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In Isaiah 43:19, God declares, “See, I am doing a new thing — now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

This scripture captures the essence of spring in spiritual truth, where we see the transformation of the world around us. I particularly love seeing the trees as they start to bud — all the brilliant colors: the pinks, the purple, the magenta, the lavender, the yellow, the maroon. A beautiful symphony of new life. Multiple shades of green and brightly colored flowers bloom in my neighborhood, and the sweet sound of singing birds fills the atmosphere.

One of my favorite pastimes in spring is taking a walk around my neighborhood. It’s just so pretty here. Another is to sit out and experience the first feel of sun on my skin as I read my Bible or a Christian romance novel, and in the early evening to sit out on my porch. Spring and summer are my favorite seasons of the year.

As we step into the freshness and newness of spring, let us be reminded of the hope and new life we have in Christ. The blooming flowers and warming weather represent God’s intentional design and His gift of beauty and hope after a dark winter. The growth seen in spring mirrors the spiritual growth and restoration that Christ brings to our lives.

Spring acts as a metaphor for spiritual rejuvenation, prompting us to shed old ways and experience a fresh start.

2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone, the new has come.”

This scripture states that anyone united to Christ is a brand new creation, as the old spiritual life — characterized by sin and separation from God — has passed away, and a new life in Him has begun.

Just as nature comes back to life, the resurrection of Jesus signifies overcoming death and offering new eternal life to all who believe.

This spring, as you step into the beauty of God’s creation, let it be a time of reflecting on God’s goodness, grace, and restoration. “The old has gone, the new has come.”

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I remember the day I was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Philadelphia Flyers. I was
in Florida with the Canes to take on the Panthers. The morning of the game I received a call
from our head coach, Paul Maurice. He thanked me for my services and informed me I’d been
traded to Philadelphia. That day Philly was in Buffalo to play the Sabres, so I jumped on a plane
and flew to Buffalo to meet my new teammates. Here is what’s so odd about being traded:
Several of my new teammates and I had fought before! Keith Jones and I fought in Washington
(I want a rematch with him), and Rick Tocchet and I fought several times. Rick was the one that
shattered my cheek. (I DON’T want a rematch with him!) Rod Brind’Amour and I had literally
fought one another the week prior to my being traded! These guys who were formerly my
enemies had suddenly become my brothers. I used to fight with them, now I would fight for
them. We were teammates. As a Christian, you were traded from the Kingdom of Darkness to
the Kingdom of Light. You were traded from Death to Life. You play for a new team. You get
new teammates:

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one
in Christ Jesus.”
(Galatians 3:27-28 ESV)

You “put on Christ” like a jersey. You become part of His team. Notice how different each of
these people are: different ethnicities (Jew and Greek), different social classes (slave and free),
different biologies (male and female). And yet, in Christ they are one. Despite all these
differences they are ONE team, Team Jesus. We no longer fight with one another. We fight for
one another. We no longer divide over our differences. Instead, we celebrate them. We are
family. We are the Church.

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“For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we
might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

There are certain iconic moments in history that timestamp our lives—things like 9/11, the tragic
death of Kobe Bryant, or the O.J. verdict. These moments seem to be “screenshots” taken by
our consciousness that stay with us forever. We remember where we were and what we were
doing.

March 6, 1999—do you remember where you were and what you were doing? You should. This
was the unforgettable moment in our nation’s history when all-star NHL defenseman Adam Burt
(me) was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Andrei
Kovalenko. There was an exchange—one player in exchange for another player. (By the way,
none of that All-Star stuff was true—but it’s my blog, so get off me!)

Some 2,000 years ago, there was another trade. Theologians call it “The Great Exchange.” One
man, Jesus, was given over in exchange for the sins of the world. God would pour out His wrath
for our sins—past, present, and future—onto Jesus. We, in turn, would be given the perfect
righteousness of Christ in exchange. It is “the Gospel.” The word gospel literally means “good
news.” I believe it’s the best news possible!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone
who believes…” (Romans 1:16)

SALVATION AND THE PROBLEM OF SIN
Do you think a car can have a demon? Theologically, I don’t believe it’s possible. But if it were,
my 2010 Acura MDX definitely had one! I was hit in that car five times. If it wasn’t a demon, it
was some kind of cosmic curse or something. I had been to the local body shop so many times
they knew me by name.

The fourth time I was hit, I was T-boned by a young girl just learning to drive. I felt bad for her,
but c’mon, man! My car limped back to the body shop. I was cordially greeted by the appraiser:
“Welcome back, Mr. Burt,” as if I were returning to my favorite local restaurant or drinking
establishment. After a few weeks, the car was repaired, and I was back on the road again.

I had to pick up a few pastors from LaGuardia Airport and drop them off in Manhattan. I picked
them up in my newly repaired ride and made my way back into the city. Trying to maneuver in
Manhattan can be treacherous—cabs, cars, bikes, and buses are coming at you from all
directions. I arrived safely at the first pastor’s street corner and stopped. He thanked me for the
ride and then proceeded to open the rear door… into oncoming traffic! A cab hit the rear door
and literally wrapped it around to the front of my car!

Have you ever been so angry that you can’t even fake being polite? I was just like, “Bro, get out
of my car and go home!”

I managed to bend the door back into place so I could drive home. The following morning, I
made my way back to the body shop. “Welcome back, Mr. Burt.” Five grand was the estimate to
repair the damage!

Several days later, I met up with the pastor responsible. He apologized again and again and
finally asked, “What can I do to make it right?”

“What can you do to make it right? You can give me five grand!”

“I don’t have five grand,” he replied.

“Well then, I guess there is nothing you can do to make it right.”

You see, somebody has to pay to fix it—and that is the problem with sin. Someone has to pay to
fix it.

JESUS PAYS THE BILL
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

I’ll often hear people ask, “Why can’t God just forgive sin? Why the gruesome brutality of the
Cross?” God does forgive sin, but He can’t just forgive sin. Sin must be paid for, or else God
would be unjust. We want a God of justice sitting on the throne of the universe. An unjust judge
would be untenable.

Imagine the outrage if Larry Nassar, the convicted pedophile who sexually assaulted some 265
young girls, were just randomly set free by a judge who flippantly declared, “I forgive you.” We
would burn that courtroom to the ground. Why? Because it’s unjust.

We love justice—I don’t think it’s even debatable. The last time I checked, there were roughly 70
courtroom TV shows: Divorce Court, The People’s Court, Judge Judy, Judge Wapner, Judge
Brown. Not to mention legal dramas like Law & Order, L.A. Law, Matlock… the list goes on and
on.

We can’t get enough of it—justice. It’s been hardwired into our DNA. I’ll prove it to you even
further. Have you ever been watching a movie where the villain is wicked—I mean really awful?

At the end of the movie, that guy has to die badly, doesn’t he? And if he doesn’t, don’t you feel a
bit unsatisfied? Unfulfilled? That’s your inner sense of justice at work.

But herein lies the problem: when we are sinned against, we want justice. When we sin against
others, you know what we want? Mercy and forgiveness.

What is God to do? He is holy and must do justice, but He is also loving and wants to forgive.
What’s the answer? The Cross of Christ. It’s at the Cross that justice and mercy meet. Jesus
absorbs the righteous wrath of God for us on the cross (justice). He dies so that you and I may
live (forgiveness).

“…but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved
by Him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:8–9)

September 29, 2006—Ramadi, Iraq. SEAL Team 3 was deployed to help train Iraqi soldiers.
Delta Platoon was stationed atop a local building to ward off insurgents and keep an eye out for
any rebel activity. The mood was businesslike and quiet as each SEAL Team member went
about his duties.

The quiet was broken by the sound of a loud cry: “GRENADE!” Without hesitation, SEAL Team
3’s Michael Monsoor jumped on top of the live grenade moments before it detonated. The
deadly blast was absorbed by the brave soldier. He died so that the entire team could be saved.
One of the SEAL Team survivors later said, “Mikey looked death in the face and said, ‘You
cannot take my brothers. I will go in their stead.’”

Michael’s remains were returned stateside to be laid to rest. What came next was incredibly
powerful. As the wooden casket made its way to the burial site, SEAL Team members dressed
in full uniform were arrayed on either side. As the casket passed by, each member removed his
gold trident pin and placed it on top. One SEAL after another laid down his prized trident as a
sign of unity—a declaration: “What Michael stands for, we stand for.”

When the coffin arrived at its final resting place, it was completely covered in gold.

Michael absorbed death on behalf of his brothers so that they might live. Jesus did the same for
us. In dying, Jesus absorbed death on our behalf, and in rising from the dead, He declared the
“death of death.”

Don’t misunderstand what Jesus is saying—He’s not saying that we won’t ever die. He’s saying
we are safe in death. Because He rose from the dead, we can be confident that we too will one
day rise. Now death is simply a doorway to resurrection and eternal life.

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I think of the woman who is known as the sinful woman spoken of in the book of Luke (Luke 7:36-50). She had an encounter with Jesus. When she heard He was at Simon’s house, she went there. She walked right in, knowing what those people thought of her. Can you imagine all the negative energy coming from the people in that room?

We have all experienced this to some degree. You walk into a room and there is someone there who doesn’t like you or is judging you. We all know what that feels like. It could be in the workplace or maybe your extended family or even church.

So picture this: this room was filled with that kind of energy. However, she was protected from it. It didn’t touch her because she only had eyes for Jesus.

She was captivated by Jesus’ love and by His compassion. It propelled her toward Him. She fell at His feet in tears of gratitude and love. She was so overwhelmed all she could do was weep.

That’s what happened to me when I had an encounter with Him. I cried for hours as His love captivated my heart.

This is what we are called to do. We are called to captivate others through Jesus’ love flowing through us. We are called to go out into the workplace, our family’s everywhere we go, captivating people with love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. If we are not risking our lives being hurt, we risk nothing. We will never captivate others. We will never captivate people with religion. We will only captivate others when we live a life where we love, where we share grace, where we forgive.

Jesus said in one of His teachings: “If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anyone can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

A love that says all are lovable—this kind of love is captivating. That is Jesus’s heart. It’s one thing to say to people, ‘Jesus loves you.’ Many people need to know the love of Christ, but they need to see that love in us for them to be guided to Him.

Let’s remember what Jesus said:

Matthew 22:37—Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest commandment. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.’

As we are captivated by Jesus’ love, that love will permeate our heart, our soul, and our mind. And in return we can show that love to others.”

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“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the
Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40 ESV)

Basically, Jesus boils down the entire Bible to ONE thing, love. It’s our ONE thing. Loving God
and loving people is the Christian’s superpower that we can use to win in life. The Apostle Paul
loved the church in Philippi. He “birthed” it through much pain and suffering and desperately
wanted to see this church thrive. Look at how Paul prays:

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more.” (Philippians 1:9 ESV)

Isn’t that interesting? He doesn’t pray that their theology would abound more and more. He
doesn’t pray that their Bible reading or prayer time would abound more and more. He prays that
their love would abound more and more. Paul knew, if you get the love part right, everything
else will fall into place. If you get the love part right, then Bible reading, prayer, obedience will
result from the overflow of that love. It’s the ONE thing that impacts EVERYTHING.

“Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to
offend the One who is Beloved.” —St. Augustine

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But as Christians, we can guard against this affecting us and set the example for others. We must guard our hearts.

Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

How do we do that? We are careful about what we take in. Like I’ve been saying, outrage sells, and the news is designed to provoke just that — especially politically! We need to be careful what we tap into on social media, focus on the positive stories, and look to Scripture to see what it says about how we should handle situations.

Proverbs 15:1 says it so well: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Ephesians 4:31–32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” As we walk with Jesus, we will experience this in our lives.

Matthew 11:29 — Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

As we stay in step with Jesus, we learn from Him and, too, can give a gentle answer.

A mom I’m close to in church related a story to me about her daughter. Her daughter is 9 and such a beautiful little girl. Well, sometimes — especially when someone is really pretty — they can get bullied. And that is what was happening to her child. This girl, who was raised in church and also has a mom who teaches her the Bible and Scriptures to live by, was affected in her response during this time of being bullied.

She said in a very even tone, “Do you know what Jesus said? He said we should be kind to one another and that we should treat others the way we would like to be treated. Would you like to be treated the way you are treating me?”

I love it! At a young age, she learned to give a gentle answer, and her heart was protected.

I encourage you to make this a priority in your life as you stay in step with Jesus.

Matthew 11:29 — Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

And may your life be a reflection of Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

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I’ve heard it said, “The worst kind of failure is succeeding at the wrong thing.” I think Olympic rifleman Matt Emmons would agree. During the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Emmons held a commanding lead and was cruising towards gold in the 50-meter three-position event. Facing the final target, he eyed the mark and took a deep breath. He exhaled and pulled the trigger. BULLSEYE! The crowd’s reaction, however, didn’t quite fit the moment. Rather than hearing cheers there was a gasp! He hit the target dead center, but it wasn’t his target. It was his competitor’s. Emmons plummeted to eighth place and lost the gold medal. This story does have a silver lining. Later that evening, Matt went out to a local pub in the Olympic Village to drown his sorrows. As he ordered a pint, another Olympian sat down at the bar beside him and offered a few words of consolation. HER name was Katarina Kurkova from the Czech National sharpshooting team. The two hit it off, and a few short years later they were married. He lost the gold, but got the girl!

The Apostle Paul was one of those guys. He was excelling at all the wrong things. Aiming his life at the wrong target. He was religiously checking all the boxes. As he says in his own words, he was:

“Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”
(Philippians 3:5-6 ESV)

Winning at the wrong things left him empty, self-righteous and hard hearted. He admits:

“I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man.”
(1 Timothy 1:13 BSB)

But something happened on a Damascus road. He had an encounter with Jesus Christ, and his life would never be the same. It was a miraculous course correction. Setting his sights on a new target. Paul says:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:14 ESV)

And with a refocusing of his life, Paul would absolutely change the world. Stop for a moment on your own road and ask this question: Are you aiming at the right mark?

I’m a huge fan of the game show Family Feud. You’ve probably seen it, so you know host Steve Harvey is hilarious and tells it like it is. One particular episode stands out to me. Harvey begins with his usual, “Top five answers on the board,” and then he poses the question, “Name something that begins with the word ‘pork’.” The contestant immediately chimes in, “Cupine, Steve!” Harvey looks a bit confused, “What?” Undeterred, the contestant confidently repeats, “Cupine, Steve!” Harvey is like, “What is a ‘Cupine’?” The contestant puffs out his chest and replies like he is Albert Einstein, “Cupine, Steve… ‘Pork-Cupine’…..you know, like a ‘porcupine.’” Harvey’s bewildered look is priceless. And then, right on cue, the contestant’s team responds the way they always do . . . THEY LIE! “Good answer! Good answer!” No, it’s not! It’s a dumb answer and everyone knows it. Steve can’t help himself and says as much: “You’re the only one that thinks that’s a good answer.” The team then doubles down on the dumb answer and says, “It’s up there, Steve! It’s gonna be up there!” Surprisingly, he agrees, “It’s gonna be up there all right . . . on YouTube because it’s so dumb!” If you were wondering? No, it wasn’t on the board. It was a dumb answer.

Is it just me, or are there some really dumb answers being thrown around today? Some of life’s most difficult questions are getting “Cupine!” answers. They’re dumb, but for some reason we feel all this pressure to agree and applaud, “Good Answer, Good Answer.” I truly believe there is only one “Good Answer” to life’s biggest questions and that answer is Jesus. I’m not saying every other answer is completely wrong. But if you’re “kinda wrong” or completely wrong, does it really matter? Either way, you are wrong.

C. S. Lewis highlights my point: “If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through. If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake. If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all these religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of the truth. When I was an atheist I had to try to persuade myself that most of the human race have always been wrong about the question that mattered to them most; when I became a Christian I was able to take a more liberal view. But, of course, being a Christian does mean thinking that where Christianity differs from other religions, Christianity is right and they are wrong. As in arithmetic—there is only one right answer to a sum, and all other answers are wrong: but some of the wrong answers are much nearer being right than others.”

Christianity hits the bullseye of life.

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“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

(John 15:18–19, ESV)

Every athlete learns from an early age that sometimes they have to ignore crowd noise. While the cheers from fans can be inspiring and exhilarating, when the crowd turns against you, the effect can be devastating.

Former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell knows all about crowd noise. Mark is both a friend and a follower of Christ. He once shared with me and a group of friends about the nightmarish 2004 season. He laughs about it now, but it was far from being funny back then.

In 2004, Mark was traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Washington Redskins. Expectations were high for the upcoming campaign, but things got off to a real bumpy start. The team went 3–5 through the midway point of the season. Brunell wasn’t playing well, and pressure was mounting from the restless fan base.

It was week eight of regular season play, and the Cincinnati Bengals were in town to take on the struggling Redskins. Mark’s confidence was at an all-time low. Prior to taking the field, one of Mark’s coaches pulled him aside and bluntly stated, “We need you to play well today.” Thanks, Captain Obvious!

The game started strong for Mark and the Skins. He drove the team right down the field on the opening series. The fans were into it. The stadium was electric. Deep in Cincinnati territory, Mark breaks the huddle and steps under center. As he barks out the play, the fans anxiously wait.

Mark drops back to pass, locks onto his receiver, and delivers the ball… to the other team!

The Bengals’ defender ran the interception all the way back for a touchdown. The stunned crowd was momentarily silent as the shock set in. Then the silence was broken by disgruntled chants of “Ram-sey, Ram-sey.”

Patrick Ramsey was the backup quarterback for the Redskins. The fans were finished with Mark and demanded the backup be put in. The chants intensified: “Ram-sey, Ram-sey.” Louder and louder the crowd roared in unison, “Ram-sey, Ram-sey!” The chorus rippled upward from the lower seating straight to the luxury boxes: “Ram-sey, Ram-sey!” It was infectious.

In fact, Mark’s own sons joined in.

Seated up in the luxury boxes, his three boys were too young to really understand what was happening and got caught up in the moment. They joined in at the top of their lungs, “Ram-sey! Ram-sey!” His own kids were inadvertently cheering for his demise. The whole world seemed to be against him.

Mark Brunell was benched for the remainder of the season.

Jesus knows a thing or two about crowd noise. He knows what it feels like to have the world turn against you. In Matthew 21, we read the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for Passover week. Massive crowds chanted and cheered, “Hosanna!” which means, “Come, Lord, save!”

The chants and praise grew louder and louder: “Hosanna to the King!” The scene was euphoric, almost chaotic. Jewish officials feared the Roman authorities would feel threatened by shouts for a “King” and demanded that Jesus quiet the people. His response was simple: “If they stop, the rocks will cry out.”

The crowd was for Him… until they weren’t.

In just a few short days, that same crowd would cry out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

What do you do when it feels like the world is against you?

Jesus knew the answer. He looked up. He lived His life not for the approval of men, but for the approval of His heavenly Father. He was playing the game of life for an audience of One. The chants of “Crucify Him!” were drowned out by the thunder of His Father’s “Well done!”

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.”

(Luke 23:46, ESV)

Jesus lived for His Father and not His fans. He chose the applause of heaven over the approval of men. His performance was over, but Jesus wasn’t finished. On the third day He rose from the dead, triumphant and victorious. The heavens now declare Him “King of Kings” and “Lord of Lords.”

What a comeback story!

Speaking of a comeback story, Mark Brunell had one as well. Mark decided to look up and play for an audience of One. He didn’t need to please his fans—only his heavenly Father. On the third day he rose again! OK, it wasn’t the third day; it was the following season. Mark got up, dusted himself off, and led the Redskins to their first playoff berth in years and was nominated for “Comeback Player of the Year.”

How will you handle crowd noise? Who will you listen to? Who will you live for—the fans or the Father?

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All of these resolutions are good; however, let’s look to what the Bible says about what should come first in our lives.

Jesus put it this way: Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The moment of salvation, the very moment you were born again, the Kingdom of God was opened to you, and your spiritual eyes have been opened.

John 3:3: Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

When you are born again, your spirit comes alive.

Being born again is not about being a part of a certain denomination. It is not about being a Methodist or Baptist, a Catholic, or a non-denomination church. People from all denominations have experienced this.

What it takes is praying a simple prayer of faith from the heart:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God who died for my sins on the cross. I believe God raised You from the dead. I now turn from my sin and by faith receive You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my heart and save me, Lord Jesus.

I will always remember the moment I was born again. As I repented, I knew I was clean; all shame was swept away in an instant. I was filled with gratitude for the One who took it all. I was filled with a passion like I had never known before, a love for Jesus that filled me up, and a hunger to know all about Him, and a desire to live my life in accordance with God’s way.

However, to keep that fire burning, we must make a commitment on a daily basis to be relentless in our pursuit of Him.

With people, if we relentlessly pursue them, a lot of times they will run from us. But not Jesus. The more we pursue Him, the more we will know Him, and the more His love will saturate our soul. The more we will be filled with passion to follow Him all the days of our lives. I want to challenge you that this year you will make a commitment to be relentless in your pursuit of God.

There are many ways we can pursue God. We are pursuing Him every time we pray, every time we read our Bibles, every time we meditate on His Word, every time we worship Him.

My favorite way to pursue God is through worship. Every time I worship, His love saturates my soul. I start my day with this worship song, “In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus,” and I am filled with gratitude, passion, and a love for the One who saved me, “My Jesus.”

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