Author: Dave Burchett

(For the next 4 weeks or so I am going to be working on the re-release of “When Bad Christians Happen To Good People”. So I hope you will forgive me and be patient as I re-release the iPod Devotional series while I am working on that project. I only get a few original thoughts a week and my publisher wants me to direct those to their project. Thanks. And blessings.)

I am taking a dual risk by attempting an iPod devotional series. If the Apple attorneys take note this will quickly become the MP3 Playback Device Devotional series. So I hope the lawyers stay busy with bigger fish.  At any rate…here is how it will work. On the old iPod is a “shuffle songs” feature. You hit the button and it randomly picks a song. This month I am going to write a blog about whatever song the device selects on that day from the 1,600 plus songs on my iPod. My music list will further confirm my status as a Christian who makes others feel superior. My music goes from Al Green to the Youngbloods. Beatles to U2. Old hymns to modern praise music. Toby Keith to Frank Sinatra. Oldies to the soundtrack from Monty Python’s Spamalot. This could be interesting.

So here we go…pushing the button. The first song randomly selected shows that God does indeed have a sense of humor. The song that came up is called Smiling Faces Sometimes and it is from a group called Undisputed Truth. The song was originally recorded by the Temptations but the version released by Undisputed Truth in 1971 became the number 3 song that year. What delicious irony that the guy who wrote When Bad Christians Happen to Good People gets a song about hypocrites for the debut of this little experiment.

Here are the opening lyrics from that song…

Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don’t tell the truth uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof

I get hundreds of letters (okay…emails) from wounded Christians who could have started their note with those lyrics. They have been hurt and betrayed by other churchgoers, often with smiling faces. I try to encourage them. I remind them that we are all human. I ask them to look to Jesus. I try to communicate that I have felt and do feel the pain that they are experiencing. But everytime I hit send I am saddened that we allow this to happen in the body of Christ. Sometimes I am downright (ticked) off that any of us allow our agenda and self-absorption to overpower the awe inspiring gift of grace that brought us together in the first place. Not many things seemed to tick off Jesus more than hypocrites. Listen to these comments directed to the religious leaders.

“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy–full of greed and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisees! First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too.

 “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs–beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

 “Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

Does that sound like the happy, happy Jesus that we like to portray? In a handful of verses He called the self-righteous leaders hypocrites, lawless, filthy inside, and sons of vipers. Ouch. Jesus was righteously furious. And He was furious over phony faith. Compare His tender response to repentant sinners. It is clear that Jesus wants honest hearts and maybe, just maybe, that is why He preferred to hang out with the not so self-righteous.

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such despicable people–even eating with them!  (Luke 15,  NLT)

Oh no!!! Eating with sinners! And yet I still see that ugly scenario playing out today. We find safety in surrounding ourselves with others just like us. The lifestyles of the lost and not so famous are uncomfortable to us. So we take the safe route. I think Jesus loved being with the “sinners” because they realized their condition. They offered no excuses. They were eager to hear how this remarkable teacher would address that condition.

Just like the pharisees I can clean up the outside real purty. But God knows what lies beneath. It is scary and painful and ugly to allow the Holy Spirit to start cleaning out the dirt, the dead bones, and everything unclean. But we will never experience God the way He desires to relate to us unless we are willing to do trust God and others with who we really are. Frankly I don’t see the point of being a Sunday Christian. If this is real we need to pursue it seven days a week. The hardest truth I have had to admit as a husband, father, follower of Jesus is that I make time for those things that are a priority to me. There can be short time diversions for work or circumstance. But over the weeks and months how I spend my time and how I live my life reveals my heart. That is a hard truth.

Our iPod selection goes on…

Your enemy won’t do you no harm
Cause you’ll know where he’s coming from
Don’t let the handshake and the smile fool ya
Take my advice I’m only try’ to school ya

Isn’t that what hurts us so much when someone in the church does the wounding? We don’t expect it. We are not prepared at all to get sucker punched by a family member. But it happens in the church. Smiling faces do sometimes tell lies. Smiling churchgoers sometimes do great damage. But there is another possibility.

Smiling faces that love others like Jesus and demonstrate the grace we experience can still change this world. And, in my heart, that is undisputed truth.

Welcome to today’s edition of the iPod Devotional Series. The selection today is…Drift Away by Dobie Gray.  A bit of research revealed that Dobie Gray was born in a small Texas town west of Houston. His granddaddy was a Baptist minister and had a huge influence on Dobie according to his website biography. I would have loved to have seen how Dobie later broke the news to his granddaddy that he was starring in the Broadway musical Hair. Explaining the dancing was the least of his challenges if you know what I mean. At any rate, Dobie Gray is best known for today’s song, Drift Away. Here are some of the lyrics.

Day after day I’m more confused
So I look for the light in the pouring rain
You know that’s a game that I hate to lose
I’m feelin’ the strain, ain’t it a shame

Those lyrics caused me to reflect on the millions of emotionally lonely and hurting people in a country of ridiculous wealth and success. I have a heart for wounded people and especially those wounded by the church and by “bad Christians”. I am constantly getting e-mails and notes from people who have left the church or never joined because of ugly experiences with people who claim the title of Christian. I can’t dispute their claim to a relationship with Jesus. They may well be Christians. But they surely are not acting like Jesus taught His followers to act.

An article about Sam Harris caused me to receive some responses from those who deny or have not accepted faith. One writer who posted said this.

“Came across your article about Sam Harris. I am an atheist and actually appreciate a Christian that would have the restraint to not “wish ill on Sam Harris.”. That, to me, is refreshing.”

If you are a Christian reading that comment does that break your heart? It should. How does a very small expression of grace generate this response? That it is refreshing that I am not vengeful toward an author who disagrees with me? That is truly a sad reflection on us as followers of Christ. The post also said that “too many Christians feel it is their duty to tell me, and those like me, how to live. It is in our gov’t, in our schools, in our sporting events, in most every aspect of life in America.”

May I gently defend some of my fellow believers. In a sense you are right about Christians feeling it is their “duty” to tell others about Jesus. It is not their duty to tell you how to live. That is where we get it so very wrong. Here is what I believe about expressing my faith to others.

When we love others sacrificially our message becomes inviting…not proselytizing. If you have ever been around a Christian who is truly living these words then you know how attractive that lifestyle can be. Saint Francis of Assisi wonderfully observed that we should “preach the gospel at all times…if necessary, use words.”  I have personally witnessed the power of letting the gospel message flow out of actions and not out of condemning words.

But to those reading this who are of a different faith or no faith at all I must confess my dilemma to you. If I truly believe Christianity to be the truth and if my faith in Christ has genuinely changed my life then how can I not tell you? Why should you be offended if I care enough to reach out gently and in love?

Michael Kinsley wrote a similar sentiment in Time magazine  about the anger that some folks feel toward Christians who seem compelled to share their faith.

 “You may not agree that your soul needs saving, but why is he wrong to try as long as he isn’t prying away your soul against your will? As an ethnically Jewish nonbeliever, I find this fuss over conversion utterly baffling…But an insult? In a way, it is insulting to Jews that Fundamentalist Christians don’t try harder to convert us. Oh sure, they’re friendly enough now. But wait until Judgment Day. Then it will be, `Sorry, we seem to have lost your reservation.’ And from this perspective, the Jewish policy of actively discouraging converts to Judaism starts to seem like `theological arrogance’ indeed. At the same time, when you object to noncoercive conversion, it starts to look like the opposite of arrogance: theological insecurity. What are you afraid of? The decision will be made by you or by God, and in either case, there is no ground for complaint.”

I suspect that technique is too often the rub. I was a victim of over the top zealous religious people as a teenager. I am still a little amazed that I eventually came to faith. I have wrestled with a period of intellectual doubt where I read the works of atheists and skeptics. I came out on the other still a believer that Jesus is who He said He was. The Son of the Living God. I cannot “force” others to reach that same conclusion. If I care about  you I will naturally want to share the most important thing in my life. But I think you have some rights as the hearer of my message. I wrote the following in When Bad Christians Happen to Good Christians.

The Unbelievers Bill of Rights…

    * I have the right to never have faith forced on me.
    * I have the right to never be treated in a condescending manner.
    * I have the right to always hear the truth.
    * I have the right for you to patiently hear my concerns and doubts.
    * I have the right to seek answers to those questions and doubts that you can’t answer.
    * I have the right to be steered to resources for my own study and investigation.
    * I have the right to be loved no matter how I respond to the gospel message.

I hope that I honor you by following the list above. I hope you will understand that my wanting to let you know about the most important thing in my life honors you as well.

Sorry for the detour…back to Dobie Gray.

Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away

I guess all of us are looking for something to free our souls. I have found that in Jesus. Most who write to me disputing my faith demand proof. I cannot prove God in the way that they demand. At the end of the day we can look at the same evidence and reach a different conclusion. Because no matter how much evidence either one of us lines up eventually it will come down to a step of faith. I examined the evidence and decided, yes, there is a possibility that God exists. Then I examined what that means in my life. And I believed that Jesus is the Son of God. The Messiah who came to redeem me and justify my sin before God. Others take the position (by faith) that God does not exist. I believe it is not intellectually honest to unequivocally say there is no God because no one has total knowledge. You can be, in your mind, 99.9% sure but I think you have to allow that little chance that God is possible. Just a final note to anyone who finds this site who believes that believes that all Christians are pushy and intolerant. Some are. But if you want a place of grace filled and honest discussion I hope you will become a regular here. We have much to discuss.

(This is a gently read, low mileage previously published article. Thanks for your patience as I work on some new stuff for the reissue of When Bad Christians Happen To Good People. Sadly there is no shortage of new material.)

Last week I was out strolling with dog friend Hannah and thinking about the lesson I would be teaching on Sunday. Recently I have been devouring the TrueFaced Grace series based on the book of Romans. This series of messages continues to challenge, clarify and mature me in my journey with Jesus. Teachers John Lynch and Bill Thrall are teaching truth that is a couple of thousand years old but they have a gift of connecting the dots in a way that rocks me to my core.

So I decided to relate what God was teaching me from Romans and steal…uhhh…resource some of the material from the TrueFaced CD. I am always upfront about giving proper credit to the Leadership Catalyst boys. I figure if I make anyone mad I can simply blame them.

So I am walking along, thinking about Paul’s argument concerning the law. At that moment this song comes up randomly on my iPod.

Breakin’ rocks in the … hot sun
I Fought the Law and the … law won
I Fought the Law and the … law won
I needed money, ’cause I … had none
I Fought the Law and the … law won
I Fought the Law and the … law won

And I smiled and realized that was so true. Many years ago I examined God’s Word and I realized that I could not keep the law and live a sinless life that would allow me to be declared innocent in front of a Holy God. For a while I fought the law and the law won in a contest that was as lopsided as the Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals. I realized I could never reconcile with a Holy God on my own merit. James pretty much let all of the air out of my self-effort balloon with this little gem.

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. (James 2, NLT)

I had broken large chunks of the law and obviously there would be no grading on the curve. If I had to depend on keeping the law I was doomed. Then, and I promise I am not making this up, this song by Johnny Cash came up next. 

There was a time on Earth when in the books of Heaven
That an Old Account was standin’ for sins yet unforgiven
My name was at the top there was many things below
But I went unto the keeper and I settled it long ago

Long ago,yes long ago I said the Old Account was settled long ago
And my record’s clear today ’cause he washed my sins away
And the Old Account was settled long ago

And that, in simple iPod theology, is justification. I cannot keep the law. God justified me and declared me righteous because of Jesus and His substitutionary death. Just as Paul argued to the Romans centuries ago that Abraham was declared righteous by believing and not for behaving. So it is with me.

From  the moment I trusted Jesus God credited to my account His righteousness. When I screw up He refuses to put that against my account. Do I believe that? That is the amazing grace of the gospel. I am as righteous as Abraham. I don’t have to work or beg or strive for it. That is crazy. But that is what God’s word is saying.

So what happens if I believe this? Won’t I take advantage? I know me. I am lazy and undependable and easily distracted. Won’t I just become a sluggard for Jesus? I will tell you what happens if you really get this.

You will worship. It actually becomes not about me but about Him. And you will behave better. The following thought is borrowed from the TrueFaced CD because I could not write it any better. I did change the name in the quote to my bride’s name. I mention that because I did not want you to think Joni left me for a better speaker.

I have learned with Joni that I don’t do right stuff to earn her love. That is what I used to do. I do right stuff because I have found her love.
That changes how I love her and that changes how she responds. That is what this truth does. I don’t do right stuff to earn the love of Jesus. I do right stuff because I have found His love.

That is grace. Grace gives and we simply need to believe to receive it.

(The most read post in the humble ramblings history is an article based on Craig Morton’s song “I Thought I Was Tough”. The song perfectly chronicled my bride’s battle with breast cancer. This weekend we quietly celebrated her third year as a “survivor”. Here is that original article with some updates.)

I am not a crier. So it was a bit out of character when the tears started flowing as I drove through the canyon in downtown Dallas. I blame Lindsay for this event. Lindsay is my bride’s cousin who moved to Texas. She already loved country music so that saved us some time in not having to indoctrinate her. We love having her in Texas but she is going to have to stop introducing me to songs that make driving dangerous.

Lindsay told us about a song that we just had to hear. So I downloaded it to the trusty iPod and fired it up as I drove to work yesterday. The song is called Tough and it is performed by Craig Morgan. If you know much about our past year you will quickly see why this song had the Old Yeller/Field of Dreams effect on the eyeballs. The lyrics start innocently enough…

She’s in the kitchen at the crack of dawn
Bacon’s on, coffee’s strong
Kids running wild, taking off their clothes
If she’s a nervous wreck, well it never shows
Takes one to football and one to dance
Hits the Y for aerobics class
Drops by the bank, stops at the store
Has on a smile when I walk through the door
The last to go to bed, she’ll be the first one up
And I thought I was tough

Chorus:

She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

That made me smile as I remembered the days when Joni juggled three active boys through school, baseball, basketball and forced Cotillion dance lessons. I was a little too absent as I carved out my career. I finally realized how tough she really was to raise three wonderful sons while her husband traveled around the country and world. I appreciated how tough she was while sacrificing weekends with our friends because sports teams insist on playing on the weekends and sports television was my job. So a mixture of fond memories and some regrets filled my mind when I got ambushed by the next verse.

We sat there five years ago
The doctors let us know the tests showed
She’d have to fight to live, I broke down and cried
She held me and said it’s gonna be alright
She wore that wig to church
Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt
No room for fear, full of faith
Hands held high, singing Amazing Grace
Never once complained, refusing to give up
And I thought I was tough

I am not ashamed to admit that those words turned on the waterworks. That is my bride and that has been her journey. She has been full of faith from diagnosis day till this moment. No room for fear because she believes that faith in God casts out fear as you rest in His Sovereign hand. I have probably complained more about my knees aching than she has about cancer. And she has refused to give up because she wants to live and serve the Lord. If I thought I was tough that misguided notion fell by the wayside as I watched Joni battle cancer with the courage that a young shepherd boy challenged a Philistine giant. Now we have passed the three year mark, the scans have been clear and the treatments are done.

How can I thank all of you who have prayed so faithfully over the past three years? Many of you have prayed so diligently and I don’t even know you. We may never meet this side of eternity. Yet you have cared enough to pray for us throughout this long journey. Amazing. Joni has long since retired the wig. I kid her that she looks completely B.C. (before cancer). 

 Joni looking gorgeous with Hair 2.0.

Joni’s strength and dignity throughout this trial humbled me. There was a time before she was mine when I thought I was tough. No more. But there is one other thing I learned during this difficult journey. I remembered Paul’s words to the church at Philippi.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Most of us quit quoting Paul at that point. We lecture about being mature in the faith and being content. We rightly point out that our dependence is on Christ. But we forget a couple of key points. Paul says he has “learned” these truths. It was a process for him as well. And we forget that Paul also needed the encouragement and prayers of the body of Christ to help him trust these truths.

Yet it was good of you to share in my (our) troubles.  (Philippians 4)

Thank you. It really was good of you to share in our troubles. And we are so grateful and humbled to have so many of you as a part of our community of faith.

Today is a bit of deja vu for me. I am in the middle of my real job which is television sports directing. This week I am working at a college basketball tournament. You may know that some of the humble ramblings appear at Crosswalk.com. I look at the credentials of my fellow bloggers on Crosswalk and I have to chuckle. Lots of doctorates and titles. Perhaps they haven’t noticed that my bio is filled with items like, “Dave is a member of Sam’s Club and once appeared on Wheel of Fortune.”

The deja vu moment came from the realization that it was during a similar March madness basketball tournament that I got the inspiration for what would become my incredibly modestly selling book, “Bring’em Back Alive“.  Here is an excerpt from the introduction.

My spiritual insights generally aren’t revealed during television broadcasts of women’s basketball. I suspect that hardly makes me unique. But inspiration came clearly and forcefully during a telecast of an NCAA Women’s basketball tournament game from Boulder, Colorado.

Let me set the stage for you. I am a television sports director. I call the camera shots that dictate what you see on your screen at home. Yes, I am the faceless guy you yell at to see this shot or that reaction. On this night an undermanned (or should I say underpersoned?) Louisiana State University women’s team was battling Colorado. And battling was the right word since LSU was down to only seven players who were dressed to play in the game. Five key players sat injured on the bench in civilian clothes. That was the background for my spiritual revelation.

I selected some shots of the tired players on the court. “LSU has fought gamely”, the announcers reported. “With only seven players on the active roster.” I took a shot of the five players in street clothes. “But when these five talented contributors are nursed back to health and you add a group of skilled recruits…LSU is going to be a powerful force next year.”  Then it hit me. We don’t follow that simple principle in the church. When we have injured and wounded players it is often too easy to ignore them and simply concentrate on recruiting new ones. I have watched dear friends walk away from my church “team” and I realized that my life and the body life of my church would never be quite the same. We lose the value of experience and depth that healing those wounded Christians would bring. I have wondered if we throw the term “church family” around a bit too loosely because I surely would pursue and attempt to heal a member of my genetic family that wanders away.

Do the math on my basketball example. If LSU returns seven players plus heals the five injured and brings in five recruits they have seventeen to choose from. If they discard the wounded they have only twelve players to enter the battle. How much talent and ability have we removed from the church by not aggressively seeking to find and heal our wounded lambs? And we must not ignore the uncomfortable fact that many injured lambs sit near us every Sunday. They have not wandered off physically but they have left us emotionally and are therefore rendered ineffective for the Kingdom.

That was written about six years ago. The volume of emails and notes that I get tells me we still have an enormous problem with our “injured” saints. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give us the heart to seek them and help restore wounded saints to the team. We need them. The body of Christ needs every single family member to be fully healthy.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son  into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  I John 4

Am I suffering from March “madness” to dream and believe this can really happen? It can. If we allow God to love us and love through us.

A clarification for those unfamiliar with the strange world of sports television. We are like Carnival workers with fewer tatoos (generally) going from one traveling show to another. I still have other freelance contracts and work. The SEC package was just special and will be missed. So no retirement for now. And no bailout from the government. Good thing because I am small enough to fail. So it is on to the next town to set up the Tilt-A-Whirl! If you really are concerned about me feel free to buy one or both of my books.

John Lennon of the Beatles once noted that “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans”.  Life is happening this week as I wrap up a wonderful season of my career and life. For twenty-six years my life has been ordered by the rhythms of Southeastern Conference basketball. Starting in January of 1984 and every New Year since I have packed up and traveled the landscape of the SEC. This week at the Southeastern Conference Tournament my 26 year run of directing SEC games will end as the Raycom Sports contract expires. 

I loved this package and working for Raycom and their predecessors (SPI, Lorimar, Jefferson Pilot, Lincoln Financial). Losing something dear to you is always sad. But life has happened and I am choosing to remember twenty-six years of great athletes and great games. I have had the privilege of directing games featuring superstars like Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Allan Houston. My tenure in the Conference saw five national championships spread among Arkansas, Florida and Kentucky. Colorful coaches like Wimp Sanderson, Dale Brown, Rick Pitino and Nolan Richardson prowled the sidelines. I have been blessed to be a part of this.

The games will go on next year. I will not be missed by many (if any) viewers. Charles DeGaulle once made this sage observation.

The cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.

I realize how blessed I have been to have had such a lengthy run. I know that I am not indispensable nor are my Raycom colleagues. But there will be some changes that make me sad and that will change the tradition of SEC television. For thirty years viewers have been treated to one of the great broadcasters in this business. Tom Hammond has built an amazing career of Olympic and network success. Yet he has always come home to SEC basketball every January. He worked Starkville and Columbia into his ridiculous schedule for one reason. He loves this conference and this package of games. Tom will wrap up his thirtieth season this Saturday in Tampa. He will be missed.

I am sad because Tom’s partner Larry Conley will also wrap up a great run of analyzing and promoting Southeastern Conference basketball. Larry will be missed. Basketball fans have had three decades of Deans in their living rooms. Joe Senior gave way to Joe Junior and both have entertained and informed generations of fans. I am sad because talented broadcasters like Tim Brando, Dave Neal, Barry Booker and Dave Baker will finish their run with Raycom Sports SEC basketball this weekend.

I am sad because I will not get to work next season with producer Roger Roebuck. He is a good producer and better man. I will remember previous tournaments as I watch the editing and creative wizardry of producer Dave Barringer displayed in the music open “Heroes”.I will miss working with the great Gary Clem at the tournament each year. I will have a 43 second moment of silence to honor my relationship with him.

I am sad because I know I may not get to work again with some of the best television crew members in the business. I am sure we will say the the same things that we do in high school, college and when we move to another city.

“We will stay in touch for sure.”

But generally we do not. I have been so fortunate to work with these world class professionals. A big part of the reason I have lasted twenty-six years is that these talented pros have made me look good. I know that. I realized long ago that I am a pretty good director when I have a really good crew. Go figure. For two decades I have looked forward to my annual reunion with these friends and colleagues. Enjoy their work this weekend. They truly are among the best in the country.

One of the great blessings in my life has been my relationship with Executive Producer Jimmy Rayburn. We started out together twenty-seven years ago doing basketball for USA Network. I have never worked for a better man than Jimmy Rayburn. His loyalty and integrity is legendary. A golden retriever would look disloyal compared to Jimmy. I have been honored to work with and later for Jimmy Rayburn.

I have the amazing privilege of directing the last Raycom SEC broadcast on Saturday. When we fade to black I will likely be emotional. But I hope that I will remember how blessed I have been to work in this awesome conference with great announcers and the best crew around. Not many guys get to put in 26 years on the same gig. We are going through the book of Ecclesiastes at our church. You might be surprised to learn that The Byrds did not write these original lyrics.

For everything there is a season,
      a time for every activity under heaven.
 A time to be born and a time to die.
      A time to plant and a time to harvest.
 A time to kill and a time to heal.
      A time to tear down and a time to build up.
 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
      A time to grieve and a time to dance.

What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

So that is the plan. Be happy. Enjoy myself. Enjoy my colleagues, friends and fruits of our labor. Might even eat and drink a bit with the guys. And remember that these are gifts from God. I have been grateful for the chance to bring lots of great SEC memories into millions of homes. It has been a privilege.