I have a confession to make...


I am going to make my first confession on my blog, are you ready? My car radio is tuned into the AM band and talk radio. That’s right I am tuning (I mean turning) into parents who never ventured away from the AM when I was growing up. I tell you this because this past week I was enjoying ESPN radio (since I don’t watch it on TV anymore I must listen to it) and was reminded once again about the present day pursuit to cure cancer. This past week was JIMMY V week in which ESPN seeks to raise money to fund the V Foundation so that they in turn may fund the fight to find a cure for cancer. The motto for the V Foundation is "don't give up - don't ever give up!" Jim Valvano was a college basketball coach until he passed away in 1993 after loosing the fight against cancer. Six weeks before he passed away he received the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the inaugural ESPY awards. He gave speech in which he listed three things that we must do each day to truly live our lives. Everyday we must laugh, think, and be moved to tears. Not a bad suggestion huh? He talked about pursuing dreams and moving from where you are now to where you want to be. I encourage you to watch the clip but more importantly I encourage you take his advice to heart and laugh, think, and be moved to tears on a daily basis.

This weekend at Church, Bob Maddox, one of the Pastor's at Good Shepherd dealt with John 19 and talked about how Jesus is and was always a King, never a victim. Since I left church Saturday evening I have been pondering his big idea: always a King, never a victim. I found myself describing a victim in my brain so that I could better understand what Bob was getting at. You see a victim doesn't have a choice. A victim doesn't have control over the situation.
A victim is powerless. A victim is often times forced into a circumstance. A victim often times ends up dead (physically, spiritually, or emotionally) never able to fully recover. Since Christ was never a victim the opposite is true. He had a choice, He had control and power (because He was closely tied to the one that did), and He defeated death recovering fully from the wounds on his hands and feet.

I hope this is as personal to you as it is to me. The concepts of choice and control reveal Christ's personal nature and driving force. Christ choose to die because he loved you! If he were a victim he wouldn't have had the opportunity to make a choice for you or me. Christ relinquished control because he loved you! If He were a victim He would have looked out for himself and sought to save himself. Instead He died for our sins. Read Philippians 2:8-11

"Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Bob ended his sermon with a video using a famous sermon by S.M. Lockridge entitled "My King". You can find many videos using his sermon on Google Video and YouTube if you would like. Instead of linking to a video I have chosen to link to the audio only. Take a moment and listed, close your eyes if you would like so you can listen to the vast descriptions of the King, Jesus Christ.

Here is the link: My King

The following pictures were just too cute to not post. So enjoy them.