The craziness of March Madness was on full display this past week. Several upset-minded teams played the role of Cinderella as they danced their way to victory.
On Friday, the Panthers of Northern Iowa wore the silver sneakers and defeated the University of Texas with a dramatic half-court buzzer beater. On Sunday, however, the magic was gone and UNI lost to Texas A&M.
I’m not sure how many bible scholars play for UNI, but I do know they learned something about eternity—it never ends. With a 12-point lead and just 44 seconds left to play, UNI was already tasting victory.
Those final 44 seconds turned into an eternity of mishaps. With Matt Bohannon on the bench with a knee injury, UNI discovered the weak link in their lineup—no other player could fill his shoes.
The Panthers agonized for 44 seconds as Texas A&M intercepted one inbound pass after another, and their 12-point lead vanished. Evidently the Panthers Fairy God Mother had left the stadium 45 seconds earlier, and she wasn’t present when this Cinderella took a nasty fall.
The Panthers loss reminds us that a team is only as strong as its weakest link—the same is true for churches. This is why Paul encouraged Christians to help bear the burdens of fellow believer; to lift each other up in prayer; and to live a harmonious life in a coordinated effort to grow one another:
We are not meant to remain as children at the mercy of every chance wind of teaching and the jockeying of men who are expert in the craft presentation of lies. But we are meant to hold firmly to the truth in love, and to grow up in every way into Christ, the head. For it is from the head that the whole body, as a harmonious structure knit together by the joints with which it is provided, grows by the proper functioning of individual parts to its full maturity in love (Ephesians 4:14-16 ~The Message).
As an individual part of the chain, are you properly functioning? If not, you just might be the weak link.
When you think of going to the Opera, you may think of classical music and orchestras. In Norway, people think a bit differently. To them and a growing number of the computer literate, the meaning of Opera has changed.
distracted and to keep it focused on the road ahead. Moses said God’s Word will do the same for you. Godly principles act as Opera’s ad blocker: They filter out the unwanted and unnecessary noise of the world, and they create an environment that is in 
When I woke up this morning, to the rhythm and words of an old gospel hymn. The four-line chorus reminded me of a precious truth:
My two favorite seasons of the year are Spring and Fall. In the cycle of life, I think these are the two most refreshing seasons of the year.
You’ve probably heard it said many times, and I agree: “If you’re going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.” This simple phrase means there needs to be some consistency between what you say and what you do.
Socrates once said that, “Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” This reminds me of the old adage, mind over matter and the power of the mind to manage or overcome physical obstacles.
Everything about Peyton Manning speaks of a seasoned professional. His off season regime, the extra hours of preparation during preseason, his pregame warm-up drills, and even the carb-filled meal he eats before the game, are all legendary.
Proverbs is the one word suggestion I made last night. The first Wednesday of each month is a night I have reserved to meet with the Elders of the church, and last night I suggested that we focus on reading through the book of Proverbs during the month of February.
If you’ve ever seen me in the fruit section of the grocery store, you may have noticed that I’m picky when I’m picking my apples. I’m not a grab-and-go any-apple-will-do kind of guy. I’m selective; I want an apple that’s red, colorful, tasty, and juicy.
insightbyseymour 