What's In It For Me?

I think you better stay here Ray...

It's always been about you Ray.

Romans 7:14; 8

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.

Romans 7:14 

Life in the Spirit

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.1 2 For the law of hthe Spirit of life ihas set you2 free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For jGod has done what the law, kweakened by the flesh, lcould not do. mBy sending his own Son nin the likeness of sinful flesh and ofor sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that pthe righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, qwho walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For rthose who live according to the flesh set their minds on sthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on tthe things of the Spirit. 6 For to set uthe mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is vhostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; windeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact xthe Spirit of God dwells in you. yAnyone who does not have zthe Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of ahim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus4 from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies bthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers,5 we are debtors, cnot to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you dput to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are eled by the Spirit of God are fsons6 of God. 15 For gyou did not receive hthe spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of iadoption as sons, by whom we cry, j“Abba! Father!” 16 kThe Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then lheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, mprovided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future Glory

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time nare not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for othe revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation pwas subjected to futility, not willingly, but qbecause of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that rthe creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that sthe whole creation thas been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have uthe firstfruits of the Spirit, vgroan inwardly as wwe wait eagerly for adoption as sons, xthe redemption of our bodies. 24 For yin this hope we were saved. Now zhope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we await for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For bwe do not know what to pray for as we ought, but cthe Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And dhe who searches hearts knows what is ethe mind of the Spirit, because7 the Spirit fintercedes for the saints gaccording to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together hfor good,8 for ithose who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he jforeknew he also kpredestined lto be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be mthe firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also njustified, and those whom he justified he also oglorified.

God's Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? pIf God is for us, who can be9 against us? 32 qHe who did not spare his own Son but rgave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? sIt is God who justifies. 34 tWho is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—uwho is at the right hand of God, vwho indeed is interceding for us.10 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

w“For your sake xwe are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than yconquerors through zhim who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Lecrae - What I Been Missin'

This really touched me on what it means to surrender.  He didn't mention it but he lives his life with Christ at his center.  He went extreme as he could when he was younger and just said, "I was bought with a price."  Christ is his number one.  I pray that I'll be able to give it all to him.  I try a lot but never really surrender.  I need to.  Pray for me.  Its not easy.

Preview/Draft: Fieldy's Dream

I'm trying to get back into blogging and here is a preview of what I want my next post to be about.  Enjoy!

 

Carlos Beltran Part II ... No Hello

Carlos Beltran to the Giants.  Oh well, great move for San Fransisco adding some pop to the middle of a lineup that has lacked pop all year.  With what seems to have been pitching alone up to that point the Giants were (60-44) before Beltran got to town.  Even with Beltran going (0-4) with two strikeouts last night, Giants pitching overwhelmed the team with the best record in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies.  When Beltran hits, and he will, the Giants will be a tough team to beat down the stretch.

I am happy the Rangers didn't give up too much to get Beltran even though he would have added a whole other dynamic to our lineup - especially come playoff time.  Unlike in San Fransisco where he is batting third, Beltran probably would have only had to handle the pressure of batting seventh, being just another cog in our already powerful lineup.  His slugging percentage was so attractive but I still think the Rangers can win with a speedster manning the last outfield spot.  Chavez, Gentry and Murphy have all proven that they can get the job done and do it well.

There doesn't seem to be another outfield rental piece out on the market right now that would be worth the cost of prospects.  Hunter Pence still has a couple years left until he hits free agency and the Rangers already have Leonys Martin penciled in for next year with him killing the ball down in the minors.  Your also not going to ask Josh to play center all season next year so you probably can't figure Pence into the Ranger equation.  The Texas Rangers' offensive seems to be set unless Jon Daniels has some crazy move up his sleeve that we don't know about.  So onto the bullpen we go.

From what I've been hearing out 'there,' here is a list a potential pitching targets:

Starters Worth Mentioning:
Hiroki Kuroda, Jeremy Guthrie, Ubaldo Jimenez, Wandy Rodriguez, James Shields, Erik Bedard, John Danks, Carlos Zambrano

Relievers Worth Mentioning:
Koji Uehara, Heath Bell, Tyler Clippard, Mike Adams, Drew Storen, Andrew Bailey, Jon Rauch, Frank Fransisco, Grant Balfour

Someone Like You ... Carlos Beltran Part I

I am indeed warming to the idea of trading for New York Mets' outfielder Carlos Beltran as we are a week away from baseball's trade deadline Sunday at 3PM Central.  I have been in the boat that says we don't need another offensive piece because there is no room being it that we already have Endy Chavez, Craig Gentry and David Murphy behind Josh and Nelly.  That last sentence itself says there is room for upgrade.  I love what Endy and Graig have done as a dynamic duo in center field, each playing a crucial role on the Rangers 2011 road to the postseason.  Not to mention David Murphy, having played in over half the games this year, has been a key player for the Rangers since he arrived in the Eric Gagne trade back at the deadline in 2006.

I am all for the strategy involved in baseball that is switching players in and out of the lineup.  It is fun to watch when you understand match-ups and ultimately to keep your strong bench involved and ready.  Rick Carlisle preached the need for every player to always be ready on the Mavericks and it made the team strong top to bottom.  Ron Washington believes in every one of his players and works everyone of them into games consistently throughout the season.

If you brought in Carlos Beltran though, the Rangers would know their starting outfield every postseason game that the played.  Beltran switch hits and is having a phenomenal year, almost a throwback to what he was when the Mets originally signed him.  Is a Beltran move necessary to the Rangers success this year?  Is it going to prove a valuable move in what it will cost you in prospects?  That is the most important question.

Ben Does Life: One Man's 120 Pound Journey

I was watching an episode of Rangers Insider the other day with Rick Renner from Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas.  Something like nine of the players on the Texas Rangers 25 man roster came to the Rangers after having played for the Frisco Rough Riders.  I've got to get myself out to one of those games to watch future MLB superstars like Leonys Martin, Engle Beltre and Martin Perez with the addition of Robbie Erlin and Mike Olt making their way pretty soon.

Listening to different Rangers talk about their path to the "Bigs" was pretty interesting as Rangers such as David Murphy (Red Sox/Rangers systems), Mitch Moreland (Rangers system only) and Josh Hamilton (Devil Rays/3 years out of baseball/straight to Reds Big Club).  Josh Hamilton put his journey this way, paraphrased, "I spent the first few years with baseball as my number one priority.  It wasn't until three years out of baseball that I couldn't make it by myself.  It was only when I put my relationship with Christ at number one that I was able to make it."  Powerful stuff coming from a historic drug abuser turned sober cross-carrying MVP.

I used the app StumbleUpon on my computer to literally stumble across this next video.  This dude Ben Davis talks about being inspired.  On Christmas Day 2008, he was inspired to get a grip on his weight and depression.  He had made a promise to his grandma and now he is now doing the inspiring.

Brian Wilson: Rage Platform

While I like to talk baseball and discuss my personal thoughts and opinions on the game I also try to incorporate my personal relationship with Jesus Christ into my blogging, whether it be a post about baseball players who influence me or simply songs that inspire me.  I don't think that God has plans for me to be a preacher or even a teacher to some extent but I do believe the Lord has put in me the ability to share His Word.  I am taking strides in my life to develop and continue to grow my relationship with the Lord and even though I do stumble and come up short of his desires for my life He continues to work in me.

I am a baseball fan if you didn't notice by my web page design.  How could I not know more about this guy Brian Wilson?  I now know who Brian Wilson the Major League Baseball player is especially after watching him be utterly dominant throughout the postseason eventually striking out Nelson Cruz to end my beloved Texas Rangers' World Series Championship run.  It was a sad moment for me and all Rangers fans.  After that final pitch, as he does after every successful game, Brian Wilson turns around touches his wrist, puts a circle to his mouth, makes an X with his arms pointed to the sky and looks up.  This is not a taunt to anybody but instead something he started to do for himself and has ended up being the platform he uses for the whole world to see.

My friends at home are great at finding random website links through a multitude of sources. I went back this spring break knowing I'd see more.  One of my friends who is all about Deadspin articles told me about Brian Wilson and The Machine.  Now, this wasn't the first time I had heard about them and I guess I might have been more informed about who or what they are if I hadn't been working all summer at a camp where I had minimal access to the internet.  Even just recently, before Spring Break, MLB 2K11 has been running their promotional campaign for the game with Brian Wilson being a key cog in the process.  After seeing him on TV so many times I started thinking, "That guy is so cool... even though he's on the Giants and they beat the Rangers and... they beat the Rangers."  Infatuated with the dude's persona I thought it only made sense to do the mo-hawk because I was already trying to find a way to cut my hair short.

This is the video that had me cracking up!

After going through many a YouTube video I saw his interview with Jay Leno.  He wasn't being funny (funny as usual) but had more of a talk show talk thing going.  Leno asked Wilson about about his postgame X thing he does and he explained that it was for The One God and his father who passed away when he was 17.  That floored me!  I was like "WOW!  This crazy dude has a relationship with the same God I do!? Are we talking about the same Savior here?  I can see it but let me dig a little deeper."  So I googled Brian Wilson Christian and this was the first video that popped up and I felt overjoyed.

Praise Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior!

Two "New" Songs w/ Lyrics

Above Golden State:  I'll Love You So

 

Toby Mac:  Lose My Soul

Chris Tomlin - Our God

This might be one of my new favorite songs.  I have to say I like the live version better than the studio one - more fire powah!  Great song especially when it goes to the interlude,

And if our God is for us,

then who could ever stop us?

Quick note, I was listening to the song and questioned what Tomlin was saying about our God is greater, stronger and higher than any other [god?] and then I read the verse:

For the LORD is the great God,

the great King above all gods.

In His hands are the depths of the earth,

and the Mountain peaks belong to Him,

the sea is His,

He made it,

and with His hands He formed the dry land

Psalms 93: 3-5

When you watch the video read some of the verses.

Here's the video. Enjoy: