The Gospel of March Madness

I love the month of March. I was born in March. March marks the end of February. Most important, March boasts college basketball's rivalry week, conference tournaments, and most importanty--March Madness. I should have known March Madness was always going to be a significant part of my life. As a two week-old infant, I watched what would become my favorite school, Indiana University, win the NCAA Tournament on a last-second shot--all in the safe arms of my mother and father.
On the Monday following Selection Sunday, the day where the field of 64 teams is chosen to participate in the Tournament and seeded, I began pondering how I would fill out my bracket. I don't believe in ESPN's bracketology. I watch college basketball all season long in order to prepare and educate myself to fill-out my bracket. Finally, after three days of preparation which included pondering, meditation, even YOGA, it came time to fill-out my bracket. After years of filling out Tournament brackets, I have developed a strategy for success.
Many people make the fatal mistake of filling out the bracket from the outside-in, choosing the least important games first and the most important games last. However, I have found that the true strategy for success in filling-out Tournament brackets is found within the Gospel. The most important parts of the Gospel are faith in the Lord, repentance, baptism, etc.--the core of the Gospel. All other parts of the Gospel, while crucially important, are simply appendages of these principles. Just as in all things in life, we should fill out our Tournament brackets according to Gospel principles. First and foremost, we must pick our national champion, then our Final Four, then our Elite Eight, then our Sweet Sixteen, and then and only then the first two rounds of games. So simple. So pure. So true. Let's just say that I didn't pick this up over night. Isaiah 28: 9-10. Good luck!