Here are my Top Ten March Madness Thoughts:

March Madness Thought #10:  A basketball team with one superstar and all the rest bench warmers, will never make the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

March Madness Thought #9:  What tournament officials can teach pastors — “Be a guide on the side, not a sage on a stage.”

March Madness Thought #8:  Not one NCAA Tournament team has ever been named after a basketball official. So why are so many “ministries” named after preachers?

March Madness Thought #7:  “March Madness, we don’t mind being the Cinderella.” –Tony Skinn  (God can use anybody for His glory, even the humblest, weakest church member. So perhaps we should give everybody the chance to speak out in church meetings.)

March Madness Thought #6:  “Every year there seems to be a ‘Cinderella’ team that the whole country cheers for. The atmosphere is wild and makes for some memorable moments.” –Noel Jameson  (When the humblest and weakest church members are allowed to speak in a meeting, it creates some of the most meaningful and memorable moments!)

March Madness Thought #5:  March Madness is unpredictable. Nobody knows what is going to happen ahead of time. Why should church be any different?

March Madness Thought #4:  “You’ve got to show up and play hard. It’s like March Madness!” –Arne Krogh  (Perhaps Christ-followers could learn something from that quote!)

March Madness Thought #3:  “Teams are more effective and productive when everyone contributes.”  (Could that also be true about church meetings?)

March Madness Thought #2:  NCAA = Now Christ’s Always Alive!

And my #1 March Madness Thought is:  All my brackets say “Jesus” — He’s the only real champion!

Experience a church service based on these March Madness thoughts every Sunday morning at 10:45 at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN 37207.