On a recent Saturday afternoon,

around 1,800 boys, girls, parents and grandparents gathered at the Fayette

County High School practice field for the annual baseball clinic sponsored

led instructional times and then shared their faith.

One of the sponsoring pastors

told Michael Barrett, catcher for the Montreal Expos, "I saw you

make baseball history last year."

Barrett responded, "what

do you mean?"

The pastor explained that he

and his son were at Wrigley Field on last season's opening day when the

Chicago Cubs hosted the Montreal Expos. Barrett questioned the home plate

umpire's call on a certain pitch, got into an argument and was ejected

from the game. Thus, Barrett became the first player ejected from a regular

season game in 2001.

Barrett's eyes lit up when

he was reminded of that incident, and immediately he recounted the exact

situation. I can't remember the specific numbers, but his response was

something like, "Yeah, there were two outs and so-and-so was batting,

and so-and-so was on second. It was a 3-2 count and the pitch was a slider

on the outside corner for strike three and the umpire (he named him) called

it a ball." One year and 162 games later, Barrett displayed a remarkable

memory.

Scientists say he'd better

enjoy it while he can. Research shows that the male brain shrinks three

times as fast as a woman's brain. Men lose brain tissue at almost three

times the rate of women, curbing their memory, concentration and reasoning

power.

Ruben Gur, a professor of psychology

at the University of Pennsylvania, said, "Even at the age of 18 to

45, you can see a steady decline in the ability to perform attention-oriented

tasks in men." He said shrinking brains may make men grumpier because

some of the tissue loss is in the left frontal region of the brain, which

seems to be connected to depression.

So, ladies, next time you're

man is acting grumpy, just ask, "Is your brain shrinking today, or

what!?"

Or, better yet, men, the next

time you forget an important date, such as a birthday or anniversary,

just remind your wife that your brain is shrinking and you're more forgetful

these days. I'm sure she'll understand a legitimate biological reason.

Too often we're like the couple

in their later years that was struggling with memory loss. One day, while

in the bookstore, they saw this book on improving memory. So they bought

it and began to study it. A few weeks later, a neighbor of the couple

stopped by and was talking to the man.

"Hey, how's that memory

book doing for you guys?"

"Oh, it's doing wonders,"

the man replied. "We're remembering things we thought we'd never

remember, like where we parked the car, and where we laid our keys. It's

fantastic!"

The neighbor exclaimed, "Well,

that's great. What's the name of that book. I think I'll get a copy for

us to try."

The man got a puzzled look

on his face as he hesitated momentarily, and said, "What's the name

of that flower, the pretty one with all the thorns on it?"

"A rose?" the neighbor

replied.

"Yeah, a rose!" exclaimed

the man as he shouted into the kitchen, "Hey, Rose, what's the name

of that memory book we've been reading?"

Does God only suffer from memory

loss? Our all-knowing God, who knows our names, numbers the hairs on our

head, and knows the burdens of our heart? Only when it comes to forgiven

sin.

The Bible says, "For I

will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more (Jeremiah

31:34)." What is the key? Acknowledging before God when we blow it,

confessing our sin, then receiving the gift of forgiveness and a clean

slate before God.

I John 1:9 reads, "If

we (believers) confess our sin, then He is faithful and just to forgive

us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God forgives

us when we admit and confess. No excuses, no rationalization, but confession.

Micah, the prophet, reminds

us that God takes our sin and throws them into the depths of the sea.

And He never digs them up again. Now that's a memory loss for which we

should remember to give thanks.

(Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor

of McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville. The church family meets

at 352 McDonough Road and visitors are invited to join them this Sunday

for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:55 a.m.)

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