Mississippi Crosses

Sometimes I get to experience something that was obviously orchestrated long ago. That was the past five days in Mississippi. It was rare, it was profound, it was surprising, it was engrossing, and it was loving. Pictured here are the coaches with whom I spent three days, talking and sharing and cooking and arguing and laughing and dreaming. Seven men who know Jesus loves them, as well as the players, students, staff and families they’re deeply involved with every day. We talked about where God is, how He got there, what He’s doing there, how we can know Him and walk with Him in what He’s doing, and how we can assist others to the same in the midst of learning how to play football—and to play the game well.

The second picture is of the eighty players, coaching staff and college President, gathered for an unforgettable moment. Two men in their 80’s, each of whom allowed as how they had believed their lives were virtually over in terms of godly fruitfulness, in a moment and seemingly by coincidence, arranged for us all to gather together. One of them had recently “lost” his wife of more than sixty years, while the other had a crazy vision several years ago of erecting three large crosses on a part of his property. In the years since, he wondered why and if anyone would ever see them.

As I spoke about the cross of Christ, history’s most important moment when our sin was removed and we were made innocent, and how one covenant became the “former covenant” as the New arrived, where the pressure to keep our side of the covenant was removed from us and kept eternally by God, these two men happily and openly cried. I spoke for only sixteen minutes, but a more captivating and profound sixteen minutes I have not known. And the team members? I wish you could have seen their faces. They were beautiful as they received the truth of Christ.

Thank you for being involved with me in the grace and love of Christ. I don’t know of anything more worthwhile and satisfying.