The Lord is Merciful!!

So we had 2 games this past weekend.  One saturday night and one sunday morning.  I thought that i played okay saturday.  Not great.  We tied that game.  I was not too happy about it, but my mom gave me some wisdom after the game.  She said to just be extra thankful to the Lord.  So thats what i did.  I just used my time in the car with Lord to be thankful for the game and with how i played.  It was a good time and very very helpful.  

So then sunday i went into the game washed from the night before.  A whole new day and a new game.  But i didn't think i played well that game either.  I thought i played good, but not as good as i really wanted to.  But we did win that game and it felt good.  To start winning again.  But after the game i put into practice being thankful again.  

So monday we had practice, tuesday we had the day off, but i went and practiced with the Junior B team.  A good amount of the guys from my team went to that practice too.  It was fun.  Wednesday we had practice and i didn't think i had a good practice at all.  

But wednesday when i got home the Lord so graciously showed me that i was doing what i was doing at the beginning of the year.  I was worrying and trying to do it on my own again.  At practices i was thinking so much and my mind was not at rest.  But i was so thankful to the Lord that He showed me this so soon.  I mean i knew to say Lord i permit your peace to reign and all that, but i was not walking in it.  I wasn't truly believing in the Lord.  With all the talk about colleges and schools i started to worry and panic and then i tried to start to do it on my own again instead of trusting in the Lord.  Oh but He was so kind to me to show me where i went wrong.  So i was spending time with the Lord and i asked Him to forgive me for trying to do it on my own again and the Lord gave me some good scriptures.  One was Romans 8:6  "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace,"     It was excellent and perfect for me!  I need to set my mind.  I need to trust in the Lord that He has my future in control.  I desire to play Division 1 next year and He knows that.  I trust Him to get me there.  It will be completely the Lord that gets me to the next level and the next level......

It was pretty funny because wednesday the Lord used my brother to encourage me.  Jaison wrote me a letter and it got to me wednesday and when i started to read it he said he had a scripture for me and it was Jeremiah 29:11.  It was excellent and great to get that encouragement from the Lord THROUGH MY BROTHER!!!  

So thursday we had practice and my mind was SET on the Spirit.  My mind was set on the truth and His life was just flowing through me.  I was completely at peace and i had fun!  It was excellent.  My desire is that i would be so at peace and at rest that while i am playing the Lord can speak to me and minister to me as i am at rest and my mind is still.  I was listening to a message from a couple of years ago and Pastor Stanley was saying that when it says that Abraham believed the Lord, it can mean Abraham had Confidence in the Lord.  My confidence and trust is in Him for my life.  Its soooo excellent!! 

I am very thankful to the Lord for showing me this and teaching me this past week.  

Im excited for our games this weekend.  We have one friday and one saturday.  Saturday evening after the game i will be leaving for home.  Im going to stop off in Ny for a little while and watch Joe and Phil at a jazz club.  Should be a really good time!  

See ya soon!!

Weekend in New Jersey!

Last wednesday night we played the same team that we played the week before  (The South Shore Kings).  We lost to them the previous week and going into this game we really really wanted to beat them.  I played in this game as well.   What i have asked the Lord is that i would play from here on out.  I believe that that time of being in and out of the line up is done with.  So i played in that and i played great again.  I dont really remember details from the game now, but we did end up loosing that game.  

So we had 2 games in Wayne New Jersey this past weekend.  Wayne is where Angelo and Ben went to school last year at William Paterson University.  It would of been cool if they were still there this year.  But anyhow my Mom, Dad, Whitney, Carol and Kelly were able to come to the game which was great!  These games this weekend were pretty important because this team was in 1st place so if we would beat them then we would be back in 1st place.  We left saturday morning for NJ and got there around 2 in the afternoon.  We had 2 hours to kill before we had to be at the game.  I was sure i was playing, even though i had not heard anything from the coach.  Later i was walking down the hall of the hotel and the coach mentioned to me that i was playing.  Since i had 2 hours before i had to go the crew that came to watch my games stopped by the hotel to say hi real quick.  They stopped by and we talked for 10 min and then they left so i could get ready.  

I played the game,  i didn't think that i played very well.  But overall as a team we didn't play well either.  We ended up loosing that game again and we sat in the locker room afterwards and talked for a while to figure out why we have not been playing well.  It was a good talk, everyone on the team got to say something of how we could improve.  During this game the devil was saying dumb things to me like "You didn't read the bible before the game, so thats why your not playing well"  And that dumb thought lingered while i was playing, that the reason i was not playing very well was because i hadn't ready my bible beforehand.  But im thankful for truth and my parents.  I was talking with my mom and she so quickly said that thought was from the devil and not true.  So i was thankful for that.  I was able to quickly let that game go and move on.  My family (Carol and Kelly included in family)  and I went out to dinner after the game and we had a very good time.  After dinner we had about a half hour till i had to be in my room.  So we hung out in my hotel lobby till then and they left and went to their hotel.  

Sunday morning we had another game and i was playing again of course!  After the team had our talk the night before everyone was ready to go.  We started the game off well and we were all playing well.  Then in the 2nd period the refs started calling a TON of penalties on us.  Basically we ended up being on the penalty kill for most of the 2nd period and the WHOLE 3rd period.  By the 3rd period the game just got out of control.  There were fights and the game turned into a Gong-show (hockey term for a "messy", uncontrolled game).  So i got to play a lot on the penalty kill that game, since the whole 3rd period we were on the penalty kill.  But we ended up loosing that game and they scored 11 Power Play goals.  So we lost bad.  I normally would never say this but i would put most of the blame on the Referees this weekend for our looses.  We played very well at times, but the refs just made A LOT of bad calls. 

But even though we lost both games this weekend i was glad that i got to see my family.  So it was good!

Also just some other news.  I went into talk with the coach today about schools.  Basically i want to play hockey at a good school next year and i want to get a scholarship too.  So with college hockey you can play Division 1 (the best) or Division 3 which is still good.  Going into the conversation with him i had a feeling that he would tell me that he thinks i would be a good Division 3 player and not a Division 1 player.  So i had to prepare my mind beforehand.  The Lord gave me this to speak to myself,  i said  "I cast aside all human reasoning right now".  Because human reasoning says that i cant play Division 1.  But God!  So i had my talk with him and he did say that he thinks i would be a good division 3 player.  I asked him to tell me what would separate me from being a division 1 player.  He gave me some things to work on.  Making quicker harder passes,  quicker shots and being better defensively (things you guys can be praying about).  So i was very thankful that he was honest with me, told me what he really thought.  And i was thankful that i was prepared beforehand.  He was telling me to look at some Division 3 schools and get back to him.  I told him i would, but i said that i want to play Division 1 and thats my plan.  So i am going to work hard and work on these things.  He said he liked my attitude.  But im thankful that NOTHING is impossible for the Lord.  And this is my hearts desire to play Division 1 hockey next year and i know the Lord will do it!  It will be His doing not my own.  So that was just some recent news of what happened today after practice.  

Thank you all for reading and checking up on me diligently.  I have 2 games this weekend and then 2 next weekend before i come home.  So i will let you know how this weekends games go next week.  Bye for now!!!

Slower week, just one game

Wednesday night we had a game in Foxboro.  Foxboro is actually only about 20 min away.  So this away game was closer than my home games.  Which was nice for me.  Instead of the 40 min drive to my home rink.  Well im getting ahead of myself here.  Tuesday the day before the game i went in to talk with the coach.  I just asked him how he thought i was playing.  He said i played really well in the weekend in NY and i said yes i thought so too.  He said i keep playing well i get to keep playing and he told me then that i was going to dress for wednesday nights game.  

So wednesday going into the game i knew i was going to play.  We started the game and my first couple of shifts were not great.  I wasn't playing comfortable and my mind was starting to wonder a little bit.  I was asking the Lord to help me and play through me and what i heard the Lord say to me then was  "Be still".  So instead of praying 5oo miles a minute and thinking about what the Lord needed to do on my behalf i was just still.  I let my mind rest and i just focused on the Lord.  It was perfect.  I started speaking in tongues again and just focusing my mind.  The rest of the game went great!!  I played soo well.  We that game and as a team we didn't play very well at all.  But i thought that i played great!  I even got to play on the Penalty Kill later on in the game.  It was great for me to get to play on the penalty kill.  I was very thankful to the Lord for helping.  

So i was pleased with how it went.  We had a very good hard practice thursday.  Everyone was skating hard and going 100%.  We wernt happy that we lost that game.  So we were working hard.  We had friday, saturday and sunday all off.  It was crazy.  That is such a long break in the middle of the season.  But it was nice.  Friday i went to some of the guys house and hung out with them.  It was a good time.  But overall it was a very nice break.  

I see the Lord taking me deeper and deeper into allowing the Holy Spirit to play through me more and more.  I dont want to limit allowing the Holy Spirit to move through me just during games.  I want Him to move through me every single day of my life.  In everything i do.  Everywhere i go.  LETTING His light shine through me.  Im so thankful for the Lord.  That we can turn to Him for absolutely everything we need.  He is so trustworthy.  Worthy of our 100% trust.  Im very thankful.  

We have a game this wednesday and then we go to New Jersey for 2 games this weekend.  My family and Carol and Kelly are going to be meeting me there and watching those 2 games it should be an exciting time!  ha.  Im thinking that i will be be home on the 22nd or the 23rd for thanksgiving break.  If i leave the 22nd i wont get home till very early the next morning.  But i will see what i will do.  But i will be seeing most of you very shortly!

Love you all,  I will update again after the games in New Jersey.  Bye!