So You Had a Bad Day

Posted on July 29, 2010 by jesustrek

Brooks Robinson was known for his excellent defense as third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. He won the Gold Glove award an amazing sixteen times during his stellar career. Yet on July 28, 1971, Robinson committed three errors in the sixth inning of a game against the Oakland Athletics.

Three errors in one inning! It just goes to show that even the best of us can have a bad day.

Brooks Robinson’s day didn’t turn out to be quite as bad as it could have. Teammate Frank Robinson hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning to win the game for the Orioles.

It’s great to know that we don’t always have to be mistake-free. When we falter, we can often count on someone—a friend, co-worker or family member—to pick up the slack.

Ecc.4:12—“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Posted in Christian Living, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

McCartney’s Inappropriate Zinger

Posted on July 29, 2010 by jesustrek
Paul McCartney

After a recent performance at the White House, singer Paul McCartney took a shot at former president George W. Bush. Sir Paul said, “After the last eight years, it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is.” Later, when asked to apologize, McCartney asked, “Come on, where’s your sense of humor?”

In order for a comment to be humorous, it must contain a grain of truth. The truth is, George W. Bush is bilingual and has earned degrees from two Ivy League schools. The man obviously knows his way around a library.

McCartney has joined the left’s on-going attempt to smear a decent man just because he doesn’t share their world view.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, George Bush has remained remarkably silent. Although he has had many legitimate chances to criticize his successor, he has held his tongue. While his enemies are spouting insults and lies, Mr. Bush is giving us a much-needed lesson in showing class and exercising restraint.

Prov.15:1—“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Do What Your Father Says

Posted on July 28, 2010 by jesustrek
Francis Chan

At the North American Christian Convention in Indianapolis earlier this month, Francis Chan spoke about how the church is doing a poor job of making disciples. Many Christians have fooled themselves into believing that they are doing what God says simply because they have listened to his instructions.

Chan gave an example that we all can understand. Allow me to paraphrase what he said. Suppose your father said to you, “I want you to clean up your room so that it looks nice and neat.” You say, “OK, Dad”, and walk away. In a little while you come back and say to your father, “I did what you wanted me to do. I memorized what you said—“I want you to clean up your room so that it looks nice and neat.”

However, you didn’t actually clean your room; it’s still a mess. But you did memorize your father’s instructions, so haven’t you done something that pleases him? If you want to be a really good son or daughter, you could form a small group to meet periodically and discuss what your room might look like if it ever did get cleaned up!

Isn’t that a scary analogy of what often passes for discipleship? James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Maybe it’s time to put the Bible down and go do something—anything—that your Father wants you to do.

Posted in Christian Living, Church | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Be Careful Where You Step

Posted on July 28, 2010 by jesustrek

As a teenager, I was part of a team that our high school sent to the state livestock judging competition. We stayed overnight in a big hotel in downtown Louisville. We had some free time one evening, so a couple of us decided we would walk down the street to see what big city life was all about.

As we walked along, we noticed that the door of one of downtown nightclubs was propped open. We couldn’t help but stop to look inside. I don’t know what we thought we might see, but the curiosity of a farm boy in the city had me straining to catch a glimpse what might be inside that door. Surely a quick peek wouldn’t hurt anybody.  

Before long a police officer came up and informed us that we had to be twenty-one years old just to stand in that doorway. It was his way of letting us know that we had better move along before we got ourselves into trouble.

Psalm 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” 

Posted in Christian Living, Culture | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Sorry” Seems to Be the Hardest Word

Posted on July 28, 2010 by jesustrek

Race car driver Helio Castroneves apologized for his outburst after last Sunday’s race. Although he crossed the finish line first, he was penalized for blocking and was bumped down to 10th place. Enraged by the decision, Castroneves screamed at race officials and even grabbed one man by the collar. He was later sorry for his actions, and on Monday he posted an apology on his website. He said, “…My actions were totally wrong…I let my emotions get the better of me and I’m very sorry for that.”

On the same day, another sports figure issued an apology for his poor behavior. Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano apologized on ESPN for a tirade in the dugout that led to his suspension. He admitted that the episode was his fault and said that he was sorry from the bottom of his heart.

Why is it that so many Christians find it hard to say, “I’m sorry”? I’ve witnessed some outlandish behavior in meetings that were supposedly for the purpose of advancing the kingdom of God. Yet when the time came for apologies—silence–nothing but crickets chirping.

It’s sad when Christians need to learn from the world the importance of an apology.

Carlos Zambrano

Posted in Christian Living, Current Events, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Worth of a Seabird

Posted on July 27, 2010 by jesustrek

According to the AP, the Kauai Interscholastic Federation in Hawaii recently decided to move high school football games from Friday nights to Saturday afternoons. The decision was made in order to protect threatened seabirds.

The bright lights used during night football games confuse newborn Newell’s shearwaters, which rely on moonlight to travel from their nests out to sea. Every year, an estimated 30 shearwaters become disoriented and fall from the sky because of the lights at Vidinha Stadium.

Under federal and state laws, the federation can be fined up to $30,000 for each bird that dies.

Under federal and state laws, I wonder what a pre-born human baby is worth?

Posted in Culture, Current Events, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mistaken Identity

Posted on July 27, 2010 by jesustrek

The tragic aftermath of a fatal automobile accident in Phoenix became more complicated when authorities discovered that they had wrongly identified two victims of the crash. It was thought that 21-year-old Marlena Cantu was in critical condition after the crash and that her 19-year-old friend Abby Guerra had died at the scene. Only after several days did the family and friends of the two young ladies learn that Abby had actually survived and it was Marlena who had died.

Years ago, something similar happened. I’m not sure you could call it a case of mistaken identity, but God looked at the body of his bleeding, dying son Jesus—and thought it was me.

Isaiah 53:5—“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Controlling Our Passion

Posted on July 27, 2010 by jesustrek

Race car driver Helio Castroneves crossed the finish line first in a race in Edmonton, Alberta this past weekend. However, race officials cited him for blocking, and with the ensuing penalty, he officially ended up in 10th place.

This ruling angered Castroneves, who stormed from his car to confront race officials. He even grabbed one official by the collar and shook him. All of this drama was caught on camera and replayed over and over on news and sports programs across the country.

One news reporter tried to put a positive spin on what happened, noting the obvious passion that Castroneves has for his sport.

Passion and zeal are certainly desirable qualities to have in our lives. However, we must always strive to control our enthusiasm and channel it in positive ways. Zeal and passion were quite evident in the life of Jesus (John 2:13-17), but he was always in control of his actions.

Part of the evidence of a life of faith is having self-control (Gal.5:22-23). If we lose control, we lose the ability to influence people in a positive manner. If we are not careful, our out-of-control passions could cause us to completely lose our way.

Posted in Christian Living, Current Events, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Unleashing the Potential in Your Church

Posted on July 26, 2010 by jesustrek

In 1969, the U.S. government detonated an underground nuclear bomb in an attempt to break loose some deposits of natural gas located more than 8,000 feet below the surface of a Colorado mountain. They succeeded in unlocking the gas, but it was determined that it was too radioactive for commercial use.

Many church leaders see a great deal of potential in their congregation. However, in their zeal to unleash that potential, they sometimes do more harm than good. Don’t be afraid to shake things up, but show some discernment. Instead of going with the nuclear option, perhaps a well-placed stick of dynamite will do the job.

Posted in Church, Leadership | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

One Reason We Don’t Have Things

Posted on July 26, 2010 by jesustrek

My wife and I had been looking forward to seeing a couple of Christian comedians. We didn’t think it was necessary to order our tickets ahead of time. When we got to the door, there was a sign that said, “Sold Out”. Instead of giving up and going home, we asked a greeter if there might be any extra tickets. He didn’t know, but he directed us to an area where people were picking up tickets they had ordered previously. Without much hope for success, I asked one of the people giving out tickets if there were any that were unclaimed. Much to my surprise, he said that he had a couple of tickets that we could purchase. Imagine what we might have missed out on if we had failed to ask a simple question.

Did you ever stop to wonder what blessings you might be missing out on simply because you didn’t ask God for it? James 4:2 says, “…You do not have, because you do not ask God.”

This is not to say that God will give us everything we ask for. Our heavenly Father reserves the right to say, “No.” However, there are many ways that God wants to bless us, if only we will ask. How would you like for God to bless you today?

Posted in Christian Living, Prayer | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment