March 9, 2015 - Enjoy the game while it lasts!

It’s that time of year again… March MADness! I always get excited for the basketball tourney with the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” Every team is being analyzed based not only based upon wins and losses but also on how the “experts” feel they are currently playing. Even a team that is undefeated like Kentucky has its skeptics. People wonder if it would be better for them to lose before the big tournament in order to reignite a fire in them (in other words to avoid complacency and coming out flat in a game.) The reality is that in the March Madness tournament a team has to come out ready to roll every game; there is no time for a letdown; there is little room for tightening up and playing scared; the players have to be “all in!” Because the reality is in the tourney format it is one and done if you lose… season over. So players need to approach each game with a love and passion… and enjoy each game while it lasts. (The reality is that even the team that cuts down the nets has its season end at that point.)

That’s the way I want to “play the game of life”… “ALL IN!” I want to live each day as though it is my last day to “play!”

Ecclesiastes 9 talks about those that live with no purpose and no hope in this crazy thing called life; it calls the way they live “madness.” The chapter reminds us that “life” happens to all of us (“the righteous or the wicked”) but not all have to view life the same.

I love the fact that there is a hope of a life of joy in the midst of the chaos… that we can “play” for the love of the game…

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might;…

I love a couple of lines in the Message paraphrase! It reads in verses 7-10:

(“Seize life!”), (“Each day is God’s gift”), (“Make the most of each one!”), and (“Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!”)

The lost world lives in “madness” but we challenge you to live a life of MADness - Making A Difference each day! Be in the right place, doing the right thing, at the right time!

Let’s make March an incredible month!!!

 

 

March 2, 2015 - Value

Tonight I was sharing part of my testimony with a group of kids in Indiana; and just before I began to share the host of the event had the group memorize a theme verse for the night: Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I have often taught on this verse (and most of the time about the misuse of it); yet tonight it came alive to me even more…

As I arrived in the old gymnasium where the event was held I immediately started taking some mental notes about the kids that where there and praying/contemplating what I was going to share. It wasn’t a typical basketball crowd and there were a few young kids. It was a small crowd and as we did the basketball interaction time it was obvious not a super athletic or skilled crowd.

I shared about a time in my life when I was very committed to playing the game of basketball. It was following my senior year of high school; I had finished my high school career thinking I was quite a player. I had scored a lot of points and felt I could play with anyone, yet college coaches didn’t quite see it that way (they happened to know I was playing out of position and not ready for the next level as a point guard.) Therefore I began working on the skill set I needed to play at the next level; multiple hours a day; every day; a lot of sweat; jump shot after jump shot; pounding ball handling drills; jump rope; etc. And if I do say so myself I got pretty dang good… only to have my knee snap in a church league game and it all to be over.

That seems to be a bit over-dramatic. It wasn’t “all over.” Yes my dreams of college hoops had taken a hit but there happened to be more to do in life other than college hoops. (And I’ve ended up with quite a gig with teaching basketball taking me all over the world!)

I have often taught the truth from Philippians 4:13 that Paul is sharing that he was content when things were good or bad in his life; and thus I needed to be content in spite of the circumstances I was in. I have recently taught that Paul was able to do that because his “chains were in Christ” and not to his circumstances. (See Phil 1:13) Yet, tonight it hit me even a bit more as to how that is possible…

I was talking about what gives us value. The reality is that I was fortunate to have teachers of the Word that let me see that my value as a teenage boy was not found in how good of a basketball player I was. Although I would have loved to keep playing, I am so glad that I learned where true value comes from!

Know that your value is based upon the fact that God loves you (and me) enough to have paid for our wrongdoing with the life of His Son. My value is found in Jesus – not in basketball – or how much money I make – or how popular I am – or… And because of that we can be content even when life is not going as we hoped. We can do “all things through Christ.”

Thank you God for loving us enough to purchase our redemption; thank you for showing us how valuable we are in your eyes!

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.