Monday, October 18, 2010

Random Sports Reflections

It has been awhile since my last post but there hasn't been anything pressing so it's always good to throw up a few random reflections in bullet style points.

*A friend of mine had a tweet about the possibility of college football being an idol.  Now I know where my friend is coming from.  I know him from college and I'd consider him a good friend and he's a strong believer (and also a youth pastor which means he has a huge calling in my book) so I know he's not like sports is evil.  Though there are some people that do have that feeling.  To them I would say this.  Sports is not evil.  It is like anything.  It is good and honoring to God....if it is in the proper relationship to Him.  If sports is put above God, then yes it is an idol.  However, anything can be put above God and hence become an idol.  Food, friends, one's spouse, anything can become idol.  But those things in an of themselves aren't bad.  God created those things to be enjoyed in the proper place.  And I feel that sports is one of those things.  Do some people make sports their idol...yes.  But one should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Sports can be an instrument for God to be glorified.  It's about keeping it in the proper perspective.

*I thought it was really cool (though I don't like Texas) the celebration the Rangers had in their locker room following their ALDS series victory.  They celebrated with ginger ale, because they wanted to include OF Josh Hamilton in the celebration.  Hamilton, a follower of Jesus and a recovering alcoholic, skipped the AL West clinching win celebration because they used champagne because he didn't want to be tempted to drink.  This time his teammates used ginger ale.  I respect Hamilton because he's someone who has made mistakes, owned up to those mistakes and continues to move forward and be honest about his faith and his struggles.  That is something that should be an encouragement to all believers as we struggle to live out our faith on a daily basis.

*Speaking of baseball, all the teams I rooted for in the Division series lost....which means I'm stuck with four teams that I'm not really fans of (or don't like at all).  I'm pulling for whoever wins in the National League.

*Hockey season has started as well and the Predators are 3-0-1 in their first 4 games...not bad at all :)

No comments: