Just Lunch
4 days ago
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Day Before Day of Prayer
Fellow blogger Albone has designated tomorrow, March 1, as a day of prayer in the blogosphere, so today is a day for making prayer requests. Feel free to leave yours here; I'll post mine later tonight when I have more time.
Friday, February 24, 2006
I Love This Game!
Autistic teen's 20-point night touches all
Associated Press
GREECE, N.Y. -- Jason McElwain had done everything he was asked to do for the Greece Athena High School basketball team -- keep the stats, run the clock, hand out water bottles.
That all changed last week for the team manager in the final home game of the season. The 17-year-old senior, who is autistic and usually sits on the bench in a white shirt and black tie, put on a uniform and entered the game with his team way ahead.
McElwain proceeded to hit six 3-point shots, finished with 20 points and was carried off the court on his teammates' shoulders.
"I ended my career on the right note," he told The Associated Press by phone Thursday. "I was really hotter than a pistol!"
In recent days, McElwain's phone has hardly stopped ringing. When his family went out for a meal, he was mobbed by well-wishers. A neighborhood boy came by to get a basketball autographed.
McElwain, 5-foot-6, was considered too small to make the junior varsity, so he signed on as team manager. He took up the same role with the varsity, doing anything to stay near the sport he loves. Coach Jim Johnson was impressed with his dedication, and thought about suiting up McElwain for the home finale.
His performance was jaw-dropping: 20 points in four minutes, making 6-of-10 3-point shots. The crowd went wild.
"It was as touching as any moment I have ever had in sports," Johnson told the Daily Messenger of Canandaigua.
McElwain didn't begin speaking until he was 5. He lacked social skills but things got easier as he got older. He found many friends and made his way through school in this Rochester suburb, although many of his classes were limited to a half-dozen students. And he found basketball.
On the varsity, he never misses practice and is a jack-of-all-trades.
"And he is happy to do it," Johnson said. "He is such a great help and is well-liked by everyone on the team."
Even though McElwain was in uniform for the Feb. 15 game, there was no guarantee he would play -- Athena was battling for a division title.
The fans, however, came prepared. One section of students held up signs bearing his nickname "J-MAC" and cutouts of his face placed on Popsicle sticks.
The Trojans opened a large lead against the team from the nearby Spencerport. With four minutes left, McElwain took the court to deafening cheers.
The ball came to him almost right away. His 3-point shot sailed completely off course, and the coach wondered if he made the wrong move. McElwain then missed a layup. Yet his father, David, was unruffled.
"The thing about Jason is he isn't afraid of anything," he told the newspaper. "He doesn't care what people think about him. He is his own person."
On the next trip down the floor, McElwain got the ball again. This time he stroked a 3, all net.
He was just warming up.
"As soon as the first shot went in that's when I started to get going," he said.
On the next attempt, he got another 3-pointer. Then another, and another. In fact, he would have made one more 3, but his foot was on the line, so he had to settle for 2 points.
Greece Athena won 79-43, and pandemonium reigned. McElwain signed autographs, posed for pictures and was hoisted by his teammates.
The Trojans begin sectional play Saturday and McElwain will be on the bench again, wearing his usual shirt and tie.
It doesn't bother him. More important, he said, is "trying to win a sectional title for the team."
McElwain will soon be done with high school basketball, then enroll in business management this fall at Monroe Community College.
"I'll go on to college and I'll try to hoop there," he said. "I just love it, it's one of the greatest sports in the world."
Associated Press
GREECE, N.Y. -- Jason McElwain had done everything he was asked to do for the Greece Athena High School basketball team -- keep the stats, run the clock, hand out water bottles.
That all changed last week for the team manager in the final home game of the season. The 17-year-old senior, who is autistic and usually sits on the bench in a white shirt and black tie, put on a uniform and entered the game with his team way ahead.
McElwain proceeded to hit six 3-point shots, finished with 20 points and was carried off the court on his teammates' shoulders.
"I ended my career on the right note," he told The Associated Press by phone Thursday. "I was really hotter than a pistol!"
In recent days, McElwain's phone has hardly stopped ringing. When his family went out for a meal, he was mobbed by well-wishers. A neighborhood boy came by to get a basketball autographed.
McElwain, 5-foot-6, was considered too small to make the junior varsity, so he signed on as team manager. He took up the same role with the varsity, doing anything to stay near the sport he loves. Coach Jim Johnson was impressed with his dedication, and thought about suiting up McElwain for the home finale.
His performance was jaw-dropping: 20 points in four minutes, making 6-of-10 3-point shots. The crowd went wild.
"It was as touching as any moment I have ever had in sports," Johnson told the Daily Messenger of Canandaigua.
McElwain didn't begin speaking until he was 5. He lacked social skills but things got easier as he got older. He found many friends and made his way through school in this Rochester suburb, although many of his classes were limited to a half-dozen students. And he found basketball.
On the varsity, he never misses practice and is a jack-of-all-trades.
"And he is happy to do it," Johnson said. "He is such a great help and is well-liked by everyone on the team."
Even though McElwain was in uniform for the Feb. 15 game, there was no guarantee he would play -- Athena was battling for a division title.
The fans, however, came prepared. One section of students held up signs bearing his nickname "J-MAC" and cutouts of his face placed on Popsicle sticks.
The Trojans opened a large lead against the team from the nearby Spencerport. With four minutes left, McElwain took the court to deafening cheers.
The ball came to him almost right away. His 3-point shot sailed completely off course, and the coach wondered if he made the wrong move. McElwain then missed a layup. Yet his father, David, was unruffled.
"The thing about Jason is he isn't afraid of anything," he told the newspaper. "He doesn't care what people think about him. He is his own person."
On the next trip down the floor, McElwain got the ball again. This time he stroked a 3, all net.
He was just warming up.
"As soon as the first shot went in that's when I started to get going," he said.
On the next attempt, he got another 3-pointer. Then another, and another. In fact, he would have made one more 3, but his foot was on the line, so he had to settle for 2 points.
Greece Athena won 79-43, and pandemonium reigned. McElwain signed autographs, posed for pictures and was hoisted by his teammates.
The Trojans begin sectional play Saturday and McElwain will be on the bench again, wearing his usual shirt and tie.
It doesn't bother him. More important, he said, is "trying to win a sectional title for the team."
McElwain will soon be done with high school basketball, then enroll in business management this fall at Monroe Community College.
"I'll go on to college and I'll try to hoop there," he said. "I just love it, it's one of the greatest sports in the world."
Rainy Day Ahead
Tomorrow's forecast is calling for a 100% chance of rain, all day. It seems like every weekend for the past couple of months or so we've had rain, which has frustrated my intentions to finally clear the leaves out of my yard and kill the weeds that are sprouting up. But I'm actually looking forward to a rainy day.
I don't have to be anywhere tomorrow. I did my grocery shopping last night, made my Target run earlier in the week. So my plans for tomorrow are to sleep late (which, in my case, usually means 8:00!), enjoy a big cup of coffee while I read the newspaper, veg out on HGTV, pop a couple of movies in the DVD player, and lounge around.
Oh yeah, I do plan to do some things around the house--clean my bathroom, gather all my info for doing my taxes, maybe give my dog a bath. But a rainy day invites leisure, invites me to relax and not feel guilty that I'm not slaving away in my yard or driving all over town running errands. Rain invites me to slow down, and that is sometimes a much-needed break, especially after a stressful week.
When we experience spiritual "rain" in our lives, when everything is not sunny and bright, perhaps that is God's way of inviting us to slow down as well. Our bodies, minds and souls all need a sabbath, all need to relax and release our worries and stress to Him.
No matter the weather is where you are, I hope you have a relaxing weekend!
I don't have to be anywhere tomorrow. I did my grocery shopping last night, made my Target run earlier in the week. So my plans for tomorrow are to sleep late (which, in my case, usually means 8:00!), enjoy a big cup of coffee while I read the newspaper, veg out on HGTV, pop a couple of movies in the DVD player, and lounge around.
Oh yeah, I do plan to do some things around the house--clean my bathroom, gather all my info for doing my taxes, maybe give my dog a bath. But a rainy day invites leisure, invites me to relax and not feel guilty that I'm not slaving away in my yard or driving all over town running errands. Rain invites me to slow down, and that is sometimes a much-needed break, especially after a stressful week.
When we experience spiritual "rain" in our lives, when everything is not sunny and bright, perhaps that is God's way of inviting us to slow down as well. Our bodies, minds and souls all need a sabbath, all need to relax and release our worries and stress to Him.
No matter the weather is where you are, I hope you have a relaxing weekend!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Slow Down!
LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.
My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.
We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.
(Psalm 39:4-7)
My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.
We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.
(Psalm 39:4-7)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Consider the Lilies
The other day my sweet boyfriend gave me these beautiful lilies. They're now sitting on my dining room table, which I walk by several times a day. Each time I pass them, I admire their beauty, inhale their fragrance.
This week is a stressful one. I've had car repairs to deal with, and I'm working on a deadline for a publication at work, which is taking way longer than I intended. Poor time management has caught up with me. It's frustrating. And so easy to worry about.
The lilies have been a visual reminder of the passage in Matthew 6 that addresses worry:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:25-34)
Beautiful flowers, and an even more beautiful reminder to let God handle my worries and stress.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Little Gestures, Big Impact
Tonight my friend Aleah and I were privileged to hear our friend and fellow blogger extraordinaire Jon Owen speak to the Landmark college group. Since Aleah are both--ahem--well past college age, we felt a little awkward crashing the college class. Thankfully, no one called us "Ma'am" or tried to direct us to the old fogies class. In fact, one young man asked us what college(s) we were attending. Bless his heart. Of course, he was wearing glasses so there's a chance that his prescription was way overdue for an update, but we prefer to think that we don't look as old as we feel.
But I digress...Being amidst all the college students reminded me of my days in college. I was notorious among my friends for receiving mail nearly every single day. Thanks in large part to my loving family and a few magazine subscriptions, rarely a day went by that I didn't receive a letter, package, magazine, or some other piece of mail.
One of the most memorable pieces of mail I received while in college was during my freshman year. An acquaintance from back home, an older (as in late 20s at the time) woman who our family had known for many years, sent me a kind note of encouragement and a book of stamps. It probably cost her all of $5, but to a perpetually broke college freshman, those stamps were like gold. I'm not sure if it was actually a bribe from my mother so I'd write home more often, but if it was, I'm sure it worked.
A small gesture, to be sure, but one that I still remember more than a decade later. I didn't keep the note that Sonya wrote me, but throughout the past 10 years or so I've accumulated a box of letters and cards given to me from friends and family. Some are funny, most are sweet. Some are cards of comfort and encouragement, sent or given at just the right time. Some are cards that just say thank you. Again, those cards didn't cost much, may not have taken much time to write, but I treasure them.
Sometimes, it's the little things that you give others that mean the most. Today I shared a piece of chocolate with a co-worker of mine. Big deal, right? Well, I consider myself a chocoholic, so this was a sacrifice on my part. My co-worker is not a Christian. Who knows what impact this tiny gesture will have on her?
I want to do more to impact my world. I want to make a BIG impact. But sometimes those big impacts start small. I need to remember that God can use even the tiniest of circumstances to do big things.
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Col. 3:17, emphasis mine)
But I digress...Being amidst all the college students reminded me of my days in college. I was notorious among my friends for receiving mail nearly every single day. Thanks in large part to my loving family and a few magazine subscriptions, rarely a day went by that I didn't receive a letter, package, magazine, or some other piece of mail.
One of the most memorable pieces of mail I received while in college was during my freshman year. An acquaintance from back home, an older (as in late 20s at the time) woman who our family had known for many years, sent me a kind note of encouragement and a book of stamps. It probably cost her all of $5, but to a perpetually broke college freshman, those stamps were like gold. I'm not sure if it was actually a bribe from my mother so I'd write home more often, but if it was, I'm sure it worked.
A small gesture, to be sure, but one that I still remember more than a decade later. I didn't keep the note that Sonya wrote me, but throughout the past 10 years or so I've accumulated a box of letters and cards given to me from friends and family. Some are funny, most are sweet. Some are cards of comfort and encouragement, sent or given at just the right time. Some are cards that just say thank you. Again, those cards didn't cost much, may not have taken much time to write, but I treasure them.
Sometimes, it's the little things that you give others that mean the most. Today I shared a piece of chocolate with a co-worker of mine. Big deal, right? Well, I consider myself a chocoholic, so this was a sacrifice on my part. My co-worker is not a Christian. Who knows what impact this tiny gesture will have on her?
I want to do more to impact my world. I want to make a BIG impact. But sometimes those big impacts start small. I need to remember that God can use even the tiniest of circumstances to do big things.
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Col. 3:17, emphasis mine)
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Another Do-Gooder Athlete
Cynics can say that he's doing this just to get some publicity, but I don't think so. Maybe more Olympians (and other athletes in general) will follow his lead.
Happy Valentine's Day!
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (I John 3:1a)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
Monday, February 13, 2006
In Retrospect
I was in such a hurry to head home after a shopping trip to Target tonight that I almost missed out on a gorgeous site. As I neared my exit ramp I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw it: a huge full moon. I was able to sneak a few more glances before I took the exit ramp and the moon disappeared from my view.
It's easy to get focused on what lies ahead (in my case tonight, dinner at home), but if I hadn't looked back, I would have missed seeing the moon. Funny how sometimes God changes our perspective, and we can see things more clearly once we've passed them.
It's easy to get focused on what lies ahead (in my case tonight, dinner at home), but if I hadn't looked back, I would have missed seeing the moon. Funny how sometimes God changes our perspective, and we can see things more clearly once we've passed them.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Olympic Dreams
Call me a sentimental fool, but I love the Olympics. Perhaps not the soap-operatic stories that occasionally develop (Tonya Harding, anyone?), but I do love the stories of athletes who triumph over injury, injustice, and against all odds to come out on top. Dreams coming true, that's what I love to see.
I still get goosebumps whenver I catch a replay of the 1980 U.S. men's hockey team's victory over the Soviet team (AKA "The Miracle on Ice"). I still remember how excited I was when Dan Jansen finally won the gold in speedskating in 1994. And if you want to really make me cry, then all you have to do is sit me in front of the TV during the opening ceremonies, when the U.S. team enters the stadium. Not to mention I just weep like a baby whenever "The Star Spangled Banner" is played and the U.S. flag is raised.
So I have to admit that I was disappointed to read that figure skater Michelle Kwan has withdrawn from the Olympics due to injury. These were her final games, her last shot at the gold medal that had eluded her in Nagano and Salt Lake City. Granted, the U.S. still has three very strong contenders in women's figure skating, but it's a little bittersweet to see a young women who had dreamed for so long of winning Olympic gold see her dreams come up short.
It's even tougher when our own dreams fail to come to fruition. Sometimes we want to be the athlete, doing the work, taking the punches, getting the gold, but for whatever reason, God sits us on the sidelines instead. Sometimes our dreams come true later; other times they do come true but through someone else instead of ourselves.
There's nothing wrong with dreaming; in fact, I think we don't dream as loftily as God would have us dream most of the time. But we also have to accept the fact that some of our dreams, no matter how noble and holy they may be, are not meant to come true, at least not in our way. And that's tough to let go of sometimes.
I still get goosebumps whenver I catch a replay of the 1980 U.S. men's hockey team's victory over the Soviet team (AKA "The Miracle on Ice"). I still remember how excited I was when Dan Jansen finally won the gold in speedskating in 1994. And if you want to really make me cry, then all you have to do is sit me in front of the TV during the opening ceremonies, when the U.S. team enters the stadium. Not to mention I just weep like a baby whenever "The Star Spangled Banner" is played and the U.S. flag is raised.
So I have to admit that I was disappointed to read that figure skater Michelle Kwan has withdrawn from the Olympics due to injury. These were her final games, her last shot at the gold medal that had eluded her in Nagano and Salt Lake City. Granted, the U.S. still has three very strong contenders in women's figure skating, but it's a little bittersweet to see a young women who had dreamed for so long of winning Olympic gold see her dreams come up short.
It's even tougher when our own dreams fail to come to fruition. Sometimes we want to be the athlete, doing the work, taking the punches, getting the gold, but for whatever reason, God sits us on the sidelines instead. Sometimes our dreams come true later; other times they do come true but through someone else instead of ourselves.
There's nothing wrong with dreaming; in fact, I think we don't dream as loftily as God would have us dream most of the time. But we also have to accept the fact that some of our dreams, no matter how noble and holy they may be, are not meant to come true, at least not in our way. And that's tough to let go of sometimes.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
A Difficult Command
In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. (Phil. 2:14-15)
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