Exhortation is an Essential Part of our Everyday Christian Lives

It’s amazing how God can speak to us through various events that occur in our cities and in the case of me last week, our favorite sports teams and athletes. Growing up in Cleveland, OH I’ve loved the Tribe since my Grandfather first began teaching me about baseball when I was eight years old. This past week, Indians closer Chris Perez drew attention to from the media when he diverted from his usual happy, cheerful and friendly personality by slamming the fans all around north east Ohio for their lack of support for the Indians since they are in first place. He also expressed anger over being booed in his outing on May 17^th in which he got himself into a jam in a tie game, but worked out of it.  “It p**sed me off" Perez was quoted as saying. He then said that ‘the Indians are a first place team and we are LAST in the league in attendance?? Come on fans get out here and enjoy this, your team is in first place!”

When I read these statements from Perez (who I have lovingly nicknamed “Rockstar” due to his long hair and scraggily beard) something inside of me was stirred up! I agreed with his gutsy statements completely, and felt he deserved major kudos for being willing to express how he felt. How he felt, that is what hit me immediately. You see, I myself, and I think so many sports fans sometimes forget that baseball players are human just like we are, and they have feelings too! When they are booed, it hurts, and that hurt leads to anger! Especially when it is an unjust booing. If Perez had given up three runs and ‘blown the game’ it would kinda makes sense for him to be booed, but to be booed just because he got into a jam is ridiculous and totally un-called for!

This leads me to the scripture verse that I felt drawn to through all this. I have been reading and journaling through Hebrews this past two weeks, and we then studied the specific passage I am about to share with you this past week at my Bible Study (amazing how we God speaks a passage to your heart, he allows it to come to you from multiple sources!). Here it is:

“Take care, brothers, less there be in any of you and evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

-Hebrews 3:12-13 (ESV)

“Exhort one another every day” from verse 13 stands out to me like fireworks on the fourth of July. Exhort means to ‘strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something’ Our author of Hebrews (whom that actually is, is a classic Bible mystery) is speaking here of course to the Church and every member of the body encouraging one another to be walking out their faith, but I somehow think this can apply to encouraging one another to do our best with the gifts God has given us too (1 Peter 4:10-11) To tie this back to Rockstar, as fans of the Indians and him, it is our job to show our support with the gifts God has given him, which is his case would be the ability to throw a ball 95 miles and hour with movement!

It was pretty cool how this story panned out as the week went on. You see Perez made these statements on Saturday night (May 19^th), and then did not pitch Sunday, and the Tribe then had an off day Monday. Tuesday night the Tribe opened a three game series against Division favorite the Detroit Tigers and if a save situation were to present itself in the ninth inning everyone knew Rockstar would be coming in. The question was how would he be received by the fans for the first time since making those strong statements?

I had the opportunity to attend last Tuesday night’s game with my Mom, and wore my Chris Perez jersey as a sign of support for him and what he said. Sure enough, the Tribe played really well, and led 5-3 going into the top of the ninth. Then as the scoreboard flashed flames mixed with highlights of Chris Perez striking opposing batters out, Perez walked down the steps from the bullpen and onto the field…

As this was happening the crowd of over 15,000 people stood up in unison and began to cheer as loud as they could. Rockstar began his walk to the mound and the entire stadium was roaring, cheering loudly in full support mixed with thankfulness and perhaps for some apology for booing in the past. Here was a guy willing to speak his mind and we fans had the chance to show him we like that here in Cleveland. As the ninth inning progressed Perez would put a couple runners on and then come back to retire the Tigers two best hitters in striking out Miguel Cabrera and getting Prince Fielder to ground out to shortstop to end the game, only to be then given another standing ovation as “Cleveland Rocks” blasted out of the stadium speakers!

Perez would state after the game that he did not know what to expect from fans as he entered the game, but that he was truly humbled by the standing ovation, and thankful to the fans. As it would turn out, the standing ovation continued the next two games, as Perez would earn the save in all three wins of a three game sweep of the beasts from Motown, and Perez stated after Thursday afternoons 2-1 win that this had truly been a week he would never forget. Sometimes that is what exhorting someone looks like, it is letting them know you believe in them, and their ability to use the gifts God has given them, even if that gift is to play a game really, really well!

Dreaming of Paradise: Stupid Fleshly Fantasy, Or God-Given Desire?

“I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

-Isaiah 43:6-7 (ESV)

God created humans for his glory to and bring glory to himself! We were formed and made by him out of dust and when we were created, we were created without blemish and without sin. Take a look at what God said here at the end of the Genesis chapter 1:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

-Genesis 1:27-31 (ESV)

“It was very good!” See all things God created were good. We were created to live in a paradise where no harm could come to us and no pain would grace our presence. Yet mankind rebelled against God and chose to disobey God and ate of forbidden fruit, which brought sin into the world, which then consequently brought suffering, pain and death into the world as well (Genesis 3). This my friends is why suffering, pain and death are so un-natural to us, because we were not created to have to deal with them in God’s original plan. This fact reminds me of the opening lines of Coldplay’s recent single:

“When she was just a girl,
She expected the world,
But it flew away from her reach,
So she ran away in her sleep.”

We all at one point in our life are like the young girl in this story song. We expect the world, that is, we view the world in a way that is positive, exciting and ready to grant us the opportunity to have happiness in our lives. We haven’t experienced pain, sadness, loss and grief yet. However, at some point in our young lives we experience one or more of these and we feel like the dream we had of a safe world has flown ‘away from (our) reach’.

As the next lines in song Chris Martin sings are about the girl dreaming of ‘paradise’ after running away in her sleep, I realize that this in fact is also a direct result of the way God designed us. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon tells us that God has "put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” You see God has put this idea of something greater than ourselves into each of our hearts, and idea that says this hurt I am feeling is not natural and not what was intended to be in my life. He also keeps things hidden from us in order to draw us to Himself and so that we put our trust in Him.

Putting our trust in Him though, does not come without good reason. Jesus, as he was preparing to go to the cross spoke to his disciples in a long, four-chapter narrative that is only recorded in the Gospel of John. As he concludes the teaching part of His talk and moves into what Bible scholars call Christ’s High Priestly Prayer, he tells his disciples that “in the world your will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b) Hear that? In the world we live in that is sinful and fallen we will have trials and (as some versions say) trouble. Jesus is telling us that this is going to be a part of our lives, and we should not be surprised when they occur. Yet, there is that small word that packs so much meaning there in “BUT take heart, I have overcome the world!” Jesus is reminding us that he has dominion over everything in the world, because he was there, and a part of, its creation with God the Father, and thus He is greater than all of the pain that is in the world because of the result of sin. While the world in its current state is still full of sin, when Christ returns one day and establishes his kingdom here on earth there will be no more trials and troubles!

That leads me to my next (and final for now) scripture passage on our Christian hope. In Revelation 21 John has a vision of what the new heaven and new earth will be like one day:

“I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ’Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ’Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

-Revelation 21:3-5 (ESV)

You see friends, for those who put their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, there is a way to one day be re-united with Him in an eternity that will be once again like the Garden of Eden, absent from all death, mourning, crying, or pain as the above verse tells us. We will one day be in the ‘para, para, paradise’ we have all been longing for since birth once again! I don’t know about you, but that makes me extremely hopeful during any trials that I face in my life. While we will never find our paradise on earth, there is one waiting for us one day, either in Heaven and/or at Christ’s return!

A Christian's Musings on the "Best Picture" Nominations- Well Seven Of Them At Least

Oscar season, as I have dubbed it is one of my favorite times of the year. What is Oscar season you ask and when does it take place? Well, it begins right after Christmas, and extends until the end of February when the Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) air on TV. It is that time of year where I try to see as many of the films nominated for the “Best Picture” category as possible. At least, this has been the case the last three years. It truly is what gets me through those long winter months before baseball season begins!

This year, I have seen seven of the nine movies nominated, and the crop of films this year has been top notch in my opinion. All good films, and all films that pack a lot of punch when it comes to Biblical themed messages layered within their plots. What follows are my quick paragraph thoughts/reviews of the seven films, and the themes they contain.

The Help

A film about a brave young wannabe journalist named Skeeter who chooses to write a book based on the stories of African American maids in Alabama during the turbulent 1960’s is bound to be full of Christian themes, and it is! It is hard not to think of Jesus’ words in Matthew 20:16 where he says one day in heaven ‘the last shall be first and the first shall be last” as these brave women are sharing their stories of being treated as second class citizens by their white employers. As it is, main character and maid Viola Davis hears her Pastor talk of Moses in Exodus chapter 3 being told by God that he would never be alone for the Lord would be with him as he went to Egypt to free the Israelites, and summons the courage to share her stories in the first place. The book of course becomes a best seller, and Skeeter’s mother in recognition of her achievements states, “sometimes courage skips a generation.” Indeed God desires to see us being people of courage for his namesake and his will in our lives, and this film demonstrates what can happen when we harness that courage (Joshua 1).


The Artist

The story of this throwback to the 1920’s era of silent black and white movies is rather simple and centers around two movie stars. The first, George Valentin is at the top of his game in his career in silent movies. The second is young and beautiful Peppy, who gets her big break as an extra in one of Valentin’s movies. However, soon young Peppy’s career takes off as ‘talkies’ are introduced, while Valentin’s career plods down deeper and deeper into non-existence, mostly because he refuses to act in any ‘talkie’ on a count of his pride in being an artist who tells the story with his face and action, not words! Naturally of course it is easy to see this film as a summary of Proverbs 16:18 where Solomon writes “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”



War Horse

This movie probably has the least amount of scripture illustrations of any of the seven nominated films I have seen. That is not to say though that it isn’t a wonderful story about a young man and his horse, and the journey they both take throughout England and then into combat on the battlefields of France during World War I. Both are separated during the war, yet both despite great odds seem to keep finding ways to survive, and encounter people to help them along the way. Overall, the impression I felt by watching this movie was God’s providence on both of their lives, and a great illustration of the often quoted Romans 8:28 “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.”


Tree of Life


Considering this movie opens with a quote from Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding” you would expect it to be heavily themed in biblical ideas, and that is very much the case. Though it is disjointed and at times confusing, especially the ‘creation interpretive theme’ section that lasts about 30 minutes and features a definite worldview of the theory of evolution mixed in with creation, it is an excellent movie. The theme is definitely faith in God, and moreover understanding that the reason we worship and fear God is because ‘his thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways’ (Isaiah 55:8). It centers around a family growing up in the 1950’s where the father teachers his sons to be tough, and the mother teaches her sons to be gentle. Ultimately both are needed in life, and both are characteristics and attributes of God, as he is both a God of Love and a God of Wrath.


Midnight In Paris


“Say not, ‘why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” (Ecclesiastes 7:10) If there was a theme verse for this movie it would easy be this one from Ecclesiastes. “Midnight in Paris” is the story of a young writer (Gil) who takes a vacation to Paris, France with his fiancé and her parents. During his vacation he is troubled by feeling unsure about how solid his first novel draft will be viewed in the eyes of publishers. One night he is magically whisked back to Paris circa 1925, in the height of the roaring 20’s and has the opportunity to hang out with the likes of Ernest Hemmingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Gil is very enamored with the opportunity he has to talk with such people, and even gets advice on his novel from Ms. Gertrude Stein, a lady whom Hemmingway trusted to evaluate his work. Ultimately thought, Gil learns though a series of events that would spoil the movie if I were to tell you, that one should not believe one era of history was better than another. Every era had its share of problems, and longing for the past is not a wise way to live one’s life.


Moneyball


I devoted a full blog to this wonderful baseball movie based on the true story of Billy Beane, the man who stood firm in his convictions (Galatians 5:2) and helped build the 2002 Oakland Athletics into a winning team using a theory that Bill James had developed based on ‘buying runs’ by building a team of players who have a high on base percentage. Read my full blog on this film for more insight. It is in my view another film to add to my ever-growing list of ‘excellent baseball movies.’ Then again I love baseball so much I am kind of biased.


The Descendants


Imagine your wife was injured so bad in a boating accident she is now comatose, your oldest daughter is in rebellion away at her freshman year of college, and you are in the middle of a huge business deal involving the planning to sell property that has been in your family’s possession for generations. Then imagine you find out your wife has been unfaithful to you and there is no way to discuss with her why she would cheat on you to begin with. All this we come to find out is what Matt King is facing within the first thirty minutes of this incredibly powerful drama, that teaches us deep lessons about ‘turning the other cheek’ (Matthew 5:38-39) and a powerful illustration of Paul’s command in Romans 12:15 to ‘mourn with those who mourn.” King is surrounded by he and his wife’s family and friends throughout this grueling process of both saying goodbye to his terminally injured wife, and his attempt to come to grips with his wife’s infidelity. He even begins to bond with his rebellious daughter again. Overall a common theme of this wonderful picture is the importance dealing with our own mortality, much like Solomon wrote about in Ecclesiastes 7:2-3 where he teaches that the house of mourning is the end of all mankind and the living should “lay it to heart.”(V2b). There is also a theme of everything having its time in life, which echoes the famous Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 which inspired Pete Seeger to write his often covered classic “Turn, Turn, Turn.” So I don’t reveal too much more of the plot I will stop here, but you can probably guess that this is my favorite of the seven nominated films I’ve seen, and thus my hope for receiving the coveted “Best Picture” award!

Okay friends, there you have it I hope you enjoyed this slightly more disjointed blog post. We will get back to my more typical in-depth critics of secular movies, music and books next time around.

Peace out!

"Come On Let Your Colors Burst"

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. It has been for quite some time. That may sound kind of strange and almost shallow coming from someone like me, because if you know me you would probably think my favorite holiday would be one that has a very large Christian significance to it, such as Easter or Christmas, but truth be told the 4th of July is my all time favorite. I think it is because it takes place right in the middle of summer and because I have grown up in Cleveland, OH and summer is really are only time of the year to enjoy the outdoor weather on a consistent basis. It also is a time of year for cookouts and community parades and picnics, which bring communities together. There is also generally a baseball game to attend, and what would the 4th of July be without fireworks!

That is probably why I initially was drawn to the song I will be putting under the microscope today, “Firework’ by Katy Perry. Now, as many may know, Katy Perry’s real name is Katy Hudson and she in fact did release one album under that name in 2001, on a Christian label. Yes, Miss Perry was raised in a Christian home and grew up singing songs in her church in California. However, she no longer considers herself a Believer and many songs certainly seem to reflect that (“Last Friday Night” is one blatant example!). However, “Firework” has several messages that in my view are important to us as Christians.

Let us begin by looking at the first stanza:

“Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin like a house of cards
One blow from caving in?”

So often in life, we feel fragile and somewhat aimless, not sure what God is trying to do, whether it be with our careers or a relationship or any number of different things. David felt this way to, as he often cried out to the Lord many times in the Psalms. One example is Psalm 88:3-4 that says: “For my soul is full of troubles and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength” (ESV)

It is not wrong to feel this way, and it is completely okay to bring God into the uncertainty and fears that we all have from time to time. However, scripture is full of encouragement in these areas as well, as we will see here soon. But now back to the song lyrics:

“Do you ever feel already buried deep six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you?
'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite
The light and let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July”

I love that line where Perry states, “there’s still a chance for you/Cause there’s a spark in you.” I believe as Christians, God desires to communicate that to us. In Joshua 1:5 God promises the nation of Israel that he will never leave or forsake them. The author of Hebrews re-iterates this fact in Hebrews 13:5 adding a quote from Psalm 118:6 where David states: “The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

God also sees the potential (or the ‘spark’) in us and rejoices ‘over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exalt over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV). He plants desires and dreams within us and will not abandon us when we are walking them out! We also bring the Lord joy when we honor him and follow those dreams and desires that He gives us.

Thus the chorus of the song fits right in with God desiring for us to use the gifts he has given us to work toward fulfilling our dreams:

“Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make em go oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on; let your colors burst
Make em go oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave em fallin down oh oh”

Particularly the line about letting ‘your colors burst’ stands out to me here. God has saved us for a purpose and we each have different gifts to accomplish the purpose of bringing His hope to a world that so desperately needs it! However, Paul tells us that we all have different gifts that when we work together as a Church body brings about the work of the Lord in the world (1 Corinthians 12). Thus these different gifts could almost because ‘colors’ in a sense that are all unique and beautiful in there individual ways, but ultimately truly form a masterpiece when they are all used collectively in a piece of art, in this sense the art of bringing about transformation in the lives of the people and places around us!

One other part of the song that is important to highlight is the third verse were Perry sings:

“Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to a perfect road”

Friends we don’t see the completed picture of our lives the way God does, so we are often going to have unanswered questions about why God did or did not allow certain things to happen, however, sometimes in time we can see that the reason one door was closed in our life is in fact so He could guide us to the right path that is part of His big plan for our life! Psalm 16:7 says “I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.” (NLT). You see, God does guide us, and if we are willing to submit to Him and trust that He knows what is best for us, he will lead us to the right path for what we should do or go next!

Therefore, it is important to have the confidence that by spending time in prayer on a regular basis seeking God, He will reveal to our hearts what we are to do. Then we need to take action and do it, which will lead to us bringing glory to Him. As Paul wrote at the conclusion of his first letter to the church of Corinth, “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV). Thus, when the Enemy tries to make us believe we are worthless and that our work is in vain, we can have the confidence to use our gifts from God anyway, and ‘let our colors burst’ so the world may see Christ in us!

"...But the Lord was with Joseph" (and George Bailey too!)

Christmas time is here my friends, that special time of the year where we bake exorbitant amounts of cookies, buy gifts for our family and friends, decorate both the inside and outside of our houses and [hopefully] spend time reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas, which is of course the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!

One of my family’s other traditions involves watching several Christmas movies on a yearly basis, and one of our all time favorites would have to be “It’s A Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. Over the years, as I have watched this movie, I am always moved [like most people I’m guessing] by the ending. However, last year I began to realize that George Bailey’s whole life reflected and paralleled the life of the Old Testament Biblical hero Joseph, in a couple of different ways.

For example, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt a land that he certainly would never have chosen to reside within, as they were a pagan nation that did not in any way worship the true God of Israel. (see Genesis 37) George Bailey from the beginning of the movie states that he wanted to ‘shake the dust of this small town’ of Bedford Falls and live in a big city where he could ‘build things.’ However, due to his father’s early death, George is instead stuck in Bedford Falls managing his father’s small building and loan business, where he probably felt like a slave in some ways, though he certainly was not in an horrendous a situation as Joseph, because he still was surrounded by family and friends.

As many of you who know Joseph’s story probably know, God was still with Joseph in Egypt, even when he was wrongfully accused of seducing his master’s wife and thrown in jail (Genesis 39:11-23). George Bailey suffers being wrongfully accused of stealing his businesses money by a bank examiner, because his Uncle and business partner Billy accidentally allowed the money to slip into the hands of the movie’s villain Henry F. Potter, who instead of returning the money, keeps it in an attempt to bring George and his business down! However, the same could be said of George that the Bible tells us about Joseph, the Lord was with him.

This we see in a number of ways. To begin with, we are shown that all of George’s friends and family are praying for him as he is rushing around town in Christmas Eve night in a panicked frenzy trying to come up with the 8,000 dollars he has ‘lost.’ This is from a Biblical perspective, exactly what we are supposed to do when one of our brothers or sisters is in distress. The Apostle Paul teaches us in 1 Timothy 2:1 “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.” (ESV) That means that we should pray for others in our lives. Moreover, James 5:14-15 teaches us that “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call upon the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith, will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” I believe this can apply not only to physical illness, but any sort of anguish that one is going through, and in this movie George is certainly going through mental anguish.

In fact, George himself prays to God on his own behalf, asking that He ‘show me the way Lord.” It is at this point that Clarence, George’s guarding angel arrives on the scene, and shows him that his life has been a life that has been well lived. Clarence of course does this in the unorthodox fashion of granting George’s angrily expressed wish of “I wish I had never been born.”

This then, allows George to see all the ways his life has touched the lives of those around him in the small town of Bedford Falls. His brother would have drowned at age nine. The building and loan business would have closed decades earlier, and a fact that is easy to miss in the movie, the plastics factory that George had urged his friend Sam Wainwright to build in Bedford Falls during the Great Depression, and provided hundreds of jobs for its residents in the process, would never have existed! In many ways, George had saved his small town from becoming a horrendous and depressing place to live!

Remember Joseph in Genesis, he did something similar in Egypt. You see, because God’s hand of favor was so strongly on his life, God allowed the Pharaoh to have a prophetic dream, that only Joseph could interpret through his God given gift of dream interpretation. This not only got Joseph out of jail, but also allowed him to be promoted to second in command under Pharaoh! All of that was because Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream to mean Egypt would have seven years of great crops, followed by seven years of famine. Thus, Egypt stored up a lot of extra crops during those seven years of plenty, and became the epicenter for providing thousands of people food who probably would have other wised perished from starvation! Think how bad life would have been in Egypt and the surrounding lands if Joseph had never been born!

To close let’s bring things back to George. He had spent his life modeling Paul’s command in Ephesians 4:1b-3 to “walk in manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It was now finally his friends’ turn to take all of the gentleness, patience, and humility that he had shown towards them over the years and turn it back towards his direction. The did this initially by uplifting him in prayer, and then took action and began donating as much money as they could possibly afford to replace the $8000 that had been lost!

Indeed while the writers of “It’s A Wonderful Life” may not have intended for it to, I’ve always felt that this film shows what true community looks like, and what the Church should truly model to the world. We are called to be a ‘city on a hill’ (Matt. 5:16) that is visibly different to on looking world, and there is no better way to shine brightly on that hill than by fulfilling a need of a fellow Believer in dire straits!

Merry Christmas everyone!

"Baby I'm Alright, With Just A Kiss Goodnight"

In the recent September/October 2011 issue of RELEVANT magazine, there was a very disturbing article entitled “The Secret Sexual Revolution” which unpacked a disconcerting fact that 95% of young unwed dating people in America between the ages of 18-29 are currently sexually active. However, this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to us as Christians, since we are well aware of our cultures glorification of sexuality outside of marriage. However, a whopping 42% of those sexually active were those who claimed to be Christians! When the numbers are broken down even further RELEVANT”s research indicates that only 20% of all unmarried people claiming to be Believers are still virgins! That is scary and depressing news!

That is why when as song like “Just A Kiss” by Lady Antebellum arrives on the scene it is such a welcome breath of fresh air! Here we have a mainstream hit making pop/country band writing a song that conveys an abstinence message! Journey with me as we unpack it a little more in the following paragraphs.

The song begins finding our young protagonist singing about the struggle of temptation the is inevitable in any dating relationship, though I will point out that some decisions can be made to avoid some of these struggles in a moment, but first, here are the first two stanzas:

“Lyin' here with you so close to me
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe
Caught up in this moment
Caught up in your smile

I've never opened up to anyone
So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms
We don't need to rush this
Let's just take it slow.”

First off, it probably is not a good idea to be snuggling up with your boyfriend or girlfriend in a vertical position. Paul teaches us in Ephesians 5:3 that “among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people” (NIV). Therefore, I can fairly easily conclude that putting oneself in a position of temptation is wrong in the eyes of God.

However, that being said, I like how this young women in a story recognizes she is being tempted, and admits she is struggling with her ability to ‘fight these feelings’ and ‘hold back’ yet she ultimately states ‘we don’t need to rush this, let’s just take it slow.” You see friends, Paul also realizes that sexual temptation is going to come upon us in this life, and while it is certainly best to take all precautions to prevent any hint of it in our lives, we are human and going to be tempted at times. That is why he wrote us instructions of what to do when we are tempted: “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6: 18 (ESV)) The young women in our song is telling her boyfriend to stop and ‘take it slow”

This point is driven home in the chorus:

“Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright
No I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight”

What a great message to be bouncing around our countries radio airwaves. While she may not come right out and say ‘we aren’t going to have sex’, the subtle message of ‘baby I’m alright, with a just a kiss goodnight” certainly indicates a girl saying her boyfriend needs to leave after kissing her and nothing more. The bridges clarifies matters in my view:

“No I don't want to say goodnight
I know it's time to leave, but you'll be in my dreams
Tonight”

I like that! Honest, but still standing by her convictions! That is one of the biggest things sexual intercourse can do to people when it is outside of marriage, it leaves nothing left to “dream” about! The Christmas present has been opened way to early and there is no mystery left between the guy and girl anymore. It spoils everything!

I know one of the biggest things that I look forward to when God one day leads me into a special dating relationship will be the excitement and joy that comes from dreaming about the girl I am dating and leaving plenty of mystery to be discovered along the way, most of which will only be discovered if we get married. I have guidelines and precautions that I will be sure to follow when the time for dating comes that will help keep me pure, including but not limited to, being sure I am never alone with the girl anywhere where temptation could get the best of me. That is how I will model Ephesians 5:3 and 1 Corinthians 6:18 to the best of my human ability, while letting God into every area in that relationship. Thus, I will then be able to tell my girlfriend each time we part ways that I am ‘alright with just a kiss goodnight.”

To close this blog I want to be sure to end on a hopeful note. While 42% of Christians are in a current sexually active relationship, that is still less than half, which means the majority of Christians are still holding on to abstinence! However, I want to speak to those who may have already indulged in the act of sex either before they were a Believer, or in a moment of weakness after becoming a Christian. Let me tell you this: there is most definitely forgiveness in Christ. In 1 John 1:9 we are told that, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (emphasis mine).” That means pre-marital sex is included! While some will quip that a person can’t ever be a virgin again, and that is indeed true from a physical standpoint. However, emotionally and mentally I truly believe a person can have a mindset adjustment into living a life of purity from the moment they are cleansed by the Lord on, until the day they marry!

"How Can You Not Get Romantic About Baseball?"

Baseball has been my favorite sport since I began watching it with my Grandfather late in the glorious Cleveland Indians 1995 season. I was eight years old then, and my love for the game has only grown as I am now in my mid-20’s. My interest has now expanded into all facets of the game including how teams decide whom to keep and whom to trade when the time comes. I also have developed a dislike for all the powerhouse teams who can spend all the money they want and bulk their teams up like a weightlifter on steroids. Thus when the movie “Moneyball” came out last month I was immediately drawn to seeing it, as it feeds both of these interests in telling the true story of Billy Beane the Oakland Athletics General Manager who in 2002 built a winning team out of a bunch of guys that other teams rejected for various reasons.

Beane as it turns out met up with a young and upcoming baseball statistician named Peter Brand who had begun analyzing players and screening them for a stat that very few teams ever look at (even to this day), a player’s on-base percentage. Employing computer-generated player analysis Brand could examine all players at all levels of baseball (minor league, rookie ball, and major league) and determine which players would get on base most often, and then recommend them to Beane so he could draft or sign them to contracts.

The film is a genuine treat for anyone who loves both baseball and a true underdog story. As Beane states at the onset of the movie, when expressing frustration over teams with big budgets sucking up all the good free agents from small market teams, “there are good teams, there are bad teams, then there’s fifty feet of crap…then there’s us!” It is soon after this statement that he meets Brand, and the two get to talking about this new idea of employing computer generated analysis.

From here we as the audience are taken on a journey of the Athletics’ 2002 season. They started very slow that year, and were in last place in the American League’s Western Division in May. Throughout those early months, Beane employed a lot of patience with Oakland’s manager Art Howe who didn’t want to play some of the players Beane has signed in the off season because he didn’t believe in Beane and Brand’s concept of using statistics. Beane shows great patience with Howe, and very rarely even raises his voice when arguing with him over the players involved, calling to mind the words of Solomon in Proverbs 15:1a ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath.” However, Beane eventually chooses to force the issue and trades away one of the young rookie players Howe wanted to play everyday (Carlos Pena) so Scott Hatteberg (the player Beane liked) would begin getting everyday at bats. Howe isn’t happy, but he chooses to reluctantly go along with the idea.

By mid-season the A’s are still struggling and Beane begins to realize that young Jeremy Giambi, one of the young players he signed because of his high on base percentage, is becoming a bad influence on the team with his party boy lifestyle. Realizing that he had made a mistake in bringing Giambi to the team, Beane elects to trade him to another team, thus again exhibiting Biblical wisdom this time from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:33 by recognizing that “bad company corrupts good character.”

What then happens as the season moves into the post all star break part of the schedule is truly remarkable! Suddenly all of the players Beane signed begin to shine! With help from Beane’s encouragement the players begin to attempt to draw as many walks as they can, thus causing the opposing team’s pitcher to throw more pitches, thus getting him out of the game sooner. By mid-August another remarkable thing transpires, the Oakland Athletics began an incredible winning streak, one of a nature that hadn’t been seen in baseball since the 1930’s! Suddenly the A’s are in first place and showing no sign of going back! Thus, many of Billy Beane’s critics who thought he was crazy during the first half of the season, slowly began becoming believers in this new baseball philosophy!

Throughout the movie, there are many examples of Biblical concepts some of which I have highlighted already, plus the almost too obvious David versus Goliath story interwoven between the lines of the script. Beane carries himself in a gentle but confident manor. He isn’t afraid to ask players to man up and be leaders on the team, as he does with one of the few veteran players on his team in David Justice. He also isn’t afraid to call guys out who care only about partying and not giving it their all in trying to help the team win, as is the case with Jeremy Giambi who as I mentioned earlier he trades mid-season. The whole film also tremendously exemplifies what it looks like to stand by your beliefs when others around you question you on them, something the Apostle Paul tells all Christians to do when it comes to doing the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58)

There is so much to glean from this movie, aside from the fact that it is tremendously entertaining and a true love story to Major League Baseball and the enjoyable ride a baseball season is for a diehard fan. This is so summed up by Beane himself near the end of the movie during one especially moving scene, the details of which I will not reveal here, when he says “how can you not get romantic about baseball?” As the incredible 2011 World Series Champions the St. Louis Cardinals taught us, yes, indeed Mr. Beane, is surely is impossible not be romantic about such an amazing and unpredictable sport!