Major League Baseball kicked off its 2009 season last week. So far my Rangers are playing par for the course. They won three in a row before losing what is now five games straight. The kids and I are headed for the Friday night game in Arlington. Looks like weather may play a factor that night but we will travel over. We have our seats in about our usual location. No doubt we will arrive early so we can walk around plus hit the gift store. It's time to get some new shirts for the new season. We will spend the night in Fort Worth so we will get to bed at a decent hour. My hope is we can take in a few games in person before the school activities start in August.

So far it is a rough year for baseball. Three deaths of people in the game shocked us who follow the sport. The first was a young man who just a few hours before he died pitched six great innings in his debut. A driver under the influence took his life before the sun came up the next day. That one hit me hard for some reason. On Monday of this week the beloved announcer of the Philadelphia Phillies died just a few hours before their game. Harry Kalas called baseball in Philadelphia for over 30 years. His voice was distinct to the degree he also voiced commercials as well as NFL highlights. That same day Mark Fidrych was found dead on his farm. He won the Rookie of the Year award back in 1976. His arm gave out too early in his career but he was unforgettable while he played. The best word to describe him is eccentric. He was 54 years old.

Baseball is a different sport in that they play every day. You hear the announcers daily and get acquainted with them. You see the ballplayers daily to the point you could recognize them even without their uniform numbers. Football plays only one game per week. Other sports play maybe three games a week. Baseball is the constant in life. I start out in April listening to the radio broadcasts all the way into September. I say all that to reference that tragic or sudden deaths in baseball probably affect fans more than other sports.

We tend to avoid much thought on death. My job requires me to balance life with death on more than a few occasions. Sometimes death can almost be a welcome friend to the one suffering under the weight of terminal disease. There are however times when it is an uncaring intruder in the midst of life. I stood in front of caskets of all sizes over the years. Sometimes it is even part of my duty to assist with the gathering of the deceased with the funeral home workers. There are families who make it very easy to allow me to reach out to them. But there are some families whose dysfunctional nature made it very difficult to help much. On occasion it crosses my mind that my comfort level with death and dying issues may be better than with life!

This Sunday it is my goal to start a short series of messages based on the book, One Month to Live. I kept getting promotional stuff on it over the last year. Then recently the topic crossed my curious mind. So on Monday evening I picked up the book while out running errands. Let me encourage you to pick up the book. The writer is Kerry Shook who is a Baptist minister down in the Houston area. Yes, we will also use the Bible very much as we move through the material. The book is just one way to get my aged mind moving in a new direction. The last thing anyone should have to endure is a preacher who remains in a rut with material.

How would you live life different should you discover you have one month to live? I know from experience that people with such a diagnosis often live life much fuller than if they did not have that limit. Would you spend that time just on yourself or share your life with others? Could you deal with obstacles faster knowing you had to focus on what really matters? What would become of your relationship with God? How would you want to spend your time? Why not live that way now since none of us have any guarantee on the length of our life? You may not be able to control the time of your death but you can decide on how to live until that day arrives. My hope is you will consider listening and learning with me over the next few weeks. This one month of discovery may lead to a life time of living out your destiny.

Bro. Trey