Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Come, Lord, Jesus, Come!

The altar awaits the Lamb. The cheering crowds of Palm Sunday are giving way to the taunts of Good Friday. It is only "Good" because of Him and Resurrection Sunday!

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

The bride needs the bridegroom. His coming is life. Without it, we stand incomplete, fallen and without hope. We need Easter. But first the mission and horror of Good Friday. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Shhhhhh Listen to the Silence

Listen! Can you hear it? It's the awkward silence before something extraordinary. It's that pregnant pause before something really big.
We stand in the shadows of the Mt. of Olives as we await the triumphal entry of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Two disciples will soon be sent by Him to get a donkey. It's the one He will ride on His royal entrance to David's city.

By week's end you will be able to smell fresh cut palm branches the people will spread on the road and wave as they will shout, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"

Passover week will begin, but those of us who live this side of the Resurrection know it as the week of Christ's Passion, a holy week, in fact it is the Holy Week. But first, stillness. The silence of Lent continues, drawing us closer and closer. We are about to witness and participate in the coming of His kingdom. At least it appears that way. But it will be short-lived because this kingdom will not be ushered in with a parade of palm branches, but only through the Cross, later in the week.

Time for more reflection, more confession and the harsh realization that our sins nailed Him to the Cross, not the Romans. They were mere instruments of God's glorious plan for our salvation. Oddly, we do not appear to be much different from the First Century pilgrims who cheered His entrance only to cry out for His blood by week's end. We feel safe and saved, almost as if we have something no one else has like:

• A ticket to the dance
  
• An insurance card
  
• An unlimited pass
  
• A "get out of jail free" card
  

That's not only arrogant, but falsely pious and judgmental. We're just like them. We want it now and even though we know "they" got it wrong, we are no different. We, you, me, I should know better! I am not entitled to this grace that will be purchased at such a high price. I do not deserve kingdom citizenship. I cannot earn it. Just the thought of that initial march into Jerusalem should drive us to our knees in confession, as we weep over what is about to happen on our behalf.

We revel in corporate worship with raised hands, singing of His redemption and glory, but before we even make it home most of us buckle at the worries and concerns of flesh and blood. We become anxious. We doubt. We worry. We stress. We try to "fix" things we cannot and while we say we have faith, but we fail to exercise it when it's needed most. We muddle along getting to the next week of corporate worship as we once again shout, "Hosanna!" but, we largely ignore our disobedience, doubt, and sin. It is only when we become like Jesus and relinquish self that we can truly claim to be one of His followers.

"Holy Father,
Mark this time of silence and reflection. We know we are on the precipice of something tragic and yet incredibly wonderful. Still our hearts. Bring forth your glory in our lives. Open us to His triumphal entry, but do not let us avoid the darkness of Friday. Help our cries move from "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" to "He is not here. He is risen!"

Sportsmanship or Ego?

Meet Coach Greg Wise of Yates High School in Houston. This year Coach Wise's basketball team beat opposing teams by winning margins of 135, 115, 99, 98, 90 and 88 points. Yes, this is high school basketball!

His team beat Lee High School 170-35! His team was up 88 points at the half and he ran a full court press until the final buzzer. Award winning sports columnist Rick Reilly notes that the coach's brash "smash the opponent" style is getting dangerous:

"Wise refused to pull his foot off the accelerator in a 132-68 fricasseeing of Booker T. Washington. Nobody likes to be humiliated, and this includes fans. Like at some of Yates' games, there was fighting. This time it happened in the parking lot afterward. Shots were fired, though nobody was hurt. This time." Read Reilly's full take here at ESPN.

Now I know there's a large contingent of sports fans who have no problem with this. They back up this bully behavior with statements such as: "It's our job to score and it's the opposing team's job to stop us." This may work in the NFL or NBA where players are paid to play and it's their job. However, I don't believe there's a place for this in high school, or little league athletics. I played sports in school. I understood the goal of every game. I have played on teams that won by large margins and teams that were on the losing end of some real grillings. But I've never been a part of a team whose goal was to demoralize the opponent, nor have I been demoralized in a losing effort, and trust me, I suffered some huge losses when I played.

Webster's Online Dictionary defines sportsmanship as: : conduct (as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport

It seems as though Coach Wise is out to redefine sportsmanship.

Congratulations to my Butler Bulldogs

Go Dawgs! My beloved Butler Bulldogs sealed their ticket to the Big Dance by beating Wright State 70-45 in the Horizon League Tournament Championship Tuesday night at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse! Now I know my alma mater isn't in a powerhouse conference, but we are ranked 12th in the nation and have the longest winning streak in college basketball right now at 20. My Clemson friends are quick to point out that we lost to the Tigers by one point in an early pre-conference tournament.

The Dawgs are headed to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year! Pretty impressive for a school with just under 4,500 students.

Many folks know I'm a diehard University of Kentucky fan. I was born in Kentucky and raised on blue milk. I love the Cats and will cheer large and loud for them, but my first allegiance is to my alma mater. Now I'm hoping the selection commitee doesn't put the Bulldogs in the same region as the Cats! Go Dawgs and Go Cats :)

Texting Can Be Deadly

A 36-year old man was killed in a deadly wreck in our county early Friday morning. He was coming home from his second job when he was hit head-on by an oncoming car that had drifted into his lane. According to State Police, the driver (a college student) was either texting someone, or receiving a text when she took her eyes off the road. It was the 11th fatality in our county this year!

According to the Governor's Highway Safety Association, six states prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. 19 states have laws banning texting while driving. It's time for South Carolina to pass a law against texting and any cell phone use other than hands-free while driving!

Charlotte Church - The Prayer (with Josh Groban)

27 years ago before our family, friends and God, my bride and I made a promise to each other and to God. Happy Anniversary Terese and may "The Prayer" be ours for another 27 years. I thank God for the gift of you!

Here are the lyrics to "The Prayer" written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Alberto Testa, and Tony Renis

I pray you'll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your Grace
To a place where we'll be safe
La luce che tu dai

I pray we'll find your light
Nel cuore restera
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarci che
When stars go out each night
L'eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c'e
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe.
Sogniamo un mondo senza piu violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace e di fraternita

La forza che ci dai
We ask that life be kind
E'il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amore
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a se
Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child

Needs to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe
E la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera