We praise Solomon for the wisdom he showed in asking God for wisdom. The Lord came to the young king in a dream and told him to ask for anything he wanted God to give him. Solomon famously requested a discerning heart to govern the Lord’s people and wisely distinguish between right and wrong. And the Lord was pleased with his request.
No doubt, it’s an impressive request. Solomon did not ask for wealth or health. He did not wish death for his enemies. God recognized that those are the things most kings would desire. Those are the things that drive kings. It’s what motivates them. Instead, Solomon asked for heavenly wisdom and guidance.
That godly request came from a truly humble heart. I’m moved by what Solomon said to God leading up to his request.
“I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties” (1 Kings 3:7).
What humility. What an expression of complete dependence on God. Solomon did not rely on his schooling or his heritage or his position or his power. His special training and status for his important position meant nothing in the face of what God had appointed him to do. And Solomon recognized that. We would do well to imitate not just the request but the attitude that produced it.
Scripture tells us God was pleased with Solomon’s request. I believe God was pleased because the request showed him Solomon’s humility and dependence.
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There are 62 days left until the Cowboys kick off their historic 50th NFL season. And we’re counting down the days with the Red Ribbon Review. We’re looking at the second-best players in Cowboys history according to jersey number. Anybody can put together a list of the top players. What’s the fun in that? Those are a dime-a-dozen. It takes a blog like this one to dig deep and give you something you can’t find anywhere else.
Getting caught up from the weekend, our second-best ever #64 is offensive lineman Jim 
Ray Smith. The Baylor alum had played seven outstanding years for Paul Brown in Cleveland, earning five Pro Bowl berths and three first team All Pro selections. He retired and moved to a real estate career in Dallas following the 1962 season and had begun work that summer of ’63 when Tom Landry called him and asked him to suit up for the Cowboys. Smith had topped out at $18,750 annual in Cleveland. The Cowboys were offering $25,000, which would make Smith the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league. And he went for it.
Two seasons later Smith was definitely done. During his short stint in Dallas, Smith suffered through two concussions, two knee operations, two broken hands, and a cracked vertebra in his neck. He couldn’t stay healthy. But he was the second-best #64 the Cowboys ever had.
#63 in the countdown is another offensive lineman from another era, Glen Titensor, who played seven seasons in Dallas from 1981-1988. A third round pick out of BYU, Titensor became a starter at guard in 1984 and stayed there through Tom Landry’s final season in ’88. He played in a total of 92 games for the Cowboys, including two NFC Championship games in ’81 and ’82. Today Titensor owns the Timbercreek Golf Center up in Lewisville.
Today’s #62 is (cringe) Brian Baldinger. I know. Sorry. He really is the second-best #62 in Cowboys history as mainly a 
backup on the offensive line for 5 seasons between 1982 – 1987. Baldinger, of the Flying Baldinger Brothers — Rich and Gary also played in the NFL — is famous really for only two things. One, he’s been 
an NFL analyst for Fox and the NFL Network now for years. And, two, he got his pinky finger really, really, really messed up in somebody’s facemask and never had it fixed. If you’re not too squeamish, you can click on that pic and blow it up a little bit and check it out. It’s pretty twisted. Much worse than Staubach’s ever was.
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Losing three of four to the M’s in Seattle is not the way to go into the All-Star break. But if someone had told me that the Rangers would hit the halfway point at nine games over .500 and only one-and-a-half games back of the Angels I would have taken it. Whitney’s happy. I’m happy. Valerie and Carley couldn’t care less. Carrie-Anne keeps reminding me that Texas is always close at the break. Drats and double drats. She’s right.
Peace,
Allan
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