God and baseball
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by John Fischer
Well my mighty Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim just got swept by the lowly Kansas City Royals, a team of young, no-name players who came in here and shut down one of the hottest teams in baseball right now (well at least they were before Monday). When the Royals arrived they were 30-46, the second worst record in the majors; and the Angels were 49-27, the second best record in the majors. Now add three games to the loss column for the Angels and three games to the Royals’ total wins. The Angels hadn’t been swept at home since 2005. But it happened. It’s history. It’s in the record book. David slew Goliath.
This is one of the reasons I like baseball, you never know what might happen. Its a sport where the worst team can beat the best team, and do it again… and again. The first game was 5-3 and we could explain that by the fact that it was just a bad night. The Royals had some lucky breaks, etc., etc. The next game was a humiliating 12-4 drumming. No explanation whatsoever. The Angels just didn’t bother showing up; they phoned in the score. And the last game was pure frustration: 1-0. Ten hits and no runs. That’s hard to do. They were caught in double plays; they were caught stealing; they were caught leading off the base; they were caught scratching their heads. The Angels were on a roll before the Royal blue came in and rolled them right up and out the door.
As I was thinking about this I was reminded of something that God does that is similar. He exalts the humble and brings down the proud. See, God and baseball have a way of evening things out.
If you’ve gotten a bum rap, you’ve been under the thumb, things have not been going your way… hold on to Jesus. He will lift you up in due time. It may be today. It may be a long time from today, but it most definitely will be.
And similarly, if you have been cruisin’, your ship has come in, you are at the head of the class… hold on to Jesus, because it’s not always going to be this way. You can bet on that. Accept your high place as from the Lord and realize that you have a Lord over you to answer to. With position comes responsibility. If you choose wisely, you will not have to lose anything even if you lose your position, because you, too, were holding onto Jesus all along.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)
kindness - returning the favor
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unknown author
I was traveling in a large city recently and took a taxi. I put my bag, that had important items, in the taxi cab trunk. When I first got into the cab, the driver frankly looked scary, long dread lock hair, kind of dirty worn clothes, and spoke little English. He snarled at me when I asked him how he was doing as if he did not want to be bothered.
As we drove for a fairly long time, I was finally able to strike up a conversation with him and the more we talked the more he seemed to relax and warm up to our conversation. The conversation turned to religion and he said he was Muslin and believed in God but was having a very rough year financially and health wise. I told him it seems like we all go through periods of trial when God tests us and it seems unfair at times but we all have burdens to bear and I believe God never gives us anything we cannot handle. God tests us to see if we are worthy to live with Him forever.
We arrived at my destination and I offered him a very nice tip but he refused and said he appreciated it but it was not necessary to tip him that much. I then said God Bless you and thanks for sharing with me and for the conversation and would keep him in my prayers. For the first time he gave me a big smile and said God Bless you, too.
I got out of the cab and realized I forgot to get my bag out of the trunk but by then the driver was gone and the receipt he gave me did not have a phone number or company on it. So I was very upset that I had been so stupid to leave the bag because I needed it for my meeting.
About 30 mintues later, I was in my meeting and a guard at the place where I was meeting, brought me my bag and said a taxi driver had given it to him to give to me because it had my name tag on it.
Everything in the bag was still there and, in fact, I had forgotten that I had a $20 bill in the bag and it was still there as well. There was a hand written note from the taxi cab driver in the bag which said: “You are the first person in weeks that has actually taken the time to talk to me in my cab. Everyone else acts like I don’t exist. I am returning your bag because of your kindness and making me feel like I am worth something. I probably could have sold some of your things in the bag for money which I really need but I thought the least I could do in returning the favor is to return your bag. I hope you do pray for me. I need your prayers. God Bless you.”
Growing Thru Regret
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by John Fischer
Where does character come from? For one thing, it comes from hardship. “We can rejoice, too,” said Paul, “when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us — they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us…” (Romans 5:3-4)
I think it is safe to say there is no way to have character without pain, failure and hardship. Sometimes we short-circuit what God is trying to build in us because we avoid these things or we refuse to face up to our shortcomings or our sins.
In the movie Big Kahuna, a young Baptist fresh out of Christian college played by Peter Tarrantino is on his first business trip with two co-workers played by Kevin Spacey and Danny Devito. The young Baptist is admirable, working hard to stay true to his Christian convictions amidst Spacey’s foul-mouthed cynicism, and Devito’s probing questions about God. Though the young Baptist’s faith is sincere, it is untested, and as Danny Devito points out, it hasn’t yet touched the whole of his life. The character played by Devito is actually closer to truly knowing God than the young Baptist in that he is searching and asking all the right questions. The young Christian is holding on so tightly to his answers for fear that someone will take them away, that he has no ability to connect to the real people in front of him or even hear their questions.
In a final scene, Devito makes a stinging observation of the young salesman. He tells Bob that in his opinion, though he is sincere, he has no character, and the reason he has no character is that he hasn’t lived long enough to regret anything. To which Bob replies, as I would have at his age because I had the same perception of myself then, “You mean I have to do something I’ll regret in order to have character?”
“No Bob,” says Danny Devito, “you have plenty of things to regret. You just don’t know what they are.”
We are all in the process of finding out who we are in Christ, but part of that also includes finding out just how far we have to go. It’s a painful process, but the more we avoid it, the more we deny the very thing that will build character in us and cause us to grow. We grow from facing the truth about ourselves, even when the truth hurts. There is no shortcut to the character that comes from the pain of confession and the relief of being saved.
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It is far better to forgive and forget than to resent and remember.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12
A demand for purity
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by John Fischer
In an article in the Monday Los Angeles Times on cults and mind control, a number of traits were listed as comprising a cult. The list might surprise you. It included the following: a demand for purity, confession of sins, the total control of information and communication, and a sharp delineation between insiders and the outside world. The scary thing about this is: these are all good things, that in the wrong hands and used for the wrong reasons, can be devastating. And because their misuse is so subtle, we need to be better at spotting where the truth stops and the lie begins, so as to not be lead astray.
The first one is probably the most dangerous because it sounds so right: a demand for purity.
Truly, this demand is biblical and should be a part of our life and worship as followers of Christ. Jesus told us in no uncertain terms to be holy as His heavenly Father is holy. Peter told us to live lives above reproach. James told us to not be corrupted by the world. And Paul told us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. So what could possibly go wrong with this kind of emphasis? Exactly this: as soon as anyone claims to actually be pulling any of this off, is when the trouble begins.
God’s demand for perfection is there for one reason: to show us how imperfect we are, and to confirm our need for Jesus. True holiness and righteousness comes from Christ in our lives, not how well we are doing at being pure and holy.
A cult is present when it is assumed that someone has actually reached the level of purity required (usually the leader). As soon as that happens, look out. The demand for purity is good and right, it’s just that purity must never come at the expense of honesty. But because no one is perfect, it always does.
Purity is the standard, not the practice that we all will attain at some point in this life. True holiness is unattainable by any one of us; it comes only through Christ. And how does that come? Upon the admission of our unholiness, and our need to depend on Him for everything.
My wife can tell you all the exact details of where we were when, in a family discussion, my mother came out with her version of the facts: that I never sinned. Marti almost lost it. Obviously she knew a different me than my mom imagined me as. If my mom had been right, I could have created a cult on the spot. As it is, I am just happy to know my forgiveness is continual because I have a habit of continually needing it.
Investment
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The only safe investment is an investment in eternity.
“But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:20-21
You’re gonna live through this
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by John Fischer We ended last week thinking about eternity, and we begin this week with the same. The value of eternity is the perspective it gives to life — not as an escape from reality, but as a means of deepening it. One aspect of that perspective was captured in a humorous quote sent by one of our readers. The reader didn’t cite the source except that it was a comedian. “One of these days we’re going to get to heaven, and we’re going to look back over our lives and say: ‘You know, I sure could have enjoyed that a whole lot more had I’d known I WAS GOING TO LIVE THROUGH IT!’”
Think about that. If your faith is in Jesus Christ, you’re going to get through whatever you are going through right now. You will look back on this and it will seem like nothing. I know it may seem like there is no end in sight right now, but that’s only because you can only see a few feet ahead.
Have you ever noticed how waiting for something seems to take forever, and then when you finally realize what you were waiting for, whether it’s a mate, or a baby, or a degree, it seems like all that time you waited vanishes? You made it! You have it now! It almost makes all that waiting irrelevant. Heaven will be like that, I think. From this side of heaven, life moves slowly; from the other side, it is over in a flash. So even though we can’t change our vantage point, we can know that it will be changing, and for the better, and because of the realities of faith, that is not just wishful thinking. It is the truth.
So think about that now. You are going to live through this. And given that fact, maybe you’ll be able to enjoy it more, or endure it more easily, because you know that. Would it change what you are going through right now if you knew you were going to live through it? Well, think about that, because you will!
Garage
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Short Prayer
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Jesus, everything I do, say and think today I offer up to you to glorify your Name. Please be with me today and everyday.
Eternity (or Carolina, whichever comes first)
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by John Fischer This morning I jogged to James Taylor’s “Carolina In My Mind” and couldn’t help thinking of eternity. I think it was the “holy host of others standing ’round me” line that reminded me of the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1. At any rate, my crazy mind is always making these kinds of connections between the sacred and secular. (Actually I’m no longer aware of much of a difference between the two; it’s all gotten pretty holy to me.) Not that we live our lives only for eternity, or that we become so other-worldly we are of no use to this world, but the fact that as believers we do have a life #2 waiting for us in eternity should have some effect on how we live today. So for inspiration today along these lines, we will borrow from the apostle Paul, from whoever wrote Hebrews if it wasn’t Paul, from Peter and from James (Taylor, that is). And the theme is sort of like living with eternity (or Carolina, whichever comes first) in your mind. In my mind I’m goin’ to Carolina For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17) There ain’t no doubt it no one’s mind The end of all things is near… [so] love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:7-8) Since everything will be destroyed… what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (2 Peter 3:11-13) And hey babe the sky’s on fire, I’m Dyin’ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1) With a holy host of others standing ’round me
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