This past Saturday there was a lot of great things going on in the country in the realm of sports. College football was playing their championship games (and playoffs). The NFL was gearing up for another great day of action. But there was one tragic event that cast a somberness to the weekend.
When I woke up that morning and was going about my routine I saw on twitter a tweet by Danny Parkins, a sports talk host from Kansas City, who had tweeted that Arrowhead Stadium was on lockdown. I thought at the time that was weird and was trying to think of what was going on at the stadium. Then slowly tweets and news reports were coming in across the internet. There was a shooting at a house in K.C. & there was an incident at the stadium practice facilities and that those two things were linked. Then there was a murder-suicide. Then it was one of the players involved.
Finally, the story came out. Jovan Belcher, linebacker for the Chiefs, had shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and mother of their daughter then killed himself. As more details came out, the more it was a tragic story. It started with Belcher getting angry at his girlfriend for staying out too late after spending time with friends at a concert and hanging out afterwards. It escalated into Belcher shooting and killing Perkins and then driving to the Chiefs practice facility. There he talked with Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, GM Scott Pioli & linebackers coach Gary Gibbs before pulling out a gun and killing himself as they watched unable to stop him.
So much has been written in the past 48 hours that I'm sure a lot of what I say would just be repeating but there are two things that I do want to reflect on here. The first is that it's a tragic reminder that ultimately (unlike Jason Whitlock & Bob Costas say) there is a sin problem in our world. Belcher in his anger and jealousy acted in a tragic manner which robbed Perkins of her life and their daughter of her mother. Sin was at the root of this. I was reminded yesterday morning by my pastor who preached on anger (it was planned sermon prior to this event) and was reminded of the verse in Ephesians 4:26-27 "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil." Unfortunately, Belcher in his anger did sin and in one instant not only his life but the lives of those around him were affected. Sin has consequences that affect not only us but those around us. Thankfully we have a savior in Jesus who forgives us of our sins and does not leave us in our sins but until He returns again, we do have to deal with the effects of sin.
The other thing to reflect on was something I read this morning on NBC's Pro Football Talk website. There was an article written by Mike Florio. He shared Brady Quinn (Chiefs QB)'s comments postgame. If you haven't heard or read them yet, they are worth sharing. I will leave you with those quotes:
“The one thing people can hopefully try to take away, I guess, is the
relationships they have with people,” Quinn told reporters after the
game. “I know when it happened, I was sitting and, in my head, thinking
what I could have done differently. When you ask someone how they are
doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you are
doing, are you really telling the truth?
“We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and
Facebook, and that’s fine, but we have contact with our work associates,
our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more
preoccupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the
actual relationships that we have right in front of us. Hopefully,
people can learn from this and try to actually help if someone is
battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a
day-to-day basis.”
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Monday, December 3, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Reflections on Josh Hamilton
I would have blogged about this earlier but I helped take a group of college students to a winter conference/retreat in Myrtle Beach, SC (which was amazing). So now I'm getting around to it. News broke Friday morning about Josh Hamilton having a relapse. When I first heard the news there was little (and I mean very little) detail about what had happened because the news just broke. It wasn't until later that I heard more and honestly until today that I got a "full" idea of what happened.
There has been a lot said this weekend, some good (there's a great article by Yahoo Sports writer Jeff Passan that was particularly good, you can read it here) while others were not. For me personally, I felt bad for Josh. I can only imagine what it must be like to try and deal with addictions to drugs and alcohol (I've never drank nor taken illegal drugs).
But I do know what it's like to struggle with sin. We all have a sin problem. None of us are immune to sin. We are inclined to sin. It is an addiction. Even for those who follow Jesus, who trust in Him as their Lord and Savior like I do, there still is that sinful nature inside of us. And as long as we are alive (or until Jesus comes back), it is something we will all continue to struggle with. There are those days when the temptation to sin isn't that strong but then the temptation comes back strong.
We are not perfect. We follow the one who is. We are called to strive for perfection. But God understands when we mess up. He is willing and ready to accept us back when we acknowledge we mess up and repent. And it's a day by day process. Jesus told his disciples to deny themselves daily and take up their cross and follow Him. We who follow Jesus have to die to ourselves daily and follow after Christ.
I pray for Josh and his family. I pray that they continue to follow Christ and trust in Him during the good times and the bad. And I hope that those of us that hear his story are reminded of Jesus and how He's willing to forgive us when we mess up and willing to take us back when we repent.
There has been a lot said this weekend, some good (there's a great article by Yahoo Sports writer Jeff Passan that was particularly good, you can read it here) while others were not. For me personally, I felt bad for Josh. I can only imagine what it must be like to try and deal with addictions to drugs and alcohol (I've never drank nor taken illegal drugs).
But I do know what it's like to struggle with sin. We all have a sin problem. None of us are immune to sin. We are inclined to sin. It is an addiction. Even for those who follow Jesus, who trust in Him as their Lord and Savior like I do, there still is that sinful nature inside of us. And as long as we are alive (or until Jesus comes back), it is something we will all continue to struggle with. There are those days when the temptation to sin isn't that strong but then the temptation comes back strong.
We are not perfect. We follow the one who is. We are called to strive for perfection. But God understands when we mess up. He is willing and ready to accept us back when we acknowledge we mess up and repent. And it's a day by day process. Jesus told his disciples to deny themselves daily and take up their cross and follow Him. We who follow Jesus have to die to ourselves daily and follow after Christ.
I pray for Josh and his family. I pray that they continue to follow Christ and trust in Him during the good times and the bad. And I hope that those of us that hear his story are reminded of Jesus and how He's willing to forgive us when we mess up and willing to take us back when we repent.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Bartman and Both Sides of Forgiveness: Review of Catching Hell
Last night on ESPN was the debut of the documentary movie "Catching Hell". Initially this movie was to be included last year in the 30 for 30 Series but got bumped. However, they released it as the first movie in the new "season" of documentaries on ESPN and in my opinion is right up there with some of the best in the 30 for 30 series.
The story of "Catching Hell" essentially one of a scapegoat. Although the main part of the story is about Steve Bartman, Chicago Cubs fan, there is also the story of Bill Buckner, Red Sox player that bookends the story. In both instances, the label of scapegoat is placed because fans essentially want someone to blame for the losses that their long suffering teams had to face.
The movie itself was very good. When it first started and the majority of the first twenty minutes was about Buckner I was kinda eh. I was like "When are we going to get to Bartman?" But the director, who's a Red Sox fan, tied it together and it ended up working out using Buckner in that capacity.
As some may know, growing up as a kid in Tennessee in the 80s, my allegiance to a MLB team were fluid. In 1986, it was the first time I actually kinda kept up with it. I liked the Red Sox and was pulling for them. At the time, I was disappointed that they lost but didn't realize until later why I wasn't supposed to like Buckner. Later on, I found out why and looking back now I understand why part of the blame should go to him but not all of it. It wasn't just him who caused the team to lose but it was easy to put the full blame on him. (Side note, in the documentary there was a clip of the postgame interview of the losing pitcher who was more than willing to throw Buckner under the bus, highly disappointed in that guy for not standing up for his teammate). Red Sox fans for the longest time could not forgive Buckner, so much so that he had to move from Boston.
Fast forward to 2003, both the Red Sox and the Cubs were in the championship series with a chance at the World Series (side note, one of two contentions with the documentary, the movie made it seem in a sense that the Red Sox/Yanks series was over with prior to the Cubs/Marlins series, those two series were going on at the same time). At the start of the playoffs, I predicted a Red Sox/Cubs World Series....mainly because I thought it'd be an awesome series. Unfortunately on the AL side that didn't happen thanks to Grady Little and Aaron Boone in Game 7.
On the NL side, the Cubs had the opportunity to clinch a World Series berth in Game 6 of the NLCS. They had the lead into the 8th inning when an innoculous foul ball hit by Luis Castillo is interferred with by a Cubs fan. Later on in the inning, an error by Alex Gonzalez extends the inning and from that the Marlins blast open the game and end on winning Game 6 to force a Game 7.
At the time, I thought two things. One, how in the world could a fan of the home team reach out onto the field when the home team was playing defense? Second, what was he thinking?
After the fact, was it told who the person was & there was a firestorm from it. Local media then national media picked up on the story. Everyone knew about him but no one knew him. And he wasn't talking, he issued a statement that was read by his brother in law but other than that nothing. The Cubs ended up losing the series and the long streak of no World Series victories continued.
I had thought that Cubs fans were mad at Bartman more so after Game 7 but watching the documentary it was evident fans in the stadium were mad that night. Home video from inside the stadium showed how hostile "The Friendly Confines" became. The documentary does a great job of incorporating that footage into the story. I think the main things that I picked up from that footage are that from an angle in the upper deck right over the play....it really does look like Bartman interfered with OF Moises Alou in making the catch (there was long dispute whether Alou really had a chance at it) and that people really hated Bartman for that.
Since that incident, there has been no public words from him. Aside from an ESPN.com reporter trying to track him down in 2005, there has been seemingly no contact with him. He has seemingly disappeared. And in some ways, it has made it even easier to keep protraying him as a scapegoat for that series.
What is a scapegoat by the way? It refers to an Old Testament ritual that was established for the Israelites after they had left Egypt. As part of the process for atoning for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would have two goats brought to him. One of the goats would be sacrificed in response to the need for atonement. The other goat would be presented in front of the people. The high priest would then lay hands on the goat and that symbolized the sins of the people being placed on the goat. The goat was then released out into the wilderness, hence the scapegoat.
(The other point of contention with the documentary was that they had a female Unitarian minister explain what a scapegoat was...could've got someone with a little more authority to speak on that but that's my opinion)
The documentary ends showing Buckner throwing out the first pitch at Opening Day at Fenway Park in 2008 after the Red Sox had won the World Series for the second time in four years. It was a touching moment because Buckner was shown to have forgiven the media (who he blamed, not the fans for the troubles) and the media and fans forgiving him. I had forgotten about that scene and was really cool to see. With Bartman, there is a question mark still left. The director thinks (and maybe rightly so) that Cubs fans will forgive Bartman when the Cubs win the World Series.
After watching the documentary, there were several things that came to mind that I tweeted about. One, what would it have been like if Twitter or iPhones had been around? In 2003, social media wasn't what it was today. There were blogs but not to the extent there is now. Texting hadn't really taken off as a means of communication. Second, how would it have been different if the play had taken place in like the 1st inning or the 3rd inning instead of the 8th inning?
I think the main one was "What if Bartman had spoken up right after it or that offseason?" I think it's one thing to issue a statement, it's another to speak out. I wonder in some ways if Bartman hasn't forgiven Chicago and Cubs fans for how they treated him that night. I wonder if he still holds a grudge and if that isn't a part of why he has never talked about it. I don't know. I do know that forgiveness is best when it's both ways. God calls us to forgive one another. When situations happen and when we are wronged, we are to forgive as He has forgiven us. Sometimes the other person will not forgive but we are still to forgive them. We are to do our part to reconcile.
It would be cool for this story to have a happy resolve. That would be up to the city of Chicago and Cubs fans and also to Steve Bartman. There can be a great example of forgiveness and redemption here. Hopefully, someday that can be seen.
"Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:13 ESV)
The story of "Catching Hell" essentially one of a scapegoat. Although the main part of the story is about Steve Bartman, Chicago Cubs fan, there is also the story of Bill Buckner, Red Sox player that bookends the story. In both instances, the label of scapegoat is placed because fans essentially want someone to blame for the losses that their long suffering teams had to face.
The movie itself was very good. When it first started and the majority of the first twenty minutes was about Buckner I was kinda eh. I was like "When are we going to get to Bartman?" But the director, who's a Red Sox fan, tied it together and it ended up working out using Buckner in that capacity.
As some may know, growing up as a kid in Tennessee in the 80s, my allegiance to a MLB team were fluid. In 1986, it was the first time I actually kinda kept up with it. I liked the Red Sox and was pulling for them. At the time, I was disappointed that they lost but didn't realize until later why I wasn't supposed to like Buckner. Later on, I found out why and looking back now I understand why part of the blame should go to him but not all of it. It wasn't just him who caused the team to lose but it was easy to put the full blame on him. (Side note, in the documentary there was a clip of the postgame interview of the losing pitcher who was more than willing to throw Buckner under the bus, highly disappointed in that guy for not standing up for his teammate). Red Sox fans for the longest time could not forgive Buckner, so much so that he had to move from Boston.
Fast forward to 2003, both the Red Sox and the Cubs were in the championship series with a chance at the World Series (side note, one of two contentions with the documentary, the movie made it seem in a sense that the Red Sox/Yanks series was over with prior to the Cubs/Marlins series, those two series were going on at the same time). At the start of the playoffs, I predicted a Red Sox/Cubs World Series....mainly because I thought it'd be an awesome series. Unfortunately on the AL side that didn't happen thanks to Grady Little and Aaron Boone in Game 7.
On the NL side, the Cubs had the opportunity to clinch a World Series berth in Game 6 of the NLCS. They had the lead into the 8th inning when an innoculous foul ball hit by Luis Castillo is interferred with by a Cubs fan. Later on in the inning, an error by Alex Gonzalez extends the inning and from that the Marlins blast open the game and end on winning Game 6 to force a Game 7.
At the time, I thought two things. One, how in the world could a fan of the home team reach out onto the field when the home team was playing defense? Second, what was he thinking?
After the fact, was it told who the person was & there was a firestorm from it. Local media then national media picked up on the story. Everyone knew about him but no one knew him. And he wasn't talking, he issued a statement that was read by his brother in law but other than that nothing. The Cubs ended up losing the series and the long streak of no World Series victories continued.
I had thought that Cubs fans were mad at Bartman more so after Game 7 but watching the documentary it was evident fans in the stadium were mad that night. Home video from inside the stadium showed how hostile "The Friendly Confines" became. The documentary does a great job of incorporating that footage into the story. I think the main things that I picked up from that footage are that from an angle in the upper deck right over the play....it really does look like Bartman interfered with OF Moises Alou in making the catch (there was long dispute whether Alou really had a chance at it) and that people really hated Bartman for that.
Since that incident, there has been no public words from him. Aside from an ESPN.com reporter trying to track him down in 2005, there has been seemingly no contact with him. He has seemingly disappeared. And in some ways, it has made it even easier to keep protraying him as a scapegoat for that series.
What is a scapegoat by the way? It refers to an Old Testament ritual that was established for the Israelites after they had left Egypt. As part of the process for atoning for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would have two goats brought to him. One of the goats would be sacrificed in response to the need for atonement. The other goat would be presented in front of the people. The high priest would then lay hands on the goat and that symbolized the sins of the people being placed on the goat. The goat was then released out into the wilderness, hence the scapegoat.
(The other point of contention with the documentary was that they had a female Unitarian minister explain what a scapegoat was...could've got someone with a little more authority to speak on that but that's my opinion)
The documentary ends showing Buckner throwing out the first pitch at Opening Day at Fenway Park in 2008 after the Red Sox had won the World Series for the second time in four years. It was a touching moment because Buckner was shown to have forgiven the media (who he blamed, not the fans for the troubles) and the media and fans forgiving him. I had forgotten about that scene and was really cool to see. With Bartman, there is a question mark still left. The director thinks (and maybe rightly so) that Cubs fans will forgive Bartman when the Cubs win the World Series.
After watching the documentary, there were several things that came to mind that I tweeted about. One, what would it have been like if Twitter or iPhones had been around? In 2003, social media wasn't what it was today. There were blogs but not to the extent there is now. Texting hadn't really taken off as a means of communication. Second, how would it have been different if the play had taken place in like the 1st inning or the 3rd inning instead of the 8th inning?
I think the main one was "What if Bartman had spoken up right after it or that offseason?" I think it's one thing to issue a statement, it's another to speak out. I wonder in some ways if Bartman hasn't forgiven Chicago and Cubs fans for how they treated him that night. I wonder if he still holds a grudge and if that isn't a part of why he has never talked about it. I don't know. I do know that forgiveness is best when it's both ways. God calls us to forgive one another. When situations happen and when we are wronged, we are to forgive as He has forgiven us. Sometimes the other person will not forgive but we are still to forgive them. We are to do our part to reconcile.
It would be cool for this story to have a happy resolve. That would be up to the city of Chicago and Cubs fans and also to Steve Bartman. There can be a great example of forgiveness and redemption here. Hopefully, someday that can be seen.
"Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:13 ESV)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
How Many Times Must I Forgive....Randy Moss?
To preface this entry let me say that I'm a huge Titans fan, have been for a very long time.
When news about Randy Moss being released popped up on Monday, I was shocked. He had just been traded to Minnesota from New England four games ago and for the most part was producing. It was official on Tuesday and he was on the waiver wire for about 24 hours. He was promptly picked up by Tennessee who was 22nd of 31 teams to be able to pick him up. They were also the only team to put in a waiver.
Randy Moss is without a doubt a talented WR. Some experts say that he has a genius football IQ. He is loved by his teammates but not so much by coaches, management and the media. In his early years, he got in trouble with the law but has in recent years stayed out of trouble in that sense. He is on his third team this season.
I've had friends comment on my facebook or tweet to me their concerns about picking up Moss. One even laughed and said "Good luck with that." I've thought about it and several thoughts come to mind. First, forgiveness. He talked himself out of New England because the Patriots weren't willing to commit to a new, huge contract (aside from Brady is typical) and he was upset about it. He gets traded to a Vikings team that wasn't doing well, had a head coach that was trying to keep things afloat and a QB that had controversy surrounding him. It was a bad situation and it kind of boiled over and it got to the point where Vikings HC Brad Childress couldn't handle it and cut him without consulting anyone.
Where does forgiveness come in? Moss has made mistakes. He is a good player but he has made mistakes. At what point do you quit forgiving him? I'm reminded of the time where Peter asked Jesus how many times he was to forgive when someone sinned against him and threw out seven times. Jesus responded "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:22) Those who are followers of Jesus are called to forgive again and again so that we lose count. Is it easy to forgive? No it's not but it's something believers are called to do.
I personally don't know Randy Moss. I would probably say I'm like 20 something degrees of separation from him (random number, I don't know it might be more or less). But what I do know is he is human just like me. He has a sinful nature just like me. He makes mistakes just like me. And I hope that he knows that he is forgiven just like me by Jesus Christ.
Second, I hope this story has a good ending. I would love to see him come to the Titans and play well (and along with that the Titans go to the Super Bowl and win). More importantly, I'd hope that he comes to Nashville and finds a home and people to be supportive and show the love of Jesus to Him. I hope that if he doesn't have that relationship with Christ that he starts that relationship. And if he does have one, I hope that it is strengthened.
Too often it's easy to dismiss or laugh about an athlete and one who's gotten himself (or herself) in trouble. It's another to forgive, especially one who has needed forgiveness multiple times. I'm not perfect but I'm striving to be more like Jesus, this includes forgiving others....including Randy Moss
When news about Randy Moss being released popped up on Monday, I was shocked. He had just been traded to Minnesota from New England four games ago and for the most part was producing. It was official on Tuesday and he was on the waiver wire for about 24 hours. He was promptly picked up by Tennessee who was 22nd of 31 teams to be able to pick him up. They were also the only team to put in a waiver.
Randy Moss is without a doubt a talented WR. Some experts say that he has a genius football IQ. He is loved by his teammates but not so much by coaches, management and the media. In his early years, he got in trouble with the law but has in recent years stayed out of trouble in that sense. He is on his third team this season.
I've had friends comment on my facebook or tweet to me their concerns about picking up Moss. One even laughed and said "Good luck with that." I've thought about it and several thoughts come to mind. First, forgiveness. He talked himself out of New England because the Patriots weren't willing to commit to a new, huge contract (aside from Brady is typical) and he was upset about it. He gets traded to a Vikings team that wasn't doing well, had a head coach that was trying to keep things afloat and a QB that had controversy surrounding him. It was a bad situation and it kind of boiled over and it got to the point where Vikings HC Brad Childress couldn't handle it and cut him without consulting anyone.
Where does forgiveness come in? Moss has made mistakes. He is a good player but he has made mistakes. At what point do you quit forgiving him? I'm reminded of the time where Peter asked Jesus how many times he was to forgive when someone sinned against him and threw out seven times. Jesus responded "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:22) Those who are followers of Jesus are called to forgive again and again so that we lose count. Is it easy to forgive? No it's not but it's something believers are called to do.
I personally don't know Randy Moss. I would probably say I'm like 20 something degrees of separation from him (random number, I don't know it might be more or less). But what I do know is he is human just like me. He has a sinful nature just like me. He makes mistakes just like me. And I hope that he knows that he is forgiven just like me by Jesus Christ.
Second, I hope this story has a good ending. I would love to see him come to the Titans and play well (and along with that the Titans go to the Super Bowl and win). More importantly, I'd hope that he comes to Nashville and finds a home and people to be supportive and show the love of Jesus to Him. I hope that if he doesn't have that relationship with Christ that he starts that relationship. And if he does have one, I hope that it is strengthened.
Too often it's easy to dismiss or laugh about an athlete and one who's gotten himself (or herself) in trouble. It's another to forgive, especially one who has needed forgiveness multiple times. I'm not perfect but I'm striving to be more like Jesus, this includes forgiving others....including Randy Moss
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 :)
*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 :)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
World Cup and A Lesson in Humility
Like millions upon millions (or maybe even more than that), I have been watching the World Cup finals. Like I said in my last post, I'm not as knowledgeable with soccer (or football) as some of my friends are. But even I and my limited knowledge have watched games where there have been a lot of blown calls. Goals that weren't allowed that should have been, goals that were allowed that should not have been, among other various and sundry calls that were not good. Overall, it has not been a good World Cup in that regard.
FIFA, the governing body of soccer and who runs the World Cup, has been questioned again and again about these blown calls and the work of the officials throughout the tournament. Time and time again, they would reply that the officials do not have to explain themselves nor are they going to seek to improve the game via instant replay or goal line sensors or anything involving technology because it takes away from the human mistakes which makes the game what it is.
I think there are two things with which one can take away from this. One, it is a reminder that we are human and we are not perfect, as if we needed another reminder of this. We all make mistakes, we all mess up. Soccer officials are not different than anybody else and this World Cup has shown that to be the case. However, there needs to be a level of humility in that. We need to own up to when we mess up or make mistakes. I think back to the incident with Jim Joyce, the umpire who made a bad call and cost the Tigers pitcher a perfect game, he admitted he made a mistake and apologized. Fast forward to the Mali referee who made a bad call that cost the U.S. a goal in its game with Slovenia, there was no apology, no recognition of making a bad call, not even an explanation of what the call was that he made. When we mess up, we need to own up to our mistakes. The good thing is as followers of Jesus, when we own up and confess them to God, he will forgive us of them (1 John 1:9).
The second thing to take away from this is that even though we aren't perfect, we should strive for perfection. As followers of Jesus, we have been called to follow after Him and to live right and holy lives, even though we aren't perfect. Having the Holy Spirit in us helps us to do that. We don't take joy in our mistakes nor celebrate them but seek to improve and do better. Just like going to check the replay or the goal line marker to see if it was a goal or not helps to get things right, we as followers of Jesus seek to not just stay where we are but to press on to the mark that Christ has set (Philippians 3:14).
So as the World Cup continues, there will probably be more blown calls just as in any sport. But hopefully there will be improvement. And for followers of Jesus, we should seek to grow and improve in our walk with Him
FIFA, the governing body of soccer and who runs the World Cup, has been questioned again and again about these blown calls and the work of the officials throughout the tournament. Time and time again, they would reply that the officials do not have to explain themselves nor are they going to seek to improve the game via instant replay or goal line sensors or anything involving technology because it takes away from the human mistakes which makes the game what it is.
I think there are two things with which one can take away from this. One, it is a reminder that we are human and we are not perfect, as if we needed another reminder of this. We all make mistakes, we all mess up. Soccer officials are not different than anybody else and this World Cup has shown that to be the case. However, there needs to be a level of humility in that. We need to own up to when we mess up or make mistakes. I think back to the incident with Jim Joyce, the umpire who made a bad call and cost the Tigers pitcher a perfect game, he admitted he made a mistake and apologized. Fast forward to the Mali referee who made a bad call that cost the U.S. a goal in its game with Slovenia, there was no apology, no recognition of making a bad call, not even an explanation of what the call was that he made. When we mess up, we need to own up to our mistakes. The good thing is as followers of Jesus, when we own up and confess them to God, he will forgive us of them (1 John 1:9).
The second thing to take away from this is that even though we aren't perfect, we should strive for perfection. As followers of Jesus, we have been called to follow after Him and to live right and holy lives, even though we aren't perfect. Having the Holy Spirit in us helps us to do that. We don't take joy in our mistakes nor celebrate them but seek to improve and do better. Just like going to check the replay or the goal line marker to see if it was a goal or not helps to get things right, we as followers of Jesus seek to not just stay where we are but to press on to the mark that Christ has set (Philippians 3:14).
So as the World Cup continues, there will probably be more blown calls just as in any sport. But hopefully there will be improvement. And for followers of Jesus, we should seek to grow and improve in our walk with Him
Thursday, June 3, 2010
An Example of Grace on the Baseball Diamond
I was expecting yet again to blog about the Royals/Angels game today but then last night happened with Griffey's retirement and then a few hours later the almost perfect game. It is the talk of baseball after Armando Galarraga came within an out of pitching the 21st perfect game in MLB history and the 3rd one this year. Jason Donald, Cleveland Indians shortstop, hit a grounder that was essentially a bang bang play. The umpire, Jim Joyce, called Donald safe on the field. Millions of replays later showed it to be the wrong call. It cost Galarraga the perfect game but he came back and got the next batter, Trevor Crowe (personal favorite) out and ended the game.
Galarraga through it all didn't get upset or mad at Joyce. In fact, after the game, the pitcher and umpire met and the umpire apologized and they hugged. Too often, we hear of players and managers getting into it with umps, rightly so or not. It's nice to hear of an example of grace shown. It's another reminder that we are human and we make mistakes. In those moments we can choose to show grace and forgiveness. This was a time when someone was wronged and they showed grace. I hope in all the talk about the loss of perfection, that grace will be talked about as well.
Galarraga through it all didn't get upset or mad at Joyce. In fact, after the game, the pitcher and umpire met and the umpire apologized and they hugged. Too often, we hear of players and managers getting into it with umps, rightly so or not. It's nice to hear of an example of grace shown. It's another reminder that we are human and we make mistakes. In those moments we can choose to show grace and forgiveness. This was a time when someone was wronged and they showed grace. I hope in all the talk about the loss of perfection, that grace will be talked about as well.
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