Archive for the ‘Sports’ category

Pro-Abortion Supporters are Proven Fools

February 7th, 2010

So leading up to the Super Bowl, I could not escape the anger and outrage expressed by Pro-Choice groups over the Tim Tebow ad.  The Pro-Abortion crowd, without ever seeing the ad, made dumb statements like this.

Terry O’Neill, the president of the National Organization for Women, said she had respect for the private choices made by women such as Pam Tebow but condemned the planned ad as “extraordinarily offensive and demeaning.”

“That’s not being respectful of other people’s lives,” O’Neill said. “It is offensive to hold one way out as being a superior way over everybody else’s.”

And even dumber stuff like this

“This organization is extremely intolerant and divisive and pushing an un-American agenda,” said Jehmu Greene, director of the Women’s Media Center, which is coordinating a campaign to force CBS to pull the ad before it airs on Feb. 7.

“Abortion is very controversial, and the anti-abortion vitriol has resulted in escalated violence against reproductive health providers and their patients,” Greene said. “We’ve seen that clearly with the murder of Dr. George Tiller,” the late-term abortion provider who was gunned down in his Kansas church in May 2009.

So what was this highly “divisive” add that was anti-American and will lead to the killing of doctors? See for yourself and you decide.

It seems to me the only divisive and ignorant people in this discussion are the pro-abortion woman’s groups that are not even smart enough to watch an Ad before they oppose it.

PS

Please watch more of the Tebow family story by clicking here.

  • Share/Bookmark

1 comment »

Posted in Culture, Politics, Sports

Getting Stronger From the Beat-Down

February 16th, 2009

Mike is a good man who has run into some hard times.  When he graduated college, he had great dreams for the future.  The years have passed him by and as middle age draws near, it seems like none of his plans have worked out.  He is stuck in a dead-end job that does not pay very well.  He hopes to find work that is more satisfying, but with the down-turn in the economy, his prospects are few and far between.  He can’t pay his bills and his home is close to foreclosure.  Mike is a hard worker with a lot of brains, but no one will give him an opportunity.
Mike’s home life is in turmoil.  He and his wife Elizabeth rarely talk anymore, and when they do it usually ends in a fight.  His kids are moving on to college and they don’t seem to have much interest in staying close to home.  Mike is feeling abandoned and alone.
Mike is a Christian.  He prays every night, but God does not seem to hear his prayers.  Mike has given so much–sacrificed so many things for God–but still God seems silent in the middle of the beat-down life is handing him.

Life brings many hurts.  Maybe you connect with Mike’s story.  For many people, it feels like all this life offers is a serious beat-down.   Yet there is the old myth of Antaeus as told on Wikipedia

Antaeus in Greek and Berber mythology was a giant of Libya, the son of Poseidon and Gaia, whose wife was Tinjis. He was extremely strong as long as he remained in contact with the ground (his mother earth), but once lifted into the air he became as weak as water. He would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches, kill them, and collect their skulls, so that he might one day build out of them a temple to his father Poseidon. Heracles, finding that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing him to the ground, as he would regain his strength and be fortified, discovered the secret of his power (touching the ground) and held Antaeus aloft and crushed him in a bearhug (Apollodorus ii. 5; Hyginus, Fab. 31). The story of Antaeus has been used as a symbol of the spiritual strength which accures when one rests one’s faith on the immediate fact of things. The struggle between Antaeus and Heracles is a favorite subject in ancient sculpture.

Antaeus’ story of enduring strength is really quite cool.  Every time his enemies threw him to the ground, he just got stronger.  Every blow, every strike, every hit, only fed his strength… as long as he stayed connected to the ground.

The story of Antaeus is just a fable, but it does point to a larger truth; the punches life throws at you can make you stronger if you are grounded.
The Bible tells a story about the wise builder who puts his house on the solid rock of Jesus.  When the storms rage against the house, it does not fall because the foundation is sure.
I wish I could ring the bell, end the round, and give Mike a well-deserved rest.  Life is giving him a serious beat-down, but  the only thing I can offer him is some ring-side advice–stay grounded on Jesus!
When life offers you a beat-down, don’t let it defeat you!  With every blow that buckles your knees, let Jesus be your strength.  With every strike that knocks you to the ground, let Jesus hold you firm.  With every hit that shakes you to the core, find your courage in Jesus the Rock!
  • Share/Bookmark

2 comments »

Posted in Spiritual Formation, Sports

Discipline is not what you think

February 12th, 2009

Over the past few weeks our church has been looking at 1 Corinthians 4-6 and discussing Church discipline and living as the incarnation of God’s holiness. Our discussions have been tough, but our Family has grown stronger. This is how my Sister Amber summarizes these lessons.

So, the past couple of weeks you have mentioned that the topics are difficult ones. I just wanted to say that I am thankful for the times that you speak about those things because I feel that the hard topics are the ones we grow from the most. There isn’t as much difficulty in living some of the gospel because being kind and living well are things that most human beings strive for anyway. Yes, it is easier with the help of the Spirit of God, but they are things I would strive to do whether following Christ or not. It’s the “difficult” topics that are more challenging and grow my faith deeper. It’s the tough stuff that makes me think and question what I need to change in my life.

Sports is a great microcosm for looking at life. If you are like me, you are sick of hearing about coaches who coddle rich players and neglect to discipline the team. These shortsighted coaches put the immediate gratification of “winning now” over the long term satisfaction of building a strong team. BUT… not all coaches take this approach. The Church can learn a lot from Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Tomlin offers a much different approach to discipline.

Tomlin deactivated wide receiver Santonio Holmes for a Oct. 26 [2008] home game against the New York Giants — a game the Steelers lost. Tomlin was not happy with Holmes’ level of professionalism. Tomlin wanted more. He got it from Holmes.

Holmes said of their meeting: “He told me how he was going to handle it; I did not want to hear that. But he did what was best for the team and for me.”

This is the key thing about Tomlin’s decision, the beauty of it. What he did in requiring more of Holmes affected his team as much as it did Holmes, the Super Bowl XLIII Most Valuable Player who made the winning touchdown catch.

“I think it took real guts for coach Tomlin to do that with such a big game on the line and knowing how much Santonio means to our team,” Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said. “When he did that, he put action behind the words he had been preaching. He did something that raised the accountability of everyone. That was a decision that had a lasting impact on this team.”

  • How many of us in the church have the boldness to discipline our “star” players?  
  • Have we let fear of hurting people’s feelings prevent us from bringing people to full maturity?  
  • Have we put the short term goal of “peace” ahead of the long term goal of health?
Before we go too far, remember that good discipline is not just about correcting bad behavior, it is about encouraging good behavior that opens you up to risk, but promotes long term gain. In his first year as Head Coach, Tomlin was faced with another defining moment.  Winning games is what the NFL is all about and most coaches put winning above everything.  The following story is a good illustration of how Tomlin does not fit the mold.  Much like his mentor Tony Dungy, Tomlin has shown his ability to put his player’s spiritual needs above the profit of victory.  He risked the physical readiness of star Linebacker Troy Polamalu so that he could guarantee Polamalu’s spiritual readiness.

Tomlin allowed Polamalu, a Greek Orthodox Christian, to worship at a monastery more than a one-hour drive away from Phoenix in the early morning hours on the same day of a September [2007] road game at Arizona. Tomlin kicked curfew aside for Polamalu so that this player could fulfill a wish, a personal mandate that meant everything to him.

So, tough love, admiring love — little difference for Tomlin. Every situation with his players, he knows, requires its own clarity.

The Steelers went on to lose this game against Arizona, but Tomlin did not regret his decision.  He recognized that discipline sometimes means sacrifice for a greater good.

  • Have you sacrificed meaningful relationship in the service of temporary rules?
  • Do you allow the Holy Spirit to bring clarity to situations that require church discipline?
  • How do you demonstrate both tough-love and admiring-love?
  • Share/Bookmark

2 comments »

Posted in Discipleship, Ecclesiology, Reunion Church, Spiritual Formation, Sports

My Steelers Pull off an Amazing Super Bowl Win

February 1st, 2009


The Steelers played through the toughest schedule in the NFL and pulled off an amazing last second win in Super Bowl XLIII… they are now 6 time Super Bowl Champs!
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) ran back a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown during the second quarter. This is the longest play in Super Bowl history. To see a 240 lb linebacker elude tackles and make this touchdown is just truly amazing!
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes hauled in a 6-yard touchdown reception keeping his feet in bounds and taking a big hit from Arizona Cardinals safety Aaron Francisco with just 35 seconds left in the game–AWESOME! When you watch this catch in full speed, you will be in awe. Rothlisberger throws a perfect pass over 3 defenders and Holmes keeps his feet in, takes a hit to the ribs, and makes the catch. This will go down as one of the most memorable Super Bowl catches in history.

For posterity’s sake, Roethlisberger was asked the name of the touchdown play: “Drop back, scramble right, scramble left, find someone open.”
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger calls it playground ball: his Pittsburgh Steelers down or tied in the fourth quarter, he eluded the pass rush, stood strong under pressure, got the ball off with multiple defenders draped over him and made several plays that seemingly can’t be made. Rothlisberger’s physical abilities and mental quickness make him a respected leader and one of the most unique quarterbacks in the NFL.
Mike Tomlin, a Tony Dungy prodigy and now in his second year as Head Coach for the Steelers, is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. What a strong leader he has turned out to be for the Pittsburgh Steelers!

  • Share/Bookmark

4 comments »

Posted in Sports