sports

Tebow Cam

Frank

Yes, there really is one during this year’s Sugar Bowl. I guess it’s appropriate since Tim Tebow is the Second Coming. I saw on one website the idea to turn the Sugar Bowl into a drinking game by taking a drink every time Tebow’s name is mentioned apart from any play he makes. I don’t recommend that practice, even if you have a designated driver.

It’s clear how this game is going to turn out (44-10 at the start of the 4th quarter), so we know the winner between Tebow and Cincinnati’s QB, Tony Pike. But the game isn’t only played between the hash marks, but also in the hearts and souls of the men (and some women) glued to their HD TVs. Instead of competing football teams, let’s consider competing theologies.

Tim Tebow has Ephesians 2:8-10 on his eyeblack which reads, “for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So either he is trying to save the soul of the defensive end trying to chase him out of the pocket, or he’s claiming that his unquestioned football gifted-ness was given by God “to do good works” that God “prepared in advance” for him to do. The former I don’t argue with, the second, I’m not so sure.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, a Cincinnati player (I never caught his name) has 1 Tim 1:12 written on his bicep. This scripture reads, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.” Simple, humble, giving Jesus all the credit while presuming nothing.

Success in a New Year’s Day bowl game ensures a measure of immortality. Nothing compared to what our Lord and Savior offers. But these images will be replayed by the most dedicated sports fans and replayed in the minds of those who played. Which would you want to be remembered for? The Amazing Grace of salvation and a semi-self righteous boast of God’s plan, or a humble gratitude to be considered one of Christ’s servants?

I’m not saying that’s Tim Tebow’s intention. But for those sick of hearing about him nonstop this football season, that’s how it comes across. At the same time, I’m grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given him strength, that he considered him faithful, appointing him to his service. I pray he finds a way to humbly continue this service on Sundays.

***edit: Ok, I saw the Cincinnati player again. It was Ben Guiduli. And the scripture actually was 1 Tim 1:15-16 which reads, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” So different proselytic emphasis, but the same level of humility.”***

***update: Wow, a lot of Cincinnati’s players have scriptures written on their arms. I guess I didn’t notice it since they’ve been rolled so badly and there hasn’t been reason to zoom in on many of their players. The player who just caught their last touchdown had 2 Tim 1:7-10 on his arm. This reads, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” I think after watching this game I’m going to accept Jesus as my QB and savior. I’m pretty sure there’s a prayer for that.***

Standing Firm in the Pocket

Frank

For the non-football fan: The ‘pocket’ is the space formed around a quarterback when his offensive line (the big guys in front of him trying to keep other big guys from tackling him) is pushed into the backfield (where the quarterback and running backs are before the play starts).

I’ve given an example of what to do and what not to do, standing firm in your faith while in the spotlight of fame or your career. With the college football season kicking off this weekend, perhaps no spotlight is greater than that on Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Florida Gators, returning national champion and Heisman Trophy winner. I’ve talked about him before, but I wanted to give him some more column length (as if he doesn’t have miles of it already).

He is well known for his missions work, his prison ministry, and his celibacy (Pat Forde took a cheap shot in his opening Forde Yard Dash by saying, “A freshman is starting at quarterback at USC. A virgin is starting at quarterback at Florida.”). And his openness with his faith combined with his notoriety make him an easy target for criticism. AOL’s Fanhouse speculates how long it will take for someone to write “There Is” “No God” in eyeblack to counter Tebow’s “John” “3:16” and “Phil” “4:3” to get under his skin. As I already pointed out, his chastity is already mocked by the hyper-testosterone sports nut. And you know there are girls out there who are actively trying to tempt him- it’s a tired cliche: every girls wants to hook up with the starting quarterback. Amidst the trash talking every player receives on the gridiron, he must also contend with his own temper and pride (he drew criticism for doing the “Gator Chomp” in an Oklahoma player’s face in last season’s “championship” game).

Under this scrutiny he has held up remarkably well. He’s not boastful, not proud, nor rude or self-seeking. Sounds like he walked right out of 1 Corinthians 13. But we must be careful not to put him on too high a pedestal. He can’t be the object of our worship. Ted Kluck in Christianity Today begs us to cut him some slack. And we must always be careful when crowning the next sports messiah to remember how the mighty fall.

Regardless, Tim Tebow is a heck of a QB and a great role model of a Christian standing firm in his faith, even if he’s scrambling out of the pocket.

Standing Firm in the Pocket

Frank

For the non-football fan: The ‘pocket’ is the space formed around a quarterback when his offensive line (the big guys in front of him trying to keep other big guys from tackling him) is pushed into the backfield (where the quarterback and running backs are before the play starts).

I’ve given an example of what to do and what not to do, standing firm in your faith while in the spotlight of fame or your career. With the college football season kicking off this weekend, perhaps no spotlight is greater than that on Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Florida Gators, returning national champion and Heisman Trophy winner. I’ve talked about him before, but I wanted to give him some more column length (as if he doesn’t have miles of it already).

He is well known for his missions work, his prison ministry, and his celibacy (Pat Forde took a cheap shot in his opening Forde Yard Dash by saying, “A freshman is starting at quarterback at USC. A virgin is starting at quarterback at Florida.”). And his openness with his faith combined with his notoriety make him an easy target for criticism. AOL’s Fanhouse speculates how long it will take for someone to write “There Is” “No God” in eyeblack to counter Tebow’s “John” “3:16” and “Phil” “4:3” to get under his skin. As I already pointed out, his chastity is already mocked by the hyper-testosterone sports nut. And you know there are girls out there who are actively trying to tempt him- it’s a tired cliche: every girls wants to hook up with the starting quarterback. Amidst the trash talking every player receives on the gridiron, he must also contend with his own temper and pride (he drew criticism for doing the “Gator Chomp” in an Oklahoma player’s face in last season’s “championship” game).

Under this scrutiny he has held up remarkably well. He’s not boastful, not proud, nor rude or self-seeking. Sounds like he walked right out of 1 Corinthians 13. But we must be careful not to put him on too high a pedestal. He can’t be the object of our worship. Ted Kluck in Christianity Today begs us to cut him some slack. And we must always be careful when crowning the next sports messiah to remember how the mighty fall.

Regardless, Tim Tebow is a heck of a QB and a great role model of a Christian standing firm in his faith, even if he’s scrambling out of the pocket.

What are you Willing to Forgive?

Frank

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Last week I was travelling for business. Grabbing a paper to read on the flight, I noticed the headlines of Michael Vick being reinstated by the NFL. If you don’t follow sports like I do you probably still heard of his story. He just finished a stint in prison for breeding dogs for fighting and was responsible for the deaths of many of said dogs. He was vilified all across the media spectrum, shunned by other athletes, and was rejected by most of society. Maybe rightfully so. When I saw those headlines it was easy to think of this topic to blog about.

But I didn’t get around to it when I landed (and I was too lazy during the flight to write up a draft, darn you free TV on Delta flights!). And the next day the sports world was dominated by another headline, the release of two more names from the 2003 steroid “survey”- Manny Rameriz and David, Big Popi, Oritz. I’ve written about Manny before and his name wasn’t much of a surprise, but Big Popi’s was (at least until I saw his numbers broken down).

The difference between these two cases is staggering. Maybe it’s the degree of offense- breeding, fighting, and killing dogs can easily be argued to be more immoral than cheating at a sport you’re paid to excel in. But if you look at Ortiz and Rameriz more closely and unsurprisingly you find their fans supporting them and their rivals chiding them.

We’re also in the “dog days” of summer before college football starts and online message boards are filled with “police blotter smack” where fans are focusing on the “speck of sawdust” in rivals’ eyes while ignoring the “planks” in their own eye (referencing Mt 7:3 and Luke 6:41). We make a conscience decision what we’re willing to tolerate as fans and spectators. Our rivals deserve no forgiveness while we turn a blind eye to any offenses by our own favorite players.

But the above scripture isn’t about about who we forgive, but how often. Are we willing to forgive Michael Vick “seventy times seven times” as easily as we’ve forgiven Manny and Ortiz once?

The scripture continues,

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Mt 18:25-35)

So it’s not only about how often, but also who. Forgiveness cannot discriminate, it must be universal. Your heavenly father forgave you, what are you willing to forgive?

What are you Willing to Forgive?

Frank

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Last week I was travelling for business. Grabbing a paper to read on the flight, I noticed the headlines of Michael Vick being reinstated by the NFL. If you don’t follow sports like I do you probably still heard of his story. He just finished a stint in prison for breeding dogs for fighting and was responsible for the deaths of many of said dogs. He was vilified all across the media spectrum, shunned by other athletes, and was rejected by most of society. Maybe rightfully so. When I saw those headlines it was easy to think of this topic to blog about.

But I didn’t get around to it when I landed (and I was too lazy during the flight to write up a draft, darn you free TV on Delta flights!). And the next day the sports world was dominated by another headline, the release of two more names from the 2003 steroid “survey”- Manny Rameriz and David, Big Popi, Oritz. I’ve written about Manny before and his name wasn’t much of a surprise, but Big Popi’s was (at least until I saw his numbers broken down).

The difference between these two cases is staggering. Maybe it’s the degree of offense- breeding, fighting, and killing dogs can easily be argued to be more immoral than cheating at a sport you’re paid to excel in. But if you look at Ortiz and Rameriz more closely and unsurprisingly you find their fans supporting them and their rivals chiding them.

We’re also in the “dog days” of summer before college football starts and online message boards are filled with “police blotter smack” where fans are focusing on the “speck of sawdust” in rivals’ eyes while ignoring the “planks” in their own eye (referencing Mt 7:3 and Luke 6:41). We make a conscience decision what we’re willing to tolerate as fans and spectators. Our rivals deserve no forgiveness while we turn a blind eye to any offenses by our own favorite players.

But the above scripture isn’t about about who we forgive, but how often. Are we willing to forgive Michael Vick “seventy times seven times” as easily as we’ve forgiven Manny and Ortiz once?

The scripture continues,

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Mt 18:25-35)

So it’s not only about how often, but also who. Forgiveness cannot discriminate, it must be universal. Your heavenly father forgave you, what are you willing to forgive?

God and Sports, Revisited

Frank

Today is the big day. Super Bowl XLIII, pitting the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Ben Roethlisberger, against the Arizona Cardinals, let by Kurt Warner. I’ve talked about Kurt’s faith before and debated whether God plays favorites in sports. But I recommend this article from last week that sums it up pretty well.

Aside from that debate, however is a more serious question. How many people are skipping church today (at least on the West Coast) to watch this game? How many people are skipping work? How many will tune out their families tuning in to the game? Church competes with the NFL for a few months out of the year and for many, it is very tempting to skip worshiping our Lord in heaven in order to cheer on a team that we never played for, don’t have ownership in, and likely don’t know any of the players personally. It’s a very impersonal devotion, complete with animal sacrifice (the tailgate or home bbq), ritual (face painting, favorite jersey), and prayer (‘please, please, please make this 55 yard field goal!’). Die hard fans are more likely to know the names of the 11 starters on offense than the names of the 12 apostles.

So while we consider Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger’s faith, we should also look inward at or own. Are we bigger fans of the Super Bowl or super fans of the Lord above?

God and Sports: Are winners more blessed?

Frank

I’m a total sports nut, and I’ve had draft after draft of blog posts dedicated to this subject, but I never seem to get around to posting them. Well, here’s my overdue post on the role of God in sports, motivated courtesy of Mark Kriegel and Foxsports. (My friend Krazywakfunky just pm’ed me that Jime Rome and Dan Patrick also talked about this on their radio programs this week)

This is a hot topic right now because of the building media hype leading up to the Super Bowl, magnified by Tony Dungy’s retirement and Tim Tebow winning yet another BC$ Championship. If you’re not as much of a nerd as me, let me give you a quick rundown. Kurt Warner, the blue-collar come-from-nowhere Super Bowl Champion quarterback is back with a new team and another shot at glory. He isn’t shy about the role his faith has played in motivating him through tough times, of which he’s had many. Tony Dungy is retiring from coaching the Indianapolis Colts, whom he led to the 2007 Super Bowl. A well-respected and regarded coach with high expectations, he too would give credit where credit was due and was criticized following his Super Bowl win by boasting that he and his opposing coach, Lovie Smith, were the first to “d0 it the right way” supposedly by not cussing and being religious, implying that the other 30 coaches in the NFL do it the wrong way. (This is not meant as a knock on Dungy at all, just the way the media responded. In fact, I have a great deal of respect for him and would cheer for the Colts because of him. He is definitely a fine example to follow as summarized in this article from the Praying Fields at OnFaith.) Finally, Tim Tebow is a a phenom-quarterback at the University of Florida who not only thanks God for his accomplishments (only a couple of championships and Heisman trophies but who’s counting?), but even goes on mission trips.

Of course it’s no surprise that these outward displays of faith make others like Kriegel uncomfortable. If God has no place in our government or our public square, then certainly God has no place in sports, right? Faith is even harder to reconcile in sports, where there is a clear winner and loser. Who’s to say God favored one over the other? Does God really care who wins a championship? (If he did, the Cubs would’ve won it all last year, but I digress) Some denominations recognize this and even go so far as prohibiting sports because not only does competition bring out the worst of us (just go watch your church’s local softball team) but it also puts God in a box, forcing Him to choose a favorite. Of course, the Bible tells us over and over that God doesn’t play favorites, so this would be a sin on our part.

The rivalry game between the University of Utah and BYU is called the Holy War (really, only recently so when both teams have been good enough to generate national attention). Does God really care who wins that game? What if Baylor (a Baptist school) plays Notre Dame? Does God care if the baseball player that crosses himself before his at bat strikes out or hits a home run?

Of course, most Christians in sports treat this humbly by crediting God for their talents and their health. They don’t pray to win, they pray to glorify God and for there to be no injuries. It’s usually the fans (and some knucklehead players with misinformed theology, see below) who take it overboard. But even crediting God for talents and opportunities makes others uncomfortable. Look no further than critics of President Bush who never did understand what he meant when he claimed that he believed God chose him to be president. This wasn’t a boast, but a humble reference to Romans 13:1. We can joke that Obama is the ‘chosen one’ but again, referencing Romans and conceding that God has a hand in all things, he really is. But then we’re back to the problem with sports- was Florida ‘chosen’? If so, where’s free will?

So there’s a danger in all of this. There’s no problem with thanking God, for that’s what the Bible commands us to do “in everything” (Phil 4:6) and “in all circumstances” (1 Thes 5:18). But we need to draw a line between divine providence (opportunity and talent) and divine intervention. This is where some fans and athletes cross the line. I mentioned BYU earlier and I’m not shy in saying that I absolutely hate them. But last year, there was a “miracle catch” to beat Utah as time expired and later a “miracle block” to beat UCLA in their bowl game. Their receiver, after this miracle catch was quoted as saying, “Obviously, if you do what’s right on and off the field, I think the Lord steps in and plays a part in it. Magic happens.” But what about the thugs and cheats that permeate professional sports who are successful? See where this theology leads? (this is also a problem with Prosperity Doctrine, but that’s another post for another day)

This isn’t a new problem. Look at how David lamented on the success of the wicked in the Psalms. Solomon did the same in Ecclesiastes. Or even the apostles who wondered why a man was born blind. Righteous living does not equate success in this life despite what our favorite athletes might say. We need to look no further than Jesus’ reply to reconcile our faith with prosperity, or in our case victory: “[T]his happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)

The “his” above could be “us” or “them” with regards to our own success or that of our favorite (or least favorite even) team. Give God the glory. Give him thanks. And humbly recognize that whether you win or lose, God is in control.

(For entertainment, check out this article from a year ago that gives a list of sports colliding with faith. See if you can tell the difference between most of the quotes- the most obvious exception being the boxer- and what the BYU player said.)