Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Today, in papers all over the world a bracket will appear. It will be taken to schools, offices, bathrooms and be marked on, filled in, erased and filled in again. It will get copied, posted, pinned, stapled and taped. it will be hidden in a manilla folder from the boss or in a bookbag from a teacher. And ultimatley, exactly one week from today, it will be crumpled, torn, mangled and forgotten. Why?

Because today March Madness has begun. Today office pools begin and prognosticators (a big word for people who like to talk about things that won't happen like they said they would) debate who will win which games and why. We'll all pick the winners and losers and we'll all feel good about it until Thursday when the actual games take place. And then we'll realize what this Proverb means. All of us think we have a pretty good plan. We feel good about it and think it will succeed but once real life begins, we're a lot like those of us who will see our brackets blown up by some 14 seed beating a 3 seed. There are always surprises in the tourney and it's no different in life. Upsets come, and since we don't know when or where they'll show up, it's awfully hard to plan for them.

Brackets have a way of revealing that even the wisest among us really don't have a clue. Life is the biggest bracket of all and it can render us all idiots from time to time. But the hope is this: we serve a God who sees the end of the tourney and He knows the outcome of every game - every situation and circumstance - that you and I will be involved in. And He is ready to carry us through it all.

Our God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

He's also the Master of the Bracket.