40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."
That they may believe...Jesus knew what He was about to do; confident that He would raise Lazarus from the dead, because He, as He had declared, is the "resurrection and the life." We have been raised up to new life in Christ - we were dead in our sins, separated from God, but Jesus suffered death so that through His death and resurrection, we might live. That is what we celebrate this time of year. We have been regenerated, and God has called us to spread His glory, to call attention to His work, and to proclaim through word and deed that Jesus is alive - in us!
We were created as an expression of the glory of God, and we are called to bring Him honor and call
attention to His work in our lives. 1st Corinthians 10 says:
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
This is the weekend of the Final Four - and actually action begins tonight in the women's championship: South Carolina faces Stanford in the early game, followed by UConn and Mississippi State in the finale. Isn't it great that you have 2 SEC teams in the women's final four? And, how balanced the league has become since the days when Pat Summitt roamed the sidelines in Knoxville and the Lady Vols dominated women's basketball. Of course, the new dominant force is the Huskies from Connecticut, who put their 100+-game win streak on the line against the upstart Bulldogs from Starkville tonight.
I watched part of the Baylor-Mississippi State game the other night, which was actually not quite as exciting as the finish of the North Carolina-Kentucky game, but almost - it was an overtime thriller. And, the comment from Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer got my attention - I don't remember the whole quote, but he started off saying, "God is good!" Well, my research on Schaefer yielded this quote from the Hail State Beat website:
For Schaefer, that's something that comes from the heart.
The blog post continues:
So, to the T-shirt-wearing Bulldog fans, some of whom probably don't know what it means to "praise the Lord," it's a show of school spirit. Apparently, to Vic Schaefer, it's an expression of his own spirit, made alive by the Holy Spirit.
It is apparent that this is Coach Schaefer's way of giving thanks. It may not resonate with everyone, but it can be a reminder to everyone of the One who deserves the glory in our lives. I think we can be challenged to find our own way of giving thanks to the One who is good to us, so faithful and loving, the One who has brought us into a relationship with Himself in salvation. When we say, "Praise the Lord" from the heart, we put the emphasis in the right place.
The Hail State Beat story quotes a player, who said: "It’s all of him in one sentence." Now, think about that - we were created to worship our Creator, to be in communion and communication with the One Who made us. Worship to the Christian should be more than a goal or a liturgical expression - it should be a part of who we are.
And, his faith is apparent to his daughter - she recognizes, as she is quoted as saying, "I feel like God is always the center of everything in our family...and He’s the reason we’re here today." That's a high standard for any parents, and it's great to see that it is recognized and embraced - when faith is at the center of our home, it can make an indelible impact on the children and result in the building of a strong legacy.
+++++
We were created as an expression of the glory of God, and we are called to bring Him honor and call
attention to His work in our lives. 1st Corinthians 10 says:
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
This is the weekend of the Final Four - and actually action begins tonight in the women's championship: South Carolina faces Stanford in the early game, followed by UConn and Mississippi State in the finale. Isn't it great that you have 2 SEC teams in the women's final four? And, how balanced the league has become since the days when Pat Summitt roamed the sidelines in Knoxville and the Lady Vols dominated women's basketball. Of course, the new dominant force is the Huskies from Connecticut, who put their 100+-game win streak on the line against the upstart Bulldogs from Starkville tonight.
I watched part of the Baylor-Mississippi State game the other night, which was actually not quite as exciting as the finish of the North Carolina-Kentucky game, but almost - it was an overtime thriller. And, the comment from Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer got my attention - I don't remember the whole quote, but he started off saying, "God is good!" Well, my research on Schaefer yielded this quote from the Hail State Beat website:
“I was brought up in the church,” Schaefer said. “Faith is very important to me and my family. In today’s world, sometimes that can get lost.”In fact, Vic has coined a phrase that has earned a hashtag, #PTLGD. Now, I would imagine that there will be those who think this phrase is rather trite or even an uncomfortable mix of faith and sports, and I get that, but the phrase is "Praise the Lord and Go Dawgs."
For Schaefer, that's something that comes from the heart.
The blog post continues:
The two-part sentence pretty perfectly encapsulates who Schaefer is and what’s important to him. Whatever has been said in the full length of any interview or speaking engagement, that line sums it all up in his own way. The second part of the sentence is obvious, showing the dedication and support to his team, but the beginning is something that goes as far as back as his own childhood, long before he ever thought about coaching basketball.And, that faith is very real to Schaefer, as the article points out:
In Schaefer’s life now, he doesn’t have to look for a reminder of the faith that’s so important to him. He doesn’t need a sanctuary or bible to find a reason to “praise the Lord,” though he certainly makes a habit of attending the former and reading the latter. He just has to talk his son. His son who shouldn’t be here. His son who was nearly killed in an accident that most would have expected to either end or severely cripple his life. Instead, Logan Schaefer is in Dallas this week, too, a healthy and happy college student watching from the stands as his sister plays and his dad coaches in the Final Four.Oh, yeah, that is another powerful part of the story. Vic's daughter, Blair, plays for the Bulldogs. There have been pieces on the connection at the Faithwire and Sports Spectrum websites, and the Hail State Beat site says this:
“I feel like God is always the center of everything in our family,” his daughter Blair, a point guard for MSU, said in Dallas, “and He’s the reason we’re here today. I feel like there aren’t a lot of people who get this platform in their life, and when they do, there aren’t many people who give credit to who it belongs to. There’s a reason we’re here, and that’s God. [When he says Praise the Lord] it’s that he wants to say, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve given me.’”There are T-shirts that include the phrase, and it was pointed out that when the coach did not say it at the end of a post-game press conference, one of his players reminded him of the omission.
So, to the T-shirt-wearing Bulldog fans, some of whom probably don't know what it means to "praise the Lord," it's a show of school spirit. Apparently, to Vic Schaefer, it's an expression of his own spirit, made alive by the Holy Spirit.
It is apparent that this is Coach Schaefer's way of giving thanks. It may not resonate with everyone, but it can be a reminder to everyone of the One who deserves the glory in our lives. I think we can be challenged to find our own way of giving thanks to the One who is good to us, so faithful and loving, the One who has brought us into a relationship with Himself in salvation. When we say, "Praise the Lord" from the heart, we put the emphasis in the right place.
The Hail State Beat story quotes a player, who said: "It’s all of him in one sentence." Now, think about that - we were created to worship our Creator, to be in communion and communication with the One Who made us. Worship to the Christian should be more than a goal or a liturgical expression - it should be a part of who we are.
And, his faith is apparent to his daughter - she recognizes, as she is quoted as saying, "I feel like God is always the center of everything in our family...and He’s the reason we’re here today." That's a high standard for any parents, and it's great to see that it is recognized and embraced - when faith is at the center of our home, it can make an indelible impact on the children and result in the building of a strong legacy.
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