Playoffs!

  Hello!  So we have officially finished the first round of the playoffs.  We played a team in the league called the Brookfield Elks.  We had all the games last week. Monday, tuesday, thursday and Sunday.  We won all 4 of the games so that means that we "swept" them.  Meaning we were playing a 7 game series so we won all 4 games in a row and they dont have a chance to come back in the series and win.  Most of you know from the previous post that i hadn't played Monday, Tuesday or Thursday.  But in Thursdays game things got a bit rough and one of our guys got a 2 game suspension and also one of the guys on the team hurt his ankle a little, nothing big but just tweaked it a little.  So Sunday i got to play!  I was very thankful for the opportunity to play.  I played forward that night,  i was hoping to get to play Defense but Jeff put me on the 3rd line instead.  I really liked the guys that i played with and i thought that we worked really well together.  Through the first period we were rolling through all 4 lines.  Then in the second period there were a lot of penalties so i didn't get to go out.  Then in the 3rd period we were back to regular shifts again until they scored 2 goals in the 3rd to tie the game up.  So jeff shortened the bench up a bit and i didn't get to go out for the last 6 min or so.  I thought that i played really well last night.  I did well, i can really only remember one mistake that i made the whole game and the coaches didn't say anything to me about me playing bad.  So i thought that i did well yesterday.  The temptation to be disappointed about not playing D started to creep in after the game, but the Lord was quick to remind me to be thankful for what i did get, and with that more can be given.  I just came to a point where i was thankful to dress for that game and get the opportunity to play.  

   I believe i mentioned something about asking the Lord to give me an opportunity to shine (something that my Mother received from the Lord to be asking for) in my last post.  And i do believe i shined last night in the game, but my hearts desire is to play D.  So i still would like an opportunity to shine on D, in the meantime i will certainly shine playing forward but i want to be playing Defense and i want to be the top defenseman.  So i am expecting the Lord to do that for me in the next week, couple weeks, sometime soon!  

   I was just talking to my mom yesterday and saying, its easy to be like "Yeah next year i am going to be a top defenseman on a  Junior A team, being on the Power play, penalty kill,  playing everywhere!"  And i do believe that will be the case for next year.  But it takes faith for me to say,  "I believe the Lord can do a miracle in these next couple of weeks and cause me to rise to the top and be the top defenseman on this team right now!"  I trust that He and He alone can turn things around for me here, when everyone seems to be against me,  HE IS FOR ME!   We see that a lot in the Psalms with David talking about all these enemies that are coming against him, but the Lord was always for him.  And now it seems that the coaches arn't necessarily for me, but thats okay,  i know that HE is for me and that is truly all that matters.  So i expect to see some things change here soon in my situation for my good! 

I am still standing on that scripture in Micah 7:7, its excellent! 

 But also James 4:10 in the Amplified    "Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].  

Significant - sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy. 

And also i like   2 Cor 12:9 in the message.  I love it in the NASB and the Amplified, but i just saw it in the Message today and i really liked it as well.  So you guys can look it up on there later on,  (you can check it out on  biblegateway.com if you dont have a message bible).  

I plan on writing again soon when i know more about the next series.  I dont know when it starts or who we are playing yet.  Love you all.  Bye for now

Quick update...

  Hello all,  Sorry it has been a while since my last update.  This blog will be fairly short, i want to write a quick update and let you all know how things are going.  And then also ask you guys to be continuing to pray for some specific things.  

   So a quick summary of things over the past 2 months.  At a practice about a month ago on a tuesday i was called into the coaches room to have a meeting with the coaches.  They were having meetings with all the players.  So we had our meeting and they told me that my skating, stick handling and all my skills were excellent.  But they said that there is this one thing missing from my game, they wernt really specific.  But they said something about my decision making out on the ice.  So they basically said without this key aspect to your game your are our 6th defenseman (meaning last out of all the defenseman).  Jeff who is the head coach (and who i also live with) said that i should start watching NHL games at the house to study them and watch how they play.  So i watched a game that night and wednesday night as well.  Then thursday came along and we had a game.  I was all ready for the game and felt that after watching those NHL games and studying them i was more prepared.  But when i got there they told me that i wasn't playing Defense tonight i was going to be playing forward instead.  So that was a pretty big shock to me.  But i played forward that night and i did well.  So to shorten things up a bit, i have been playing forward ever since and after talking to Jeff he didn't make it sound like i was going to be going back to playing Defense at all for the rest of the year.  

    So now we have just started the playoffs.  Our first game was yesterday.  With the team now we have 22 players and you can only dress 20 players, so each game 2 guys have to sit out.  About a week ago Jeff talked to me the night before a game and told me that he was thinking about not dressing me for the game the following day.  He said that guys were just taking their turns and it didn't have to do with how i played the game before.  So i was okay with that, i really wanted to dress and play, but i was fine for that one.  Then last week i didn't dress again for a game.  That was tough at first, but the Lord's grace was sufficient for me.  Then we had a game the following day (friday) and i dressed and played well.  So then this week the playoffs started and yesterday he told me that i wasn't dressing again.  So again i had to turn to the Lord for help, because it is very tough at first when he tells me that i am not going to play.  I usually have to sneak off and spend time with the Lord and get my mind renewed.  Because so many thoughts start flying around in there.  So then today we had a game, the second game of the series (in the playoffs we play a 7 game series with one team).  I expected to dress because he usually doesn't sit a guy for 2 games in a row.  But i didn't dress again.  He called me into his office before we left for the game today and said,  he and the other coaches have talked and they feel that i am the 22nd man on the team right now.  They dont really have a role for me right now.  They basically said to stick it out until they need me to play again.  This was very hard for me to hear and i needed sooo much help from the Lord to remain at peace.  We played the game and won and after it was all over Jeff called me out to the hallway to talk.  He said, i know this wont be a problem with you, but i just want to keep things that happen at the rink at the rink and not make things awkward around the house.  So i told him that i understood and it wont be a problem.  He asked me if i had any questions (i had been wanting to talk with him all night about what we talked about before, so i saw this as a good opportunity).  So i asked him, does this mean that i wont get to play this whole series?  He said with the team we are playing he wants to keep some guys that are tougher in the lineup, meaning guys that usually fight.  He said when he wants to put some speed in the lineup he will put me in.  Then i also said,  "A month ago you put me from defense, the position i have played my whole life to forward.  We had a talk and you told me that you would work on Defense with me, then you just out of the blue move me to forward.  I have played defense at the Junior A level, and did well.  So when i got here i expected to be a top defenseman."  He then said, "well yeah thats what i expected too, but it didn't seem to work out."  So he basically said that he didn't think that i was very good at defense.  He didn't say those words exactly, but thats about what he said, i just cant remember the exact words.   So shortly after that the conversation was over.  

  But i dont believe the Lord brought me up here just to not dress every game in the playoffs and just hang around.  I believe He brought me up here to shine, it doesn't seem like that has happened with any of the teams that i have been on so far, but i know that even though it doesn't look like it, he has been causing me to shine with my teams past and even this one.  But i want to play, i want to be one of the top defenseman, i want to contribute in our teams success.  And i believe the Lord can do all these things for me, THIS YEAR!!   So now i need favor with the Lord and with the coaches.  I need them to see the value in having me on the team, and my mom has been asking the Lord to give me a chance to shine.  So i wanted to update you all so you could be praying with me and for me.  Praying for a big opportunity for me to shine out on the ice and asking the Lord to show me favor with my coaches,  their names are,   Jeff (head coach), Jason (Defense coach), Harlan (Goalie coach).  So you guys can be praying for them.  

    My next game is Thursday and then Sunday.  I am continually reminded of the fact that things can change in an instant.  Just because Jeff doesn't think that i am a good defenseman, or that he doesn't see the value in having me play doesn't matter.  God is the one who has the final say.  He can cause me to play thursday night on defense, it is impossible,  BUT GOD!  So please be praying for me, any encouragement i will receive gladly.  Love you all, i will try not to wait so long to write again.  thanks!!!