March Madness

This is Merrillee, wondering how many other women are excited about March Madness, the basketball kind. I know I'm probably in the minority among women when it comes to liking sports. Maybe I enjoy them so much because I grew up with three brothers who played sports. In my mind, there has always been drama and emotion in watching athletes who put everything into their training and compete for a prize--even amateur athletes. As a kid, I remember watching ABC's Wide World of Sports on Saturday afternoons. I still can hear the announcer say, "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." I love to share the thrill of victory by cheering on my favorite team, and I feel the agony of losing. Yesterday was one of those agony days. I watched my favorite college basketball team get clobbered in their end of the year tournament. I couldn't even watch the whole game because it was painful to see them play so badly. Which team is my favorite? Wake Forest. Here is a photo of one of their games against Georgia Tech, another one of the teams that I like.



Here is my granddaughter decked out in her Wake Forest cheerleader outfit. I guess she'll have to save it for next year and hope they do better.



I wonder whether Paul, the apostle was an athlete. He referenced athletic endeavors several times in the letters he wrote. These scriptures compare the Christian life to running a race. I especially like the one from Hebrews that depicts the great cloud of witnesses who are watching us compete in this game of life. They are cheering us on.

Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Our reward is an everlasting crown, as it says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

2 Timothy 4:6-8 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

As I gear up for March Madness, I will remember that Christians will be victorious as we compete for the crown of life. Unlike the sporting events I like to watch, I know the outcome.

Do you enjoy watching sports? If so, what kind?

Sons-in-law

This month as we are talking about the men in our lives, I would like to talk about my two sons-in-law. They bring a new dimension to our family. I grew up with three brothers, so it is fun to have more guys in the family.

Joe joined our family in May 2006, and he is now the proud father of Katelyn. You see them sharing some father-daughter time as they watch opening day for the Boston Red Sox this year. As my daughter Kara says, Katelyn in teaching her daddy how to share the remote. Daddy is teaching her all about sports. Joe lives, breathes and eats sports. As you might guess ESPN is his favorite TV channel. Besides being a great sports enthusiast, he is also a stay-at-home dad. As he will tell you, his life has changed completely since Katelyn was born in December. He's a very proud and protective dad.

Paul joined our family in October 2008. Just as our two daughters are very different. Our two sons-in-law are also very different. Paul doesn't have much interest in sports, but he makes sure my daughter Danielle can watch Wake Forest basketball, and he always joins in our NCAA basketball pool and often beats us all. He is brilliant when it comes to computers, and he loves any and all of the electronic and techie gadgets that can be found. He's also a vegetarian, so it is always a challenge to make sure we have something that he can eat when he comes to visit.

Having these two young men as part of our family is a true delight. We are thankful that our daughters have found such good men to be part of their lives. And I hope I am a good "mother-in-law."

Do you have stories to share about your sons or sons-in-law?