It has been an exciting week to be a sports fan in Springfield, MO!First and foremost, the Missouri State basketball Bears named Cuonzo Martin as their new head
coach. I am pumped about this hire! Cuonzo (kahn-zo) was the associate head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers. He was also a star player at Purdue in the nineties, and played briefly in the NBA. At his introductory press conference, Cuonzo came across as articulate, down-to-earth, and confident. He has a good presence. He also made reference to his faith on two different occasions, which is encouraging. I look for good things from the Bears in coming years! Welcome Coach Zo!
Secondly, and perhaps most amazingly, former Bears standout, Blake Ahearn, was signed this past week to a contract by the Miami Heat! Blake, of course, is known as a shooter. But being a short and slow white guy, most people didn't think he had a chance of making the NBA. Fortunately, Blake proved us all wrong, and most importantly proved hard work still makes a difference. In Miami's last game, Blake led all Heat players with 15 points... Amazing! Way to go, Blake!Finally, Rachel and I had an awesome time last night, as the St. Louis Cardinals were in town to take on their AA affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals. Our good friend and church member, Hollie Hinton, got us tickets to watch the game from her employer's suite behind home plate. It was an awesome experience!... Free ballpark food, free soda, and of course the luxury of being able to go inside for a few minutes when it got a little chilly. I even had a bird's eye view of a majestic homerun by Albert Pujols... I could get used to this! Thanks, Hollie! And thanks, Louie, for the pic!
This Monday and Tuesday I will be attending a "young leaders encounter" at Arnold, MO. First Baptist Church there, is paying expenses for some of us young Missouri Baptist pastors to come and have some time together. I'm looking forward to it. I'll try to blog Monday night from my hotel. Everyone have a good Lord's Day tomorrow.