MONDAY MORNING REFLECTIONS - ENOUGH EPIC WEATHER ALREADY, CONRATULATIONS CARDINALS, GLOBAL ECONOMY IS A REALITY

Landisville late Saturday morning (photo by L. Kilgore)

As I begin writing this post for Monday publication, it is Saturday morning and I am sitting in the breakfast area at the Hampton Inn in Hanover PA. I was scheduled to teach a Bridgebuilders Seminar at a church in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland. My wife and I had stopped here for the night to enjoy a night away and to reduce this morning's trip. The Seminar has been cancelled because of a winter storm warning that is already a reality at my final destination. The Weather Channel is trumpeting an epic winter storm for October in the Northeast.  I, for one, am not happy. (My wife who has gone back to be to sleep later on this Saturday is happy.)  Enough epic weather, already!  Where I live in central Pennsylvania, we have been hit by two hurricanes, one earthquake, and a century-level flood since August.  This is the second major training event I was scheduled to teach that have directly collided with the weather.   It's enough to make me start blogging about global warming.  I am hoping the snow goes away quickly.  I still have work to do to prepared my house and yard for winter.  Snow in October is just too soon.  Enough!

Side Note:  I don't usually do weather or sports teams in my prayers.  If I did and God chose to answer my prayer, it would be 70 degrees and sunny 12 months a year and the Detroit Tigers would be the 2011 World Series Champs.

Speaking of World Series Champions - congratulations to Tony LaRussa and the St. Louis Cardinals.  Two months ago no one really gave them a chance to make the playoffs, let alone win the Series against a slugging team like the Texas Rangers. But they closed the gap to be the NL Wild Card Team, overwhelmed the Milwaukee Brewers and then took the Rangers to a 7th Game that reflected the whole series - aggressive base running, closers who couldn't close and home runs galore from both sides.  I have many friends from my chldhood in the Midwest who were "rabid" Cardinal fans and their hour-by-hour agony filled the newsfeed on my Facebook for the past two weeks. Now they can be at peace.  For my money David Freese deserves the World Series MVP.  He saved the Cardinals in Game Six and I think broke the spirit of the Rangers. (I'd have loved to see a rematch of the 2006 Series between the Tigers and Cardinals given the power that has been added to the Tiger batting order in the last year.)

The eyes of the world have been on Greece this week where a highly troubled economy was undermining the European Union.  But the American stock market remained volatile this week as investors agonized over the impact of Greece's economic woes on our global economy.  Despite the protectionists in every nation around the world, we do have a global economy that really cannot be undone.  But the reality of that economy is in the impact on all nations when one nation does not keep its final house in order.  This is another reason why the US must get its own final house in order.

MORE ON BASEBALL - Baseball, Beards, and Spitting! Yikes!

More baseball fun, this time from Mark Roberts,

In the last couple of days, I watched more baseball than I have in a couple of years. In the end, it was not much fun for someone from Texas, though I’ve got to give tons of credit to the St. Louis Cardinals. They proved to have great fortitude in addition to great talent.

But I have one gripe and one question.

My gripe is this: spitting. Not only did I see more baseball in the last week than I have in a long time, but also I saw more spitting than I have in the last decade. At one point, I started to count the number of spits in an inning, but I lost track into the twenties. I realize that lots of players are chewing tobacco. I hear that some have gone healthier, with sunflower seeds or gum. But, I don’t care if they’re chewing their tongues, the spitting thing is obnoxious. I suppose if I were to watch baseball all the time I’d get used to it. But, frankly, this gives me a good reason not to watch. I just don’t particularly want to watch people spitting all the time.

One of the most impressive beards in baseball belongs to Brian Wilson, relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. Most of the beards in the World Series were nicely trimmed. If Wilson wants to help his team into the series, he should get a beard trimmer.

My question: What’s up with the beards? It seemed like almost every player on the Cardinals and the Rangers had a beard. Now this doesn’t bother me. I wore a beard for more than half of my adult life. I’m just curious about where the beard wearing came from. In the olden days, professional athletes had short, well-managed hair, and they were almost always clean-shaven. Now, it’s not uncommon to see long hair flowing out from the back of NFL helmets. And I guess if you really want to play in the World Series, you’d better have a beard. And not just a scruffy “I’m not shaving during the playoffs” beard, but a well-manicured beauty. Does anybody know when baseball players started wearing beards? Is there some magic reason?

I can see only one major problem with the beard thing, and that’s the mixture of beard and spitting. I’d be afraid to guess what’s lurking in some of those beards. Ugh!

THE BEAUTY OF BASEBALL

Biblical scholar and blogger, Ben Witherington, shares my love of baseball.  His most recent post captures that love and its spiritual significance.- Steve



Let’s be honest.  The most popular game in America these days is brutal. I’m talking about the incessantly broadcast game of professional football, a game, as they say ‘won in the trenches’, a term borrowed from WWI and the Maginot line. Today instead it is the offensive or defensive line. Yes, there are thrilling plays in football— elegantly arched passes to diving receivers, runners weaving their way through traffic heading for the endzone. But most of the actual play on the football field is not beautiful. It involves holding, pushing, shoving, tackling, hitting— especially hitting these days. The game’s name should be changed from tackle football to hit football. Launching one’s body at another human being, outside the football field is called assault. It is not beautiful. It is ugly.

Football, if it is possible, has become even more of a bloodsport today, than it was when padding was not nearly so good. It does a good job of feeding our lust for the dramatic, for a thrill a moment, and our voyeuristic joy in watching someone else crash and burn. Baseball, except for the occasional collision on the base paths or at home plate is not about players smashing up other players. It’s about beauty, and it’s about life and what is good in human striving.

If you have not been under a rock, and have watched this truly memorable World Series between the Cardinals and Rangers, you will see lots of amazing individual and team achievements. Say, Albert Pujols’ three monster home runs in Arlington which conjured up images of Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. Or say the hometown boy David Freese made good, almost single-handedly staving off elimination in Game Six when the Cardinals were down to their last strike, twice. Or watching a guy built like a lineman, a catcher named Napoli, time and again lift his team with his bat or throws as the crowd chanted Napoli, Napoli, Napoli.

The problem with football, especially college football, is that with one loss even at the beginning of the season, you can be out of the championship hunt. That, frankly, is not merely a buzzkill, its cruel. Contrast that to baseball.

The St. Louis Cardinals, for a great deal of the season were not very good. Indeed, on Sept. 1, they were so far behind in the wildcard race, they weren’t even in anybody’s rear view mirror. And even after 161 games, the issue was not settled as to who would be the wild card team. It turned out to be….wait for it….. the Wild Cards.

Baseball was and is about redemption after losses, even devastating losses. It’s the game that is most like life. It is a game of children played by adults. In what other sport can you get a hit only one try out of three, failing two thirds of the time, and end up in a Hall of Fame? None. None that I know of. Thank goodness life is more like baseball than football. In what other sport can you fail magnificently, completely, repeatedly, in double digits, and still go on to win a world championship?
In an age of individualism, and rampant narcissism, baseball remains a team sport. There are some baseball players, even today, who have exactly one specialized skill. They don’t look like athletes, they can’t run like athletes, they would never make even a semi-pro team in other sports. But there they are, playing professional baseball. I’m talking about players like Darren Oliver. A big man who has played in the majors twenty years. What does he do? He is a relief pitcher who comes in, usually to get exactly one or two hitters out. That’s it. Or take one of my favorites– Eric Hinske. He can’t run worth a darn. His fielding is no better than mine. But put him in as a pinch hitter when the chips are down— and watch him hit yet another miracle home run in the clutch. That’s beautiful.

Most of us cannot identify with transcendent athletes like a Michael Jordan or a Deion Sanders, or an Albert Pujols. They are way beyond our reach or pay grade. But if you love baseball, you can dream of being little Ryan Theriot, a good fielder. Or an Eric Hinske. The thing about baseball is it really does confirm to you that even the ordinary person under extraordinary circumstances can do the extraordinary, can transcend the mundane and shine for a moment.

Finish reading ....

SATURDAY NIGHT WHIMSY - HILLBILLY 10 COMMANDMENTS

CONTEMPT FOR RELIGION IN OUR CULTURE

n various circles there continues the debate between atheism and religion.  In fact, whenever any candidate claims to have a faith, particularly Christianity, they often come under attack from the cultural pundits and the media.  Rabbi David Wolpe, during the last presidential campaign, shared a powerful analysis with the concept of atheism persists (now called New Atheism) in a nation where so many people of sol many stripes continue to be people of faith.  I'd be interested in your feedback.

JUST PAY PUJOLS

The Phillies has decided not to pick up the option on Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge.  Because the Brewers wanted to save money, the played chicken and Prince Fielder may be a cross-division rival next year if the Cardinals sign him. I know! I know!  Baseball is a business not purely sport.  Teams have bottom lines and owners want to realize a profit. The Phillies has decided not to pick up the option on Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge.  Because the Brewers wanted to save money, the played chicken and Prince Fielder may be a cross-division rival next year if the Cardinals sign him. I get that.

But in my humble estimation, no one in St. Louis should be playing chicken with Albert Pujols.  The commentators noted (several times now) that Wednesday's game might be Pujols final home game as a Cardinal.

Are they kidding?  Is the St. Louis management that greedy or that dense?  Anyone who saw Pujols awesome display of power on Saturday night and the effect of the teams (both his and the Rangers) simply have to ask--why would the Cardinals let the Pujols get away--for any amount of money?  He is the heart of the team -- he is the inspiration for it, as well.  The team can probably win without him bit it won't be the sa

Just pay Pujols!!!!!!!!

THE BOTTOM LINE: IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

THE BOTTOM LINE: IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

People spend a lot of time and energy trying to figure out what is necessary to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Plans are developed. Whole books and workbooks are written.  How do we capture the essence of true discipleship to make sure we’ve got it right, and by implication, that God will be pleased with us?

They try to think of every situation that may arise and write a plan for it.  They pour themselves into many activities in order to build a spiritual resume–although their busyness does not always [produce lasting fruit.

I remember a college student I knew who had a schedule for every minute in the day of what he planned to do for Jesus.  He also had checklists to make sure that he had covered a broad range of discipleship activities from Bible study to outreach to mentoring to evangelism; at the same time having an elaborate prayer list which he was constantly checking to see if he covered everyone and writing a note of the results of those prayers.

I know of Christians who are so concerned that they do the right thing in the right way that they are reluctant to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  I also know others who fear that if they plan anything they will interfere with the Spirit’s work. Persons who believe authentic faith is always connected to an emotional high and enthusiasm, and others who believe that you have to have an elaborate reason or proof text to any position or action.


For many of these people there is no joy to their salvation – only feelings of inadequacy or guilt when they don’t measure up. There is no peace because they live in fear that God will change the game plan.

The bottom line is this – love God with every ounce or your being and love God by loving your neighbor as God loves them (starting with yourself.) That is the bottom line.  It is that simple. It is not rocket science.

It living by grace in the power of God motivated by His unconditional love.

(c) 2011 by Stephen L Dunn