2011 MLB World Series - Tobacco Bans And Underdogs

Major League Baseball's fall classic starts tonight when the Texas Rangers travel to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in game one of the 2011 World Series. Of course with our current big government we can't just sit back and enjoy the grand stage of America's favorite pass time. We've got to decide if players using smokeless tobacco during the game is appropriate or not.

“When players use smokeless tobacco, they endanger not only their own health, but also the health of millions of children who follow their example,” the senators wrote to union head Michael Weiner. The letter was signed by Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, and fellow Democrats Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senate Health Committee Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa.

Of course they endanger their own health by chewing their cud and spitting on home plate. Its proven that smokeless tobacco causes oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancer. However, to be quite honest I feel that the teenager texting on the cell phone while driving next to me on the interstate endangers my children more than some multimillionaire slugging the ball out of the park with a wad of chum in his mouth.

“Unfortunately, as these young fans root for their favorite team and players, they also will watch their on-field heroes use smokeless tobacco products,” the democratic senators wrote.

What really saddens me about this is not the fact that our government seems bent on controlling every single little aspect of our lives but that they also put no stock in the role of parents. How about instead of shaking down Major League Baseball they start a campaign on equipping parents on how to properly educate their children on the dangers of tobacco products? It really shouldn't be this difficult should it?

My son: Dad, what is that they're spitting out of their mouths?

Me: Its chewing tobacco.

Son: It looks gross, what does it do?

Me: Its kinda like smoking but not really. People chew on it instead of smoking it. It really isn't good for you and causes cancer.

Son: Why do they do it then?

Me: Because some people make really bad decisions and don't really think of the consequences.

Son: I wouldn't want to do anything that could cause me to get cancer!

Me: Because you are a smart kid!

Son: Thanks dad!

See! That was quick and painless. It was also a conversation that never would have occurred had he not seen tobacco use during a Major League Baseball game. Thanks but no thanks, government. I prefer you do a little more work on the economy then focus on the World Series.

So who's going to win baseball's biggest prize? As a long-suffering Seattle Mariners fan I've grown accustomed to cheering for the underdog. That my friends is the St. Louis Cardinals. This is a team that just a little over a month ago was dead in the water and has now found themselves in the World Series. Just about everyone is picking the Rangers which makes the Cards the underdog and my team of choice in the World Series.

However, a little known fact is that since 1985 the home team in the World Series has a 20-5 record. That kinda rains on the St. Louis underdog parade a little bit seeing as how they have the home field advantage.

Should Religion Play A Part In Presidential Elections?

As 2012 approaches GOP presidential candidates are looking to gain strong footing among voters who are eager to see changes in our government. With several economic and healthcare reform plans to delve through there's really no room for distracting side stories among the candidates. Of course that doesn't mean we won't have any though.

Earlier this month Mitt Romney's religion came back to the forefront of the election when his Mormon beliefs were compared to that of a cult at the Values Voter Summit. The question is, with today's unemployment rate hovering around 9% and the economic rebound still somewhere over the horizon is that something we want to waste time debating?

Let's not forget that although our country was established on Christian principles it was also established under the guise of religious freedom and not just Christian freedoms. As a Christian evangelical I must admit that I have significant issues with the Mormon doctrine because it completely contradicts the Bible and is intentionally misleading. However, I also support Romney's religious freedom to practice Mormonism even though I strongly disagree with the doctrine.

I won't vote for Romney not because he's a Mormon but because I think he flip-flops a bit too much. I'm also not a fan of his economic plan nor his stance on healthcare. Those are the things that matter in a presidential election along with a person's moral agenda and stance on human life. I'm all for morality and protecting unborn children and will honor a candidate who supports those regardless of their religious affiliation.

As for the differences between Mormonism and Christianity...those are matters best suited to be discussed in a private manner instead of a public forum. Its time for Christians to stop being judgmental towards people of other religious practices. How about instead we take the approach that Jesus would by befriending them, loving them, praying for them and showing them the truth of the Word of God.

The Christ

This post will be updated on Sunday evening 9-18-11

Make Your Proclamation

In the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus asks a simple question which carries an extremely difficult answer. The reason why is because the answer isn't necessarily revealed in what we say but more so in how we live. In verses 13-18 Jesus poses a question about who the people in the culture around say that he is and then getting directly to the point he asked, "Who do you say that I am?" to his disciples.

We'll focus on Peter's answer later on but for now I just want to stay with the question. Jesus was very familiar what the people around him were saying about him. He had heard their talk, their theories and their failure to acknowledge him as the Son of God. He also knew their hearts and their need to something greater than tradition and ritual. That's why multitudes of people flocked to him to listen to him speak. That's why people stood in amazement when he taught. That's why they came to him for miracles. They didn't necessarily want to credit him as being the Messiah but they sure appreciated what he brought to the table.

Jesus wasn't really concerned with who the "other" people said that he was. He wanted to know what the men with whom he had trusted to change the world were saying that he was. Their answer would be much more than today's traditional lip service. It would be their "proclamation" as to how they would live their lives. Their belief that Jesus was, in fact, "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" would change them forever. It would ultimately turn them from cowards to men of boldness that would be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in professing Jesus as Lord. They staked their lives, relationships and reputations on this proclamation.

What about you? Who do you say that Jesus is? Before you answer keep in mind that the real answer is found not in what you say but how you live. Understanding that, how about we make our Proclamation today to truly live for Jesus no matter what the cost.

The Cost Of Discipleship

We're notorious for making quick decisions without counting the costs. There's a reason the checkout lanes at any supermarket are loaded with all kinds of stuff that we really don't need. Anything from candy to drinks to magazines and newspapers are there. You'll even find little gadgets that belong on a late night infomercials hanging up close to the checkouts. Its not anything you would go into the store specifically to get but they're banking on you falling victim to the impulse buy and not really counting the cost towards your budget.

Much in the same way the devil likes to dangle things in our way that distract us spirituality and causes us to make that "impulse buy" on something that's not healthy for our walk with Christ. We'll buy into pornography, pride, jealousy, greed, anger or anything else the devil can sell us without ever thinking about what its costing us in terms of our relationship to God, other people or even our self-esteem. Obviously nothing is free in today's world and even our salvation came at the expense of Jesus. That's why in Luke 9:23 He reminds us about the cost of following him.

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

The Greek word for deny here is "Arneomai" which means to refuse or to disown someone or something. Too often we fail to count the cost of disowning ourselves when it comes to following Jesus. Its no longer about me and what I want but rather about Jesus and what He wants. My natural desire will always be to cry out against the things of God and try and forge my own path. That's why on a daily basis Jesus is asking me to "disown" who I am and to conform to who He wants me to be. I accomplish this by:

* Taking up my cross - The verb here is Greek "airo" meaning to "lift up, take up, pick up" and carry. If you were a person carrying a cross it meant that you were marked for death. You sentence had been handed down and you were doomed. At the moment I gave my life to Christ I surrendered control of who I was to Him. You could say that I marked myself for death so that I could daily live for Jesus. Every day we are needed reminders that we belong to a higher calling and our old patterns of living are gone as if they're deceased.

* Following Christ - The weight of carrying a cross would cause someone to stoop over and not allow them to walk completely upright. The only way to get to where you were going was to watch the feet of the person in front of you and walk everywhere they walked as you were being led. You get the point here? If we truly want to go where Jesus is taking us then we must be focused on walking in his footsteps. That would require drowning out the distractions of everyday life and seeking the blessings of Christ.

So how about it? Are you ready to walk in the footsteps of Jesus? Are you ready to count the cost and sell out for discipleship?

Teach Me To Pray

In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew we find an amazing example from Jesus as to how we should pray. Its not just a verbal example of how we should approach the throne of God but also a look at what the condition of our heart and our attitude should be towards our Heavenly Father.

Speaking to a group of people who were accustomed to praying, and desiring to know more, Jesus begins in verse five telling his followers that when they pray they shouldn't act as the hypocrites which is a word that means “play-actors.” In essence he’s saying don’t pretend to be someone that you’re not when talking to God. He sees our hearts and knows our motives and while we can generally fool a few people into thinking that we’re someone we’re really not we can’t pull anything over the eyes of God. Praying for “effect” so that others will think that you’re righteous only serves to damage your relationship to God by bouncing ineffective prayers everywhere but to His throne.

We should never utter one syllable of prayer, either in public or in private, until we are definitely conscious that we have come into the presence of God and are actually praying to Him.... I can remember when that thought transformed my prayer life. I was brought up to pray. I was taught to pray so early in life that I have not the slightest recollection of who taught me to pray.... Nevertheless, prayer was largely a mere matter of form. There was little real thought of God, and no real approach to God. And even after I was converted, yes, even after I had entered the ministry, prayer was largely a matter of form. But the day came when I realized what real prayer meant, realized that prayer was having an audience with God, actually coming into the presence of God and asking and getting things from Him. And the realization of that fact transformed my prayer life. Before that, prayer had been a mere duty, and sometimes a very irksomeduty, but from that time on prayer has been not merely a duty but a privilege, one of the most highly esteemed privileges of life. Before that, the thought that I had was, "How much time must I spend in prayer?" The thought that now possesses me is, "How much time may I spend in prayer without neglecting the other privileges and duties of life? - R.A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer

Jesus says that those who pray as hypocrites will have already received their reward which comes from the Greek misthos, a word that literally means dues paid for work rendered. Remember that by using the word “hypocrites” Jesus is talking about “actors” pretending to be someone. Their “reward”, according to Jesus, is only that people get to see them praying to God. Nothing else! That’s a pretty shallow prayer life. So it begs the question as to what the motive is behind our prayers.

This word for prayer encompasses all the aspects of prayer: submission, confession, petition, intercession, praise, and thanksgiving. To be effective a person’s prayer life must include all of these and not just a wish list that we take to God.

God desires to know you on a personal and intimate basis. Just throwing out the occasional, “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer to fulfill our “spiritual obligation” or impress someone who might be looking on fails to even scratch the surface of what can be accomplished we a person approaches the throne of God, in confidence, will all of the aspects of a full prayer life. Are you paying God lip service or cultivating a relationship through your prayer life?

Is The Bible Really The Word Of God?

For centuries it was thought that the debate over the Bible being the Divinely Inspired Inerrant Word of God or not was solely between Christians and their atheistic and agnostic counterparts. However, as the debate rages on it clearly involves another party. Shockingly there are many within the church who do not believe the Bible to be completely accurate. The problem here is that we cannot have it both ways. The Bible cannot be both Divinely Inspired and inaccurate. However, according to recent survey results I came across there are many within our churches who do not believe in the accuracy of the Bible.

When asked if they believed that the Word of God was completely accurate the following percentages answered yes.

Assemblies of God 77%

Baptists (any type) 66%

Catholics 26%

Church of Christ 57%

Episcopal 22%

Lutheran (any type) 34%

Methodist (any type) 38%

Mormons 29%

Non-denominational Christian 70%

Presbyterian (any type) 40%

An atheist not believing in the accuracy of the Word of God really isn't that big of a surprise but 34% of Baptist not believing...that's a huge problem. Here's why.

In Paul's second letter to Timothy he states clearly that "all Scripture" comes directly from God.

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - II Timothy 3:16-17

The most important word here in the entire passage is the first word, "all". Its a key adjective that means the totality of the scriptures or the whole scripture. Basically in layman's terms, every passage, every verse, every word, no exceptions.

With that understanding, take a look at what Francis Schaeffer says.

"Does inerrancy make a difference? Overwhelmingly; that difference is that with the Bible being what it is, God's Word and so absolute, God's objective truth, we do not need to be, and we should not be, caught in the ever-changing fallen cultures which surround us."

The Hebrew rabbis taught that the Spirit of God rested on and in the prophets and would speak through them to that their words didn't actually come from themselves but from the very mouth of God. That's why Peter makes the following declaration.

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. II Peter 1:21

The early church was in agreement with this understanding and so we should be as well. Should the Bible contain any error or words from the hearts of men rather then the heart of God then the entire document is rendered useless.

Is the Bible really the Word of God? Absolutely! The writers of the Old Testament refer to their writings as the Words of God over 3,800 times.