 - 18                   Wichita State Showcase           Wichita, KS

20                            SW Shockers                             Cache, OK

22 - 24                     OU Showcase                         Norman, OK

July 26 – Aug. 1        International Trip                   TBA

For 35 years of my life, I could classify myself as a very marginal baseball fan.  I would watch the World Series and half-way pay attention to a really good catch or hit on Sports Center.  Occasionally I would see a Redhawks’ game or catch one of our Council Road Baptist Church kids play in a local high school game. 

Three years ago, all of that changed when God led me to write “A Life Worth Following” and then form the Ambassadors baseball team.  That was when I really discovered baseball, and today I am a 38-year-old “baseball guy” who is flat out hooked on the sport. 

The past three years, I have come a long way spending time with the Ambassadors and the coaches learning the game.  For example, today I can walk into a dugout anywhere and look like a baseball guy, spit seeds like a baseball guy, flip my hat like a baseball guy and can even get superstitious like a baseball guy.  You could say that I have had a baseball makeover, and I just love it.

I, like most of you reading this blog, am one who loves and appreciates this incredible game. So far, I have only scratched the surface learning many life lessons that are caught both on and off the field.  

One of the things I love the most is getting to wear an Ambassador uniform, and I am proud to have the # 0.  As part of the Ambassadors, one of my favorite places by far to catch these life lessons is during a game right in the middle of the dugout. 

To be honest, most of my time in the dugout is spent by filling water jugs, passing out seeds and, of course, doing a whole bunch of cheering.  My official role with the team is to teach the Bible and push our guys spiritually.  So far, I have not been called on to offer baseball advice.  To be honest, when it comes to the details of baseball, I am a rookie.  But it sure is a blast wearing the uniform and sitting in the dugout surrounded by incredible coaches and passionate players. 

I want to take a minute and pass on a nugget of wisdom that I learned this summer in the dugout from this amazing group of guys who call themselves “Ambassadors.”

It was a very hot summer day with little wind, and we found ourselves in the middle of a dogfight on a hot field in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The tournament was winding down, and our pitching was getting very thin. We were playing a tough team from Colorado and were headed into the 7^th inning.  We had a 2-run lead, but this team was tough and they had captured significant momentum in the bottom of the last inning. 

It was so hot that we wanted to get out of this inning and get to the house.  We managed to get two outs, but this two-run lead was in hanging in the balance.  We had given up some hits and they had runners on the corners while we were staring at their strongest hitter who was coming to the plate.  Everyone watching this game felt that the momentum had shifted, and all the signs pointed to the fact that we were going to let this game slip through our fingers.  Heath Herrington, one of our toughest pitchers, was on the mound and he was giving all he had on this scorching Oklahoma afternoon.

I was captivated in the dugout, sitting on a 5-gallon baseball bucket, when all of a sudden Coach Vallerand. yells at the top of his lungs, “TIME BLUE!”  He walked to the mound and gathered the infield together.  Coach Vallerand knew that Heath was about maxed out on the number of pitches he could throw and was feeling the burden of the moment in this battle at the ballpark 

Coach Vallerand. seized the moment and looked at all of our infielders and said, “Guys, you’ve got to pick Heath up.  He needs you and it is time to pick up your teammate.  Pick him up right now.” 

Heath had pitched his heart out and was exhausted, but he managed to gather some strength from the faces of his teammates.  He went back to the mound, pulled himself together and went after that hitter.  Very quickly, Heath got ahead in the count, but the reality was that they had the momentum. Even though Heath threw a great pitch, their #3 hitter got a hold of it and ripped the ball in the left-center gap.  

Immediately, Coach Vallerand loudly exclaimed, “Dad Gum It, Tie Game!”  Their runner coming from first was pretty fast, and he got a pretty good jump with the crack of this hit.  The runner on 3^rd scored easily, making it a one-run game. Levi Schlick was playing centerfield and hustled to the ball.  He hit his cut off who happened to be Josh Clark.  Josh made eye contact with the runner as he rounded 3^rd base.  When their eyes met, both ball players instantly knew he could not make it home, so the base runner stopped and sprinted back to 3^rd base.

As the runner turned, Josh knew that this runner rounded 3^rd too far.  He instantly made a“heads up” play and fired the ball to Jordan Booth, who was patiently waiting on 3^rd base to tag him out.  Josh made a perfect throw, Jordan made a perfect tag and the game was over. Ambassadors win. 

In that moment, I impressed myself with how high I jumped from that five-gallon bucket.  What a great ending to a great game.  Our team was facing dire circumstances, heard a challenge from their leader to pick up a struggling teammate and managed to rally together for a win.  

Baseball is a very interesting game, and the dugout is the best place to catch many of life’s most important lessons.  In the dugout, I have experienced really good players make really great plays skillfully executing the game just like it’s supposed to be played.  I have also watched really good players make costly errors putting their team in difficult spots.  That is just how the game of baseball goes.

Many years ago, I began a personal relationship with God.  I experienced a moment intime when Christ completely washed my sins away.  Believe me, this gift that God gave to me was not something that I deserved, and it was definitely a gift I did not earn. 

After forgiveness, there have been many times when I have put God’s word into practice and lived life exactly how God called me to live.  There have also been times when I allowed sinful habits to rule in my heart, which led to costly errors that hurt not only me, but also those around me. 

This week has been tough for the Ambassadors because one of our teammates has gone through a public struggle due to an error in this game of life.  Though this error has been challenging for all of us, it has pushed us to sound the familiar call that Ambassadors have heard many times in the dugout.  It is time to pick up one of our teammates because he needs us. 

I am not making excuses or making light of a teammate’s mistake.  It was an error, and it put our team in a difficult spot. We believe the Bible, and we believe that sin is a big deal.  In fact, a verse of Scripture that is very close to our hearts right now is Genesis 4:7 which says: 

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.  It desires to have you and you must master it.”

Throughout the journey of life, we will make many mistakes because of our very real battle with our sinful nature.  The truth is that this is not the first time, nor will it be the last that one of our teammates makes an error and needs our team to rally. Ambassadors have no problem stepping up to the plate in situations like this because we have all been touched by God’s ultimate and amazing forgiveness.  We are thankful that God keeps His promises and chooses to “work all things for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

We are not a perfect group of people.  In fact, we all have many flaws.  What makes us different is the amazing fact that we have been reconciled to One who is perfect. 

Three years ago, God did a work in our lives and clearly guided us to start a baseball ministry focused on helping people connect with the Savior who came to this world to rescue every human soul.    

Because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin, when we fall down and make an error, we are compelled to get back up and keep striving to become more like Jesus.  Sometimes we fail at living lives that are really worth following, but the fact is that the only person whose life is truly worth following is Jesus because it was His life, His death and His resurrection that was worthy to pay for the sins of mankind.  He gave us the amazing gift of forgiveness and eternal life. 

In spite of our mistakes, we are going to stand together and help restore a broken teammate. When Ambassadors struggle and fall down, we get back up and help each other keep our eyes on the life that was truly worth following.  The life of Jesus Christ.

“We are therefore, Christ’s Ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf:  Be reconciled to God.”  2 Corinthians 5:20

It is almost hard for me to believe this but nineteen years ago, I accepted my first position on staff in a local church.  So far, I have spent my entire adult life doing my very best to proclaim the promises of God.  I will be the first to admit that I am not the most articulate, I am not the most persuasive nor am I the most intelligent but I have chosen to fully commit my heart and my will to the call of Christ and to His church.  

Throughout my journey, I have often stood in front of groups of people proclaiming promises that God made to His people.  I have said countless times, "God has a plan for your life."  "Even when you don't understand your circumstances, Jesus will be faithful to you." "You can trust the Holy Spirit's leading in your life."  

Through my nineteen years of ministry experience, I have also learned that life throws a lot of "curve balls" and there are many times that those truths are much easier "said" than "done".

For example, I will never forget the question that I asked the Lord just moments after finding out that Justin had died.  I had just walked into Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City and found out the news.  My mind was racing and my heart was pounding.  So many of God's promises that I had taught were flying around in my head but not one of them made sense in that moment.  

I vividly remember leaning against the wall of the hospital, putting my head in my hands and saying out loud, "Lord, what are you doing?  I thought you were going to use Justin to make a difference in Major League Baseball."  

Needless to say, I was confused, I was hurting, I was speechless and I was "flat out" struggling.  

Well this week, God has once again proven to me that He has a plan for life.  I have learned again that Jesus can be trusted even when I don't understand all the circumstances.  One more time, the Holy Spirit has taught me that I can trust His leading in my life.  

Last Sunday, I received a phone call from Rob Martin.  He is an agent for ICON Sports Management.  He represents several professional athletes throughout Major League Baseball.  He also happens to be the agent for a young man named Chad James.  

Chad James grew up in Yukon Oklahoma and discovered at a young age that he was really good at baseball.  Chad is an outstanding pitcher and seems to have a lightning bolt in his arm.  He is so good that the Florida Marlins chose to draft him in the first round and actually went 18th over all in this year's Major League Draft.  

Rob called me on Sunday to inform me that Chad has been impacted by Justin's life and the Ambassadors.  It was his honor to let me to know Chad wanted to donate a portion of his signing bonus to the Ambassadors.  

Immediately, my mind raced back to that day leaning against the hospital wall saying out loud, "Lord, I thought you were going to use Justin to make a difference in Major League Baseball?"  Now, I find myself, over seven years later, seeing the Lord continue to use Justin's life to make a difference in the life of the 18th pick of the 2009 Major League Draft.  

I have to be honest today, I am not claiming to understand all things about our purpose in life and in death.  However, I am amazed at this fact, God is real and His purposes are not coincidental.  

Justin was a young man who simply walked with God and played baseball.  He understood that there was a greater purpose to his life and most importantly, he took God at His word.  Justin wasn't perfect but he was faithful to the Lord.  He was a young man who's walk matched his talk and he wasn't ashamed to be labeled a follower of Christ.  He applied himself in every area of his life and he worked hard to honor Christ with the way he lived his life both on and off the baseball field.  

The bottom line is this, Justin knew what it was like to be forgiven by God and it was something he never got over and didn't take for granted.  He was a young man who chose to be a witness for Christ and was truly an Ambassador.  

Today, I am grateful for so many things.  I am grateful that Chad James chose to bless our ministry with a financial gift.  I am grateful that we were able to start this baseball ministry and be an influence to so many incredible athletes.  More importantly, I am grateful for salvation and God's promises both in life and in death.  

It is amazing to see the Lord actually using Justin and his story through the Ambassadors to make a difference in Major League Baseball.  I really thought that God would use him as a player, instead He chose to use Justin in a completely different way.  

Thank you Chad for blessing our ministry and I pray that the Lord will honor this gift you have given.  We will be faithful to use every dime to make a difference in lives of others.    

This is the title of a very recent article that appeared in the Tulsa World.  The article was written about one of our Ambassador's from Bixby, Kevin Lamb who is not only an outstanding baseball player but is also the starting Quarterback for Bixby High School.

After reading this article about Kevin, I could hear Coach V saying, "Guys, when you put that Ambassador uniform on, we are not just playing baseball."  

Over the summer, this comment was one of the most consistent messages poured into the lives of our Ambassadors and today, I am so thankful that the Lord is continuing to use our Ambassadors to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.    

The truth is that as Ambassador's we are called to follow the Lord not just on the baseball field, at our work, or at our churches, but all the time.  So often, I run into people who compartmentalize their lives in such a way that God is only in control of certain aspects of their lives or is only given lip service one day out of the week.  

It is important to understand that every person who has experienced God's forgiveness is called to be an Ambassadors for Christ, all of the time.  In fact, we believe that Jesus is calling us to submit everything to Him and to allow Him to be in complete control of our lives.

This summer, we were able to walk with our team and show them that following Christ is not a burden but it is the most incredible adventure you could ever experience.  Unfortunately, most people have the false opinion that following Christ is keeping a set of rules or some religious ritual.  In fact it is just the opposite.  Following Christ is an incredible interactive relationship, not a boring religion.  

Think about John 10:10 for a moment.  The Bible says:

"The thief come to steal and to kill and to destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it to the full."

Jesus was very intentional about His words here.  He is reminding us all that He came to give us this incredible thing called "LIFE". The fact is that God came to earth in a miraculous way, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, gloriously rose from the grave, and since that moment in history has given us His amazing Holy Spirit.  There is no way He would have done all this just to have a part of our lives.   

The world desperately needs authentic Ambassadors.  Authentic Ambassadors understand what it is like to be forgiven and experience Jesus being the Lord of their lives.  When Jesus really becomes your Lord, you will start to get a taste of the LIFE that God is calling you to experience.  We all should keep in mind, that no one is perfect, but we can be forgiven.  Forgiveness is a gift that is available to all people and it can be experienced when a person turns their eyes to Jesus.    

This past summer, as we embraced the opportunity to invest in the lives of these young athletes, we believed that God was leading us to not just teach our team how to play baseball but more importantly to help raise up the next generation of leaders in America to follow God's plan for their lives.  

I am proud of Kevin Lamb and am thankful he wore an Ambassador uniform this past summer.  More than that, I am thankful that God is continuing to use him and all of our guys as Ambassadors for Christ in every aspect of their lives.  

I hope you take the time to read the article in the Tulsa World newspaper.  In this article, you will hear about a young man who has experienced the hope that Christ has brought to his life.  You will get to rub shoulders with an athlete who has chosen to give his gifts and talents to the Lord.  You will get to read about a young man in the United States who is not perfect but is growing in his walk with Christ and is choosing to live out his faith in every aspect of his life.  

Way to go Kevin.  You are on the journey of living a life that is worth following.  

Quarterback an inspiration to his team <http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20090817_227_B1_Taylor470317>
Bixby senior quarterback Kevin Lamb spent much of the summer traveling to Nebraska , St. Louis , Dallas and Mexico as well as throughout Oklahoma .
This article was published on tulsaworld.com on 8/17/2009.

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Know your world. Go to www.tulsaworld.com <http://www.tulsaworld.com/>  throughout the day for updates.

World Publishing Company
315 S. Boulder Avenue
Tulsa , OK 74103

It is hard to believe that the summer is almost completely over.  I knew that it would come and sure enough all of us in the Ambassador community are getting the post Ambassador blues.  Summer baseball is over, everyone has gone back home and school is about to kick off.  

The past few months have been so full and we are all so very grateful for this past summer.  We truly were able to see the Lord move in supernatural ways.  Now that our season is over, we will take the next several months and just tell stories of our experiences.

Today, I want to share a short video with you sent in by the Herrington's from Amarillo.  It is a great snapshot of the Ambassador season from their vantage point.  

I sit here today amazed at the incredible power of our Savior.  God has taken our personal tragedy and turned it into a ministry where thousands of people have come to know Christ.  All of us have walked a summer with the Lord and have seen Him show His mighty hand.  

But really what is even more amazing is the fact that this is only the beginning.  This summer, God showed us His mighty hand to prepare us for His work in the future.  It is just a fact that He is calling us to continue to become lifetime Ambassadors.  I am so grateful that He is not finished with us.  

Today, we are going to praise Him for what He has done and as you take the time to experience this short video through the eyes of an Ambassador, be thinking about how the Lord is using all of our experiences to prepare us for His continued and powerful work in the world.  

 

Jesus once told His disciples, "If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself."  That day, when Jesus proclaimed those words, it was not just a promise for His disciples back then, but it was also a promise for His followers throughout the rest of history.

Today, we are so grateful that God is allowing each one of us to witness the continued fulfillment of these words proclaimed by our AMAZING SAVIOR. 

We worked hard to get to Saltillo Mexico.  As we encountered the roadblocks along the way, it was obvious that there were spiritual enemies at work trying to keep us from coming to reach out to these amazing people in Mexico.  As the Ambassadors experience their last day of ministry in Saltillo, it looks like we are going to rub shoulders with more people today than we have been able to touch all week.  What a big God we serve.

As most of you know, I am not actully with the team right now.  I had to come back early to preach a wedding this evening for a young man whom I have poured into for many years.  It was just an event I could not miss.  However, I just got a call from Coach V and I had to write about what happened.  I just can't keep it to myself. 

A.D. wrote last night that yesterday we recieved an invitation to play on the professional field in Saltillo.  Some of you may not know but Mexico has a pretty big professional baseball circuit.  In fact, there are many players from the United States that will come to Mexico to play at some point in their professional career.  Coach Tunnell actually played one year for the professional team in Monterey. 

Yesterday, on our shopping day, the guys decided to go by the field to take a look.  It is a beautiful field and one of the focal points for the city of Saltillo.  When the guys showed up, the team gift shop was closed but they managed to talk their way into the store.  Once they were inside, our guys unloaded some cash on the gear so they immediately fell in love with the Ambassadors. 

Before long, they were getting a tour of the entire facility.  We already had a game set up for today so one of our players said, "I wonder if they would let us play here?"  The Coaches decided that it would not hurt to ask and in a matter of minutes, Lee, Coach V, and A.D, were up in the offices.  All the guys gathered around the pitchers mound and prayed the Lord would open the door for us.  When the coaches met up with the guys, we not only had permission to play 1 game but they are allowing us to play a double header. 

The was not only a big deal for us but it is even a bigger deal for the local players we will be playing against.  At this point, there has not been a local team that has been allowed to play on this field.  The local teams that we will play this afternoon at 3:00 are fired up that they get to play on this field.  This is such an incredible door that has been opened for us. 

OK, for this next part, I am about to be a Baptist that gets a little Pentacostal because this makes me want to jump around.  This morning, all of our Ambassadors got an invitation to go to the Saltillo Little League awards presentation.  There were a lot of Little League teams present and about 500 people in the stands.  Since we had a sound system, we set it up and helped make the presentation a bigger deal for the kids. 

The president of the league, asked all of our Ambassadors to present the trophies to the winners of the league.  As the teams were called up, all of our guys made a tunnell for the teams to run through.  As the trophey presentation ended, Raul Corpus, one of our former Ambassadors who speaks Spanish fluently, got on the microphone and shared Justin's story.  After Raul shared our story, Cristobal Lopez, the Hispanic pastor at Council Road, got up and shared the gospel. 

Folks, as the gospel was presented, our guys stood there while hundreds of people prayed to recieve Christ.  It was a revival service at a Little League baseball awards presentation.  Are you kidding me?  Is God AMAZING OR WHAT?  I know that my pastor and every other pastor makes this comment but it works here:  "If this does not light your fire, then your wood is wet." 

After all these people got saved, the leader of the Little League invited everyone out to the games today.  I guarantee you, today in Saltillo Mexico, The Ambassadors are going to play some tough baseball and have another opportunity to impact an entire city. 

We went to Saltillo for one purpose this week:  to lift up the name of Jesus.  As we have faithfully lifted up His name, God has faithfully kept that promise He made to His disciples.  We lifted Him up and He has drawn men to Himself. 

In a couple of hours, our boys are going to play baseball and point people to Jesus.  Let's take this opportunity to faithfully wrestle in prayer for them.  Let's pray that the Lord will bless them on the field and open the hearts of our opponents and all the people in the stands. 

Today, a lot of people are going to come to a baseball field to watch an American team play some of the best young players in that part of Mexico.  Though they will get to watch that game, more importantly, they are going to encounter Jesus. 

The title of the article about the Ambassadors in today's paper in Saltillo read, "A Team Plays with Faith".  That article was worded extremely well and the lesson is clear for all of us. 

The truth is that God is using the Ambassadors to teach us to live by faith and not by sight.  Our baseball team is living that out right now in this very moment.  Let's learn from these faithful young men. 

All of you who are parents of the Ambassadors, I am now living in your world because I cannot be there with them in person.  But let me remind you that we can still participate with them in this ministry effort by faithfully and consistently praying for them.

I love the Ambassadors and I love what God is doing in them and through them. 

Thank you Lord for continuing to draw men to Yourself.    

Yesterday we played a team that had been talked up pretty big by the locals.  They were undefeated, had a few former professional players, and a few up-and-coming prospects.  They were the pride of the town and we beat them 12-3.  We could not have played any better but the best was yet to come. After the game we were able to share with the team and the crowd and many came to know Christ. Praise God.  

To start the day today we did not have a clear picture of what God had in store for us.  We weren't sure if we had a game today (and as it turned out we didn't), and we were deciding between going to Monterray or just spending the day in Saltillo seeing the tourist attractions.  Lee and myself decided that today was going to be one of those days when God was going to do something unpredictable.  We could not have imagined what was going to happen next. 

We decided to stay in town and do a little shopping at a local market.  After spending the afternoon at the market we loaded up on a bus and headed to the professional baseball stadium in town.  Some of the guys wanted to buy some merchandise of the Saltillo Seraperos.  When we got to the stadium it was closed.  We begged a guy to let us in and open the store and they did! After everyone had bought their fill, the employees of the park invited us to tour the park and even let us onto the field.  I made a comment to Sydni that the only way we were going to be able to play a game at this staduim is if God decided to truly bless us.  With all the ambassadors standing on the field taking pictures someone made the comment, "we should ask someone if we could play here tomorrow."  So we did, and they are going to let us play a double header.  Not just one game but two, God is truly amazing.  At the start of the day we go from not having a game to playing a double header at the professional staduim the next day.  Words cannot describe but certainly pray for us as we bring closure to another amazing summer.  To God be all the glory and honor. -AD

How cool is this...

We just came down to breakfast at the hotel and the Ambassadors made the news.  We opened up the Zocalo Saltillo and there in the sports section is an article about the Ambassadors.  

Since we have received an invitation to play the very best team in this city, the paper wrote an article discussing the game today and our team.  The team we are playing is a group made up of the best players of all the teams in this part of Mexico.  Yesterday, we won 21-0 so now they want to beat us.  How cool is this.  

I know that our guys can play baseball and I know that people have been coming out to watch our games but sometimes we wonder if we are really making an impact.  Well today, the Lord has blessed us with influence because the article says that we are a team that practices religion but we are a young semi-professional team.  

I don't know all that the Lord has in store for us today but one thing is for sure, we are going to get to finish up a great three day clinic today where we have blessed a church, we are going to play some really good baseball today and we are going to have a group of people who will again hear about Jesus on the baseball field.  

We are really fired up.  God is so good.

Please pray that we continue to play well so that we can earn share Christ effectively.  Pray that God will continue to speak to the heart of each Ambassador as they see God working all around them.  Pray that people whom we speak with today will be receptive to the Spirit of God and the message of Christ.

I just love living missionally.  There is nothing more exciting in all of life.

The truth is that it is very difficult to put into words all the things God is doing right now.  We just walked out of a share time tonight where God moved in an unmistakable way.  This is a special group of young men and each one of us are growing so much both on and off the baseball field.  

The truth is that this is so much fun.  I can't believe that I am sitting in Mexico with this group of guys.  I wish you could see us right now.  I am sitting at a table in the middle of three coaches pouring into the lives of three great baseball players who are wrestling with God's voice in their life and of one wild Ambassador group playing Mafia.  I am trying to sit here and take in this moment.  I have the unique privilege of seeing the beginning stages of genuine fruit from a summer of true discipleship.  

This team is really special and it is so hard to believe that this summer is coming to an end.  It is even harder to believe that on May 29th, we walked into a cook out at the Express Ranch and very few of these guys knew each other.  Now we find ourselves about to go home and each one of us have built friendships that will last a lifetime.  I am so grateful to the Lord for this journey.  

Today was a great day.

We started the day with our clinic on the "in prompt to" baseball field made of rocks.  We had a great group of kids and a great clinic especially with a group of older kids who had come to our game the day before.  As always, the "Brinkoline" or "Humoungous Moon Walk" that we threw in the trailer before we left OKC was a big hit with the kids, especially the younger ones.  It was a great clinic and a great experience for each of our guys.  As we were leaving the pastor thanked all of us, invited everyone to the game and said we were going to beat this University team 21-0.  We all laughed and loaded up.  We are so grateful that God opened the door for us to have this clinic on this rock field.  

After the clinic, we scored "Big Time" with a local taco dive here in Saltillo.  The grub was a big hit with the guys.  This was a pretty small place and so when we pulled up with our bus load, it definitely made an impact.  However, more amazing than the food was the fact that after lunch, we shared our story with the entire restaurant staff and every waiter, cook and bus boy came to listen.  After we shared, several prayed to receive Christ.  It was really really amazing to share Christ with every staff member at that taco place.  As we were coming back to the hotel, one of our coaches and I were talking about what it would be like if we walked into a Hideaway Pizza or a Wendy's in the U.S. and asked if we could share our story with them after we ate. We wondered if it would be received.  On the other hand, here in Mexico, we were blessed to have their ear and walk through the doors God has opened.  It is truly amazing.  

After lunch, we came back to the Hotel and had a little downtime before we went to our game.  We were excited about playing this University team because we had heard that they could play some baseball.  As we showed up at the game and started warming up we were approached by a man who coaches an elite team from this area who is undefeated.  He had heard that we were in town and wanted to play us.  It was easy for us to adjust our plan so we have set up a game with this team for today at 4:00 p.m.  It will be held at one of the best baseball fields in Saltillo.  It is exciting that the word about the Ambassadors is starting to spread.

Even though we were excited about the new game, we had some business to take care of on the field.  We were playing against a group of guys who really were better than the team the day before.  This team actually had their own equipment so Ty did not have to share his catcher's gear.  

The game started OK.  We were the visiting team and the first inning we got 1 hit but no runs.  However in the second inning, the salsa kicked in both on our bats and Aaron Cornell's arm because we ended up winning this game 21-0.  We just could not believe at the end of the game that the pastor actually called the score at the clinic.  That was a special treat from the Lord.  

As you can probably tell, I started this blog last night but needed to finish it this morning because I was having difficulty holding my eyes open.  

Today we have a full day set up.  We are going to conduct our last clinic at Parque de Brisas and then travel to play the game against the un-defeated team. It is going to be a great great day of baseball ministry.  

For all of you parents of Ambassadors who are following this blog, you should be very proud of your boys.  Each one of these guys are representing not only your family very well, but they are also representing the Lord really well.  Last night, it was awesome to hear testimonies from Gatlin York, Ryan McIntosh and Sydni Sullivan.  One of our boys came up to me last night with tears in his eyes and told me that he believes the Lord has called him to ministry.  

I am so thankful that the Lord is speaking so clearly through His Spirit.  Following Christ is truly an adventure and living by faith is a calling every believer must embrace.  I understand that all of the parents at home have also taken a step of faith by allowing your boys to become Ambassadors.  

Today, I want to encourage you that God is raising up your boys to follow Him.  He is the one who made them great baseball players and He is the one who is moving in their lives.  He is the one who has provided for us every moment in Mexico and He is the one who is Lord of all.  

Because of all that God has done, we are compelled to live for Him and give Him everything we have.  I know that I have said this before but I need to say it again.  C. S. Lewis was right on when he told us that "If Jesus really is who He said He is, Christianity cannot be mildly important."  

The truth is that all of us are called to go serve the Lord.  For those of you reading this blog, it may not be your calling to serve Him on the baseball field but God is always faithful to open doors of ministry for each of us.  Our job is simply to walk through them.  That is what we are going to do today.  We are going to walk through the door that God has opened.

So what about you?  What door of ministry will He open for you today?  Be looking for it because you definitely don't want to miss the opportunity of walking with Jesus.  That is one ride that worth taking.  

Pray for us today and thanks for following our journey.   

Last night, I wish you could have been a fly on the wall in our share time.  The truth is, I wish you could be a fly on the wall during this entire trip.  This brotherhood of Ambassadors is growing deeper and deeper and last night during our share time, I wish you could have heard what God is doing in the lives of these guys.  It would have absolutely blown you away last night all because of the evident ways that God has shown up among us.

I have a little time this morning before our baseball clinic so I I am going to try to recap our experience over that last few days.

Monday afternoon, we discovered our buses were not going to be allowed into Mexico because of a new restriction.  There was a church group from Iowa right behind us in line who had taken their bus into Mexico 17 times and the last time was this past March who was turned away as well.  All of us were shocked and frustrated.  

After receiving the verdict, we decided that we did not come this far to give up so I made a quick phone call to a friend in Matamoros who we work with every year on the border.  I told Juan our problem and told him that we needed a Mexican bus to take us to Saltillo.  He called me back 10 minutes later and at noon on Monday, a charter bus was on the way to pick us up in Viejo Laredo. 

I wanted to have a little fun with the guys so I had them think that we are going to have to make due with a really junky bus so they were all expecting the worst.  They sure were surprised when 5 hours later a sweet charter bus showed up to hang with us for a week in Mexico.  

Monday night, we finally arrived in Saltillo and got to the hotel.  We all took a needed shower and cleaned up then around 10:30, headed to an incredible Mexican restaurant very close to the hotel.  It really is an experience when you walk into an eating establishment with 39 big athletes.  

Needless to say, the cooks started "hoppin", the chips and salsa started coming and every body started eating.  One of our bus drivers ordered some peppers and after they arrived at the table, it took about 5 minutes for the pepper eating contest to get started.  Pretty soon, the waiters were joining in by bringing out the hottest peppers they had in the store.  It was pretty funny watching several of our guys man up to throw down some "smokin" chilis, at least it was funny until my 9 year old son joined in the action.  He learned pretty fast that peppers are not his favorite.  

Monday night was just a blast but what really blew us away was what happened as we were leaving.  The guys made quite an impression on all the waiters in the restaurant so we gathered up all the "pulseras" (bracelets in Spanish) that we were wearing.  We asked the entire staff if we could share our story with them.  5 minutes later we were sharing the gospel with every staff member at this Mexican place.  It was a little crazy because there were a few other customers in the place but they all stopped to listen to the reason we came to Saltillo Mexico.  

I got to share Justin's story with them and then I turned it over to Cristobal, (Our Hispanic pastor at Council Road).  Before we left that restaurant, 11 people had prayed to receive Christ right there in that Mexican place.  One of those people who prayed was one of the bus drivers from Matamoros Mexico who is now spending the week with our group.  I am so grateful that God included us in His plan to save Victor.  Here we were frustrated that we can't get to Saltillo in our buses but God wanted us to share Christ with a bus driver who lived in Matamoros so He literally sent him to drive us.  Awesome stuff.

We were all amazed that within an hour and a half of being in Saltillo, we see 11 people come to Christ so we were really excited about what the next day would bring.

We woke up and headed out to our first clinic.  Our clinic is located at a little community park where a lot of kids spend their time in some heated soccer games and playing around.  Our team went door to door in groups for a while rounding up kids and before we knew it, 60 + kids are hanging out with us ready to learn some baseball.  It was a blast seeing our guys doing their best trying to teach baseball without being able to speak a lick of Spanish on a gravel self-made baseball field.  Every one of them stepped up the plate and communicated in spite of the language barrier.  

After this clinic, we got some lunch and headed out for our first game.  We showed up at the baseball field and it was kind of what we expected it would be.  There was a little stadium and neat little baseball field.  The truth is that it is not quite like the fields we have in the U.S.  Don't get me wrong, it looks like a baseball field but it was really dusty, really rough and such an incredible experience.

After playing on this field, it is evident why so many Hispanic baseball players make it to the Major League.  If you can learn to field ground ball on these fields with these hops, you can play baseball.  

This team we played yesterday was actually pretty good.  We decided from the beginning that we were going to play a 9 inning game and we ended up winning 5-4.  Actually, we should have had a few more runs because Matt Helms and Trent Daniels launched two balls that would have each scored a run but the ball rolled under the huge holes in the back of the fence.  They had to settle for doubles.  I guess that is just how it rolls in Mexico.  In spite of the obstacles, the game was an awesome experience with about 200 fans coming out to the game including one lady with a drum.  It was awesome.  The only injury on the field was Eric Wall getting hit in the nose with a baseball right before the game.  It was a good character builder for our bat boy.  He didn't have to rub dirt on it because we were all covered with dirt and it was an absolute blast being there playing baseball in Mexico.

At the end of the baseball game, we met our opponents on the field and shared Christ with all of them.  As we presented the gospel on the field, 13 of them prayed to receive Christ including the umpire.  (FYI, the Umpire did a great job and really called a fair game.) We were so excited to see so many respond to Christ on the field.  There was another game waiting to be played so we asked the crowd to move over to this gym because we wanted to talk to them as well.  As we shared with them we saw another 9 come to Christ.  A group of boys and two moms prayed and gave their information to the pastor who we are working with this week.

I really wish you could have been a fly on the wall so you could see how the Lord is using these players and coaches to help people come to know Christ.  It truly is an amazing sight and one of the most exciting things I have experienced in ministry.

Last night, we ordered some pizza and cokes, cleaned up at the hotel and had a two hour share time together.  Brenden Barr and Brad Crawford shared their testimonies and it was an incredibly moving time for all of us.  These guys did an awesome job sharing what the Lord is doing in their lives.  I was so proud of them and I wish each of you could have heard them talk about God moving in their lives.  

We also had a time to process what the Lord has done so far.  The truth is that the obstacles we have faced on this trip have resulted in genuine blessing from the Lord.  Lee pointed out that in life, you will face some un-expected challenges along the way but you don't every quit on the Lord.  This week, we believed God called us to Saltillo Mexico and we did not give up until we got here.  Now we are here and people are coming to Christ. 

Serving the Lord is such an adventure and I wish you could be a fly on the wall and experience it with us.  Keep praying for us because we are about to head out for another clinic and another game against a good team from Mexico.  

Serving Jesus and playing baseball at the same time, if I am dreaming right now, don't wake me up.  

We made it to Saltillo and are about to go eat.  Thanks for praying for us.  Tomorrow, we get to have our first clinic.  Tonight, we are pumped about some food and some rest.  Gonna be a good night.  God did so much for us today and we are very thankful for the incredible connections He has given to us.  

It is a mystery to me why we had so many problems on the border.  A church group behind us in line had crossed with their bus 17 times.  They were turned away as well.  What is amazing to me is that the Lord's connections helped us overcome all of the obstacles.  

I guess the saying is true, it is not just what you know but who you know.  That is most true in salvation because if you don't know Jesus, you will have some big problems.  

I am excited to get here and tell people about Jesus. 

Have a great night and don't worry about us because we are off to get some AWESOME Mexican food.

This morning, I only have a few minutes because we are trying to get back to the border.  

Yesterday we had some unexpected challenges at the border but I was really proud of how our Ambassadors responded.  Yesterday was a long and hot day but what a bonding memory it was.  Years from now, our guys will look back on the experience of not getting into Mexico and be grateful for the very rich experience.

Today is a new day and we are going to go again.  This afternoon, we have a game scheduled at 4:00 p.m.  We are playing a team that needs to hear about Jesus so pray that the Lord opens the door for us to get to Saltillo.  Yesterday we were turned away because they would not accept our letter for the vehicles.  Today, we have adjusted the letter to all of their requests so "Lord Willing", we will not have any problems.  They also told us that they would not allow us to take the trailer to Mexico and within 20 minutes of discovering our trailer would not be of any use to us, God provided a trailer from Harlingen Texas and it will be in the parking lot by 7:30 this morning.  I wish I could go into detail of how that came to be but let me suffice it to say, God is a great provider.  It just makes me laugh.  

Who knows why the door was not opened for us yesterday.  Maybe we had some ministry to do here at the hotel last night.  We had a short team meeting and the staff of the hotel was able to rub shoulders with the Ambassadors.  Maybe the Lord sent us here to touch a few folks in Laredo.  

One thing is for certain is that we trust the Lord and we are going to follow Him today.  Please keep praying for us.  Lee and James Tunnell left OKC this morning to fly to Monterey.  We hope to be able to pick them up from the airport by noon.  

Every day, we will post something on this blog to keep you all updated about what is happening on our trip.  

Throughout my life, I have seen a lot of Christians who have been bored.  Something is big-time wrong with that because it is absolutely impossible to follow the hand of the God of all Creation and be bored.  We are certainly not bored today.  We are on an incredible adventure with our Savior and it is a great ride.

Thank you all for your prayers.  We will take them all this week.  

This week, I am so grateful because several have asked where we are right now on the funding for our mission trip.  The Lord has really used these questions to remind me that a lot of people are praying for the Ambassadors. 

At this point, we are still 50,700 short of funding our trip.  At first that looks like a really big number, but that is only when you look through the eyes of man.  However, when you look at this amount in view of God's perspective, this amount is really nothing.  Every time I start to doubt the vision that God has begun in our hearts, the Lord will either speak by His Spirit to my heart, reveal a truth in His Word, move in the heart of a person who will offer a word of encouragement, or orchestrate circumstances to connect with someone who can help accomplish His vision in our lives.  

Even though this morning we sit here a little over half-way towards our total funding goal, there is a confidence that the Lord has been with us from the beginning and is continuing to direct our steps.  This may be the reason that the Lord has put on my heart to ask our Ambassador family if they know 1 of 10. 

I really do believe that the Lord leads us by His Spirit as we pray.  I have discovered that prayer does not move God to my will but moves me to His will.  Over the last few days, as I have been praying for our trip, I believe the Lord is leading me to ask this question:  Lord, will You please send us 10 people or groups who would be willing to donate $5,000 each to help our guys finish the summer outside the borders of the United States? 

Our deadline is July 6th, because we need a little time to finalize the rest of the travel details.  We are ready to pull the trigger on the details of this trip and what an experience this will be.  Before we can pull that trigger, we need to pray that the Lord will move in the hearts of 10 people who could give $5,000 each to send us to share the gospel.  This is a small investment that really will reap eternal rewards.  

This morning, I was challenged by the words of Paul in Acts.  Paul was standing before King Agrippa and rather than being afraid for his life, he was pumped about telling him about Jesus.  Right after sharing his testimony to King Agrippa, Paul said:

"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.  First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds."  Acts 26:19-20

At the end of the summer, we will have spent seven weeks traveling to our Jerusalem and Judea.  It is our prayer that the Lord provides the opportunity to also go to the rest of the world.  As I think about the opportunity to go outside the borders of the United States, it is so much more than a trip.  We wholeheartedly believe that this is a part of our vision from heaven.  One of our most consistent prayers for the Ambassadors is that each one of them develop a passion to share the gospel along with a vision to communicate it to the entire world.

Think about the impact for a moment.  This summer is about a lot more than baseball.  The Lord has sent us reliable young men who are preparing to effectively contribute to the Kingdom of God.  As each Ambassador learns how to effectively communicate the message of Christ, it must coincide with a vision to take that message all over the world.   Obedience to this vision is  non-negotiable for Ambassadors. 

This foreign experience is so much more than a trip.  If you have been following our journey this summer, our major objective is to teach our Ambassadors to share their faith.  By the end of this summer, we are praying that sharing the gospel will be like breathing for them.  It must become an automatic response to everyday life.  Our Ambassadors are starting to get a taste of what it is like to be used by the Lord to communicate His message of salvation.  When you start to experience God moving through your life, you just can't get enough of it. 

Over the past three weeks, it has been incredible to see this passion for evangelism grow.  Here is a quick story that happened on Saturday. 

Shortly after pulling into the parking from Lincoln, three of our players, Chase, Ryan and Heath, immediately came up to me and the first thing out of their mouth was, "We got to share with 80 people at one baseball game in Omaha."  My heart almost skipped a beat because our team is beginning to catch a vision for sharing their faith.  This summer experience is so much more than baseball.   

After taking some time to reflect on this conversation with the guys, I am grateful each Ambassador is on this journey with us.  I know that every one of our guys had a strong spiritual foundation before they began serving on our team, but it is a lot of fun helping build upon that foundation that has already been laid. 

Our next step is helping each one of them get a vision for the world.  Now here is where you come in.  Do you know someone that would be willing to be 1 of 10?  Our deadline is approaching and we believe God has called us to go.  We will not be disobedient to the vision God has given to us but we cannot do this alone.  We need the help of God's people and I believe He will lead 10 people to give $5000 to help send these Ambassadors to outside the borders of the United States. 

If you know someone who could help us accomplish this vision, please share it with them.  I would be willing to talk with them as well and show them exactly how we have spent our money and exactly where their money would go.  My cell phone number is 405-245-5790 and my email is chris@alifeworthfollowing.org. 

If someone does want to contribute to this trip, he or she can make a tax-deductible donation and send it to the following address:

Justin Sullivan ALWF

P.O. Box 720782

OKC, OK 73172

Thank you for your prayers and thank you for supporting the Ambassadors.  

It just blows my mind as I sit down to write today that we are in the middle of our third week with the Ambassadors.  Our coaches are right on every time they say "Guys, when you put that Ambassador uniform on, it is about so much more than playing baseball."  

The truth is that so much has happened in such a short time.  As of today, we have seen over 100 people pray to receive Christ.  We have shared the gospel with over 1000 people either in a church, at a clinic or on a ball field.  We have been able to communicate the gospel to hundreds of elite baseball players after almost every game we have played.  It really is incredible to watch our guys huddle up with their opponents after a hard fought baseball game and communicate how a person can begin an authentic relationship with God.  It is a lot of fun using our gifts on the baseball field to help point people to Jesus.  I am so grateful that He is letting us do this kind of work.     

Even though this summer is more than baseball, we sure are playing a lot of good baseball along the way.  One of our major goals with each one of our guys is to help them get to the next level in their baseball career.  We are doing a lot of work with each Ambassador helping them improve as ball players, and each week they are becoming better athletes.  

At the same time we are pushing them on the field, we are pushing them equally as hard off the field.  This summer, we are passionate about training the Ambassadors to effectively walk with God.  Just like we have a plan to help them gain exposure on the baseball field, we also have a plan to help them grow in the understanding of God.  In this blog post, I want to outline what we are teaching our Ambassadors during our discipleship times and how we are investing in them spiritually.

From the very beginning, we have prayed that the Lord would help us fulfill the challenge laid out in 2 Timothy 2:1-2.  God's word says:

"You then my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be qualified to teach others."  

As we began the journey of seeking out Ambassadors, we prayed that the Lord would lead us to those reliable men who need to learn how to walk closely with Him.  It is our prayer and plan that every one of our athletes would become one of those reliable men who will be qualified and trained to effectively share the message of Christ with other people.  

Over the first three weeks, the following is a quick outline of what we have been teaching them.  

Week 1:  Truth:   

• Reach:  This first week, we began with how we know Christianity is true.  The spiritual goal for the week was to help develop a biblical worldview.  All our teaching for the week sought to answer the Matthew 8:27 question:  Who is this Jesus? 
• Grow:  We then connected each player with an accountability partner and explained the guidelines for personal accountability.  From the very first week, we wanted to get our players on the the journey of holding each other accountable.  If they can begin the habit of opening their life up to another brother, they will more likely follow through with God's plan for their life.  In addition to accountability, we began pushing them to memorize the Word.  The first verse memorized was Psalms 119:9-11.  Make sure you ask them to quote it.   
• Send:  As we help each player answer the question:  “Who is Jesus?”, we also began to model for them how to share their testimony with others.  The first week, our coaches and former Ambassadors were called upon to share their testimonies.  Before we encouraged our guys to step up to the plate and speak in public, we needed to model how to get up and communicate with others about God.  Several of our new guys stepped up and shared and it was fun to watch them get out of their comfort zone. 

Week 2:   The Bible is God’s Word

• Reach:  This week our goal was to communicate that the Bible is God’s Word and is our ultimate authority.  Our guys needed to grasp that God’s Word should direct our beliefs and our actions.  Our teaching for the week focused on how to study the Bible and how to correctly apply it to every day life.  I am very grateful to Rick Thompson, pastor at Council Road Baptist Church, because he came and poured into our guys during this week.  It was a blessing to have his influence in their lives.  
• Grow:  We continued our weekly accountability times and this week, each group took a deeper step with each other.  This discipline of accountability is helping them experience the blessing of having another brother in their life pushing them to walk with the Lord.  Second Timothy 3:16 was the memory verse.  If you rub shoulders with an Ambassador, ask them to quote it. 
• Send:  During our second week, we also spent some time helping them learn how to tell their story.  We encouraged them to share their testimony with their accountability partner.  In week 2, we began helping our guys prepare to share their story in front of a group of people.  This is very important for us because our guys need to be able to respond effectively when God opens up doors to speak to other people.  Because we have abilities on the baseball field, doors will open to speak about God.  We are working to prepare them to be effective communicators so they can respond well when those opportunities come.  

Week 3: God is…

•  Reach:  This week our focus was on who God is and what He is like.  Man has always attempted to conceptualize God according to his own image.  We wanted our guys to understand that God is not bound by our ability to explain Him.  This week, we encountered the “OMNI” doctrines of God (His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence) and the reality of the Trinity.  On Monday, we took the opportunity to pour some good "theology" into our young men.  Theology is important because as they teach others about God, they have to seek to understand how the Bible describes Him.  It really is mysterious because God is so BIG that it is really hard for our finite minds to understand Him.  At the same time, He has revealed Himself so clearly that we can know Him.  As we come to know God more and more, His love and purpose becomes clearer to us and other people see Him in us.  This allows us to live lives that are worth following and that is one of our major goals this summer.
• Grow:  This week we will continue to develop their accountability relationships.  Each accountability group was challenged to choose a section of Psalms 139 to memorize.  Each group is supposed to decide on the passage and hold each other accountable to put it to memory.  Please ask an Ambassador to quote one of the verses they are memorizing.  
•  Send:  This week, our focus is to teach our guys how to take the Bible and use it to lead someone to Christ.  This week we are working to equip them to take the Bible and communicate the plan of salvation.  We will help them learn how to walk through the “Romans Road”.  Romans:  3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-10,13.  This is really important for our team because God is already opening doors for many of our guys to share their faith with others.  Monday, Coach V asked how many of our players had encountered opportunities to share with someone on a trip so far.  Almost every hand went up.  AMAZING STUFF!!!  As we approach the second half of the season, we will be playing several teams who have already heard Justin's story and the story of how the Ambassadors began.  Since many of our opponents have heard those stories, it is time for some of our players to share their own personal story with our opponents.  Please take some time to pray for each of our guys as they walk through the doors that God opens for them with individuals on and off the baseball field.  

Hopefully, that will catch you up on what has taken place so far off the baseball field.  Just like what was said earlier, this summer we are doing so much more than playing baseball.  We are called to build disciples of Christ.  Building disciples is not something that happens accidentally.  It has to happen on purpose.  We have a plan and a goal to raise up young men to follow Christ with passion and purpose.  We believe that this is what God has called us to do, and even though we don't have all the answers and don't have all the resources in place, we are compelled to step out in faith and follow Christ one step at a time.  

I would like to ask that you continue to pray for us as we work on building Ambassadors for Christ.  We are also still working on our funding for our foreign trip.  We do believe that the Lord wants us to take our teams outside the borders of the United States.  At this time, the funding is not complete and we are still working on completing that dream.  Would you pray that the hearts of folks would be stirred to help us send our Ambassadors to Nicaragua to share Christ through our abilities on the baseball field?  

At this time, we really believe the Lord wants us to go.  If He has another plan for us this summer that does not include a foreign trip, we are ready and willing.  We simply want to ask for your partnership in prayer for our ministry.  

Thank you for helping us build Ambassadors.   

Our first weekend of baseball is through and the guys did outstanding!  We had a great weekend of baseball, but more important than that had great testimony time and also got to share Justin Sullivan's story and the gospel with over 160 players, coaches and umpires.  We get a day off and do it all over again this week in Elk City.  Below is the schedule for this week as well as the Elk City Tournament Schedule.

Thanks Coach V

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Monday * DAY OFF!

 

Tuesay * Meet at the Cube @ 8:00am

             * Gold Team clinic @ Edmond starting at 9:00am

             * Red Team clinic PCAA (Putnam City) at 9:00am

             * Discipleship @ 1:30pm @ Cube

             * Double Header Games @ Rose State, Midwest City    

             * Gold Team will play first, then Red Team

             * All players wil need to be at at the Field at 5:00

 

OKC Ambassador Gold vs. Woodward Travelers @ 5:45

OKC Ambassador Red vs. Midwest City Outlaws @ 9:00

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Wednesday * Meet at Cube at 3:00pm to load up for Elk City

                    * Youth Service with Elk City First Baptist

                    * Will be staying at Elk CIty First Baptist

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Thursday - Sunday * Elk City Shootout Tournament

                               * Schedule is Below

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* Also tonight go to our website  www.alifeworthfollowing.org to see what which teams are the New RED and GOLD.

________________________________________________

 

               

2009 Traveler Shootout

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June 11-14, 2009 in Elk City, Oklahoma

Teams

OK Travelers Red

OK Travelers White

OK Panthers

Elk City Travelers

Ambassadors Gold

Ambassadors Red

SW Shockers

OKC Bronchos

Tournament rules and info listed at bottom of page.

Thursday, June 11

At Ackley Park

3:30 - OKC Bronchos vs. SW Shockers

5:45 - OK Travelers White vs. Ambassadors Gold

8:00 - OK Travelers Red vs. Ambassadors Red

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Friday, June 12

At Ackley Park

11:00 - Ambassadors Gold vs. SW Shockers

1:15 - Ambassadors Red vs. OKC Bronchos

3:30 - OK Travelers White vs. OKC Bronchos

5:45 - OK Travelers Red vs. OK Panthers

8:00 - OK Travelers White vs. Ambassadors Red

At Sports Complex

2:00 - OK Panthers vs. Ambassadors Gold

4:15 - Elk City Travelers vs. SW Shockers

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, June 13

At Ackley Park

9:30 - Elk City Travelers vs. Ambassadors Gold

11:45 - Elk City Travelers vs. OK Panthers

2:00 - Ambassadors Red vs. OK Panthers

4:15 - OK Travelers Red vs. OKC Bronchos

6:30 - OK Travelers Red vs. SW Shockers

8:45 - OK Travelers White vs. SW Shockers

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, June 14

At Ackley Park

9:30 - Elk City Travelers vs. OKC Bronchos

11:45 - Elk City Travelers vs. Ambassadors Red

2:00 - OK Travelers Red vs. Ambassadors Gold

4:15 - OK Travelers White vs. OK Panthers

Tournament Rules

Game Rules

Team listed first will sit in 3rd base dugout.

Designated hitter for the pitcher only.

No extra hitters.

Courtesy runners for catchers and pitchers.

No time limits put on games.

Round of infield will be allowed when time permits.

Slide rule in effect.

If it rains, be prepared to play at any time (day or night).

Suspended games because of weather will be completed from point of suspension.

Throughout my life, I have tried to consistently ask the Lord to help me see people like He sees them.  The truth is that if each one of us had the ability to see what God sees, we would all pay closer attention to do what God wants us to do.  

In my life, I am so amazed that the Lord gives us the opportunity to participate with Him in His supernatural work in the world.  God most definitely does not need us because He is Omniscient (All-Knowing), Omnipotent (All-Powerful), and Omnipresent (Everywhere, Every place at Every time).  However, He graciously gives us the opportunity to handle holy things and participate with Him as He works during our time on the earth.  This is one of the reasons why I am so excited about this upcoming summer with the Ambassadors. 

Every time I think about our ministry, "A Life Worth Following" and "The Ambassadors," I am blown away that the Lord would allow us to utilize the sport of baseball as a platform to point others to Jesus.  This summer, one of our major goals and most passionate prayers is that we will be able to develop 32 Ambassadors and 8 Coaches to grow a deep passion for the Lord and a deep burden for the souls of men that will continue to grow for the rest of their lives.  

I want to remind you of one of the most amazing prayers that came from the lips of Jesus: 

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."  Matthew 9:36-39

Over 2000 years ago, Jesus led his disciples to pray that workers would go out into the harvest field and would serve as workers bringing real hope to people who needed to be touched by God.  It is incredible to realize that our summer baseball team is part of the fulfillment of that prayer that was voiced so long ago.  Our players and coaches are going out on baseball fields all summer long serving as workers in the "harvest field" described by Jesus.   

I am so grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to respond to this historic call and prayer voiced by my Savior.  For thousands of years, Jesus has been calling His followers to pay attention to people.  He has been moving His church and His followers to have a deep passion for the souls of men.  The Lord has been equipping His people to do the work of ministry since the beginning of time so that His people will be able to use their gifts to help others understand the gift of salvation that is available to them.  

We know that the Lord has given the Ambassadors abilities on the baseball field.  We have discovered that God can use those abilities to help point others to Him.  In the United States, baseball is really influential and athletes have a natural platform of influence.  Therefore, it makes a lot of sense that we work hard at using our abilities to help others know who Jesus is and what He can do in their lives.  

As we prepare to start our second Ambassador baseball season, I have a couple of requests:

1.  Will you pray for our team today?  Please pray that they will be faithful workers in the harvest field for the rest of their lives.  Pray that each one of our players and coaches grow a passion for the souls of men and develop the ability to work effectively for the Kingdom of God.

2. Will you consider using your God-given abilities to be an answer to this prayer voiced by Jesus over 2000 years ago?  

The truth is that life is too short to waste our time on things that really don't matter.  I am not going to make any more excuses about why I can't serve the Lord today.  I am ready to be an answer to Jesus' prayer and I am ready to get going this summer for an experience that is much more than baseball.  

I am ready to experience a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit raising up future leaders in America that are growing a passion for the souls of men.  

Ambassador Family, it is harvest time and that means it is time to "Hit the field!"

 

The schedule is set, the clinics are on the books, the roster is almost finalized and the coaches are ready to go.  We are still working hard on all the funding, but isn't life much more exciting when we live by faith and not by sight?  Plus, God knows all of our needs and He is always right on time.  

It is, however, hard to believe that we are only one month away from the start of our 2nd Ambassador season.  So much work from so many has gone into the planning and preparation for this coming summer baseball mission experience, and we are just ready to go.  

Right now, it is kind of wild, because here we are in 2009, we have picked up 5 additional coaches, added a second team and are gearing up for another round of ministry on the front lines.  For those of you who know about the front lines of ministry, you can appreciate the thrill of serving the Lord, listening to His Spirit and living by faith.  The blessings are amazing in this kind of life, handling holy things and walking obediently with the Lord.  What a wild ride and an unforgettable journey!        

As we all look forward to the experiences this summer, there are so many things that just "wind my watch".  This moment, I am fired up just thinking about the indescribable "Ambassador Brotherhood" that is about to hit everyone of our players, parents and followers like an Oklahoma thunderstorm.  It is just amazing to me how impactful this team has been and will be in the lives of all those who don the Ambassador uniform.  

Last year, Lee Tunnell nailed it when he held up an Ambassador hat and asked each one of our players to look at that "A".  He then said to each Ambassador, by the end of the summer, this "A" will mean something totally different to you.  He was right. By the end of the summer, every coach, player and family member connected to us had experienced the front lines of ministry, many experiences with the Lord and the true significance of the "Ambassador Brotherhood".  

One place that this Ambassador Brotherhood is growing is in the heart of our coaches, and it is an incredible thing to experience.  For the past 10 months, we have been meeting every Wednesday night at the Cube from 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.  Every time we get together, this brotherhood has grown stronger and stronger.  Last week, I got an e-mail from one of our new coaches.  His name is Erik Hughes and he is the assistant coach at Moore High School.  He wrote:    

I wanted to take a little time and thank all of you guys for allowing me to be a part of something special like this. I haven’t been excited for something like this in a while. This summer is especially important to me because in college I was that bad seed who did everything possible to distance myself from GOD, and I do not want to see any of these kids go through some of the same bad times I went through. I just want to thank GOD and all of you for doing something good in a sport with a bad social reputation. I am pumped to be working with all my new BROTHERS to build real men in Christ.

Erik Hughes

Moore Public Schools

This summer, I am so grateful for the men who have been called by God to coach our teams.  Every one of our coaches are not only passionate about the game of baseball, but they are even more passionate about following the Lord.  Every one of our coaches has a  calling to be an Ambassador, and God is going to use each one of them to help raise up our team to become "real men," both on and off the field.

The spring rains are here, the temperature is rising, the flowers are blooming and the grass is growing.  The uniforms have been ordered and the hats are on the way.  The 2009 Ambassadors are about to report and new families are coming into the Brotherhood. The experience is going to be unforgettable.  The connection is going to be indescribable.  And the journey with the Lord is going to be truly supernatural.

Bring on the Ambassador Brotherhood!  I am ready to go.  

It is just one month away and I cannot wait.  Very soon we will all hear those incredible words that will kick it all off:  

"Play Ball!"  

On April 21,2009, one of our local papers printed the following headline: " Crawford slams his 13th Homerun."  

Brad Crawford is one of our 2009 Ambassadors and is a junior at Prague High School.  He is having an incredible year and actually last night added one more"BOMB" to bring that homerun total to 14.  

We are so excited for Brad to play for the Ambassadors this year because he will bring alot to our team both on and off the field.  Though we are excited about Brad's baseball ability, our connection with Brad and his family goes much deeper than baseball and today I wanted to share with you about this newAmbassador family.     

The Scripture is very clear that God is always at work around us.  I think it was Henry Blackaby who said in "Experiencing God":  "When you see the Father at work around you, that is your invitation to adjust your life to Him and join Him in that work."  

I will never forget almost seven years ago, leaving the graveside of Justin's funeral.  I hugged the Sullivans' for the last time that day and said, "Juliann,something needs to be written about Justin."  When the words,"Why don't you do it!", came out of her mouth, the Lord never allowed that challenge to leave my heart.  After that experience, the Holy Spirit continued to speak and I knew the Lord was leading me to adjust my life and join Him in a supernatural work He was planning.  Now, here we are in 2009, continuing to send journals across the country and about to launch the second summer of the Ambassadors made up of two teams full of outstanding young men like Brad Crawford.  We truly are right in the middle of a genuine work of the Holy Spirit.  

Over the past year and a half, as the word has spread about "A Life Worth Following" and the Ambassadors, the Lord has helped us make connections with other people who had also experienced tragedy in their own lives.  At first, I did not realize that the Lord was going to use our story to connect with other hurting families because we were in the middle of our own pain and loss. However, more and more emails and calls began coming and it was obvious that God was doing a work.  I think it was New Year's Eve 2007 when I first received an email from Anna Crawford, Brad's mom.

As I read her email, I was captivated by her story and had to give her a call.  On the phone, she told me about all three of her boys but then she went into detail about her oldest son Brian, his love for the Lord and his passion for baseball. Through tears, she also told me about her son's tragic car accident on a spring morning in 2005.

Brian, a handsome young man with a great smile, a great attitude and passion to do things right was on his way to school, driving near Meeker when he came face to face with an on-coming car which carried a mother and her children.  In an instant, Brian swerved to miss this family, veered off the road, into an embankment and into the hands of Jesus.  His courageous act that morning and his quick reactions, took his own life but helped save all the lives that were in the on-coming vehicle.  The following letter was left for the Crawford's at the funeral home shortly after the accident occurred.  

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Crawford,

I watched the news last night & I wanted to let you know that it was my family that your son saved. My baby girl & 2 boys were in the car when the accident occurred. It is God’s miracle that we are here today. I was by Brian within seconds. I held his hand for what seemed to be eternity before help arrived. He was so calm & so BRAVE. I just kept telling him he’d be alright & I truly thought he was going to be fine. I prayed for Brian every second. Another lady arrived & held Brian’s other hand & just kept telling Brian to talk to Jesus. She was an angel to me. My hope comes from God’s promise of eternal life. (1 John 2:25) Cast your burden upon him & he will just carry you. (Psalm 55:22).

My heart is torn as I do not know why the Lord placed me there at that time, or why he sparred my life & my children. I know only time will help less the pain. I am a mother & teacher & I know our children mean the world to us. Please rely on God to carry you through each day. Brian will always be in my thoughts. You will have my prayers for years to come. I hope this letter does not cause you more pain. I was touched by the positive story on the news & I wanted to let you know that Brian was not alone. He is my hero & my angel. Stay close to God & stay in church. If you need someone to talk or cry with, please call.

I have never really understood why we all have to face bad times.  The reality is that life is occasionally very tough and just unexplainable at times.  For some reason, tragedy will touch all of us.  Life will throw every person a curveball or two that will be hard to hit.  

Throughout my journey with the Lord, I have come to find out that even though I don't always understand the Lord's will or the Lord's way, He can always be trusted, regardless of the circumstance.  I have not always been able to understand God's hand, but I am continually learning that I can always trust His heart.  When it comes to difficult times, Jesus was no stranger to them.  He actually told us that tough times will definitely come our way.  Jesus said, 

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have trouble but take heart, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This passage teaches us all an incredible reality.  God does not keep us from chaotic times, but He faithfully walks us through all the chaos in our lives.  Because Jesus has overcome this world, you and I can have real hope in our lives even in the midst of tragedy.  This real hope begins with a real relationship with Jesus Christ.  Today, I want to leave you with a simple question; "if you were to stand before God today, face to face, do you know that you would go to heaven?"  

The good news is that the Bible was written so that we could know that we have eternal life.  Death is going to be something that not only touches all of us, but it will come to all of us.  What we do with Jesus on this side of eternity makes all the difference.  If you don't know Jesus, we would love to help you.  Or just maybe, you have a "Justin" or a "Brian" in your life that could help you connect with God.  Please don't wait another day before you turn your heart to Christ and experience real salvation from your sin.  This could be one of those moments in your life when you join God in His work in your own life.  Don't miss His voice and His plan for your life.    

Today, we are grateful that Brad Crawford and the Crawford family are joining the Ambassadors.  Brad is an Ambassador you need to watch both on and off the baseball field.  Thank you Brad for sharing your life and becoming an Ambassador.

This coming Monday marks the 4th anniversary of the tragic death of Brad's big brother Brian.  We wanted to take the time to remember Brian and the Crawford family.  Brian's legacy continues to make a difference and his memorial website is something you should see.  The address is www.briancrawfordmemorial.com.

Over the past several years, Ephesians 3:20-21 has continually caught my attention and captivated my heart.  The Lord very clearly inspired Paul when He inspired the following words:  

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.  Amen.

In so many ways, this passage of scripture describes our journey with "A Life Worth Following" and "The Ambassadors".  Every time I reflect on all that has happened with our ministry, I am blown away at all the supernatural evidences of God's hand.  Today, we find ourselves about to begin our second season with the OKC Ambassadors and our second summer of experiences with the Lord.

In our inaugural 2008 season, The Oklahoma City Ambassadors, a group of elite high school players, were able to communicate God’s hope through Justin’s story to thousands of people in both the U.S. and Nicaragua.  The Ambassadors made a tremendous impact competing in tournaments across the southwest, conducting free baseball clinics, communicating the Gospel to teams and fans, and concluding the season with a week-long baseball tour/mission trip to Nicaragua.  Here are some of the incredible results we experienced in 2008:

• 10,000 people heard the Gospel on a baseball field
• 900+ kids attended free Ambassador baseball clinics
• 1200 people gave their lives to Christ! 
• In addition, the Ambassadors helped 19 members of their team earn college baseball scholarships, and a roster of 26 young men were challenged to use their talent and passion to live beyond themselves for the glory of God. 

In 2009, the Oklahoma City Ambassadors are expanding to two teams totaling 30 players and 7 coaches. Both teams will again compete in tournaments across the county, conduct free baseball clinics for over 1000 kids, and will engage in communicating the Gospel to thousands of kids, players, and fans.  Both teams will also experience the trip of a lifetime as they share the love of Christ and the game of baseball with thousands of kids and spectators in Nicaragua.  Amazingly, we are continuing to experience the incredible truths of Ephesians 3:20-21 

To make these goals and dreams possible for this summer, I am asking that you consider partnering with A Life Worth Following and the Ambassadors through a financial gift.  The expenses for each player/coach for the entire summer, including travel to Nicaragua, are $3500 per player.  The total amount we need to raise to send all 30 players and 7 coaches on this baseball mission experience is just a little over $113,000. 

With what our players are contributing combined with the funds already raised, we are within $15,000 from paying for all of our clinics and tournaments in the United States.  That means we are almost half-way towards our goal.  As soon as we hit that goal, we will begin raising the funds for our trip to Nicaragua which will cost $50,700.    

You know, if I am really being honest, I have to admit that there are times when I feel like our goals and dreams are too big.  There are times that I really do wonder if we are heading down the right path, especially in our difficult economic times.  However, when these thoughts come into my mind, something will remind me just how big God really is.  When I begin to meditate on the awesomeness of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the mountain of $113,000 doesn't even seem like a bump in the road even in the midst of a struggling economy.  

C.S. Lewis said, "Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind."   That Clive sure did have some insight into God.  I am glad he wrote stuff down.  

Amazingly, I have no doubt that the Lord's hand has been and is continuing to guide our steps.  The fact is that the Lord has called us to communicate His word to people through our God-given talents on the baseball field.  Because of this, we have to press on down this ministry path.  Thankfully, every time God calls us to a task, He equips us along the way.  For this, we are so very thankful.     

As you are reading this, maybe the Lord will press it upon your heart to help us.  If you would be willing to pray about contributing to the 2009 Ambassadors, rest assured that we will be faithful with your contribution and will use it to make a significant difference in the lives of many people this summer.  

To give, you could make a tax-deductible donation to JustinSullivan ALWF, send it to Justin Sullivan A.L.W.F. ( P.O. Box 720782 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73172), or you can also go to the website – www.alifeworthfollowing.org - for more information or to make an online donation.  If you have any questions, please contact me at chris@alifeworthfollowing.org.  

We thank you so much for reading our blogs and hope that you will pray for us as we walk the road that is before us.  

Believing God is going to continue to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us.  

Sincerely,

Chris Wall

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free’.”  John 8:31-32

It is certain that God’s truth is incredibly powerful, and holding to its teaching will set you free to experience Him moving in your life.  To experience this, it is important that you learn how to effectively study His Word. There are many followers of Christ who love to sing, love to spend time with Christians, and love to go to church, but because of the fact they neglect studying God’s Word, they miss God’s voice and God’s truth in their life. If you are going to build a life that is worth following, developing the discipline of studying His word is critical.  

Right now, we are in the process of praying and planning for the spiritual development of our athletes this coming summer.  It is our goal to train our baseball players how to utilize their ability on the baseball field to make a difference in the lives of others.  Learning how to study the word of God is one of the skills we are going to pour into their hearts this summer. 

Today, I want to bring you into the process of our planning by giving you a snap shot of one of the spiritual truths we are going to pour into their lives in the summer of 2009.   

Have you ever wondered about those outstanding athletes who seem to make great decisions on the course, field, or court but when it comes to making life decisions, they seem to really mess things up?  It is amazing to look at the long list of great athletes who made poor choices and ended up not only ruining their career but ruining their lives.  The reality is that there are many people who desire to build a life worth following, but because of unwise choices in life are not able to follow through with that desire.  It is very important for you to understand that God’s plan for you isn’t to waste your life, but to love Him with all your heart and to build a life that makes a significant impact on the people around you.  He very much desires that your life be one that is worth following.  In order to achieve this kind of life, you must learn how to live wisely, and wise living comes when you intentionally put God’s Word into practice.  

Listen to this verse:

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.  The rain fell,the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.  Matthew 7:24-25

God fully intends for you to listen to His word and put it into practice in every aspect of your life.  You see, some people live their life in compartments. For many people, spiritual life is separated from other areas of life. These are the people only consult God on Sunday morning, when they are incrisis, or whenever they happen to go to church.  But when it comes to the rest of their week, or for that matter the rest of their life, God plays little or no role in their daily decisions, attitudes, habits or lifestyle.  This is not God’s intention for you.  If you are a true follower of Jesus, every part of your life will be impacted by Him.  When you encounter the Bible, study it, memorize it and live it out in your family, your relationships, your finances, your athletic pursuits, your job, your free time, and every other part of your life, you will be living a life that makes a difference in the lives of others.  This is a path that is worth following.  Even if something bad happens in your life, like an injury, aloss, a slump, a family struggle, a sickness, a failure, a challenge, a crisis, or even a death, you will be able to pull through because you have learned to encounter God on a daily basis.  By acting on God’s principles, you are choosing to take steps toward living a life built upon the foundation of God’s Word. 

This week, don't forget that true wisdom and confidence in your life comes from knowing the Word of God and putting it into practice in every part of your life.     

   

I am amazed at the people God continues to bring across our path.  Years ago, when Justin went to be with the Lord, we had no idea all the ways the Lord would use him and the story of the Ambassadors in the lives of other people.  As the journal came out, I did not realize that the Lord would speak to so many who have experienced loss.  We have been so blessed to connect with other people who have also experienced personal tragedies and have gone through trials just like we have.  It has also been a special treat from the Lord to cross paths with other spiritual giants who have gone before us and those spiritual giants who are working through the daily struggle of grief.  

Recently, I received an email from a father who lost a son.  His name was Parker and he was a baseball guy.  He was also a catcher just like Justin.  Though Parker's journey with the Lord was different than Justin's, his life of faith was very similar.  Parker was a young man who had a personal relationship with God and lived it out on the baseball field.  As "A Life Worth Following" came out and the Ambassadors entered the baseball scene, the Lord used our ministry in the life of a precious family who experienced a difficult loss and we wanted to share this precious story with you today.  

So, go grab a tissue and get ready to listen to the Lord as you spend some time with a younger "Giant" of the faith named Parker, written by his father.  

A TRIBUTE TO MY BEST FRIEND 

A man kneels down next to a chainlink fence and looks across a dew covered baseball field where a quick dirt whirlwind from the early spring winds blows across the pitchers mound.  Next to home plate a young man wearing a helmet listing to one side tightly grips his Mark McGuire “tee” ball bat looks back at the man and gives him a quick but firm nod.  The man whose best friend approaches the plate connects with the ball on the “tee” and runs with all of his might to first base. They look at each other with the same smile of a father and son………………

A man stands next to a dugout as the summer Oklahoma heat bears down upon the freshly drug baseball field with the smell of cut grass blowing through the air.  He hears the slow but steady thumping of a pitching machine as it is being adjusted to throw the perfect pitch.  Out in centerfield stands his best friend with a left cheek bulging with Major League bubblegum and the determination on his face of a big leaguer.  The machine throws a pitch and it’s a hit to deep centerfield. The man watches as his best friend shields his eyes from the hot sun and begins to sidestep backwards sizing up the catch.  He stops looks up as he hears runners rounding the bases and the crowd screaming then he sees it….sidesteps to the right and “POP” the ball sits neatly in the web of his glove. Third out, game over!  He looks over towards the dugout and holds the ball up in the air, again the same smile of a father and a son…………………

A man squats down slowly buckling the straps on his best friend’s shin guards making sure they were in place and secure.  He dusts off the chest protector and slides it over his friend’s head.  The man watches as he walks out to the plate slapping his mitt on the side of his leg knocking off the dust grinning from ear to ear as the umpire gives him some big leaguer advice.  He looks back at the man gives him a nod as he slides his mask over his head. His best friend positions himself behind the plate giving signals to his pitcher.  A couple pitches are thrown in the dirt, he snatches them up like a cat.  The next pitch is thrown, the batter turns and puts down a bunt towards third then heads for first base.  The catcher throws off his mask, scoops the bunt out of the dirt and makes a hard throw to first and beats the runner by a step.  He picks his mask up out of the dirt turns towards the fence, again the same smile of a father and a son……………

A man stands behind a backstop and watches as his best friend plays catch warming up for a try out on a 12 and under tournament team.  Being only 11 his best friend was a little nervous but determined to prove he was good as anyone else trying out.  He walked up to the man and said he was going to catch a 7^th grader and being a 5^th grader was a little excited.   He donned on his catching gear and positioned himself behind the plate and the deal was on.  The first few pitches came in hard and clean with a few getting by, he looked over at the man and grinned.  The man knew then his best friend was in his element as he watched him fall into his comfort zone.  Pitch after pitch came with his bestfriend snagging each one as if they were his last.  Afterwards he walked to the 7^th grader and thanked him for making him look good. He jogged over to the man looked up at him with a big smile and said:

 “I caught a 7^th grader and it was no problem….let’s go tell mom!”  

Again the same smile of a father and a son……………

That best friend is my son Parker, my name is Marty Milster my wife is Carol and Parker’s sister is Kristin.  I am writing this little story about Parker, after he had his tryout he made the team.  They practiced preparing for the spring season and Parker was all over it.  The season slowly approached and we were getting anxious to play.  Unfortunely as we prepared to go to the first game something we had never expected nor even dreamed of happened.  Unexpectedly Parker passed away that morning on April 1, 2006.  

Our world instantly was turned upside down.  I want you to know we miss Parker tremendously but the greatest relief was knowing that Parker was in heaven with our Heavenly Father.  You see Parker was a very spiritual young man, as a little boy he was already witnessing to his friends at school and on the baseball field.  He would pray before each game, for himself and his teammates.  He left a great impact on his school, Washington Elementary and really anyone whoever met him.  Parker like Justin had another agenda. Baseball was just a path that helped get them there.  I hope and pray that each and every dad that reads this will see how much joy I had in living and loving my best friend Parker. Thank you to the Ambassador Program and team for helping us and continuing to share Parker’s legacy.  

A proud father, 

Marty Milster  

                          

One of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis is:  "One thing Christianity cannot be is mildly important."  I believe that Clive nailed it with this statement because when a person intelligently evaluates God's story throughout the history of the world, he or she cannot help but seriously consider becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ.  

Jesus Christ is, without a doubt, among the most influential people in the entire world.  In fact, most would agree that He was the MOST influential.  It is interesting because Jesus not only claimed to be God but he also allowed people to worship Him as God. There are many others throughout history who have claimed to be God.  None of the people who claimed to be Deity were among the most influential, except one...Jesus. 

When you really think about it, no other human being has impacted the course of history and shaped moral values as much as Jesus has.  This reality reveals that He was more than just human.  When you honestly evaluate His influence, all thinking people have to confront these claims that Jesus made and try to understand what it means to them personally. Despite the fact that Jesus lived a relatively obscure life, never wrote a book, and only taught His disciples for three years, He altered mankind's perspective forever.  It is upon this real historical figure, not some mythical legend, that we as Ambassadors build our faith in God.  In addition, because of this reality, following Jesus is not mildly important to us.  Listening to and obeying the Spirit of God in our lives is of utmost importance and sharing His message of salvation to the world is the first priority in everything we do.  This is the reason we are focused on training our athletes how to speak up about Jesus.      

For those of you who have received the journal, "A Life Worth Following", you know that every book comes with a bracelet that is made to look like the seam of a baseball.  This bracelet is so much more than a novelty item to be included with the book; it has become a tool the Lord is using to help us share the message of Christ to others.  For example, this past summer, every time we played a baseball game, we met our opponents on the field and gave them the bracelet as a gift.  As we handed it to them, we asked if we could share the story of this bracelet.  We then proceeded to share the story of Justin's life, and the story of his tragic car accident the day after being named Baseball Player of the Year for the State of Oklahoma.  

You may not know but shortly after Justin's death, his grandfather, Benny Bechtol, gathered up all of Justin's practice baseballs, cut the seam out and wove together a bracelet for family and close friends.  This was one way Benny dealt with the grief in the loss of his grandson.  After he finished the bracelets, he gave them to many of Justin's family and friends.  This was a precious gift and many of us still wear that bracelet on a daily basis.  In the process of planning and writing the book, I knew that we needed to incorporate this meaningful bracelet with our journal.  That is how the bracelets came to be.

On the baseball field, after we shared about Justin's life and death, we always made the following statement:  "this very moment we are confident Justin is in heaven, but it is important to realize that he is not in heaven because he was a good kid.  He did not make it to heaven because he was a great athlete.  He is not in heaven because he was obedient to his parents.  He is not in heaven because he went to church, read his Bible or was a leader in his youth group.  He is in heaven because there was a day when Jesus came into his life.  Several years before Justin died, he discovered that he was a sinner.  He discovered that he could never be good enough to get to heaven on his own.  He realized that Jesus' death on the cross provided a substitute for him.  Justin realized that his debt of sin was one he could not pay.  On the cross, Jesus paid the debt for him.  After Jesus' death, He rose from the dead conquering death itself and paving the way for mankind to have a personal relationship with God.  Because this relationship with God was a reality for Justin, the very moment his life on earth ended, God's eternal promise of salvation was realized.  

The truth is for everyone reading this blog today, we will all walk through the door of death just like Justin.  It will likely come in different ways and at different times but one of the greatest realities of life, is death.  In no way am I trying to scare you or depress you today but it is important that this message be very clear.  In His word, God has given us some very clear promises in life and in death.  He offers to mankind the gift of salvation and this gift is real and it is very important for every human being in the world.  It is a gift that you should not think is mildly important but one that is of utmost importance in your life.  

If I may, I would like to pose a few very important questions to you:  If you were required to walk through that door of death today, would you be ready to meet God face to face?  Have you begun a relationship with God that is real and personal?  Are you trying to get to heaven on your own or have you received this gift of God like the Ephesians 2:8-9 describes?  

Regardless of where you are with the Lord, today, I have some good news for you.  The Lord is confronting you with this gift of salvation for a very specific reason.  If you have already received this gift, I pray your faith in Christ is not mildly important to you.  I pray that your faith in Christ is of most importance in your life.  If you are a person who has not yet begun that journey with the Lord, I hope you take the time to talk to someone in your life who has an authentic relationship with God.  They can help you personally connect with God.  If you do not have someone in your life who walks with Jesus, we would love for you to shoot us an email at:  info@alifeworthfollowing.org.  We will be glad to help you in your journey with God.  

I pray the Lord blesses you today.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where all you could see was obstacles?  One of those weeks when you questioned God, questioned your own abilities and honestly wondered if you were heading in the right direction?  For me, this week, I have had moments when I felt doubt, fear and worry over the many obstacles that I see on the horizon.  

In the midst of that struggle, I have been so thankful for the discipline of journaling.  Over the past few years, the Lord has been teaching me the value of writing down what He has done in my life.  This past summer, our "Ambassadors" called this discipline, "Stones of Remembrance".  

This week, there were moments that I began to doubt myself, my abilities and my plans.  As these doubts and fears crept into my life, the Holy Spirit led me to stop and remember how the Lord moved in our lives last summer.  I read some of the old blogs which described experiences of God's provision and realties of God's presence in the formation of our baseball ministry  and the launch of "A Life Worth Following."  In this week's blog, I wanted to take the opportunity to remember a Divine Appointment in June with the Ambassadors.  I hope the Lord will use this "Stone of Remembrance" from the 2008 Ambassador season in your life this week.  I also hope that you would consider developing the discipline of journaling in your own life.  You will be amazed how the Lord will use your own story to inspire you to continue a life of faith in Christ.  I hope the Lord will speak to your heart through one of our "Stones of Remembrance."       

Divine Appointments - June 20, 2008 - Ambassador Baseball Season

The Scriptures very clearly remind us that our ways are not always His ways. This has proven to be true in so many aspects of our lives.  God always has a plan, even when there seems to be no hope or no path, God seems to make a path available.  This was exactly what the Ambassadors experienced today.

Last night was an incredible night at the First United Methodist Church in Bixby, Oklahoma.  As the Ambassadors shared, 6 students asked Christ to come into their lives.  It is truly amazing how the Lord is using Justin’s story and the story of the Ambassadors to bring people to Jesus.  God is so good and so faithful.

After the evening service, we received the disappointing news that the ORU tournament had been cancelled due to the wet conditions on the field.  In spite of all that, this morning the team got up early and headed off to the baseball clinic scheduled in Bixby.  We were anticipating a great turnout today because Bixby is a big baseball town.  Ryan Williams, an Ambassador, is from Bixby and they won the 5A State Baseball Championship this year.  All week long, several city and church officials were helping to put together the clinic.  The original location of the clinic was not an option today because of the recent rainfall so they decided to move the clinic to a soccer field.  As the team arrived, they waited and waited, only to see one camper show up for the free baseball clinic. Everyone was disappointed in this turnout.  All of a sudden, the Lord put a thought in Coach Vallerand’s mind:  What about that boys' home? One of the volunteers standing in the circle regularly reaches out to a boys' home in Sand Springs.  Coach V asked his buddy Jerry if the boys' home would be interested in a visit from the Ambassadors.  

Needless to say, a phone call was made and the entire baseball team was re-routed to Sand Springs.  Our guys spent 3 hours at some serious Whiffle Ball and then sat down with the boys and shared their story.  Raul Corpus, one of our catchers, got up to share his testimony and the boys were captivated by what he had to say.  This captivation continued as the team shared Justin’s story and how the Ambassadors came together  At the end of the day, 12 boys prayed to receive Christ as their savior.

God is so faithful that he will cancel an entire baseball clinic in a city, just to take His message to people that don’t know Him.  The way God has pursued us is absolutely amazing.  If you are reading this and you feel in your mind and your heart a pull towards an authentic relationship with Christ, I would love to connect with you.  

My number is 405-245-5790.  I would love to help you begin this authentic journey with the Lord.  

Though we are disappointed that the tournament was cancelled and our plans were re-routed, we are thankful that we are on a purposeful journey of following Jesus Christ.  Even when we are forced to change our plans, His plan still comes to pass.  

We serve a big God with big plans for His kids.  We are glad to be His kids and Ambassadors for Him.  Divine appointments are unforgettable and today was a day that we experienced one mainly because we were asking for it. For this blessing, we are very, very thankful.  

Maybe today, God has a divine appointment for you.  It may come when you are not expecting it, and it may happen in a way you are not anticipating.  I learned today, if you are available and sensitive to the Spirit of God, He will take you down a path that is truly supernatural.  This is another one of those things that produces a life that is worth following.  

It is amazing to me to see the influence of athletes in our global culture today.  Every year in early January and early February, the two most popular football games take center stage in the United States of America.  This year, it has been particularly interesting because both the BCS National Championship game andthe Superbowl are packed with very talented men who are not only incredible athletes but are also very quick to give the credit for their success to the Lord.

I really do appreciate the inspiring examples that many of these athletes are setting because they really are legit, both on and off the field.  Don't get me wrong, none of these guys are perfect, they are just forgiven by God and surrendered to Jesus.  I am very grateful for men like Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Kurt Warner and others because they are living lives worth following. They are also very quick to realize that God has blessed them with all their abilities and success.  This faith in Jesus and daily life practice is exactly what we are working hard to instill in the baseball players that cross our path.

This week, however, I was a part of an interesting dialogue with a friend who is not sure about my faith in Jesus.  He asked me an interesting question:  "Why do people praise God when things go well, but when things don't go well, they blame something or someone other than God?  

To be really honest, I think my friend poses a really good question.  I am trying to recall the last time I heard a player interviewed after a loss or an injury where that athlete gave immediate glory or credit to God in that moment.  Don't get me wrong, in no way am I saying that players that follow Jesus throw away their faith when it does not go their way.  I truly believe that the guys I have mentioned have overcome incredible adversity as athletes and the Lord has brought them through a lot of challenges.  What I am saying is that many times genuine followers of Christ will give everything they have on the field or the court and will still lose the game.  There are times prayers will be prayed and the answer will be "no" instead of "yes".  There will be times unexpected injuries will take place, sometimes resulting in the ending an athlete’s career.  There are even times that ultimate tragedies will occur resulting in the loss of life.  

The reality is that in life, there are times when it is easy to give glory to the Lord.  But there are also times when life will throw you a curve ball and it will cause you to question the Lord.  I want you to understand that just because you are following Jesus, that does not mean you will be exempt from tragedy.  The teachers who tell others that walking with Jesus will result in your health, wealth and prosperity are simply incorrect.  

In spite of this, I wholeheartedly believe living your life following Christ is the best thing you can ever do.  Today it is important we all understand that being obedient to Christ will not make us exempt from difficulties in life.   

Over the years, I have had the privilege or misfortune, (I prefer the former) of being forced to deal with mysterious tragic events that have no easy answers.  For example, Justin Sullivan’s apparent early death due to a set of tires falling off a truck, Lacy's apparent early death due to a random four-wheeler accident, Cody’s apparent early death due to a mysterious infection, Shawn’s early death due to a night of common drug use, just to name a few.  In these instances, I had to embrace the responsibility of meeting with those families and standing in front of grieving crowds, attempting to offer an eternal and spiritual perspective that would hopefully lead them down the road of healing and understanding.    

When my friend posed this question, he articulated my thoughts on many occasions throughout my life and ministry.  I need to clarify before I go on that I am working hard to hold to a “biblical worldview”.  A "biblical worldview" occurs when a person chooses to interpret the world through the lens of God's word and allows the word of God and the Spirit of God to influence all beliefs and life practices.  This year, there have been followers of Christ who have overcome the opposition, made it to the finals, and won the championships.  I am grateful for their example and their victories.  However, we all have to keep in mind that there are also times when life just does not work out the way we planned.  We have to remember that every one of us at some point will have to walk through some difficult times.  I would like to wrap up with a few things that God's word and Justin's life has taught me over the years.   

1.  Bad things happen to good and bad people.  Jesus prepared us for this in several passages of scripture.  In Matthew 5:45, Jesus said:  “He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”  For an agricultural society, many times the rains are good, sometimes they are bad; regardless, rain will come to everyone.  You can also make the application to our lives:  there are times that “rain” comes in our lives.  Regardless of who you are, storms will come in life.  The preachers who teach a theology that following God will result in you becoming healthy, wealthy and prosperous are misrepresenting a true biblical worldview and an understanding of suffering.  One day we can ask John the Baptist how God helped him when he got his head cut off.  I am personally looking forward to this discussion.     

2.  For me, the real miracle is not necessarily that God keeps bad things from happening to me. (Though I believe God leads us to pray and I believe God has answered specific prayers in my life.)  But the miracle is that God is with me in my life and helps me navigate wisely through the good and bad things I face.  When John recorded Jesus’ words in John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  I believe this verse is a very insightful gift to us because Jesus reminds us that in the midst of difficult times, our interactive relationship with God will help us make it through any and every difficulty.  Because I get to interact with God relationally, He brings perspective and comfort that goes beyond my finite understanding.  

3.  God’s perspective is different than mine, and when He acts in ways that I don’tunderstand, I am able to trust Him in spite of the specific circumstance.  As I wrap up this mini-sermon, I want to mention two of my favorite quotes from Justin Sullivan.  In his journal, he wrote, “There will come a day when we will all see God face to face.  This is when we will understand things fully.  When God asks me to believe something that is beyond belief, I decide if I will trust my five senses or have enough sense to believe in Him.”  Personally for me, I am choosing to believe God and God’s word, even when it conflicts with my emotions, senses and even experiences.  Another quote that is applicable to this discussion is, “Be thankful that life is not fair.  If it were fair, we would not receive Christ’s forgiveness.  Find satisfaction in what God has allowed us to do, don’t dwell on what we have not done.”  I think Justin nailed it here because there are times that life is just not fair.  Bad things happen.  I believe God could stop all bad things from happening, but for some reason He doesn’t.  On the other hand,there are times He does.  In the midst of it all, I believe He is still good and His love for all of us compels me to complete devotion and service for the rest of my life.  

If you ever saw the movie "Braveheart", you will definitely remember the crazy guy who claimed to have consistent conversations with the Almighty.  I am talking about the guy who would not only talk out loud to God but would also hear God talk back to him.  It has always been interesting to me that the one guy in the movie who could apparently connect with the "Supernatural" was a portrayed as being "off his rocker".  

The longer I study the scriptures and reflect on God's pursuit of man, it seems that the experience of genuine dialogue with God just might me more normal than most people might think.  Just imagine, what if, God really is willing and able to speak to us as we live our lives here on earth?  What if God really wanted not only to hear our prayers but answer them as well?  What if all we needed to do was pay attention to God's voice in our lives to experience direction and peace on a daily basis?    

Take Luke 11:1 for example.  "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."  

It is interesting that those who were closest to Jesus and helped Him interact with others on a daily basis, were fascinated by His prayer life and wanted to learn how to pray like him.  I don't know about you but if I had the opportunity to sit down with Jesus face to face in the flesh and ask Him to teach me something, I would probably choose something exciting like:  healing, or casting out demons, or being able to figure out what people are thinking.  It is interesting to me that those closest to Jesus would choose to ask Him how to pray.  What would you ask Him?  Do you think you would choose to ask about prayer?  I mean, come on, do you really think prayer works?   

I don't really know where the motivation came from but there is a reason that Jesus' disciples wanted to learn how to pray.  Maybe it was something they saw in the every day life of Jesus and John the Baptist that intrigued them.  Maybe it was the power they saw in Jesus' connection with His Father.  Maybe it was the fact that they saw Jesus pay really close attention to supernatural things all the time and prayer was the way this connection was fleshed out.  

I don't think I know all the answers to this mystery but one thing I do believe is that God wants us to learn some lessons not only from this crazy guy on Braveheart, but more importantly from the scriptures.  

Right now, I am in the process of learning the discipline of prayer and trying to learn to pay attention to the Spirit of God.  As I am growing in this discipline, I am learning a few things about God and myself that might be helpful to you this week.  

1. I am learning that prayer does not move God to my will, but prayer moves me to God's will. 
2. I am learning to trust God over and above my circumstances.  
3. I am learning to pay attention to how He is moving in my heart and life.
4. I am learning that God's voice, never contradicts His word. 
5. I am learning that my relationship with God is truly interactive.
6. I am learning that listening for his voice is just as important as talking to Him.  

It really is amazing that you and I have the opportunity to connect with the God of All Creation on a daily basis.  You and I are able to seek God for insight and direction for our lives.  You and I have the opportunity to hear the voice of God and experience the incredible benefits of the supernatural in our every day lives.  This is truly an amazing opportunity for us and comes to us when we learn how to pray.  

I want to challenge you to experiment with the discipline of prayer this week.  God really does want to lead you and speak to you.  Are you paying attention to God's voice in your own life?

  

A few months ago, Element Fusion, conducted a Facebook giveaway of a free web-site to a non-profit organization. Many worthy organizations were nominated and four selected as finalists. After the on-line vote, Justin Sullivan: A Life Worth Following was chosen as the winner. We are so thankful for this incredible blessing. Thank you for being a company who gives back to your community and looks for ways to bless other people.

My brother was my hero, the person I looked up to the most in my life. He had impeccable character, more than anyone I have ever known.  My brother was my best friend, my hero. He was one of those incredible human beings that was smart, athletic, a dynamic Christian, fun and an all-around humble nice guy. He had flawless character in each and every aspect of his life. He was honest, kind and exhibited integrity in all that he did. He was Valedictorian of Yukon High School in Yukon, Oklahoma, All-State Baseball Catcher, Academic All-Stater, Second Team All-American, Player of the Year for the Oklahoman, Player of the Year for the Coaches Association and the Jim Thorpe Player of the Year, just to name a few. He had high aspirations to play college baseball, pro-baseball and eventually be an orthopedic surgeon. All of these goals were within reach. He was heavily recruited by Division I schools, and pro baseball scouts had planned on drafting him on June 4th. He was a guy that everyone loved and could relate to, not a cocky athlete or an unapproachable intellectual; he was amazing.

You might notice that I keep using the words “had” and “was.”  My Mom and I received a phone call on June 3, 2002 that changed my life forever. This person, my brother, whom I looked up to more than anyone in my life, was driving his best friend and girlfriend home from work and was involved in a serious accident. It was 1:22 on a beautiful Monday afternoon, the Christian song “When the Rain Comes” was playing on the radio; it was just a normal day.  As he was showing his girlfriend an easier route to get home, suddenly tandem wheels broke off of an 18-wheeler and came hurtling toward them at a high speed. My brother had just seconds to react and turned the wheel where his side of the car would receive the entire impact. The car spun violently out of control resting near a concrete wall; a second 18-wheeler behind his car went into a jackknife but, luckily, was able to stop. My brother, my hero, was killed instantly. His girlfriend and best friend received minor injuries and were able to open their car doors and get safely out of the car. My brother had to be removed with the Jaws of Life. My brother was credited with saving both of their lives… some commented that he was “blocking to the very end,” since he was a catcher. The newspapers called him a hero, but he was my personal hero every day in my life.  The life I knew ended that day.  We had an incredible close-knit loving family that was extremely happy. We were all shattered. We were all changed forever. I never knew that I could experience a pain so deep. The memorial service the night before my brother’s funeral brought 500 friends that told story after story of the tremendous impact he had on their lives.  Over 2000 people attended his funeral.  I read from my brother’s daily devotional in front so many people who loved him. 

That day in June, I lost the person whose character I most admired, the person that I loved the most, and for me, this was a life-altering event. Through all of my grief, I made a conscious decision to not let this destroy me. My brother led such an incredible life in his short 18 years, and I knew I had to honor him and God with my own life. Through my daily tears, I became a better person, better student, better athlete, better Christian, better friend. I constantly had to remind myself that my brother would not have wanted his death to ruin my life, even though it easily could have. I chose the tougher path of living a life that would help others and be an encouragement and inspiration to those around me. My brother, my hero, prepared an incredible foundation for me that made my high school years easier.  This life-altering event of losing my hero in my life became a tragic building block for the rest of my life.