Sports have always been a huge part of my life. They’ve been there for as long as I can remember. I come from a long line of athletes. My grandfather even had an opportunity to pitch for the Detroit Tigers, but he chose to serve in World War II instead. My father was a great athlete too, and he was also my coach growing up, teaching me the game—and a lot about life—along the way…
I love a lot of sports, but my two main ones are American football and baseball. I played Little League all through my childhood and into my teens. I didn’t just throw on a uniform and participate—I excelled. I was a star, haha. I’m normally pretty humble, but I want to be accurate here so you can feel what I’m putting down 😅 I was mainly a pitcher, but in between starts I played shortstop and left field, doing whatever my team needed… I also hit for power and average.
In little league.. I once made an insane diving catch in left field to win the game… the crowd went nuts… bum-rushed me and carried me off the field on their shoulders cheering haha…
Sports were where I learned who I was when things got hard…
I kept it going into junior high and high school, playing both baseball and football. On the football field I lined up at quarterback, wide receiver, and at cornerback on defense, and I excelled there too. The dream was always to try and go pro in baseball, but along the way I got pulled into the music scene and ended up chasing that route instead. Even then, I never really left sports behind. I kept playing, jumping into league softball over the years and staying connected to the game any way I could.
As far as watching sports, my heart stays close to home. I love the Atlanta Braves and Falcons, and when it comes to college football, I’m a huge Georgia fan—Go Dawgs! Major League Baseball, the NFL, and college football are my mainstays, but I also enjoy basketball and golf, both playing and watching. Sports have always been more than just games to me. I’m thankful I grew up the way I did, grateful for the chance to play, I miss them days…
My first year in little league… im holding the bat wrong in this pic.. my hands are opposite how they should be lol
1 Corinthians 9:24–26 (NIV)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize… Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever…
I’ve got two lottery stories. Here’s the first—one that’s stuck with me for years.
Back when I used to work delivering top-grade fruits and vegetables to restaurants all over Atlanta, one of the guys I worked with told me this story about his aunt and uncle up in Michigan. They were the kind of folks who played the lottery religiously—same numbers every week, knew them by heart. His uncle worked construction, his aunt stayed home.
One day, the uncle was on the job, radio on in the background, when the lottery numbers came up. One by one, he heard them read off… and they were his numbers. Every single one. He stood there frozen, trying to grasp it—he was a millionaire, just like that. He felt like Jed Clampett, like George Jefferson—about to “move on up,” as they say. He couldn’t believe it—after all that time, the numbers finally hit.
Trembling, he grabbed his phone and called home. His wife answered. He could barely get the words out—“Honey, we won. We won!” You can imagine that rush of joy, disbelief, tears, laughter—the whole spectrum of emotions hitting at once.
When they finally calmed down, he asked her, “Where’s the ticket?”
Silence.
She didn’t know. Couldn’t remember. They searched every corner of that house—you name it: drawers, kitchen counters, coat pockets, even the trash—but the ticket was gone.
Never turned up.
It was a multimillion jackpot—ten million or more, my coworker said. They never recovered from it. They ended up divorcing. He drank himself into an early grave; she lost her mind and eventually wound up in a mental hospital.
I’ll never forget that story. They were just one missing ticket away from a whole new life. Makes you realize how thin the line is between winning big and losing everything…
…
…
The second story’s a little different—it’s about the strange brush I had with the lottery once.
I don’t normally play. Honestly, it had probably been ten years since the last time I bought a ticket. But one day, these numbers just popped into my head out of nowhere. They felt… random, but not really. So I scribbled them down and thought, why not? Maybe I’m supposed to play these.
That evening, I bought a ticket for the Fantasy Five drawing. Later that night, I sat down in front of the TV, ticket in hand, heart doing that nervous little dance while I waited for the numbers to roll out.
The first one—bam. I had it. The second—got it. The third—hit again. The fourth—yes! Four in a row.
Now it all came down to the last number. If it hit, I’d be holding a ticket worth half a million dollars. I was right there on the edge of my seat, waiting… the winning number flashed on the screen—29.
I looked down. Mine said 30.
Missed it by one digit. Just one.
Still, four out of five wasn’t bad—I got a hundred bucks out of it. Not life-changing, but it sure made for a good story.
Funny how luck works, isn’t it? One number can mean the difference between a payday and just another story before bed…
So I guess if there’s any moral here, it’s this—don’t store your hopes and dreams in things that can be lost… store them where they’re eternal — that’s where the true jackpot is waiting…
Matthew 13:44 (NIV) “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field…”
Hey yall… hope all is well… this week I’m sharing two favorites — we’ll finish up Tonic next week before turning the page…
🎵 Mean to Me • Year: 1999 • Album: Sugar
🎵 Do You Know • Year: 2o02 • Album: Head on Straight
Mean to Me is good… one of my favorites from them… but it’s hard to pick a favorite with these guys… so press play and enjoy…
Happy Hump Day… 🐫
This one has the F word in it once at the 3:36 mark… 👇
…….📖→💛☀️→📄📄→🌬️→👁️👁️→😌→🚶♂️↔️🏠→🌌’
So open up the book that you keep deep inside… Let the pages yellow in the sun… Show them that you’re not afraid to let them see… How far you can be… from home…
Lamentations 3:22-23 💥 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed… for his compassions never fail… They are new every morning… great is your faithfulness…”
So I’ve been sick for two years… it’s been horrible… I’ve been gradually getting better over these last months…
A few weeks ago… I made huge progress… felt like I got healed…
And today… I feel it in every way…
I’m gaining weight again… I’ve been working out daily for almost two weeks now… and in a short time… I’m putting on muscle… I’m looking better than ever… I’m feeling strong… I feel like myself again…
And I can’t praise God enough… Oh thank You… Holy Father…
I’ve had people all over the world praying for me… pulling for me… and my girlfriend’s faithful prayers… Oh how grateful I am… thankful… humbled by the entire experience… Oh how happy I am… that it’s over…
because there were moments I truly wasn’t sure I’d ever get back here…
Honestly.. my faith wavered over these past few years… I was so sick… I lost nearly 60 pounds… I was told it was cancer… then told it wasn’t… and to this day… I still don’t know what it was…
I just know it was hard… a daily struggle to not give up…
But now…
Because of my God — I am back…
Not just back… but renewed… Stronger… Better… Alive in a way I hadn’t felt in years…
And today… I stand here in gratitude — the fear is gone…
All glory to God — the healer… the restorer… the One who carried me when I couldn’t carry myself…
Amen and Amen.
Forever and ever…
“Though He slay me.. yet will I trust in Him…” — Job 13:15 (NKJV)
“The Lord restored the health of Job…” — Job 42:10
Sidewalk Prophets 🎶 The Words I Would Say 🎶 Live Like That…
One of the coolest things about Sidewalk Prophets is how much of their story was shaped by other people. Early on, a demo they recorded was submitted to a contest without their knowledge — and they won. That surprise moment opened doors they never planned for. Years later, they kept that same spirit of community by inviting fans to help shape the Live Like That album itself, using fan-submitted photos for the cover and even letting fans sing background vocals. From the start, their music has never been just theirs — it’s always been shared…
Here’s two more great ones from them…
🎵 “The Words I Would Say” — from These Simple Truths (2009)
🎵 “Live Like That” — from Live Like That (2012)
I pray yall have a super blessed Sunday… enjoy the music and the message…
James 1:22 (NIV) Do not merely listen to the Word… and so deceive yourselves… Do what it says…
1 John 3:18 (NIV) Dear children… let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth…
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 