Be Yourself with God

God created you, and so he wants you to be the real you. By being authentic when you speak to God, you worship him as you Creator.

For years I copied the prayers of other people. I noticed they used certain words and even a special tone of voice. I imitated all the religious cliches: "Lead, guide and direct us, O Lord." "Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies." "Bless the gift and the giver." 

In New Testament times, prayers were wordy, meaningless rituals. There was no spontaneity, no genuineness. But Jesus says don't get caught up in ritual prayer. You don't have to use fancy language. You can't impress God with fancy language, and you shouldn't be trying to impress other people either. 

I love to hear new Christians pray -- no pious pomposity. They haven't learned the cliches yet. They just say, "Hi, God. It's me." That's how you make contact with God. You just talk with your Heavenly Father about what's on your mind. Just pray your heart. Reveal yourself.

*The post is from Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.

Raw footage from Woolwich Attack

Who Are You Trying To Please?

Are you afraid to speak up in case you encounter disapproval? The Bible says, "Fearing people is a dangerous trap" (Proverbs 29:25 NLT) and fear is common among people pleasers. One author writes, 'A pleaser daughter is one who, at any age, still tries to please her parents.' However, remember what Paul said, "When I was a child...I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me" (1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV).
A pleaser friend is one who can't say no. Resentment may build up but they always turn up and takes care of things. A pleaser employee is one who works long hours without compensation or appreciation, covers for others who don't pull their weight and bites their tongue when their boss takes credit for their work.
We should not live our lives trying to please people who don't have a Heaven or Hell to put us in. Most of us look to people and they connections they supposedly have in order to get ahead when all we need to do is to come to our Heavenly Father and trust that He will supply all of our needs. Furthermore, God is our Creator. He knows the exact group of people that will help you get to the next level of His plan so don't waste time or money pleasing people and just remain steadfast and confident in the Lord.

Tap into your creativity

The Bible says, "God created man in His own image...male and female he created them." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it...They will be yours. "(Genesis 1:27-29).

God has given you everything required  to succeed at whatever He's called you to do. However, you must tap into your God-given creativity! Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Every great accomplishment begins with a vision and every God-given vision comes with the innate power to fulfill it. Some of the world's greatest inventions like the steam engine, light bulb and the pasteurization of milk would not exist without a vision.

Others may be more educated and experienced but they don't have a monopoly on creativity. The chances are there's a God-idea inside you right now that's waiting to be released. By not tapping into it, you're settling for less than God's best. Whatever you're called to do----write, paint, teach, preach, dance, own a business----make the leap and do it. If you wait until you can do it under perfect circumstances and without criticism, you'll never do it. Walking on water begins with one step of faith. It also brings you closer to Jesus.

You see, Jesus wasn't in the boat. He was out on the water saying to His disciples, 'Come' (Matthew 14:29). Only Peter came to meet Jesus and despite him doing it imperfectly, it changed his life. So don't be afraid. Tap into your creativity and watch what happens.

Tebow released by Jets

The Tim Tebow era in New York is officially over.

The New York Jets parted ways with the quarterback nearly a year after acquiring him via trade from the Denver Broncos last summer. Tebow's time with the Jets was uneventful, only contributing to 7 percent of the team's offensive snaps last season. The former two-time national champion at Florida had high expectations to be an offensive weapon for the ball club but rarely saw any significant playing time as a member of the franchise.

Tebow's future in the NFL is bleak unless he changes positions which according to ESPN's Adam Schefter that he was not willing to do so. NFL aficionados say Tebow should take his talents to Canada and the CFL.
The club will pay Tebow $4.1 million dollars from his contract as a result of releasing him. The Jets now have five quarterbacks including veteran David Garrard and 2nd round pick Geno Smith from West Virginia. Smith's selection by the Jets places immediate pressure on starter Mark Sanchez who is expected to participate in offseason workouts this week.


The Jets open week 1 vs. Tampa Bay.

NBA's Jason Collins says he's gay

NBA center Jason Collins reveals in a May 6 edition of Sports Illustrated that he is gay. The 12-year NBA vet writes in an open letter about his decision to come out and why he did it. Earlier this month, former Baylor C Brittney Griner announced that she was gay prior to being selected #1 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Jason Collins will be the first professional male gay athlete among the four pro major sports. Collins going about it on his own terms could open doors for others who had to hide their true sexuality under wraps in the face of scrutiny. Collins has received an outpouring of support from fellow athletes such as Baltimore Ravens player Brendon Ayanbandejo (@brendon310) who tweeted, "By @jasoncollins34 opening doors & doing it his way on his time he has helped shape a more accepting America. May many more follow #courage," to former President Bill Clinton. Clinton's daughter, Chelsea and Collins were classmates at Stanford. Collins' Twitter following has increased by 16,000 since his decision.

Some expected the first professional gay athlete to be NFL player Kerry Rhodes, who has denied any allegations of being gay despite photos of him and a possible significant other on various web sites that say otherwise. To view the full letter in Sports Illustrated click here.

Ready, Set, Madness

The road to the Final Four in Atlanta is underway with Sunday's unveiling of the field of 68 teams in the men's tourney. Kentucky will be the fifth defending champion to not make the tournament since the field was expanded to 64 in 1985.

Big East Conference tournament champion Louisville received the #1 overall seed and will play in the Midwest region on Thursday vs the NC A&T-Liberty winner. The Cardinals will have a tough journey to the Elite Eight with #2-seeded Duke and #3-seeded Michigan State in their bracket. The dark-horse team in this region is #4 seed Saint Louis, winners of the Atlantic-10 and could be a challenge to Rick Pitino's bunch. Another interesting matchup in this bracket is #7 Creighton vs #10 Cincinnati. The athleticism of the Bearcats could hamper the electric scoring of Doug McDermott.

Big 12 Conference champion Kansas is the #1 seed in South region and will face Sun Belt Conference champion Western Kentucky in Kansas City, MO on Friday. The committee didn't give the Jayhawks any favors with a possible matchup against #8-seed North Carolina who faces #9-seed Villanova. The Tar Heels lost a close game to Miami (FL) for the ACC Tournament title Sunday and got a tough draw in the Wildcats who have come on strong as of late with regular season wins over Syracuse, Georgetown and Louisville.  A regional final matchup between Kansas and #2 seed Georgetown is a possibility barring any upsets. 

Indiana received the #1 seed in the East region and will play the winner of LIU-Brooklyn-James Madison winner Friday in Dayton. Head coach Tom Crean has done a remarkable job resurrecting a once-dead storied program following the fallout of then-coach Kelvin Sampson. Cody Zeller and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Victor Oladipo could prove vital to their run to Atlanta. Other notable teams that could get in their way are #2-seed Miami (FL), #3-seed Marquette and #4-seed Syracuse. It would be interesting to see how the Hoosiers play against Syracuse's zone should they face each other in the Sweet 16.

West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga received the #1 seed in the West Region and will play Southern on Friday in Salt Lake City. Kelly Olynyk has been unstoppable in the last few games as the Bulldogs ran through the regular season en route to a conference tournament title. Big Ten tournament champion Ohio State is the #2 seed in this bracket. The Buckeyes along with #3 seed New Mexico could be the two teams to pose a threat to Gonzaga.

Sleeper teams in the tournament are Memphis, VCU, Saint Louis, Bucknell, Butler, Temple and New Mexico. Any one of these teams could make a serious run in the tournament and throw monkey wrenches in many pages of brackets nationwide. In addition, no team from Texas made the field of 68 for the first time since 1977. Don't be surprised if all #1 seeds do not make it to the Final Four. Expect at least two to three upsets in the first two weekends of the tournament. 

May the best bracket win.