Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Rome, Moss, and James

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On Monday Night Football this week, wide receiver Randy Moss had few if any balls thrown to him. He had no catches, and you had to think that something was wrong for a pro-bowl receiver to receive this little attention. And something was. Not long afterward, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, the place where he began his professional career.
Sports talk radio host Jim Rome had some interesting thoughts on this trade the day it went down. Moss, in the last year of his contract, instead of playing hard, just complained about not having a new deal. That is not the right way to go about things, particularly with this football team. While I can’t stand New England as a team, I completely respect their philosophy: if players put themselves first, they get the boot. 
So they traded Moss. Rome’s problem with the Moss trade is that they basically rewarded him, shipping him off to Minnesota with Brett Favre. They didn’t send him to Tampa, Detroit, Oakland, or a team which has little hope of winning. They sent him to a very likely contender, to the very place he has already become familiar, and to a place which is known for paying their players handsomely.
Rome’s take was that he did everything wrong, and got rewarded! Why did he do it this way? Because he could. He could get away with it, so why not gripe and whine and complain while making millions of dollars playing a game? He got what he wanted, so why not do it again? Why shouldn’t others follow his example?
It reminded me of a passage I had recently read while studying James. The passage is actually not directed to the reader, but to the rich, unjust, unmerciful, exploitative unbeliever. There will literally be hell to pay (unless of course, there is genuine repentance) for such folk. While it seems like such folks simply do what they do because they “can,” there will literally be a hell of a judgment.

And this is important. If you don’t have this framework, you will become overly cynical and hopeless, or will want to take judgment into your own hands. We need a judge to forgive our sins, but we also need one who will punish wickedness. We should be thankful for both, and never sacrifice one at the altar of the other.

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God’s presence and absence

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Some of you may remember the tragedy of a hiker being trapped and freezing to death in Mt. Hood four years ago. That man, Kelly James, was the brother of my former RTS-Orlando professor and president Frank James. He is now the Provost, or “Head Shot” at Gordon Conwell Seminary.
Frank James gave classes on church history, but also led a 1 hour class called “Classics of Personal Devotion” my last year. The theme of that particular class was on suffering. So we read books like C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed, D.A. Carson’s How Long O Lord: Reflections on suffering and evil, and even Ellie Weisel’s Night (which I had to read in Jr. High, High school, college and seminary-I could probably tell you what happens on each page by now).
If you want something raw and honest, and “Gosh I don’t know if I’d have said that to or about God, much less wrote it down” type stuff, it doesn’t get any better than Lewis’ A Grief Observed. It’s real, honest, and gritty spirtuality.
One of the critiques of the Carson book, which I found helpful, was that it was more textbook type stuff, and not something you could give someone in the midst of great suffering and loss. For that, you would opt for Lewis’ book. But as far as preparation for suffering, which we all ought to be doing (because its something Jesus actually promises us), the Carson book gives some helpful framework. 
Then it just hit me, reading this article by Frank James, which is simply his reflection on both God’s presence and absence (yes God can intentionally be distant from us at times, just as He did with the Psalmists to teach us something) that we had all been discussing together what it looks like to suffer. He was simply facilitating the discussion.
Now, in this article, it is his turn to be the teacher. But he does so simply by raising the question: “Where was God when my brother froze to death?” I highly commend these reflections to you. In the end, I wonder if those hours studying suffering in the classroom helped prepare him for this. Maybe or maybe not, but having a solid foundation may give us a more robust Jesus to hold on to during the night.
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A thought provoking one-sie

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For people who love football like myself, there is always a danger of really loving it too much. The same could be said for coaches. The Tennessee Titan’s defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil clearly loved it too much when he flipped the bird to an official who made a bad “roughing the passer” call. There is no word on what type of bird was flipped-and yes there are different types of birds-because it was fuzzed out. It is weird how a “bird” can be fuzzed out, as though it is more inappropriate than TV adds which now regularly show women in bras and underwear. I don’t get that one.

Anyhow, why did this lad flip the bird? He loved football, or more specifically something he gets from football, a lot. The referee’s bad call stood in the way of that “god,” and so the “bird” was let out of its proverbial cage. Not rocket science.

But what about for fans like myself, who may be in danger of loving football too much? My favorite baby gift for Cade (though I’m thankful for all who gave) so far is one I appreciate because it is so simple, yet so profound and challenging. It is a one-sie which says, “My Daddy loves me more than football.” Now we could say, “Of course, we love our kids more than football.”

But that’s not fair to us or those we proclaim to love. Our actions are always representative of a deeper heart belief. They are a window into our real heart idols. If I love Cade more than football, I’ll not neglect playing with Cade, and at times have to press pause and watch the game later or not at all. If I love football more than Cade, I’ll let him see the lingering frustration of a tough loss, even if it is more subtle than flipping a bird, because my lifeline has been cut. If I love Cade more than football, I’ll teach him how it can be a fun hobby which helps connect me with both Christians and non-Christians. If I love football more than Cade, football will be all I talk about or think about during the week.

I’ve never had my thoughts so provoked by a one-sie before. What a gift. While I love Connar’s Bucs bib, and can’t wait for Cade to wear it, I’m going to get that “Daddy loves me more than football” one-sie on during this Bucs season because I think I’ll need that reminder if/when they start losing again.

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The Tampa Bay Rays and the Church

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Well the baseball playoffs are at hand. Now it is football season of course, but baseball, like most sports becomes more interesting during this time. My beloved Tampa Bay Rays finished the season yesterday with a dramatic 12 inning victory versus the Kansas City Royals giving them the best record in baseball. It is hard for me not to love the Rays because I’m a Tampa kid. But its also hard not to love the Rays for how they win. 
They don’t have a huge payroll like the Yankees and Red Sox, and are easily near the bottom of the league in that area. They tend to only play with character guys, even though some of the character issues they’ve had have performed well elsewhere. And several of the players like their All-Star LF Carl Crawford and closing pitcher Rafael Soriano will soon depart for teams willing to pay them big bucks (look for one of the two to be on the Yankees or Sox next year). As a result, next year, new unproven, and cheaper players, will have to step into place. Finally, I love the fact that their manager, Joe Maddon, puts players wherever he needs them.
Here are some parallels I see with the Church. But please by no means think that I think God likes the Rays over the Yankees; that would be creating a God in my own image and we don’t want to get that whole creation thing in reverse!
1.) Budgets do not determine the effectiveness of either the church or the team. Yes the Yankees have a huge budget and usually win, just like some churches have huge budgets and God blesses them. However, the size of the budget is far less important than the gospel centered character and mission of the church. God doesn’t need a large budget or a building to do His work. He is far more concerned with people loving the gospel and depending upon him. We’ll see far more success by relying on the gospel to motivate us to make a difference where we are.
2.) Turnover. Churches are always experiencing turnover, in the same way the Rays do. For the Yankees and Red Sox, they can simply replace departing players by throwing out the most money or trading for other already established prayers. They are less dependent (though I’m not saying they NEVER develop players) on developing talent from within than teams like the Rays-because the Rays have to do so. The church is no different. Instead of seeking replacements via trades (church transfers), we ought to seriously consider the need to actually spend the time it takes to develop new leadership. Churches must always be seeking ways to develop new leadership and never become complacent with existing leadership.
3.) Positions. The Rays regularly put their position players in different positions. Ben Zobrist, who happens to be a solid Christian, has played just about everything but catcher and pitcher. But this is normal when you’re on the Rays. If you play 2nd base, you may be used at 3rd or Shortstop, 1st base, or even right-field. People at Redeemer seem to have adopted this mindset as well; I’ve heard, “Just put me in where you need me.”

Anyhow, the Rays could end up losing to the Rangers in the first round of the play-offs. But still, the success they’ve had ought to at least cause us to examine what is really going on there. I think they can be a great encouragement to the church.

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Justin McRoberts and Nine Inch Nails

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I’ve been getting some good free music (although I really ought to start tipping the artists) on noisetrade.com There’s a plethora and decent variety of indie, folk, rock, and hymn projects. Some music is distinctly Christian music, some praise, some is simply music by Christians, and at least half is simply secular music. I recently downloaded the Noisemakers Sampler and have been incredibly impressed. It comprises artists like Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, Green River Ordinance (a new band I’m high on who have recently toured with Goo Goo Dolls and Switchfoot), and bunch of non-famous ones who are just as good. I highly recommend this sample, which is completely free.
One song on the Noisemakers Sampler sounded strangely familiar. Because it was. It was a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song called “Head like a hole,” by an artist named Justin McRoberts. He has compiled an album of covers appropriately named “Through songs I was first undone.” Now he is blogging here, and explains how someone so sac-religious as Trent Reznor of N.I.N., can still offer a helpful and healthy critique on reality here and here. The abuse of power this lad sings against is the same abuse of political and religious power the Old Testament prophets divinely preached against. McRoberts gives a thoughtful explanation of how this song, written by someone so antagonistic to Jesus, left him “undone” and running to Jesus.
McRoberts takes some of the angst out of his rendition and turns it into more of a lament. Again, you can download the album here. I wasn’t a huge fan of one of his albums, but b/c his Christian thought and art is so deep, I’m going to re-listen to his original songs, as well as look into his newest project.

 

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A Liturgical Life

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Someone asked me the other day about teaching kids to pray. It can be mechanical at times, and my favorite book on prayer (which I obviously highly recommend) A Praying Life, doesn’t exactly endorse it, but I’ve not found anything more helpful in thinking through prayer than the A.C.T.S. acronym. Of course the Lord’s prayer is the best, but I think the A.C.T.S. roughly follows that outline.
Anyhow, you start out with Adoration, which is simply praise, then move toward Confession, then Thanksgiving, and then Supplication or requests. 
But since prayer is a relationship with the living God, this liturgy (a directed order of prayer/worship) is apropos for our relationships as well. For instance, take Adoration. This is the opportunity we have to simply pause and consider the beauty of Christ, the transcendence of God, His power, His justice, His Mystery, His wrath, His Love, etc…Sometimes, or actually almost always, we skip this part and simply jump into “Thank you Lord for forgiving me, delivering me, or providing for me.” These are all good, but our love for God can’t simply be built upon what He does, but also who He is. 
Now if you want to go really deep, they can’t be separated (His actions are an extension of His character, and He always act according to His character) but clearly we see Psalms of Praise  for God’s eternal nature (90), as well as Psalms of Thanksgiving for deliverance (40). 
Break it down to a personal level now. If all you did was thank your wife for what she did for you, how she serves great meals, picks up the kids, great bedroom activity, pays bills on time, etc…., then you basically love her for what she has done for you, and not for who she is. Don’t you need to also praise her for her beauty, personality, kindness toward others (not you), character, discipline, perseverance, etc…?
The same thing goes with friendships. When friendships are devoid of praise, and simply exist on thanksgiving, then we’re getting dangerously close to the childhood “friends” we used or were used by. Remember those friends growing up who we used, and were used by them, because they or we had great toys, a cool pool or pool table, or a happening house. A friendship without praise is not much different.
Sometimes when we’re on cruise control in the busyness of our schedules, we thank God and thank our wives, and friends, but we don’t praise God, our wives, or our friends. So I think this ACTS liturgy for prayer has huge ramifications not just for our prayer lives but our relationships as well.
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Obama’s thoughts on FoxNews: Are they accurate?

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Here’s a rare political post by me. However, this take is more on a practical/philosophical level than a political leve.
In an 8,000 word interview, Rolling Stone magazine, Obama complains of an anti-democrat slant in the Fox News media:
“You had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints. I think Fox is part of that tradition – it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view,” Obama told the magazine….. Fox News pushes “a point of view that I disagree with. It’s a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world,” Obama said.
Here’s a few of my takes on this. 
1.) Obama is right that there is a slant to Fox News. It is biased. I don’t see how it can advertise itself as “fair and balanced.” There is a reason why those on the political right tend to watch Fox News.
2.) But I think Obama also needs to realize that while Fox News isn’t “fair and balanced,” neither is CNN or MSNBC. News streams are not impartial. They cannot report 100% of what happens. They have to edit stuff. Guess which stuff they are going to include? The stuff which is consistent with their ideologies and worldview. Nietzsche, and later Foucault, expressed such sentiments and I think they are exactly right. CNN is just as biased as Fox News.
3.) I would imagine that Rolling Stone wasn’t the only magazine which requested such an interview. One can probably take a wild guess at who its audience is probably going to side with. So Obama, it appears, wisely chose the right media to push his agenda through such an interview. It was a medium that is going to appeal to those sympathizing with the left. The door swings both ways.
4.) I’m not suggesting there is such a bias that we cannot know anything, or that CNN or FOXNEWS are tantamount to communistic yellow journalism. I am simply saying that we ought to at least be aware of our own biases, AND the biases of our preferred news media in our quest to apply the gospel to all of our lives: even politics.
5.) FOXNEWS folks shouldn’t be appalled that he believes the news station is detrimental to the success of this country. He simply believes that the democratic ideology is helpful and the republican ideology is hurtful. Anyone confident Republican would say similar things. 
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Resisting the Devil with Josh Hamilton

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I’m reading through James in my personal devotion time, and I came across this verse the other day: “resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).” How we apply this verse might look different for different people in different settings. It might mean that you are actively counter-punching the lies of Satan with the truth of the gospel. But resisting Satan’s attacks and his concomitant “leave-the-scene” promise of this verse doesn’t negate the need for actively leaving places of temptation. 
Here’s an example where Satan fled from Texas Ranger’s outfielder Josh Hamilton, who is clearly an alcoholic and former drug user (and Christian). Of course Hamilton’s resistance took the form of his intentionally leaving the celebration of beer and champagne spraying after his team clinched a post season spot. In place of this celebration, which would be fine for most people, he volunteered to speak about his faith at some sort of big rally. It might on the surface appear that Josh was the one who fled; but that is far from the truth. In the end, we know who resisted and who retreated.
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Truly Reformed?

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Here’s some helpful thoughts on what it means to be “truly Reformed.” Now normally that title “Truly Reformed” is a pejorative expression for people who are Reformed and not very fun to be around. But this article, describes the danger of such an attitude, and what it looks like to be different. The church and the world don’t need any more angry Reformed folk, who in the end, aren’t much different than the Judaizers Paul blasts in the book of Galatians (that’s the premise of this article). I’ve often thought the same thing, but this guy, Ray Ortlund, beat me to it and articulated it better than I would have.

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Morning after

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Thanks for following our pregnancy, if you did, via the blog or facebook. Amy is doing well and Cade seems to be doing well as well. Cade had a good night last night, and took the bottle pretty well. We’re waiting for the doctor to come and check him out. He was supposed to come this morning. Maybe at noon he’ll be here…That is the plan, but the doctors have been a little behind schedule, so who knows. Still its a praise that his breathing is better and he’s eating. We’re just ready to have him in our room and for Amy to start breast feeding. Thanks for caring and praying!