Month: February 2007

Leo Durocher allegedly said that “nice guys finish last”. When you look at the most successful coaches of recent years you would not generally use “nice” as the first descriptive word.

Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy is one of the nicest, most admired men in professional sports. He has the respect of his team and those who follow the sport. One year ago he dealt with the tragic death of his son James with dignity and strength. Last Sunday he coached his team to a win in the Super Bowl. And now he has created controversy with this statement made to CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz after the game.

Jim Nantz of CBS Sports: This is one of those moments, Tony, where there is also social significance in this victory, and to have your hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Tell me what this means to you right now.
Tony Dungy: I’ll tell you what. I’m proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. It means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything, I’ve said it before, Lovie Smith and I, not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord’s way. And we’re more proud of that.

The blogosphere lit up with analysis of Dungy’s comments. LA Daily News Columnist Kevin Modesti  wrote a piece that praised Dungy’s character while still asking a few questions. I have added my comments after each query.

Does Dungy really think “showing that you can win doing it the Lord’s way” has more social significance than breaking the Al Campanis generation’s stereotypes about blacks in sports management positions?

No. I think he was saying that the individual viewer and the country would decide the social significance. Nance asked him what the accomplishment meant to him. Tony Dungy was speaking for himself and for his good friend Lovie Smith. They believed that winning while living by their faith and principles meant more to them than the race issue.  Dungy answered the question honestly. Isn’t that what we clamor for from celebrities. Or would we prefer the tried and true cliché fest immortalized in the movie Bull Durham

Crash Davis: It’s time to work on your interviews.
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: My interviews? What do I gotta do?
Crash Davis: You’re gonna have to learn your clichés. You’re gonna have to study them, you’re gonna have to know them. They’re your friends. Write this down: “We gotta play it one day at a time.”
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Got to play… it’s pretty boring.
Crash Davis: ‘Course it’s boring, that’s the point. Write it down.

Tony Dungy answered the question that was posed. And it wasn’t boring.

Was he suggesting that alongside black kids inspired by the sight of two black men at pro football’s pinnacle, there are Christian kids whose minds have been changed about whether they can make it big?

Don’t think so. I think he was saying that you can be successful and hold onto your faith. Period.

Should other winning football coaches take offense from the implication that they’ve been doing it the morally corrupt way?

No. But I suspect that at least a couple of coaches are looking to adopt the “Lord’s Game Plan” before training camp starts. West Coast offense. 3– 4 defense. Lord’s way. Whatever it takes to win.

Should believers of other religions take offense from any or all of this?

Why should they? Tony Dungy has earned the platform to speak by consistently living his faith through adversity and heart wrenching tragedy. Dungy was saying that he had stayed true to his values and that he was successful with those values. Dungy doesn’t curse. He never raises his voice. He doesn’t demean his opponents or his players. Are those exclusively Christian values? Of course not. An agnostic could be just as nice and soft spoken and civil. But for Tony Dungy it was his faith in Christ that was the foundation for his values and approach. Christianity worked for him. He earned the right to speak and he spoke. Good for him. And I have to tell you it is really nice to see a nice guy finish first.

 

 

 

 

Last week I was spending a few minutes at Baton Rouge Airport before heading home. The airport is designed with a large central glass dome and some trees in the middle of the atrium. The early morning rush was over and the airport was surprisingly quiet. I heard something that caught my attention.

Chirping.

Not some bozo on a cell phone. Actual bird chirping. I looked up and saw what looked like a couple of sparrows flitting about near the top of the atrium. Somehow these wild birds had found their way inside the airport terminal. I watched them for awhile and I thought about how cold it was outside that day. I reflected on how “lucky” those birds were to be in a climate controlled atrium and not have to brave the elements. They could forage amongst the left over food of the travelers. What a life!

And then it hit me. That is how I tend to live my Christian life. Seeking comfort over challenge. Safety over risk. I looked at that bird in his artificial and safe environment and I surmised that was a good life for those birds. But that was not what birds were created to be. Those sparrows were created to fly freely. They were designed to soar without hitting the glass ceiling of safety.

God did not not create me to live in a climate controlled atrium of safety. Living that kind of Christian life is so easy in America. There is a safe path of least resistance to be a Christian in this country. No resistance just might mean you aren’t doing anything that threatens Satan. In basketball you don’t guard the players that aren’t doing anything. They pose no threat to your goal of winning the game.

Comfy Christianity is epidemic in America. We encounter a store that won’t say Merry Christmas and we think we are persecuted. God help us.

We send checks instead of serving. But according to most giving research we don’t even do that very well.

God has called me (and you) to give and to serve. In the Civil War the wealthy paid poor men to go “serve” for them. I remember having such disdain when I read that bit of history. But don’t I do the same thing in my Christian journey? I feel really good if I pay a missionary to go reach the world with the message of Jesus. I feel like I am godly if I give to the church so the “professionals” can do ministry. But God is asking me to do both. Give and serve. Maybe not be a missionary but certainly to reach out to my neighbor and my community. I was not created to live in a safe dome of climate controlled Christianity. Jesus is not safe. Following Him will take you out of the comfort zone and into the messy world of ministry. How did the early church explode against all odds? The Church History Institute makes these points in an article on the early church history.

After the Apostle Paul, we do not run across many “big names” as missionaries in the first few hundred years of Christian history. Instead the faith spread through a multitude of humble, ordinary believers whose names have been long forgotten. Early Christianity was primarily an urban faith, establishing itself in the city centers of the Roman Empire. Most of the people lived close together in crowded tenements. There were few secrets in such a setting. The faith spread as neighbors saw the lives of the believers close-up, on a daily basis.

It is too often a tragic occurance that careful observation of modern Christians on a close-up, daily basis is a reason to turn away from faith, not toward it. The article goes on…

And what kind of lives did they lead? Justin Martyr, a noted early Christian theologian, wrote to Emperor Antoninus Pius and described the believers: “We formerly rejoiced in uncleanness of life, but now love only chastity; before we used the magic arts, but now dedicate ourselves to the true and unbegotten God; before we loved money and possessions more than anything, but now we share what we have and to everyone who is in need; before we hated one another and killed one another and would not eat with those of another race, but now since the manifestation of Christ, we have come to a common life and pray for our enemies and try to win over those who hate us without just cause.”

In another place Justin points out how those opposed to Christianity were sometimes won over as they saw the consistency in the lives of believers, noting their extraordinary forbearance when cheated and their honesty in business dealings.

Perhaps the main reason the early church exploded is contained in the lyric of a simple song we used to sing while we were on staff with Campus Crusade.

They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love.

Will they? Those exposed to the early church knew the people called Christians were different. Very different. The article continues.

Christians became known as those who cared for the sick. Many were known for the healings that resulted from their prayers. Christians also started the first “Meals on Wheels.” By the year 250, they were feeding more than 1500 of the hungry and destitute in Rome every day.

When Emperor Julian (“the Apostate”) wanted to revive pagan religion in the mid-300s, he gave a most helpful insight into how the church spread. This opponent of the faith said that Christianity “has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers and through their care of the burial of the dead. It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar and that the [Christians] care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help we should render them.”

Oh that we could adopt a “scandalous” faith that would not overlook a beggar or turn away from those who need care. Those who labor in love serving the AID’s victims in Africa are following that tradition. Is it a surprise that Christianity is growing so rapidly in Africa? God bless you. The brave followers of Jesus who carry the gospel to countries where persecution is real are following the example of the early church. God protect you.

For the rest of us the questions are uncomfortable. Are we willing to leave the climate controlled Christianity that is so comfy and fly outside where it is risky and dangerous? That is what we were created to be. I pray I will have the courage to take wing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regular readers of these humble ramblings know that if I use all caps this is serious stuff. Most of the feedback I get at this site is incredibly thoughtful, graceful, and kind. Some of the feedback makes me sigh deeply and wonder how they could possibly get that interpretation from what I wrote? Sometimes the legalistic spiritual hall monitors will drop by to make sure I parsed a verb correctly and then they will dump a little deposit of condescension or judgment. A few try to use this site for their personal agenda without regard to the actual point of the post. Those responders find themselves in the cyber trash can. Last week I received some feedback that made me sad, anxious, and a little frightened. And that is why I felt compelled to write this warning.

I had written a blog called “Do It Anyway”. The gist of the article was that we too often take the safe route and don’t take the risks that God might be asking us to take. From that article I received this response from a reader.

I’m sitting at work trying to hold back tears all morning over whether
I should leave my very emotionally abusive fiance and return to being a hermit, and then I read this.

What would Jesus have me do. So much pain.

The feedback post was signed “Withheld”. I have been agonizing over that note. My article was directed at people who are wounded by life and love and then never try again. It was directed at people who let little differences become big issues. My thoughts were directed at Christians who cannot extend grace but demand to receive it. The situation that “Withheld” described does not fall within the parameters of that piece. Being in a relationship with an abusive person requires help beyond your humble correspondent. I can tell you that an emotionally abusive person before marriage will likely get worse after marriage. I would suggest you find professional advice and the godly counsel of mature Christian men or women (I don’t know your gender).

I do know this. Jesus would have you be in a relationship that honors Him. Can you do that in this relationship? It seems unlikely. The major point of my article was not intended to suggest that you stay in an impossible situation and simply suffer without hope. The point was choosing to keep trying and taking the chance to find relationships that grow you and honor Him. You cannot do that by becoming a hermit. That is not what Jesus would have you do nor is that His design for us. And I am sure of one more thing that Jesus would have you do. Take the pain to Him and allow the comfort of the Holy Spirit to help you though this time.

As for my disclaimers to readers of this site…

1. I am just a sinner saved by God’s amazing grace who is silly enough to share his journey in these ramblings. What I write is not necessarily gospel truth. It is like dumbed down proverbs…hopefully some godly principles gleaned from experience and His word.
   
2. I write about what God is teaching me as I follow Jesus. Some of that may touch you or apply to your life. Some of it may make you feel superior (that is my ministry…to make other Christians feel better about themselves). But please do not take what I write as absolute truth for you. Evaluate anything that you read (from me or any other Christian writer) against the template of truth that is God’s Word. Seek the counsel of godly men and women who have lived the journey and lived it well.
   
3. Because I write about principles and not specifics (except my own) you cannot automatically assume that what I write applies to your situation. Again, test it against His Word, through prayer, and through the sounding board of other godly men or women. Paul told the saints at Thessalonica to do just that.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

Note the admonitions leading up to testing the words of others. To be joyful, pray without ceasing, be thankful, listen to the Holy Spirit, and then you can “test” what is said and hold onto what is good.

I began my book When Bad Christians Happen to Good People with this disclaimer.

I am a hypocrite. I can be arrogant and selfish. I have been known to stretch, conceal, or slightly massage the truth. I am sometimes inconsiderate and insecure. I struggle with lust and impure thoughts. My ego often rages out of control, and I battle foolish pride. I can be lazy and foolhardy with my time. I get angry, petty, and ill-tempered. I am sarcastic and cynical.

I am a Christian.

Not much has changed. I have gotten a little better on some of that list and a lot better at some others. But I am still in an ongoing, sometimes agonizing and unending process toward holiness. Sometimes I stumble on truth and I might even communicate it in a way that connects with you. But real truth comes from the Word of God and the indwelling of His Spirit. That is the quiet little voice that is trying to get your attention during the crashing storms.

I am honored and blessed that you visit here and read my words. Just remember that I am only a fellow traveler on the narrow road. Sometimes I hit a home run. But sometimes I swing mightily and miss by a mile. Leaning on His Word and His Spirit will help you discern the difference.

I understand the importance of copyright protection. I have written two books and I would not want my hard work to be pirated for someone else’s personal gain. Especially since I have gotten little personal gain from them myself. I get the reasoning for copyright laws. But what is happening with the famous professional football league and their game that cannot be mentioned by mortals is ridiculous. This week the 500 pound gorilla landed on a Baptist church in Indianapolis. Here is the story from the Indianapolis Star.

“The NFL is telling Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis that the church’s plans to use a wall projector to show the game at a party for church members and guests would violate copyright laws. NFL officials spotted a promotion of Fall Creek’s “Super Bowl Bash” on the church Web site last week and sent pastor John D. Newland a letter — via FedEx overnight — demanding the party be canceled.
Initially, the league objected to the church’s plan to charge party-goers a fee to attend and that the church used the license-protected words “Super Bowl” in its promotions. Newland told the NFL his church would not charge party goers — the fee had been intended only to pay for snacks — and that it would drop the use of the forbidden words. But the NFL wouldn’t bite. It objected to the church’s plans to use a projector to show the game on what effectively was a 12-foot-wide screen. It said the law limits the church to one TV no bigger than 55 inches. The league even took exception to the church’s plan to influence nonmembers with a video highlighting the Christian testimonies of Colts coach Tony Dungy and Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith. “While this may be a noble message,” NFL assistant counsel Rachel L. Margolies wrote in a follow-up e-mail, “we are consistent in refusing the use of our game broadcasts in connection with events that promote a message, no matter the content.”

If only John Facinda were alive today. The legendary voice of the once interesting professional football league could voice over the latest heroic feats of these brave men known as copyright lawyers.

(Dramatic music)

Across the frozen tundra these magnificent lawyers strode. Armed with subpoenas and restraining orders they vanquished every foe. Woe to he who goes against the charge of the on-coming barristers…beware the drive block, the forearm shiver…it’s one ton of corporate muscle with a one track mind.

When did we lose the ability to reason? Common sense has been in hospice care for some time and actions like this could deal the once vibrant concept the final death blow. I hardly think this church gathering is a threat to the famous professional football league. I applaud the Fall Creek Baptist Church for immediately and gracefully complying with the “demands” of the no fun league.  They have been great examples of the counsel from 1 Peter.

For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right….
Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.  NLT

Or in this case, respect the commissioner. The church dropped the snack fee and the use of the name of the over-hyped game. The no fun league’s zealous protection of the name of the over-hyped game is the ultimate irony. Lamar Hunt came up with the name for the over hyped game while watching his daughter, Sharron, play with the 1960s “Super Ball” toy. It is fortunate for the no fun league that the Wham-O Toy lawyers didn’t come bouncing into their offices in the late ‘60’s. So this sacred name was co-opted from a popular toy at the time, the Wham-O Super Ball.  A potential party idea is to go buy a bag of Super Balls and bounce them this Sunday instead of watching the game of the nearly same name. I doubt that Wham-O will bother you if you promote a “Super Ball” party.

Back to our news story from Indianapolis. This is stunning rationalization even by corporate standards.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league’s longstanding policy is to ban “mass out-of-home viewing” of the Super Bowl. A major exception to the rule is made, however, for sports bars and other businesses that show televised sports as a part of their everyday operations. “We have contracts with our (TV) networks to provide free over-the-air television for people at home,” Aiello said. “The network economics are based on television ratings and at-home viewing. Out-of-home viewing is not measured by Nielsen.”

Nice try. The ad rates for the over-hyped game this year is 2.7 million dollars for a 30 second spot. Think what it will be next year now that we have curtailed the Baptists!

But the flatlining of common sense and the final straw for the Fall Creek Baptists was the threat of the potentially “noble” message. If you go to a church there is always a possibility (exempting some seeker sensitive churches) that there might be a “message”. Churches have been doing that “message” thing for years while inviting people to Christmas plays, movies, and other events. The republic has survived. Apparently the legalistic congregants of the church I grew up in migrated to professional football. The league has issued stone tablets with the party commandments. Here is the law from the Book of Nofunicus.

For groups that want to host Super Bowl parties — other than sports bars and businesses that normally show televised sports — here are rules that must be followed:

• No admission fees (even to pay for snacks).

• Only one television (55 inches or smaller).

• No use of the words “Super Bowl” in promotional materials.

• No exhibition of the game in connection with events “that promote a message.”    Source: NFL 

Pastor John Newland has given up on his subversive plan to provide family entertainment and a possible “message”.

“It just frustrates me that most of the places where crowds are going to gather to watch this game are going to be places that are filled with alcohol and other things that are inappropriate for children,” Newland said. “We tried to provide an alternative to that and were shut down.”

Pastor, if it makes you feel any better I had to cancel my party for a game named after a Wham-O bouncing ball. My TV is 56 inches wide (I am sure the league attorneys carry a tape measure) and I had a message I wanted to promote to the no fun league.

Your game no longer interests me.

This just in…Friday evening the NFL announced that all of this was a big “misunderstanding“. A new statement from the NFL had no problem with the church gatherings as long as admission is not charged. No mention of screen size or message in this communique. Hmmm. Oh well…I give the NFL Public Relations machine credit for quick damage control.

 

 

I rarely get spiritual inspiration from horse eulogies. I suspect that does not make me unique. But I was moved by a comment in a story about Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro after he was euthanized last week. I admit that I got emotionally involved with the fight that Barbaro made for his life. From the heart wrenching injury to the hopeful progress I followed the story faithfully. Last week it became apparent that the battle was lost. The comment that moved me came from co-owner Gretchen Jackson as she talked about the loss of Barbaro.

“Grief is the price we all pay for love.”

That is a gut level truth. There is a price to pay for love and there is a risk. You can get hurt. You can lose the love of your life. People (and animals) die. But isn’t it better to love and experience grief and hurt than to retreat to a safe emotional bunker of isolation? I choose to take the chance to love. The same thing happens with friendship. Hurt can be the price you pay to make yourself vulnerable to others. I see this happen so often in church relationships. It happens so much that I wrote a book about it.  Wounds from Christian friends cut so deep. That is because we have so much higher expectations from Christian friends and that creates devastating hurt when they don’t meet those expectations.  I too often see the recipients of that hurt retreat to the safe bunker and sometimes never come out. That is not what God wants from us. Paul writes how we should live our lives as representatives of Jesus

(Conviction Warning…read at your own risk)

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus…   Colossians 3  NLT

Ouch. And amen. We must not allow Satan to win this battle. Of course some church goers do things that are wrong and indefensible. When viewed through the lens of the culture you have every “right” to be angry. But the Holy Spirit is prompting us to see through a new lens. I need to have Jesus “laser surgery” on the eye of my heart so I can see through that new lens that Paul describes above. Easy? Hades no! But it is possible when we focus on how much we were forgiven when we were unforgivable and when we focus on how much we were accepted when we were unacceptable.

There is a huge risk when we allow ourselves to be that vulnerable. It is especially tough when we are once or twice burned. But it is a risk not only worth taking but I believe necessary to grow more Christ like. There is a new song coming out in April from Martina McBride. She debuted the song at the CMA Awards show and I have pre-ordered it for my iPod listening pleasure. She talks about the risks of life and offers some pretty good counsel. Here are some of the lyrics from Anyway…

You can spend your whole life building something from nothing
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway
You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach and you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

Chorus:
God is great, but sometimes life ain’t good
And when I pray it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway, I do it anyway

This world’s gone crazy and it’s hard to believe that tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons, and in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love’em anyway

And that is my desire as I follow Jesus. Sometimes life ain’t so good. But I choose to build it anyway. Dream it anyway. Believe it anyway. And even if I get hurt along the way I choose to love’em anyway. My reason for that is very simple. Jesus chose to love me anyway.