March Madness

Over the next several weekends American society will turn from it's daily rituals and pause. We will sit on the edge of our seats with bated breath. Some will have their dreams crushed while others will celebrate with joy. All will watch the TV for the next moment. Will a giant fall? Will the underdog prevail? Will my bracket survive this?

That's right, it's March Madness and as the NCAA basketball championship gets underway, I have made my picks and I am excited, once again about watching some basketball. My favorite thing to do is cheer for the underdog. I love watching a smaller, relatively unknown team topple a perennial powerhouse. I'll be the one rooting for Siena, Cornell, Richmond and New Mexico State, as opposed to Kansas, Kentucky or Syracuse.

I think there something within us all that relates to the underdog. We all know what it's like to go unnoticed. We have felt the pain of under-appreciation. We know how it feels to be counted out before we even start a task. So when a David gets to take on a Goliath, we cheer for David. We pull for the little guy, because in a lot of ways, we are the little guy.

Over the next few weeks, enjoy the basketball. Root for your team. But do not neglect the observance of the day when God made all the underdogs matter. The day the unnoticed got recognized, the under-appreciated received a nod of acceptance and the counted out were invited in. Easter is the day before the championship game. Easter is the day the ultimate victory was won. When Christ arose, it gave every underdog a chance to be victorious in the only thing that really matters: life!

So when I sit down to watch the championship game this year, I will probably be cheering for the team least likely to win. But I will rest assured that no matter the outcome of the game, my victory is secure, and this underdog celebrates that win every day!

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John Maxwell

I was first introduced to the writings of John Maxwell as a Bible College student studying for ministry. Since that time I have read nearly a dozen of his books and always look forward to reading his next work. Everyone Communicates did not disappoint. In fact, I would rank it in his top three books as far as its applicability and ease to understand.

Maxwell spends the first half of the book describing the principles of how to connect with others. As is his style, he mixes simple concepts with real life illustrations in order to demonstrate the principle in action. As he says, "it's simple to understand, but difficult to apply." The second half of the book is where he rolls up his sleeves and shows us how to connect through five simple practices. As you read, you can't help but notice how he follows his own advice, even with his writing style.

I found this book to be extremely helpful. My profession requires me to connect with people as individuals, small groups and larger audiences. Every chapter ends with practical advice on how to connect on each of those levels. Some of the advice is simplistic and common sense, but often we complicate the simple and overlook the common and it was good to be reminded of those principles. A definite must read for anyone who is in leadership, or even for those looking to better connect with the people in their lives.

My Brutal Cross I Carry

Alright I admit it, there is a part of me that is "artsy fartsy." That being said, I occasionally write poetry (please don't judge my manliness). Over the past several weeks this one has been on my mind. I wrote it about three years ago.

The night is over
And morning has dawned
The rooster crowed
And friends have gone
And my brutal cross I carry

Judges have sneered
Kings have mocked
Guards have beaten
Eternity is rocked
And my brutal cross I carry

The whip whistled
Flesh was torn
The knees buckled
Thorns are worn
And my brutal cross I carry

The crowds jeer
Satan awaits
Demons prepare
To storm Heaven's gates
And my brutal cross I carry

Pain sears
Ears roar
Patience is tested
Grace soars
And my brutal cross I carry

Nails pierce
Hands bleed
Lips thirst
Sinners need
The brutal cross I carried

Soldiers wonder
Crowds are awed
A thief forgiven
Because he saw
The brutal cross I carried

Strength fades
Angels hearken
Will I call
As the skies darken over
The brutal cross I carried?

Death awaits
Veils are split
The earth shakes
As I submit to
The brutal cross I carried

Three days pass
In the tomb
The sun rises
As I overcome
The brutal cross I carried

My call goes out
Far and wide
In order to live
One must die
and bear
The brutal cross I carried

The Map by David Murrow

Perhaps the most unique book on men's spirituality I have ever read, The Map by David Murrow is both a page turning story and a call to discipleship. Murrow begins the book with a mystery/suspense story that takes him from Wales to New York to Greece in search of a map hidden in the writings of Matthew. This 'map' turns out to be a pattern for living that men are called to follow in order to live closer to God and do great things for His kingdom. The second half of the book is Murrow's explanation of his parable in light of Biblical examples and teachings. He reveals what he calls the "three journeys" of submission, strength and sacrifice that all men are called to follow. The book ends with a revisiting to the original story in order to clarify some points and call the reader to a deeper level of discipleship.

Overall a very good book with good teaching. The pattern of the three journeys is both obvious and undeniable in many areas of life. Whether or not Matthew intentionally wrote this pattern into his gospel is debatable, but that should not detract from the positive lessons this book has to offer. By reading this book, two things have happened to me: (1) I recognized what journey I am on and (2) I recognize what journeys the different men of the congregation I serve are currently walking. That by itself makes the book worth the read. The practical suggestions given by Murrow will challenge the traditional model of men's discipleship, which needs to be challenged if we are going to save the men of this generation and raise up men for the next.

A definite must-read for anyone involved in discipling men in the church or simply looking to deepen their walk with Christ.

The Blunt Subtlety of the Cross

I hesitate to write because the subject of the cross is so vast and so deep that one or a thousand entries could not exhaust it's store. Nonetheless, as I prepare a series of sermons that will lead up to Resurrection Sunday, my mind is drawn to the cross.

I have always been amazed at how efficiently the Gospel authors describe the death of Jesus. Matthew describes the scene in what amounts to two paragraphs. Mark, known for his brevity, writes scantly more than Matthew. Luke, with a physician's precision uses maybe three paragraphs. John, who spends half of his gospel on the last week of Jesus' life and was the only writer who was an eye-witness, writes no more than Luke.

Part of the reason the writers don't dwell on the details is the first century reader would need no help envisioning such a horrific scene. Another reason may be that it was emotionally difficult for them to record what they had heard and seen because of their love for Jesus. Yet, in what amounts to no more than two or three pages of type, we read of the event that changed the world, the crucifixion of God.

God on a cross. How absurd that sounds. But to ransom my soul, He endured it's pain and humiliation. The message of the cross is blunt and two-fold:

1) Your sin is evil and deserves the severest of punishments
2) God is good and took your place on the cross.

But in that blunt message are hidden subtleties. Some are so subtle you may have never noticed them. The head adorned with thorns. Thorns that would not exist if it were not for man's sin (see Genesis 3:17-18). The hands pierced with nails. The nails do not hold Jesus there, for he could have come down any time he wanted. No the nails hold something else there; a certificate of debt that we could not pay, now stamped "paid in full" by the blood of Jesus (see Colossians 2:14). A discarded robe, representing the righteousness Christ shed so that we may clothe ourselves in Christ (Galatians 3:27). It's as if God had thought of every detail and placed them there for our discovery, if only we would look.

Unfortunately the cross has become too familiar. We see it as jewelery, emblazoned on T-shirts and decorating CD covers. To many, the cross is no longer heavy; it is no longer blunt. But I implore you, rediscover this core of the Christian faith. Never lose sight of the cross, for to do so is to lose sight of salvation. Once you discover, or re-discover, the bluntness of God's message ("you deserve these nails, but I took them instead") then discover the subtleties of His love and care.

There are many more subtleties than those mentioned above, but I leave those for you to discover as you meditate on the cross and what it means to a sinner saved by grace.

Living Life in the Zone by Kyle Rote Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew

As a minister who has a passion to develop men into the leaders they are called to be, I was happy to select Living Life in the Zone for review. I find most men's devotionals to be both superficial and shallow. Many either don't address the real issues men deal with, or they give short, "cookie-cutter" answers to complex issues. Not so with Kyle Rote Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew's book. They tackle real issues ranging from faith, to family to work to temptations that men face everyday. Instead of short answers they offer a "game plan" to challenge men to be what God intended them to be. They back their daily thoughts with real stories from the worlds of sports and business that either lift up some positive role models or challenge the reader to learn from the mistakes of negative examples. The devotions strike the perfect balance between being too short to be effective, but too long to keep the attention. Each day ends with challenging questions and practical "assignments" to help men mature in their faith.

I would fully recommend this devotional to men. It is well written and easy to read. Even if they are not die-hard sports fans, the spiritual truths and practical suggestions make this devo well worth the 40 days to go through it. As with any devotional guide, it is meant to complement Bible reading, not replace it. But if a man will devote 15-20 minutes of his day to this plan, I feel they will mature in many areas.

Snowed In

Do you remember when you were young and snow was in the forecast how excited you would get? Thoughts of school closing, snowball fights, snowman building and sledding preoccupied your mind as you watched the skies anxiously to spot the first flake drifting down from heaven as a gift from God. When the snow arrived, it painted the whole world white. Everything looked clean and new. I can remember wanting to be the first person out of the house. The first person to make an imprint on this new world just outside my door.

Now I have grown up, married, have children and a job. Snow in the forecast no longer excites me. In fact, after a week of being snowed in with children, the last word I want to hear is "snow." Nevertheless, I sit at my dining room table watching the flakes fall, cold and steady. My children, excited to be out of school again, dance around the kitchen playing and singing to each other. My only thought is, "how much will fall this time?" Snow has lost it's appeal to me.

Maybe this reflects your relationship with Jesus. When you first heard the gospel, your heart quickened just at the sound of His name. You found yourself waiting for His return. Maybe, like a child watching the sky for snow, you looked to the heavens often, hoping to be the first to catch a glimpse of His return, the first to see this gift from God descend from Heaven.

But then you "grew up." Life has become less spiritual for you as you deal with the everyday stresses of bills, job and family. Jesus, for some reason, isn't the first thing on your mind when you wake up, and He may not be the last thing on your mind when you lay down. You can't remember the last time you looked to the skies to see His return.

Let me give you the same advice that Jesus Himself gave to the church in Ephesus in the opening chapters of Revelation: "...you have left your first love... remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first..." (Rev. 2:5-6). In other words, restore the relationship. Draw close to Him. Look to the skies again, because one day He is coming.

As you wait enjoy the blessings He has given you and glorify Him to all you meet. For now, I'm going to watch the snow fall and try to beat my kids to being the first to step in the snow.