Wednesday, April 26, 2006

The Playoffs

Folks at my church know I love sports! I've been active in organized sports since I was 9 years old. I think there are a lot of great "life" lessons one can learn from participating in sports...especially team sports.

Currently, the first-round of the NBA playoffs are occurring. Unfortunately, some of the NBA's finest players are not ones from whom our children should learn. We see all matter of selfishness, crudeness, arrogance, disdain for authority, foolishness, and sometimes plain meaness played out in some of these men. Several years ago, Charles Barkley, one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, made a commercial in which he stated, "I am not a role model." He later explained that parents should be role models for their children, not athletes.

Unfortunately, many players are role models because they are used by corporate America to hawk all manner of goods. From clothing to drinks, from cars to credit cards, athletes are paid large sums of money to sell their likenesses for the good of a company's income. Children, teens, and adults see these men and desire to be like them. So they purchase the product and display it proudly. Such is the power of an athlete's likeness and his popularity. Some athletes sell more than products. They sell poor behavior as well.

Paul made what seems a rather bold comment in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ." (HCSB) So much for humility! However, Paul also recognized that he was the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul knew that we need models, people we can follow, people who embody what they say they believe.

I'm sometimes scared to death to think that I'm a role model for my children, for my wife, for my friends, for my congregation. And yet, what a great privilege I have to be used of our Lord Jesus Christ as an instrument He can wield for His glory as people see Him in me! I pray that more athletes will recognize their unique role in our culture as role models. More than that, I pray that more men, especially husbands and dads, will humbly bow before our Lord and submit to His will for their lives so that in His hands, they will be models of righteousness for others to see and follow as they follow Christ.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Marriage...Again & Again & Again

You know those Hollywood hunks and hunkettes? The ones we grow up admiring and desiring to be like? The ones our kids and grandkids know all about? According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Hollywood's stars have given us another reason they shouldn't be our role models. You see, of the 200 most popular Hollywood stars (Internet Movie Database), 51% of them have been divorced. Us mere mortals divorce at a 31% rate.

We read all the time about Hollywood breakups and rumors of Hollywood breakups...usually while standing in the checkout line of our favorite grocer. Maybe the tabloids are right! Not about aliens abducting Elvis, but about the lack of commitment to marriage in Hollywood. In fact, some wedding vows are taking a more "realistic" bent by replacing the traditional "'til death do us part" for "as long as our love shall last." Of course, some love ends before the ink is dry on the pre-nup!

Throughout the years of doing weddings, premarital counseling, and marital counseling, I've tried to help couples see the difference between emotional love and commitment. Emotional love is a fickle thing. It's what keeps someone from commitment because they reason, "What if I marry this person and then find my soulmate?" I can fall in and out of love in a moment's notice.

Commitment says that my will is more important than my emotions. When Adam saw Eve for the first time, he didn't speak of her beauty in poetic terms, nor gush about how she made him feel. He didn't even say he loved her. Adam said, "This one, at last, is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called woman, for she was taken from man." (Genesis 2:23 HCSB) In today's world, that wouldn't quite sweep a woman off her feet. But, Adam and Eve were married for centuries!

Here's hoping that the church will take its rightful place in society as salt and light within the home. May our culture see men and women committed to each other for a lifetime and when they do, may they see marriage as a reflection of the commitment Jesus Christ has for the church.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Perky Katie Couric

Big news...really big news! The rumor mill has finally proven to be true. Katie Couric is going to CBS to become the anchorwoman and managing editor for the CBS Evening News. She will also be a contributor to 60 Minutes. After 15 years on NBC's Today Show, those closest to Katie said she was looking for a new challenge. Maybe she wanted to sleep in on mornings!

We live in a society that loves to worship celebrities. We'll even make up celebrities through reality TV. So, can't sing, can't dance, can't act, aren't an athlete? No problemo! Eat some bugs on a tropical island while trying to outthink and outlast your competitors. Or, face your biggest fears. Or, find your "soulmate" through intimate moments with millions of people watching. Or, have a woman with a British accent come to your home and help you fix the problem with your children.

So, we have a journalist named Katie who reads the news, interviews Presidents and psychologists, travels to remote locations for weddings and Olympics, and now will anchor one of the Big 3 network news. She hasn't cured an illness, negotiated a treaty, written a history book, but the nation waited anxiously for this important announcement. Such is the power and seduction of celebrity.

Worship is not the problem in our society. It's the object of worship. In just a few days, we'll celebrate the anniversary of the resurrection of our risen Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Many will go to church for their annual tune-up and check-up. For about 1 hour, folks will at least passingly acknowledge there is a God. However, once the service is over, they will go on to their everyday lives with important issues to consider: How will Katie do as an anchor? Will Meredith Viera be a good replacement on Today? How will Matt Lauer do without Katie and with Meredith?

This is not a dig at Katie. But, it is a dig at us. I hope that one day soon, we as a people of the living God will exhibit the same excitement about Christ that we do about celebrities and sports. I hope that the news of the salvation of one soul will fill us with great awe, hope, and excitement. I hope that the work of God in our midst will be the content of water cooler talk.

Good luck, Katie!

Monday, April 03, 2006

And So It Begins

This will be my attempt to speak to issues that speak to me. I don't know where this will ultimately take us, but it's a start. Thanks for your patience as I am learning the art of blogging! And so it begins...
Mike