March Madness. In the next week, over 60 teams in each tournament will begin to decide the NCAA Men’s and Women’s national basketball championships. Maybe someday football will expand to at least 8 teams.
I get the feed from my hometown newspaper, the Wichita Eagle. I scan the obituaries to see if I lost another friend or acquaintance. When I glance at the headlines, I am always reminded I was raised in basketball country. The headlines usually include reports about the Wichita University Shockers, the Kansas University Jayhawks and/or the Kansas State Wildcats.
In contrast, I now live in football country. This last week, even with Auburn ranked the number 1 basketball team in the country, the headlines were about whether or not the Auburn football coach should keep his job.
With Auburn having such a good team I am excited to see if we get better coverage of basketball this year. The competitive balance in the men’s championship across is very even and in my opinion several teams have a legitimate chance to win the national championship. It should be a fun tournament.
Get Together. In1979, a student who was living with us made an interesting observation. He said “you are 10 years older than me and that seems like a big difference. But, if we make it, when you are 70, I will be 60, and that does not seem to be such a big difference.
Well, we not only made it to 70 and 60, we exceeded it. I am in my 80th year and that former student plus nine other men who lived with us or were in our fellowship group are coming to Gulf Shores for a weekend. All of those “kids” are now in their 60’s.
Jeny and I are excited to see them, hear their stories, laugh, hug and have a good time. I am particularly interested in seeing them interact with our sons as adults. Many of the former students were influential in our sons’ development. I want to thank them and let them see the fine men our sons have become.
Alabama in February. I live in a state that is looked down on by most Americans. I live in a state with miserable heat and humidity in August. But I live in a state in which my Camellias and Daffodils are blooming on February 19.
Sermon. During our trip two weeks ago, I developed the outline for the sermon I gave last Sunday. I centered it around an idea I had never used before. What are the guideposts for my faith walk? I used the Lord’s Prayer. One of several guideposts for my life.
Guidepost is not an idea I had ever preached on before. It is not an idea that I ordinarily think about. It was just an idea that came to me somewhere between Nashville, Tennessee and Festus, Missouri.
When I got home, I wrote the outline on my computer. The next day, our neighbor brought a box with our mail. I went through it carefully, discarding much, saving the bills and the personal mail. When I got to one piece of mail I was struck with emotion.
Unsolicited, unknown to me, out of the blue came a copy of the Guidepost Devotions for January and February.
I am not Elmer Gantry or some shyster inventing miracles so I can take people’s money. Two independent events with the focus on the same word occurring for the first time in a 79-year-old person’s life seems to be a rare event. The odds are staggering. Some say coincidence; I say providence.
Good news:
Great story of the power of love.
How Love From Teachers Helped A Troubled Student Turn It Around (today.com)
Life as it should be.
80-Year-Old Man Walks Through Blizzard To Rescue Stranded Motorists (sunnyskyz.com)
Another inspiring story about a Down Syndrome person.
I am not a cat lover but this is a heartwarming story.
How A Stray Kitten Saved A Struggling Restaurant From Closing (sunnyskyz.com)
Peace
Jerry
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