Josiah Road

March Madness

posted by Luke Harper 24Mar

Every year there is a certain month that just gets me pumped. That month is MARCH. Why you ask? Well March Madness of course! Every year I like to show off my “bracketology” knowledge. I usually fill out about twenty-five brackets. Sometimes I go with my favorite team, predict them to win the National Championship even when it’s totally not realistic. Sometimes I pick for upsets like Belmont University to win the ‘ship just for fun.

Sometimes, I just pick the highest seed in every game to play it safe, but what’s the fun in that? I usually end up frustrated and wishing I had a way to pick every game correctly. So, I turn to ESPN and their experts who try to convince me that their picks are correct. Yes, they are supposed to know more that I do, but I usually go with my gut feeling (the wrong choice) and my bracket suffers as a result.

Then you have those freakish 12-year-olds (that you see on TV) who pick every game correctly. They ignore all the predictions ESPN throws at them and they pick every game right!

I think “bracketology” is kind of like life in a way. I have a choice. I can be my usual self and screw up my life (bracket) by following my gut or other influences (ESPN). You see, the world is throwing tons of things at us constantly. All the “experts” have an opinion. If I choose to follow those influences in real life, well my bracket (life) will suffer. Or….I can choose to be that one 12-year-old kid. You know, the kid who is not influenced by the things of this world. The kid who ignores all that and strives for the true goal (GOD!). That kid! A life (bracket) focused on God is free from wrong choices…the choice is not ours. When you face a difficult game, God can lead you in the right direction. So now looking back, why in this world would I ever listen to what the world (ESPN) has to offer? I have the God of the Universe to guide and direct me.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8a

Those games (difficult situations) we face in life will be taken care of by God as long as we “draw near.” It’s my choice….win or lose…seems like pretty easy choice to me!

Snow Flakes Of Doom!

posted by Mike Blackaby 16Mar

When I moved from Canada to North Carolina there were several things I bid a heartbreaking farewell to. Hockey was replaced by college football, ketchup chips were exchanged for sweet tea, and snow just sort of disappeared. Or so I thought…

It began with a light wind, which chilled the air and tickled the back of your neck. The sky faded to an ashen grey and the sun slipped behind thick clouds. When the weather forecast confirmed the chance of snow, Armageddon fell upon North Carolina. People poured into their nearest grocery store, pushing and shoving to get their hands on a carton of milk or a loaf of bread, both of which were fast becoming endangered species’!

During all the chaos, I chuckled and relaxed in my apartment. As the snow began to fall, I casually watched it from my window, reminiscing about the many such snowfalls I had experienced in Canada. “Foolish Americans,” I thought, “you could learn a thing or two from a northern pro like me!”

Then I noticed the people in the parking lot. An epic snowball fight had erupted, and everyone was joining in! Bundled up against the cold, the scene looked like it had floated in from a classic Christmas movie. I excitedly rushed to the closet to grab my jacket and join in when it hit me. I had no winter jacket. Desperately fumbling through every inch of my apartment, I came up empty handed. All I had was a light spring jacket, which barely kept me warm against the slight draft emanating from my fridge. In my southern migration, it had never crossed my mind to prepare for cold weather!

When I emerged from my apartment, I was greeted with calls of “Look at the Canadian, he doesn’t even need a jacket!” I smiled and nodded, hoping they didn’t notice my teeth chattering. Irony hit me like a ball of ice and my joy left in a convulsion of shivers!

One of the surest attitudes to bring ruin in my life is to think “That could never happen to me!” The minute I believe I am immune to certain sins, watch out! History is full of men and women who fell hard because they never saw sin coming. Whether it is the pastor whose reputation is destroyed by an illicit affair, or the girl who lets her self esteem issues replace her meals, we are all in danger of ruin when we let pride sneak into our lives.

My own life has revealed to me how foolish it is to think certain sins are beyond my capacity. If I am not guarding my heart from evil, I leave the doors and windows wide open for it to enter. Never say “Never” when it comes to sin for that has been the famous last word of many well-meaning Christians. When we try to live life apart from God’s strength, the forecast says a storm is coming, and it will leave only wreckage behind.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18