Posted 9:04 AM by Andy
"When you're old, you will stretch out your hands and be led to where you do not want to go." This dark prophecy Jesus pronounced to Peter boomeranged in my head last night as I struggled to fall asleep in between coughing convulsions. I caught some kind of coughing virus, which I hope is not SARS. There is an outside chance it might be because I was fine until after my sister and bro-in-law's visit last Monday during which we walked around downtown Armory Square in the heavy snow. They had just come down from Toronto where there are over a hundred cases of infected people. After they left, the incessant coughing began. So last night in the netherworld between dreamland and consciousness, I was haunted by that verse. Will Jesus lead me somewhere I don't want to go? Keep in mind how his favorite disciples left this earthly realm: the aforementioned Peter was crucified upside down; John the Baptist's head was served on a platter; likewise apostle Paul was decapitated.

On to more pleasant thoughts. NCAA Championship. So this is the reason I am here, to win a national title. Syracuse stunned the sports world last Monday night by winning the men's basketball championship. It was a dominating performance in the first half, followed by a gutty defense of Kansas' onslaught in the second stanza. Hakim Warrick missed two free throws to ice the game, then redeemed himself on the next possession by blocking a three-point shot in the left corner. Syracuse 81-Kansas 78. From unranked to #1, Syracuse experienced a Cinderella season. The whole town is still in a frenzy and commemorative merchandise is flying off the shelves. It's too bad Carmelo will probably leave next year. I don't blame him as he is the legitimate #3 pick.

Documentaries. Lately I've watched a few shows that profile people and it's fascinating to see what factors shaped an individual's personality and how he or she responds to challenges.

David Koresh. The 10th anniversary of Waco was this week so Primetime interviewed 7 of the surviving children. Remember, Koresh was the cult leader that operated his Armageddon compound with absolute control. His doomsday prophecies were fulfilled when US FBI agents forced a showdown after a 51-day standoff and he set the compound on fire. His followers willingly stayed because they wanted to ascend to heaven. This is revolting, disturbing, and deeply instructive. There is personal, supernatural evil in this world, and be careful who you pick as your messiah.

Connie Chung. I caught an episode of Lifetime Intimate Portraits profiling the second woman to anchor a network television news show. The youngest girl of a Chinese family grew up in D.C. After stumbling into broadcast journalism, she pushed and pushed all the way to the top of her profession. Along the way, she battled entrenched sexism professionally and child-birthing setbacks personally. A classic and classy example of a woman who has it all.

Vince Carter. This is the first time I have seen Fox's Beyond the Glory series. In his heyday, VC was branded the next Jordan with his cool looks, North Carolina heritage, aerial antics, and personal style. Within the last two years he has fallen off the pedestal and is now a mere mortal. What made Vince the way he is and what were some of the struggles he has faced? I did not know he had a younger brother Chris, who seemed to have been dealt a poor hand genetically. He is small, not particularly handsome, and unathletic. Due to these factors and psychological reasons, Chris' life to date has been a life of crime. Vince can't bear to go to prison to visit Chris because it's too painful. VC's decision to go to his graduation ceremony on the morning of game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals and the ensuing criticism he endured is examined. The Raptors lost that series and the one next year in game sevens on his final shots. Then VC's world collapses as his coach is fired, and his best friend TMac leaves the team for greener pastures in Orlando. He takes out his frustrations on the Dream Team opponents, punctuating the experience with an emphatic dunk over a 7'2'' Frenchman. Coupled with his knee surgeries, he hasn't been the same since. A story of promise unfulfilled and the fickle loyalties of the public.

Body Worship. When people use their whole beings to worship, the motions don't seem to matter any more, but the meaning and symbolism of the object of worship behind the movements become significant. In a recent service, a group performed a few songs with their own interpretations of body worship. The interesting thing about this group was there was a handicapped lady in the group. During the whole rendition, her shrivelled left arm hung limply at her side while she moved her right arm vigorously in sync with the music. Normally I would avert my eyes from a handicapped person to avoid seeing something broken, but because of the context, my gaze was fixed on her. Her arm might be dead, but her spirit is alive. Last weekend a campus dance group called Virtuous Expressions performed in the campus chapel. It was uplifting to witness their acts of worship. What struck me about this experience was a little girl in the audience near the front on the left side. As the dancers executed a pirouette or a jump, she would stand in her pew and mimic them. Throughout the performance, this would recur. The ballerinas floated onstage, and she mirrored their moves where she was. Her mother repeatedly told her to sit down, but inevitably she would stand back up and dance again, caught up in the moment. I kept thinking, "Dance on, young one. Don't let your mom quench your spirit." She was irrepressible and I enjoyed watching the interplay between the dancers and her.

Easter. We're in the midst of Easter weekend. It has been a quiet weekend so far because everything was shut down yesterday during Good Friday. Can this man who walked the earth some 2000 years ago have any relevance to my life now? Can this man of sorrows speak to me from across the centuries? I want to deny him and exert my own independence. I want to prove that I am strong and am worthy to deal with God face to face. Alas I know in the pit of my stomach and in the inner recesses of my mind that my fate and his are forever intertwined. I know that however far a place on earth or however remote a location I go, his hold and call on my life will be ironclad. That however isolated or removed my soul feels from God, it's nothing like what Jesus felt when he screamed on the cross, "Father, why have you forsaken me?" His separation means my restoration. His loss effectuated my gain. His death made possible my life. Jesus, plead my case with God because I have no defense for His judgment. But these three remain: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.