Happy Birthday, daughter Jerusha!
To see the detail in either picture, click on it.
(Car by Jerusha’s creative friend, Doug, and future brother-in-law Brad.)
(Cake by Jerusha’s brilliantly creative mother.)
Some find comfort in smoking. Some in alcohol. I find it in foods.
Every morning I have my devotional time sitting on a couch in our living room. Next to me is a table on which, each morning, a cup of coffee sits, and is frequently refilled.
As the morning goes on, I’m likely to pick up my computer to respond to some quick email, and to see what the world is up to on Facebook. All the time, the cup of coffee is there.
So, this evening, as I was doing some cleaning in the kitchen, I looked at the coffee pot, and determined that I did not need to make a cup.
But then, I sat in my spot on the couch. I grabbed to computer to finish off some blog posts. The table next to me was empty, and for the past half hour I’ve been craving the cup of coffee I previously ruled out.
All by the power of place and habit. There is probably a spiritual application of all of this, but without my coffee, I can’t capture it right now.
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Which reminds me – my absolute favorite mug was handmade by Nigel Rudolph.
Nigel and Cheyenne Rudolph are gifted potters who make wonderfully attractive mugs (one is pictured) and other things. They apply a glaze on them that is hard to describe, but it makes the mug feel unique in one’s hands.
Their creations make wonderful Christmas presents. If you live in the Bradenton area, watch their site (or subscribe to their blog) for news about their upcoming sale. It is a rare pleasure to drink coffee or tea in a handmade work of fine art.
Today’s to-do list for those apprehensive and fearful about their steps in life:
1. Read this post.
2. Watch The Rookie (tag line: “It’s never too late to believe in your dreams.”)
3. Play Aerosmith, Dream On
This recent post is a somewhat late entry in the whole controversy regarding Rush Limbaugh’s rejected attempt to join an NFL franchise ownership team.
I don’t really care about this. I’m libertarian enough to believe that those who rejected his bid had a right to do so. In that regard, Ms. McArdle and I are in complete agreement.
But there are some other points of overlap between her and me.
1. Her disappointment in irresponsible journalism: “Who single-sources a quote of a public figure praising slavery?”
2. Her contention that boycotts don’t work: “Announcing yet another boycott with the expected active lifespan of one of those rainforest butterflies that breaks out of its cocoon and then spends one happy hour mating and laying eggs before expiring on the soft, mossy floor of the primeval forest… well, this does not actually achieve any worthy goals.”
3. Her disdain for radio extremists: “[I am] someone who really doesn’t care for shock jocks of any stripe.”
I especially ‘ditto’ the last.
The Great Sports Theologian is ordinarily very busy determining the Rules for Righteous Rooting. However, occasionally he has time to handle a question or two from the less enlightened.
Today’s question comes from a puzzled fan in these waining days of one season and while we are in the heart of another:
“Why do pitchers always look so unhappy? Is this my imagination? Do any of them smile when they play? They look like they are under so. much. pressure. Quarterbacks just seem to have more fun.”
I can’t say that I’ve observed this phenomenom. However, upon reflection, it is probably this which makes the brief career of Mark Fidrych so peculiar and outstanding. [I’m attaching a great reminder of this guy at the end of this post.]
Anyway, I think the answer is clear. The reason for such unhappiness is that as a result of the fall, humans will act contrary to the created order, and so reap unhappiness upon themselves.
Here is how it works in baseball. The Bible says that ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Clearly, you see, the most blessed person on the baseball diamond should be the pitcher. His primary act is one of giving. But being a sinner at heart, he does not want to give. The very act that should bring him joy, the giving of the ball at the beginning of every play, is a grief to him because of sin.
So, he never smiles.
But is not the same thing true of quarterbacks? Absolutely. The principle holds. The primary act of quarterbacks, however, is to receive. At the beginning of every play, the quarterback receives the ball. His sinful heart, therefore, makes him smile.
Quarterbacks, you should know, never willingly part with the ball. There is a theological reason that they do: 300 pounds of hell coming from all sides intent on pummeling him have a persuasive power which overcomes the natural possessive instinct.
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On the side bar, under the name of someone whose name I’ve hidden. I know they are new to this, but it looks sad!
One of the enduring memories of my first (of two) trips to Africa was visiting the church of an African pastor. In many respects it revealed that he was effective in his ministry and was providing good care for a needy people. When he showed me his study, I was struck with the size of his library. All six inches of it.
What riches I have by comparison.
As is often the case with the rich, we do not take full advantage of the privileges granted to us.
This post is not about getting good books into needy hands. That is a work worthy of our support. Rather this is about those of us with good books not taking advantage of what we’ve been given.
The pastor is to be a scholar of two worlds – the world of the sacred of the Bible, and the world of those to whom he is called to preach. And to be scholar of both demands disciplined study reaching in both directions.
It is easy to lose sight of the critical importance of moving in both directions. We have spoken already about the importance of knowing the world into which we speak. We must be as diligent in becoming a scholar of the message we preach.
John Stott
I would not be as harsh as Stott (on myself, at least!). My impression is that the lack of study arises not as much from laziness or unwillingness, but from a lack of a proper vision of the pastor’s task. I mean, does it really feel like work when I’m sitting in my study reading for several hours straight? Am I persuaded enough that this is part of my job, that I can defend such investment of time? And do those whom I serve understand that this is a vital part of my ministry?
If we were persuaded of the value of study for our public and private ministries, we would gladly labor to allocate and defend the time necessary for it.
* * * * *
Allocating and defending the time is one thing; knowing how to find and make use of that time is another, which is what we’ll address next week. I’ve been greatly helped in this regard by David Allen’s Getting Things Done
. His seminars cost far more than our church, or most, for that matter, can afford. But since he is an alumnus of New College of Florida, I get to hear him speak this afternoon at the college for peanuts. I’m very excited!
I’m sure that Redeemer Church in NYC has its reasons for charging those who want a copy of a sermon by its pastor Tim Keller, but I’ve found the policy a bit disappointing.
Now, they’ve cracked the archives a bit with the release of 150 sermons which are downloadable for free.
I appreciate the desire of Redeemer to not detract from the ministry of the local church by creating a virtual church of those who find it sufficient to listen to sermons.
“Redeemer’s primary method of evangelism has always been through the planting of gospel-centered churches. The Free Sermon Resource is not intended as a “broadcast ministry” which would create “virtual” members listening from home, rather than getting involved in their local congregations. Instead, we hope that this will serve as a “resource” for the broader movement of the gospel in the world: both as an evangelistic tool to share with our inquiring friends, neighbors and co-workers, and as a way of sharing our core principles, or “DNA,” to assist in the planting and nurturing of gospel-centered churches around the world – many of them in places difficult to reach via traditional means.”
Of course, other free sermons are ALWAYS available here….
Too early to assess this book
“The only purpose of cats is that they constitute mobile decorative objects….” (page 51)
(Pictured is the only cat ever allowed to live in my house, which my daughter brought home and hoped to endear to me by giving him the name ‘Calvin’. Nice try.)
Not everyone reading this blog is a Christian, and not everyone is a sports fan. But for the person with Christian sensibilities and a modicum of interest in sport, I, The Great Sports Theologian, herewith offer you my assessment of the baseball teams now playing for their respective league championships that all righteous people should support.
First, we weigh the Dodgers and the Phillies. What is a Dodger, anyway? The ‘Artful Dodger’ in Oliver Twist was a pickpocket, was he not? Clearly we can’t support a Dodger.
In the other dugout we find the Phillies. The name ‘Phillies’ comes from the ‘Phila-‘ of ‘Philadelphia’, and originates in the Greek root ‘philos’, meaning ‘love’. Is it not clear that ‘love’ is to be supported over Dodgers. no matter how artful they be.
In the other league, we have the Angels playing the Yankees. To the southern half of the United States, of course, anything termed ‘Yankee’ is clearly of the Devil, an assessment supported nationwide with the Broadway production (and later movie) properly titled Damn Yankees.
And whom are they playing? The Angels. There is no question whom God’s people must support in this contest.
If both Phillies and Angels square off in the World Series, The Great Sports Theologian will again consult his books of wisdom to determine The Righteous Choice. Should the choice be between the Yankees and Dodgers, he will do the same, but only after an appropriate period of mourning.