Tim Tebow’s eye-black contained scripture verses which would be googled or searched for by thousands of fans following his football games last year. One announcer even read the scripture referenced by his eye-black.

This will not happen this year in college football (and probably not in the NFL because they have uniform nazi’s). Not because Tebow’s graduating and will soon be drafted by some fortunate NFL team. It will happen because the NCAA is now banning eye-black with any messages, logos, or scripture references.

No real reason is given for the ban in this article. The eye-black rule comes into play along with changes on kick-off coverages and taunting. Perhaps the NCAA didn’t want any sponsors getting free advertising? That’s understandable. Or they didn’t want players promoting things the NCAA didn’t want promoted? That’s understandable. Or they didn’t want Jesus to get any pub? That’s understandable from a non-Christian worldview, but it seems the ultimate motive might be to attempt to privatize religious expression.

Nevertheless ministry is much more than wearing Christian T-shirts, fish emblems on cars, or eye-black. It’s messy, life-on-life, self-sacrificial, loving, other-centered. As a result, we need not ever fear or even get overly frustrated with NCAA or government trying to curtail religious expression. Neither have the power to destroy ministry opportunities. They just may create new ones.

I haven’t rooted for the Red Sox since they came back and beat the Yankees and won their first world series. But I’ll be rooting for Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron, who is on the Disabled List due to a kidney stone. After having a kidney stone last Friday, which I may/may not have already passed, I got re-acquainted with the power of these rocks. These tiny jagged boulders which barrel their way down through the ureter, in the end, produce a new kind non-combatant Band of Brothers. Stone Brothers. And you can’t, “go against the family.” I salute you Mike, and hope you do well this season, just not against the Tampa Bay Rays.

I watched a clever movie the other day called The Invention of Lying. The story takes place in a world where everyone only tells the whole truth all of the time. There is no tact or grace in that display of truth, but at least everything you see is what you get. With one exception. One person somehow develops the ability to lie and uses it to his advantage throughout the movie.

The liar, who ironically is the only one who can see the world as it truly is, finds himself fed up with a clearly materialistic-Darwinist worldview. His love interest, Jennifer Garner, looks not for love in a quest to marry, but simply to find a mate (Rob Lowe) who will ensure her the greatest possibility of reproducing good looking kids: in her words passing on the “best genetic code.”

Obviously the main character (Ricky Gervais, from the British series “The Office”), who has a plump face and “flat nose,” can’t deal with life in this world. But he also can’t stand to continue to prophetically perpetuate a Theistic worldview where “the big man in the sky” rewards and punishes people based upon what they have done.

I think the movie shows the ridiculousness of both Darwinist and stereotypical religious/ theistic worldviews. Yet in the end, it exposes the lack of any rationality which would justify rising above the materialistic world where wedding vows include the deep commitment to stay married “as long I feel like.”

A unique and clever movie indeed (it’s nothing like Liar, Liar) and worth the watch. Let me know if you saw things differently or had a different opinion.

I feel kind of bad posting this video, because it was taken very early in Connar’s basketball career. Because basically all he does these days is talk about “ball” and shoot “ball,” he’s actually now quite accurate from inside the 3 point line. Regardless, he makes a few shots here in his rookie debut.

I used to call West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins, “Thuggins.” That’s primarily who he recruited-in my opinion-while at the University of Cincinnati. With a sub-par graduation rate for his players, I never really thought too highly of him. Then I moved to West Va and began to follow his new team. And so I followed “Thuggins” too. My opinions of this coach changed drastically as he wisely coached players who did not bear any resemblance to the top athletes of other programs. Then the Final Four came and this happened.

All American Da’sean Butler tore his A.C.L. while trying to avoid a charge. He didn’t and his college career ended in agony. The video depicts Huggins intimately holding Butler’s head up and somewhat caressing his face with his fingers. Some folks like sports reporter Dan Patrick have called it “creepy.” And perhaps it was a bit over the top?

But there was never any doubt in Butler’s mind that he indeed had a coach who would be with him in his pain and suffering. I don’t see any in the NFL who care that much. They try to distance themselves from the players, with the exception of the Buc’s coach (who has won all of the 3 games).

Of all the religions, only Christianity has a God who suffered. And as a result, he is able to be right there with us in our suffering. Holding, and caressing, and whispering, “Behold, I am making all things new. And I’m right here with you as one who suffered too.”

Thanks Huggins. I guess you lived up to your name, so I’ll drop the “T.” Most of the time. I like the nickname too much to entirely get rid of it, but it will from now on, only be in jest. After all, any coach who visits coal miners families in the midst of their suffering is cool with me.

Brief Easter devotion here on the mysterious thief on the cross who had a “change of heart.” It’s a good one.

Last week, our senior pastor Barret mentioned the name “Good Friday” and how weird that name sounds. Right now its sunny in West VA-which I’m just loving now-and so the day looks “good” to me. But for that first Good Friday, it was anything but good for Jesus. And to be honest, because the disciples didn’t understand, it was anything but good for them. How could something so brutal, so devastating be “good?” Even the day looked anything but “good;” instead a darkness fell over the land (Matt 27:45).

But it was good for them that Jesus leave. His words, translated into English in the ESV, are “It is to your advantage that I go away….(John 16:7)” If he didn’t “go away” via the cross, we’d not have forgiveness, a new power, a new family, a new world one day, and of course a new Spirit within us.

And it was good for Jesus in that he purchased redemption of the whole cosmos (Col 1) and all death will one day be under his feet (I Cor 15), that every knee will bow and give glory to Him (Phil 2), and that the church he put His love on before the foundation of the world would cherish Him forever at a wedding feast (Rev 19).

It probably took the disciples a little while to consider that Friday a “Good Friday.” Maybe not by the next Friday, but perhaps the Friday after next? At the very latest it would have taken seven Fridays (till Pentecost-the giving of the Holy Spirit).

Good Friday is our example of how God can turn injustice into victory for His people. It is indeed a Good Friday.

Someone suggested I do a series on praying for wives. I responded favorably to this person, because, quite frankly, she has good ideas. Second of all, she’s been thinking through this in large part due to her re-reading A Praying Life, which is the best darn book on prayer I’ve ever read. I recommend you check it out. Before too long, I’m going to try to get something going at Redeemer which studies this book.

Third of all, I need to do a better job of specifically praying for my lovely wife Amy. I don’t say that with false humility, as though I really pray an hour a day for her and just “feel” like its not enough. I need to grow in this area because the enemy would love to bring her down (bring her down to China town like Robert Deniro in Meet the Parents), especially here in WV, where the god of this age has blinded the hearts of many from the gospel in favor of a be-good and try-hard, rules-first type false gospel. He’s not happy we’re here as I’ve been warned (after I signed on of course!) and experienced.

Anyhow, as a result of these posts, I feel like I’ll be more structured and intentional in doing battle with the Spirit for the heart of Amy: that she would fully delight in the gospel. For husbands reading these posts, I hope that it will beneficial to you in praying for your wives. I don’t consider myself an authority on anything outside of using artificial jerkbaits for snook in shallow water grass flats on an outgoing tide.

So I welcome your comments on praying for your wives. Please comment.

For wives, I hope these posts can encourage you to expect bigger prayer from your husbands. We men are always running from real sacrificial leadership-either running over by dominating or by running away to work or hobbies. We need to be challenged by our wives. We should have no problem with our wives coming up to us and saying, “How seriously are you praying for me, my heart, my challenges, my world, etc…”

So I hope women will boldly approach their husbands, parents, siblings, male friends, and expect bigger things.

Finally, Amy will be guest blogging, and discussing how women can better pray for their husbands. I’m really excited about this. Should be fun ya’ll.

Well I need to amend my last post about leaving for a more capacious condo. Some mis-communication between a husband who had already promised the place to fire-displaced family, and a wife who was promising to lease the place to a smoke-displaced family (us) ended up leaving us on the short end. I guess in the smoke, fire, ash (like rock-scissors-paper) world, fire beats smoke every time.

Unfortunately I just found out last night while driving home from Chic-Fil-A. I was going to sign the lease less than 12 hours later. That was one of the harder phone calls I’ve taken in some time.

I now get to see if my theology really makes a difference in my life. The landlord has already had our place all but leased, and the condo’s in the area are just more money for much of the same. Decisions have to be made soon and there is no handwriting on the wall.

I profess a God who is Sovereign and in control of all aspects of life and yet one who is also Immanent: he even knows and cares about the decreasing number of hairs on my head. So in other words, do I actually believe what I say I believe. Do we? Or do we, like Miracle Max in the Princess Bride, “partly” or “mostly” believe? I doubt any of us believe as much as we think we believe.

I slept well last night. I’m hoping to make it two in a row. But there are also hours in the day where I have to believe. If you are like me and have trouble “fully” believing, you/we are in “luck.” I have to go back to this passage a lot: Mark 9:24-“I believe; help my unbelief!”
I’m glad Mark recorded that one.

Jesus accepts “part” and messy belief and does something with it. Fortunately.

Well Amy and I are moving again. Not to West VA this time-since we are already here-but to another more capacious and smoke-free condo. We battled the smoke monster, not the one from Lost (this one was invisible and comprised 2nd hand cigarette smoke), for too long. It just became apparent last week that our “firearms” (this time like the smoke monster from Lost) were useless against the beast.

So after a month in Sleepy Hollow, we shall move to another, older community. We definitely got our money’s worth in the “sleepy” department because we could hear our neighbor’s 4 am alarm clock and concomitant snooze button pressing. So that was at least as advertised, in some strange sense.

Providentially (why do I feel the need to say this, when I believe ALL things are ordained by God?) another condo opened up the day after Amy and Connar came for their first visit in January, and we just figured it was out of our price range. Little did we know we would be renting out our house in Bradenton for the same price just a month later. The condo was still open this past Saturday when I got clearance to end our lease.

So that leads me to the question I’ve had in my head the last few days. Why didn’t we just move there in the first place? Why did we feel strongly that Sleepy Hollow was the way to go in order to be good stewards of our money?

Could it be that a particular family we met will eventually come to Redeemer (we’ve been praying hard for one)? Or that Amy can build on the relationships with young mothers she made in the month of March? Could it be that God just wanted us to lose our deposit and have less money in our account, and so depend upon him more?

The answer, my friend, may be blowing in the wind, but it’s also part of God inviting us into His story of redemption. Often we just don’t get these specific answers, and it is more often than not futile and frustrating to even seek and expect something so clear.

Ultimately though the story of many small happenings in our lives is being incorporated into the over-arching story of Jesus bringing His glory and Kingdom to Earth. Our mundane stories collide and are caught up into the meta-narrative of God.

I don’t know why this temporary move had to happen-and I’m not saying this in a complaining/self-pitying sort of way-but somehow it happened for the over all purpose of God’s glory and our good. Even mistakes we make, if we did indeed make one this time-and I don’t think we did-are still good for something: His glory and our display of that glory. Fortunately or else I’d walk around angry all day long.