Moderation In Everything....Except Praise And Honor And Rejoicing Over Our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ!

                Let me lead this off with describing how I was a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball fan most of my early life. Before I begin you might want to go to Fox news.com right now and read one of the headline stories that is titled....Pitching Phenom Plans To Serve In The US Military Once He's Done With His Baseball Career. So back to my youth....it was October 13, 1960....and my mother and I lived in a small basement apartment in Buffalo....this was about 2 1/2 years before we moved to Pittsburgh. Bill Mazeroski was up to bat in the bottom of the ninth of the seventh game of the World Series. A young friend of mine was watching the game with my mother and me. I was so nervous that I ran out the door into the back yard....and Maz hit his famous home run. I missed it. The next thing I knew was that my mother was throwing my young friend out of the house by the seat of his pants. It was all fun.
                 Segue to September of 1972. I was only days out of three years in the army and at one of the last games of the year at the newer Three Rivers Stadium with three friends. The Pirates were losing heading into the bottom of the ninth and the driver wanted to get ahead of the rush....so we left.....and on the bridge just outside the stadium Roberto got a base hit. I told my friend to stop the car....jumped out and ran back into the stadium in time to see the Bucs come back and win the ballgame. In between these two dates were numerous games at Forbes Field and numerous opening days. I think that I qualified as a legitimate Pirate fan.
                 In that Fox article....and there are others out there. This young phenom plans to serve in the military in some form after his playing days are done. He must have had this desire for quite a while because he played baseball for the United States Air Force Academy for two years before transferring to LSU....and with his talent you cannot blame him for transferring. This plan of his is odd but not unprecedented for many old time baseball players left baseball in World War II. In the case of Ted Williams....he won his first triple crown in 1942....served three years in the service....and returned to baseball to win the MVP in 1946....and then folks....he returned to the military in 1952 and as a pilot flew 39 combat missions in Korea.
                 Today....May 23, 2024....I do not even know what the Pirates are doing....other than they have this new phenom. Our son will be going to tomorrow's game with his son and wife....and his mother.....my wife.....and I though invited a number of times....will be home.....probably writing on this blog....Lord willing. I would like very  much to be there. I haven't been in that new stadium yet that resembles the old Forbes Field....but I am among many others who see what is going on in this world....the enormous....almost inconceivable dangers from every direction....the horror of what is ahead....and then the return of the King of Kings in power and glory to a fallen and judged world.....reeling under the judgments. 
                  Everything in moderation....go to a ballgame.....or take a deserved vacation....everything in moderation except praise and honor and rejoicing over our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Nothing in life is as precious as what the Son of God had done for us!
                  One last thought....and the reason for this post....that young phenom will probably be in the military before he expects it....for the reinstatement of the military draft looms on the near horizon....and it is going to be a mess. Have you even given any thought to this? There are no more college exemptions other than finishing the current term. Who gets drafted? Are pro athletes going to get an exemption? How does the gender issue come into play....and the undocumented issue? We don't think ahead in this present culture....not even in evangelicalism.