We're losing it!

Players arrested for spousal abuse. Drunk driving arrests. Drug abuse. Allegations of rape. As a sports season goes on, along with all the good stories that are buried in the small font area of the internet and somewhere between the obit’s and the comics in the newspapers, we are met head on with the headliners that are not usually positive to say the least. As I read these stories of self defeat and bad judgment, I can’t help but take a pause and think of my five children. Am I doing all I can as a parent to make sure that they are not going make the headlines someday? Are they spiritually ready to meet Satan’s temptations with good judgment?
As a parent I know that a lot of the headlines today started a long time ago for these unfortunate souls with a lack of parenting and love. Now hold on! I know we have a chance to make decisions, and the past does not always equal the future, but the past DOES shape us. I find myself (not always in a good way) repeating patters that were laid down by my parents (sorry mom and dad). I also see some of my traits as the little mirrors that are my children go through their daily routines. As a parent I feel that I have a moral and Biblical obligation to encourage and discipline when needed. I was almost afraid to write that last part of the statement out of fear that one of you reader may call child services on me!
This past week a Palm Bay woman and her boyfriend were arrested for child abuse after the couple went old school to punish their 8-year-old daughter for swearing. The couple placed a bar of soap in the girl’s mouth for ten minutes to discourage the use of profanity. “Oh, that’s too long!” “What a barbaric way to treat your child!” Were some of the sentiments pouring over the airwaves of talk shows across this land. My question is this… How much do we want government running our lives? Are we not even capable of making decisions for raising our own children? The further and further we get away from Biblical principles the more we lose the children. This past week also produced a story out of Milwaukee. A high school lost control of the students and had to go into complete lock down to try to stop the fights and rioting. No, I didn’t say prison, I said HIGH SCHOOL! It’s a good thing that we are keeping prayer and scripture out of the public schools. Maybe if these kids had more timeouts as young children, they could have avoided this catastrophe. We are losing our children, and if we don’t start acting as parents and taking on the responsibility of discipline we will not have a hope of getting them back. Parenting is OUR responsibility not the schools, not the coaches, and definitely not the government. What does the Bible say? Proverbs 13:24 “He who spares the rod, HATES his son.” Proverbs 29:15 “The rod of correction imparts wisdom.” No where in the Bible could I find a reference to a timeout…

Michael Vick - Welcoming a Sinner

Well football fans, he’s back. No, I’m not talking about Brett Favre, I’m talking about the man who is probably the happiest that Brett came back. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t pay the “should I stay or should I go” future hall of famer to come back just to take the spot light off of himself! I’m talking about Michael Vick. After not throwing a pass since 2006, the still very mobile southpaw trotted on to the field in the city of brotherly love to get under center once again in the NFL wearing of course the wings of the eagles. After his first completion, a thunderous ovation from the crowd erupted and all is well in the life of Michael Vick. Not so fast! Before the game there were still protesters, bumper stickers identifying the sins of the signal caller, talk show criticism and rabid debate all across the country about why this man should be able to grace the pure, sacred, pristine land that is the NFL! He may soil the unblemished reputation that it has so cherished for decades. Never mind the DUIs, the extra marital affairs, the drug abuse by some, vehicular manslaughter, “alleged rape” charges, and illegal use of firearms that some have been found guilty of… This man killed man’s best friend! And not only should he be punished, but NEVER forgiven. Seem harsh? Well, that’s what many people are saying across this fine blessing of land our Lord has graced us with. And to be brutally honest, I was caught in the trap myself.
I was on my righteous high horse, thinking about the absurd statements that people were saying about Michael Vick. Here is a man that made a horrific mistake. Was is cruel? Yes. Was it obscene? Yes. Was it sinful? Yes. Was it any bigger of a sin in our Lord’s eyes than what we have committed in our lifetime? NO! The difference… We want to be forgiven for our sins, but we are not too quick to allow that same grace to bath others. Obadiah12: “You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune”. I was on this reflection when I heard on the radio that there was a chance that Michael Vick would be coming to my team the Green Bay Packers… I thought for a brief second. That would not be good! Think of the distractions it could cause! I immediately caught the hypocrisy and thought about how this attitude cripples so many people and churches today. Seriously think about it. Would your church invite Jesus in, or would the blood and mud on his feet stain the carpet?!? We “say” we want to help the homeless, but DON’T you dare build that homeless shelter next to my property. We “say” we want to help the hungry, but when we know of someone who is hungry we tell them we’ll pray for them, only to forget because we were too busy going up for our third trip at the buffet. We want God’s grace for ourselves, but not for others that we don’t see as deserving. Isn’t true repentance between God and everyone personally? Does Michael REALLY need your approval? Did Saul (Jew killer) REALLY need anyone’s approval to become Paul but God’s.
Almost as bad as the thought of the potential distractions was the next thought of Vick coming to the Packers and being a great asset to the team if Aaron Rogers goes down. We could have a huge 1-2 punch!, OR, we could line Vick up as a running back who could pass at any second! How often do we help only to look for personal gain? Churches in some cases, look for the “prestigious” families almost as a status symbol to grace their congregation… There was an article I read recently, where a church was offering “MVP” seating to the professional athletes in the congregation! Let’s face it… Would Vick be getting a glance if he didn’t have talent? No, so please don’t say the Eagles are doing this as a way solely to give Vick a second chance. They are looking to better your team first, and if he performs, maybe care more about the person. Be careful not to serve just to gain wealth. Matthew 6:24… “You cannot serve both God and money”.
But Jesus tells us to serve with a servant’s heart, and have a childlike faith. The one person I have seen in the public eye, that has been concerned about Vick first, even at the risk of hurting his reputation, is Tony Dungy. Dungy has agreed to serve as Vicks personal advisor. Isn’t that what being a true Christian is all about? Realizing and being thankful for God’s blessings and then using the talent and recourses He blessed us with to serve Him, even if there’s sacrifice involved. I guarantee that Dungy didn’t approve of the wrongs that Michael Vick committed. I can’t see Dungy betting on a dog fight. But I bet Dungy believes in the miracles Jesus can perform in each life when He is allowed to be in our hearts.
As for Vick, I hope God uses this man to make an everlasting impact in people’s lives, and turns the protests to nothing more than mindless babble. The best success stories in the Bible are of people that had pretty horrible acts of sin, but allowed God to do the play calling at some point in their lives. In fact the last I checked, we all are with sinners, but if any of you reading are without sin then by all means… You cast the first stone!

Obama-care? Why not Government Football!

As a man who has a back ground in healthcare, I am amazed at the lack of judgment being used when it comes to the new government idea that our president is trying to sell us for healthcare. Are there problems? Yes! I know that it is expensive, but one thing that NO ONE wants to address is the fact that legislation is what contributed to our being here in the first place! HIPAA was launched in 1997 and allowed anyone with a health condition to go from company A to company B without pre-existing condition limitations. Great law, but comes with a price. Also, small groups 2-50 (the bulk of our nation’s workforce and employers) were now mandated to NOT be declinable by insurance carriers. So, if a five person group that has two people with cancer, and pregnancy, and a pending heart transplant would now be able to switch health insurance plans and soak the new carrier with all the claims. Again, good law because groups used to be declined and stuck with the carrier they were with, raising rates for as long as the company could stay in business, but again comes with a price. Insurance rates since 1997 have exploded since these laws were put in place. Couple that with every hypochondriac calling their doctor (who is on speed dial) when they see a commercial for “restless leg syndrome” and people taking meds so they “don’t have to change their lifestyle”, and we have the healthcare issues that we have today. I know people who actually take cholesterol medication so that they can continue eating their fatty foods! When you were a kid in school, were pharmaceuticals part of the four basic food groups? (I know that has now been replaced by the food pyramid, but I’m old school). Despite all our efforts to mess it up, and our abuse of the system, we still have the best healthcare system in the world. Why would we turn the whole thing off and start over? If you had a car that needed an oil pump, do you trash the car, or just fix the oil pump? Well, I know that may sound too simplistic, and maybe too logical, but there are people that are adamant that we NEED reform! We are INCAPABLE of doing this ourselves! My question to you would be this… What if it were sports that Obama was planning to change? Would you sit by so idly? Here is what I think the NFL would look like if the government took over in a bailout. Here are the changes if the GFL (Government Football League) was implemented and followed some of the same logic as the proposed new healthcare program.

Salaries: Right now we have government healthcare in the form of Medicare, and providers get paid about 20 cents on the dollar. I know what you are thinking, “That would be great! Players are paid too much already!” But, think about it. If people knew they were going to make substantially less for ANY profession, would the best talent go into that field? No. So, eventually there would be an erosion of talent and overall quality.

Equality and discrimination rules: We would have to make sure that ALL people are represented fairly in the new GFL. We would have to make sure that we didn’t discriminate based on such Neanderthal ideals as talent, or ability.

No fan left behind!: Of course with millions of fans not able to see games today in a stadium, we would have to first beef up the psychological benefit for the new healthcare system (see they could work hand in hand), because the mental anguish of being left out could be devastating! This is called PGS (post game syndrome). For a small co-pay there will be some kind of medication that will be able to be taken to numb the feeling of being left out. The government goal is to have government busses that will take people to and from the games, issue one government hotdog, and a beverage. This will be funded by taxing payroll of small businesses, and of course the wealthy!

Team Equality: Due to the mental stress and violence that some people display after a loss, all games will end in a tie. The team that was losing at the end of the game will be awarded “Obama points” to get them even with the insensitive overachiever team.

Uniforms: All teams will be issued government issue grey, green, or khaki colors in order to not offend anyone.

Team names: No team names will be allowed in order not to offend any group of people. After many millions of tax payor dollars, we have decided names are not necessary and will be replaced with barcodes. This allows the GFL treasury (IRS) to scan for proper taxation.

Cheerleaders: Cheering is permitted as long as equal time is given to both teams. Examples of GFL compliant cheers would be, “Go teams go!”; After a score, “…silence…”; After a fumble or interception, “Sharing is caring… YEAH!”. Before a cheer is uttered, people’s feelings must be considered. Also, it is no longer necessary to have rhythm, or the ability to speak to be a cheerleader in order to promote equality.

Length of game: Indefinite. This is to accommodate the new rules for play calling. (see play calling)

Play calling: Every play MUST be submitted in writing three days before the actual play will occur. The approval of said play will then be modified to comply with the new GFL standards and sent back to the huddle. Any deviation from the construct, design, or intentions of the play will result in a “deviation from GFL execution” tax. This will be assessed on the player(s) after the game is completed.

Penalties: The list of what is defined as a penalty will be expanded and included in the 1000+ page rule book that will be interpreted by legal teams at the conclusion of each game. The good news is that violations on the field will no longer result in extra yardage assessed to the violating team. It will result in more taxes. These extra taxes will be used to pay the thousands of extra government employees now needed to run the concessions, ticket windows, parking lots, and the ones that just stand with a government issue uniform and… well… “work” for the government.

Helmets and protective gear: The current NFL padding is inadequate. The helmets will be enlarged by 400% and equipped with GPS screens inside since the helmets will be too large to see out of. The pads will be accompanied with 45 lbs. of bubble wrap and the jerseys will be replaced with Kevlar (this is left over from military cutbacks). If the extra padding isn’t enough to protect from any unnecessary injury, we feel that the added weight should do the trick to slow down the players. In testing, a wide receiver’s 40 yard dash went from 4.3 seconds to 18 minutes. In one case the helmet was actually big enough to cause the player to stay in a head stand, creating a “Weeble” effect. This was a kicker, so it should have no effect on the game. The cost for each uniform will be $1.3 million which will just be printed off by the US treasury. We will figure how to pay for that later…

Instant replay: A questionable play will have to be submitted to the proper department for review. The result of this play cannot be revealed to anyone due to HIPPA (Hey It’s Players Privacy Act). The result will be a delay of game which creates a penalty! (YEAH!)

Names and Numbers (Players): Names will be replaced with “GFL Drone” and numbers will all be replaced with 75% to correspond with future tax bracket goals.

Seems farfetched doesn’t it, and maybe a little humorous… Unfortunately it isn’t farfetched or funny when it comes to healthcare. I know that what we have needs to be worked on, but you don’t treat a head cold with a lobotomy! In so many parts of the Bible the Israelites complained and complained until God gave them what they wanted. In most of those circumstances God rewarded them for their lack of appreciation, and Israel suffered through His judgment. Don’t let the greatest healthcare system in the world be turned into the GHU (Government Healthcare Unlimited) or (God Help Us)!

The Danger of Cliché Christianity

At the beginning of June we (SportsFaith radio) had the privilege of interviewing former Buckeye linebacker, Joel Penton. We had a great discussion of how God worked in his life, and of course the feeling of playing football for one of the most prestigious colleges in all the land under one of the most respected coaches, Jim Tressel. It was during this part of the interview I felt as though I had stepped behind the curtain of a magician and exposed the secret to a great magic trick. One of us, I believe it was Aaron (you can listen to the pod cast to verify) asked what it was like to play against Michigan. Joel then revealed something that surprised me. Joel preceded to tell us that every week they prepared for two things.. The team that week and Michigan… It didn’t matter if Michigan was next week or the end of the schedule, part of the practice that day was going to be focused on Michigan. This shocked me, and I asked Joel, “Doesn’t that fly in the face of the “Take it one game at a time” answer we always hear from coaches and players?”. He paused, knowing the secret was exposed, and said, “I guess so.”

This is what we are so used to however. The cliché sound bites that we are fed are so mundane, so void of real feeling that it is almost painful to listen to… but we do! Sport is the 500 pound gorilla (another over used cliché) that everyone loves to watch. It doesn’t matter if it is swinging in the cage or lying in the corner, we are glued to the TV waiting and hanging on every word, play, and replay. But it is not the game that people are satisfied with We stay locked in for the interviews that basically are the same lines just recycled by different actors. That is why when Mr. Penton revealed the fact that it is NOT always “one game at a time” I felt like I had just unlocked the secret of all secrets! ATHELES AND COACHES ARE HUMAN! I would be shocked if any player from Michigan wakes up on the Monday before the game against OSU and says, “Hey guess what! I think we’re playin’ Michigan this week!” But, we have become a society that hears and accepts clichés for answers to everything. What is a cliché? Filler. It’s kind of like a car. It’ll get you from point A to point B. Not a fancy car. Just a car… One you don’t have to commit too much time, money, energy, or effort in to. What are some of the mind numbing phrases that you will hear this year?:

He always gives 110% (Impossible! But we accept it.)
He brought his “A” game (This means what exactly? What would someone’s “L” game look like?)
He leaves it all out on the field (Clean up, 50 yard line!)
He really came to play (Well he’s getting paid enough! I’m glad he did! You never hear that about an insurance agent, “Wow, he really came to sell insurance today!”)
They just wanted it more (Talent, preparation, and skill have nothing to do with it?)
The media blew that out of proportion (Usually said by someone who did something wrong.)
He was crucified by the media (Please see the movie, “The Passion” and rephrase!)
It doesn’t get any better than this (Sorry God, wife, and kids!)
They live or die by the long ball (Really? If that were true, wouldn’t schools be closed due to “long ball flu” and vaccines issued?)

There are more I know I missed, but the point is that these really have no substance, yet we say them and/or accept them every day.

Cliché usage is not limited to the sports world. As Christians we are given the responsibility to go out and spread the good news of our Lord and Savior, but so often we fall short… Ok, after you read that how many of you thought, “We all fall short of the glory of God…”? Heck, I’ve used that piece of scripture to justify my mistakes at times, but that is why God gives us the WHOLE Bible as a playbook to learn from. We have to be careful NOT to give sound bite answers to people that God has put in front of us. Too often we get caught up in the hectic lifestyles that we impose on ourselves, and we give cliché, sound bite answers that do more harm than good. Have you ever run into someone and ask how their day was, and instead of giving the expected answer of, “I’m fine.”, they have the audacity to unload and tell you EVEYTHING that went wrong with them that weekend! Their car broke down, they are losing their home, the kids are in the hospital, there’s no money for food, and even the dog was hit by a car!!! You weren’t ready for this! So you give them a obligatory pat on the shoulder, and say, “I’ll pray for you.” And you walk away… Wow, way to “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God!” (Ephesians 6:17) and make a difference for that person! Good thing Jesus didn’t come down and instead of giving the ultimate sacrifice, give a “Well, I’ll pray for you!” and walk away.
Here are some other cliché responses we use:

God helps those who help themselves (Usually used by someone with a lot of compassion)
I’ll pray for you (Great if not being used to get away from a situation… Eph. 6:13)
God loves a cheerful giver (Yes He does, but He also loves the rest as well doesn’t He? 1 John 4:19)
What would Jesus do? (I usually see this on the back of a car that cuts me off)
That guy / lady is going to Hell! (Didn’t know they had a view into God’s judgment and possible mercy.)
Do you follow Jesus this close? (I hope closer, but the writing on the bumper sticker was so small…)
Ask, and you will receive! (What if God’s will is different than our desires? James 5:15)

Again, I am not saying this as a pure man, but as a sinner like anyone else. We need depth in our faith, and approach our brothers and sisters with the same love and compassion that Jesus has for us. That means to take the time to listen, care and use the gifts that God gave you to make a difference. One of my favorite verses is James 2:17. Take the time to read it and apply it to your life. Because, I don’t care how often you think you give “110%”, we all can “reach back for a little more” for God.

The little things are God's big blessings!

Too much work, the bills need to be paid, I'm too young or maybe too old, I'm tired, my favorite game is on, I don't feel well, I need to add an entry to my blog... There are, and have been so many reasons since the dawn of man that we have come up with to not do something that can make a huge impact in someone's life. I have always known that if given an ample amount of time, we will find a way to not do something that we don't want to do. Or maybe, it’s not something that we don’t want to do, but we feel that we can do it in the future, because the toils of the now have seized control of us. We NEED to get the lawn mowed, the bills paid, the work done, the sales goals met, and so on. Well, in our pursuit of earthly success, we are often taken off the paths of glory and happiness that God has put before us. So often the causalities of this march to self imposed glory are living under the same roofs as us. I am not writing this as a person who is even remotely claiming to be innocent. I come to you as a sinner, and have recently found some God given gems I would like to share with you. The main thing I did is take the time to recognize the absolutely beautiful and exquisite joy that God provided in these moments.

At the beginning of this month (June), my wife and I had planned to take the family down to Milwaukee to a convention that her mother and father had founded. We have 5 children and 6 dogs. When the time neared for us to fill up the family-truckster (we have a 15 passenger tan Twinkie shaped van we call “large-Marge” to accommodate the brood… nothing says pure driving pleasure like a 15 passenger van!) we realized that we hadn’t planned for the doggie watch… You really can’t leave 6 dogs to fend for themselves, and you surely can’t sneak them into the hotel. To board them all would not be feasible and nobody was available to house sit. So, my wife took all but 2 of the boys, and went with Mom down to Milwaukee while I stayed home to house sit and spend time with Jake and Alex. I had a lot of work facing me. I had insurance renewals to tend to, I had a lawn that resembled a jungle because the mower had to be repaired for 2 weeks, but the part just came in for me to put on, and of course food, a herd of dogs, and house chores. It all seemed overwhelming, and I was looking forward to tomorrow when I would be able to relax a bit… Then I realized that there is always something that comes up, and so often we fall in the trap of self-importance that we lose sight of what is important to God. I looked over at Jake and Alex, and asked, “Do you want to go to a baseball game?” Their eyes got huge and they said, “Yes!!! Which one?” We are blessed to have a minor league “A” baseball team called the “Timber Rattlers”. We slammed down grilled chicken, and pop, and raced out the door through the “jungle yard” to the car and down to the stadium. We all had out gloves, mis-matched baseball hats, and anticipation of what the evening would hold. Alex, our youngest child, tapped me on the shoulder, “Dad, this is the first baseball game I’ve ever been to! Thank-you!”. When we got to the stadium it turned out to be “free food for kids night”! So on top of the chicken, we were able to pile on hot-dogs, pop, and cotton candy! As we sat in the stands, I was able to look over at my boys… One had a blue face from wearing half of the cotton candy, and the other was lounging back in the seat and eating the hotdog. With a mouth full of dog and bun he asks, “What is that number in the outfield for?” I told him it told us the speed of the pitch. “87!!! He just threw it 87 miles per hour! Cool!” At the end we were able to enjoy fireworks, and then the total icing on the cake… RUN AROUND THE BASES! My boys were able to run the bases and brag about how fast they were. On the way out traffic was horrible, but we didn’t mind. We just sat and talked for 20 minutes about the game. I took the moment to talk to them about the gift that God gave us by being able to enjoy this evening. This was truly an awesome gift!

When was the last time that you just sat and talked to your family with no care about deadlines, clocks… life?!? We all get caught up, but please don’t fall into the traps of this world. The beauty in life is in the simple gifts like taking your kids to a baseball game, or playing catch, or just playing cards. I don’t care what you do for a “living”, the simple things in life make life worth living! So often we have excuses for our families as to why we can’t be there for them, but they deserve so much more than that. 1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Slow down, and enjoy the life that God has waiting for you.

Tough times? God provides!

Have you ever asked God, “Why am I going through this right now?”. Well, I’ve had some of those moments. This last year has been challenging for my family while starting this ministry of SportsFaith, and we have gotten to the point where we had to trim the “fat” so to speak. I started selling items on E-Bay to make ends meet. We tried to just go and print off a TRILLION dollars, but it seems the government printer has run out of ink, so we had to do it the old fashioned way and cut costs, and rethink priorities. We did as much as we could and the night of a big event that we were doing with SportsFaith, my wife received a letter from our mortgage company, saying that we needed to get caught up or else! That night I was to play my saxophone at this event, a saxophone my late father had purchased for me in eighth grade as a reward for making it into the Wisconsin Conservatory of music, winning many competitions, and just showing the dedication that he desired to show that I was serious. By eighth grade I had been playing for seven years already, so this wasn’t a student instrument, it was a Selmer Mark VI which is one of the most coveted instruments today… I had listed it on e-Bay three days before the concert and without my wife’s knowledge, had received a bid that was going to help alleviate some of the burden of the mortgage. The letter was just more salt in the wound. That evening during the event, after playing in the big band praise and worship, and before the man we had booked from the Power Team gave his testimony, I took the stage solo. I asked permission from the audience to play for them, and let God take over. I played a haunting and sorrowful version of Amazing Grace, and explained this to the audience… God provides! Sometimes there is pain and sacrifice so that we learn from our mistakes, but he provides! I explained my situation and with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart gave praise to my Lord. I also reminded the people sitting in the audience that God gave me a wonderful family to get through the struggles and to share the victories! That evening five people gave their lives to Christ. Not because of my testimony, but as a result of the whole evening. That was the payoff for me, but God wasn’t done.
Two weeks went by and my brother who had been in attendance, with his father in law, started asking me questions about the night. And, for my 38th birthday, they bought me a brand new Cannonball alto saxophone! I told them I couldn’t accept this… I couldn’t accept such an extravagant gift… They said, “You’re a sax player… you need a saxophone. Are you going to say no to what God has laid on our hearts?” I couldn’t believe it! I have since played for my church, and with our big band praise and worship. I am also in contact with a couple local churches to offer free music lessons to kids that can’t afford them.
When you are going through tough times, look for the lesson that God is providing for you. I am reminded of Romans 8:16 “…we share in His suffering in order to share in His victory.” Look for Him, and lean on Him in these times.

Madden and EA Sports ask - What's your name worth??

Ever play sports games on Playstation, XBox, or if your old school Nintendo? Ever think about how cool the graphics were and how neat it was that you had a chance to be the puppeteer for players like Favre, Barber, Hawk, Brady, and TO (on the field only of course). For me it was even cooler that you could go to players of yesteryear and play some of the players that you grew up watching like Montana, Sanders, Elway, and Rice. Those days may be over! Recently it was announced that a number of retired NFL players are planning to sue Electronic Arts (EA) and John Madden for using their likeness and images in a number of Madden titles without paying them any royalties. If this story sounds familiar, it's because the same group of 2,062 retirees filed a similar action against the NFL Players Association last fall. They received $28 million in damages! (They all were able to upgrade their game systems and purchase the latest edition of Madden). Attorney’s are asking each of the players involved in last year's lawsuit to put $1,000 of their respective settlements into a "litigation War Chest" with which to seek legal action against the gaming giant and Madden (BOOM) who reportedly "collected over $100,000,000 in royalties while paying the retired NFL players used in those games absolutely nothing." (Madden also didn't pay explosive companies for the use of the word "BOOM" in several broadcasts... Anticipate a suit to be file from the ACME Dynamite Company for that as well)! So much for Matthew:18 and going to your brother when you have a problem! When in doubt SUE!

My question... Should the player be allowed to sue for the use of their name, or be happy that the games are still keeping them relevant?

Who do you serve?

1 Corinthians 4 - 5: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord... Sounds good right? But, how many times do we use the gifts that our Lord has blessed us with to serve anything but Him? If you were given the opportunity for a promotion at work, but had to compromise your faith would you do it? I feel that now a days, people are VERY quick to 'Win at all costs' in this world's eyes, while losing the chance to serve the God who gave us so much. As Christians we need to lock in on our beliefs and not give in to the temptations of this world.

I came across an article of a Jewish basketball player who was an incredible player in high school in the '90s. Tamir Goodman was a national blue chipper. This unlikely roundballer grew to national fame because of the skills that God blessed him with, and was soon dubbed the "Jewish Jordan". After his prep career, Tamir was sought after by U of Maryland, was featured on ESPN, and many other TV and Radio shows. Tamir was about to cash in on the American dream, but the basketball games and practices were on a lot of Friday's and Saturday's. This went against the Sabbath laws of Orthodox Judaism. Tamir wound up going to Towson and was basically never heard of again... He was passionate about his beliefs.

Now Christian... You are asked to do something that compromises your faith... What would you do?

Faith and values: To compromise or not to compromise

There was a Miss USA pageant that would have probably flown under the radar until a simple question was asked by "world famous" gossip blogger Perez Hilton of Miss California Carrie Prejean. "...do you think same sex marriage should be legalized in more states?" (Mr. Hilton is a known and admitted homosexual). Miss Prejean responded by saying that she was opposed to same sex marriage and that her belief was that it should be between one man and one women. This outraged the judge and created an uproar that divided the crowd, judges, and contestants. It also ended up costing her the crown, according to Perez and other judges.

If you don't want an answer don't ask it! I am proud that Miss Prejean stood up for her beliefs even though it was not the popular thing to do. Here are some reactions from fellow contestants:

The Miss USA contestants from the four states that allow same-sex marriage say Miss California should have been more politically correct and socially aware when she was asked for her thoughts on the issue during the nationally televised pageant on Sunday.Miss Massachusetts Alison Cronin told FOXNews.com she was "shocked" when Carrie Prejean, 21, told Miss USA judge and celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton that she believes marriage should be "between a man and a woman."

SHOCKED?!? SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE POLITACALLY CORRECT WHEN ASKED HER VIEWS! What about having an opinion and taking a stand? It seems that the only people that are passionate about their faith and beliefs are the people that were considered in the minority not too long ago. Now if you are not PC you are a racist and a hateful person. Why when Mr. Hilton called Prejean a b**** in his blog, did no one say that about him?

Miss Iowa Chelsea Lynn Gauger, 20, said her state, whose Supreme Court just this month declared a legislative ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, is ahead of the country."Being from Iowa, I'm proud to say that our state has interpreted the Constitution to say that gays have the right to marry," Gauger said. "Whether you agree with [Prejean] or not, to be on national television and say exactly how you feel, it does take strength and faith.""People have blown it out of proportion," Gauger added. "I don't think people are thinking what it would be like to be up there like she was. It's sad that people can't just keep their feelings to themselves.

Miss Gauger is right on the strength and faith part, but when we compromise our morals and beliefs by keeping our feelings to ourselves we will continue to decay as a nation. But how many "Christians" do you know that compromise their faith every day to: get a job, promotion, contract, girl/boy friend, or anything! We need a little less PC and infuse more JC in our lives. That means that you are just as passionate about your beliefs as Jesus was when he turned over the tables in the temple. Get in the game and stop watching from the sidelines, and thank you Miss Prejean for standing firm in your beliefs!

Divided Church

Let's say Jesus came down today and breathed a new gospel through someone and instructed them to write it down in His glorious name. Then let's assume he wanted this person to deliver that message to His church... How long would it take for the blessed messenger to figure out what Jesus meant by that? Do I do the Catholics on Thursday and the Baptists on Friday?

Today we are so focused on what makes us different that we lose the clarity of what is the most important... Jesus is our Savior and the only way to Heaven is through Him! He came... He lived a perfect life... AND His ultimate sacrifice cleansed us of our sins! The more we lose that focus the more the devil keeps grinning behind the evil but simple thought... "Divide and conquer!"