Scattershooting on a Friday morning while wondering whatever happened to Efren Herrera. And then a preview of our new sermon series at GCR Church.
If last night’s 5-4 come from behind win over Minnesota is any indication, the first round Stanley Cup Playoff series between Dallas and the Wild will not be for the faint of heart. It wasn’t a physical game; it was violent. Bodies were flying, haymakers were landing, teeth were scattering, and superstar players were getting tossed–at one point early in the third, there were five players in the penalty box at the same time. With home-ice advantage on the line for their already locked-in playoff pairing, it was fast, it was furious, and it was desperate–it may as well have been Game One. Dallas all but clinched the number two playoff seed and the home arena advantage for what might be a Game Seven, but a couple of question marks remain from the thrilling win: how do they stop Minnesota’s lethal power play and how badly injured is Miro Heiskanen?
The Rangers have officially now unveiled their new City Connect uniforms, which feature a darker, richer, almost crimson red, and pay homage to our Mexican roots and culture in the Republic of Texas. I don’t love it. I get the “Tejas” across the front, which is Spanish for Texas, but also goes further back to the O.G. Caddo word for “friend.” And the big block “T” on the cap hearkens back to the 1970s, which is pretty cool. But this whole look feels weird to me. The lace doily on the upper sleeve is strange and the cream-colored pants give the uniform an OU feel. Regardless, it is still a massive upgrade over the Peagle unis we’ve been subjected to the past three or four years. I only hope that monstrosity has been buried for good. The new “Tejas” uniform will debut on Friday April 24, two weeks from today. Meanwhile, the ten-game road trip that starts in LA tonight will tell us a lot about whether the Rangers offense is fixed or not.
Here’s the Easter picture of our two grandsons, Elliott and Samuel, and their parents taken after church in Jenks last Sunday. Clearly, Elliott was not inspired by the resurrection sermon. The boys turned nine months old this week and they are both crawling all over the place, they both have teeth, and they are both becoming very… um… verbal. Loud. Elliott is the instigator and, I’m afraid, Sammy is very easily influenced. They are hilarious, incredible fun, and a lavish gift of grace from our God.
I have failed to report on our family and church March Madness brackets, mainly because I’m embarrassed by my own personal showing. It was a very unpredictable tournament–everybody’s scores were lower than most years–but that’s no excuse. Carley’s husband, Collin, won our family bracket by one point over Whitney, so his winning entry is now prominently featured on the front of our refrigerator for one full year. I finished in a tie with Carrie-Anne behind Whit and Carley. We were all a little Duke and Houston heavy. I’m certain Collin will choose Texas Roadhouse for his celebratory dinner.
On the church side of things, Brenda won our ministry team bracket pretty easily. See what happens, Brenda, when you don’t pick Texas Tech to win it all? I wound up in the middle of the pack, which isn’t that unusual. But I finished behind Cory, who’s never watched a college basketball game in his life! Humiliating! Not only that, Ashlee finished in last place, behind Andrew, who picked Virginia Commonwealth to win the title! One of the most unpredictable tournaments in recent memory, but Brenda had it figured out.
We’re beginning a new sermon series this Sunday at GCR that we’re calling “Stories Along the Way,” featuring eight parables our Lord told while traveling on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem during the final days of his life. The stories are all found in what scholars call the “Travel Narrative,” ten chapters in Luke 9:51 – 19:27, detailed material about this journey that we don’t find anywhere else in the Bible.
Jesus tells these parables while he is on his way to Jerusalem, as he walks along the way to his death. These are the last stories Jesus told and he told them to show us the Kingdom of God.
The way our Lord teaches is not the way we’re used to learning. Jesus doesn’t hand out information as much as he re-shapes our imaginations. He uses metaphors and aphorisms, idioms and exaggerations, informal conversation and common slang. And Jesus spins these stories not to give us something new, but to get us to notice something we’ve overlooked for years. He talks in parables to get us to take seriously something we’ve dismissed for most of our lives.
He tells stories about farmers and judges, wedding banquets and runaway sons, growing trees and building barns. Some of these stories are very familiar and some are completely obscure. Some of these stories already dwell deep inside your heart and soul and some of them have only seared giant question marks in your brain. These stories shape us to live in the way of Jesus while we’re on our own ways from home to work, from breakfast to dinner, from a friend’s house to the grocery store, from Monday to Sunday.
So, pack your bags, strap on your best walking shoes, and bring an open mind. Open eyes and ears. An open heart. We’re following Jesus. And we’re being changed by his stories along the way.
Peace,
Allan
Recent Comments