Every few Thursday mornings, I have the opportunity to lead a small group of 10th grade boys at Bradenton Christian School. Sometimes it really feels like work, and sometimes it feels play. Today was play-day.

We receive some sort of devotional to go through with the kids. The devotional is very well thought out and asks good application and diagnostic questions.

This week’s devotion dealt with Jesus washing the disciples feet in John 13 from a more heavily behavioristic grid, methinks.

The point was that serving others is the way we demonstrate love. Great point and we need that constant reminder. The only problem was that the brief passage did not include verse 3:

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God”

Jesus believed he already had dignity and he would soon be glorified, so he was able to humble himself and wash dirty, nasty, stinky feet. He wasn’t doing something to get dignity; he believed He had it, and would experience the fullness of it again soon.

Some of the kids answers were tantamount to “be like Jesus.” And in their defense, Jesus does say he is setting an example that they should do for one another (13:14). But there is a right belief that must precede action, otherwise we are putting the cart before the horse and hoping to move forward. It won’t work and you could be bit in the butt.

We have to believe like Jesus (the the content is slightly different, since we weren’t seated in the heavenly realms before coming to Earth), but Paul does tell us that somehow, even now, Christ has “seated us with him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).” We already possess the dignity we often seek by making others serve us. Therefore, if we truly believe like Jesus, we then can do like Jesus.

Some of the kids, who were quite garrulous, became quiet. One answered, “I’ve never heard it explained like that before.” Hearing that was worth the price of admission. Work seemed like play.

If you listen to Sports Talk radio at all, you’re aware that Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez admitted using performance enhancing drugs after the results of a 2003 drug test proved it. In an interview with Katie Curic, he had blatantly lied about not using them or even being tempted to use them in baseball.

Most fans are not accepting his apology. I heard an interesting “take” from one radio host who was really disgusted with his “apology.” He had two comments I found quite helpful-and I added another-in “exegeting” A-Rod’s “apology.”

1.) Blame Game
A-Rod blamed his use of performance enhancing drugs on feeling the pressure of his 252 million dollar contract in Texas. Apparently playing in front of fans in New York who don’t consider him a “real” Yankee doesn’t bring as much pressure now? This host wanted to hear A-Rod say something to the effect of, “I wanted to hit more home runs and be better than everyone else.” So many folks, including me, find it easier to blame others in some subtle way (the pressure from others) than to truly own our junk. I think he simply wanted to perform at a higher level. Isn’t that the reason all athletes take roids? Can’t they just say that?

2.) Particulars
There really wasn’t anything specifically he really apologized for. He didn’t even say “steroids.” It was very generic. I think this talk show host wanted something a little more like the Westminster Confession 15.5

“Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man’s duty to endeavour to repent of his particular sins particularly.”

3.) The Truth
In a relativistic world, it does seem many folks (at least many sports fans) really do want to know the truth, and expect the truth from others. They are in a sense “owed” the truth and are outraged when it is withheld from them. Now when it comes to telling the truth themselves, well that is a different story. But from others, the truth still matters because we’re made in the image of God and He cares about the truth.

At first thought, it would appear that basketball legend (well at least while he was playing and shortly after retiring; everything he’s touched since then has gone the way of the typewriter) Isaiah Thomas has gone back to school and is turning heads at the University of Washington.

But some common sense would tell you that it is possible two people can have the same names, and in fact be two different people. Though this was hard for some folks in a small town in South Carolina to imagine (in their defense, you just don’t see this in town’s populated by only 10,000 folks), it really isn’t that hard to believe if you think about it. These are in fact two totally different unrelated Isaiah Thomas’.

One might think, “Oh, Isaiah (the freshmen) Thomas must have had a Dad who was a big Detroit Piston’s fan.” Nope, very much the opposite is the case. In fact, his father is a huge L.A. Lakers fan. But he lost a bet back when the Pistons were playing the Lakers in the NBA finals; the Lakers got swept. Now he would have to name is son Isaiah (his last name was already “Thomas” so no change required there), the star player for the Pistons.

Getting a barbed wire tatoo around your biceps thinks that’s a bad idea. Sports Talk show host Jim Rome felt the father should have taken the punishment himself for his stupid actions. He should have changed his own name. Why make the kid pay for it? Seems like a case of the sins of the father coming down on the children.

Fortunately Jesus interrupts the cycle and saves me not simply from my sin, but the sin of my father, and first father Adam. My generational debt before God has been canceled. Fortunately.

A few weeks ago, Amy and I visited one of the widows in our church (this by the way is my Grandma-all the “widow” pictures on google images were way freaky looking). We did it because God tells us that He cares about such people and visiting them is a non-negotiable (James 1). More specifically each community group takes responsibility to watch over a widow or two so that none fall through the cracks, and I hadn’t been doing the greatest job as a leader. We spent about 45 minutes talking and listening-more listening than talking-and had an absolute blast. She blessed us just as much as we blessed her. Amy, Connar, and I will definitely be back.

So what’s my point? I can’t fix stuff. Another church member has provided that kind of support for her; he’s the man. But I can listen, and I have a wonderful wife and a really cute kid, so I try to put my best feet forward. Giving of yourself and time, even it’s something as simple as visiting a widow or fixing her stuff, can provide more joy than anything else you do. Perhaps more joy than bringing in a big redfish-though I hope to do that again soon….

We’ve been discussing Tim Keller’s The Reason for God in our Christian Ed hour after church. The last two weeks we’ve explored the personal and communal evidences of the effects of sin.

The lad leading our discussion asked us how we think the folks around us view their own human nature. Do they view themselves as naturally good? Are they like John Locke and believe we are a blank slate, and neutral until outside influences move us to lean more toward good or evil? Or do they see themselves as naturally prone to evil (original sin)? Do they view themselves as sinners or as simply good people?

These are good questions to think through. If you don’t know how someone would answer, you probably don’t know them well enough to effectively contextualize the gospel. As I write this, I’m realizing how I really need to get to know folks more deeply. At an individual level, I definitely need to spend time asking better questions and listening more.

But on a general level, what I’ve seen people espouse about their relation to status before God is this: they believe themselves neither a sinner nor a saint. Instead it’s more of a hybrid. Kind of like a “sainter.” They’re not perfect, but neither are they bad enough to label themselves a sinner and need a bloody death on a cross to save them.

Unfortunately there is no hybrid third category of “sainter” and we all need the cross just as much as the one next door or next continent. But the good news of the gospel is that Christians are the same time sinners and saints (declared righteous before God). Either we are a sinner and saint, or we are simply a sinner. There is no “sainter.”

I got back from a 4 day long church planting conference in Orlando last Friday. It was a great opportunity to get some training, see a few familiar faces, and to network with some other like minded people. There were folks from nearly 20 different denominations, 37 states, and one dude was even from Ghana.

His name was Prosper (but he wasn’t about Health and Wealth) and he spoke about the work of church planting in his own country, and how they were using the same materials. Since I hate generic impersonal prayers (I can only pray generically for so long before I just quit), I asked him how we could pray for him.

Amy and I pray every Saturday night for persecuted Christians and those scattered throughout parts of the world we often neglect to think about. But sometimes our prayer time can become generic like “please protect believers from persecution” (well not that generic, because I”m a bit more creative, but close to that). I can only keep that up so long.

I was expecting him to give me some info on persecution, but he really informed me of the more realistic Islamic threat. In Ghana, Christians are free to preach the gospel and assemble. At the same time, Muslims have been coming in from the North (not Yankees, their north) and have been witnessing Christians switching to the “dark side.”

None of these conversions happen due to persecution but rather to temptation. Let me explain. Christian women have been faced with hard choices. Either have little or no money and wonder who will take care of you, or become a second, third, or fourth wife of a wealthy Muslim.
In additions, Muslims will build wells and give money to folks in order to build mosques there. Gotta love those guys.

The security that comes from money has been the major idol in their land. We’re so wealthy here in America, that we can hold on to the same idol but keep going to church. Thus the idol is a little less obvious here in the States, but certainly just as prevalent and every bit as dangerous. That and polygamy isn’t exactly legal here.

Anyhow, in case you were wondering how you could pray SPECIFICALLY for Ghana, or Africa in general, this one is “on the house.”

There were some big pre-Super Bowl parties this year. Some athletes, play-mates, entertainers, and musicians hosted 500 dollar a head (for the cheapest ones) shindigs. But no party had the A-listers like Jeff and Geoff’s 62 Annual Super Bowl Fish Fry.

Having to participate in youth Super Bowl parties the last several years, I was unable to throw one myself. Until this year. A fishing buddy of mine approached me about doing some sort of fish fry Super bowl Party at my house because his apartment was too small.

Let me get this straight. You’ll help me recruit others to come to my house to eat fish and watch football? A no-brainer. I live for hospitality.

So he and I invited some of our paddle-fishing forum buddies. There were about 7 or so kayak fisherman, plus a friend from my church (had to be a fisherman). That number, like Jesus feeding of the 5000, does not include women and children. Some brought wives, kids, and a girlfriend.

My co-host Jeff was an ex-cook (or should I say former-he still cooks?), so I put him in charge of frying the fish. All of the trout and redfish were harvested by one person since everyone else had trouble catching keeper sized trout. I stuck to frying french fries and hush puppies.

Even though it was B.Y.O.B., no one got out of hand and everyone had a good time. Connar didn’t want the party to end because some of the kids entertained him the whole time.

Of course the down side of a fish-fry is that we woke up to the smell of fried fish this morning. Yet by the afternoon we were fully cleaned up and mostly “fish free” until we heated up the left-overs. All in all, an awesome night. All had a good time. All knew I was a pastor. Hopefully all left with a better picture of Christianity. Hopefully one day Jesus, the great party crasher, will crash theirs.

I totally recommend taking a step of faith and hosting one of these parties yourself. Or like my friend Jeff did to me, recommend a friend to take the step and co-host one.

Click on the pictures to get a better look at the party. Definitely click on the one with Connar and the fried shrimp.

Here’s my 2nd and probably final “Fatherly blog thought” for a bit. Connar loves to hear and watch me play guitar. He goes crazy for it. So I regularly break out the 6 string and sing to him. Or sing over him is probably more accurate.

Here I am singing Allison Krauss’ “You say it best when you say nothing at all.” I find that an appropriate song, though he “can’t” say anything at all yet. The smile on his face lets me know that he loves me-another line from the song if you’re not familiar with it. And that smile is plenty enough for the time being. Of course he could say to me, “You say it best when you sing nothing at all.” But he’s too young to tell my voice is bad and hasn’t developed the chutzpah to say that yet.

This practice and specifically this picture (click on the picture to get a bigger and clearer image) remind me of Zephaniah 3:17

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

That’s what God does to His children, and I think that is downright cool. Surprising. Counter-intuitive, but amazing. I guess to be consistent with my Allison Krauss reference, I should have just posted the verse and the picture. You write it best, when you write nothing at all.

Well, it doesn’t look like a lot came from my interview with the Kansas City Star Reporter. What can you do? The opportunity to be interviewed was nevertheless still worth my 15 cell phone minutes. And to hear that my readership comprises more folks than I realized was worth the price of admission. To read Rick Montgomery’s article, click here. I don’t endorse all that’s written, I’m simply presenting someone’s thoughtful reflection on faith and football. I’ve reflected on it enough lately, so I shall let someone else speak on it for a change.

I’ve learned so much about God as Father from simply being a father myself. Now I will say that the Fatherly imagery in the bible instructs us that God is far more than simply a warm, loving, delighted parent (Ancient Near Eastern “father” imagery refers to a Sovereign King), but then again, He is not less than that.

Because a Christian is saved by grace and not anything that he does (Eph 2:8-9), he/she has different motivations to live out his/her faith than a Muslim, a Jew, or “Oprah-ite.” Though motivations differ from the latter (where he/she does good deeds TO get in good with God), such are actually far more numerous for the former. Motivation for a radically sacrificial life comes from the knowledge one is already saved, from the fact that good works have been prepared in advanced for Christians to do, that sin is no longer their master, etc…..

But I’ve really begun to experience a new motivation. There’s nothing quite like watching your child grow. From laying down like a blob, to rolling over, to sitting up, and now to crawling. It brings great delight to my heart to see Connar grow.

Now I would still love him just as much if he stopped growing. But when he does grow, develop, and learn, it’s an absolute blast for me as a father. I imagine it brings God the Father great joy to see His children growing/learning/developing. Even in small steps. He still loves us when we stop growing for a time, but if we knew how much joy it brought Him to see His children growing, shouldn’t we then do all that we can to put ourselves in the path of growth: fellowship, worship, sacraments, the bible, prayer?