Being All Things to All Men

I Corinthians 9:22: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 

My Christian friends that I see that are taking one side and shutting down / shutting out / blocking out those with opposing views - is this the life Jesus wants us to live? Taking a stand that half the population disagrees with? How does this lifestyle jive with this verse? Sadly, some may even disagree with my pastor's statement...

On Tuesday VP JD Vance went on The View, Glenn Beck, The Five, and Gutfield. Maybe other shows as well. Last week he was on Jesse Waters. He’s not afraid to discuss issues with anyone, and he does so with graciousness and respect. 

Will JD be the 2028 Republican nominee, or will it be Marco Rubio? Will Latinos who previously voted Democrat cross the aisle to support their countryman? I just hope voters are not turned off by Vance and Rubio's bold Christian values. 

Denison on the Giants who wrote Bible verses on their caps.

Thursday: doctor, Dollar Tree, Longhorn with Shawn, Lee, and Reid, Dairy Queen for the 50 cent lemonade cooler, Kroger, and Publix.

Friday: two Goodwills, Dairy Queen, McDonalds, BP, Dollar Tree, haircut, and a sauna at the gym. Later to WalMart.

Do the Braves Need More Pitching?

You can never have enough pitching. Ever since Bobby Cox returned to Atlanta from Toronto, as GM, the organization has made it a priority to draft and develop as many young pitchers as possible. A much better method than to trade for or sign as a free agent. 

Sure the Braves need more pitchers. They always do. That said, exactly how many starting pitchers do they currently have?

Starting pitchers: Sale Holmes Lopez Ritchie Elder Perez

Injured: Strider Schwellenbach AJSS Waldrep 

That’s ten starters, not including rookie sensation Didier Fuentes. That’s why I had no problems with GM AA not trading prospects for a starting pitcher this past offseason. 

I saw a trade proposal where the Braves up three prospects that I’d never heard of. I wouldn’t mind that kind of trade. 

Also missing time with injuries: Acuna, Baldwin, Murphy, Harris, Kim, and Profar. Add the four injured starters, and that’s ten front line players missing chunks of time. No wonder they're finally cooling off, you think?

Albies and Baldwin and Acuna leading the NL All Star voting, with Olson trailing Freddie at first base. Cool All Star posters the Braves graphics department put out this year.

WILLIE MAYS  [SABR Bio] Though no official box score survives to validate it, Retrosheet has uncovered a  game account indicating that 17-year-old Willie Mays—playing for the Birmingham Black Barons—hit his first professional home run on 11-Aug-1948 off veteran Negro League pitcher Chet Brewer. Mays clearly recalls Brewer drilling him in the arm with a fastball in his next plate appearance. The impact was so severe it sent Mays to the ground in tears, an incident often cited as a “welcome to the league” moment for the future Hall of Famer. Mays received a telegram from Brewer later that said “Dear Willie. Sorry. Whitey”.  Whitey was Brewer's nickname. Going up to bat in the 12th inning of Game 2 of the 1973 World Series, Mays reportedly told Oakland catcher Ray Fosse, “Ray, it's tough to see the ball with that background. I hope Rollie (Fingers) doesn't throw me any fastballs.”  Believing Mays couldn't catch up to the heat, Fosse called for a fastball, which Mays promptly hit for a single over Finger's head to drive in the go-ahead run in a 10-7 Mets victory. It would be the final hit of  Mays' major league career.

I was never a big Roger Clemens fan. Racked up Cy Young awards while sucking on steroids, jumping from the Red Sox to Jays to the Yankees to the Astros. But it blew my socks off when he came to the support of the Christians taking a stand on the Giants.

I make it a practice to not watch the college World Series, so me watching three of the Dawgs games in Omaha has probably put the hex on them. Can’t believe Tim Kurtz didn’t make it out to Omaha.

Glad Carolina won the Stanley Cup, since Matthew has been following them all year. He’s constantly wearing their jerseys - he has 2 or 3 different Canes jerseys, plus two other hockey jerseys. He’s becoming a regular Uncle Joey. 

Denison: how a mother prevented an attack on our nation’s capital.

Benefits of Sauna

Benefits of sauna: if anyone asks, here's the list. 

improved cardiovascular health, reduced inflammation, enhanced muscle recovery, boosts circulation, promotes the release of feel good endorphins, significantly lowers long term risks of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and cognitive decline. 

Combats stress linked to chronic illness. Eases soreness and relieves chronic pain. Improves sleep. Flushes out dirt from pores, and brings vital nutrients to your skin. Lowers cortisol. 

For maximum cardiovascular and longevity benefit, science favors 4-7 sessions per week lasting 20-30 minutes.

ATLANTA'S NEWS FIRST: the Olympic Cauldron is moving to Centennial Olympic Park (but not the scaffolding and tower). The caldron had been the gateway to the revitalized Summerhill community, and they dislike the move.

Denison: Elon Musk becomes the world’s first trillionaire. Me: and boy are some people jealous.

MIKE HAMPTON [Wiki Bio] on 09-Aug-2001, Hampton hit his 7th home run of the season, tying Don Newcombe (1955) & Don Drysdale (1958, 1965) for most HR in a season by an NL pitcher. Hampton debuted with SEA in 1993. In 1999, pitching for HOU, Hampton led the NL with 22 wins and finished behind only Randy Johnson in CYA voting. That same season, he also had 23 hits & 10 RBI as a batter. 2 Hampton and his wife Katia offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who could assist in finding 9-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford, who went missing from his hometown of Homosassa Florida during Spring Training 2005. The girl was a classmate of Hampton’s son. 

Top Return Men?

Some yahoo rated the top NFL return men OF ALL TIME. They messed up the graphic, not using the uniform that some players were best known for. 

Used a rendering of Bob Hayes with Billy Johnson's name. Let's see how they stack up. Hayes, while dangerous, only tallied 1739 career return yards.

Though not listed, Herschel's 18168 career all purpose yards were the most among elite return men until Brian Mitchell retired in 2003. 

Not really sure why Tim Brown was included on this list.  

While dangerous, Deion Sanders only amassed 5722 return yards - fewer than any in the group except Upchurch and Sayers (who played half as many years as Deion).

Yards TD YR APYd last year

03172 08 07 09435 1969 Gale Sayers, Bears (3)

01739 03 11 09221 1974 Bob Hayes, Cowboys (NR)

05363 08 09 10081 1983 Rick Upchurch, Broncos (7)

06258 08 14 10785 1988 Billy White Shoes Johnson, Oilers (5)

05084 02 12 18168 1997 Herschel Walker, Cowboys (NR)

13003 09 12 13279 1997 Mel Gray DET NO HOU PHI (11)

10854 08 11 12519 2002 Desmond Howard, Packers (10)

09266 12 13 17230 2002 Eric Metcalf, Cardinals (8)

19013 13 14 23330 2003 Brian Mitchell, Redskins (4)

05722 09 14 07838 2004 Deion Sanders, Falcons (2)

04555 02 17 19682 2004 Tim Brown, Raiders (14)

12397 12 09 14386 2008 Dante Hill, Chiefs (6)

13488 11 10 15453 2014 Josh Cribbs, Browns (13)

11028 19 11 14455 2016 Devin Hester, Bears (1)

11313 09 14 19696 2019 Darren Sporles, Saints (12)

08631 06 13 11830 2022 Andre Roberts, Cardinals (15)

08229 09 12 13768 2024 Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons (9)

Article: in a development stirring profound biblical anticipation, the Temple Institute has announced the birth of a flawless, pure red heifer calf named Tamima in Israel's Galilee Mountains—a rare red offspring from artificial insemination that experts have certified as meeting the ancient requirements of Numbers 19 for ritual purification essential to Temple service. Amid ongoing efforts to prepare for renewed Temple worship, this raises powerful questions about its timing and potential role in heralding national transformation and prophetic fulfillment in these end times.

Pitchers with Multiple Silver Slugger Awards—a list unlikely to grow. 

 

Pitcher                      #     Years    Career ERA Career WAR

Madison Bumgarner..2...2014 2015....................3.47.... 37.2

Bob Forsch.............. 2...1980 1987....................3.76.... 24.6

Tom Glavine............. 4...1991 1995 1996 1998...3.54.... 80.7

Zack Greinke............2....2013 2019....................3.49.... 77.4

Mike Hampton.......... 5...1999-2003....................4.06.... 28.2

Rich Rhoden.............3...1984 1985 1986............3.59.... 35.4

Don Robinson..........3....1981 1987....................3.79.... 17.4

Fernando Valenzuela 2...1981 1983....................3.54.... 41.5

Carlos Zambrano......3...2006 2008 2009............3.66.... 43.9

Denison: Iran has been at war with us longer than we have been at war with them.

Moses Parts the Red Sea

Clay Smith JFBC 

Moses and the Red Sea Exodus 14:1-9 

Summer sermon series: Classic stories of the Bible 

The word Sophomore means “wise fool” - the people in Exodus are acting like wise fools. 

In the book of Genesis we learn of God’s covenant with Abraham. Then 400 years passed. God tells Pharaoh to let God’s people go. So the Egyptians and Israel will know who God’s people are. God leads them out to the Red Sea, where they are trapped. 

This story reminds us of God’s faithfulness. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. 600 chariots went out. The situation seemed hopeless. There was nowhere to look - except to look to God. 

The people were not devoted followers of God. Ten plagues. Darkness, frogs, etc. Finally pharaoh let them go. 

God is the central character, and God gets the glory, and the people know who God is. The people could point to the miraculous things happening, that’s how they knew that God was present. 

Hab 2:14 God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Why did Pharaoh chase the people? We depend on God more when we are trapped. 

v 10-19 it would be better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert. They’d be more comfortable. Worse to live in the fear of their panic. They blamed Moses. Leadership may include disappointing people. Finally they cried out to the Lord. He answered, though in an unconventional way. 

v 13-14. 

1. Stop fearing. 

2. Stand firm. 

3. See God’s salvation. 

We have a God who fights for you. 

1. God will not let sin into His presence. 

2. Man is sinful. 

3. Christ is the answer. 

4. Faith is how we receive Christ. 

When Jesus died on the cross our sins are forgiven, and Christ’s righteousness. 

Look at these stories on two levels… 

1. The upper story of who God is. 

2. Obeying God despite the view from our level. Going forward even though it looks difficult. Continuing to move forward, like salmon. 

v 19 Moses parted the Red Sea. Aren’t you glad to serve a God who removes us from our enemies, who gets between our enemies and us. God told Moses to stretch out his hand so the waters would come back over the Egyptians. Don’t belittle God’s power. 

v 29 God’s people walked on dry land. It was a miracle. All night the wind blew. This was nothing compared to God creating the heavens and the earth. The point of the miracle is to glorify God. 

v 30-31 conclusion - like this passage, many times we can feel trapped. Continue to trust and follow God. 

1 Peter 2 God saved us so we could be God’s people. God had grace even though we didn’t deserve it. 

Psalm 103 God doesn’t deal with us based on our sins, God forgives and is gracious. 

Lord what do you want me to do, based on this message? Only God is worthy of worship. Stop fearing and stand firm. 

Climb Every Mountain

With two dogs in the house, last night after lights out there was a lot of barking. I would up sleeping downstairs on the couch with Goose. Probably got more sleep than I would've in bed. Haven't been sleeping well lately. Been drinking too much caffeine.

Up early to hike Kennesaw Mountain. Hiked to the top, then down the other side, then up to the summit of Little Kennesaw Mountain. On the way back David Cox requested that we take the road down to the parking lot. Made for an easier walk, but it was slightly longer. Had a nice overlook of Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead (above). A total of over 4 miles. My back hurt most of the way.

Our little band of brothers is growing: Lee, Dan, Reid, Steve, Robert (below), plus Brian and three of us Davids. I was taking a picture of the guys and cannons on top of Little Kennesaw, but they made me take a selfie instead.

I wasn't much good for the rest of the day. Drove Ceil to Publix, Home Depot, and Whole Foods. Walked the dogs. Unloaded the seven heavy bags of mulch from the car. Lots of time out in the hot sun. Took a nap. Did laundry.

Tonight I took Ceil to her favorite restaurant - Nahm Fine Thai, up on Windward Parkway. Excellent food. Anna was blasting Ceil's phone with Miller pictures.

A&C made it to the beach, just outside of Charleston.

Baby Miller seemed to like the ocean breeze in her face, and took her first dip into the ocean.

Saw where a technical was called on Caitlin for complaining after being mugged by 3 or 4 defenders, without a foul being called on any of them. Unlike Bobby Cox, the Fever coach didn't come to the defense of her top player.

Will Taylor Win the EGOT?

There have been 22 winners of the elusive EGOT - winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Now Taylor Swift has a song in Toy Story 5 that just might win her the best original song Oscar. Could she be next? 

She would join Richard Rogers, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Whoopi Goldberg, Scott Ridin, Robert Lopez, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Tim Rice, John Legend, Alan Menkin, Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis, Elton John, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Stephen Speilberg. 

Just this week Speilberg introduced Swift at the American Songwiters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. She also sang with 82 year old Randy Newman, who wrote and sang the original Toy Story song You've Got a Friend in Me?

Six artists have "honorary" EGOTs: Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, James Earl Jones, Harry Belafonte, Quincy Jones, and Frank Marshall.   

Steve Martin as won an Emmy, five Grammys, an honorary Oscar, and has been nominated for two Tony Awards.

Lots of buzz about the opening of Toy Story 5, which centers around Cowgirl Jesse, voiced my the reclusive Joan Cusack. Joan had skipped the Toy Story 4 premiere, but since Jesse is the star of 5, Joan joined Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and new cast member Conan O'Brien at the premiere.

Looks like the Knicks are in the catbird seat.

Friday: tried to take it easy. I'm just tired from being so active. Hips are sore and my pulled lat isn't healing quickly. C went to the gym. When I arrived she was on a treadmill, so I joined her there. Later we hopped in the sauna.

Left the Y and drove south on Johnson Ferry the five miles to Lower Roswell Road. Gridlock. Caught almost every light, sometimes twice. Took like 30 minutes. Might've been quicker to take back roads.

  

Grabbed a dollar burrito at Taco Bell, plus a free senior citizen soft drink. Later I drove Ceil into Roswell to buy an ice cream maker. She only uses organic ingredients, so there's no telling how expensive this ice cream is gonna be. 

Got home and realized that it was the last day of early voting, so we drove back to Lower Roswell for that. Leftovers for supper.

 

Should the Hawks Retire Trae's Number?

Should the Hawks retire Trae Young’s number? Some say yes. Seriously?

They ask what Dikembe and Maravich ever did to get their numbers retired. For starters, the fans loved them. Was Trae loved by the fan base? Did Trae endear himself to the fans, or more often let them down? Was he too often injured when he was needed for key games and situations? Compared to the same for Deke and the Pistol? 

While I’m not sure what prompted the Hawks to retire the numbers they did. Maravich was named to both the 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Will Trae receive a similar honor?

Maravich also had his number retired by the Jazz and Pelicans. Mutombo also had his number retired by the Nuggets. 

In eight seasons Trae was named to the NBA all star team four times - BUT twice he was named as an injury replacement. He led the NBA in assists once. All NBA 3rd team once. 

Maravich was an All Star in 5 of his first 8 seasons. Led the NBA in scoring. Twice made All NBA first team, and twice All NBA second team.

Mutombo was an 8 time All Star (four times with the Hawks), named defensive player of the year 4 times (twice with the Hawks), led the NBA in rebounds twice (with the Hawks), and in blocked shots three times. All NBA second team once, and third team twice. 

In college Trae made one All America team, and led the nation in scoring with a 27.4 average. Maravich was a three time All America, and led the nation in scoring all three years with averages of 43.8, 44.2, and 44.5 ppg - setting scoring records that have remained untouched for almost 60 years. 

Maravich, Mutombo, and Dominique are in the basketball hall of fame. Will Trae receive such an honor? Reddit doesn't think so. Of all the halls of fames, the basketball hall seems easiest to get into.

Some yahoos said if Dominique’s number was retired, then Trae’s should be as well. Don’t get me started on that comparison. Wilkins was a 9 time All Star, led the NBA in scoring, made the NBA 75th anniversary team, won the dunk contest, and was all NBA first team once, 2nd team four times, and 3rd team twice.

Some reason that Trae's Hawks once fell just short of the NBA Finals. His number should be retired for that?

Remember Zestos?

Zestos is rolling out a competition of sorts: eat eight of their classic items in 30 minutes. You gotta pay $50 to try - that's $6.25 per item. Less than 4 minutes per item. Man last month at Shake Shack it was all I could do to eat four items. Zestos is down to two Atlanta locations: East Atlanta and Forest Park.

My other current food deals:

Shake Shack free burger with purchase off their BBQ burger menu ($10 min). I'll probably pass.

Dairy Queen $1 dipped cone.

Taco Bell a cravings menu item for $1.00

RaceTrac free soft drink. 

Whataburger free burger with purchase of a medium fries and drink (<$6). This deal is ongoing, as long as you keep taking the survey on the receipt. Cash in on June 11 for a free mini soccer ball. 

George Ewing caught a baby shark off Pawley's Island.

Ronald Acuna is on the disabled list. Again. Pulled his hamstring running to first base, so it wouldn't have helped to make him a designated hitter, though his defense has trended toward lackadaisical lately. Love having his strong arm in right field. But how can you pay him superstar money when he's missing so many games?

In eight seasons, Ronald has twice played at least 156 games, and no more than 119 in the other six. He's missed 36% of the games. For better or worse, several teams would love to overpay Acuna: the Mets, Yankees, and Dodgers for starters. More casual fans would say, sure, back up the truck, since it's not their money.

A big comeback by the Knicks last night. Crazy that they lead the series 3-1 and could close out.

Met my friends Lee and Reid for lunch at Taqueria Tsunami today, so I didn't go to the gym until afterwards. I pulled a lateral muscle in my back about a week ago, making it painful to move around. I'm putting off golf until it gets better. Also weightlifting. 

Article: a report claims many mosques have closed and Christianity is soaring in Iran, while Islam is in decline.

Article: does a movie about discovery of alien life threaten Christianity? A Christian Response to Disclosure Day, by my social media friend Elizabeth Prata.

TOM GLAVINE  [SABR Bio] gave up a record seven consecutive hits in an All-Star game. Glavine had not lost a game in nearly 2 months. Then, in the 1992 ASG, he was beaten in the first 20 minutes. In the top of the first he gave up successive hits to Boggs, Puckett, Carter, McGwire, Ripken, Griffey Jr., & Alomar Jr. Four runs scored. Glavine played for the Mets from 2003-2007. He won 20 games in a season five times, leading the majors four times. Won 20 games in 1991 (20), 1992 (20), 1993 (22), 1998 (20), and 2000 (21). In each of the last 3 years he had just 4 complete games, which would lead the league today. He won the World Series WS MVP in 1995 and won the Cy Young Award in 1991.

    Quote for the day: “The command of Jesus is hard, unutterably hard, for those who try to resist it. But for those who willingly submit, the yoke is easy, and the burden is light.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer.