It is getting into the stretch run for the National Hockey League (NHL) and teams are jockeying for playoff spots and positions. The Minnesota Wild are trying to improve their playoff position. Paul Allen (Vikings VOX and KFAN radio personality) has come up with the a slogan to help get the Wild fans on board for the playoff push and it is "does the power of the Christmas colors compel you" (the Wilds colors are read and green). I think in essence what this statement is saying is how does this team and the team colors get you to root for a team and to help them get over the edge into the playoffs and to win Lords Stanleys Cup. I am a Wild fan and I listen to a lot of their games, but how does cheering for a hockey team suppose affect how I live my life and the lives around me. I think there is something greater that we should be compelled by and that is the cross. The Apostle Paul exhorts the church in Corinth and even us today about what or who we consider wise. I think there are several things we can learn from Paul's exhortation and the power of the cross.
The first one is that the cross unifies. In Paul's day, just as it is today, there was a fraction in the church based on who people listened to. Some People followed Paul, others Cephas and others Apollos, which created tension in the church on which one was the better preacher or even Christian. We have the same argument today, whether it is the debate between Reformed and Arminian theology, to the preachers we love to either love and listen too or vilify. Paul tells us that non of these ideas died and covered our transgressions, nor do they have the ability to. The only thing that can is the cross of Christ. The cross is not suppose to divide the people of God, but it is suppose to unify people together for a common goal. All things should be seen through the lens of not only a crucified Savior who died on that cross, but was raised from its death. It brings into focus what is important and not to make mole hills into mountains.
The second idea of the cross is that it equalizes. In essence, we are all equal at the foot of the cross. Instead of fighting over who is greater or dehumanizing certain groups of people, the cross puts us all on equal ground. In the Middle East, the terror group ISSIS have been terrorizing different groups of people and land marks. We are all outraged when the Christians are being attacked and killed for their faith, but when other groups of people are facing the same problems, are we making the same amount of noise at the inhumanity of the actions of ISSIS. As a Christian, there is no such thing as Greek or Jew, but we all are created in the image of God. The mark of a maturing Christian is not how they care for their own, but how they treat and care and treat people who are completely different then them and who is even their enemy.
The third thing that the cross does for us is that it provides the way for salvation. There is no other way to be saved and to have a right relationship with God except for the acceptance of Christ death on the cross. We may try to find different ways to get saved, and most of them are on the basis of what we can do, or not do. We often turn salvation into a works orientated adventure to see how good we are and to work our way into heaven. If we could become more enlightened and work our way into heaven, there would be no point for the cross and Jesus would of died a meaningless death. The cross is God drawing the line in the sand and providing a way for us to be saved. This is so that we can not get confused and think that our salvation and life is all about us.
The fourth thing that the cross does, is that it invites us to come and partake of it. This doesn't mean that we all need to carry a physical cross around or even have a literal death on a cross, but we are crucifying our will to Gods will. It is a realization that God knows what is best for us and has our best interest in mind. In order for us to be apart of God's plan, we need to put ours aside or even to death. As the popular saying goes, no one can serve to masters, because one will end up being hated and the other loved. When we serve those two masters, ourselves and God, we end up becoming whishy washy and we become luke warm. Becoming a mature Christian requires all of our attention, and the only way to do it is to participate in the death of Christ so that we may be raised with Him. It is coming the idea that its not about me anymore and its about God. A good practice to see what one we are living for, is to see which one we are feeing. Do we feed our own selfish desires, or do we feast on the Word of God. If you don't feed something, it will die from starvation. So how does the power of the cross compel you. Does it compel to lead a life lead by the Spirit and the power of God, or do we just scoff at it and call it pointless. There is no middle ground
Friday, March 13, 2015
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Go and Do
One of my favorite social media games to pay attention to is changing the title of songs to make something else. One example is taken the famous song Let it Go from the movie frozen and making it into, "what if Bella didn't let it go?" or the play on REM's famous song Loosing My Religion to what if the band didn't loose their religion. I feel like the changing of the song titles is a way that the artist or bands do not follow the advice of their own songs, not matter how great that advice might be. I came to the conclusion that we are no different, how often do we ask for advice and not take it, or the advice we give to others, we really need apply to our lives. Here is the troubling idea, how often do we do this with God. We ask God to show us the way and then we take it under advisement and either follow it half heartedly or avoid it all together. We tend to become enraged when people do this to us, so why do we do it to God? In essence, we are being double minded and the Bible has a few things to say about it.
The book of James states that people who are double minded are unstable. I think that being double minded does not mean we can not have doubts or question things, but it is our response to that advice from friends or what God is calling us to do. Here is my question, if we ask for direction or advice, and not follow it, we are really just trying to justify our own actions and to make ourselves feel better. Self justification is more about asking the question of how much can I get away with, with the least amount of consequences. Its taking the song from Bon Jovi "Its My Life" and making it ones personal anthem. Being double minded means that we are taking control of our lives and that we run from thing to thing that makes us happy and feels good for the moment.
The other aspect of being double minded is that we devalue others and God. One of the biggest ways we devalue God and others is that when we are given advice or direction from God, we take it under advisement, but we do nothing with it. In all reality, we don't care what others thing unless they are petting our ego, or the advice is something we want to hear. People and God become pawns in our lives that we use to get what we want. This form of knowledge gaining has no interest into putting it into practice, because that would take work, risk and faith. In essence we are being lazy because we want the knowledge without the experience. Wisdom is knowing who to listen to and what to do, while putting it into practice.
The other side of the coin is the issue of doubt. One side of the coin is that we consider it a badge of honor when we doubt and to question everything. This is good, but at some point we need faith and obedience. The other side is the phrase that bugs the tar out of me and it is "you just got to have faith." It leaves no room for questioning, reason, and growth. I also find this phrase to be disingenuous and it assumes that life should be full of roses. If one is always full of faith and gun ho, there is something that is wrong, along with someone who is always in doubt and questioning. God has given us a brain along with reason, we should and need to use it. I think there are two big takeaways here. God has promised us the Holy Spirit to comfort and to commune with. Are we taking time to communicate with God. It is not only speaking to God, but listening to Him also. Whether it is through Scripture reading, prayer, journaling, worship, or a host of any other ways, communication is key. The other is seeking out wise counsel. Having people in your life who know you and God well and loves the both of you is important. God often speaks through and provides comfort to His people by other people. The only way we can take the full advantage of this is if we are in full communion with God.
To sum it up, where we get our advice and who we get it from is very important. We also need use our God given intellect to figure things out. But here is where the rubber meets the road. in order to not be considered double minded, are we putting what we know to practice. There is an element of faith that is involved. Sometimes it is putting one foot in front of the other. Faith is trusting God and following His lead. We should stop asking what to do from God and others when we have no intentions of following it.
The book of James states that people who are double minded are unstable. I think that being double minded does not mean we can not have doubts or question things, but it is our response to that advice from friends or what God is calling us to do. Here is my question, if we ask for direction or advice, and not follow it, we are really just trying to justify our own actions and to make ourselves feel better. Self justification is more about asking the question of how much can I get away with, with the least amount of consequences. Its taking the song from Bon Jovi "Its My Life" and making it ones personal anthem. Being double minded means that we are taking control of our lives and that we run from thing to thing that makes us happy and feels good for the moment.
The other aspect of being double minded is that we devalue others and God. One of the biggest ways we devalue God and others is that when we are given advice or direction from God, we take it under advisement, but we do nothing with it. In all reality, we don't care what others thing unless they are petting our ego, or the advice is something we want to hear. People and God become pawns in our lives that we use to get what we want. This form of knowledge gaining has no interest into putting it into practice, because that would take work, risk and faith. In essence we are being lazy because we want the knowledge without the experience. Wisdom is knowing who to listen to and what to do, while putting it into practice.
The other side of the coin is the issue of doubt. One side of the coin is that we consider it a badge of honor when we doubt and to question everything. This is good, but at some point we need faith and obedience. The other side is the phrase that bugs the tar out of me and it is "you just got to have faith." It leaves no room for questioning, reason, and growth. I also find this phrase to be disingenuous and it assumes that life should be full of roses. If one is always full of faith and gun ho, there is something that is wrong, along with someone who is always in doubt and questioning. God has given us a brain along with reason, we should and need to use it. I think there are two big takeaways here. God has promised us the Holy Spirit to comfort and to commune with. Are we taking time to communicate with God. It is not only speaking to God, but listening to Him also. Whether it is through Scripture reading, prayer, journaling, worship, or a host of any other ways, communication is key. The other is seeking out wise counsel. Having people in your life who know you and God well and loves the both of you is important. God often speaks through and provides comfort to His people by other people. The only way we can take the full advantage of this is if we are in full communion with God.
To sum it up, where we get our advice and who we get it from is very important. We also need use our God given intellect to figure things out. But here is where the rubber meets the road. in order to not be considered double minded, are we putting what we know to practice. There is an element of faith that is involved. Sometimes it is putting one foot in front of the other. Faith is trusting God and following His lead. We should stop asking what to do from God and others when we have no intentions of following it.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Can I get a Witness
One of the strengths and weakness of Nike is that they know how to market their star clients through different endorsements and commercials. In essence they are marketing more than shoes, but a particular message. One of the ones that has stuck with me is the one with Lebron James and his first stint with the Cavaliers. The message is that we are all witnesses to Lebrons greatness and he has been dubbed the greatest basketball player since Michael Jordan. When you have the nickname of King James, it helps with those types of comparisons. Here is the poster of their marketing scheme and kudos to Google for the picture.
This marketing scheme has gotten me thinking about what are we a witness to. When people think of this word, it is often done so in a court room type setting. A witness is someone who testifies accurately to what they saw. In Biblical times, for charges in a courtroom to stick, there needed to be two reliable sources.
The Gospel of John has a lot to say about what it means to be a witness. In John 1, the author shares a story of Jesus being baptized John the Baptist. One of the themes of the story is that John is a witness and is to testify to who Jesus is and why He came. Here are a couple of things that I find to be crucial to be a witness.
The first one is that the witness is that they are willing to share what they have saw. A witness doesn't sit on the sidelines, because who really has seen anything cool or exciting on the sidelines or doing nothing. The witness is not only actively participating in the mission, but it is providing life change for others. It would be hard to witness Lebron's greatness if one never went to games to watch it. How can one testify to what they have not seen. If we call ourselves Christian, we can not fully testify or be a witness to Gods grace and transformation if we are not letting it change us first.
The second point to be a witness is that we care more about the message and where it comes from. We constantly live in a culture of self promotion and looking what I can do. Being a witness takes a stance that I am third mentality. It is sharing what they saw or experienced, not to gain anything personally out of it, but for the better of others. It is the attitude that they will do whatever it takes to share this particular message and humility is usually a big component of the messenger to say it is not about me. Simply put, being a witness is just telling what you just saw. It is the tough realization that the servant isn't greater than the master nor is the messenger greater than the one who authorized to send it. It is about knowing our place.
The third idea of being a witness and this can be found through out the Bible and especially the Gospel of John is the idea of being relational. We can not be a witness, especially a reliable one if we do not have a relationship with the sender. Throughout the Gospel of John, there are countless references that the only way Jesus and God the Father are one and they have a very intimate relationship. In order to share Gods' grace and redemption fully, we need to seek it ourselves because anything else is just pure manipulation. Here is the thing, manipulation brow beats you with the information, and being a witness shares the information as is and let the people decide for themselves. Being a witness, we walk along with people, but we never forcibly drag people against their will
When we have that growing relationship with God, we become Spirit filled and Spirit led. This means that we become more aware of spiritual things and that our heartbeat is developed into what Gods heartbeat is. Its growing up to realize that if we our left to our own desires, it will be a path of destruction. Where this falls into being a witness is that it gets back to sharing what we have experienced ourselves and wanting others to have the same thing. Why do you think that all those infomercials have the "personal stories" its because things are easier to understand and believe not only when we here people share those stories, but we see the life change.
This marketing scheme has gotten me thinking about what are we a witness to. When people think of this word, it is often done so in a court room type setting. A witness is someone who testifies accurately to what they saw. In Biblical times, for charges in a courtroom to stick, there needed to be two reliable sources.
The Gospel of John has a lot to say about what it means to be a witness. In John 1, the author shares a story of Jesus being baptized John the Baptist. One of the themes of the story is that John is a witness and is to testify to who Jesus is and why He came. Here are a couple of things that I find to be crucial to be a witness.
The first one is that the witness is that they are willing to share what they have saw. A witness doesn't sit on the sidelines, because who really has seen anything cool or exciting on the sidelines or doing nothing. The witness is not only actively participating in the mission, but it is providing life change for others. It would be hard to witness Lebron's greatness if one never went to games to watch it. How can one testify to what they have not seen. If we call ourselves Christian, we can not fully testify or be a witness to Gods grace and transformation if we are not letting it change us first.
The second point to be a witness is that we care more about the message and where it comes from. We constantly live in a culture of self promotion and looking what I can do. Being a witness takes a stance that I am third mentality. It is sharing what they saw or experienced, not to gain anything personally out of it, but for the better of others. It is the attitude that they will do whatever it takes to share this particular message and humility is usually a big component of the messenger to say it is not about me. Simply put, being a witness is just telling what you just saw. It is the tough realization that the servant isn't greater than the master nor is the messenger greater than the one who authorized to send it. It is about knowing our place.
The third idea of being a witness and this can be found through out the Bible and especially the Gospel of John is the idea of being relational. We can not be a witness, especially a reliable one if we do not have a relationship with the sender. Throughout the Gospel of John, there are countless references that the only way Jesus and God the Father are one and they have a very intimate relationship. In order to share Gods' grace and redemption fully, we need to seek it ourselves because anything else is just pure manipulation. Here is the thing, manipulation brow beats you with the information, and being a witness shares the information as is and let the people decide for themselves. Being a witness, we walk along with people, but we never forcibly drag people against their will
When we have that growing relationship with God, we become Spirit filled and Spirit led. This means that we become more aware of spiritual things and that our heartbeat is developed into what Gods heartbeat is. Its growing up to realize that if we our left to our own desires, it will be a path of destruction. Where this falls into being a witness is that it gets back to sharing what we have experienced ourselves and wanting others to have the same thing. Why do you think that all those infomercials have the "personal stories" its because things are easier to understand and believe not only when we here people share those stories, but we see the life change.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Perfection as maturity
With working at Wal Mart, I am blessed with some very interesting interactions with others, whether with coworkers or customers. Recently I was doing some stocking and a customer asked if she was in the way, and I replied "nope, your perfect" and her response is what caught my attention. She replied that she wished I could tell her husband and boss that and then she walked away. I could tell that this was a loaded statement and there seemed to be a lot of emotion behind it. I didn't know how to take this and I just went about my work, but this phrase has stuck with me ever sense.
In America we are concerned with perfection, whether it is finding the perfect spouse, having the perfect kids, to the vehicles we drive, teams we cheer for and various other areas in our life. Our dominate view of perfection is that something that has no flaws or imperfections. In essence there is nothing wrong with it and it does what it is suppose to do. To add a Biblical definition of perfection, it means that something is sinless and without a blemish. In essence, this is one of God's major and overarching characteristics and God commands us to be perfect. So does God demand us to be perfect, as in without blemish in our thoughts, words and actions every minute of every day? The other side of this argument is that we will never see that form of perfection this side of heaven, even though we can try, we will fail. I think there just might be a middle ground here somewhere, but first we need to expand this idea of perfection. Yes it still means without blemish, but there is also a sense that perfection is doing completely what one is created to do. We all know that brooms can not cure cancer because that is not what it was created for. It was created to sweep up floors and to collect dirt. As long as it does this, its a perfect broom. The same can be said for us as people. Are we doing what we are created for. Here are some things that I think we are created for, and its more than just about vocation, and lifestyle.
The first idea of perfection and maybe the most important one is the idea of maturity. Maturity is more than just doing things or not doing things, I think it is a mind set. If its just about doing or not doing things, it turns us into being a legalist and honestly it burns me out just thinking about it. Being the legalist is all about the rules of what one can and can not do. In essence, its all about me. With maturity, there is still a concern for rules and lifestyles, but there is a different outlook on them. Not only are we suppose to ask how does doing or not doing something help or hinder me, but also the people around me. Maturity is taking inventory of where one is at and knowing where one is going and doing the necessary things to get there
The second idea of perfection is this idea of relationships. As much as some of us want to hide in a hole most days, we have to interact with others. Whether it is with God, family, friends, co workers or people that you feel you have no need for, I think we need to be reminded that we are not an island. My challenge to all of us is to name the top five people we interact with on either a daily or weekly basis. How are we being influenced by them and how are we influencing their character. A big part of being perfect, or maturity as I like to call it is how we interact with others. Are we challenging ourselves and others to a higher standard, or are we stuck in the same place for the last five years, or are we resorting to junior high behavior?
The other side of the relational side of perfection is our relationship with God. We all are being conformed into something or someone's likeness. If we are going with the definition of perfection of doing what we are created to do, the only way we know what we are created to do and to do with it with any success is to spend time with the Creator. If you want to know what something does and its full potential, not only do you read the owners manual, but you talk to the creator of the invention. With the help of the Creator of the Universe is the only way we can live up to what we are created for. I can do some things on my computer, but if I were to read the owners manual and spend time with a computer engineer, I can use my computer for so much more and it was designed to do those things.
The third thing about perfection or maturity as I like to call it is that we grow in love. It is not a conceded love that just cares for us and what we can get out of life, but a perfect love that grows and wants the best out of ourselves, but others as well. This love is sacrificial and it often pushes us out of our comfort zone. This love seeks to be in healthy and growing relationships. This means that we are not only seeking forgiveness from others, granting the same, and we even find ways to right the wrongs that have been committed through act of justice. Love and justice is about being in right relationship with others and this means not only supporting each other but we are also looking for ways to have healthy boundaries. Having healthy boundaries means that we have set rules in place not only for a sense that we feel that some things are wrong, but if we do them, it has a detrimental affect on not only us, but the people around us.
I know there is more about perfection or maturity that can be said, but lets save that for another time
In America we are concerned with perfection, whether it is finding the perfect spouse, having the perfect kids, to the vehicles we drive, teams we cheer for and various other areas in our life. Our dominate view of perfection is that something that has no flaws or imperfections. In essence there is nothing wrong with it and it does what it is suppose to do. To add a Biblical definition of perfection, it means that something is sinless and without a blemish. In essence, this is one of God's major and overarching characteristics and God commands us to be perfect. So does God demand us to be perfect, as in without blemish in our thoughts, words and actions every minute of every day? The other side of this argument is that we will never see that form of perfection this side of heaven, even though we can try, we will fail. I think there just might be a middle ground here somewhere, but first we need to expand this idea of perfection. Yes it still means without blemish, but there is also a sense that perfection is doing completely what one is created to do. We all know that brooms can not cure cancer because that is not what it was created for. It was created to sweep up floors and to collect dirt. As long as it does this, its a perfect broom. The same can be said for us as people. Are we doing what we are created for. Here are some things that I think we are created for, and its more than just about vocation, and lifestyle.
The first idea of perfection and maybe the most important one is the idea of maturity. Maturity is more than just doing things or not doing things, I think it is a mind set. If its just about doing or not doing things, it turns us into being a legalist and honestly it burns me out just thinking about it. Being the legalist is all about the rules of what one can and can not do. In essence, its all about me. With maturity, there is still a concern for rules and lifestyles, but there is a different outlook on them. Not only are we suppose to ask how does doing or not doing something help or hinder me, but also the people around me. Maturity is taking inventory of where one is at and knowing where one is going and doing the necessary things to get there
The second idea of perfection is this idea of relationships. As much as some of us want to hide in a hole most days, we have to interact with others. Whether it is with God, family, friends, co workers or people that you feel you have no need for, I think we need to be reminded that we are not an island. My challenge to all of us is to name the top five people we interact with on either a daily or weekly basis. How are we being influenced by them and how are we influencing their character. A big part of being perfect, or maturity as I like to call it is how we interact with others. Are we challenging ourselves and others to a higher standard, or are we stuck in the same place for the last five years, or are we resorting to junior high behavior?
The other side of the relational side of perfection is our relationship with God. We all are being conformed into something or someone's likeness. If we are going with the definition of perfection of doing what we are created to do, the only way we know what we are created to do and to do with it with any success is to spend time with the Creator. If you want to know what something does and its full potential, not only do you read the owners manual, but you talk to the creator of the invention. With the help of the Creator of the Universe is the only way we can live up to what we are created for. I can do some things on my computer, but if I were to read the owners manual and spend time with a computer engineer, I can use my computer for so much more and it was designed to do those things.
The third thing about perfection or maturity as I like to call it is that we grow in love. It is not a conceded love that just cares for us and what we can get out of life, but a perfect love that grows and wants the best out of ourselves, but others as well. This love is sacrificial and it often pushes us out of our comfort zone. This love seeks to be in healthy and growing relationships. This means that we are not only seeking forgiveness from others, granting the same, and we even find ways to right the wrongs that have been committed through act of justice. Love and justice is about being in right relationship with others and this means not only supporting each other but we are also looking for ways to have healthy boundaries. Having healthy boundaries means that we have set rules in place not only for a sense that we feel that some things are wrong, but if we do them, it has a detrimental affect on not only us, but the people around us.
I know there is more about perfection or maturity that can be said, but lets save that for another time
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Go Team Go...Maybe
One of the things I really enjoy doing is being on Facebook and Twitter during sporting events. I really enjoy seeing all the comments and reactions to a particular game. This really was evident last night while I was watching the Royals/Athletics play in game. Not only was the game one for the ages, but the comments and reactions were just as good. One of the things that I find fascinating is that one play can have many different interpretations, it all depends who you are rooting for and what your interest are. I think there are several reasons why we are so passionate about sports.
The first thing is that it gives us something to hope in. If you are a sports fan, hope is what drives us to watch and to cheer for that particular team. It is a hope that our team will win, make the playoffs and win the championship. I think this hope is based on the notion that there is something greater then the mundane life that we live. It is wanting something more than what we have right now. I think this hope is based on our failures, unfulfilled dreams, or that someone or a group of people can achieve something greater than we can ever do or imagine.
Another concept of hope is that hope connects people. In a world of social media and cell phones that can connect us to people around the world instantly, there are studies that show that we are a people that do not connect well with other people on an personal and intimate level. We all want to belong to something, and to cheer for a cause that is bigger than us. When we cheer for a particular team, it gives us connection to other people, because it gives us something to talk about. I can tell you how many conversations that I have had that have been started over something dealing with sports. But there is a danger because our sports teams can give us this false sense of community and connectivity. If all we talk about is sports and nothing of importance, we are missing out on a deeper relationship. There is nothing wrong with watching the game or playing fantasy sports, but if that's all we do, we are missing out on a deeper relationships. I think as a society, we are content with knowing the useless facts and not digging deeper. True hope is where both people are actively engaged in the relationship and it is not one sided.
The second thing that sports does is that it gives us a sense of right or wrong. In a society that constantly demands moral relativism in all aspects of it, we turn to sports for absolutes. I know that every rule can be left up to interpretation just like the strike zone and the unwritten rules of baseball, but we long for concrete absolutes. We crave for to know what is right and wrong and to live by those standards. Sports gives us those absolutes, whether it is ten yards for a first down, three strikes is an out, or three twenty minute periods in hockey. As people we crave for standards to live by and not have things debated on right and wrong. Don't get me wrong, there still is plenty of this in sports, just as in life, but this still doesn't stop for us wanting and needing these absolute things to believe in and live by.
The third thing that sports can do for us is that it is an escape. We all need a break from reality and sports gives a chance to break away from the day in and day out of life. It is a chance to relax and enjoy something with other people. There is nothing wrong with watching a football game, but when we are using these things to not deal with issues, it becomes a problem. We all have our escapes, whether sports, food, alcohol or other things. We can make the shift from just taking a break, to life stinks and I don't want to deal with it. We spend so much time doing these things because we don't want to deal with reality. Life is so much better when we deal with these things, it may not be easy, but life will be worth while.
The fourth thing and the last thing is that sports is a reflection of our culture. By far football is Americas most popular sport. What sells us on football is sex and violence. Whether it is the television advertisements promoting sex and violence, to the players wanting to obliterate each other. How often do we act out towards each other. We may not be punching each other, but what we say to each other or behind each others back is just as damning. There is also a segment in sports where they live by the mantra of "its not cheating unless you get caught." As Americans, we have embraced that saying and use it often. It is the attitude that I will do anything to improve, just as long as I don get caught doing wrong.
Recently the NFL has been in the line of fire of the American public for spouse and child abuse. There has ben a public outrage over these things and as well as they should be, but here is the thing, we can condemn the players for doing this, but if we were doing the same thing, would we want the same condemnation. If I were to venture to guess, there are plenty of child and spousal abuse cases that do not get reported or cared about because the people aren't famous and that is wrong and a double standard.
I could probably go on, but here is the thing, sports are not the end all be all. The only thing that gives us true meaning and hope is through having a relationship with God through Jesus and being in healthy relationship with others, because nothing else matters
The first thing is that it gives us something to hope in. If you are a sports fan, hope is what drives us to watch and to cheer for that particular team. It is a hope that our team will win, make the playoffs and win the championship. I think this hope is based on the notion that there is something greater then the mundane life that we live. It is wanting something more than what we have right now. I think this hope is based on our failures, unfulfilled dreams, or that someone or a group of people can achieve something greater than we can ever do or imagine.
Another concept of hope is that hope connects people. In a world of social media and cell phones that can connect us to people around the world instantly, there are studies that show that we are a people that do not connect well with other people on an personal and intimate level. We all want to belong to something, and to cheer for a cause that is bigger than us. When we cheer for a particular team, it gives us connection to other people, because it gives us something to talk about. I can tell you how many conversations that I have had that have been started over something dealing with sports. But there is a danger because our sports teams can give us this false sense of community and connectivity. If all we talk about is sports and nothing of importance, we are missing out on a deeper relationship. There is nothing wrong with watching the game or playing fantasy sports, but if that's all we do, we are missing out on a deeper relationships. I think as a society, we are content with knowing the useless facts and not digging deeper. True hope is where both people are actively engaged in the relationship and it is not one sided.
The second thing that sports does is that it gives us a sense of right or wrong. In a society that constantly demands moral relativism in all aspects of it, we turn to sports for absolutes. I know that every rule can be left up to interpretation just like the strike zone and the unwritten rules of baseball, but we long for concrete absolutes. We crave for to know what is right and wrong and to live by those standards. Sports gives us those absolutes, whether it is ten yards for a first down, three strikes is an out, or three twenty minute periods in hockey. As people we crave for standards to live by and not have things debated on right and wrong. Don't get me wrong, there still is plenty of this in sports, just as in life, but this still doesn't stop for us wanting and needing these absolute things to believe in and live by.
The third thing that sports can do for us is that it is an escape. We all need a break from reality and sports gives a chance to break away from the day in and day out of life. It is a chance to relax and enjoy something with other people. There is nothing wrong with watching a football game, but when we are using these things to not deal with issues, it becomes a problem. We all have our escapes, whether sports, food, alcohol or other things. We can make the shift from just taking a break, to life stinks and I don't want to deal with it. We spend so much time doing these things because we don't want to deal with reality. Life is so much better when we deal with these things, it may not be easy, but life will be worth while.
The fourth thing and the last thing is that sports is a reflection of our culture. By far football is Americas most popular sport. What sells us on football is sex and violence. Whether it is the television advertisements promoting sex and violence, to the players wanting to obliterate each other. How often do we act out towards each other. We may not be punching each other, but what we say to each other or behind each others back is just as damning. There is also a segment in sports where they live by the mantra of "its not cheating unless you get caught." As Americans, we have embraced that saying and use it often. It is the attitude that I will do anything to improve, just as long as I don get caught doing wrong.
Recently the NFL has been in the line of fire of the American public for spouse and child abuse. There has ben a public outrage over these things and as well as they should be, but here is the thing, we can condemn the players for doing this, but if we were doing the same thing, would we want the same condemnation. If I were to venture to guess, there are plenty of child and spousal abuse cases that do not get reported or cared about because the people aren't famous and that is wrong and a double standard.
I could probably go on, but here is the thing, sports are not the end all be all. The only thing that gives us true meaning and hope is through having a relationship with God through Jesus and being in healthy relationship with others, because nothing else matters
Sunday, August 10, 2014
I consider my self
I was on vacation last week and I had the privilege of hearing one of my college friends preach an excellent sermon. One of the thrust of his message was that as we live our life, we find out that its not fair. It got me thinking about the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's famous speech. Lou Gehrig was a baseball player for the New York Yankees in the 1920's-1930's and the three things he is most known for is his record consecutive games played in 2130 (which since has been broken), the terrible disease that bears his name and his famous speech. He made his famous and impromptu speech of declaring himself the luckiest man of the face of this earth after his disease diagnosis and weeks of media speculation. I think there are several things we can learn from his speech.
The first one is a matter of perspective. Are we willing to give thanks for all things and in all situations. There are going to be times in life when things do not go our way, how do we deal with it. So often I find myself grumbling and having a foul attitude when something doesn't go my way and I am giving people a piece of my mind at least on the inside. Being thankful is more than just being happy, because being happy is based on things that are going on around you. Happiness is often temporal, because we are bound to have a yucky day from time to time. Being grateful is based on who we belong to, and who we are, and not what is happening to us. Being grateful means that we have that peace of God living in us and through us, and no matter what we are living a life of contentment. Being content is finding peace with what you have, but always looking ways to grow that you can control.
The second one is a realization that life isn't fair. Lou Gehrig knew this well. He could of complained about receiving ALS, but his attitude seemed to be one of humility. Here is some thoughts on fairness. We all want life to be fair and to get what we think we deserve. Here is the cold hard facts, if we really got what was fair, we all be in trouble because our fairness is based on our standards, and our standards are aimed to make us happy and to look good. Our standards and rules for fairness is based on our questionable judgment and an aim to serve me first, or at least we can get some benefit out of it. As people we are really selfish and we can look at history of our own lives and the lives of others to see that personal interest and our own standards have a really high failure rate.
Another reason why we think that life aint fair is because we place our own standards on other people and not follow through with them ourselves. It is a whole lot easier for us to expect other people to live by our own standards than for us to do the hard work. This takes hard work, possible criticism and when we do fail, we have no one to blame but ourselves. In all reality, people like to play the blame game for why something didn't work. Why do I have to take responsibility if I can pass most or all of the blame on someone else.
The third big reason why we view that life aint fair is we question the gifts that God gives. God is the giver all gifts that are good and holy. We often think that our judgment is on par or better than God's. We often want the gifts that we think are cool and sexy. When we start wanting those gifts and blaming God for not giving us those gifts, we are telling God that we are more important than He is and He doesn't know what He is doing. When we want those gifts, it is often to bring ourselves glory and not giving God glory. The reason God gives those gifts is not because He wants to make us happy, but to bring Him glory and to point the world to Him.
This post doesn't cover the problem of evil and why bad things happen to good people, which is a lengthy conversation in itself. This is just a beginning blog post and our view of fairness needs to change how we view life to How God views life
The first one is a matter of perspective. Are we willing to give thanks for all things and in all situations. There are going to be times in life when things do not go our way, how do we deal with it. So often I find myself grumbling and having a foul attitude when something doesn't go my way and I am giving people a piece of my mind at least on the inside. Being thankful is more than just being happy, because being happy is based on things that are going on around you. Happiness is often temporal, because we are bound to have a yucky day from time to time. Being grateful is based on who we belong to, and who we are, and not what is happening to us. Being grateful means that we have that peace of God living in us and through us, and no matter what we are living a life of contentment. Being content is finding peace with what you have, but always looking ways to grow that you can control.
The second one is a realization that life isn't fair. Lou Gehrig knew this well. He could of complained about receiving ALS, but his attitude seemed to be one of humility. Here is some thoughts on fairness. We all want life to be fair and to get what we think we deserve. Here is the cold hard facts, if we really got what was fair, we all be in trouble because our fairness is based on our standards, and our standards are aimed to make us happy and to look good. Our standards and rules for fairness is based on our questionable judgment and an aim to serve me first, or at least we can get some benefit out of it. As people we are really selfish and we can look at history of our own lives and the lives of others to see that personal interest and our own standards have a really high failure rate.
Another reason why we think that life aint fair is because we place our own standards on other people and not follow through with them ourselves. It is a whole lot easier for us to expect other people to live by our own standards than for us to do the hard work. This takes hard work, possible criticism and when we do fail, we have no one to blame but ourselves. In all reality, people like to play the blame game for why something didn't work. Why do I have to take responsibility if I can pass most or all of the blame on someone else.
The third big reason why we view that life aint fair is we question the gifts that God gives. God is the giver all gifts that are good and holy. We often think that our judgment is on par or better than God's. We often want the gifts that we think are cool and sexy. When we start wanting those gifts and blaming God for not giving us those gifts, we are telling God that we are more important than He is and He doesn't know what He is doing. When we want those gifts, it is often to bring ourselves glory and not giving God glory. The reason God gives those gifts is not because He wants to make us happy, but to bring Him glory and to point the world to Him.
This post doesn't cover the problem of evil and why bad things happen to good people, which is a lengthy conversation in itself. This is just a beginning blog post and our view of fairness needs to change how we view life to How God views life
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Loyalty
As I pay attention to professional sports, one of the trends that fans expect in all leagues is loyalty. We demand loyalty from owners, other fans, and especially players. We all become indignant when the star player leaves for another team, especially when it is the rival team. Loyalty doesn't come to just sports teams, but it extends to the places we shop, to the cloths we wear, and even to the people we hang out with. There are number of grocery stores, gas stations and even coffee shops that offer some sort of rewards programs. If you buy so much of gas, coffee, or groceries, you will get a percentage off or something free. There are a lot of good things about loyalty and it is something that we all should have in our lives, but loyalty does have a dark side. If we are not careful, we will start demanding things that we do not expect of ourselves, or end up in relationships that are not healthy. Here are some areas of loyalty that we really need to squash, and if we don't, bad things will happen.
The first dark side of loyalty is that it can be a relationship killer. One might think that loyalty will help keep the relationship going and keep it strong. The way that loyalty kills the relationship is that one is afraid to rock the boat or to disagree with the parties involved. The worse killer of the relationship is when we are so loyal in the relationship that we can not tell the other person they are wrong or admit to being wrong. This is seeing that disagreement as being wrong and that when we tell other people they are wrong its that we are cutting them down as people. In essence, we value the relationship over accountability. We would rather keep the relationship superficial instead of digging deeper. In this phase we do not value the person, because we are not willing to be open and honest with them. If we really do value the relationship, we tell people the truth and not what we think they want to here. When we tell people what we think they want to hear, and not the truth, not only are we lying to them, but we are lying to ourselves. What kind of relationship is it, if we can not be honest.
The second dark side of loyalty is closely related to the first one. It is the concept of we care more about the outward appearance than what is really going on, in the inside. We would rather make things look good, when they are really not. Two examples of this, is that we are either putting lipstick on a pig, or instead of changing the diaper, we are using the scented candles. We want to keep the relationship so bad, we keep doing or not doing things to keep the relationship afloat. Instead of working on things that need to be worked on, we are dancing around them or sweeping them under the rug and not admitting that they are even there. When we do not admit to the elephant in the room because of loyalty, the relationship will die faster than a sinking ship. An example of this is when I am talking with one of my good friends, he often starts rambling about something random and then I start to zone out. Then after awhile he calls me out on it and I look like an idiot. The other day we were talking and he decided to do this and I called him out on it. He was really impressed and proud of me.
The third dark side of loyalty is that we expect more out of others than we do ourselves. I see this in professional sports all the time. We want the athletes to stay with the same team their whole career and when they bolt for more money and better benefits, we get angry. Here is the thing, we would do the same thing if we were given the same opportunity. In all reality, it is a double standard. We should expect the same from ourselves, if not better, as we do others. Its just not fair to hold people to standards that we will not told ourselves too. One of the other dangers with this mentality is that we live through other people. Whether it is pro athletes, our children, superiors at work, or people we admire. We live through them, because we want what they have. Whether it is fulfilling unmet dreams or desires, or that we are not satisfied with our own life. To be point plank, we are lusting after other peoples giftings and talents, and most of the time its because we are not willing to put in the work and the time to develop our own, or we have a bad view of our giftings. We all want the glamorous talents, such as looks, athleticism, leadership, and others, but here is the thing, all the talents are equal, because they are designed to not only reach people, but reach people for the Kingdom of God. When we can start being more honest with ourselves and others, we can be more honest with God. When we lust after other things, we are slapping God in the face and saying that He screwed up with us. It is time where we start being honest with ourselves, others, and especially God. Loyalty is a good thing, but when we can not be honest and it starts to ruin our relationship with God and others, it is a very bad thing
The first dark side of loyalty is that it can be a relationship killer. One might think that loyalty will help keep the relationship going and keep it strong. The way that loyalty kills the relationship is that one is afraid to rock the boat or to disagree with the parties involved. The worse killer of the relationship is when we are so loyal in the relationship that we can not tell the other person they are wrong or admit to being wrong. This is seeing that disagreement as being wrong and that when we tell other people they are wrong its that we are cutting them down as people. In essence, we value the relationship over accountability. We would rather keep the relationship superficial instead of digging deeper. In this phase we do not value the person, because we are not willing to be open and honest with them. If we really do value the relationship, we tell people the truth and not what we think they want to here. When we tell people what we think they want to hear, and not the truth, not only are we lying to them, but we are lying to ourselves. What kind of relationship is it, if we can not be honest.
The second dark side of loyalty is closely related to the first one. It is the concept of we care more about the outward appearance than what is really going on, in the inside. We would rather make things look good, when they are really not. Two examples of this, is that we are either putting lipstick on a pig, or instead of changing the diaper, we are using the scented candles. We want to keep the relationship so bad, we keep doing or not doing things to keep the relationship afloat. Instead of working on things that need to be worked on, we are dancing around them or sweeping them under the rug and not admitting that they are even there. When we do not admit to the elephant in the room because of loyalty, the relationship will die faster than a sinking ship. An example of this is when I am talking with one of my good friends, he often starts rambling about something random and then I start to zone out. Then after awhile he calls me out on it and I look like an idiot. The other day we were talking and he decided to do this and I called him out on it. He was really impressed and proud of me.
The third dark side of loyalty is that we expect more out of others than we do ourselves. I see this in professional sports all the time. We want the athletes to stay with the same team their whole career and when they bolt for more money and better benefits, we get angry. Here is the thing, we would do the same thing if we were given the same opportunity. In all reality, it is a double standard. We should expect the same from ourselves, if not better, as we do others. Its just not fair to hold people to standards that we will not told ourselves too. One of the other dangers with this mentality is that we live through other people. Whether it is pro athletes, our children, superiors at work, or people we admire. We live through them, because we want what they have. Whether it is fulfilling unmet dreams or desires, or that we are not satisfied with our own life. To be point plank, we are lusting after other peoples giftings and talents, and most of the time its because we are not willing to put in the work and the time to develop our own, or we have a bad view of our giftings. We all want the glamorous talents, such as looks, athleticism, leadership, and others, but here is the thing, all the talents are equal, because they are designed to not only reach people, but reach people for the Kingdom of God. When we can start being more honest with ourselves and others, we can be more honest with God. When we lust after other things, we are slapping God in the face and saying that He screwed up with us. It is time where we start being honest with ourselves, others, and especially God. Loyalty is a good thing, but when we can not be honest and it starts to ruin our relationship with God and others, it is a very bad thing
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