Monday, March 31, 2008

CDR

One of my favorite times of the year is March... all the drama that corresponds with the quest for the national college basketball title is phenomenal, especially when my favorite team (and two time alma mater) is one of the final four teams left in that quest. That's right the Memphis Tigers... AND one of my favorite players on the team is Chris Douglas-Roberts ("CDR"). This guy has mad skills! "Old Man skills" according to fellow teammate Derrick Rose. Most of us long-time Tiger fans know that CDR typically wears a baggy t-shirt under his jersey during games and that he recently has abandoned this practice revealing a very large tattoo on his right arm. My dad loves to refer to it as a "short story" due to its length and the fact that it looks like a ancient scroll with cursive writing down his entire arm from his shoulder to his elbow. I thought it very interesting to find on the most recent edition of the "Coach John Calipari Show" that in fact what CDR has tattooed on his arm is Psalm 57... interesting... VERY interesting. I wonder what caused this Detroit native to permanently ink this passage on his arm. At any rate, may we all relish in the truth of this great psalm. May our souls indeed find everlasting refuge in Christ!

Psalm 57: Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts—the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! They set a net for my steps;my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. My heart is steadfast, O God,my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Planted.

The Master Gardener has His own way of sovereignly planting us exactly where He wants us to be so that we might grow. This place need not be where we thought we should be planted or even where we wanted to be planted, but indeed in a wonderful providence and with His own hand, He has planted us in very specific parts of His great vineyard. The part of the vineyard where we are planted, though maybe not immediately apparant at first, is a place fashioned just for us where we can more clearly see the Light, bask in the beauty of the Son, and be noursished by His sweet Living Water... so here's to that growth and your tolerance to follow along on the crazy journey that is brienne's life... enjoy.