Blog Post #8

Family and Friends,

Here is a picture of my friend Bobby and I, from a couple of weeks ago when we played his team...

Probably going to be a little shorter this week... was a busy, and the week went by really fast... I hope everyone is doing well.. please fell free to email me any concerns or prayer requests, it would be an honor and delight to pray for anyone... ben_beran@hotmail.com

This week we played one game on Friday night April 23 at Kalamunda Eastern Suns... I knew it was going to be a tough fight... We were on top of the league standings before the game, so that means every team is going to be gunning for us... esp this team, bc we have a lot of connections to these guys either through players or coaches...
with all that aside they had been having a tough season, but have the talent to be a good team... A couple of their players had been hurt and are now back, making them full strength... with all that said, it was a battle...
after the first quarter we were up 30-21, we came out really well got after it right away...
at half time it was 62-51... the end of the third it was 91-85... we had chances to put them away, but didn't and it would cost us in the 4th...
we ended up loosing 119-114... we struggled to stop them in the 2nd half... they have one of the best players in the league and he had 41 points...
As you can imagine I was really disappointed after the game, we had it won and just didn't finish well down the stretch... I personally made a lot of mistakes and know it's going to be a game to learn from... just had to get back to work this week and get ready for a big upcoming weekend...
I finished 34 points and 7 rebounds...

this week I really kept busy with studying and preparing for the weekend...
I took a couple tests for my classes, haven't got the results back yet but know I did well on them...
Also along with studying for the tests, I spoke on the Sunday night service and gave a sermon on the word Shalom... it was a great experience and am really thankful for the opportunity to share and preach the Gospel... I guess they put it up online, here is a link for anyone who wants to listen to it...
http://lakeside.asn.au/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=132
I was nervous at first and I know I talked really fast... I just pray that in spite of all my failures that the word of God shined through and that the message was clear to all about the Shalom we have because of what Christ has done on the Cross...

I did have a great weekend... Saturday after the Friday night game, I got up early to see the sunrise, read and have a little coffee and get ready to go out on the water with a friend from Lakeside... He owns a boat and wanted to take Luke and I out... we did a little wake boarding, which was a blast... even though I could never get up and ride... maybe next time... It was just a beautiful day tho, sunshine, calm waters, and most all great people...

Back to Sunday... After the Sunday night, I went and hung out with a couple buddies that came up to listen to me preach... these are the same brothers that I do Bible study with once a week... was really thankful to see them and hang out with those guys...

all in all it was a great week... Have a tough few weeks ahead, with double headers and a long trip out to the middle of no where for a game...

want to leave you with one thing, Colossians 1:19-20... Didn't have this in my sermon but would have fit well...
19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

So this Jesus is God, as it says in vs 19, and the fullness of God dwelt in Him... so when you read or see Jesus, that is God in the flesh... on to verse 20, so we as humans are separated by God, bc of our sin nature and that we sin by choice, are separated by God... and bc of that Christ came to reconcile us back to God... reconcile means to make things right, restore a broken relationship... so through the cross of Christ we have restored fellowship with God, by placing your hope In Jesus and giving your life to Him we have restoration... and we are accepted in His sight as sons and daughters of God...

Shalom,
Ben