... a lot of photos from around town, taken during last week's snowfall. Here's one of mine, with a quote that expresses very well the quiet, the calm that morning around the campus of Midland College, where I work. It was a 'delayed opening' day, for our college students as well as the Midland ISD students who attend Early College High School on our campus ... which left the campus to me and our gorunds crews ... and contributed more-than-a-little to the sense of peace ildan writes about in the quote above.
As I noted before, it’s the start of a new year, and that means part of my Saturdays are spent in
gymnasiums … one in my church, and another in the public high school across the street. The Upward Basketball and Cheerleading season is well underway here, in Midland, Texas. Volunteers are helping the program in a lot of different ways … as coaches, referees, time/scorekeeprs, and
delivering devotionals to the fans during halftime breaks … I’m one of the volunteers doing the devotionals, and here was my presentation for
today, inspired by the story of a an alumnus of the college where I work …
Hello, everyone, and thank you for being here today for the kiddos ...
There's an old, old saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. And that's true, really ... too many people rely upon outward appearance, not taking the time or the effort to find out what's underneath, whether it's a book, or a car, or a person.
I work at Midland College, and over my years there, I have met some good people, had some good experiences, and heard some good stories ... one of my favorite stories involves a young man who came to Midland College to play basketball.
Anthony Webb was born in poverty, in the Dallas, Texas area. From an early age, he enjoyed playing basketball. He was quick, and he could really jump. But he was also short ... too short, many people said, to play basketball. He might never have gotten a chance to play even junior high basketball if two other players hadn't failed to meet exam requirements.
When he played, he played well. But over and over again, he had to work hard to prove to the skeptics that he could play basketball at the next level. He graduated from high school with an impressive varsity basketball record, averaging 26 points-per-game. But colleges - certainly the big schools - weren't interested ... except for Midland College, a two-year junior college, out in the middle of nowhere West Texas.
So, what happened? A national junior college championship for the team, and an MVP award and write-up in Sports Illustrated for Webb ... all of which attracted the attention of Coach Jim Valvano at North Carolina State University ... a chance for Webb to continue his education and his basketball at a four-year school.
The pro's came next .... with many scouts finding him too short to play professional basketball. But he was finally drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. Anthony "Spud" Webb played well enough to start for the Hawks, to be selected for the NBA All-Star game, and even compete in the Slam Dunk Contest ... which he won.
Not bad for someone who is five-foot, seven-inches tall.
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Don't focus solely on outward appearances.
In the second book of Corinthians, we read ...
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." – 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
Not a bad idea for basketball or anything you do in life, and what lies beyond ...
Thank you, everyone. Enjoy the game!
As I noted last week, it’s January, and that means part of my Saturdays are spent in
gymnasiums … one in my church, and another in the public high school
across the street. Upward Basketball and Cheerleading
season is underway here, in Midland, Texas. Volunteers are helping the program in a
lot of different ways … as coaches, referees, time/scorekeepers, and
delivering devotionals to the fans during halftime breaks … I’m one of
the volunteers doing the devotionals, and here was my presentation for
today, inspired by the fact that bad news here, in my part of western Texas - a motor vehicle accident that claimed ten lives, and effects of the continuing decline in oil prices - made it into national headlines this past week …
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you so much for being here today, rooting for your kiddos, and all the youngsters on the court ... another good day of Upward Sports here in Midland. And that's good news for our community.
You know, I used to make my living as a news editor, reporter and photographer, here in Midland and Odessa, and across West Texas. I'm not in that business any more, but I still follow the news closely ... Reading the newspapers, watching television and visiting websites.
Sometimes, that can be depressing ... terrorist attacks in Paris, airline crashes in Indonesia, and politicians in Washington bickering like children.
And, really, you don't have to go to the other side of the world for troubling news. Is it me, or is the local news filling more and more with stories of crime, and auto accidents, and fires, and hardship?
It's not a bad world we live in ... it's a good world ... BUT, it's a good world where bad things DO happen, and who can blame people for being cynical, depressed ... even afraid? I know this ... and you know what? God knows this, too. When our minds and our hearts are troubled by the bad things going on around us, when we're afraid, God has our back ...
In the Book of Isaiah, we read ...
"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous hand." – Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)
And remember ... GOOD things happen, too. Has anyone seen that report about those two young men who climbed up the sheer cliff face of Capitan, in Yosemite, with nothing but their hands and feet? Wow! And there are a lot of good people, and a lot of good things happening under this roof, in this gym, right here, right now. Let us all look for ways to do good, and to encourage others to do good, around the world and right here at home.
Thank you, everyone, enjoy the game!
It’s January, and that means part of my Saturdays are spent in
gymnasiums … one in my church, and another in the public high school
across the street. It’s the start of the Upward Basketball and Cheerleading
season here, in Midland, Texas. Volunteers are helping the program in a
lot of different ways … as coaches, referees, time/scorekeeprs, and
delivering devotionals to the fans during halftime breaks … I’m one of
the volunteers doing the devotionals, and here was my presentation for
today …
Good afternoon, everyone … and happy new year to all of you! Let me
have a show of hands here … how many of you made New Year ‘s Resolutions
for 2015? … okay … now, how many of you are still keeping those
resolutions?
Resolutions — looking at ourselves, looking around us and thinking,
“this could be better … I could do better” — resolutions are a good
thing to have … for ourselves, for our family and for our community. And
while resolutions have become a customary part of celebrating the new
year, they are a good thing any time of the year. On a Thursday
afternoon in November, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln spoke to a crowd
at a cemetery in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, honoring the soldiers who were
buried there, saying “we here highly resolve that these dead shall
not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new
birth of freedom.”
And you know what? God approves of resolutions, too … encouraging us
to put the past behind us, and move toward a better future …
“Don’t remember the prior things; don’t ponder ancient history. Look!
I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m
making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness.” – Isaiah 43:18-19 (CEB)
That kind of resolution could make for a great future … let’s all
resolve, all of us, right here-right now, across this great nation and
around the world, let us to meet that future together.
Thank you, everyone, enjoy the game!
