I have to admit when I heard the news, I was a bit shocked.

I was sitting in church. Our pastor had mentioned a fascinating interview he had heard with an Israeli political figure who was quoted as saying America’s biggest threat to Israel was its ignorance when it came to knowledge of the Bible. He went on to explain why, but the text message that came in completely distracted me…

“Kobe is dead.”

The text was abrupt, blunt, and completely unexpected.

But then, how can any news like this be anything but? Even if the words themselves had been sugar-coated, the reality of an ending so abrupt, so unexpected, so tragic, is simply terrible, like a punch in the gut.

I swiped the text message away from my phone and made every effort to channel my curiosity away from the news of the moment, and back toward a message that held more a more eternal narrative.

But is there anything particularly “un-eternal” about the news of someone dying?

The truth is, death is completely eternal.

And in recent months, I’ve experienced the death of two wonderful aunts (one on each side of the family), as well as a friend’s 14-year old son (just last week).

Death sucks. It isn’t normal.

Kobe was a champion, and as I process the tragic news of his (and his 13-year old daughter’s) death, I’m reminded of a few things:

- We only get one shot at this life. So much of it is outside of our control, but one thing we do have some influence over is what kind of legacy we leave.

- I want to be reminded as someone who loved well: God, his family, others.

- I want the work I’m involved in to matter.

- I believe that God is real and is constantly at work in this world, and I want to help others see that too.

- We get to choose how we spend our most precious commodity: time. I’ve never regretted scheduling meetings around (and not during) my kids’ soccer games. I’ve never regretted family time. I’ve never regretted personal growth. I’ve never regretted spending time reading the Bible. I’ve never regretted morning prayers.

I’ve never regretted turning off the TV in order to spend more time with people, whether they be friends, family, or sometimes characters in a novel.

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Please forgive the less-than-eloquent post today. One thing I’ve come to realize is that I’ve never regretted writing and sharing my thoughts with you.

I’ve included three links in this post. Two are to past posts that are a bit more eloquent. And one is to a Bible-reading plan that I helped develop for our church. It contains a passage, along with some thought-provoking questions for each reading. I would really encourage you to devote about 10 minutes a day and join me in reading it.

And I trust that’s something you won’t end up regretting either.

Let’s adopt a champion’s mentality and develop legacies together. Legacies that make our families, our workplaces, and our world, places that are better, richer, and more loving.

After all, it’s really the only thing we actually have any real control over…