"...upon the mercy if the court..."

I make no excuses nor offer any reason for my absence these many days.
Instead, I offer you simply these weird pictures of animals smiling,

...and my promise to post daily for the next 14 days.

Thank you for your understanding.

"And He Rested on the Seventh Day..."

I want to say I got out of bed at 1030.
...but the truth is, it was probably 11.

I stumbled into the kitchen, grabbed some toast and a coffee, and just sat.  In the quiet.  With nothing to do and nowhere to go.  No schedule, no agenda, no tasks to accomplish.  So I laid down on the couch and read.  A lot.

Grandpa got back up- he had been up and down a few times before I was up, and we chatted and caught up some more.  I showed him some photos from the trip, and told some stories.  I gave him his new vacuum, and put it together.  We talked about my car and baseball and work.  The Jays game started at 1, and we watched it and talked about the old-school Jays I know and had met.

He nodded off a few times, and I ran out to the store for more half-and-half and some munchies.

After the game, we decided on The Hyatt Restaurant for dinner- Dinner for Two- from Dunnville's Chinese food restaurant.  Same deal as always from Grandpa- "I'll pay if you go get it".  Ha ha ha.

We ate and then made a grocery list for Monday.  We retired to the living room and watched Sunday Night Baseball.  I read a bit more during the game, and answered some emails.

I confirmed via email that I was available and willing to fill in at a baseball tournament the next weekend.  As it turns out, a team in Ontario- the Scarborough Stingers- misunderstood the coaching requirements for the Ontario Eliminations tournament, and now the players were being advised that they would not be eligible to compete at the Championships unless they find a certified coach.  Of which there are about 20.

So I was asked if there was any way I would consider going to Sarnia, ON to coach Scarborough in the Ontario Midget Eliminations.  My response was- 'Of course'.  How do I sit at home knowing a group of kids cant play without me?  The kids were ecstatic, and the coach and I were making my arrangements.

I checked in with Mom and with baseball and even with work.  All was well, and I was back to reading and relaxing.  Before I knew it, it was midnight and I was ready for bed.

An amazing day of rest and of enjoying all the I have been given, and offering thanks for everything and everyone.  Oh, and I stopped by at the giant mudcat.

Today's verse:  Philippians 4:12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

My understanding is that my friend's son is again making small strides in his recovery.  Please continue to keep the entire family in your prayers.

Getaway Day

Saturday was everyone's departure day.

Jeff's flight was at noon-a flight which we mocked incessantly, due to the fact that it was taking off from the super-tiny airport in Williamsport, PA, heading to Tampa, FL.  We suggested that perhaps his flight may have to dust a field or follow the highway checking for speeders. Don and I even envisioned a scarf and helmet-type situation and laughed ourselves to tears.

Don was off to Lancaster PA in the morning, to speak at a church event.  He invited me to go with him, but I was off to Dunnville by way of Lewiston, NY and Niagara Falls.

Scott, Shelley, and all the Billings kids had a wedding Saturday night, and Scott was driving Jeff to the airport in the morning.

I got up at about 9, and had a relaxed and leisurely breakfast with Jeff.  Don and Scott and Shelley joined us by 930, and everyone was up and in the kitchen by 10.  We would all leave the house together and head in separate directions.  

We chatted briefly about the week, and made plans to stay in touch.  We all exchanged numbers and names and addresses and information.  It was a great morning with some really great folks.  

As check-out time arrived, we all said our goodbyes.  

First, we all bid farewell to our fuzzy friends Baxter and Wally.  They had been our sources of comic relief, distraction, and physical boundaries over the weekend.  

We then went outside and took a photo to remember the amazing and blessed week.  We all stood at the Billings's front door, snapped a few pictures, and took our luggage to our cars.

Back Row:  Don Gordon, Jeff Hearron

Middle Row:  Me, Scott Billings

Front Row: Shelley Billings, Brad Billings, Danielle Billings, Holly Billings.

We went through another round of hugs, and then we were off.  Scott and Jeff left for the airport, Shelley and the kids went inside to get ready for the wedding.  Don and I hung out a while talking about future trips and future plans, and most importantly- a discipleship program.  Don currently disciples a number of young Christians, and I asked about the process and finding someone to discuss it with.  He immediately and generously offered to discuss it, but to look into working with me as well. 

I expressed my concerns about not doing too much at once- with my work and baseball and the program at Liberty.  When I do this I want to give it 100%, and I don't know if I can do that right now.  He understood, appreciated my candidness, and agreed to pray on it and discuss it later...after we had both recovered from our trips!

So I got in the car and pulled out of Scott's driveway.  I turned left, Don turned right.

I hit the highway and set a course for Buffalo.  I had a few options.  I had planned to stop in Buffalo and buy a vacuum for my grandfather (being away for a week, I wouldn't have to pay duty), and to either; 

a) go to the World Famous Anchor Bar - site of the invention of the Buffalo Wing, to get food for my grandfather and I.

or b) go the the Orange Cat Coffee Company, home of the best coffee and giganticest muffins ever (i discovered it during my 2010 Niagara Falls baseball tournament.

I decided that I needed coffee more than either of us wanted chicken wings- which would be 35 mins old by the time I got to Dunnville anyway, so I finalized my five hour drive.  I would go to Buffalo, then Lewiston, then Niagara Falls to cross the border.

Then the rain started again.

Another beautifully scenic drive ruined by the inability see!  It poured for about 3 hours, but as I crossed into the final US state on my trip,

It stopped!

And so I cruised into Buffalo, bought a vacuum, and made for nearby Lewiston to grab a coffee.  Lewiston was as cool as I remembered it.  Tiny streets and ancient homes and tonnes of character.  But....

The orange cat was closed!  HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Oh well.  I laughed and turned for Niagara Falls, knowing that in reality, I really didn't need another coffee!

As I made my way out of Lewiston, I saw an odd sign.  I knew about the Lewiston/Queenston bridge to Canada, I knew about the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie/Buffalo and the Niagara Falls Rainbow Bridge, but what was the Whirlpool Bridge?

Well, the Whirlpool Bridge is a tiny two-lane bridge which runs UNDER a train bridge, and is accessible only to NEXUS card holders.  No lines, no crowd, just a super fast crossing to Canada.  So I crossed the tiny bridge, and reentered my Home and Native Land.

Forty-Five uneventful minutes later....

I arrived and Grandpa was sound asleep.  I changed and washed up, and then let him know I was there.  We agreed to nap for a bit and reconvene in an hour.  I watched some Jays highlights and slipped in and out of sleep.  Grandpa got up and we chatted and ate.  Then I went to my room, stretched out, and tried to recall all the blessings I had received on my trip.

I wasn't even close.

Slowly, I fell into a restful, peaceful sleep.

Tonights verse:  Ephesians 2: 8-10
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

All Good Things Must Come to an End...

I did it again.
I killed my phone battery and the dead alarm didn't ring in the morning.
Once again, Don woke me up with an admonition about people waiting for me.  How embarrassing.

I raced into the bathroom, showered, and screamed down the stairs and into the kitchen.  I grabbed a coffee and headed out onto the deck.

We had a guest.  The youth and worship pastor of Sunbury Bible Church, Matt Combs was with us, as well as Dalton again.  They were just chatting, so it wasn't as bad as I had feared.

Matt and Don sort of double-teamed the devotions, and we had a great morning.  Don asked me to share my testimony with everyone, and I gladly obliged.  Matt was really interested, he has sort of the same story, and interestingly enough, graduated from Liberty a few years back, and is now going to take his Masters there as well.  We really connected, and he suggested a few authors that are too deep for many, and just right for some.  Guys like RW Glenn and John Piper.

When we finished, Scott went off to work, Dalton and Brad went out with their new bows, and Matt went off to the church.

This left Don, Jeff and I to our own devices, and we decided to take in Bucknell University.  The campus was only a few minutes away, and we had driven past it a number of times.  So we dressed and headed off to find a place to have a coffee and chat.

We couldn't find anywhere!  We checked the campus and the main street and even the GPS.  Every time we thought we had a lead, we found an empty store or a closed shop.  What we did finally find was the campus Barnes and Noble book store.  And guess what it had in it...

So we all grabbed something to drink, and I grabbed what had to be the most awesome piece of cheesecake ever.  Not simply because it was the most delicious, but also because of the concept.

ORANGE CREAMSICLE CHEESECAKE!!!

We ate and drank and talked about the spiritual equivalencies of moral sins- what we do, and how that effects our relationship with Christ.  It got pretty deep, and pretty informative, and very illustrative.  It was a great talk.  From there we went to Dick's sporting goods- Don was shoe shopping, then to Bed, Bath, & Beyond- to buy coffee for Shelley and Scott (seeing as we had consumed so much over 3 days).

We came home and crashed a bit before dinner.  We awoke to corn-on-the-cob, salad, and about 300 types of meat and cheese.  Oh, and lots of leftovers!  Epic and awesome.

We ate and chatted and then got ready for the final day at the clinic.  I went with whites again, and we raced off to the clinic site.  Jeff and Don and I went together and met Scott in the gym before the games started.

I haven't really talked about the gym yet.  The gym is cool.  It has a poly-tile floor, non-latex rubber 1x1 tiles that interlock and and can be replaced if there is ever an issue.  It's the first one I've seen in person, and really neat.

The Christian school uses the gym, and has posters and sayings everywhere, and a full kitchen off the side of the stands.

Each day before the clinic, Don, Jeff, Scott, and I along with Greg, the Pastor, met for a moment of prayer for the clinic, for the kids, for the parents, for the families, and even for us.  We took turns praying and voiced our concerns and best wishes and hopes.  It was a great bonding experience.  On the last night, we prayed a prayer of thanks- for a whole week of opportunities.

We took the field and for a final time, Scott introduced Jeff- who gave an introductory lesson in the mechanics of bunting for a sacrifice.  He tied that in with his lesson on what sacrifice means, and about what true sacrifice entails.

We then broke up into our groups and prepared for 'Game Night'.  Each age group was broken into two teams, and those two teams were each assigned a coach and a diamond.  My team played against Scott's on a diamond that was set up facing the gym.  It was great.  First Scott pitched to my team, and then Jeff came in and pitched to both.  After a few innings of 'everyone bats' baseball, Jeff left to pitch at another diamond, and I took over at ours.  It was a great game, and we played about 5 full innings.



When we were out of time, we all convened in the gym to hear Jeff give his final lesson of the clinic- this time, an all-encompassing speech about love, and devotion, and committment to Christ in the face of all that we deal with.  He talked about the Scripture and about how we can all find solace there, and about how we can all be Christ to someone else.  It was very moving, and Jeff's best lesson of the week.

When he was done, the coaches at each age level took turns awarding the top three players from the night before- based on points from Olympic Night.  Everyone applauded as the winners names were read and they came forward to claim their ribbons.

After that, Scott thanked everyone for a great four days, and dismissed the children and parents.  He also invited all the kids to stick around and get autographs and photos from Don and Jeff.  There was a table set up for them, and they had cards and photos from their playing days that they signed for all the kids.

Oddly, they asked me to have a seat at the table and sign and take photos for the kids.  Who wants a Lyn Bain photo or signature?  It was odd, but just goofy enough to be enjoyable.  I signed about 100 autographs and posed for about 10 photos.  Weird.  I signed each autograph with the verse that Don had pointed me toward last year when I struggled with qualifying salvation-  Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

When all the kids were gone, we expressed our thanks to everyone who had volunteered, and packed up what we could, and left.  We drove back to Scott's home, and were absolutely shocked at what we saw. There were no fewer than ten cars in Scott's driveway and on Scott's lawn.  We joked that soon he would have to open a second parking deck.  There were a number of coaches and volunteers invited back- really, almost everyone was invited as is the Billings custom!- for a 'Thank You' dinner of pizza and wings.

The real question on everyone's mind was whether or not a neighbor and his son would come by.  Scott had noticed the man playing baseball with his son, and had driven by, and then felt moved to go back and tell the man about the clinic.  Surprisingly, the man had agreed, and he and his son had taken part in the clinic, and had stayed to hear the gospel.  Don and Jeff and Scott had all invited the man back to the party afterward.  We were all hoping that they would stop by.

Once inside, we again ate, and thanked all those who came by.  I struck up a conversation with Matt Combs, and we discussed Liberty University and professors and all sorts of stuff.  As we spoke, the father and his son came in, and I excused myself from Matt to bring them over to Don.  I returned to Matt, and he presented me with a gift.  It was a copy of the book we had discussed earlier.

I thanked him profusely, and he gave me a brief overview, and requested that I let him know what I thought of it once I was done.  I promised that I would, and we both went off to socialize.  The night wore on and we all talked and shared, and at one point Dalton came by to say goodnight.  He was off, and would not be back in the morning.  We exchanged a handshake and a hug, and best wishes for the future, and he left.

One by one, the party goers offered their thanks and wishes for safe travels, and went home.  Eventually, it was just us.  Don, Jeff, Scott, Shelley, Brad, Danielle, and Holly.  We chatted and told stories and made plans into the early hours of Saturday morning.  Just as everyone was about to go off to bed, I presented them each with a gift.  The same gift, incidentally, that I had given the Coach Madison and the organizers in Harlan, KY on the first day.

To Scott, Jeff, Don, Brad, Danielle, and Holly, I gave a red metal bookmark.  It had leaves etched into it, as well as a personal message.  It read "Sincere Thanks for Including Me in Your Outreach Ministries", it also had "July 2013", and my name etched into it.  It also had a silver tassel.  It was a very small token for a very large debt.  They all thanked me, but the pleasure was all mine.

To Shelley, for her hospitality, I gave a small pewter wall sconce.  I had purchased it a Christ Church in Philadelphia before I ever knew the Billings family.  Before I had spoken to Scott, or knew of Shelley.  It had stamped into it on both sides-
 Whoever you are, wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith, you are welcome here.
She was very appreciative, and it was a nice end to an amazing night and a phenomenal week.

It was not until I readied for bed that I noticed the inscription on the inside of the book from Matt..

And that was the last thing on my peaceful mind when I went to bed.

My verse for Thursday-  Proverbs 27: 17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

"...All the Way From Canada..."

I was woken up Thursday morning by Don Gordon.  He was standing over my bed, asking where I was, because everyone was looking for me and waiting on me to arrive downstairs.  Devotionals were scheduled for 830, and my alarm was set for 730, so I was confused.  I quickly looked for my phone/alarm, gave up, showered crazy-quickly, and raced downstairs.

Shelley was alone in the kitchen, and offered me breakfast.  I declined, noticing that everyone was already out on the deck.  I grabbed a coffee and apologetically went outside and sat down to meet with Don, Jeff, Scott, Brad, and Holly's boyfriend Dalton.

We read excerpts from Ephesians and talked about men's pitfalls and responsibilities in the church and in the home.  It was a great way to start the day.  We all added to the discussion and spoke and listened.  Then we ate again!

Jeff and I had agreed to coach a catcher-specific clinic at 1030.  Scott had to run off to a service call at work, and Brad had an appointment, so Don and Jeff and I were on our own.  We chatted for a while, grabbed another coffee, then went off to the diamond.

We had all talked Wednesday night about a way to compare and contrast baseball with the gospel.  On the way to the diamond, I told Jeff and Don about an idea I had.  Don said he would bounce it off of Scott later.

We arrive to find 12 catchers.  Jeff taught receiving and positioning, and I helped out along with a local University student named Isaiah.  The kids loved it.  About half way through, Don came over and asked if I would share my testimony with the kids when we were done.  I agreed.

We finished and I told the kids my story.  The kids were receptive, and a lot of the parents thanked me.

We went back to the house and all three of us crashed.  Don and Jeff took naps and I read and watched the a bit of "National Treasure 2:  The Book of Secrets".

At about 3 we all reconvened and sat down in the kitchen. We chatted and joked and Don and Jeff told stories about the Big Leagues. and then got dressed and went out for a drive. Big shocker, we went to the Starbucks!

We sat for about an hour and a half and talked and discussed scripture and really had a nice time.  We went back to the house and met up with everyone for dinner.  Shelly had made two huge chicken pot pies- which were delicious.  We all talked and then headed out for 'Olympic Day' at the clinic.

Olympic Day meant all the kids competed in events and got scores.  I was moved from the hitting station to the outfield station.  I was going to throw fly balls for the players to catch- they got a point for each one they caught cleanly.

But first, Scott had agreed that I would give the opening message - a quick throwing/pitching lesson, and a scripture reading and life lesson.  I talked about how short cuts don't pay in life or baseball, and how we have a coach and playbook and guidelines in baseball, and a pastor or parent and bible and commandments. I compared baseball and life, and the ideas of  "my coach says....but what if I...?"  and "the bible says....but what if I...?"

The kids got it and Don, Scott, and Jeff thanked me.

I threw pop-ups for about an hour and a half, and then we all went into the gym and listened to Jeff deliver the gospel.

Jeff did a great job, and after the message- about giving you life wholly to Christ- we went back and ate leftovers and desert.  There were guests again and we all sat and chatted and shared our stories.

At about 12 we all hit the wall, and the guests went home and we went to bed.  It was a great day.

Thursday's verse- Psalm 66:16"Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul."

Please continue to pray for my friend's son.  They are seeing little improvements- every prayer for the family counts.

The 'Mendenhog' and Other Surprises

Day two (Wednesday) in Selinsgrove started off with a few surprises.

First, the aggressive bug bites that I had acquired in the swamp on the shoulder of I95 had mutated into horrible disfiguring marks.  Something would have to be done on that front.

Second, as I woke up, I heard...nothing.  No chatter, no pitter-patter, no anything.  I checked my phone to see what time it was, only to find that the battery had died overnight and and the alarm hadn't gone off.
I had my GPS watch in my bag, and checked it to find that it was 10am!  I hadn't slept that late in years!  I showered and rushed downstairs, remembering that we had made plans for 1030...but found no one.  Not a soul except the dog- Baxter- who seemed as shocked to see me as I was to see an empty house.  I had a bit of a 'Left Behind' moment, and started thinking- where are they?  Seriously.

Just then, Scott's son came into the kitchen and greeted me.  I asked where everyone was and he rattled of the everyone's itinerary and current location- it was fairly impressive.  Scott had gone to work quickly, his sister and mother were out, his wife was asleep still, and he thought that Jeff had gone for a walk.  We talked and got to know each other better over coffee, and before long the basement door opened and Jeff appeared- he had been downstairs with his bible and devotionals.

He joined our conversation, and then Scott came in.  Scott had a great plan for the afternoon- we would take in the Little League Museum and Stadium, then go for lunch at a restaurant that was famous for gigantic portions.

Jeff and I changed and loaded into the car and we were off to Williamsport, PA- about 15 minutes away. The field is exactly as it appears on TV- only better.  It is cooler than a lot of Major League parks.  It's the one that you see on TV every year.  A scaled down version of a pro stadium with unbelievable views.

We then walked over sand checked out the 'second tier' stadium.  Second tier?  Seriously?

From there we went to "Haywood's", a restaurant famous for it's portion sizes and...well...the food sizes in general.

Jeff ordered the "Roethlis-Burger"- named for Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. It was stupid.

 I ordered the "Menden-Hog"- after Rashard Mendenhall.  It was a giant burger topped with pork, melted cheese, and bacon!  Not much better.

Scott played it safe and had a big bowl of jambalaya- a switch from his usual order of "The Willie Stargell".

I ate the majority of the burger, and almost none of the fries.  Jeff SLAUGHTERED his burger.  For real.
Scott was disappointed in the jambalaya- which was a shame.  When I get the photos of the burgers, I'll post them in a separate entry.

We drove back to Scott's to discover that Don had arrived- he drove straight from Chattanooga, TN, leaving at 4am- and was napping.  We all agreed to take a quick crash- if for no other reason, to recover from the giant amounts of beef we had ingested.

I was awakened 2 hours later to the sound of a 'hog call' coming up the stairs- Don waking Jeff up.
Don poked his head into my room, said hello, and then told me he'd meet me downstairs.

I quickly dressed- whites again- and hurried downstairs.  We caught up on the drive to Starbucks, then grabbed a coffee and drove to the park for night two of the clinic.

Scott introduced everyone again, and went over the plan for the second skills clinic.  Then he introduced Don, who talked about running mechanics and then shared a short gospel message.

The kids were receptive, and we broke off into our groups.  It was the exact same as the night before, with Scott and I working with the hitters.  I had so much fun I was giddy.  What a relaxing, enjoyable, and blessed opportunity.

When we were done we went inside and Don spoke about forgiveness and repentance.  The crowd listened intently, and both Jeff and I noticed that a woman who had been sitting way off to the side reading a magazine all night had put it away and listened.

We returned to Scott's house and a few of the coaches and volunteers met us there.  We drank coffee and listened to funny stories and ate and ate and ate!  On more than one occasion, Jeff and I referred to it as a cruise.  Every time we turned around, Shelley was providing us with another amazing meal.  Both Scott and Shelley are blessed with the gift of hospitality and making everyone feel truly loved and welcome.

We finally shut it down at about midnight, and I went to bed.  After all, we had devotionals in the morning.

Wednesday's Verse- 1 Peter 4:10
"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."