04/20/2026
This past weekend was about something bigger than baseball. ❤️⚾️
Our Cubs had the opportunity to compete in a fundraiser tournament for Smile Like Hadleigh Corp (an incredible organization founded by TG Lee & Chari Lee in the fight against drunk driving).
We didn’t start how we wanted (dropping game one) but these boys showed resilience. They bounced back with a tie in game two and finished strong by winning our bracket. Growth, toughness, and response… that’s what we’re after. 💪
The uniforms this weekend were special too - huge shoutout to Kemp sports apparel (Willie Kemp) for putting together our custom jerseys. They turned out incredible. 🔥🔥
More importantly, we spent time talking through the mission verse of the Hadleigh Foundation, Matthew 19:14.
'Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” , '
Matthew 19:14
Context is so important when reading and studying God's Word. Here is what we know leading up to verse 14 - In this moment in scripture, Jesus is traveling through Judea towards Jerusalem. He is making His way to the cross at this point. We pick up in this chapter with parents bringing their children to Jesus. The disciples, thinking Jesus is far too busy and important to stop and deal with children, try to turn these parents / children away — but Jesus stops them. He welcomes the children and uses this moment to teach something deeper:
The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who come with a childlike heart.
➡️ Humility
➡️ Dependence
➡️ Trust
➡️ No pride or self-sufficiency
That’s the reminder for all of us — we don’t earn salvation. It’s a free gift from God. We come to Jesus not with performance or cleaning ourselves up, but with dependence upon Him alone.
Following Jesus is a death to self, EVERY DAY. His invitation in the gospels it to repent & believe. We must deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him.
As a coach and a dad, I could not be more proud of this group. Not just for how they compete, but for how they’re growing as young men.
ATTITUDE ~ EFFORT ~ FOCUS 🐻💙