Tag Archives: March Madness

Thursday Thanks (21-25)

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fiveEach week (I aim for Thursday), I’ll use this space to list five things (items, experiences, people, whatever) for which I’ve been recently grateful. Consider it my “blessings count”. Ann Voskamp’s famous challenge to list 1000 gifts seemed daunting — I’m committing to 500, a two-year venture from when I started last month!

1) Gift Cards
Some people consider them a lazy gift; I consider them a gold mine. Last week, I enjoyed 90 minutes of carefully selecting a couple blocks at Chapters as well as a precious date with my wife at a great local restaurant – all paid for by a couple good friends. Gift cards rock!

2) Sports
It is a fantastic time of year for sports lovers. March Madness ended just in time to make way for the NBA and NHL playoffs. My viewing habits are considerably lighter than they were in my younger years, but a few moments here and there along with the highlights are more than enough for this guy to follow the drama and the storylines. Great fun!

3) Travel
Next week presents me with the unique opportunity to attend the Pepperdine Lectures for the first time. The event is said to be one of the finest in our fellowship, in terms of presenters and teachings. And Malibu isn’t hard to take either!

4) Bikes
Today marked the first bike ride of the year. Our three girls and I re-familiarized ourselves with the path near our home. They felt considerably heavier than they did last summer, so I best put some more peddling on my weekly routine.

5) Candles
Who doesn’t love the flickering of a flame? A single candle burns nearby as I compose this list, and I am amazed at the calming, peaceful effect that little light can generate.

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Six-Pack (60)

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Six-Pack, delivered right to you! No need to grab it from your snow-covered front step or venture to the mailbox. It’s arrived!

This week’s collection features the usual mix of ministry, faith, and anything else that piqued interest. I think you’ll be pleased, provoked, and pushed.

If six ever feels overwhelming, start with my two *Picks of the Week*, and move out from there.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) The One Thing You Have to Stop Doing if You Ever Want a Harvest (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Ann Voskamp: That woman can write. And this piece displays that small message by beautifully communicating a far larger one.

2) 23 Things We Learned from “The Matrix” Commentary
Matrix fans will need to read this. Others? Maybe.

3) The Innovation of Loneliness (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
This short video is a powerful and thoughtful exploration of how our “Facebook world” is changing who we are and how we function.

4) Turning Around a Church is Really Tough
With most churches plateaued or declining, most pastors I know need to read articles like this.

5) John Mark Comer and the Multi-Site Church
Scot McKnight highlights a recent conversation on the need for sound theological thought within our pragmatic decision-making processes, using multi-site churches as a case study.

6) Baylor’s Extraordinary Season and Lives Changed
Baylor is still alive in this year’s March Madness bracket. But after a horrendous 2-8 start to their season, the real story unfolded off the court in this tale of transformation, with a Canadian connection.


May your week ahead be filled with life, as you seek the One from whom it flows!

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Direct others to the best of the bunch with a quick comment.

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Thursday Thanks (1-5)

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fiveBeginning today, I’ll use this space each Thursday to list five things (items, experiences, people, whatever) for which I’ve been recently grateful. Consider it my “blessings count”. Ann Voskamp’s famous challenge to list 1000 gifts seemed daunting — I’m committing to 500, a two-year venture here on the blog. Better get at it!

1) Muscles
Last weekend was our church hockey league’s wind-up tournament. Playing three games in a day in an annual reminder that I am twice as old as I should be to be undertaking such challenges. But the stiffness that night was one of those feelings that confirms that you’re alive, and feeling alive is always a good thing!

2) March Madness
Today marks the beginning of the high point on this sports-lover’s calendar. While I watch a lot less of it than I used to, this three-week event never fails to provide some of the drama and energy that are unique to College basketball’s tournament format.

3) Toy Trains
My daughters’ Christmas gift was a wooden train set. We’ve since added a few more pieces to the set to up the “creativity factor”. My inner child finds pleasure in working with my two oldest girls to lay out new routes, while working together to protect our handiwork against the baby’s best Godzilla impersonation.

4) Kindle
My experimental, second-hand purchase of this unnecessary item has been a success. I love the bargains that can be found on great books (in electronic formats), and I’m enjoying a particularly pleasurable read about the Holy Spirit these days.

5) Spring
It’s not here yet, but it’s flirting with us. And after weeks of way-below-zero temperatures, that is some mighty fine flirting. The citizens of the Canadian prairies are in the mood for some such flirting!

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  • Did any of this week’s list especially strike a chord with you?
  • What’s one thing you’re particularly grateful for this week?

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]

March Madness 2014

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This year’s bracket was released yesterday — no, I have not looked at it yet. But I will. And then I will fill one out with my most hair-brained guesses. Why? For the pride attached to trying to defeat all the other blindly-guessing folks in my circle of friends.

And a better reason? For a shot at $1 000 000, courtesy of Warren Buffet. Consolation prizes are $100 000 each — I know I’d be consoled!

Yes, the odds of filling out a perfect bracket are statistically slimmer than being struck by lighting a dozen times or finding a Malaysian airliner in your fridge, but as an old friend once observed:

Billions or not, if the energy and drama of March Madness is more than sufficient for you, perhaps this compilation of buzzer beaters will serve to get your blood pumping ahead of Tuesday’s warm-up and Thursday’s real action!