Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Full of the goodness of the Lord
The promise is made to you and to your children, and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.
Rick Barnes, who coached the University of Texas basketball team for 17 years (1998-2015), lost with his Tennessee team last week. Purdue will be going to the Final Four, not the Volunteers. But Rick’s nearly always present half-smile didn’t take a hit.
Rick and Candy’s son Nick will be 40 this year. Nick is a missionary in the Middle East (country unnamed). Their daughter Carley and her husband, who still live in Austin, have adopted two African kids to raise alongside their daughter Avery. Carley said about her dad when Avery was born:
He flew in (to Austin) and drove to the hospital, saw me for like an hour at around 11 p.m. He went home, fell asleep, got up around 4 or 5 (a.m.) and flew to a meeting and then came back two days later. He just had to be there the very first day. It wasn’t really about seeing the baby. He just wanted to make sure I was OK.
Rick is mostly quiet about his relationship with Jesus. When I watched him coach last week I knew about his faith and his family, and I knew he knew people were watching him. I hope his son, distant as he was, got to watch. Missionaries don’t always get what they want.
The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness.
As I write, the women’s side of March Madness is playing out. The women’s Final Four will be settled tonight, and the championship game will be played next week. Watching Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who broke every record that could be broken this year, I think of Aly Sandel, who is half of Caitlin’s age but just as dedicated. She plays every single day. She is getting to be a really good shot.
Aly much prefers playing to watching, which I think is true of all good players. After taking a break for Easter, she’s back at it again this week. We’ll be spending a week with Jack and Aly in early June, and Aly has already asked if we can take her to a practice court each of those days, when her parents are off on their 20th anniversary honeymoon.
Peter cried out, “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. The people were cut to the heart, and asked, “What are we to do, brothers?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The announcers are recounting Caitlin’s statistics from her game last night. I mute the TV and imagine them talking about Aly. But Aly’s basketball prowess will help her spotlight her friendship with Jesus. She was baptized two years ago, and she and her mom read the Bible nearly every day, either before or after they go to play basketball together. (Melissa was a starting point guard for the Urbana High School team. Now she is a pastor at West Side Christian Church in Springfield, Illinois).
To find what God has for you to do – that’s the joy of being human. And then to do it, and do it well – that’s the joy of being found by God, or rather, finding him.
So good.
May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you. The earth is FULL of the goodness of the Lord.
(Acts 2, Psalm 33, Psalm 118, John 20)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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