The Only Sport That Matters

I am a lifelong Texan. And growing up in Texas means growing up with football. From the glory days of the old Southwest Conference to the legendary Cowboy teams to Friday nights at high school fields across the state football carries the day.

I can never remember a time without football. I remember baseball arriving in 1972 when the Washington Senators relocated to Arlington to become the Texas Rangers. I recall the NBA adding the expansion Mavericksin 1980. And the last of the Big 4, hockey, finally came in 1993 when the Northstars from Minnesota became the Dallas Stars.

And which of these is the only sport that matters? Well, I soured on football when Jerry Jones bought (and polluted) the Cowboys. The Rangers are, well, the Rangers and there is no joy in Muddville. The Mavericks can be fun, but basketball doesn’t thrill me.

Now, hockey is another matter. The sound of the puck striking a stick, the physicality of a defenseman putting a crushing check on a forward, the excitement of the power play and penalty kill.

And in my mind, there is a new king in Texas sportsdom. And while the local press treat the most exciting local sports franchise as an unwanted step child, I’ll head to the AAC to watch my Stars punish the Ducks in the first round.

Hockey — the only sport that matters.

The Daddy Game

Most of you probably already know me and Mad Momma are expecting again. I sure wish I knew this advice when I was a new daddy.

 

Worldviews and Politics

In my last post, I lamented the syncretism that has occurred in Christian worldviews.  I will now begin a series on areas where many Christians have allowed their worldviews to become corrupted by unbiblical philosophies.

The easiest target is politics.  The American political landscape is one marked by division.  Not only is there a huge rift between the parties, but there are many rifts within the parties, some of which are larger and more divisive than the disagreements between the parties.

These factions seek to control the agenda of the party based upon what is important to that particular faction.  They want to control the spending of the taxes for the causes they deem worthy.

For some, they do desire to have the monies spent on worthwhile goals.  The eradication of abortion, the protection of a Godly definition of marriage, the upholding of the rule of law are some examples.In the early 80’s, Reagan put together a coalition of these factions in order to establish a conservative majority.  It was then that Evanjellyfish Evangelical’s became a camp in the Republican Party. 

I realize this history is much more involved, but my point is not a history lesson.  My point is this, since the early 80’s, the conservative Christian vote has belonged to the Republicans and conservative Christians, by and large, have been relying upon politics.  But as Robert Anton Wilson said, “It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea.”  And 20 years later, those ideas that were liberal then, are now being espoused by the “conservative” Republican Party.

And now the Evangelical wing is considered the lunatic fringe of the GOP.  It’s tolerated, but frowned upon.  And its support is taken for granted.So how do we fix this mess?  First, we repent of attempting to use the American political process to advance the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is neither political nor American. 

Instead of looking to end abortion through politics, redirect the monies we’ve been sending to politicians and deliver it to the local Crisis Pregnancy Center.  Instead of volunteering for a campaign, use that time working for the CPC.  As an example, MadMomma takes all the coupons she receives for baby formula (we don’t use them since she nurses Bit), purchases formula and brings it to the local CPC.  No politicians, no fundraisers, no fanfare.  Just one person working for the advancement of the Kingdom.

Multiply that by all who consider themselves Evangelicals and the impact we could make would render Row V. Wade irrelevant.

We could also redirect our political contributions to the local church to be used for church plants.  If we really want to restore the rule of law, the most effective method we could use is not punishment or rehabilitation, but transformation.  A transformation that can only be accomplished through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And as for protecting marriage, we put effort into building biblical families.  The husband and father is dedicated to his role as leader and provider.  The wife and mother is a dedicated helper to her husband and nurturer to her children.  Those children are submissive and obedient to the authority of their parents.

And finally, for some serious controversy.  We vote our conscience, even if our conscience tells us not to vote.  I understand no candidate is perfect.  The argument of “even if you vote for the lesser of two evils, you are still voting for evil” doesn’t hold water.  As long as the candidate is human, it will always be a choice of the lesser of two evils.  And I certainly do not advocate us removing ourselves from the political process.  I see it as our duty to influence the process in a positive fashion. However, there will be times when, because it is humans we are voting for, all choices will be unpalatable. 

I just don’t buy the “vote for X because Y would be so much worse” argument.  The message I would like to deliver is “I will in no way vote for X.  When you decide to support an agenda that is appealing to me, I will vote for you.  But do not expect my vote if you consider me fringe and your agenda is in opposition to mine.”

And if Y gets elected?  God is sovereign.  Certainly Israel got some leaders they deserved and America could use a few we deserve.  And in the long run, the result could be a realization from party leaders that the Evangelical vote is not something to be taken for granted.  It may hurt us today, but in the long run, our children could benefit greatly.

Worldviews and Syncretism

The decisions we make each day are largely effected by our worldview.  Our understanding of why things are like they are and how we should respond to them governs our actions.

But as Christians, we have a problem.  What should be a distinctly Christian is polluted with syncretism.  We have combined what should be solely Christian and added to it bits of worldly “wisdom” and have come up with a view that is selfish and inconsistent.After all, we don’t want to be seen as fanatics.  Well, most of us don’t.  MadMomma is quite content to be considered part of the lunatic fringe.  But for most of us, we have a (sinful and selfish) desire to be accepted.

Kuyper famously stated, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” .  But the influence of our culture of “Me” has us compartmentalizing our lives so that one part is God’s, but there are parts that are ours.  After all, I need my “Me” time.  Time set aside for myself to recharge my batteries.

We move our priorities from God to ourselves — but for only a brief period of time.  Then God can have His dominion of our lives back.  I just need my me time.

Ephesians chapter 5 and Colossians chapter 4 command us to make best use of the time.  We define the best use of time as spent on ourselves mirroring the navel gazing, self centered, narcissistic culture.  Paul defined making best use of the time as a life subservient to God.  Setting self aside for service to God.

This doesn’t mean we travel the world as a missionary, but it does mean we set ourselves aside and be different.  Unfortunately, this is another area where we have wrongly defined what it means to be different.

Jesus commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and material things would be added to us.  We instead, at best, put material gain equal with God’s Kingdom and justify our pursuit of prosperity by doing so in an ethical manner.

Our standard changes from comparing ourselves to God’s Law, to being better than the guy who will lie, cheat and steal to get what they want.  And so we pursue things other than God’s Kingdom and justify what we do by doing so in an ethical manner, or because we need the “Me” time, or I saw theMadMonk do it.

We (should) have a single standard for “every square inch” of our lives.  This standard should drive our worldview and lead us to “purify our lives” as we seek to “conform to the image of His Son.”

Solidarity with MadMomma

MadMomma wrote what is sure to become a controversial post eschewing one of the cultural idols even Christians have made a sacred cow.  Today, I will stand in solidarity with my lovely and gracious wife and agree that the television is best described as (and I believe I heard this from Doug Phillips of Vision Forum) “the black Babylonian box of death”.

Any time you mention that watching of television is not the best use of a Christian’s time, the standard issue reply falls under Christian Liberty.  Sure, what’s on the idiot box may offend you and your family, but it’s okay for mine because of Christian Liberty.

The obvious fault with that argument is sin is not included in Christian Liberty.  Only someone with their eyes closed will deny the way sin is depicted as acceptable by the American Entertainment industry.  From taking God’s Name in vain to positive portrayals of liars and adulterers to attributing God’s creation to a random naturalistic process, television programming does not glorify God.

We are perfectly willing to proclaim our chief end, but our practice occurs only when it is convenient.  Since (if?) our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, how practically does that manifest itsself in our lives?  Does it include bringing into our homes the man glorifying filth that proceeds over our public airways?

At this point some will argue that either they do not have small children in the house to see the filth or they will prevent their little ones from seeing the bad stuff.  I will never understand the false dichotomy that says adults may expose themselves to sins to which we should not expose children.  It appears to me if it’s sinful for children, it’s sinful for adults.  But once again, we fulfill our chief end only when it is convenient.

Part of the problem may be traced back to the syncretism between the church and our culture.  We live in a society that is dominated by individual rights.  We are bombarded by messages of the right’s of children to have this or that, the rights of one group not to be offended by another.  This attitude of my rights being of primary importance has polluted the church.  My right to (fill in the blank) trumps my duty to glorify God. 

But another aspect is simply our sinful nature.  Much like babies, we want what we want when we want it the way we want it and how we want it.   

Francis Schaeffer wrote about how we pursue the god of personal peace and prosperity.  The LORD God who created us and sustains us has His place, but so does our personal peace and prosperity.  And since that includes entertainment, we will entertain ourselves into an apathetic self satisfied state while God’s Kingdom and His gospel are neglected.

This negative effect is clearly seen in our families.  Much has been made about how the divorce rate for Christians is equal to that of the world.  I even recently read (but have not confirmed) that the lowest divorce rate occurs in the demographic of atheists.  A major contributor to this is that family life in many of the ostensible Christian homes centers more around television than God’s Word.  Both as families and individuals, less time is spent in the Bible than the TV Guide.

We would all do well to examine our priorities, seek God’s glory and put our things in their proper place.

A Good Day

As regular readers of my and MadMomma’s blog knows, sometimes our children can be a challenge.  While 7 year old Sissy is generally obedient, we need to correct her being nosy and bossy at times.  And 5 year old LiverPie is so full of life, she sometimes needs correction in controlling her enthusiasm.  And 6 month old LittleBit is, well, 6 months old.

So today MadMomma needs to get some things from Central Market, so we load the girls and head to Fort Worth.  It’s a little after noon, so we decide to get some lunch while we’re out. 

Near the Central Market is The Purple Cow, which has a kid friendly menu and kid friendly atmosphere to go with it’s Yuppie friendly prices.  The girls had a good time, finishing their meal off with purple ice cream.

Now, Central Market is not so kid friendly.  Here we are, bringing the girls into a store with narrow aisles and a lot of people.  It seems everywhere we went, we were tripping over someone, or having to get out of someone else’s way.

In addition to the store not being so family friendly, the customers are even worse.  A store full of upper-middle-class nose-in-the-air types who were willing to share their snooty looks at the guy leading the three girls around.  We were in the store for almost an hour and I saw only 2 other children under 10 years old.

But Sis and Liv and Bit are being good little troopers.  Staying with us, trying to stay out of the way of others and being very obedient in a difficult situation.

When it’s time to head to the checkout, MadMomma heads off to purchase some gelato and I take the girls to the checkout.  They stay with me, move where I ask them to in a feeble attempt to keep them out of other’s way and remain cheerful and polite while I am checking out.  When I finish, the guy bagging the groceries says to me, “To most people with three kids I’d say ‘You’ve got your hands full’, but you don’t.”

And once again I have to pause and thank God for what he’s given me.  And that despite my best efforts to mess these girls up, He is continuing to make them their daddy’s delight.

Scary Mary

We can take and repackage anything to make it appear what it is not.

How many people repackage psychology, feminism and other examples of the folly of man to make them palatable to the church?

A Day of National Mourning

Today should be declared a day of National Mourning for our country.  On this day, 35 years ago, in the most sinful and foolish decision ever perpetuated by the Supreme Court, life was declared worthless.

In a decision that not only showed contempt for established law, but invented new law to wrench the Constitution to a place where it was never intended, the justices found a before undiscovered “right to privacy” buried deep in the depths of the framers words.  This “right to privacy” was then contorted into a right to murder.

Our nation defied God on that day (and continues to defy Him), declaring convenience is more important than the 6th Commandment.  Declaring a sinful violation of the 7th and 9th Commandments could now be consequence free.

All who follow God should take time this day to weep and fast and pray.  We need to beg God’s forgiveness that we, His image bearers,  consider His image worthless. 

We need to weep for those who have been lost to this crime, for those who have foolishly killed the precious life they were given to carry, and even for those who for personal gain provide the means for the slaughter.

And we need to fear when we hear the Words of the Lord

 Psa 2:1-12 ESV Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, (3) “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (4) He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. (5) Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, (6) “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (7) I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. (8) Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. (9) You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (10) Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. (11) Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (12) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Another Attack on the Family

Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia, an associate professor posits that in order to save the planet, we should place a punitive tax on children.  Discounting the many fallacies of global warming, this attack on the family would be laughable if there weren’t enough loonies out there who would agree with this foolishness.

He recommends at least a $5000 levy for each birth, plus $800 per year per child.  Once again we see these earth worshippers placing a greater importance on every aspect of God’s creation except the part created in His image.

As Christians we must be diligent not to allow our children to fall for such anti-Christian drivel.  We must equip our children with a Christian (and, therefore, correct) worldview so they may combat this creature worship,as well as setting an example by waging our own battles.

For the full article, see here.

The Power Of Man Stink

If you read MadMomma, you know we just drove over 1200 miles with three little ones.  One of the challanges is doing so with a 4 month old.  She is away from the familiar, in an uncomfortable car seat.  My poor little baby is unhappy and fussy.  And of course, this bothers little Liver Pie and makes her cranky.

Now I have a way of getting Little Bit to sleep, but I’m behind the wheel.  So how can I hold her in my warm hands and soothe her to sleep?  Well, I can’t.  I try singing her favorite lullaby, but to no avail.  I speak to her sweetly and softly.  No dice.

Now, I have noticed that when I hold Little Bit, she will bury her head in my arm pit.  Could it be the secret to a sweet slumber is my man stink.  So I take my Texas Longhorns ball cap, which is full of good, manly head stink, put it in her car seat, and … sweet Little Bit slumber.

I’m working on getting that bottled.  Check your local discount store.