Not of This World...

There are passages of scripture that refer to believers (followers of Jesus) as not being of this world. In His prayer (found in John 17), Jesus says that we are not of this world. He prays to the Father to guard us from evil rather than taking us out of this world.

In Romans 12, Paul exhorts us not to be transformed by the world.

I think of these things today because I know how easily we are drawn to the lusts and desires of this world that we live in. I know that we must be diligent in our efforts to keep Jesus first in our lives and to live for Him. Sometimes the things of this world have a way of becoming idols in the life of a believer.
Here are a couple of things that I struggle with:

Baseball. I know, I know. Baseball is not a god. But it can certainly be an idol that is worshiped. I think of the time that I will set aside to watch, listen to and read about baseball in the coming months. When compared to the time I set aside to devote my actions of reading, talking about and listening to the teachings of Jesus, one has to wonder if I have a greater allegiance to the Cardinals or to my Lord.

Food. I'm definitely one of those people that lives to eat rather than eats to live. I love eating good tasting food above food that is good for me. Does it make food an idol? I don't know. Am I a worshiper of good food? Too close to call.

The reality of the situation might be that I am my own idol. That meeting my desires is what is important to me. Satisfying my lusts and desires is what I'm most concerned with.

I don't think that I'm saying that Christians can't be sports fans or a little epicurean in nature. I just know that I struggle with these things and I really want to keep things in perspective.

Just a small part of my daily struggle. Not really a first world problem, more like a not of this world problem.

John <><

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Superbowl Sunday: Who Wins? and Does it Really Matter?

If you've followed Out of My Hat for very long, you already know that I'm not a big NFL fan. Back in the day (it was a Tuesday) I was a Viking fan. To give sports fans an idea of how long ago that was, names like Jim Marshall, Alan Page and Carl Eller were a few of the names on the roster. The Scrambler managed the offense and they still played in an outdoor stadium.

But back to the point--today I'm not a big fan and Sunday is the BIG day for football.

I know that the NFL season is a big deal to its millions of fans. I just don't understand how everybody can get so worked up over seeing your favorite team play a grand total of twenty games--if you're one of the lucky few; sixteen games for the majority of fans.

But that's also off point.

Does it really matter who wins?
And not just for football. You could ask the question about baseball's World Series.
In the grand scope of things, what does it matter?

I know that professional sports are major league industries and billions of dollars are at stake for those that are vested in the business. But for the average guy or gal that is watching from their Super Sunday gathering, isn't it just a momentary escape from the burdens of everyday life. So often, we have elevated these sports super heroes to the point of modern day gods that not only do we shower them with indecent amounts of money and attention, but we choose to look the other way for their bad behaviors and even their cheating through the use of illegal substances.

Oh we are quick enough to condemn them when the obvious meets with hard evidence, but we would rather give them the benefit of the doubt until then because we all know that it makes for better sport. Here's a great article for any sports fan that is tired of the accepted practice of cheating and the example that it teaches our kids.

Of course, there are also great stories in sports; so much so that some would have us believe that God really cares about who wins and might influence the outcome of the big game. (I guess they've forgotten about that Notre Dame game.)

Yes, we can look on as cyclist Lance Armstrong bears his disgrace on national TV (part 1 and part 2 if you really want to watch it) and we can join those that are piling on with the long list of lives he's ruined. We can excuse the people in charge of monitoring the sport as we do in other sport venues, but we all know that the game, the race, the sport is more about making obscene amounts of money than it is about competing fairly. Here is an audio clip of Daniel Tosh's take on pro athletes. There is probably more truth in it than we care to admit. And I should make this language warning. If you stop listening when he gets to the NBA part, you can avoid the unnecessary foul language.

In the end, I may or may not watch the big game Sunday. If you will be pulling for one of the teams, I wish you well and hope that your team wins. I'd rather watch the UFC 156 fights tonight.

John <><

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The Curse of the Bambino...

It was January 5, 1920 when the New York Yankees purchased Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for $125,000. This was after The Babe broke the major league home run record in 1919 with 29. As a Yankee, he broke the record again in 1920 (54) and 1921 (59).

After the deal, the Yankees went on to win 26 World Series titles and the Sox went 86 years before beating the St. Louis Cardinals for the Series Championship in 2004, thereby breaking the long lived curse.

Pitchers and catchers report to camp in 38 days.
Cardinal Season Opener is April 1st in Arizona--no fooling!

I'm getting baseball fever.

John <><

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Incredible Kicking Exhibition

Rather than wrap up the year with a post about the impending fiscal cliff or rant about the past year, I've decided to post a video that I saw on TV the other day that is an incredible feat of kicking (pardon the bad pun).
The ESPN program I was watching at the time (and I don't recall which program it was) featured this video and said the Norwegian soccer player is getting a look by the NFL's New York Jets.

This post also makes two consecutive months of posting everyday! It's a personal record that I don't foresee breaking in 2013...but who knows?

Enjoy...


                   
                   
                   
                   
               


John <><
Happy 2013!

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Baseball 365

Now that Christmas 2012 is past  (okay, so we still have a little more Christmas with Aaron and Jenny this weekend), it's time to talk about...

...baseball!

Baseball is never far from the hearts and minds of many people. I know that for many, football is the sport of choice. But how can a real sports fan be satisfied with a season of less than twenty games? Basketball? Okay, I get it. Not bad, just too many prima donas for my taste.

In a normal off season, I say that the NFL is what I watch between the end of the World Series and the beginning of Spring Training...if there isn't a hockey game on! This year's NHL labor dispute has caused me to look for other reasons to avoid the NFL.

I'm not one of those that is wrapped up in MLB's Winter Meetings or one that gets constant updates from the MLB or my favorite team. I'm just ready for the 2013 season! The Hall of Fame* broadcaster Jack Buck understood. One of the many poems that he wrote was 365.

For those that are slightly less interested fans, pitchers and catchers report to camp on Feb. 12. That's less than seven weeks away!

Here's a link to read Jack Buck's poem.

PLAY BALL!

John <><

* Jack Buck was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, the Broad Casters Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

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Spring Training! What I Like About Baseball

It's been a very mild winter in the Ozarks and this is the weekend that the baseball world has been waiting for since the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 World Series last fall. Spring training camps are open and it's time for baseball to begin once again!

This afternoon I looked out the window and saw a small boy with a ball and bat. I watch for a moment as he placed the bat on his shoulder, tossed the ball one handed into the air and swung the bat ... and missed. He picked up the ball, set himself for another swing and this time he connected. To my untrained (and unimaginative) eye, it didn't appear that he hit it very far. In his world, the ball carried much farther. I watched as he raised his hands and pumped his fist and made his home run trot around a set of imaginary bases before picking up his bat and ball and continuing in his solo game of baseball.

Yeah, it made me smile.

Baseball season is back!

John

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