The NFL draft is coming up this Thursday, and it is definitely one of the things that I look forward to each year. Not only because I am curious as to who the Cowboys will be drafting, but maybe more importantly, it means we’re just that much closer to the start of the NFL season. It’s a part of my personal countdown to September that starts with free agency and the draft followed by OTAs, rookie minicamp, training camp, and the preseason. This year’s draft is particularly more exciting for me because the Cowboys have a huge hole to fill at running back. I’m still hoping that AP will get traded to the Cowboys, but in the event that that doesn’t happen, I want to know who they will be drafting.
Every year before the draft, all the NFL teams go through a process of evaluating the college players. They come up with a board that ranks all the players at each position. They even have an overall board, where they rank who they think the best players are regardless of position. I believe this year, the best player overall is supposed to be quarterback Jameis Winston from Florida State. In order for each team to come up with these boards, they go watch players at the NFL combine and even invite certain players for something called a Pro Day. They watch the players run through drills which vary depending on the position that they play. They interview the players, and they watch their college game films. You can just imagine how much work they put in to evaluate hundreds and hundreds of players, and I’m sure each board will have similarities and differences among the different teams. Then on draft day, they use that board to decide who to pick based on what players are taken and what players are remaining. I can imagine it’s a lot of headache and pressure trying to pick players who they think will be successful in the NFL. If they miss on a pick that means time and money is wasted, and they’ll have to deal with a lot of angry fans.
Which really got me thinking, why would these coaches and scouts put in all this effort to make sure that they picked the “right” players? I conclude that it’s because we are imperfect human beings. Since we are imperfect, we need to find the best in order to succeed. For NFL teams to win the Super Bowl, they need a team filled with as many good players as possible. I don’t think there ever was a team that won the Super Bowl with a bunch of no-name scrubs. There was never a team that won with a lot of “Mr. Irrelevants” on their team. Mr. Irrelevant is the nick name given to the last player chosen in the draft.
On the flip side, we see in the Bible that God didn’t have to put in a lot of effort and research to find the best servants for Him to use. He didn’t have a servant board that ranked everyone from best to worst. He was able to use anyone even the most unqualified. God doesn’t have to stress because He is perfect. He can take a team of imperfect people and make them successful. Jesus had the first football team, the 11 disciples (Judas doesn’t count). They were a bunch of no-name scrubs. They all ran away when Jesus died on the cross, and yet God used them to build the church. God used them to spread the good news. God used them to really change the world!
When it comes to serving, it’s not about our worth. It’s not about our skills or talents. It’s about God’s perfection. It’s about Him. God can use Mr. Irrelevants like you and me to do great things.

From Pastor Eugene’s Heart
April 26, 2015

First of all I want to thank God for his protection over us. Some areas in the Eastern region were hit hard but most of us who are living in MD and VA weren't as affected. I heard that so many people died, lost their houses, businesses, and many are still without power in some states. I pray God's love and peace will fill everyone's hearts and mind as the victims are suffering from their losses. 
One good story I heard on the radio this morning is that the utility workers in our area are volunteering to go help with restoration projects in the New York and New Jersey area. We always have people who sacrifice and go out of their way to help the ones in need in times of trouble. Every time we have a natural disaster hit us or even when the terrorists attacked our country, people like policemen, fire fighters, utility workers and even civilian volunteers have sacrificed so much for our country. My deepest gratitude goes out to all of them. And I specially want to thank Pepco for their continued effort over the past few years to improve their service and reliability. It certainly paid off this time because I, along with many Pepco customers, appreciated having power during the time when the hurricane hit our area.    
Do you remember how crazy it was last weekend? People were getting ready to face the storm in many different ways. Every grocery store was out of water bottles and gas stations ran out of gas. My parents and I filled so many buckets with water in case of emergency; we are still trying to get rid of those buckets of water. 
Speaking of getting ready for the storm, we as a NCFC congregation had a very special service last week to prepare ourselves for the storm as we heard the story of Jesus calming the stormy water. We sang a song together, "When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with You above the storm, Father you are king over the storm, I will be still and know You are God." It's amazing how God's word and a passage that was selected many months ago could fit perfectly with the current events and even the natural disaster that was about to happen. I'm not trying to spiritualize it too much but I can't help but be amazed by the timing of the message.
Lastly, i want to give a shout out to the church maintenance group over at MD campus for working so hard to restore the damage made by Sandy. It was a rainy, windy and very cold week to work outside but the weather did not stop them from showing their dedication and love for the Lord and His church. Good job and thank you!

From Pastor Brian’s Heart
November 04, 2012