I feel as though it is safe to say that I am a football fanatic. I played in high school and college and now coach. On top of that, I am also that guy that checks every update on the NFL website and looks at Mock Drafts 10 months before they occur. For those of you that don’t know, the “Draft” is the day when NFL teams get to choose from the best college players in the nation. Having the number 1 pick is awesome because you have all kinds of options. You can trade it for a player, you can trade it for more picks, you can trade it for a star player, or you can pick the next big star out of college. This Saturday is the 2009 draft, and there is a lot of speculation of who will be taken with the number 1 overall pick by the Detroit Lions.

Being the number one is an awesome privilege. This basically sets you aside as the best player in college football the previous year. It comes with MILLIONS of dollars to play football, as well as MILLIONS more to endorse products you probably haven’t heard of before.

Every year when the draft comes around, I can’t help but think of what it would be like to be the number 1 pick. My views on this have changed over the years. When I was in High School and College, I thought there was a chance that I could one day be the number 1 pick (didn’t happen). When my playing career ended, I thought of how nice it would be to have all that money and prestige and what I could do with it. Now I look back and see how stupid I was.

When I think of the number 1 pick now, I think that it was me. I was God’s number 1 pick. God sent His only son to the Earth for me. God didn’t just take me with the first pick, He traded His only son for me! God didn’t just send his son, but we are told in 1 Peter 3:18:

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous and the unrighteous, to bring YOU to God.

It is a hard thing to grasp that any of us are worth that much. It is hard to think that God loved us so much that he traded everything for us. He gave His son’s life for us. Even though there may not be ludicrous amounts of money and prestige that comes with being God’s number 1 pick, it is worth more than playing football ever could be.

Praying for my teammates (that’s you guys)…

I am not too sure how many people follow current world events anymore but I have made a semi-interest in keeping up a little more frequently as of late. And let me tell you, it is getting pretty weird out there! Just here in America we have had two very important developments take place in the last few weeks. The first being the idea that we have been declared no longer a christian nation by our President in a recent speech made to world leaders. The second and more strange was the White House requesting that all of the symbols at Georgetown University which declare “Jesus in the Highest Sanctimonium” be covered up before the President would speak there. I am not here to be a political commentator but I am here to ask, are you ready for what’s to come?

I knew when I had heard from a buddy of mine, that we were declared no longer a christian nation, that it was not that blatant of a comment. After hearing the transcripts of the speech, it made no surprise to me the context in which everything was said. We are a diverse country, with many religions, we don’t strictly adhere to one religion or place any one religion above any other. As we have been currently talking about on Sundays, quite a “Trueish” statement isn’t it?

The whole stint at Georgetown University was much more concerning in the sense that there is absolutely no reason as to why at a Catholic University, that the decor declaring their Catholic beliefs and the uplifting of Jesus Christ should be of any offense to anyone, right? I think that in 1 John Chapter 2, it says a few things on this topic, read and study this portion of Scripture when you have the chance.

When it comes down to it, I am not here to raise a red flag and freak out about what is going on that is out of my control in the country and in the world. I am however, here to say, isn’t it time for you to be ready? Haven’t we put off things enough? Haven’t we waited long enough? Haven’t we given enough reasons as to why we haven’t jumped into this whole God thing? I do not worry about the things that are to come because I know in Him whom I believe, and I know that if Lot could have found 10, God would have spared Sodom. We are more than 10, we are more than 100, we are more than 1000, and if God is for us, then who can be against us?

Do not worry about these things. Understand that God is never surprised and that these things have been planned out for thousands of years and He has them all under control. Understand that they must happen for prophetic things to be fulfilled. And in all of your understanding, make sure today that God is for YOU!

Blessings to you

Excitment is in the air… Little pep’s all over the US are watching their favorite baseball teams take the field for the first time in 2009. As a huge fan of not only the game but also my home town Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, here I sit as happy as can be that the longest season of any professional sport has started.

As I take in the aerial shots from the blimp, I wonder if the 45 thousand plus fans have a relationship with Christ. Now don’t get me wrong, I am envious of their ability to watch the game live and in person and I would gladly take their ticket, but I am challenged with the greater quest of reaching every life possible for Christ. Paul said that he would take on the customs of a Jew just for the sake of connectting a Jew to Christ. I wonder what we would be willing to take on to lead someone to Christ.

Would we be willing to sacrafice our desires to see 100 people come to Christ? Would we be willing to skip a McD’s iced coffee so as to give to the poor? Would we be willing to sacrafice our pride and become like those we are trying to reach?

As the greatest church attended Sunday, Easter, is upon us, what are you willing to do to reach the people around you? That single mom that you know has been struggling; are you willing to invite her to church for hope? How about the lonely elderly person you see at work who you know has no family in town; are you willing to invite them to church for relationship? How about your neighbor who you see washing his truck every Sunday on your way to church; are you willing to invite him to church for purpose?

I fear that so many of us think that we don’t know the first step to reaching people around us for Christ. I would tell you that the first step has already been taken; you know who they are don’t you? I would challenge you to now take the second step and invite them to your local church service this Sunday. After all everyone goes to church on Easter…

Baseball,

Thanks for the revelation and go Angels!!!

Signed,
Your Fan — Mike Clack

I began asking myself the other day, “what does a humble person look like?” When do I know that I’ve humbled myself before God? James commands in his letter to, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10). Peter and Paul echo the importance of humbleness, humility, meekness and gentleness many times over.

Humbleness comes in many forms. It’s the quiet grandfather that is patient; leaning on years of experience. It’s the trusting daughter that waits for her loving father, knowing he will be there because he’s never failed her before. It’s the homeless beggar who has no idea where his next meal will come from or how to get out of his situation. It’s the convicted criminal who has fought the “system” for so long but with lowered eyes and a willing heart realizes that his selfish behavior always leads to a destructive end.

Humility is expensive. It can cost quite a bit. A humble spirit can cost: status, positions, prominence, friendships, success, financial gain, reputations, words, physical disabilities, mental health, or freedom. Humbleness can take dignity, self-esteem and security. It can demand personal preferences, personal rights and privileges, dependency on others and vulnerability, not to mention: embarrassment, fatigue, depression and anger. Humbleness usually follows highly painful and stressful circumstances.

Yet, the Bible makes it clear that this is a virtue that God desires in us. I’m not sure I want that virtue… until I see that being humble before God has great results. Daniel was heard by God because of his humbleness (Daniel 10:12). Moses was considered the most humble man and God, on multiple occasions, defended Moses in amazing ways (Numbers 12). Jesus humbled himself more than anyone else, to the point of dying as a criminal; yet he was lifted to the highest position. Clearly a humble heart is the first step of allowing God to take control of our lives, transforming us into a completely intentional work of art for HIS purpose. I think that’s why, as we grow in maturity towards Christ, we become more eager to become like him. We rid ourselves of self-pride and gladly welcome the higher position of humbleness to the point of eager anticipation. “The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.” Humbleness draws us closer to God.