Why Does Ash Wednesday Matter?

The parties of Mardi Gras are over. The beads have come out of the air, and all of the King Cake is eaten. Most people could not tell you why there was a party in the first place, but the celebration Fat Tuesday leads into what I believe is the most meaningful time period of the Christian calendar.

Following the bravado and somewhat brashness of Mardi Gras is the more somber, yet powerful, Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent for Western Christian calendar. The Eastern Orthodox tradition begins Lent on "Clean Monday" (because doesn't every good diet start on Monday?). The Ash Wednesday service is a ceremony in which Christians begin the process of waiting, purification for the return of the Lord by preparing their hearts for the 46 days until Easter.

Traditionally, this service is one of the four most solemn moments of the church year (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday being the other three), as the magnitude of what we as humans did to God's son, and preparation for Maundy Thursday sets in.

Mardi Gras is popular for obvious reasons, but its lesser-known cousin Ash Wednesday kicks of
 Lent. These 40 days of fasting are more renowned outside of church because it leads to "he or she gave up (insert vice) for Lent." Jokes are made about giving up exercise, eating healthy, or being on time. If you're clever enough like devout Catholic Stephen Colbert you come up with things like this:

It's Ash Wednesday-- and we all know what the pope gave up for Lent!
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) February 14, 2013

We must remain wary to view Lent as simply the time, or even more of a reason, to forfeit your Facebook or candy addiction. Your carbonated drink or french fry obsession should not be given up for Lent because that is what you do; nor is a vice simply given up "for Lent"'s sake. A sacrifice is made as a reminder of what was given up for us on Good Friday. It is not given up on behalf of the season.

I am not calling for a change in the common vernacular, just its understanding. The fact that a season in the church calendar has become somewhat "common" is remarkable. On the other hand, the term "giving (it) up for Lent"'s common implication? That the world and Christians alike see it as someone giving up something because it is a simply a church thing or it is that time of year again does need attention.

It is time to refine the colloquial so that Christians--and eventually those outside of the church--see "giving (it) up for Lent" as an act of sacrifice, a worshipful action toward God, instead of a popular action among church friends or action because it is a certain time of year.

"You are dust and to dust you shall return." -Genesis 3:19

Here is a more historical view of Lent and its origins from last year's "No More Radio" post.
Two years ago, I gave up Facebook

National Signing Day 2013

Alex Collins and his father (sans mother) signing his Letter of Intent. Collins said he wore a camo suit "for the fans."

Usually at this point in the game, 24 hours later, writing a National Signing Day column is considered late. Thanks to Alex Collins' mama drama, deadline has been extended. This day seems to get wilder and more unpredictable as the years pass, and as social media continues to grow along with college football's importance nationwide, there is no where but zany for it to go. Here are a few things that stuck out to me looking back at this year's big day:

ALEX COLLINS' MOTHER STOLE THE SHOW- It would not be Arkansas football if there wasn't a circus involved, and thanks to Collins' mother we got a party. Collins, a Miami native, was all set to sign his Letter of Intent to play football at Arkansas, a decision he made on Monday night on national television. It should have been a time to honor the hard work he has put in earning a scholarship and a time to celebrate his decision.

However, as has been well reported, his mother came to the signing ceremony at Collins' school and took the binding paperwork because she wants him to play at Miami University in Florida. What makes this story even more difficult to understand is that Collins does not even live with his mother.

This afternoon he signed official paper work, cosigned by his father, which officially makes him a Razorback. His mother on the other hand has hired lawyers from a Johnny Cochran law firm to try and prevent his move to Arkansas. Her reasoning per her lawyer: "her only concern is Alex's well being." Give it a break, lady.

THE OLE MISS SURPRISE- Don't get me wrong. I loved my experience at The Grove and weekend in Oxford when the Rebels hosted Samford in 2010. But before Rebel fans get too excited about the future, thinking under coach Hugh Freeze you will challenge the SEC West big boys, namely Alabama, let's take a look at what happened in order for you to land the No. 7 class in 2013.

Ole Miss landed the No 1 recruit at the following positions: defensive end (Robert Nkemdiche), offensive lineman (Jeremy Tunsil), wide receiver (Laquan Treadwell), and a top-notch defensive back (Antonio Conner).

Nkemdiche has an older brother already at Ole Miss, who did some serious recruiting, and a mother who made it public that she wanted her boys to play together. Conner is from South Panola High, a Rebel stronghold for years. These two would have made a good class for Ole Miss alone on most years. They also recruited other top players and sold them on the idea that this could be the class to change the Rebel's fortune, instead of going to Alabama and continuing their championship tradition.

It was a perfect storm, but before we crown them Division Champs, know that other schools in the division have been doing this kind of work for five-plus years.To rise to the top it will take more than one class of stars to change the culture. Coach Hugh Freeze applied the full-court press to haul these guys in. SI.com writer Andy Staples reveals one of Freeze's assistant coaches exchanged more than 800 Facebook messages with Tunsil and another 400 with his girlfriend to help culture their relationship which turned into a commitment. Hard work paid off to bring this class (three 5-stars and 9 4-stars) to fruition.

TIE-DYE SCREAMS SWAG- There was nothing this year that compared to Isaiah Crowell pulling out a bulldog puppy to declare he would attend Georgia a couple of years ago. There was some impressive fashion from some commitment ceremonies though:

WR Stacey Coley (above) commits to Swag U. The only way this gets better is if a Vanderbilt or Stanford commit had donned a "Nerd" hat at their commitment ceremony.

DL Montravious Adams (above) commits to Auburn and proves tie-dye is alive and well. And yes, that is a picture of himself on his shirt. Love his humbleness.

ONE CONFERENCE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER- Not that long ago the Big 12 was being compared to the SEC. There were some who thought it might be able to challenge the SEC for dominance in college football. Hindsight is 20/20 and we know that thought is comical. Thanks to conference realignment (Texas A&M and Nebraska leaving), Texas and Oklahoma's steady decline, and now recruiting we know who stands above the other.

Not one 5-star prospect according to Rivals.com chose to play football in the Big 12, meaning the Big East, the conference just waiting its demise, had more top players commit to it than Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and the like. Kentucky--yeah that one--would have had the fourth-best class in the Big 12. These are signs your conference no longer has the gravitas it once did.

The SEC went out and collected seven of the top 11 spots in the team rankings, according to 247sports.com. Which means what former LSU receiver Russel Sheppard tweeted may be all the more true:

From the looks of the recruiting classes the #SEC will win the next 4 National championships again !!!!
— Russell Shepard Jr.. (@LSUShep10) February 6, 2013

Clemson RB coach Tony Elliot

Speaking of other conferences, Clemson does some serious recruiting, taking prospects from Florida and Georgia just like the big boys year in and year out.

Coach Dabo Swinney knows what he is doing in getting high schoolers interested in his program. Is running backs coach Tony Elliot the secret into their minds? Notice the Twilight posters surrounding him:

It was a great day, and one that started early for this college football fanatic. I made sure to go to bed early the night before and was up at 5:30 a.m., waiting for the first faxes to be sent.

Yes, they still use fax machines which is a whole other issue: The NCAA at its finest, only 20 years behind the curve.

Column from National Signing Day 2012