Not A Fan

Makes Me Sick

Frank

In the busyness of the Christmas season, I’ll be reposting some of my favorite posts and scaling back my original content. Leading up to New Year’s I’ll be posting a best-of 2012. This particular post was published in January and had the most comments this year (in fact, comments are still coming in!).

The tweet read “this is perhaps the biggest scandal in the history of college football.” It was followed by, “Filing this report made me sick to my stomach.” Obviously the first tweet caught my attention. The second made this a must-click. The tweets were from Yahoo Sports report Dan Wetzel, who broke the Gary Sandusky story. A simple recap if you’re not familiar (and a simple recap does not do this story justice): Gary Sandusky was a former assistant coach at Penn State University who headed up a youth foundation out of an office there. The first break was simply a report of Grand Jury testimony describing how a then-graduate assistant observed Sandusky molesting a young boy in the Penn State football locker room. Like most things of this magnitude, this was only the tip of the iceberg. Eventually, more names surfaced, Sandusky was arrested, and famed head coach Joe Paterno was forced out of his job. Sadly, last week Joe Pa passed away with this cloud still hanging over his otherwise record-setting legacy.

It’s a shame really. Just like you cannot say Catholic priest without conjuring up images of that scandal, so it is likely to forever be with Joe Paterno. Never mind anything else he had done over the course of his career, this is too awful to leave as a footnote in his biography.

I’m glad I didn’t get around to posting last week, as I really didn’t want to pile on. This story disgusts me, and I’m not writing about it just to get more hits to my blog. But the popular public face hiding the seedy underbelly of Penn State football, where Legends and Leaders are more important than integrity and protecting those who cannot protect themselves, kept coming to mind as I was reading the fifth chapter of Kyle Idleman’s Not A Fan, “following Jesus or following the rules?” In this chapter, Kyle calls our attention to the “seven woes” in Matthew 23 where Jesus lashes out against the religious elite.

Six of the seven woes begin, “Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” While we throw around that word, hypocrite, we usually don’t think of what it actually means. I’ve read both that it means the actors in Greek plays or that it means the masks they wear. Either way, the word is synonymous with, duplicitous, two-faced, masked, or putting on an act. As more evidence of the Penn State scandal it appears that administrators at Penn State, including head coach Joe Paterno, were more concerned about the reputation of their university and football program than exposing, reporting, and prosecuting the truth. Literally, they were hypocrites. (And to be fair, it is still not clear the extent of who knew what, but the dismissals of their Athletic Director and famed head coach indicates that they knew enough to act, but chose not to. Their motives may never be known.)

But like I continue to say through these series of posts, this isn’t  a sports blog. Yet we can learn a lot from the headlines around us to cause us to pause and consider our own motives and our own religiosity. Christians are notorious for condemning vice from the soapbox while engaging in that very same vice behind closed doors; putting on our Sunday best while acting differently the rest of the week. It is the contrast between being religious and being faithful. Or in the context of this book, being a fan or a follower.

If we can learn anything from the Sandusky case, it is that not exposing the truth often leads to more hurt as bad behavior is enabled by inaction. We may be tempted to be hypocrites to protect some private sin, but that only allows the sin to grow. In the case of the Pharisees, their hypocrisy hurt not only themselves but also those whose very souls they were responsible for. The Pharisees were guilty of piling on rules upon rules that they themselves did not obey. And when we become more concerned about our spiritual image, we neglect the condition of our hearts.

The hypocrisy of the Sandusky case is stomach-turning. We need to have the same gag-reflex to spiritual hypocrisy. Our sin needs to disgust us to the point of being sick.

“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to [vomit] you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

Take One For the Team

Frank

The eleventh chapter of Kyle Idleman’s book, Not a Fan almost had me stumped. Though the title of his book relates to a sports meme, he actually doesn’t spend that much time talking sports. That’s where I come in. But I was struggling coming up with a sports analogy to this chapter’s theme of dying to self. Then this weekend, the biggest sports headline (other than March Madness) fell right in my lap.

We all knew Peyton Manning would be looking for greener pastures long before he was officially released. And when I saw the writing on the wall I told my football fanatic friends that “the Denver Broncos should make a serious play to get him.” What? After all the Mile High Messiah did last year? Of course! Doesn’t it make sense to have your potential franchise quarterback with major technical flaws study under one of the most technically proficient passers in the game? I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought so as sports-talk radio and the Internet speculated away all weekend as Peyton Manning met with Hall of Famer, and Broncos exec, John Elway to talk shop. (Let’s pretend I actually got this post out on time and Manning hadn’t yet met with the Dolphins and Titans)

So what does this have to do with dying to self? Well the consensus in the talk circuit was that someone with such a will to win as Tim Tebow displayed last year wouldn’t put up with being a second stringer after all he accomplished last season. (A good example of this opinion is the Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla, who knows the Broncos better than just about anybody.) But I think that’s where the prognosticators are wrong. If any number-one could take a back seat to a future Hall of Fame quarterback, even if he were to pull a Brett Favre and postpone retirement a dozen times, it’s Tebow. That is, if his off field humility matches his on field display of faith. (And based on his many mission trips, hospital visits, and that goofy smile that drives me nuts, I suspect it does)

Would there be a better example of taking one for the team than the NFL’s most popular player (according to multiple polls last season) riding pine so that he can get better under the tutelage of one of the all time greats? If that’s not dying to oneself, I don’t know what is.

But I have a better example: Eric Liddell. If the name isn’t familiar, think Chariots of Fire. Yeah, that guy. If you don’t remember the two hour long epic and its Christian underpinnings, one of the driving plot lines was Liddell’s refusal to participate in the 100 meter dash, his best race, at the 1924 Olympics because that would have required him to compete on a Sunday, the Christian Sabbath (he also didn’t run the 4×100 or 4×400 relays for the same reason). Instead he focused his training on winning the 400 meter dash, of which he was a significant underdog. Naturally, he won and set a World Record in the process.

He literally sacrificed his best for the greater glory of God. There was no guarantee he would win the 400. It was unlikely he would even make the finals. And if the race didn’t have such a storybook ending, could you imagine the backlash over his religion? Instead Liddell leveraged his new found fame to become a famous preacher and author. Oh wait, no he didn’t. Instead he went back to China, where he was born on the mission field, and continued his calling as a missionary. In fact, he didn’t rely on his celebrity to keep him out of an internment camp when the Japanese occupied China just prior to World War II. He had opportunity to leave, but refused. And instead of living the life of an celebrity athlete or even a recognizable face in the Christian community, he died humbly from a brain tumor after serving the other missionaries and youth held with him in captivity.

So the fan of Jesus watches the movie and listens to sports-talk radio and might get inspired by the sacrificial act of an athlete. But does that inspiration spur them on to “love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24)? It’s unlikely you or I will ever have to face decisions like Tebow or Liddell. But that doesn’t mean we don’t face forks in the road nearly every day where we must choose whether to live for ourselves or die for Christ. A fan cheers for himself, but the follower sacrifices for others.

I woke up this morning with this song in my head:

Oh the wondrous cross,
Oh the wondrous cross,
Bids me come and die
and find that I
may truly live

Die to live. Take one for the team. Don’t just be a fan.

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

Slave to the Grind

Frank

It is common to hear, when an athlete tests positive for performance enhancing drugs, that there was no way it could have been an accident. When competing at such an elite level, these athletes are meticulous in what they ingest into their bodies. My favorite example is when Manny Ramirez tested positive… for a fertility drug used by women! (It masks synthetic testosterone, in case you were wondering) To say he could have taken such a drug by accident is absurd. These athletes depend not only on their skill, but most importantly on their health. If they are out of shape or sickly, their performance suffers and ultimately so does their paycheck.

Ever wonder how movie stars stay so fit and trim? They make enough money to hire personal chefs and personal trainers to ensure their fitness. And their lifestyles afford them the luxury to take as much time as they need to get in shape for that next big role. Like the athlete, their livelihoods depend on their health and appearance.

Simply put, at the superstar level, these people make their bodies their slave.

Paul wrote about this in his first letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Or without the religious jargon, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. So I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that I will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Every detail controlled. Every minute of training accounted for. Every calorie counted. The elite makes his and or her body their slave.

Slave isn’t a word we use a lot these days. There’s just too much baggage that loads the term. Even New Testament scriptures about slaves obeying their masters get a 20th Century gloss-over to apply to employee-boss relationships. Never mind the fine print that follows, “as if you are serving God, not men.” But lets call it what it is. Slavery. Bondage. No rights. No freedom. Slavery.

We are all slaves to something. We might be slaves to our jobs. We might be slaving over housework. We have all been, and may continue to be, slaves to sin. We are slaves to the grind.

But are you a slave to Christ? In the tenth chapter of Kyle Idleman’s book Not a Fan, Kyle talks about slavery. Not the whips and chains version. Or the kidnapped and shipped overseas to be sold at auction version. But the slavery where we give up all our rights, all our privileges, and make Jesus Christ our master. He makes the contrast that fans of Jesus never become his slave. They cry out to defend their freedoms: my pastor said this, but I think… our church voted to have… I know the Bible says, but… What we think what we want is more important than what Jesus commands. Oh yeah, and majority rules. The twelve Apostles could have out-voted Jesus anytime, but they functioned like a consensus group.

NO! Jesus’ Apostles may not have known what they were getting themselves into, but they knew they were giving up everything. Oh yeah, that’s a popular Bible verse: “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33) Anyone. Everything. Or you cannot. There is no grey area of compromise here. There is no voting. There is no sensitivity to your rights as an individual. No, Jesus is you master and you are his slave.

If you were to give up drinking on the weekends because you were training for a marathon, you would probably be encouraged by your friends. But if you gave up drinking because you are a slave to Jesus, you should expect to be mocked. If you go on a diet at the beginning of the year because losing weight was a New Year’s resolution, most would relate and say they’re doing the same thing. But fast from something for 40 days to draw closer to God (when it’s not prescribed on a church calendar to do so) and few would understand. A friend invites you to an R-rated movie and you turn it down because you can’t afford it, your friend would understand. But try and explain to someone that you don’t have cable at home because of the filth that permeates every station. Cutting back on expenses because times are tough? Sure, why not? Cutting back on expenses because you give at least 10% of what you earn back to God, and you’re part of a legalistic church.

Which of those examples did you relate most to? As you go about your walk with Jesus are you really submitting to him as a slave? Or are you twisting his teaching to suit your wants and needs and making Jesus your slave?

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

How Far Would You Go?

Frank

If you call someone and ask them to meet you at 5:00 AM to pray, they are likely to think you’re crazy. If you call the same person and ask them to meet you at the gym, that would be normal. If you were to move across the country to plant a church in a city you’ve never been, your family would probably raise their eyebrows. But if you made the same decision, but instead in order to go to college or for a job, most would be joyful for your decision.

The standard of how far is far enough moves depending on what we’re talking about. In the current economic climate, uprooting your family for a job isn’t unreasonable. But to uproot your family and serve in the Third World would seem strange. If you ask a stranger in the grocery store parking lot about their new car, it’s not at all awkward. But stop that same person in the parking lot and ask them about Jesus and expect a cold response. It might be ok to your friends if you tell them you can’t stay out as late Saturday night because you have church that morning. Unless the big game is on early and you’d miss it for church.

So how far would you go to follow Jesus?

The name Aron Ralston may not be familiar, but I’m sure you’ve heard his story. He is the hiker and climber whose arm got stuck behind a rock and had to cut it off in order to survive. He is the subject of the movie 127 Hours. Before the book and the movie, I saw his story on the Today Show. My eyes could have fallen out of my head they were open so wide as I heard his story of survival. In a nutshell: he went hiking, didn’t tell anyone where he was going, and while working through a crevice a boulder dislodged and rolled over his arm trapping him. After five days, delirious and out of water, he amputated his arm with a dull knife from his multi-tool. Let me say that again so it can sink in, he cut off his arm with a dull knife.

As dramatic as that sounds, the simple fact of the matter is if he hadn’t, he would not have survived. As if that weren’t enough, he then had to repel down a 65 foot rock face, and hike 8 miles back to his truck. All while dehydrated and bleeding to death. He mentioned in one interview, “I had amputated my arm within minutes of when they had found the truck. If I hadn’t chopped off my arm they would have found me but I would have been dead. It would have been days later. Had I chopped off my arm earlier, then the helicopter wouldn’t have been there and I would have bled to death.” Impeccable timing, or something more divine?

The first reaction to that story is to put yourself in his shoes and ask yourself if you could have done the same thing. It is hard to imagine myself, stuck like that in the same spot, breaking my arm in order to get through the bone and having to sever nerves in order to pull myself away. In fact, even typing this, I shudder. But how far would you go to survive?

Now how do we make the leap from this true story to our pursuit of Jesus? Again I ask, how far would you go to survive? Jesus relates in a parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46)

The man sold all he had with joy because he knew what he was getting was worth so much more. The life and death implication may not be obvious, so let me add, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.’“(Matthew 16:24-25, emphasis added)

Following Jesus is a matter of life and death. So if you are trapped in your sin, how far would you go? To further drive the point, “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matthew 5:30, emphasis added)

So one last time, how far would you go?

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

You’re an All Star

Frank

So far blogging through Kyle Idelman’s book Not a Fan, I’ve drawn spiritual lessons from Tim Tebow, John Wall, and Josh Hamilton. At some point I plan on writing about Jeremy Lin, Rulon Gardner, Billy Beane and others if the opportunity presents itself. It’s nice to look at these superstars and draw encouragement and inspiration from their lives or their play on the field/court/mat. But these athletes represent the cream of the crop, the top percent of athletic skill. Let’s face it, it is unlikely you or I will ever play in the Super Bowl or run in the Olympics. These athletes are in exclusive company.

Just how exclusive? According to the NCAA only 0.03% of high school boys who play basketball go on to play professionally, 0.02% of women. Football is slightly better with 0.09% of high school players making the pros. If you are living vicariously through your children and dream of them making the big time, your best bet is to steer them towards baseball where 0.5% of high school players go on to play in the pros. (But note that last number does not mean the Major Leagues; baseball has an expansive minor league system where most players never see a pitch above single A).

What is even more exclusive than being the pros is being an All Star. Headlines were made last week noting that Blake Griffin is not in the NBA slam dunk competition and that Jeremy Lin isn’t in the three-point shootout. There are omissions to the All Star team every year in every sport that leave fans scratching their heads.

But imagine you or I making the All Star team. How out of place would we be? The college hoops team I root for shot 1-10 the last nine minutes of their game last weekend. They lost the lead against their arch-rivals the first and only time with three minutes left and never recovered. A fan might call that a choke. Now picture that team suiting up for the All Star game, practicing jump shots for the three-pointer competition. Yet even those players are better than most of us watching the game from our Lay-Z-Boy.

Another exclusive crowd were the young men in Jesus’ day who were selected to learn under a Rabbi. It was an honor and source of familial pride. A Rabbi didn’t pick just anyone. It was the equivalent of being chosen to suit up in the NFL. But that’s not how Jesus operated. He hand-picked the rejected. In fact, instead of waiting for others to ask to follow him he went out and asked fishermen, tax collectors and political rebels to follow him. And when he taught to the crowds he was explicit in his invitation “if anyone would follow me…”

Kyle uses the example of Matthew the tax collector in chapter 8 to emphasize Jesus’ open invitation. The application for you and me is that we have a better chance of being chosen to follow Jesus than to be a professional athlete. Based on the numbers above, that doesn’t say much. But Jesus’ invitation to follow him is all-inclusive.

The word sin is used in archery to describe when one misses the target. Me, I’ve missed the target a lot. I’ve bricked the wide open jumper, whiffed at the [slow pitch softball] pitch, dropped the pass. I’m not going to make any All Star team. But Jesus invites me to play for him anyway. Let that sink in. Jesus actually wants me to be on his team. Ever been picked last on the playground wondering whether you’ll get to play at all? Jesus picks you first. Ever miss the crucial play and hang your head in embarrassment? Jesus just selected you to be an All Star.

Kyle offers the challenge to those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus rather than just fans: are we as inclusive as Jesus? Or do we consciously pick our teams based on appearance? Our church, our demographic, our neighborhood, our ministry… how inclusive are you? Don’t get me wrong, there is fine print here. Following every invitation from Jesus is the call “you must…” But do we close the door on people’s faces before ever getting to that point?

The next time you stumble on the playing field of life remember that Jesus wants you on his team. And that neighbor, coworker, friend that is even a worse player than you? Jesus wants him and her on his team too.

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

DQed

Frank

Once upon a time I was pretty fast. I was part of a championship-caliber relay team and could hold my own in the individual races as well. Before you become too impressed by my athleticism, know that this was in high school. One of the things, besides raw speed, that set our relay team apart was our almost scientific approach to handoffs. You see, in high school most handoffs between runners happen as the next runner is almost standing still. In the cases where the teams practice their timing so that the next runner can just take off, most runners still look over their shoulders slowing them down.

But we had our timing down… mostly. I ran the third leg of our 4×100 team. I would watch for the second runner to hit a mark and I’d take off full speed. After three steps I’d blindly put my hand back and the second runner would be right there to pass off the baton. I would then be responsible for playing catch-up to the fourth runner, AKA the anchor leg as he would take off and extend his hand back towards mine.

My sophomore year our team consisted of myself, two juniors and a senior. We won more often than we lost and we frequently flirted with the school record. So we all knew if we wanted the record and win state, it had to be that year. In fact we did beat the record. More than once. But those never counted because we were often disqualified.

The reason so many runners at that level wait for the handoff or look backwards to make sure they cleanly exchange the baton is because there is a short length of track in which the handoff must take place. If it doesn’t, you’re DQ’ed. And it’s not that easy when you’re running roughly 20 miles per hour. You also have to stay in your lane. Two consecutive steps on or over the line would also result in a disqualification. And when two of the four legs of the relay happened on curves, this happened more often than not.

If you were DQ’ed, you wouldn’t know until the race was over. So you could run at a breakneck pace through the finish (or handoff), raise your arms in victory, and find out later that none of it counted.

Ultimately, we didnt win state (we took second) and we never did beat the record.

Chapter seven of Kyle Idleman’s book, Not a Fan, “the relationship defined” calls our attention to Matthew 7:13-14 which warns,

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Back to my earlier illustration, narrow is the lane on the racetrack, and short is the exchange so many are disqualified. Worse, they don’t know until the race is over.

There is no worse feeling than completing a race to only find out later it didn’t count. In the spiritual race of which Paul frequently alludes, disqualification has eternal consequence.

Kyle Idleman suggests we slow down and make sure we are in the right lane. Good advice, but how do we know for sure? Kyle emphasizes our genuine relationship wit Jesus, fast-forwarding to verse 23 where Jesus says what we all hope to never hear, “away from me evil doer, I never knew you.” But he skips over the fine print in verse 21, “Not everyone will… enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.“

It is tempting to turn our spiritual walk into running as fast as we can. We need to slow down. Check our lane and ask the honest, hard question, “am I doing God’s will?” If not, it doesn’t matter how fast we run or in what place we finish. Once we cross the finish line we will find out we were disqualified. And then, it will be too late.

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

By the Power of the Holy Spirit

Frank

I almost cried when I heard the news. I don’t know him, and this wasn’t a case of celebrity worship where I would be so moved. But I was near tears because I knew exactly how he was feeling and what he was going through. My heart sank as I feared for what may happen next.

“I feel like I was fine not to have anybody,” Josh Hamilton, baseball superstar and recovering addict, told a local radio station three weeks before he fell off the wagon. Then after a night out that I know lasted longer than the hours ticked off the clock he told reporters, “Understand, I’m going to do everything I can and take all the steps necessary…”

The problem with what he said, and my fear for him (which began when I read his book, Beyond Belief), is that there’s a lot of “I” in his apology. Although that’s just a public statement, God only knows what exactly he prays for or what he shares with others to be held accountable. But I know through my own recovery and ongoing support through a recovery ministry, that “I” get in the way of true healing.

One encouraging quote out of all this mess, “I cannot take a break from my recovery. My recovery is Christ.” So he has that going for him. His faith is no secret to those who have followed his story. He is an encouraging speaker, frequently appearing for youth groups, churches, and especially recovery groups. In his book, he speaks of how he came to know Christ so he is no stranger to the Holy Spirit. Yes, the past few years he has been sober much more than he has not, but I wonder how much he is relying on the power of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis to help him with his recovery versus relying on himself.

Chapter six of Kyle Idleman’s book, Not a Fan, “self empowered or spirit filled?” focuses on the Holy Spirit. He’s right in that the subject makes many a Christian uncomfortable. He describes the third member of the Trinity like Cousin Eddie that no one knows exactly what to do with. He’s the drunk uncle (but it’s only nine in the morning!) that no one understands. And if it wasn’t for my own experience in recovery, I would have responded the same way.

I remember going to my first meeting, then as a mentor/discipler for another addict (oblivious to my own need). The meeting opened up with prayer and someone prayed for the Holy Spirit. Huh? I grew up Catholic so I have prayed for Mary, for Saints, and of course for Jesus to walk with me. But to pray for the Holy Spirit? I was afraid we’d step out of that meeting speaking in tongues and with the hair on top of our heads singed. (Not really, but I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next)

It wasn’t until later when we were discussing a meeting that did not go at all as we planned. “Sometimes we just have to get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit work.” And it clicked. Honestly, this epiphany transformed my relationship with God. Yes I’d pray to Him for things as if he was the cosmic Santa Claus. And I’d pray “in Jesus’ name”. But I began to pray for God to move me out of the way and let the Holy Spirit work in my life. I began to relate to the Holy Spirit as a force of motion, which we need to move anywhere in our spiritual life, especially overcoming addiction.

Going back to my subtle reference to the book of the Acts of the Apostles above, I’ve read several commentaries that suggest this book of the Bible should actually be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. I couldn’t agree more. The early church could not have moved without the Counselor guiding them.

Idleman describes in his book how fans of Jesus get burned out because they rely on their own power. I still struggle with this, to be honest. I need to learn to rely on the Holy Spirit in the “non-spiritual” (work, family, as if those things shouldn’t be spiritual to begin with) Followers of Jesus know to rely on the Holy Spirit to give them strength. I could go on and on with scripture references to back this up, but I’ll save that for another day. Instead, I will simply speak from experience. Simply put, I owe my own sobriety to the Holy Spirit.

Kyle closes the chapter with a list of what friends on Facebook have seen the Holy Spirit do in their lives. If the Holy Spirit is the weird cousin in your spirituality that you just don’t know what to do with, consider that the Holy Spirit has enabled others to:

  • finally forgive my dad
  • lose 150 pounds and stop smoking
  • forgive my ex-husband for his infidelity
  • adopt two boys from Ethiopia
  • overcome a drug addiction
  • overcome a gambling addiction
  • overcome a sex addiction
  • overcome a shopping addiction
  • overcome an eating disorder
  • be four years sober
  • raise my special needs child, even as a single mom
  • save my marriage
  • conceive after being told it would never happen
  • return my child home after three years of silence
  • find peace when my husband passed away and I thought my life was over
  • remarry my ex-husband after a long, nasty divorce (pg 98)

I pray for the Holy Spirit to move in Josh Hamilton’s life and to empower his sobriety. What do you need the power of the Holy Spirit in your life? Please share so we can pray together.

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

Do I Know You?

Frank

On one of my recent business trips I was returning from Washington, DC and waiting in line on the jetway when I started small talk with the person next to me. He was a big guy and looked pretty young. We were talking about the weather in LA when I asked him what he was going out there for. “Oh, I’m going to go work out, work on my game” he replied. Since he looked so young, and it was that time of year, I figured it might have been a workout for a school. “Nah,” he laughed, “I’m in the NBA, I play for the Washington Wizards.” Now feeling foolish I try and backpeddle, “Oh, I don’t watch too much of the pros. I’m more a college hoops fan.” And realizing I was digging myself further into a hole, I changed subject to the NBA lockout which was still going on at the time. Then the line started to move, we got on board, wished each other well, and took our seats; his in first class of course. But before we parted ways I noticed his bags were monogramed with JW. So once in my seat I quickly did a Google search of JW Washington Wizards before the flight attendant could stop me and throw me in a cell with Alec Baldwin.

Now there are a couple of things wrong with the story above. First, my description of “young”. Ok, so this “kid” was 20 at the time. But my excuse of being a college hoops fan didn’t help my cause. Because JW for the Washington Wizards was none other than John Wall, first overall draft pick in the 2010 NBA draft, and arguably the best player in college basketball that year. And it’s not like he played for some obscure school either; he played for the Kentucky Wildcats, one of college basketball’s elite powerhouses. So of course I did a facepalm there in my seat and vowed if I saw him as we were getting off the plane, I would apologize and try and get my story straight.

You see, the problem was I was standing right next to one of the best basketball players in the world and I didn’t know it. But if he had told me his name I could have spouted off stats, key plays, and otherwise acted like I knew what I was talking about. I knew about John Wall, but I didn’t know John Wall.

Does that describe your relationship with Jesus? Do you know a lot about Jesus without actually knowing Him? That is the topic of chapter 3 of Kyle Idleman’s book Not a Fan, “knowledge about him or intimacy with him?” Kyle uses the example of the Pharisee in Luke 7 who invites Jesus over for dinner, yet doesn’t even acknowledge him as a guest. The irony, Kyle points out, is that this man has spent his life studying the scriptures and likely had all the messianic prophecies memorized, but he couldn’t recognize the Messiah sitting right in front of him. I am reminded of this verse:

“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)

Further, Kyle suggests that our church culture actually encourages knowledge without intimacy. Consider:

We love having Bible studies, many of which include some kind of workbook. We go through a Bible curriculum that often has homework. Sermons are often accompanied by an outline where members can take notes and fill in the blanks. Many preachers refer to their sermons as a lesson or a lecture. If you grew up in the church, then you probably went to Sunday school, where you had a teacher. In the summer you may have gone to Vacation Bible School. Maybe you even competed in Bible Bowl competitions, all of which are won or lost depending on how much biblical knowledge you’ve accumulated and how fast you can raise your hand or hit a button. (pg 44)

The other night at Midweek we had a trivia competition. I love these, but mostly because I usually do really well. It is so bad (and yes, I said bad) that if we picked teams, I know a lot of people would pick to be on mine (which is completely different than kickball, but I digress). There are a handful of us at church who are usually the last ones standing and that night was no exception. In the end it came down to two of us, and I walked away victorious because I was able to figure out a trick math question. Of course, Jesus doesn’t care about any of that. And that scares me.

I confess I know a lot about Jesus and I know a lot about the Bible. But I have to honestly assess myself and ask how intimately I really know Jesus. One of my greatest fears is to reach the end of my life and hear Jesus say, “I never knew you, away from me you evildoer!” (Matthew 7:23) Most of us would rather hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21, 23) Yet doesn’t Jesus tell his disciples “I no longer call you servants… instead I have called you friends…” (John 15:15) Isn’t that the level of intimacy we want to have with Jesus and He with us? Can you honestly describe your relationship with Jesus that way?

Evildoer. Servant. Or friend. What will Jesus call you? Or will he call you “just a fan”?

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.

All Eyes Are On You

Frank

I’ve been putting off an “official” post on Tim Tebow for a while (and this post from a couple of years ago doesn’t count). I’m falling behind the news cycle and was expecting to change the tone of this post after it looked certain that the “Mile High Messiah” was finally going to lose one Sunday. (For the record, I have only seen that nickname used once in an article by the Evil Four Letter and I am sure Tebow wouldn’t accept such an anointing) But alas, he pulled out another win. One of my friends noted when I replied to his Tebow blog post that if I wait until the last two minutes, then this blog post will be a “win”. Does that mean that the other 3+ quarters of all my other blog posts are terrible? (if you don’t get the joke, don’t worry)

Anyway, I could go on and on about his throwing motion, his “yards per touch” ranking, his quarterback rating, etc, etc. I could even tell you that he has “it” without ever really identifying what “it” is. I could talk about how hard it is to hate the guy because he’s just so darn nice (see his last postgame comments about Brian Urlacher for example). And of course I could write about how divisive this man of faith is to believers and football fans alike. But I’ll let the following articles do all that for me.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7319858/the-people-hate-tim-tebow

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/story/2011-11-29/broncos-qb-tebow-stirs-debate-on-religion-and-sports/51663956/1?csp=34news

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Denver-Broncos-Tim-Tebow-showing-detractors-he-is-learning-to-be-nfl-qb-112811

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Tim-Tebow-why-the-heck-do-we-hate-him-110211

But this post isn’t about Tim Tebow. At least not totally. In the second chapter of Not A Fan, Kyle Idleman calls our attention to Jesus’ late night conversation with Nicodemus. Nicodemus, not Nostradamus like I thought as a kid, was part of the religious ruling class- the Sanhedrin- and was a Pharisee with respect to religious conviction. He had a lot to lose even being seen near Jesus, let alone sitting down and having a conversation with this alleged heretic. So Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night.

Idleman is right to point out that fans of Jesus are comfortable wearing their favorite uniform so long as their star is winning. That’s because it doesn’t cost them anything. But when the star is controversial or doesn’t act the way a fan might expect, the jersey comes off. Meeting with Jesus at night didn’t cost Nicodemus anything. Idleman writes: “There is no way to follow Jesus without him interfering with your life.” (pg 30)

Which brings me back to Tim Tebow. No, he’s not a great quarterback. And no, I’m not necessarily a fan (but as a Bronco fan, I’m glad he’s winning). But does he deserve the mocking and scorn he receives? Here’s a sample conversation I heard last week on sports-talk radio: “So Tebow prayed for God to help him with his spiral? Well either God didn’t answer his prayer or God can’t throw a spiral either.” To which the other commentator replied, “Or maybe his God doesn’t answer his prayers.” It’s gotten to the point where not only Tebow is mocked, but so is the sovereignty of God.

Even other Christian players have backed off from him. Kurt Warner, notorious for his faith, admits that maybe Tebow should “put down the boldness” to prevent critics from becoming “calloused”.
Jake Plummer, who Tebow essentially replaced in a round and about way said, “I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I’ll like him a little better .” But both quarterbacks completely miss the point.

Tebow is not a fan of Jesus. If he was, he wouldn’t talk about him so much. If he was, he wouldn’t open up every postgame press conference by thanking his “Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. (He doesn’t even shorten it for simplicity like Warner’s famous “Thank you Jesussss!” And he definitely wouldn’t take a knee and “Tebow” for the whole world to see and mock.

No, Tim Tebow is not a fan of Jesus. He is not afraid of being seen with him. He is not afraid of talking about him. He is not ashamed. He does not need to come to Jesus in the dark of night. He does not mind that his relationship with Jesus interferes with his life, his popularity, and yes even his play on the field.

So put yourself in Tebow’s shoes. Would you continue to praise Jesus with every camera on you? Would you pray to Jesus both through the good and bad, knowing everyone is watching and waiting for you to slip? Would you allow Jesus to interfere with your life that much? Or are you still just a fan?

This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.