Commitment done in Favre Fashion

If you want an example of how NOT to make a decision, you need look no further than Brett Favre. He finally did decide not to come back and play for the Minnesota Vikings, and responded before the deadline of July 30th. However, as we've come to expect from Brett lo these many years, he could not bring himself to actually commit to staying retired. Concluding his decision to stay retired by throwing in a "Now come November 1st, I don't know how I'll feel if someone comes calling...." only fueled the ire of many.

In other words, if a team needs me, and is in a play-off race, and I don't have to put in the hard work of training camp (and that does look miserable, I watched some practices), then I may be up for it. As long as it serves my best interest, as James Taylor sang "I'll be there, Yes, I'll be there, You've got a friend," or a quarterback.

As much as I've come to lose any respect I had for Favre (never was a fan of him in Green Bay), I probably have to admit I have more in common, at least off the field, with him than I would like to think. You probably have a little Favre in you too.

Self-interest often collides against Kingdom commitment fairly regularly. However, He who considered others more important than himself surely offers us forgiveness and hope in this battle (Phil 2).

A "friends" post

This is an interesting post/interview about churches, both large and small, by my friend Ed Stetzer. Don't you love how people, especially pastor bloggers, like to name drop and say "my friend _______(insert big name ministry leader)?" Actually, I should clarify: he is not my friend, but my "friend" on facebook. Anyhow, the book in question is called 10 Stupid Things That Keep a Church From Growing: How Leaders Can Overcome Costly Mistakes and written by a dude named Geoff. So with a man who spells "Geoff" the original way, the book must be good read. At least the interview is.

The All Star game and saving faith

Amy noted to me that it seemed weird baseball would have an all-star game during the middle of the season. Of course, many if not most sports, with the exception of football, include an all-star game of sorts mid-way through the season (basketball, hockey, perhaps soccer).

The problem with an all-star game which occurs mid-way through the season is that many players are rewarded for simply having a great first half of the season. Sometimes they may finish extremely poorly. In fact several Rays players who made the all-star team would probably not have made the all-star team if voting took place at the end of the year.

So an all-star is an all-star for his first half performance. Period.

But the Christian life is about finishing, forgetting what is behind and straining to what is ahead (Phil 3:8-16). It is not about a prayer you prayed when you were little or about how you were at one time "saved" a long time ago. The truth of the matter is that we need to continue considering how is God "saving" us from the enslaving power of sin NOW, not just how he saved us from the punishment of sin THEN.

I don't mention John Calvin too much, but since he's like 500 years old right now and I'm a fan, here we go: the "P" in "TULIP" refers to the Perseverance of the Saints. That basically means that those who are "saved" will continue their walk by daily repentance and faith in Christ alone until their "season" is over. Finishing the race is an indication-not a reward, but Christ's completed work applied to their lives-they "were saved" from the Punishment of Sin, "are saved" from the enslaving Power of sin, and "will be saved" from the Presence of sin.

The Christian faith, unlike being an All-star, is not about first half performances. Instead it is a finishing and resting faith in Christ alone. Faith Now & Later, not some appearance of faith Then.

The gospel, sports, and a critical spirit

The gospel really should permeate all of life. There is no part of our lives it should not touch and change. Fortunately Randy challenged me, and of course the Holy Spirit followed up and sealed the deal to apply the gospel to something quite mundane: how I view errors in baseball. But again, since Christ will finish the work He started (Phil 1:6), the mundane is fair game from now until He returns.

Let me explain. I was "down" on one of the Tampa Bay Ray's players Willy Ayabar. He made several horrendous errors in one inning and mistakes that weren't deemed errors in another. All this after a game in which he almost cost the Rays the game because of another error. I argued that Willy shouldn't be playing the field. Nothing wrong with that.

But the heart behind my statements revealed a critical spirit. Randy posed the question, "What if someone just came to hear you preach one Sunday and you were "off" that Sunday (Ayabar doesn't play everyday)?" Certainly I've had better and worse sermon content, delivery, application, ethos, etc...some days than others. Wouldn't I hope people give me the benefit of the doubt?

Since I'm not the owner, manager, or even a teammate, my thoughts and discussion of the Rays don't count for anything (although Joe Maddon did seem to take my advice of moving Jason Bartlett down in the batting order to offset lack of production from the 9th spot). I'm simply dealing with a critical heart behind my thoughts.

That spirit came up again the next day when the umps blew a terrible call, which should have been strike 3 and ended the inning. The next pitch was hit hard, and center fielder B.J. Upton misplayed it, leading to a 3 run inning which proved enough to win the game for Obama's White Sox.

I became angry at the Ump for his missed call, angry at Upton's fielding mistake, and then at Wheeler for giving up the third run on a single. I was still angry the next day. Baseball players and umps go through a 162 game season. That's quite a number of games. They will make mistakes. I would too.

And I make mistakes on my job, as you do on yours. While I'm not getting paid as handsomely as Aybar or Upton, I would hope that people show me grace when I screw up. The gospel reminds me how often I don't deserve grace, but that God still lavishes it upon me. I ought to extend that to others who make mistakes, and so should you. I still think Aybar would best fit at D.H. or first base, but I'm beginning to see the need for the gospel to change even how I enjoy-or don't enjoy-and follow sports.

Interestingly enough, while searching for an image for Willy Aybar, I came across a fascinating story of his redemption from alcoholism.

Gidget's passing

Here is some sad news. You may, like myself, hate Taco Bell, but you can't hate on Gidget. Your favorite Chihuahua (and mine), Gidget the Taco Bell Dog, dead at 15 years of age.

Unlike most celebrities and celebrity dogs, we see no signs of foul play, rampant clandestine infidelity, or prescription drug use. Simply old age and a stroke took down this gentle giant. Well, giant in heart. Gidget leaves behind a legacy rivaling other canine greats such as Spuds Mackenzie and Lassie. He truly paved the way for lap dogs to be taken seriously on and off the airwaves. May we never forget Jack Handey's Deep Thought:

I hope if dogs ever take over the world and they choose a king, they
don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with
some good ideas.

The Soloist

Before Connar arrived, Amy and I used to hit up the dollar theater in Sarasota on a regular basis because we like movies and it's a cheap date. We finally got a break the other day-just a week or so ago-and saw The Soloist (click here to see the trailer)

Now I wanted a bit more action so it took some cajoling to get me on board. However, Amy and I thoroughly enjoyed this film based upon a true story.

The story chronicles a L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez's attempts to help a homeless Cello virtuoso, at one time enrolled in the Juilliard College. But his mental illness has left him content with living on the streets playing a 2 stringed violin.

Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr, runs into some rough patches with Anthony Ayers, played by Jamie Fox, as he does not always appreciate the help. Of course the Christian character in the movie is a putz, but since the movie is based off the book, perhaps it was just an accurate portrayal.

Nevertheless Amy and I found the movie an intriguing picture of redemption as well as the selfish and unrealistic expectations revealed when we seek to help others. I would highly recommend the film to others. I've not really heard anyone talk about it, so maybe it's just me and some other California nuns who enjoyed the film (several of movie critic Sister Rose's blog readers appeared as fans). If you've seen the movie, feel free to interact with me and tell me why you liked or didn't like it. Again, I found it a superb story and film.

Don't expect them to come to you

An elderly gentlemen the other day (and when I say "the other day," I can mean up to a year so don't try to figure out what church I'm referring to) mentioned to me nostalgically, "We used to have two night services and two or more morning services." This was juxtaposed against the backdrop of empty pews at the service. The gentlemen was saddened, and probably rightly, at the lack of attendance.

But it revealed a mentality that must change should this and many other churches see more folks involved in public worship. The hope was that maybe one day the pews would again be filled and services abound. And so the fundamental question asked is: "What can we do so that people will come?" Usually the answer is to tweak the service, getting more traditional or contemporary, or hire more staff, or develop more attractional programs.

But I think there is a problem with this philosophy. Here's why. More and more people are growing up without any church background and so folks are not actively seeking out churches. With only 20% of Manatee County connected to worship, it's hard to argue against that.

So many established churches cannot afford to continue to embrace this "We're expecting them to come to us," mentality. That worked at one time when the percentages were much higher and there was a more common understanding of spirituality and the role of a church. While I've detect a higher than average spirituality in Bradenton, the church appears unnecessary or less important to many.

The attractional model has worked for both traditional and contemporary churches over the years. In fact many traditional churches operate according to the same philosophy; they hope to attract people by preaching or traditional worship. Other churches expect people to come to them because of contemporary worship, children's, youth, or young adult programs or bible studies.

It can work for some churches. But its hard to argue that it works for most. Many churches need to stop thinking, "Why aren't they coming to us," and adopt a, "We'll go to them, love and live among them, and eventually bring them."

Our church is beginning to see members inviting visitors, as well as visitors inviting visitors. From children to young adults to elderly folks, we've seen some fruit across the demographic board from people abandoning the attractional mindset and living missionally.

And that's quite encouraging because that's really the only way most churches are going to grow. The attractional model can still work for certain settings, but many folks need to realize that those days when people would simply come like animals to a dinner bell are over and not coming back. So I think it's time to go to them, instead of angrily, frustratedly, or despairingly expecting them to come to us.