8 Stages of Marathon Running

And for a little levity the day before I tackle 26.2 miles:

Different Color Scheme

Despite their failings, I still love my Buffalo Bills. However, I'm just not happy with the red, white, and blue theme for my blog. Every time I look at it I'm reminded of the issue of patriotism. That certainly has its place, but it's not one of the things I want my blog to reflect. Therefore, I'm changing to the current colors. I prefer the clean, simple look. Additionally, green is my favorite color. So there it is.

What's With the Red, White, and Blue Blog Theme?

I grew up in western New York State. It's a fairly gloomy place much of the year because of the semi-depressed economy and generally poor weather. One of the few things to cheer for is the Buffalo Bills. Despite much heartache and sorrow, I remain a Bills fan and will forever be a Bills fan.

This is the best time of year to follow the Bills. Since they haven't played any meaningful games yet, they haven't lost any yet either. They are undefeated! In light of that, I've changed my blog theme to red, white, and blue (this is not to be confused with the red, white, blue, and gray color scheme of the evil New England Patriots).

Go Bills!

Excellent Article on Eric Liddell

Eric Liddell is a modern day hero of mine who was both a world class runner and a committed missionary. Liddell is most well-known because of the movie Chariots of Fire. The film, which won best picture in 1981, tells part of the story of Liddell's life (along with that of fellow British sprinter Harold Abrahams). However, Chariots leaves out a great deal about Liddell. Albert Mohler recently wrote an excellent article entitled "God Made Me for China" — Eric Liddell Beyond Olympic Glory that discusses much more of Liddell's life, including his impact in Japanese controlled China during World War II. I highly encourage you to read it.

Approaching the Finish Line

This is me approaching the finish line of a 5K trail run I competed in this past Saturday:

Unlike Football, In The Church There Are No Benchwarmers

Today I will spend several hours watching American football on television. Since I have no particular dog-in-the-fight, I'll be rooting against the Evil Empire (New England Patriots) in the AFC Championship Game. As for the NFC Championship, I don't really care who wins; I just want to see an exciting game.

In football, as with most other sports, each team will put certain players - the more skilled ones - out on the field. The remainder of the players spend most of their time on the bench. They are the benchwarmers. Some of them play a little. Others rarely ever get off the pine. These folks are largely inactive in the life of the team.

The church ought not function in this way. The body of Christ has no benchwarmers. God's expectation is that every member of his team will be an active player. This is because every member is needed. Nobody in the church plays the role of a third string quarterback. Rather, every person in the church family is a starter. We may have different roles, but all are needed in order for the church to function properly.

I Corinthians chapter 12 spells this all out for us. Paul could not be clearer in stating that each and every member of the body must be active in order for that body to be fully functional. In 12:22-26 the apostle writes:

On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

We all need each other. Let's not only be active ourselves but also encourage all our brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. In the life of the church we are all starters.

The Best Gift I Received Today!

Although it involves much pain and suffering, the Buffalo Bills will always be my favorite professional football team. I grew up in western New York State and have remained loyal despite moving south almost twenty years ago. Today my family gave me something I've always wanted: an authentic Bills jersey. As a bonus, the jersey has my last name on the back (the Bills' kicker is named Dan Carpenter). Sweet!

The Dark Side Always Loses...

For a brief respite from my current series on homosexuality, please enjoy this fun Star Wars themed video that reminds us that the dark side always loses in the end:

This Makes Me Laugh

This comic makes me laugh every time I read it. So, in light of the approaching Super Bowl, please enjoy this summary of every pre-game interview you will hear (this applies to many other professional sports as well):

UGA

I Love Watching Greatness

I think I could watch Secretariat run all day long. This video shows his victories in the three 1973 Triple Crown races. It seems as if God decided to create nearly the perfect race horse in Secretariat. His victory in the Belmont, the third race, is the most stunning and dominating performance I've ever seen in any sport. He is simply a joy to watch.

Best. Photo. Ever.

Since Auburn plays in tonight's national championship game, I thought I'd post the best photo ever. Above we see Uga, Georgia's mascot, bravely attacking a frightened Auburn player back in 1996. Good times.

And to show just how smart Uga is, his home is in Savannah.

What if Worship Was Like an NBA Game?

I especially like both the tailgating with communion cups and the pastoral staff starting lineup.

One for the Big Guys

I love this. An offensive lineman almost scores a touchdown on a kickoff return. It's good to see a big guy run.

Be Careful Which Tie You Choose

Just a bit of friendly advice: the next time you select a tie, make sure it doesn't have swastikas on it.

Just For Fun: The Play

How Not to Impress Your Girlfriend

Football or Basketball?

As your church family comes together, are your gatherings more like football or basketball?

In football, one person (the quarterback) passes the ball to everyone else. One person is responsible for the direction the ball goes. The others do not, except on rare occasions, throw the ball back to the quarterback.

In basketball, all the players pass the ball to all the other players. In fact, on a good team there will be much passing among all team members. Good passing teams are usually very successful teams.

Let's take this sports analogy and apply it to church gatherings. In some churches, the gatherings seem like football. One person (the pastor) does the vast majority of the speaking. The communication flows in one direction, from the pastor to the people. The majority of the people can only receive from the pastor, but cannot give back to him. The mass of folks sits silently for 20-60 minutes, constantly receiving.

Other church gatherings function more like basketball. In these gatherings, everyone sees it as his or her responsibility and privilege to communicate with everyone else. Everyone is giving and receiving. Communication flows in all directions. There is dialog as opposed to monologue. All teach and are taught, exhort and are exhorted, encourage and are encouraged.

In reading the New Testament, we can see that the gatherings of the early church were participatory in nature. We read in I Corinthians 14:26, "What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up."

We see that there is a connection between participatory gatherings and edification. When each member of the body is involved, the whole body is built up in Christ. Every part of the body is necessary for proper edification to take place (see I Cor. 12:14-25). When one member of the body does the majority of the communicating, the others become passive and the body does not grow in as nearly a healthy manner.

As we gather, let us all strive to both give and receive. Let's think basketball. Let's expect to actively build others up and be built up.

Goals Are Important

Nobody scores from 45 yards out, right? This guy did in Paraguay on Sunday. I guess this would be fulfilling a "long-term goal."

A Reminder That Sin Has Consequences

Look at that poor guy's face. He knows he's about to get tased.

I have loved the Philadelphia Phillies since I was a small child. I've remained a fan despite many losing seasons. I'm thrilled that the Phillies are in the middle of a renaissance.

Over the years there has always been one constant when it comes to the Phillies. Their fans are some of the craziest and most difficult in all of sports. Ask anyone. This is not an overstatement. Last night lived down to that reputation. A 17-year-old male (pictured scared above) ran onto the field. Why did he do this? I have no idea. He probably just wanted to get on TV. I doubt he knew that he would get tased. Just watch below:

This is a simple reminder to all of us that sin has consequences. The consequences may not be immediate such as in the above video, but in the end we will not get away with it. Let's think about this the next time we are tempted to sin.

Let's also be amazed that Jesus Christ took the eternal consequences of His followers' sins upon Himself on the cross. Praise be to God!


By the way, that kid will probably soon be putting one of these bumper stickers on his car: