Do You Still Want to Be Like Mike?

Check out this article was originally posted on the Gospel Coalition website by a former SB2W camper, Matt Smethurst.

Do You Still Want to Be Like Mike?

If you've watched ESPN at any point in the last week, you know Michael Jordan just turned 50. With six NBA titles, five MVPs, ten scoring titles, 14 All-Star appearances, and many other feats posterized on my childhood bedroom wall, Jordan's legacy on the basketball court is unmatched. But life off the court, particularly since his final retirement in 2003, hasn't been so pristine.

In anticipation of Jordan's 50th birthday, ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson spent some time with Number 23. The product is an Outside the Lines article titled "Michael Jordan Has Not Left the Building," a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the mind of the man who revolutionized the world of sports.

Unquenchable Fire

Thompson's piece pulsates with the sense that Jordan isn't happy. "I would give up everything now to go back and play the game of basketball," the Hall of Famer confesses. When asked how he replaces it, Jordan simply states, "You don't. You learn to live with it."

Devotional Passages for Week of February 25 - March 4

Monday: Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:10, Psalm 41:1-13, Proverbs 10:15-16

Tuesday: Leviticus 19:1-20:21, Mark 8:11-38, Psalm 42:1-11, Proverbs 10:17

Wednesday: Leviticus 20:22-22:16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalm 43:1-5, Proverbs 10:18

A Seed Among Thorns

"And others are the ones sown among thorns.  They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."  Mark 4:18-19

My wife and I have had the privilege of mentoring young men and women for many years.  It's fun that some of them are now having kids of their own, some are married and members of our church, and we even have one couple in our adult small group that we mentored as 9th graders.  Sadly, there are some who have not pursued their faith into adulthood at all, and some only apathetically.  I continue to pray for every one of them that their lives might not prove unfruitful.

So what happened to them along the way that led them to stray from faithfully following Christ?  Why are their lives seemingly not bearing the fruit that we had so hoped to see?

Devotional Passages for Week of February 18-25

Monday:  Leviticus 6:1-7:27, Mark 3:7-30, Psalm 37:1-11, Proverbs 10:3-4

Tuesday:  Leviticus 7:28-9:6, Mark 3:31-4:25, Psalm 37:12-29, Proverbs 10:5

Wednesday: Leviticus 9:7-10:20, Mark 4:26-5:20, Psalm 37:30-40, Proverbs 10:6-7

LeCrae's One Minute Gospel Rap

Desiring God's website had this wonderful gospel presentation on its blog today. Here's the link: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/lecrae-raps-the-gospel-in-one-minute

Here is a portion of the post on desiring God:

We recently sat down with Lecrae to talk about his latest album, Gravity, which just won Best Gospel Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Here he raps the gospel in one minute:

Devotional Passages for Week of February 11-18

Monday: Exodus 32:1-33:23, Matthew 26:69-27:14, Psalm 33:1-11, Proverbs 8:33-36

Tuesday: Exodus 34:1-35:9, Matthew 27:15-31, Psalm 33:12-22, Proverbs 9:1-6

Wednesday: Exodus 35:10-36:38, Matthew 27:32-66, Psalm 34:1-10, Proverbs 9:7-8

Devotional Passages for Week of February 4-11

Monday: Exodus 19:16-21:21, Matthew 23:13-39, Psalm 28:1-9, Proverbs 7:1-5

Tuesday: Exodus 21:22-23:13, Matthew 24:1-28, Psalm 29:1-11, Proverbs 7:6-23

Wednesday: Exodus 23:14-25:40, Matthew 24:29-51, Psalm 30:1-12, Proverbs 7:24-27

Not a Genie in a Bottle!

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." -Matthew 21:22

        There was a mad rush up the stairs last night as soon as I agreed that our kids could watch the VHS video they had picked up from the library that afternoon.  Being an older VHS tape, there was a lot of static sound as it played.  

"Dad!!! Fix it!!"  

       I wish I could have fixed it, but unfortunately the tape was irreparably damaged.  After a few minutes of listening to the annoying static noise I was ready to call it quits, but the kids had their hearts set on watching this video.  All of a sudden my oldest son says, "I just don't understand, I prayed, but God won't make the noise go away."