Birthday thoughts

I recently heard a supposed minister of the gospel proclaim, “You know the directions to Heaven?  Turn right, stay straight.”  I vehemently disagree.  The Bible says that only the person who has a right relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, will enter the blissful existence of Heaven.

In John 14, Jesus said these words to His disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you.  I am going to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place I am going."  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me” (verses 1-6).  What are the directions to Heaven?  It’s not through effort, conduct, or works; it is through Jesus Christ alone.

You see, humanity chose to turn its back on God, because of sin.  No one is perfect or sinless.  “There is no one righteous, not even one.  There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).  “We all, like sheep, have gone astray,” says Isaiah 53:5, “each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  Jesus, the unique God-man, shed His blood on the cross to atone for our sin.  One just needs to put their faith, trust, and confidence in Jesus to save them.  “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

It is my birthday.  As I look at my life, I recall how the Lord transformed my life when I was a boy.  That was the starting point of the most exciting journey with Him.  Don’t get me wrong: I haven’t followed Him perfectly.  I resonate with the Christian singer Carman who stated, “He has been better to me than I’ve been to myself.”  He went on to sing, “I’m so glad that the Lord saved me.  If it had not been for Jesus, where would I be?  I’m so glad that the Lord saved me.”  Amen and amen!

Kevin

Sports news

I wanted to extend my congratulations to the Toronto Raptors; they won their first world championship last night over the Golden State Warriors.  I have been keeping a close eye on this series because I know how incredible the Warriors are (after all, you don’t just happen to win 3 titles in 4 years).  But the Raptors proved to be the best team.  What an accomplishment!

This development came on the heels of the NHL finals finishing up as well.  The St. Louis Blues also won their first championship after defeating the Boston Bruins.  The series went to a winner-take-all, game 7, in Boston.  St. Louis won the game 4-1.  I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that St. Louis shocked the world in this series.  Congratulations to the St. Louis Blues.

It is fitting, with Father’s Day coming up, that two underdogs took down the favored teams.  My dad always rooted for the underdog; that was just a part of his DNA.  I know he would be pleased to see these two teams win it all.  Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

I wish I could end on that high note, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this last item.  Everyone is Colorado, and in the NFL world, was saddened to hear of the passing of Pat Bowlen last night.  He was 75.

The Broncos had amazing success with Mr. Bowlen as the owner.  He bought the Broncos in 1984, and check out the results: “No NFL owner during the last 35 seasons had more winning seasons (21) and playoff berths (18) than Mr. Bowlen, who helped Denver become the only team with 90+ wins over each of his first three decades of ownership.  Denver posted a league-low seven losing seasons under Mr. Bowlen while being the only team to rank among the top five in wins during both the pre-free agency…and post-free agency…eras of his ownership.” (https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/statement-from-the-bowlen-family-on-broncos-owner-pat-bowlen).

I want to express my condolences and sympathy to the Bowlen family.  He is survived by his wife, Annabel and his 7 children.  To lose someone you love is the most emotionally gripping pain imaginable.  I know firsthand about this.  I hope it is a small comfort to realize that Bronco nation, and the entire NFL community, is grieving today as well.

Kevin