I love basketball. My three favorite players are Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James. I never was a fan of Kobe, but I do appreciate his game. He’s dead now. 41 years of age, three years younger than me. It’s shocking. To make matters worse, his 13 year old daughter died, too. It hits home because I have a 13 year old daughter. How are we to respond to a death like Kobe’s?

• We can admire his gifts and legacy, but we are not to worship him. Kobe is no god, he was a basketball player. Nor was he perfect, no one is.
• Pray for his family, and pray that God uses this to draw people to Christ as they contemplate death.
• Remember that life is temporary. Death comes to all regardless of age, status, wealth, etc.
• Love your family, you never know what day will be their last.
• Never forget the most important death of all, Jesus’ death on the cross, who died so that we may have eternal life in Him.

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions? Time management is key to making the most of the New Year. To make the most of 2020, make the most of your time, and use it for what really matters. You want to lose weight, but are worried there isn’t time in the day to exercise or eat healthy. You want to read the Bible more, but you’re not sure when you can do it. Of course you want to spend more time with your family, but when? Someone once said, “Time flies, but you’re the pilot.” We all have more than enough time for what really matters. If you really want this year to be special, do this: Put your phone down for a little while, pause Netflix, step away from the news and Facebook. Spend that time on what really matters. Just imagine if you did this for an hour a day, how that would radically change your year, your life! Just redeeming an hour each day will give you 15 “extra” days in 2020, time to work on you, your family, and your walk with God. If you were even more radical, put aside two hours a day, and a solid month would magically appear in 2020. Remember, “Time flies, but you’re the pilot.” Get in the cockpit, take the wheel, and soar to new heights in 2020!