If you want an example of how NOT to make a decision, you need look no further than Brett Favre. He finally did decide not to come back and play for the Minnesota Vikings, and responded before the deadline of July 30th. However, as we've come to expect from Brett lo these many years, he could not bring himself to actually commit to staying retired. Concluding his decision to stay retired by throwing in a "Now come November 1st, I don't know how I'll feel if someone comes calling...." only fueled the ire of many.
In other words, if a team needs me, and is in a play-off race, and I don't have to put in the hard work of training camp (and that does look miserable, I watched some practices), then I may be up for it. As long as it serves my best interest, as James Taylor sang "I'll be there, Yes, I'll be there, You've got a friend," or a quarterback.
As much as I've come to lose any respect I had for Favre (never was a fan of him in Green Bay), I probably have to admit I have more in common, at least off the field, with him than I would like to think. You probably have a little Favre in you too.
Self-interest often collides against Kingdom commitment fairly regularly. However, He who considered others more important than himself surely offers us forgiveness and hope in this battle (Phil 2).
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A "friends" post
This is an interesting post/interview about churches, both large and small, by my friend Ed Stetzer. Don't you love how people, especially pastor bloggers, like to name drop and say "my friend _______(insert big name ministry leader)?" Actually, I should clarify: he is not my friend, but my "friend" on facebook. Anyhow, the book in question is called 10 Stupid Things That Keep a Church From Growing: How Leaders Can Overcome Costly Mistakes and written by a dude named Geoff. So with a man who spells "Geoff" the original way, the book must be good read. At least the interview is.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The All Star game and saving faith
Amy noted to me that it seemed weird baseball would have an all-star game during the middle of the season. Of course, many if not most sports, with the exception of football, include an all-star game of sorts mid-way through the season (basketball, hockey, perhaps soccer).
The problem with an all-star game which occurs mid-way through the season is that many players are rewarded for simply having a great first half of the season. Sometimes they may finish extremely poorly. In fact several Rays players who made the all-star team would probably not have made the all-star team if voting took place at the end of the year.
So an all-star is an all-star for his first half performance. Period.
But the Christian life is about finishing, forgetting what is behind and straining to what is ahead (Phil 3:8-16). It is not about a prayer you prayed when you were little or about how you were at one time "saved" a long time ago. The truth of the matter is that we need to continue considering how is God "saving" us from the enslaving power of sin NOW, not just how he saved us from the punishment of sin THEN.
I don't mention John Calvin too much, but since he's like 500 years old right now and I'm a fan, here we go: the "P" in "TULIP" refers to the Perseverance of the Saints. That basically means that those who are "saved" will continue their walk by daily repentance and faith in Christ alone until their "season" is over. Finishing the race is an indication-not a reward, but Christ's completed work applied to their lives-they "were saved" from the Punishment of Sin, "are saved" from the enslaving Power of sin, and "will be saved" from the Presence of sin.
The Christian faith, unlike being an All-star, is not about first half performances. Instead it is a finishing and resting faith in Christ alone. Faith Now & Later, not some appearance of faith Then.
The problem with an all-star game which occurs mid-way through the season is that many players are rewarded for simply having a great first half of the season. Sometimes they may finish extremely poorly. In fact several Rays players who made the all-star team would probably not have made the all-star team if voting took place at the end of the year.
So an all-star is an all-star for his first half performance. Period.
But the Christian life is about finishing, forgetting what is behind and straining to what is ahead (Phil 3:8-16). It is not about a prayer you prayed when you were little or about how you were at one time "saved" a long time ago. The truth of the matter is that we need to continue considering how is God "saving" us from the enslaving power of sin NOW, not just how he saved us from the punishment of sin THEN.
I don't mention John Calvin too much, but since he's like 500 years old right now and I'm a fan, here we go: the "P" in "TULIP" refers to the Perseverance of the Saints. That basically means that those who are "saved" will continue their walk by daily repentance and faith in Christ alone until their "season" is over. Finishing the race is an indication-not a reward, but Christ's completed work applied to their lives-they "were saved" from the Punishment of Sin, "are saved" from the enslaving Power of sin, and "will be saved" from the Presence of sin.
The Christian faith, unlike being an All-star, is not about first half performances. Instead it is a finishing and resting faith in Christ alone. Faith Now & Later, not some appearance of faith Then.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Hot Priyanka Chopra in Cineblitz Magazine
Priyanka Chopra graces the cover of leading indian film magazine Cineblitz for the month of August 2009 along with Shahid Kapoor, her co-star of upcoming movie Kaminey. Tinsel town’s opinion on Shahid - Priyanka relationship is still divided as some claim that they are still in love , while some say thay parted away while rest believe its a publicity stunt to make Kaminey hit. Whatever it could be , but Priyanka looks hot on the cover and other scans from magazine
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Priyanka Launched Nokia new models (Nokia 6700 and Nokia 6303)
Priyanka Chopra looks absolute stunner on the launch of new Nokia phones in black mini dress. Nokia unveils new and latest phones Nokia 6700 and Nokia 6303. The devices, which were launched by Bollywood style icon Priyanka Chopra, are targeted at the suave and savvy Indian consumers who are looking for superior functionality with premium finish at competitive prices.
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Friday, July 24, 2009
Kajal Agarwal Image Gallery
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The gospel, sports, and a critical spirit
The gospel really should permeate all of life. There is no part of our lives it should not touch and change. Fortunately Randy challenged me, and of course the Holy Spirit followed up and sealed the deal to apply the gospel to something quite mundane: how I view errors in baseball. But again, since Christ will finish the work He started (Phil 1:6), the mundane is fair game from now until He returns.
Let me explain. I was "down" on one of the Tampa Bay Ray's players Willy Ayabar. He made several horrendous errors in one inning and mistakes that weren't deemed errors in another. All this after a game in which he almost cost the Rays the game because of another error. I argued that Willy shouldn't be playing the field. Nothing wrong with that.
But the heart behind my statements revealed a critical spirit. Randy posed the question, "What if someone just came to hear you preach one Sunday and you were "off" that Sunday (Ayabar doesn't play everyday)?" Certainly I've had better and worse sermon content, delivery, application, ethos, etc...some days than others. Wouldn't I hope people give me the benefit of the doubt?
Since I'm not the owner, manager, or even a teammate, my thoughts and discussion of the Rays don't count for anything (although Joe Maddon did seem to take my advice of moving Jason Bartlett down in the batting order to offset lack of production from the 9th spot). I'm simply dealing with a critical heart behind my thoughts.
That spirit came up again the next day when the umps blew a terrible call, which should have been strike 3 and ended the inning. The next pitch was hit hard, and center fielder B.J. Upton misplayed it, leading to a 3 run inning which proved enough to win the game for Obama's White Sox.
I became angry at the Ump for his missed call, angry at Upton's fielding mistake, and then at Wheeler for giving up the third run on a single. I was still angry the next day. Baseball players and umps go through a 162 game season. That's quite a number of games. They will make mistakes. I would too.
And I make mistakes on my job, as you do on yours. While I'm not getting paid as handsomely as Aybar or Upton, I would hope that people show me grace when I screw up. The gospel reminds me how often I don't deserve grace, but that God still lavishes it upon me. I ought to extend that to others who make mistakes, and so should you. I still think Aybar would best fit at D.H. or first base, but I'm beginning to see the need for the gospel to change even how I enjoy-or don't enjoy-and follow sports.
Interestingly enough, while searching for an image for Willy Aybar, I came across a fascinating story of his redemption from alcoholism.
Let me explain. I was "down" on one of the Tampa Bay Ray's players Willy Ayabar. He made several horrendous errors in one inning and mistakes that weren't deemed errors in another. All this after a game in which he almost cost the Rays the game because of another error. I argued that Willy shouldn't be playing the field. Nothing wrong with that.
But the heart behind my statements revealed a critical spirit. Randy posed the question, "What if someone just came to hear you preach one Sunday and you were "off" that Sunday (Ayabar doesn't play everyday)?" Certainly I've had better and worse sermon content, delivery, application, ethos, etc...some days than others. Wouldn't I hope people give me the benefit of the doubt?
Since I'm not the owner, manager, or even a teammate, my thoughts and discussion of the Rays don't count for anything (although Joe Maddon did seem to take my advice of moving Jason Bartlett down in the batting order to offset lack of production from the 9th spot). I'm simply dealing with a critical heart behind my thoughts.
That spirit came up again the next day when the umps blew a terrible call, which should have been strike 3 and ended the inning. The next pitch was hit hard, and center fielder B.J. Upton misplayed it, leading to a 3 run inning which proved enough to win the game for Obama's White Sox.
I became angry at the Ump for his missed call, angry at Upton's fielding mistake, and then at Wheeler for giving up the third run on a single. I was still angry the next day. Baseball players and umps go through a 162 game season. That's quite a number of games. They will make mistakes. I would too.
And I make mistakes on my job, as you do on yours. While I'm not getting paid as handsomely as Aybar or Upton, I would hope that people show me grace when I screw up. The gospel reminds me how often I don't deserve grace, but that God still lavishes it upon me. I ought to extend that to others who make mistakes, and so should you. I still think Aybar would best fit at D.H. or first base, but I'm beginning to see the need for the gospel to change even how I enjoy-or don't enjoy-and follow sports.
Interestingly enough, while searching for an image for Willy Aybar, I came across a fascinating story of his redemption from alcoholism.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Gidget's passing
Here is some sad news. You may, like myself, hate Taco Bell, but you can't hate on Gidget. Your favorite Chihuahua (and mine), Gidget the Taco Bell Dog, dead at 15 years of age.
Unlike most celebrities and celebrity dogs, we see no signs of foul play, rampant clandestine infidelity, or prescription drug use. Simply old age and a stroke took down this gentle giant. Well, giant in heart. Gidget leaves behind a legacy rivaling other canine greats such as Spuds Mackenzie and Lassie. He truly paved the way for lap dogs to be taken seriously on and off the airwaves. May we never forget Jack Handey's Deep Thought:
Unlike most celebrities and celebrity dogs, we see no signs of foul play, rampant clandestine infidelity, or prescription drug use. Simply old age and a stroke took down this gentle giant. Well, giant in heart. Gidget leaves behind a legacy rivaling other canine greats such as Spuds Mackenzie and Lassie. He truly paved the way for lap dogs to be taken seriously on and off the airwaves. May we never forget Jack Handey's Deep Thought:
I hope if dogs ever take over the world and they choose a king, they
don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with
some good ideas.
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