In the Zone

Goodbye.  The word is so final.  While the origin of the word come from the idea of "God be with you" it still feels final.  We say goodbye because we don't expect to see the other person again.  Goodbyes are hard to do. I have always preferred the word farewell.  Farewell literally means I hope you fare well in life until we meet again.  That doesn't feel so final to me.  It suggests a reunion.  We will meet again and I hope until then, you fare well. Whenever I leave a place or a person, I bid them farewell.  As a believer in Jesus, I believe in reunions.  I know that I will see other believers in Jesus again.  That may be here on earth.  It may be in the life to come.  But make no mistake, if you are a believer in Jesus, I will see you again.  Death is not the end.  Life is eternal. So I always say "farewell." In 2 Corinthians 13:11, Paul concludes his letter.  The New King James, I think, puts ...

As a soccer coach of five-year-olds, practices can some times be rough. Frustrating might be a better word. A lot of times the players don't listen.  They're playing tag or hugging or picking weeds.  Distractions capture their attention.  A helicopter or plane flies over head and every eye darts skyward.  A loud motorcycle or a police car with sirens blaring forces their gaze toward the highway and away from the goal.  One child heads to the bathroom and soon two more need to go as well. It takes a lot of patience to teach U5 soccer.  It also requires a lot of examples.  I learned this the hard way at my last practice. To be honest, I struggle as a coach.  I never played soccer.  I'm just a dad who likes spending time with his daughter and giving back.  So when I see other teams using more advanced techniques--like passing and defense--I try to emulate those things in practice.  I want our kids to compete and learn. So, th...