A little baseball update...and soccer

My son Nathan is playing in the 8 year old machine pitch league in Alabaster. The team started off well going 5-1 and in first place. In the last week however, we have dropped 3 of 4 and are now 6-4. We lost a heartbreaker last night to a team that has only won 1 or 2 games prior to last night. We came out and scored early, taking an 11-3 lead at one point. However, many mental and physical errors let them back in the game. In addition, in 2 innings we only scored 2 runs total and left about 4 guys on base. In the end, we lost 15-14 on the last play of the game.

On the positive side, Nathan is raking the ball at the plate. In the last 4 games, he is 12-14 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 hr. He's also driven in 13 rbi's in that time. Last night he was 4-4 with a triple, a hr, and 4 rbi's. For the season, Nathan is batting .722 with 2 hr's, 2 triples, 7 doubles, and 24 rbi's. He's a future clean-up for the Diamond Dawgs!

My son Drew is playing soccer this year. His team has won 4 games, lost 2, and tied 2. Drew has not scored a goal, but plays real good defense and like to defend the goal. He's gotten better as the season progresses, but still needs to be a little more aggresive. The main thing is that he likes playing and his favorite part is the snack afterwards! Drew's last game will be this Saturday.

Sorry for the absence

Lots happening. It's a busy time. Here are a few things happening lately...

- Nathan, my 8 year old, is playing baseball (machine pitch). His team is 7-3 and in first place. We had a slight 2 game losing streak this week, but broke out of it Saturday.
- Nathan's batting .680 for the year through 10 games. He's had 7 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 hr. He's also had 20 rbi's.
- Drew's playing soccer. His team is 3-2-2. Drew's trying hard. Hasn't scored a goal yet, but has a couple of assists. He plays pretty good defense. He spends a lot of time chasing the ball.
- I am hiring a new assistant at work. My ministry assistant the last couple of years, Jodi, went to work in our preschool department. Thanks for all your service Jodi.
- I'm behind in my reading for my next and final doctoral seminar in May. I'm reading books on missional churches. Some fascinating stuff and should be a good seminar.
- Alison and I have started a new small group with three other couples. It's going really good right now. We're in the beginning stages and are getting to know each other. Great conversation and good spiritual dialogue right now. We didn't meet tonight, and I miss doing so.
- I'm frustrated with the Red Sox this week. Had a great week last week, but lost 5 games to the Angels and the Rays. Come on Sox!
- I'm more frustrated with the MSU baseball team. Horrible pitching and bad losses abound. Legendary Ron Polk announced his retirement at the end of the season. The fanbase is looking for a big name coach to replace him.
- I still think Joel Osteen is dangerous.
- I still think Oprah's more so.
- My throat hurts with all this pollen stuff going on.

That's about it for now. More to come.

Curses...Foiled Again (Why are the Yankees sweating the Red Sox so much lately)

Yankees Unearth Hidden Red Sox Jersey from New Stadium

NEW YORK — A construction worker's bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium was foiled Sunday when the home team removed the offending shirt from its burial spot.

After locating the shirt in a service corridor behind what will be a restaurant in the new Yankee Stadium, construction workers jackhammered through the concrete Sunday and pulled it out.

The team said it learned that a Sox-rooting construction worker had buried a shirt in the new Bronx stadium, which will open next year across the street from the current ballpark, from a report in the New York Post on Friday.

Yankees President Randy Levine said team officials at first considered leaving the shirt where it was.

"The first thought was, you know, it's never a good thing to be buried in cement when you're in New York," Levine said. "But then we decided, why reward somebody who had really bad motives and was trying to do a really bad thing?"

On Saturday, construction workers who remembered the employee, Gino Castignoli, phoned in tips about the shirt's location.

"We had anonymous people come tell us where it was, and we were able to find it," said Frank Gramarossa, a project executive with Turner Construction, the general contractor on the site.

It took about five hours of drilling Saturday to locate the shirt under 2 feet of concrete, he said.

On Sunday, Levine and Yankees CEO Lonn Trost watched as Gramarossa and foreman Rich Corrado finished the job and pulled the shirt from the rubble.

In shreds from the jackhammers, the shirt still bore the letters "Red Sox" on the front. It was a David Ortiz jersey, No. 34.

Trost said the Yankees had discussed possible criminal charges against Castignoli with the district attorney's office.

"We will take appropriate action since fortunately we do know the name of the individual," he said.

A woman who answered the phone at Castignoli's home in the Bronx on Sunday said he was not there.

A spokesman for Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said Sunday he did not know whether any criminal charges might apply.

Levine said the shirt would be cleaned up and sent to the Jimmy Fund, a charity affiliated with Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Along with that, New York will send a Yankees Universe T-shirt, which is sold to benefit Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

"Hopefully the Jimmy Fund will auction it off and we'll take the act that was a very, very bad act and turn it into something beautiful," he said.

Hello from the Passion Conference

Hello everyone. Checking in from Atlanta and the Passion Conference. We're at a dinner break and will be heading back for the closing session in a few moments.

The conference kicked off last night with Chris Tomlin leading worship and Louie Giglio bringing an incredible message about the heartbeat of Passion. He read an emotional series of entries from the journal of a girl named Ashley who met Christ through a roommate who had attended the Passion 07 conference last year. In the course of about 14 days from the simple testimony and life of one girl, Ashley went from non-believer to embracing the gospel of Christ. The evening was closed by David Crowder Band.

This morning we were led in worship by Charlie Hall. Francis Chan brought an awesome message about the power of the Holy Spirit and his role in our lives. WOW! The afternoon session was led by DCB and Louie. Louie challenged the attendees to understand that not only is suffering a reality of life, it may be the thing that God uses to leverage the truth of the gospel through our lives. He finished Ashley's story that he started the day before with a gut-wrenching series of e-mails. I won't ruin it for you. You need to get the dvd.

About to head back in a few moment for the evening and final session.

P.S. Currently the Sox are losing to the Yankees 2-1 in the 6 but two are on and Big Papi is coming up!

'Nuff Said

State of the Nation in Starkville

One of the frustrating things about being a fan of any team is whenever you begin to have some success only to have that success deflated by negative momentum. That frustration is exasperated when you are the fan of a team that consistently is fighting to sustain any positive momentum like Mississippi State. I have bled Maroon and White since I was a kid. I still remember the exhilaration in 1980 when the bulldog football team beat the #1 ranked Crimson Tide in Jackson. I remember the 1985 Diamond Dawgs of Clark, Palmeiro, Brantley, and Thigpen. I was thrilled at the Final Four basketball team of 1996. However, every time we make positive momentum, we seem to endure issues that slow down the momentum and keep us from being an elite program.

The Good
- MSU Football just finished an 8 win season and a Liberty Bowl win despite being picked by every "expert" in the nation to finish last in the SEC West.
- Last year's Diamond Dawgs defeated a good Clemson team to earn a trip back to Omaha for the first time in almost 10 years. (Unfortunately, there were two and out.)
- The MSU basketball team just won the SEC West for the 4th time in the last 6 years and had a great run after starting very poorly in the non-conference schedule.
- The MSU softball team is ranked in the top 25 and is doing very well.
- The "Big 3" sports have three excellent coaches: Football - Coach Croom has built a program the right way; emphasizing discipline, character, and sportsmanship. It has been a long road, and a lot of struggle, but it has paid off. Rick Stansbury has led the Bulldogs to the longest streak of continued success in basketball that I can remember. Even when the Dawgs are picked to finish near the bottom because they lost a lot of personnel, they overachieve. Coach Ron Polk is a baseball legend whose 30 year career is one of the tops in all of college baseball history.


Now, The Bad
- The underachievement of the basketball team at the beginning of the season and the loss to Georgia in the SEC Tournament cost the basketball Bulldogs a higher seed and put them up against #1 seed Memphis probably too soon in the tournament. All of a sudden, losses to Miami of OH and South Alabama meant a lot more.
- Last week, 2 key football players, Michael Brown and Quinton Wesley, were dismissed from school and the football team for an on-campus incident. Brown is arguably our best offensive lineman. Just when it seems that character is paying off at MSU, 2 bad apples cast a shadow on all the other young men who have worked hard for this program.
- MSU all-world player Derek Pegues was arrested in March for a suspended driver's license and open container of alcohol.
- Stud linebacker Jamon Hughes was suspended earlier this spring for an undisclosed incident.
- A couple of weeks ago one of the top recruits on Mississippi for next year, Chris Garrett, removed his early commitment to MSU and is now going to LSU. Garrett is a life-long State fan but obviously felt like his best chance for success was in Louisiana and not in Mississippi. Ouch!
- Last week Scotty Hopson, a top basketball recruit, removed his early commitment to MSU and changed to Tennessee. No doubt the success of the Vols this year had a lot to do with that. Tennessee has a lot of positive momentum right now.
- Last week legendary coach Ron Polk announced his retirement from baseball. He has long been frustrated and fighting with the NCAA for many of their foolish procedures and the negative effect these decisions have had on college baseball. He now feels its time to get out of the game. Many have secretly hoped he would have retired earlier. Now there will be a divided fanbase on who should be the next coach. Polk and some others think its time for Tommy Raffo, a loyal assistant, to take the helm. Others want a top-notch coach like John Cohen from Kentucky, Bianco from Ole Miss, or a host of others. No matter who is hired, some will not like the choice.
- The sports staple in Starkville, MSU Baseball, is currently 13-15 and has only won 2 SEC games. They've been swept by Baylor and South Carolina, lost 2 games to North Florida, lost 2 to Georgia and Ole Miss, and have only won against teams they should beat like UAB and Austin Peay. It looks like a sad ending to a great career for Polk.
- Who's running the Athletic Department? Outgoing AD Larry Templeton has handed over the reigns to Greg Byrne. However, this transition has not been very smooth and now we have to wonder who is going to hire the baseball coach? Also, MSU president Doc Foglesong has announced his resignation after only a couple of years, ending a not very popular tenure. Now we have to get a new president and stabilize a volatile athletic department.
- MSU is consistently at the bottom of the SEC on the amount it can set aside for athletic budget because of it's size and the lack of financial support it can generate. This is made worse when MSU fans get aggravated by loses on the field and problems with coaches and players. Most SEC schools spend twice what State does and some spend over three times. These schools usually have larger facilities which translates to larger fan bases and more revenue.

Now, I am not a "doom and gloom" MSU fan like many of my bretheren. I am concerned about some of these negative things that have taken place recently. I only hope that we can turn some of this around. I don't know if football can survive a return this year to a 3 win season after last year's magic. I have complete faith in Coach Croom and his staff to work it out. However, I am also concerned that there is a lot of negative momentum in my beloved Starkville these days. I hope that positive news starts coming out soon.

I have absolutely nothing to say about this

After 2 Weeks, Fate of Two-Faced Girl Uncertain

She's been hailed by villagers as the reincarnation of a Hindu god, but after 2 1/2 weeks, the survival of the little girl born with two faces remains uncertain, according to a report from ABCNews.com.

Still unnamed, the infant was born in the village of Saini in India with polycephaly, which means she has one body with two heads — complete with four eyes and two mouths.

Video: Baby Hailed as Hindu God.

"At first I was a little bit afraid," Vinod Kumar Singh, the 24-year-old father of the girl, told ABC News. "But then I accepted whatever God gives."

Many in this part of India consider the girl to be the reincarnation of Ganesh, the Hindu god who is half person and half elephant, according to the report.

So far the family has resisted medical treatment, M. Ashmosd, the resident medical officer of nearby Saifi Hospital, where the girl was born, told ABC.

"I've told them we're ready to do the CT scan for free. But they have ignored me," he said.

Thank you...

Yesterday was the day historically set aside for Good Friday. It's the traditional celebration of the death of Christ on the cross. While Christmas brings us the theological understanding of "Incarnation", Good Friday brings us the concept of "Propitiation" and "Justification".

Propitiation means that Christ provided an "atoning sacrifice" for our sins. It's not just enough that as a human Jesus died on the cross. The sinless perfection of Christ's life means that his sacrifice provided an atonement for our sins. Despite many who now want to deny the blood nature of the atonement, Jesus' death and all it's gruesomeness provided the payment necessary to provide for forgiveness of sins.

Make no mistake, the cross of Jesus is not some pretty symbol to wear around our necks or dangle from our ears. It should be a constant reminder of the grotesque extremes that God would go to in order ransom His glory that was marred by our sin. The cross has been aptly named by some "A Violent Grace".

Not only does the cross provide atonement, but also is the means of a legal transaction on our account. Justification is a legal term where God credits our account with the limitless account of Jesus Christ. Although we are guilty, God declares us "Not Guilty" because of Christ. I remember once that Wayne Watson wrote a song in which he said, "His gaze always passes through rose colored glasses." When God looks at his children, his sees us through the work of Christ. The greatest definition I ever heard of justification was provided by John MacArthur. He said, "The Father treated Christ as if he were me so that he could treat me as if I were Christ."

So in the maze of Easter candy, family get-togethers, chocolate bunnies, and filled churches, let us not forget how good Good Friday really is. Thank you Jesus.

Dawgs beat Ducks 76-69

Great win Dawgs! After being down all of the first half and by 10 at halftime, MSU came out and asserted it's will against the Oregon Ducks. They shut down Oregon's 3 point shooters and took control of the boards.

Charles Rhodes proved again that he is a beast! He will be much missed in Starkville next year. He follows in a long line of Power Forwards like Lawrence Roberts, Mario Austin, Robert Jackson, and Cameron Burns. Rhodes had 34 points and Barry Stewart came out in the second half with 16.

Bring on Memphis!

I have absolutely nothing to say about this...

A new feature on the blog. I will occasionally post absolutely ridiculous stories of which I have no comment. For those of you who know me, you know how hard it is for me to stay silent about something. Here's the first edition:

Woman Goes for Leg Operation, Gets New Anus Instead

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A German retiree is taking a hospital to court after she went in for a leg operation and got a new anus instead, the Daily Telegraph is reporting.

The woman woke up to find she had been mixed up with another patient suffering from incontinence who was to have surgery on her sphincter.

The clinic in Hochfranken, Bavaria, has since suspended the surgical team.

Now the woman is planning to sue the hospital. She still needs the leg operation and is searching for another hospital to do it.

Bulldogs advance past Crimson Tide

Congrats to the Bulldogs for advancing in their first game of the '08 SEC Tournament with a hard fought game against Alabama. The story was not the game, but the fact that some severe weather hit the GA Dome and downtown Atlanta during the overtime. The game was delayed 64 minutes.

State was up by three at the delay and then went on to win by two. Congrats to Jamont Gordon and the rest of the dawgs for staying in the game and playing hard. I didn't get to see much of the first half, but I understand that State had a pretty good lead and let Bama back in. Listening on the radio, it sounded like Bama was hitting three pointers about every trip for a stretch there. Congrats to MSU for coming back from a significant defecit in the second half.

On to play either Georgia or Kentucky tomorrow night. Kentucky is one of the hottest teams in the league right now.

Win again tomorrow Dawgs!

Good Times

Just reminiscing about good times last fall.



After a season filled with down moments, JD Drew went from overpriced ballplayer to playoff legend in Beantown with one swing of the bat.

Go Sox. Repeat in '08!

The Evil Empire Attempts to Strike Back...(or why Hank Steinbrenner should learn to shut his mouth)

Alright boys and girls. Time to get back to writing. I was thinking a lot this week what I could write about. Been real busy getting little league baseball and soccer going for Nathan and Drew, catching up on work after being out a week, and clearing things off the honey-do list. Then I wake up this morning and watch SportsCenter and see this following quote from Hank Steinbrenner:

"Red Sox Nation?" Hank says. "What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

Alright, never mind the fact that Hank Steinbrenner is a fat, obnoxious nobody who has ridden the coattails of his windbag father and now takes over the reigns of the best team money can buy. It's already an established fact that the Yankees are the "Evil Empire". That would make old papa George "Darth Sidious" and Hank would be "Darth Maul". (Let's not forget that Darth Maul ended up chopped in half and falling down a dark hole.)

I will give credit where credit is due. At the end of the 90's, the Yankees won 3 of 4 World Series and were the most dominant team around. They also have won many more World Series titles than any other team (a feat they like to talk a lot about). However, they have also consistently spent astronomically more for talent than any other team in baseball and have nothing to show for it this century. King George has finally learned not to run down the farm system and pay for overpriced traitors like Judas Demon (Johnny Damon). While the Yankees are falling down, look who has won 2 World Series in 4 years. Look who unseeded them as the top team in the AL East last year. Look who has more young home grown talent on the field and is beating them with a bunch of kids. The Boston Red Sox. The Rebellion has finally begin to take over and that has Darth George and Hank Maul upset. So what is their reaction, deny the greatness and the depth of the New World Order - The Red Sox Nation.

Go ahead Hank - be ignorant of the truth. It probably is true that the Yankees still sell more apparel than the Red Sox. Lots of people love the Yankees. The Raiders used to sell more than any football team and they suck! However, don't deny the fact that the Red Sox have an army of volunteers and it's growing everyday. I live in Birmingham and I see as many Red Sox hats around the park here as I do the Evil Empire.

And about this ESPN has created the Red Sox Nation thing - come on! The Yankees are almost always one of the first highlights during the baseball season - even when they suck! The media is madly in love with Darth George and his legion of soldiers, Derek "watch me stick out my butt" Jeter, Alex "I cheat on my wife with an exotic dancer" Rodriguez, Joba "I can't pitch with all these flies" Chamberlin, Jason "I sucked ever since they made me stop doing 'roids" Giambi, Johnny "I'm a traitor for money" Damon, and Roger "I got jacked up on 'roids, no I didn't" Clemmens.

The Red Sox dominated last season, they will probably dominate you this season. However, you'll have enough money to buy all the players you want and soon you will win the division and then choke in the playoffs just like you have done every other year this century.

Go Sox!

Been gone a while

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I had three papers due in three weeks. Then, this week, my wife has been sick most of the week so I have been domestic dad a lot.

This week, I will be in Mexico for our annual mission trip from Westwood. We will be building houses in a colonia in Progresso. We are staying at a Methodist church, so I don't anticipate having much of an internet connection. I may be able to find something and post progress once or twice.

Big happenings this last week:
MS State basketball won against Arkansas.
Red Sox pitchers and catchers reported to Florida.
Nathan got a call from his coach. Practices start next week.

I'll let you know if I have a chance to check in. I've been saving up a lot of ideas and opinions that I hope to post soon. I know I promised a 2nd posting on the Christians and alcohol.

Adios!

Farewell to a Great Bulldog

This week, it was announced that Michael Henig was leaving the MSU football team because of a hip injury that affected him most of the season. While the stats may not show it 20 years from now, the Michael Henig era was one of the most important ones the Bulldog team ever had. A small kid from Montgomery was a member of Coach Croom's first recruiting classes. He didn't have the stature or stats to be recruited by most SEC schools, but he did have the heart.

During Henig's freshman year, starting quarterback Omar Conner went down with an injury and in stepped this unassuming freshman. He wasn't surrounded by a huge talent pool. There wasn't a lot of anticipation among Bulldog fans to see him in the game. But he stood in there and made pressure throws and took the big hits. As a freshman, he led State to beat Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. As a sophomore, he pushed senior Omar Conner to the WR corps. Henig had the heart and determination of a winner.

In the first game of his sophomore season, he broke his collarbone against South Carolina. When he went off the field, the air deflated out of most MSU fans. He fought back and later in the season led the Bulldogs to a victory over Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium against one of the teams from his home state that overlooked him. I was at that game and saw again the heart of a champion on display.

Henig started this last year running for his life and throwing six interceptions to eventual national champion LSU. Two weeks later, he broke his hand against Auburn, giving way to freshman Wesley Carroll. He spent the rest of the year in recovery and in a backup role.

I was never angrier or more embarrassed as an MSU fan this year than at the Tennessee and Ole Miss games when I heard many boos when Michael Henig came in to try and jump start a stalled offense. Many MSU fans took a step back into some of the classless levels of some SEC programs that have booed their players in the past. Most of them showed their ignorance of the situation, not knowing that Henig was coming into the game with a slight hip fracture. I hope I never hear another instance of a Bulldog player being treated so bad.

Here's to you Michael Henig! Thanks for being a winner, no matter what the win-loss record may indicate. Thanks for always giving your best. Thanks for performing above the level of your physical ability. Thanks for playing with a broken hip, broken hand, or broken collarbone. Thanks for always being a model of the character needed to be a Bulldog.

Top Ten Super Bowl Commercials for 2008

Alright, I'm a day late on this one. I promised I would post my take on the top commercials. That's why most people watch the Super Bowl anyway, right. Overall, I would say that I thought the humor quality of the commercials was down this year. I didn't see as many that just came out of nowhere and made me slap my knees in humor.

With that said, here's my take on the Top Ten Super Bowl Commercials for this year.

10. Diet Pepsi Max "Bobbling Heads" - This one set to the classic Chris Katan SNL skit was really funny to me. I liked all the celebs falling asleep and having Katan at the end was great.
9. The E-trade Talking Baby - Talking babies are always funny - I don't care who you are. When the baby threw up at the end, I busted out.
8. Bud Light Cavemen - Overall, I thought Bud Light commercials took a step back this year. Like babies, talking cavemen are always good for a laugh. I liked the "Stone Sucks" line.
7. Coca-Cola "Jinx" with Bill Frist and James Carville - This one probably went over the head of a lot of younger viewers, but I thought Frist and Carville were the perfect couple for this commercial. Seeing that Coke brings everyone together brought a tear to my eye.
6. Bud Light - Will Ferrell - Will Ferrell is a nut...no doubt about it.
5. Planters Cashews - Ugly Woman - Seeing all those guys fawn over that ugly woman was awesome. Man she was ugly!
4. Bridgestone - Animals Screaming - Seeing that squirrel scream and all those other animals was very creative.
3. Tide - Talking Stain - This one was close to being #1. I thought that talking stain murmuring over the words that the guy was speaking was awesome.
2. FedEx - Carrier Pigeons - Birds Gone Wild!
1. Sobe - Dancing Lizards - This one had my kids on the floor laughing hysterically. Nice use of Michael Jackson and "Thriller"

You may or may not agree, but that's the best of the commercials in my humble opinion.

I was wrong (why I'm thankful I don't make a living predicting games)

Ok. So I was wrong. The Giants won. Little brother Eli followed in his brother's shoes. Great story. Big upset. Not quite Jets over Colts, but close. I thought the Pats had won it when Moss caught the ball. Eli made a great play eluding the sack and throwing down field - Play of the game. Glad I had no strong close tie to the Patriots. Dolphins hold on one more year. Now I have to hear Mercury Morris run his mouth again.

Halftime - Pats 7, Giants 3

It's halftime and unless there is a huge offensive output in the second half, I am going to be off on my score prediction. The Giants defense is killing Tom Brady. I think the Pats will get it fixed in the second half.

Looking forward to Tom Petty.

Super Bowl XLII ( or why the Patriots will complete the most dominating season ever)

Alright, since the Super Bowl is tonight and since I haven't blogged in over a week, I think I need to put a short post here going on record about the Super Bowl tonight. I am not a big NFL fan. I mostly only watch the NFL to keep up with my Fantasy Football players. I personally have no attachment to any NFL team. I mostly pull for whatever teams have an Mississippi State player who plays significant time (like Jerious Norwood for the Falcons).

Most everyone knows that I am a huge Boston Red Sox fan. By proxy, I also have some affinity for the Patriots. I have been rooting for them this season because it would be a magical year for the city of Boston to win the World Series, the Super Bowl, and have a chance for the Celtics to win the NBA Championship.

I am rooting for the Patriots tonight for a few reasons. First, I like Tom Brady. I have always pulled for any University of Michigan quarterbacks, especially a likeable guy like Brady. Second, no offense to my good friend and Miami Dolphin fanatic Danny Wash, but I am tired of hearing about the '72 Dolphins. I'll give Don Shula credit for an awesome season, but every year we hear about whether this team or that will pass the '72 Dolphins. Let's get it over already! I am tired of seeing Mercury Morris run his mouth on ESPN. I am tired of Shula's comments. Third reason I am rooting for the Patriots is because they are playing the New York Football Giants. It's the classic Boston - New York rivalry. I will never pull for a New York team over a Boston team. It's heresy! Fourth reason - ELI. Eli (I will never be as good as my brother Peyton) Manning followed in Daddy Manning's footsteps and went to Ole Miss. I couldn't root for him to win a spelling bee.

Anyway, it should be an entertaining game. The Giants played the Pats to the toughest game they faced this season. I think they have a chance to win. But, my prediction:

Patriots 35 Giants 24

I will be watching from the comfort of my living room. It should be a lot of fun. I'll post tomorrow my Top Ten Super Bowl Commercials.

Go Pats.

Weighing in on Christians and Alcohol - Part 1

Alright, now that I have finished my next paper that I have been buried in for the last three days, I can finally come up for air for a few moments. This week, a nice little banter occurred between two of my college students about some issues related to Christian liberty. Just what can a Christian do as a recipient of God's grace and not sin? It's an interesting question that has been debated for many years. I don't suppose to have a corner on the market here. And, I know that many of my opinions are just that, opinions, and will not be shared by many. That's ok.

My friend Caleb started this discussion with a post on his blog that can be found here: http://thehiddenmeanings.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-i-set-boundries.html

Then my other friend Michael, who loves a good controversy and debate, answered Caleb here: http://afterwelefteden.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-i-will-drink-when-im-of-age-and-why.html

Needless to say, I appreciate both of their opinions and their right to share them. I will not comment as of yet on the issue of cursing (because I do more of that than I should). Any of you that know me will probably know where I stand on the issue of the issue of alcohol. Many will assume that I have these opinions because I am a pastor and because I went to seminary and because I am a Baptist (and Baptists don't drink or chew or go with girls that do.) However, my opinions on alcohol were formed completely apart from those issues.

Let me start by making clear to you how I really feel about alcohol. I absolutely hate it! I hate everything about it. I hate it so much that I wish that all alcoholic production facilities would disintegrate and all the people who make billions of dollars making and pushing a legalized drug would spend an eternity being flogged with little whips by those whose lives have been destroyed by their poison. But since I am not God and that decision is not up to me and since alcohol is an evil that will not go away, then I have had to spend a lifetime deciding how I would deal with it.

Thank you for allowing me to vent with a little irrational emotion. With all that said, let me give you a few personal reasons why I hate alcohol and then I will get to some Scriptural and ethical reasons I believe drinking alcohol is unwise for anyone, but especially for a Christ-follower. (Notice I didn't say it was wrong for them to drink, just unwise. And I didn't say it was unwise for a Christian, but for a Christ-follower. Those two things are mutually exclusive)

Personal objections to alcohol
1. My Dad - My father drank alcohol for most of my life until a few years ago. Many years of my life were filled with Pabst Blue Ribbon, Coors Light, and Bud Light. I thought every one's father drank. My dad was not a bad drunk. He tolerated alcohol quite well. However, 30 years of drinking 6 or more beers a day helped to destroy his marriage to my mom and put him in the hospital twice with a heart attack.
2. Johnnie - I met Johnnie when she came to work at Hibbett's with me in college. She was a great girl and to my knowledge, didn't drink. She did hang out with several who did though. One night, the pressure and her problems got too much and she gave in. Three hours later she rolled her car and was killed instantly. I swore at her funeral that my resolve would be stronger than ever.
3. Finances - As I mentioned, my dad drank regularly for most of my life. When I prepared to go to college, there just wasn't enough money to send me to the school of my choice. I did the math though. 6 beers a day, 365 days a year, 18 years - more than enough for tuition. Just helped me see that alcohol may not be the wisest use of money.
4. Too many teenage funerals - As a youth pastor for 15 years, I got sick of attending funerals for students who where killed because either they or someone else was drinking. I know that they weren't old enough to drink and that their immaturity led to their death probably as much as alcohol, but that doesn't change the point. And the whole "Don't drink until you are 21" thing. That's just stupid and an attempt to add some control to something that's unwise anything. I was no more mature on my 21st birthday than I was on my 20th.
5. Personal responsibility to my family - I have a wife and three precious gifts from God in my sons. I owe it to them to represent a Christ-filled image of a man of God as much as possible. I have enough struggle doing that when I lose my temper or fail to lead them in prayer and devotional. I sure don't need to add to that fact confusing them about whether a man of God should drink or not. Life for them will be confusing enough.

Now, with that said, let me make clear my opinion. I do not think its wrong for a Christ-follower (or Christian) to drink. It's not an issue of morality to me. (Although the production of it may be a moral issue to me.) I believe it's an issue of wisdom. I believe that God calls his children to walk in the path of wisdom. The book of Proverbs is filled with commands to such. Also, Christ has become for us wisdom:
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30

I believe its a very unwise thing for a Christ-follower to drink and a bad use of the use of the Christian liberty that we have. For it to classify as a sin, it would have to be an intentional, culpable violation of God's will - including violating the Holy Spirit's role in our conscience. I have never been convinced by anyone that drinking alcohol is not an unwise thing. Most of the time the debate is about whether there is something wrong with it. Now, I know that there are a lot of things we do that are not wise - watching too much TV, spending hours playing NCAA football on Playstation, driving 75 in a 70 mile/hour zone. Life is filled with the battle for wisdom on our part. That's why I believe that this issue is so important. Why would I do something unwise that adds no value whatsoever, no matter how culturally acceptable it may be?

I will have some more opinions to post about this subject later, but I want to answer some of my friend Michael's points.

1. "not only is drinking, in moderation, not hazardous to ones help, it has been proven that red wine actually increases the antioxidants, which helps prevent heart attacks." Come on! You gotta do better than this. Drinking wine may help prevent heart attacks, but so does Lipitor, Crestor, and running 5 miles a day on treadmill. There are lots of ways to be more healthy without this. At one time, placing leeches on someone to drain poisons out of their blood was considered good for you. Don't see a lot of people rushing to the store to by leeches. Just because something may be good for your health does not mean it may not be wise.
2. "the perception that alcohol is immoral is held by a small majority of individuals, most of whom reside in the Southern Baptist Convention. outside of the south, drinking is social. in europe, where the drinking age is sixteen, the rate of alcoholism is lower, and drinking alcohol with a meal is morally accepted. here in the US, it is only viewed as immoral by those who have seen the abuse of alcohol, and not its use in moderation." First, this is not an issue about what is acceptable to most Southern Baptist or Presbyterians or any other religious persuasion. It's about biblical wisdom. Second, just because drinking is considered socially or morally acceptable does not mean its wise. There was a time, both here and in Europe, that it was socially acceptable and in some peoples beliefs morally acceptable to own slaves. Not only that, but the Bible would appear to not only not condemn slavery, but speaks to slaves and slave owners (Philemon). There were also many slave owners who were very good to their slaves, treating them as family. Many people could not understand why William Wilberforce and others saw it as an immoral issue. However, few in our day and time accept it anymore. Would the fact that in some countries smoking marijuana is socially and morally acceptable make it a wise thing to do?
3. "now there is something to be said for not doing something for the sake of a weaker brother, which is in 1 Corinthians. but should we not look to strengthen our brother by freeing them from their legalistic mindset? this is where true wisdom is, not in the degradation of alcohol, but in using alcohol moderately, and being wise about whom one drinks with. but this is by no means an argument for giving up the use of alcohol all together." I agree that legalism gets us nowhere. However, the weaker brother principle is not about freeing people from "legalistic mindsets". It's about being wise enough to know that the freedom of Christ may allow us to do some things, but wisdom keeps us from exercising freedom for our sake. How does showing someone that I can drink in moderation actually free them from anything? Especially when you do not know their spiritual background and condition? Furthermore, why would the gospel need a Budweiser to give it credibility? True wisdom is not found in exercising our freedoms in moderation, but in being able not to exercise them at all, not because someone or some system told us not to, but because we are "bought with a price and I am not my own." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Finally, I would tell my friend Michael this - "Have a drink on your 21st birthday. you are free in Christ. Be careful. Be temperate." However, I want to know something. Did Jesus tell you to do this? Did you arrive at your opinion or conviction through careful prayer and attentiveness to the Holy Spirit? Or did you arrive at it by debating alcohol with your friends and looking for some proof texts for it? Is there something about the formation on the character of Christ in you that calls you to this? Or did you just find something on Mark Driscoll's website or book that you thought was cool? I will not argue with you that you are perfectly justified to drink and I believe you would do so in moderation. But I also believe that exercising your freedoms sometimes come at a cost that we pay for many years.

I will have more to say on this subject soon, including some Biblical reasons and some opinions of others why the path of wisdom with alcohol might be abstinence.