I looked at the list of my groomsmen, mah doods. I loved them. Every single one of them. Words honestly couldn't capture the grateful love I was feeling for these guys..
An alarming thought immediately followed. "I love these guys more than I love Jesus"
An alarming thought immediately followed. "I love these guys more than I love Jesus"
Why did I love them so much? Why do you love your best friends so much?
I stumbled upon a blog later in the week that explains my thought nicely. There was a little boy named Laurence who was a huge fan of the book series 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by well known author and thinker C.S. Lewis. Laurence was completely captivated by the Christ figure in the story, Aslan. Laurence loved Aslan very much. One day he told his mother that he was afraid he loved Aslan more than he loved Jesus. His mother, being the concerned mother she was, wrote to the publisher promptly and explained the situation. C.S. Lewis swiftly wrote a letter back to the mother and Laurence in just 10 days.
"Tell Laurence from me, with my love,’ Lewis wrote in a detailed letter, ‘ … [He] can’t really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels that’s what he is doing. For the things he loves Aslan for doing or saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So that when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus: and perhaps loving Him more than he ever did before.." (becomegoodsoil.com)
What I love about my groomsmen are the pieces of Jesus in them. Same holds true for you and your best friends, or your family.
I stumbled upon a blog later in the week that explains my thought nicely. There was a little boy named Laurence who was a huge fan of the book series 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by well known author and thinker C.S. Lewis. Laurence was completely captivated by the Christ figure in the story, Aslan. Laurence loved Aslan very much. One day he told his mother that he was afraid he loved Aslan more than he loved Jesus. His mother, being the concerned mother she was, wrote to the publisher promptly and explained the situation. C.S. Lewis swiftly wrote a letter back to the mother and Laurence in just 10 days.
"Tell Laurence from me, with my love,’ Lewis wrote in a detailed letter, ‘ … [He] can’t really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels that’s what he is doing. For the things he loves Aslan for doing or saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So that when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus: and perhaps loving Him more than he ever did before.." (becomegoodsoil.com)
What I love about my groomsmen are the pieces of Jesus in them. Same holds true for you and your best friends, or your family.
Every good person you have ever loved, has been sent rather personally to your heart from God Himself. Jesus uses these people you love so dearly to introduce himself to you many, many times. He is constantly knocking on the door of your heart through these people.
And I know I may be a little biased, but my groomsmen got hella pieces of Christ's life pumping through their veins.
So without further adieu, I will introduce to you MAH DOOOOODS! I pray it opens your eyes to how much you actually love Jesus too.
First up, and in no particular order we have the one and only Mark Eldon Krause II. Where do I even begin with this guy? Our high school football coach Greg Jones said it best at a banquet. He told us that Mark has that rare ability to 'light up' any room that he walks into. Coach was right. Mark has one of the most dynamic personalities I have ever encountered. First trait that mirrors the Savior of our universe. Jesus had an uncanny personality that was so raw and unpredictable that he is often written off as a lunatic. For those of you who know Mark, its safe to say hes been called a lunatic before. Actually, a majority of people probably write him off for any number of reasons. I'd say those are the same people who don't quite know him like I do. Mark can find the humor in almost any situation, but turn around and be completely serious about the things he loves.
But the greatest similarity I see between Jesus and Marks respective personalities is strength. Mark can certainly have a good time. But he can also be overwhelmingly fierce and strong when needed. Physically, hes a freak. The guy punts at K State, but he can squat the house. The kid cant even find a pair of jeans that his bulging glutes can fit into. (No homo) Certainly he has a strong physical presence. But there is also something deeper than physical strength. Something fierce and absolutely wild about his heart. I got to see and experience this heart firsthand on Friday nights in the fall during high school. Mark and I were both on offense. Now, if you play fullback in our offense, your probably one of the toughest bastards on our team. Lets just say Mark played fullback, and he played it well. He was constantly launching his body at full speed into one or more opposing players all so our RB's could snatch a couple yards. But why I was most fond and grateful for him was what he would do for me. I played QB and we used to run a lot of sprint out pass plays. This requires some type of personal protector for me as I lumbered out to the edge to chuck the rock. Mark was my personal protector. The countless times he would sacrifice his body for me was unreal. He was always protecting me, always looking out for me. If you wanted to hit me, odds are you would meet a certain #38 who played with a pissed off taste in his mouth. I honestly can't remember a time I was hit when it was his fault. But the few times I was knocked down, you could bet on who was the first one there picking my lanky bones off the turf. #38. One of my favorite sounds I have ever heard in my life was Mark Krause peeling back at the last second and violently eliminating an opposing player as I unloaded the rock for a TD. There are a few things in life that are sweeter, but only a few.
Mark's body would hurt like hell on Saturday and Sunday so mine didn't have to. He hurt so I could feel good. Jesus died so I could live. He hurt. He was forsaken by God so I would never have to be. There is nothing in life sweeter than that.
Mark was always there to help me back to my feet after I was clobbered on Friday nights. Jesus helps me back to my feet when I fail and get suckerpunched by life. Because of Marks sacrifice, I played with supreme confidence. I was free to be the player I was meant to be on those Friday nights. Because of Christ's sacrifice, I live with supreme confidence. I am free to be the man I was meant to be.
A couple lines from Eminem's When I'm Gone sum it all up:
Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for?
Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?
When they know they're your heart
And you know you are their armor
And you will destroy anyone who would try to harm em
So without further adieu, I will introduce to you MAH DOOOOODS! I pray it opens your eyes to how much you actually love Jesus too.
First up, and in no particular order we have the one and only Mark Eldon Krause II. Where do I even begin with this guy? Our high school football coach Greg Jones said it best at a banquet. He told us that Mark has that rare ability to 'light up' any room that he walks into. Coach was right. Mark has one of the most dynamic personalities I have ever encountered. First trait that mirrors the Savior of our universe. Jesus had an uncanny personality that was so raw and unpredictable that he is often written off as a lunatic. For those of you who know Mark, its safe to say hes been called a lunatic before. Actually, a majority of people probably write him off for any number of reasons. I'd say those are the same people who don't quite know him like I do. Mark can find the humor in almost any situation, but turn around and be completely serious about the things he loves.
But the greatest similarity I see between Jesus and Marks respective personalities is strength. Mark can certainly have a good time. But he can also be overwhelmingly fierce and strong when needed. Physically, hes a freak. The guy punts at K State, but he can squat the house. The kid cant even find a pair of jeans that his bulging glutes can fit into. (No homo) Certainly he has a strong physical presence. But there is also something deeper than physical strength. Something fierce and absolutely wild about his heart. I got to see and experience this heart firsthand on Friday nights in the fall during high school. Mark and I were both on offense. Now, if you play fullback in our offense, your probably one of the toughest bastards on our team. Lets just say Mark played fullback, and he played it well. He was constantly launching his body at full speed into one or more opposing players all so our RB's could snatch a couple yards. But why I was most fond and grateful for him was what he would do for me. I played QB and we used to run a lot of sprint out pass plays. This requires some type of personal protector for me as I lumbered out to the edge to chuck the rock. Mark was my personal protector. The countless times he would sacrifice his body for me was unreal. He was always protecting me, always looking out for me. If you wanted to hit me, odds are you would meet a certain #38 who played with a pissed off taste in his mouth. I honestly can't remember a time I was hit when it was his fault. But the few times I was knocked down, you could bet on who was the first one there picking my lanky bones off the turf. #38. One of my favorite sounds I have ever heard in my life was Mark Krause peeling back at the last second and violently eliminating an opposing player as I unloaded the rock for a TD. There are a few things in life that are sweeter, but only a few.
Mark's body would hurt like hell on Saturday and Sunday so mine didn't have to. He hurt so I could feel good. Jesus died so I could live. He hurt. He was forsaken by God so I would never have to be. There is nothing in life sweeter than that.
Mark was always there to help me back to my feet after I was clobbered on Friday nights. Jesus helps me back to my feet when I fail and get suckerpunched by life. Because of Marks sacrifice, I played with supreme confidence. I was free to be the player I was meant to be on those Friday nights. Because of Christ's sacrifice, I live with supreme confidence. I am free to be the man I was meant to be.
A couple lines from Eminem's When I'm Gone sum it all up:
Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for?
Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?
When they know they're your heart
And you know you are their armor
And you will destroy anyone who would try to harm em
Mark would give more than his arm for me. There is absolutely no question in my mind that he would give his life for me. I'd do the same for him. He was my armor on Friday nights. Jesus is my armor in life. Mark was a huge part of my heart on Friday nights. Jesus is my heart in life. Thanks to Mark Krause I got to see and feel the strength of the gospel even when I didn't realize it. That's why I love him.
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