Love Those Cougars!
0 CommentsI am so proud of our Covenant Life School varsity boys and girls basketball teams who BOTH won their championship games last Saturday night! Go Cougars! See photos and video below, and a write-up from Kris Marcantonio, the Middle School Principal and Athletic Director at CLS.
Cougars Sweep Basketball Championships
What a memory! Roughly 500 screaming fans dressed in black and gold were on hand at American University’s Bender Arena this past Saturday night to watch the Covenant Life School boys and girls varsity basketball teams win back-to-back championship games.
The Lady Cougars, behind third-year head coach Dave Marable, led for most of the game and held on for a 49-46 victory. As they’ve done all year, Dominique Seamon and Kristen Mstowski (tournament MVP) led the way in scoring, and Brielle Knowlton came strong during the final quarter to seal the win. The girls came into their fourth championship game in five years with an undefeated conference schedule and brought home their ninth conference basketball banner. The team is coached by Wayne Cates, Taylor Ferry, and Anna Marable.
The boys, led by third-year head coach Jim Lutz, came into their first conference championship game in nine years as the underdogs but rose to the challenge with Daniel Ferry and J.D. Garris (tournament MVP) leading the team in scoring. The guys refused to buckle under pressure in an intense game where Nick Riddlesburger and Andrew Melrose made key shots to hold onto a 61-58 win and bring home the first boys’ championship banner.
The boys are also coached by Bob Ferry. Both teams compete in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC).
What really sets these players apart, though, is their humility and servanthood. Josh highlighted this on Sunday morning when he referred to seeing one of the boy varsity players serving on the parking crew the morning after the championship win. Thank you to all the players, coaches, and fans for representing the Savior so well during the season and the championship games. We are grateful for the opportunity to play sports to the glory of God!
January 27 2009 at 3:40 pm
Praying for Our President
2 CommentsThis Sunday we’ll take time during the meeting to pray for our new President and his administration. To help us pray effectively, I wanted to share the following article written by my friend, Ligon Duncan. (Ligon is Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Miss., an author, theologian, and part of Together for the Gospel.) Regardless of your political affiliation, I would encourage you to read his comments and let them inform your prayers for President Obama now and in the coming years:
As Americans, I suspect that none of us can fully appreciate the far-reaching significance of this event, though our nation and much of the rest of the world are electric with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the new President of the United States of America. To say that this is historic, is a gross understatement.
Many are rejoicing at this very visible public realization of the ideals of the Declaration of Independence at the very pinnacle of our civic life. In the ascendancy of an African-American from less-than-privileged circumstances to the leadership of the free world, we see the fruit of aspirations of the Founders: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” You don’t have to read far in the newspapers of the world to see them marveling at yet another astounding accomplishment in the great experiment that is America.
Do you realize that our republic has now enjoyed 44 peaceful transitions of power in our two-plus centuries of existence? There is no parallel for this in human history. And we need to thank God for his singular blessing in bestowing it upon us, undeserving as we are.
But I said I wanted us to think about all this Christianly (and not just as grateful or concerned Americans, much less as giddy Democrats or grumpy Republicans!). And this presents us with some challenges, doesn’t it?
As much as we may feel “this is my President and I want him to succeed,” as much as we may feel sympathetic joy with millions who watched President Obama’s inauguration with tear-filled eyes and hope-filled hearts, feeling themselves a part of the American story in a way they’ve never felt before, there lingers a question as to how to think about our leader in areas where his views and policies conflict with biblical conviction.
Many Christians find themselves profoundly conflicted because of some of the moral positions and social policies that Mr. Obama espouses. So how do you pray for your President when you disagree with him?
Thankfully, the Bible is not silent about such a question. After all it commands us to pray for all in authority (1 Timothy 2:2), no matter their party, policies or religion (or lack thereof). It is vital that we think Christianly, which is to say, biblically, about this issue (and not just as Democrats or Republicans who happen to be Christian). So, back to the question. How do we pray for Mr. Obama? Here are some ideas (and I want to thank Al Mohler and Justin Taylor for many of these thoughts and words) for praying for our new President, Barack Obama:
First, it needs to be said, that we ought to commit ourselves to pray for our new President, for his wife and family, for his administration and for the nation. We will do this, not only because of the biblical command to pray for our rulers, but because of the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor,” and what better way to love your neighbor than to pray for his well-being. Those with the greatest moral and political differences with the President ought to ask God to engender in them, by His Spirit, genuine neighbor-love for Mr. Obama.
We will also pray for our new President because he (and we) face challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. We will pray that God will grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life and hold them close together.
We will pray that God will protect this nation even as our new President settles into his role as Commander in Chief, and that God will grant peace as he leads the nation through times of trial and international conflict and tension.
We will pray that God would change President Obama’s mind and heart on issues of crucial moral concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.
For those Christians who are more concerned than overjoyed about the prospects of an Obama presidency, there should be a remembrance that as our President, Barack Obama will have God-given authority to govern us, and that we should view him as a servant of God (Romans 13:1, 4) to whom we should be subject (Romans 13:1, 5; 1 Peter 2:13-14). Thus, again, we are to pray for Barack Obama (1 Timothy 2:1-2). We are to thank God for Barack Obama (1 Timothy 2:1-2). We are to respect Barack Obama (Romans 13:7). We are to honor Barack Obama (Romans 13:7; 1 Peter 2:17).
For those Christians who are more overjoyed than concerned about the prospects of an Obama presidency, there should be a remembrance of our ultimate allegiance: Jesus is Lord (and thus, He, not we, decides what is right and wrong), we serve God not man, and the Lord himself has promised to establish “the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him” (Malachi 3:18). Thus, where our new President opposes or undermines biblical moral standards in our society, fails to uphold justice for the unborn, undermines religious liberties or condones an ethos that is hostile to the gospel, we will pray for God’s purposes to triumph over our President’s plans and policies.
Without doubt and whatever our particular views may be, we face hard days ahead. Realistically, we must all expect to be frustrated and disappointed. Some now may feel defeated and discouraged. While others may all-too-soon find their audacious hopes unfounded and unrealized. We must all keep ever in mind that it is God who raises up leaders and nations, and it is God who pulls them down, and who judges both nations and rulers. We must not act or think like unbelievers, or as those who do not trust God.
So, now, Christian. Let’s get to work. And pray.
October 15 2008 at 12:48 pm
All other ground is sinking sand…
4 CommentsHere are some comments I shared during our time of worship this past Sunday about the recent economic uncertainty and how we can keep a biblical perspective.