BENjamin

Spring seems to have finally arrived here in Chicago after a pretty long winter. We’ve had some nice 60 degree days as well as some cool rainy ones. Spring is an exciting time… there’s so much newness.

First, my sister is about to give birth to a baby girl. I’m going to be an uncle and that’s exciting! Uncle Ben! I really am pumped to have a little niece.

Secondly, a new baseball season has begun. Go Twins! Its an exciting time for baseball fans because no matter how bad your team was last year, there’s hope that this year will be better than the last and you just want to see how those newcomers will do. It could be a long year for my beloved Twinkies. They’ve lost two of their best and most popular players in Torii Hunter and Johan Santana. Santana might be the best pitcher in all of baseball, but the thrifty Twins just couldn’t afford to pay these two that much money. But I’m still excited for this season. I doubt they’ll make the playoffs but I think they’ll be better than most expect. They still have Mauer and Morneau who can mash with the best of them. They also added a young guy by the name of Carlos Gomez. He might be the fastest player in baseball and I’m pretty high on him right now. He’ll strike out a lot but its just fun to have a guy that fast on your team. They also traded for Delmon Young. People don’t deny how talented this guy is and what his potential is, but he’s had some attitude/character issues/questions that have tainted people’s opinions of him and is why his previous team decided to trade him. However, he has said all the right things since coming to Minnesota and seems to be looking forward to making a fresh start with the Twins.

Speaking of fresh starts…

I’m a big fan of the book of Hosea. Its a book that is largely about second chances and the persistence and faithfulness of God with stubborn people. There’s a very spring-like term that is used in this book – Jezreel. Jezreel means ‘God plants.’ I think this idea is pretty cool. There’s excitement and hope and expectation. God is in spring mode. God is restoring and planting and we get to reap the harvest. I grew up on a farm and so the idea of planting is a familiar one to me. Now in the city, planting seems a little more foreign amidst all this metal, glass, pavement, and concrete. But when I was reading Hosea, I couldn’t help but be filled with an excitement and hope. God is planting something here in Chicago, and I want to see what grows and what will be harvested. What is God planting in you? What is God planting around you? Who has God planted in your life? Whose life has God planted you in? Spring truly is an exciting time.