"Passing the Torch" or "Torching the Passer"

Due to news breaks on ESPN yesterday (Monday) I am given another excuse to return to one of my favorite topics - football, but particularly my football team, the San Diego Chargers. For those of you who don't know, LaDanian Tomlinson has been officially released by the San Diego Chargers. As a San Diego fan this is a very sad, but exciting day all at the same time. It is sad because a truly great player is leaving. Ten years ago the Chargers were at the bottom of the stack. They had just picked a rising star in QB Ryan Leaf. He had just won the Rose Bowl convincingly and was supposed to be an amazing talent. A year later everyone knew he was one of the biggest mistakes ever made. He just recently ended up on the 10 biggest busts on an ESPN website article. So the Chargers drafted LaDanian Tomlinson from TCU (Texas Christian University) and he became one of the greatest Running Backs (if not the greatest) to play in this past decade. He has set and broken countless records and always done it with class. He has never been responsible for any off-field problems and is a devoted family man. Amazingly the worst thing he has ever done is appear to be sulking when he was injured during a game at NE and couldn't play. Bottom line, he is a hall-of-fame (easily) RB who has handled himself well and never been a problem in the locker room through his entire career. 

So what now? He is leaving. What is amazing to me is that it appears fairly obvious to most football fans (including myself) that LT is not his former self, yet he still believes he can go out and put up big numbers. So he will be looking for another team, and, who knows, maybe he will succeed. Not likely, but always a possibility. This story reminds me of some valuable lessons that older pastors and leaders in Christianity had a hard time learning. Continue reading to see what they are.

Christian Olympians

If you are like me, you watch the Olympics. If you are like me you find the "hoopla" of the Winter Olympics interesting, enjoyable, and somewhat humorous all at the same time. I find it interesting because I grew up in San Diego and know nothing (or almost nothing) of most winter sports. So it is fascinating to watch people hurtle down a hill and launch themselves into jumps, bumps (moguls), or icy tubes (bobsledding). I find it enjoyable because some of these "sports" are rather amazing to watch. I find it humorous because millions of people will watch other people glide around in shiny, skin-tight costumes on a blade of metal and listen to their stories of countless hours, days, weeks, months and years of practice and torment to their bodies so that they can glide and jump better than the other person (this is called ice skating). I find it humorous because we raise these people to a level of hero or heroine when they win the Gold, but most of them don't even know what life (real life, that is) even looks like. They don't have friends; they have coaches and competitors. They don't have family; they have cheerleaders in the stands who have supported them on this journey. They don't have a life; they have practice. When they lose, they "Will try again in four more years." When they win, they "Will come back and do it again in four more years." When they get too old, they have nothing but the past and a few trophies or "almost." I guess it really is more sad than humorous.

Super Bowl Sunday

In case you missed it the New Orleans Saints played the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl this past Sunday night. The Saints won 31-17 and I was glad for Drew Brees (the Saints QB), since he used to be the San Diego Chargers QB and is a Christian who has always handled himself very well as a professional football player.

On a different note I received a call from someone who will remain anonymous. They asked my opinion about something their pastor had said that Sunday morning. He said that anyone who cancelled Sunday services or did not attend the regular Sunday night service was placing football before God. He made it very clear that by attending the Sunday night service believers were showing the world that God was more important than football. I would like to think through this statement and see how it reveals much about modern Christianity's view of the Church and Christianity in general.

Caution: Work in Progress

For those of you who don't know, we are remodelling our home right now. At this point my best guess for a completion date on the remodel is around my youngest child's 18th birthday in 2027. At least, it seems that way. We are currently adding cabinets and just ordered countertops for the kitchen (pretty exciting stuff). I pretty much do all the work myself and for the most part I really enjoy it. There have been a few times when I got rather frustrated and irritated because of the unfinished condition of our home (plywood floors still, bare sheetrock walls, etc.). Three years ago around Christmas time I was having a moment and Deana wrote a little poem or saying, framed it and gave it to me for Christmas. After this past weekend of working on the kitchen I thought I would share it with everyone and a few other thoughts.

"Christian" Politics

I was really struggling with what to write about this week. It wasn't because I didn't have things to write about, but I was debating whether or not I should really express my thoughts on some of these issues. I finally decided that sometimes certain things just need to be said whether anyone likes it or not. As Martin Luther once said, "You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say."

On a side note, I asked my wife what I should write about and she said I could write about what a wonderful wife I have - so I think I will, just to embarass her :). For all of you single guys out there I do not envy you at all. Too often it seems like modern society has exalted the idea of the fun, single guy who can have casual sex and enjoy life while the married guy is stuck with his wife and kids and boring life (although a more recent movie, "Marley and Me" actually presented the exact opposite and was quite enjoyable). In case you are wondering, married life is not boring at all. My wife is an incredible, talented, beautiful woman and a godly, loving, and hard-working mother of 4 little children. Life in our house is far from boring (for example, my 2 yr old son just came running out of his sister's room crying because he fell off the top bunk and when asked if he was "Ok" he responds by saying, "My bum hurts"). So I do have a wonderful wife who keeps me on my toes and is a great encouragment to me and also a discerning voice of wisdom in our home.

The following are some observations and considerations about "Christian" Politics.

American Idols?

So, in case you didn't notice, the San Diego Chargers lost to the New York Jets on Sunday. I was a little shocked and very disappointed since my Chargers definitely gave the game away. But I will say, that this morning as I went out to shovel my driveway I still put on my Chargers hat and even went out with it and got donuts later on. Maybe they will never make the Super Bowl, but they are still my team. For now, Go Saints!

While watching my team lose I was amazed at how much the game influenced my attitude and spirit. I had struggled with this in the past, even swearing off of sports altogether at different times. I have seen many people get angry and irritated because their team was losing. Christians throwing things around their house, yelling at the TV, etc. as their team lost the game. I had always determined I would not be like this. So, I was a little surprised last night when I heard one of my kids timidly ask my wife, "Why is Daddy so mad?" At that point I realized that no football game should have the control over me that I was experiencing. I decided that it would be better if I didn't watch the last few minutes, so I left and did something else. This raises some interesting thoughts and comments about our American culture and people in general.

Fair-weather Fans/Christians

So, being a resident of New Hampshire I am surrounded by New England Patriot fans, or I thought I was. As of yesterday (Sunday, Jan 10th) the Patriots were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs in a rather embarrassing fashion. Not being a Patriots fan I wasn't overly bothered, but I did watch the game since I enjoy football immensely. I was surprised, however, to see an amazing number of Facebook posts and other comments from New England "fans" today that ripped up the Patriots because they lost. So I thought about this a little bit and wondered what it told us about human nature. I propose the following: