Is God Behind Tebow and the Broncos?

I’m sure most people have heard the saga of Tim Tebow. College football star quarterback, wins National Championship, wins Heismann Trophy, but questionable NFL prospect. Gets drafted by the Denver Broncos, much to the shock of some, the delight of others. But all of that takes a back seat to one other issue: his faith in Jesus Christ.

Grabbing more headlines than anything he does as a player is his bold, outspoken, consistent mention of his faith. In every interview. All the time. Everywhere. Even takes a knee on the field frequently.

Some love him for it. Some hate him for it. Some mock him. Some cheer. When he suddenly gets a shot at starting for the struggling Broncos, and they start winning, his fans cheer louder and his detractors jeer louder. Of course, when they go on a three game losing skid, the fans moan and the critics rejoice.

In fact, one loud-mouth, arrogant and ignorant liberal talking head said some vile things after that first loss that had it been said about a prominent Muslim, there would have been legal action, protests, etc. But Tebow just smiles and goes on praising God. And that’s what bugs folks the most I think. His humble, consistent confession.

But all of this begs the question: Is God behind Tebow and the Broncos? There have been other outspoken Christian athletes. My favorite NFL quarterback, Kurt Warner, led a Cinderella season for our St. Louis Rams years ago, taking us all the way to Super Bowl glory. Some at the time grumbled about Warner’s faith, and teased about God being on the Rams’ side, etc. Of course Warner then lost his next Super Bowl, and after leading the Arizona Cardinals to the same hallowed ground, fell short again. So did God abandon him?

With the Broncos amazing and unlikely victory over the Steelers in the playoffs yesterday, the question come up again, Is God behind Tebow and the Bronco? Well, actually, it’s a ridiculous question.

It ridiculous to ask if God plays favorites in sports. Does God have a rooting interest in the NFL? Does he favor the Christian players on the Broncos more than the Christian players on the Steelers, or any other team that might win or lose? Is God “rooting” for one team over another, one player over another. Of course not. It’s a ridiculous question.

God doesn’t play favorites. The Broncos didn’t win just because Tebow was the quarterback and he has an “in” with God. Doesn’t work that way. Never has. (In spite of one column suggesting something magic about the number 316, as in John 3:16. Read here). Even though I find myself rooting for players that I know are brothers in Christ, doesn’t mean they will win just because they’re Christians. In spite of what the health and wealth heretics tell you, God doesn’t exist to make you happy, ensure your career success, and so on.

However, the question is also ridiculous to ask on this front. Does a Sovereign God know, even orchestrate the outcome of a game? Did He not know who would win before the game even started? Of course He did. Jesus told us that not even a sparrow falls outside the knowledge, plan, and care of God. If that’s true, can we not also say that not a pass falls outside His knowledge, plan and care?

God’s sovereignty, an issue I mentioned in my last post, doesn’t just apply to major historical events. God isn’t just sovereign over nations and history and creation; He is sovereign over the lives of His people. It was part of God’s plan for Tim Tebow to win that game, just as it was part of His plan for him to lose the last three. Not because God’s a Broncos fan, or a Tebow fan, but because God is at work in the lives of His people shaping them for His purpose and His glory.

Sometimes, God’s plan involves success. David and Goliath sort of stuff. Sometimes God’s plan involves failure. David and Bathsheba kind of stuff. I don’t understand it. To be honest, I often don’t agree with it. I don’t like when my plans don’t work the way I want them to. Shoot, I don’t like it when my team doesn’t win in the playoffs.

But if we truly believe in the Sovereignty of God we have to say that even the outcomes of football games are part of His plans and purposes, for His glory; win or lose. Not because He’s rooting for a certain team, but because He has a purpose for that win or loss in the lives of countless individuals. Just as he has a plan for the success or failure of each of us; business, health, family, etc. Again, I don’t always fully comprehend it; don’t always like it.

God even knows who our next president will be. We don’t even know the players yet, but God knows who will win the game, and whether we like it or not, the winner will win because it is part of God’s plan. Scripture clearly tells us that God sets up kings and brings them down. I don’t understand it, or have to like it.

But I’m content to rest in the truth that God is God and I’m not. He doesn’t have to explain Himself to me; He’s God. He doesn’t have to explain Himself to you either. His answer to Job is His answer to us: Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world, hung the stars, and so on. Or as the apostle Paul put it: Who are you, O man, to talk back to God?

So is God behind Tebow and the Broncos? What a ridiculous question. Of course He’s not; God doesn’t play favorites. And yet, what a ridiculous question. Of course He is. He is the Sovereign God of all things. But either way you look at it, I’m still going to root for Tebow and the Broncos!

My God is So Big...So I Worship

Remember the children’s song?

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty,
There’s nothing my God cannot do.
The rivers are His, the mountains are His
The stars are His handiwork too
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.

That’s the way I remember it anyway. Sorry if I messed up the official lyrics. Anyway, it’s amazing what we can teach in a children’s song that somehow we can then grow up and forget.

I’ve spent a lot of time lately enjoying Shai Linne’s project on the Attributes of God. I know not everyone is a fan of rap, Christian or otherwise, but the content of the lyrics on this project is amazing. Two of my favorites are based on the opening verses of Psalm 115: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! … Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psalm 115:1,3, ESV)

Two things stand out in those songs and in those verses. One, we need to remember that it’s all about God and His glory; a theme we often repeat around our church. And two, my God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do. Or as the Psalm says, “He does all that He pleases.”

As children, we seem fine with all that. God really is big and all. But as we grow, we seem to struggle with the “He does all that He pleases” bit. In short, we sometimes buck against the whole Sovereignty of God idea. We like it when it fits our agenda: God is sovereign over the nations, over history, etc. We’re not so keen on it when it comes to the “sovereign over my life” issue.

I’m not going to sink into all the arguments regarding that particular doctrine. As far as I’m concerned, you can accept what Scripture says about our Sovereign King or you can reject it, and only His Spirit will convince you.

What I want to do is simply remind you of the awe of it all. That childlike awe you might have felt when singing “My God is So Big.” That’s really the issue here. Once we grasp that God is God, that He is Sovereign, it’s not a matter of arguing the minutia of what He’s sovereign over (because He does all that He pleases), but a matter of worshiping such a magnificent God. It really is all about Him and His glory.

Children often see the works of God, they hear about His power and majesty, and they just wonder at it all. Unfortunately, adults sometimes get jaded and calloused, and we loose that. Wouldn’t it be great to reclaim that awe? We ought to sit back and simply be amazed at the handiworks of God.

We ought to be in awe of the marvelous gift of salvation we’ve been given. To celebrate this holiday we’ve just celebrated, to know that God sent His own Son, God in the flesh, born as a babe in a manger. To know that this Son lived a perfect life and died as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. To know that He gave His life as a ransom for filthy sinners like you and me; that He exchanged His righteousness for our rebellion; His glory for our garbage; His riches for our rags. That ought to cause us to sit back and just oohh and aahh over the majesty of our maker; and to throw ourselves on His mercy.

But even beyond that is the simple wonder we ought to experience as we consider God Himself. My God is so big, He is so glorious, so beautiful, so magnificent, so splendid in His very being, that our minds can’t even comprehend Him. There’s nothing my God cannot do, He does all that He pleases, and so I will simply worship Him and give Him the glory due His name.

For those who enjoy great lyrics regardless of the musical vehicle, here are the two songs from Shai Linne I mentioned. Just sit back and let the words remind you of the greatness of our God, and worship Him. (Those who are strongly adverse to Christian hip-hop, you can just click here and read the lyrics if you'd like: The Glory of God, Our God is in the Heavens). Soli Deo Gloria!

Another Year

Samuel Medley (1738-1799) was the son of an English school master. He joined the British Royal Navy but was wounded in battle in 1759. It’s said that he nearly lost a limb, but God miraculously intervened. During his recovery, his grandfather read to him a sermon by Isaac Watts, the great English pastor and hymn writer. God used that sermon as an instrument of Medley’s conversion, and he gave himself to study for the ministry. He eventually served 27 years as a Baptist pastor in Liverpool.

In addition to his pastoral ministry, Medley wrote several hymns (some of which you can find here). Sadly, our Baptist churches have not passed down many of these fine Baptist verses over the years, much to our loss. Along with contemporary John Newton, Medley wrote of God’s amazing grace:

O what amazing words of grace Are in the Gospel found!
Suited to every sinner’s case Who knows the joyful sound.

Come, then, with all your wants and wounds; Your every burden bring;
Here love, unchanging love, abounds, A deep, celestial spring.

Anyway, all of that is simply to get to this. Samuel Medley in 1789 gave us this lyric for “another year.” I share it with you as a prayer for each of us as we seek His will, His goodness, His grace and guidance for another year:

Father of mercies! God of love!
Whose kind compassion still we prove,
Our praise accept, and bless us here,
As brought to this – another year.

We sing Thy goodness all divine,
Whose radiant beams around us shine;
‘Tis through Thy goodness we appear
Preserved to this – another year.

Our souls, our all we here resign;
Make us, and keep us ever Thine;
And grant that in Thy love and fear
We may begin – another year.

Be this our sweet experience still,
To know and do Thine holy will;
Then shall our souls, with joy sincere,
Bless Thee for this – another year.

Still, Lord, through life Thy love display,
And then in death’s approaching day,
We’ll joyful part with all that’s here,
Nor wish on earth – another year.

Observation and Reflection

Okay, so it’s that time of the year. Time to get all nostalgic, reflecting back on the year that was, what I didn’t do right, what I want to do better and all that. But I’ll keep most of that to myself, thank you very much.

For this space, I want to do a little observing and reflecting about this blog site itself. I want to make a couple of observations based on the information Blogger keeps track of for me, and then reflect on the top ten posts in the history of this site. So most of you can just skip ahead now to the next blog in your Google reader or whatever. This is mainly just for myself and for those who are just so bored, they need something to do with their time, so…

Observation #1 = Interesting Search Results
One of the things Blogger tells me is the search parameters put in by others that led them to my sight. For the most part, it’s stuff I’d expect: my name, things that match titles of posts (fishers of men, all creation sings, arguments against alcohol being the top three, which correspond to top posts listed below), and so on.

However, there are a couple of surprises. One of the more popular searches leading to me is for “wiccan tattoos,” which apparently brings up an article I wrote last year for Tullian’s book “Unfashionable.” I simply mentioned a quote I’d read about supposedly Christian tattoo artists who had no problem doing wiccan tattoos. Amazing what the search engines fined.

And then my favorite search: “Right Wing Sermons.” Do a search on that and you’ll find on the first page of results my 4th of July post this year. Interesting, considering the point was a speech made in the Massachusetts Congress by the sitting president of Harvard. Anyway, guess I’m glad I come up so quickly when folks are looking for right wing sermons.

Observation #2 = Worldwide Reach of the Internet
Okay, maybe I should just say that I’m amazed that anyone ever reads this. I’m just a nobody preacher from the Midwest, ranting and raving about whatever trips my fancy. I can’t believe folks take time to read this. But more amazing still is where folks are reading from.

We truly live in a global society, I know that; but it still blows my mind that just today, people in these countries have stopped by my corner of the blogosphere: United Kingdom, Germany, Indonesia, Jordan, Malta. Malta?? Really?? And in the past week, we’ve had readers stop by from Russia, France, Canada, India, and even three hits from Latvia. Wow. How do you say “I’m reading a boring preacher from Missouri” in Latvian?

Observation #3 = People Will Surprise You
I’m also amazed at what hits the spot, draws interest, etc. I write things that I think are real hot button issues, and it seems there is little response. Then I’ll just throw something out there off the cuff, and bam! Case in point are two of the top four posts in the list below: one on Albert Pujols and one on alcohol consumption (which was simply inspired by the idiotic behavior of some NASCAR fans). You never know, I guess.

Which brings me to the top ten. Here are the top ten most often hit individual articles in the history of this site (at least in the history since Blogger started keeping track). Drum roll please…

Top Ten Posts

10. Wise Words to Young Men – On My Son’s Birthday, Jun 27, 2011.
Written for my sons 17th birthday, this is in large part just quotes from J. C. Ryle.

9. Excerpts from "Surprised By Grace,” Jan 24, 2011.
Having just read Tullian Tchividjian’s treatment of Jonah, I posted a few of my favorite quotes. Mr. Tchividjian himself found it somehow and tweeted a link to my blog. Just goes to show how much more influence he has than me!

8. Preaching to Yourself, Feb 28, 2011.
Some encouragement from Psalms 42-43 for those difficult days, weeks, months in all of our lives.

7. This May Be My Last Post, May 19, 2011.
In light of Harold Camping’s first doomsday date this year, I reflected on what my last words might be if I thought I would never speak/post again.

6. Touched By God, Jan 7, 2011.
A little reminder that getting what we ask for could be dangerous. To be “touched by God” leaves a permanent imprint on our lives. Just ask Jacob.

5. Seeking God's Face: A Sermon Summary, Oct 14, 2010.
Actually, one of my own favorites. This is a shortened version of the message I was privileged to bring to our local Baptist Association in 2010. I prayed long and hard about this message, and was pleased with the result. God was also pleased to bring some good responses from those who were there.

4. Albert Pujols and Missed Opportunities, Dec 8, 2011.
The aforementioned “off the cuff” response to Mr. Pujols leaving St. Louis. Never did I suspect it would take off like it did, jumping to this fourth over all spot in only three days. As I said, people will surprise you.

3. All Creation Sings. April 16, 2009.
Another of my own favorites, this is just a reflection on spending the early morning hours turkey hunting with my son, and the sense of awe it brings when considering our Creator. I included one of my favorite AD songs.

2. Fishers of Men...No Bait Required, March 14, 2011.
Maybe a bit controversial, this is just my reflection on the “bait and switch” tactics we use in the church, questioning if our pragmatic approaches are really what Jesus had in mind when calling us to fish for men. Not sure how many agree with my assessment, but there sure have been a lot of readers on this one.

1. An Argument Against Alcohol, May 3, 2007.
Without a doubt, far and away the most popular post I’ve ever written. And it was almost five years ago. As I said above, it was inspired by the actions of some NASCAR fans and it prompted me to say some things about the use of alcohol and the wisdom Christians in our culture to abstain. Wow, the comments and hits on this one. I never said Scripture prohibited drinking (though many confused that issue), I simply pointed out that with the dangers attached, looking out for our brothers would suggest abstaining from this particular “freedom.” I don’t want to start the arguments up again, I still stand by my original comments, and you can read those plus the follow up articles if you want to know more.

Well, there you have it. Overall, it’s a good exercise to look back, reflect, evaluate, etc. Here’s hoping I still have some things to say in the year to come, and that by God’s grace I will say them better than I have in the past. In all, if just one person is led by something here to go to God’s Word and find the truth there, then all the time and effort is worth it.

If you read this far, congratulations (and condolences). Thanks for trudging through my year end catharsis. Have a Happy New Year and Soli Deo Gloria!

The True Way of Keeping Christmas

As you celebrate this wonderful day and the precious birth of our Savior, may these words from George Whitefield on "The True Way of Keeping Christmas" help you examine your heart and the heart of your celebration.

I come now…to show you, who they are who do rightly observe, and truly celebrate the birth of our Redeemer.

First, That those spend their time aright, and truly observe this festival, who spend their hours in reading, praying, and religious conversation.

What can we do to employ our time to a more noble purpose, than reading of what our dear Redeemer has done and suffered; to read, that the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, came from his throne and took upon him the form of the meanest of his servants; and what great things he underwent. This, this is an history worth reading, this is worth employing our time about: and surely, when we read of the sufferings of our Savior, it should excite us to prayer, that we might have an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ; that the blood which he spilt upon mount Calvary, and his death and crucifixion, might make an atonement for our sins, that we might be made holy; that we might be enabled to put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, even the Lord Jesus Christ; that we may throw away the heavy yoke of sin, and put on the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, my brethren, these things call for prayer, and for earnest prayer too; and O do be earnest with God, that you may have an interest in this Redeemer, and that you may put on his righteousness, so that you may not come before him in your filthy rags, nor be found not having on the wedding garment. O do not, I beseech you, trust unto yourselves for justification; you cannot, indeed, you cannot be justified by the works of the law. I entreat that your time may be thus spent; and if you are in company, let your time be spent in that conversation which profiteth: let it not be about your dressing, your plays, your profits, or your worldly concerns, but let it be the wonders of redeeming love: O tell, tell to each other, what great things the Lord has done for your souls; declare unto one another, how you were delivered from the hands of your common enemy, Satan, and how the Lord has brought your feet from the clay, and has set them upon the rock of ages, the Lord Jesus Christ; there, my brethren, is no slipping; other conversation, by often repeating, you become fully acquainted with, but of Christ there is always something new to raise your thoughts; you can never want matter when the love of the Lord Jesus Chris is the subject: then let Jesus be the subject, my brethren, of all your conversation.

Let your time be spent on him: O this, this is an employ, which if you belong to Jesus, will last you to all eternity. Let others enjoy their cards, their dice, and gaming hours; do you, my brethren, let your time be spent in reading, praying, and religious conversations. Which will stand the trial best at the last day? Which do you think will bring most comfort, most peace, in a dying hour? O live and spend your time now, as you will wish to have done, when you come to die.

Secondly, Let the good things of life, you enjoy, be used with moderation.

I am not, as the scoffers of this day tell you, against eating and drinking the good things of life; no, my brethren, I am only against their being used to an excess; therefore, let me beseech you to avoid those great indiscretions, those sinful actions, which will give the enemies of God room to blaspheme. Let me beseech you, to have a regard, a particular regard to your behavior, at this time; for indeed the eyes of all are upon you, and they would rejoice much to find any reason to complain of you. They can say things against us without a cause; and how would they rejoice if there was wherewith they might blame us? Then they would triumph and rejoice indeed; and all your little slips, my dear brethren, are, and would be charged upon me. O at this time, when the eyes of so many are upon you, be upon your guard; and if you use the good things of this life with moderation, you do then celebrate this festival in the manner which the institution calls for.

And instead of running into excess, let that money, which you might expend to pamper your own bodies, be given to feed the poor; now, my brethren, is the season, in which they commonly require relief; and sure you cannot act more agreeable, either to the season, to the time, or for the glory of God, than in relieving his poor distressed servants. Therefore, if any of you have poor friends, or acquaintance, who are in distress, I beseech you to assist them; and not only those of your acquaintance, but the poor in general. O my dear brethren, that will turn to a better account another day, than all you have expended to please the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. Consider, Christ was always willing to relieve the distressed; it is his command also; and can you better commemorate the birth of your king, your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, than in obeying one of his commands?

Do not, my dear brethren, be forgetful of the poor of the world; consider, if providence has smiled upon you, and blessed you with abundance of the things of this life, God calls for some returns of gratitude from you; be ye mindful of the poor, and when you are so, then you may be said to have a true regard for that time which is now approaching; if you would truly observe this festival, let it be done with moderation, and a regard to the poor of this world.

Thirdly, Let me beg of you not to alienate too much of your time from the worldly business of this life, but have a proper regard thereunto, and then you may be said rightly to observe this festival.

God allows none to be idle: in all ages business was commended; and therefore do not think that any season will excuse us in our callings; we are not, my brethren, to labor for the things of this life inordinately, but we are to labor for them will all moderation: we are not to neglect our callings; no, we are to regard those places and stations of life, which God in his providence has thought convenient for us; and therefore, when you neglect your business of the hurt of your families, whatever pretense you thereby make for so doing, you are guilty of sin; you are not acting according to the doctrine of the gospel, but are breaking the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ, both according to his word, and to his own practice.

At this festival, persons are apt to take a little more liberty than usual; and if that time from our vocations is not prejudicial to ourselves or families, and is spent in the service of God, and the good of immortal souls, then I do not thing it sinful; but there is too much reason to fear, that the time spent upon our own lusts, and then it is exceeding sinful, it is against our own souls, and it is against the good of our families, and instead of commemorating the birth of our dear Redeemer, we are dishonoring him in the greatest degree possibly we can.

Therefore, inquire strictly into your end and design in spending your time; see, my brethren, whether it proceeds from a true love to your Redeemer, or whether there is not some worldly pleasure or advantage at the bottom: if there is, our end is not right; but if it proceed entirely from love to him that died, and gave himself for us, our actions will be a proof thereof; then our time will be spent, not in the polite pleasures of life, but according to the doctrine and commands of the blessed Jesus; then our conversation will be in heaven; and O that this might be found to be the end of each of you, who now hear me; then we should truly observe this festival, and have a true regard to the occasion thereof, that of Christ's coming to redeem the souls of those which were lost.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL,
AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY

One Pastor's Plea for This Christmas Sunday

Very rarely do I just repeat another blog. But the message in this article, especially the pastor's letter which is included, is absolutely priceless. Furthermore, I've been tossing around in my own mind this very subject, thinking of writing a post about the subject of those who would skip church on Sunday because it's Christmas, or those who would worse yet, cancel their services. This brief post from White Horse Inn addresses the issue better than I could have ever come up with. I strongly encourage you to read this, pass it along to all the men in your life, and then we'll see you in church on Sunday!

Christianless Churches - White Horse Inn Blog

An Early Christmas Present

Our family received a sort of early Christmas present. I say sort of because our girls worked hard for this, and the boys and I worked at least a little bit building some fence (with lots and lots of help). Anyway, here's the story at our family blog.

The ServantHeart Homeschool Site: We Have Horses!:
Several years ago, the girls saw an ad in the paper offering horse riding lessons in exchange for work. I believe the deal was two hours of...

The Blessings of Being God’s Children

For the last several weeks, I’ve been using Galatians 4:4-5 as the basis for a series of “holiday” messages. In preparation for the celebration of our Lord’s first advent, we’ve been looking at God’s sovereign plan in sending His Son, the miracle of God in the flesh, and the purpose behind it all. We’ll be finishing this little study on Christmas morning by looking at the last issue in that Galatians text: the issue of adoption.

Oh, what a glorious thing it is to be adopted as sons and daughters of God! What a remarkable truth that we often take for granted. What an amazing display of God’s grace that He not only redeems us, but adopts us.

Anyway, in the process of studying for that last message, I came across a short sermon from Robert Murray M'Cheyne. His last point deals with the blessedness of being a son of God, and he lists these five glorious truths:

1. The first thing that makes it a blessedness is that we get the love of the Father. The moment you become a child, the Father loves you. This is shown in what Christ said to Mary: "I ascend unto my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God." Christ here intimated, that we have the same love that he had. We have not got so much of the love of the Father as Christ, because he has got an infinite capacity; but it is the same love. The sun shines as much upon the daisy as it does upon the sunflower, though the sunflower is able to contain more. Christ plainly shows you that in the 17th chapter of John, where he prays that the same love maybe in us that was in him. O how much better is it, then, to be under the love of God, than under the wrath of God!

2. Let me mention to you a second part of the blessedness we get. The Spirit of the Son dwells in us. You will see this in Galatians 4.6, "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Brethren, when Christ comes, the first thing he does is to redeem you from under the curse of the law, and then he makes you a son. O it is sweet to have the smile of Christ! it is sweet to get the love of Christ; but I will tell you what is equally as sweet ? that is to receive the Spirit of Christ. Has he given you the Spirit? He will do it if you are a son, that you may be made to cry, "Abba, Father."

3. Let me mention to you another part of the blessedness of being a son of God. You get the likeness of the Father. You know this is the case in an adopted family; an adopted child in the course of time gets the very features of the family. So you get the image of the Father, and you get the love of the Father. You are taught that in Matthew 5, where Christ says, in his Sermon on the Mount, "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father "which is in heaven," that ye may bear the image of the Father. Have you that mark of adoption? Are you turning like God?

4. Let us mention another part of the blessedness. Some of you may be surprised at it. We get the chastisement of the Father. If we have no chastisement, then we are bastards, and not sons, for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not. The world are allowed to get fat; but it is not so with those that follow God; if they wander, he puts up a hedge, and if they fall into it, he puts up a wall.

5. Let me mention the last part of the blessedness. We receive the inheritance as heirs. Paul says, "If sons, then heirs." Every child in a rich family gets something when the father dies; often he shares his fortune equally among them, and the adopted child is not forgot. If we are Christ's we get all things with him. If we are Christ's, we share the government of the world with him. If we are his, we shall share the crown with him. It is called the inheritance of the saints in light. I cannot tell the blessings of being an heir of God; but I know that it is better than being an heir of hell: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things," and that for eternity ? it cannot fade away. O my brethren! will you still remain heirs of hell? If you come to Christ you will be made heirs of God. Whether is it better to get the pleasure of the world, and hell at the end, or to be made a child of God, and an heir of Christ?

An amazing collection of blessedness, and a heart searching question. Whose child are you? Whose inheritance will you receive? More important than any Christmas present under the tree is the gift of God’s Son and the Spirit of Adoption He brings. I pray you unwrap that mystery this Christmas.

Homeschooler Moment #8

Our youngest comes into my bedroom one morning as I’m getting ready to head out and says, “Dad, I have a question.” I said, “OK.” He said, “Since you know everything, can people really be raised by wolves?”

After I got up off the floor and stopped laughing, I looked at the poor boy who seemed very confused. He was so serious. So I said, “Yes, son, it doesn’t happen often, but people can be raised by wolves. Why do you ask?” At which point he goes into a recitation of a Garfield comic strip where apparently Liz claims to have been raised by wolves.

The lessons here are multiple. First, I’ve trained him well to think that Dad knows everything (In fact, he accepted my “yes” answer without question. Good boy). Second, we’ve taught him the value of being discerning when reading, not just accepting everything in print. Third, it shows our literary standards in this family are quite high. All the great minds read Garfield regularly. And finally, whether you homeschool or not, I hope you take every opportunity to find teachable moments each and every day with your children.

Of Sports Stars and Idolatry

Wow. In three short days my last post about Albert Pujols leaving St. Louis shot up to be #4 on the all time hit list on this blog. Blogger stats only go back 2 1/2 years, so the all time stats might be a tad off. Still, in just those three short days, more folks clicked over to read my brief, off the cuff remarks about Albert's departure than nearly all other posts on this site.

Now, I can surmise a couple of different things by this. I could assume this means that for the most part I never write anything here that is of any real interest. So the Pujols piece just finally pricked some interest. That quite possible may be true.

Yet, I do remember a piece I wrote during the last election cycle about Mike Huckabee's run for the White House. Not only did I get some interest on that piece, but some interesting interest. I ended up being interviewed by both the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and the New York Times. Made me feel pretty important.

Also, this is only the fourth most viewed post, so there are three more out there that have at least had some attention drawn. Granted, the short time period here is mind boggling for me, but still.

Maybe it's just to save my own pride, but I think there might be a different answer. I think it might have to do with the near worship we shower on professional athletes. One could point out the similarities between the various "houses of worship" where thousand gather to sing/shout their praises to their "god." Much of the activity in church and stadium have striking similarities.

But beyond that is the way our hearts and minds are captured. Even walking into a Sunday School classroom, the conversation at the beginning often involves sports and sports figures. Oddly enough, I can't say that the stadium conversations before a game often include commentary on the latest sermon heard. Most folks will more readily talk about their favorite ball player than they will about their Savior, just as most folks will readily pass on a social media post about said sports star more quickly than something involving "churchy" subjects.

What does this say about our priorities? And if anyone or anything has a higher priority in our hearts, minds and actions than God, does that person or thing not by definition become an idol? And what does it say about the reality of our faith when we're less likely to talk about God to our friends than we are to spout off about the latest sports gossip?

Trust me, folks, I'm not throwing stones here. I've been challenging myself with these thoughts as much as anyone else. (I may or may not have been the one to bring Pujols up in SS class). And I know I'm not the first person to bring the issue up, to make the comparison, etc. So I don't expect this particular post to hit the top ten list anytime soon.

Still, I can't help but think about a definition of worship I once heard (from Voddie Baucham I think, but I'm not sure). Worship is that which we set our mind's attention and heart's affection upon. So do we set our mind's attention and heart's affection more on football or God? Are our conversations more about baseball or Christ? Are we influenced more by playoff scenarios, or the Holy Spirit? Just some thoughts for reflection.

Psalm 72:18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Psalm 86:10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Isaiah 45:22 "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.