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Dressed for Combat

Football season kicked off last night in grand style. I even found myself slipping out of bed a few times to check out what happened to the Pitt overtime game and the USC game.  Finally a sport to watch again ( sorry baseball fans!)

Anyway, as most men know the uniforms are half of the deal when the team takes the field.  Several times after the last few years teams have changed colors in the locker room before entering the field for the game with the intention of creating come motivation and inspiring the crowd. Even my wife tells my boys “looking good on the field is most important”.

Anyway, earlier this week Nike released it’s new “Pro Combat” uniforms for a few selected schools.  And you guessed it the Mountaineers were in the mix this year.  They will were their uniforms against Pitt later this year.  It’s amazing the buzz this has created with Mountaineer fans, and I assume with the other team’s fans that are in the mix this year.  I can only assume the players are pretty excited as well.

So why?  Why is the uniform so much more than just a shirt and britches?  Why is so important that your uniforms like so tough and bad?  Why do teams like to wear that menacing all black?  We know, because it tells who we are.  It expresses what we feel about ourselves. In football, its say I am ready and I am playing hard and I am going to play as good as look.  We look the part that we want to be.

So what about our life, especially our spiritual lives?   Well check Galatians out:

26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ Galatians 3:26-28 (New International Version)

Paul says Jesus Christ is our uniform!   Can you think of anything more menacing in spiritual warfare then to be wearing the son of God?  We are clothed with him, we have put in on!

For some odd reason, I have made the picture of the new WVU uniforms my background on my computer.  Really, I am not sure why.  But I can say that every time I see it, I get a little bit of extra motivation, as if I were putting those one someday.  Which is really sort of childish, isn’t’? But what I am realizing is in the spiritual battle, I am wearing a uniform that is so much cooler and lighter weight and refreshing then the Pro Combats from Nike. The question is will I play like it today!

Put on the uniform that Christ gave you, and realize that you look ready for combat in them.  Play like it today!

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He’s Alive! He’s Alive!

I am still pumped.  Yes,  it didn’t happen for the Mountaineers, and that, well, that really stinks.  But there is another reason to be even more stoked today then a basketball game – even if the outcome had been different.  I am stoked, even overjoyed because —

He’s Alive He’s Alive!  Christ is Risen from the Dead!

6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words.  Luke 24:6-8 NIV

(see that here from Worship House Media!)

So, Its still a great day to be a Mountaineer, because Mountaineers are always free, and will always be free thanks to the events of this day!

Remember those Words?

He’s Alive He’s Alive!

(see that here from Worship House Media!)

1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:1-14 (New International Version)

Thats Real!   That’s life changing and that pumps me up!

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Daily Post

The Veil Was Torn

Hey!  Its Good Friday.  What a day.  Lots of you get a day off today.  It officially summer in the South (over 80 today).  The Mountaineers are in the Final Four tomorrow. All of our sins are nailed to a tree and the veil is torn!  Most Excellent!

Yes, The Christ was nailed to the tree for our faults, and the veil that protected the Holy Of Holy’s in the Temple was torn in two – signify a new relationship with God.  We Are Free from the Law, we are free from sin, we are free to speak to God ( through our new high priest the Christ).  This is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible.  The Veil is Torn!  Wow!

50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. Matthew 27:50-51 (New International Version)

This is good stuff.  Take advantage of this free gift today and give away to others just as freely.

And check out these two videos this weekend as well – and remember He may have been crucified on Friday, but on Sunday – He’s Alive He’s Alive!

This one:

and this one

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Daily Post

Full Moon Fever

Its a full moon, and I think I have full moon fever!  Or maybe its just that spring is in the air ( and the Mountaineers are in the Final Four!!! ( did I mention that already?).  But whatever it is it I am pumped and ready to tackle the days ahead.

Its Monday in the week leading up to Easter.  Today was the day Jesus cleared out the temple and cursed a unproductive fig tree.  Some may think that he was a little crazy for doing that, and it seems a little odd, however this was a symbolic action tied directly to his acceptance in Jerusalem.  Anyway what is even more interesting is what he says when his followers stand in amazement of the withered tree. ( I mean really, when is the last time you saw someone tell a tree to wither and poof, it withers away?)

21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:21-22 (New International Version)

Right, he says if you have faith and don’t doubt you can tell the mountain to jump into the sea?  Ok,talk about full moon fever.  He also says if you believe it will happen and if you forgive it will be forgiven.  This is a challenging set of statements all the way around.  I often wonder what it takes to have a faith that has no doubt.  I really wonder what that person looks like.  Do you think that we might find that person a little odd – someone with full moon fever?  I dunno, but I really wish I could be that type of person.  And I think that you get there one day at a time.

This was the second time Jesus told his followers about the power of a small amount of faith.  In Matthew 17, he tells them that all you need is faith like a itty bitty little mustand seed and nothing will be impossible for you.   So today I will think about how much he loves us and the events of the coming weekend and mustard seeds, and moving mountains and becoming a mountaineer, and catching full moon fever!  What do you think?

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Daily Post

Rocks Will Cry Out

I am especially stoked today!  Enough that I am posting a special Sunday edition of the DailyBuffet.  Yes, The Mountaineers did make it to the Final Four last night, and that is part of my jubilation today.  But today is special for another reason, and even if the ‘Eers had suffered defeat last night, I would still be excited today.  Today is the week before the Passover, and the day that is traditionally called “Palm Sunday“.  Whats the big deal you may ask?  Well this is the day that Jesus enter Jerusalem on a donkey, while the people of Jerusalem covered the road with Palm leaves and clothing – which signified the coming of a king.  This started the week which will end with the death and resurrection of the Christ – the Messiah – the Savior.

And right in the middle of all of this Jesus is told to have the people stop, and he says

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

The rocks will cry out that he is Lord! Wow, that’s one of my favorite verses and a big motivator to me.  So I post this today in an attempt to cry out louder then the stones – the Messiah has come. And on a day similar to this one many years ago, he entered the city of Jerusalem declaring his Kingship.

Enjoy the day and think about that “Triumphant Entry”!

Luke 19:28-44 (New International Version)

The Triumphal Entry

28After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”