Overwhelmed

Do you ever just get to the point where you feel you just can't get it all done? I know you do - we all do. This is one of those times for me! Regular church ministry is enough to keep me busy, but now add my schoolwork (I'm behind in two classes and am struggling to catch up), yardwork (my mower is needing some repairs, thus we're behind in the yardwork category as well), home maintenance (I have 3 attic vent fans that have all burnt out at the same time and need to be replaced, and also a plumbing leak in the basement), baseball (which I guess I could cut out ... but right now that's my primary means of being involved in mission to the community), and most importantly I'm a husband and a dad (which must involve "quantity" time, not just "quality" time.) There's absolutely no way I'm going to be able to get all this done - unless God shows up and does something amazing.

While everything around me changes and gets in a mess, chiefly because of own doing, the one thing that remains constant is God's faithfulness. So as I face the impossible mountain of stuff I must do, I will believe that God's grace and strength is sufficient for me and that in my weakness He will be strong.

So if anything actually gets done in my life these days, realize that you better give God the credit ... I'm overwhelmed, immobilized, and inept ... God is gracious!

dependant on my dad,
Burt

Making me look bad!

For those of us with boys and girls who play baseball or softball, this is a very busy time of the year as we're out at the park several afternoons/nights a week. But deep down we enjoy it because we love seeing our kids play and have fun. Right now, Tanner and Yates are the two Boykins playing rightn now. Of course, sometimes it isn't so much fun - when our team loses or when our child doesn't perform as we think they should. It's a hard thing to deal with when your young budding athlete does something silly or sloppy on the field. I've heard other coaches actually say, "you better straighten up ... you're making me look bad ... you're making me look like I don't know anything about baseball." Though I haven't said those exact words, I've thought them ... and probably treated Tanner and Yates as though my whole self esteem rested on their performance.

This is where the Gospel actually means something. My worth and value don't hinge on what my kids do or don't do, only on what Christ did for me - He lived the life I should have lived and died the death I should have died. That's my worth!

headed to the ballfield,
Burt

Tuesday's Lunch

Today the staff went out to lunch . . . yeah, I know we're always "out to lunch" in a manner of speaking. But today was special - it was Debbie Landry's victory lunch! She absolutely crushed everyone else in our NCAA basketball tournament bracket pool . . . she had it won even before a final four game was ever played. Not only was she so far ahead at that point that nobody could catch her, she actually rubbed it in by picking Florida to win it all! Debbie "the victor" Landry should be your special guest next time you travel to Las Vegas!

I came in second, but being second only means you're the first loser! All the rest of us can talk, compare who did better, who picked what team to do what, and how close we were if only a few games would have turned out differently, but the truth remains that everyone else lost. I like to do that with other Christians - compare records of who did what, how much I do, how things would be different "if only ...," etc. But all that talk gains me about as much righteousness as does my boasting about being second on the staff tourney pool gains me a free lunch!

Praise God for Christ, for His righteousness, for His grace.

losing again,
Burt