Sports

9 posts

Does the Bible Light Up Your Eyes?

This past week, Cubs fans across the country were aglow with joy over the World Series victory. There was light in their eyes! How many things bring light to your eyes? One of those things should be the Bible, specifically the commands of the Bible. The psalmist describes it this way: The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Psalm 19:8 This is stunning – God’s commands bringing joy to the heart and light to the eyes. Is this your experience? Are God’s commands radiant to you? This week there was no difficulty in identifying “Cubbies”, they were easy to spot. But finding people […]

Letting the Light Shine

The world in which we live is troubling. As Christians, we must understand where the trouble comes from. It is easy to list many reasons for the wrongs we observe: disease, natural disasters, wars, etc., but the root cause, the real reason for the troubles we have is sin—sin and its impact on creation. Sin brings trouble and discord. Sin has brought trouble to relationships, sickness and inherited diseases to untold millions throughout history—and the list could go on. So whether directly or indirectly, the darkness in the world and in our lives comes from sin.

Living as Salt and Light

Tim Tebow has sparked his share of controversy since being drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010. Many have mocked his faith, doubted his abilities, and panned his enthusiasm. To NFL purists, Tebow doesn’t fit the mold of what a quarterback should look like, so he has been greeted to this point by skepticism.  Now that his team is winning some folks are beginning to reconsider. Apart from whatever Tim Tebow accomplishes as a player, he is demonstrating what courtesy and respect look like in contrast with sports stars who are consumed with themselves. Peter King had a telephone interview with Tebow after yesterday’s comeback win against the Minnesota Vikings.  King is a respected writer for Sports Illustrated, and one […]

Sin, Penn State, and the Gospel

This week’s revelations about the football program at Penn State are beyond troubling. Joe Paterno was an icon of virtue in college football. He and his program did things the right way—that is, until he looked the other way. The devastating, horrific story has been chronicled in the national media. Paterno testified before a grand jury that he had heard of a sexual assault by Jerry Sandusky, one of his assistant coaches, on a young boy. He then reported that incident to other leaders in the university, as required by law, but he told no one else and did not talk with his assistant about the alleged incident. He now says he wishes he had done more. Paterno’s actions, or […]

Guard Your Heart Weekend

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8 Last year I did a number of posts about the Superbowl.  The links to those posts are listed below. While I don’t want to revisit all that was said in those posts here, I do want to draw your attention to combination of sport, spectacle and motivational manipulation that is the Superbowl. Even in a down economy NBC is getting 3 million dollars for 30 second commercial during the game. These commercials  tell us much about what advertising industry leaders think will motivate viewers to action.  The Superbowl […]

Olympic Thoughts

Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." The Olympics are winding down this weekend. There have been many successes and many disappointments. Michael Phelps grabbed the attention of the world by winning 8 gold medals and setting 7 world records. Usain Bolt was equally impressive, setting three world records by winning the […]

The Super Bowl and Your Heart’s Orientation

Whether you watch the Super Bowl or not the game is important to you as a Christian parent. This annual spectacle tells you a great deal about the world your children inhabit. Proverbs 7 shows a parent looking out his window at the world around him. This father used the view from his window to instruct his son about the dangers of life. The window of your television affords you the same opportunity and obligation. In addition to the game you can learn much about the world around you from the commercials. These commercials cost approximately 3 million dollars for a 30 second spot, and that does not include the production costs. The companies who sponsor these commercials believe that […]

The Super Bowl and Proverbs 4:23, part 2.

Above all else, guard your heart,      for it is the wellspring of life. In this second look at Super Bowl XLII I want to examine morality and spectacle. Solomon’s warning to guard your heart and, by implication, to teach your children to guard their hearts is one that must not be neglected. Paul addresses the same theme in Ephesians 6 where he speaks about spiritual warfare. With regard to our hearts we are never in a neutral zone or a demilitarized zone (DMZ). The enemy is always lurking. Since Satan is the Deceiver his attacks are seldom obvious. Cultural spectacle is one way to deceive us. As we noted in the last post, spectacle tends to move us […]

The Super Bowl and Proverbs 4:23

  The message of Proverbs 4:23 is an ominous, as well as a gracious, warning. Above all else, guard your heart,      for it is the wellspring of life. There is urgency in these words of Solomon. Above all else carries an ominous tone. The Holy Spirit is saying, “Pay attention!” The warning is also gracious. You are being told what is really important. Parents, you must faithfully and frequently give this warning to your children. The reason for warnings is that dangers often come when they are least expected. This weekend’s Super Bowl is no exception. After the infamous half-time “wardrobe malfunction” the NFL vowed to make the game more family-friendly, but I don’t think the league had […]