Eastern University Lacrosse

http://www.goeasterneagles.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1519&Itemid=19

Last Monday I lost my Grandmother. Bernadine Janiski passed away and she is so happy today. In preparing for this day, I came across a story that stems from Malachi in the Old Testament.

Malachi 3:3 says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

This verse puzzled many people in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women in the bible study offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; As a side note, does it get any hotter than in the back of Busi’s tuck? Then she thought again about the verse that says:

“He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

She then asked the silversmith if it was true that, he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, He not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered,

Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”

As long as I can remember God has held my Grandmother in the hottest part of the flames just like that silversmith.

On Monday morning after 78 years of being held by God in his flames, God saw his own image in my Grandmother and it was time to pull her out of the flames.

Get Tough!

Fall break is always a welcomed break. The guys are tired after weeks of grueling practices and the academic load begins to really heat up. At Lynchburg College the lacrosse workouts include the “tire workout”. I will spare you all the details of this workout but I can tell you that back in 2004 no words would leave my mouth during a tire workout. I was way too tired to talk! This fall it was common to hear the words “Get Tough” echoing across college lake.

“Get Tough” was something that Junior Ryan Beale would scream during every tire workout motivating his teammates to push through it and work harder. “Get Tough” is something that Ryan Beale will have to ask himself every morning he wakes up. Just three weeks ago during Lynchburg’s fall break Ryan was involved in a serious car accident that has left Ryan paralyzed from the waist down. The last three weeks have been a whirled wind for Ryan and his family I am sure. Last week Ryan was moved down to Atlanta to be placed in one of the best facilities in the country and is showing signs of progress.

My guess is that the first three weeks have flown by and dare I say have been easier on Ryan and his family than the weeks to come will be. I hope and pray that God will give this family strength. More so, I pray that God will make himself so abundantly clear during this time and speak loud and clear to Ryan and his supporters. So many times in life God gives us opportunities to be faithful and declare him as our strength and source to overcome anything. The Beale family will get through this tragedy and they will do it relying on God and they will do it with the support of the greatest community I have ever been involved in!

There are few things I hold closer to my heart than Lynchburg Lacrosse. Simply put, it was the best experience I could have had in a college. Nothing could have gotten better. My time in central Virginia made me a better person and taught me so much. There were so many life lessons that I discovered in those halls or on that field that have shaped who I am today. The greatest of these lessons is perhaps the loyalty we have for each other. There is just nothing like it. We got each other’s back!

What Ryan Beale is going through right now is a nightmare. It is something that no one deserves and no one should be expected to bounce back from. However, I know that Ryan will bounce back. I don’t care what any doctor says and what any diagnosis or test reveals, I believe that through God all things are possible and that with God and his support group Ryan will bounce back quicker than anyone would expect.

I am so thankful that as I visit Ryan Beale’s website (see below) I read so many messages of love and encouragement. It gives me goose bumps to read those that include God’s word and his wonderfully crafted scripture verses. I am very vocal about my teammates and the Lynchburg Lacrosse community and how much I love them. Most of the time I can’t quite put my feelings into words when in comes to Lynchburg Lacrosse. After visiting this website it speaks for itself. The Lynchburg community is one that is built with character, integrity, and care. I am so proud to be a member of that community and to call Ryan Beale a brother.

I ask that each of you will put Ryan in your prayers and ask God to boldly use Ryan to speak to those around him. Ask God to use this tragedy to bring us closer as his children and closer to him as our father. And ask God to use this community to rally around such a terrific kid.

I know that when January rolls around and practice starts for the Lynchburg Lacrosse team the “tire workout” won’t be any easier but those tire workouts will be a lot louder. Get Tough!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ryanbeale

Ryan Beale’s guestbook is a constant source of motivation for Ryan and his family. I would encourage you to take a look and contribute some words to Ryan and his family.