Does God Want You to be Rich?

Cover story for TIME this week - read it

Sunday

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

I live in a city knee-deep in bloodshed, fornication, poverty and vanity.
I long for the city where there will be no more tears.

Today I find myself in the terminal between the two.

I have not yet left my city
I can still feel its heavy, unpacked bags on my shoulders.
I am not yet to the new city
But I have my boarding pass.

I don't always but today I love the terminal.

It's far from perfect.
There are even some here who will miss the flight.
There are many who will board ahead of me.

But in the terminal I hear the Captain's voice.
In the terminal I see the bright lights.
In the terminal I am reminded the runway is long but does have an end.

In the terminal I am not home.

But I'm close.

To Be A Kid Again

I often hear people much older than me say, "Ahh to be a kid again." When someone says this it is usually the innocence and ease of a child's life to which this person is reminiscing. The life of an adult in our world is a life of mortgages, car payments, monitoring cholesterol intake and traffic. One often longs to return to the days when you didn't worry about what you ate, where you lived, what you drove and if there is someone out there for you.

It's funny though because the older I get not only does my life get more complicated but so does my Christian faith. When I was a kid I first believed that Jesus died for my many sins and that because of him I could have a relationship with God. As adults we try and figure out if we believe in limited atonement, supralapsarianism, amillenialism and the JEDP theory of Pentateuch authorship. And I will be the first to say that I often start these type of conversations. Theology is a calling and a passion of mine and I am a firm believer in its value. But as of late I have realized that while my knowledge continues to grow, my theology continues to form and my appreciation for the complexity of the Bible deepens, my simple obedience to God's commands doesn't always follow suit.

I can explain Anselm's view of the atonement.
But do I take up my cross daily and follow Jesus?

I can explain theogony.
But am I daily captivated by the God of the Universe?

I lie.
I lust.
I steal.
I chase after idols.
I do not love my neighbor as myself.

But I can explain infralapsarianism.

Why did Jesus welcome children to surround him?
Because children trust and obey.
Some call it naieve.
Jesus called it faith.

When Paul called me to be a man and put away my childish ways I don't think my simple faith and steadfast obedience was what he had in mind.

May our knowledge of God be a supplement rather than a substitute for our simple obedience and pure love for God.

A Friendly Game

If you play professional golf or professional tennis whatever slim chance you did have of becoming the world's number one just went out the window.

Why?

Because Tiger Woods and Roger Federer were already only competing against one thing: history.
But now they have a new competitor:
each other.

Tiger and Roger have mutually admired each other from afar for some time as they both have dominated their respective sport and in turn been endlessly compared to one another. They also share the same agency and are both endorsed by Nike.

Both men have won 8 titles this year. Both men are number one in the world in their sport. Both look bored in the face of pressure. Both are chasing history.

But the scariest thing is that they now are friends.

Roger said he roots for Tiger and always wanted to meet him. Tiger said he is a big tennis fan always admiring Sampras and now pulling for Federer. At Sunday's U.S. Open final the two finally met and Tiger ended up watching the game from Federer's box. After Federer dealed out his most recent tennis lesson to Andy Roddick, Tiger and Roger celebrated over a bottle of Dom Perignon in the locker room [ESPN].

And on the night where Federer - who has won 3 straight U.S. Open's, 4 straight Wimbeldon's, finished his third straight year as the world's number 1, who has been called "a genius with the racket," "an artist," and has already been heralded at 25 years old as the best to ever play the game - won his 9th Grand Slam, it was his new friend Tiger Woods who playfully reminded him that he was still 3 behind his 12 major titles.

Tiger has 5 years on Federer and yet it is still just a matter of time until either man becomes officially the best to ever play their sport. Tiger is only 6 off of tying Jack's record of 18 majors. Roger is only 5 off of tying Pete's record of 14 grand slams. Fans in both sports project that either man could win an unheard of 20 major titles.

Thus, what we have here is a colossal game of "anything you can do I can do better" between two of the world's elite atheletes. And it leaves all of us who are fans of dominance and dynasty's salivating because the biggest concern with all dominant superstars is: can they sustain the level of competition, self-motivation and not grow bored after so much success? Tiger and Roger were probably already an exception to that rule but now the question can officially be buried.

Not because they have anyone in their own sport to challenge them but because they have bragging rights with each other at stake and when was the last time either man liked to lose?

"He [Tiger] says I'm three behind," Federer said. "I wouldn't be surprised if I get a message next time he wins. I wouldn't be surprised at all. [ESPN]"

We already got the message: Everybody else in tennnis and golf is playing for second place.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

It's time to put an end to the complaint that Miami/South Florida is not a SportsTown. Miami is a SportsTown, just simply a unique one. Think about it. The Florida Marlins won 2 titles in their first 10 years as a franchise. The Heat have just come off of their championship run. The Hurricanes have won 5 NCAA football champtionships and are perennial qualifiers to the College World Series. The Miami Dolphins have struggled more in recent years but have won a Super Bowl, hold the only undefeated season in history, touted one of the top 3 greatest QB's ever and have a much larger fanbase than are often given credit for. It's not that Miami/South Florida isn't a SportsTown they simply battle a few factors more traditional sports towns do not:

1) With the exception of the Dolphins (even they are recent comparably) South Florida franchises are still new enough where a tradition has not yet developed. For example in places like Boston, New York and Chicago people have followed baseball teams for decades thus leading them to raise their kids as fans. Here in South Florida a team like the Marlins has just turned 13. Although South Florida can boast numerous pre-teen mothers, 13 years isn't enough to build a pseudo-religious fan following like other cities have.

2) South Florida is one of the largest immigration destinations on earth. What this means is that South Florida is a transient place. It is home to tons of people who didn't live here yesterday and might be gone tomorrow. Not only are there countless illegal aliens who don't share an American sports mindset and/or can't afford a game ticket, it is also home to tons of snowbird types who have migrated here from traditional SportsTowns where they were indoctrinated and thus will not pull for the local Miami franchise. This explains why games such as Dolphins/Jets and Marlins/Mets do not feel like home games for us native Floridians when we attend them. It't not just that no home fans have bothered to come. There simply are not that many home fans - check the license plates on your way out of the stadium. Quebec. New York.

3) There is actually other stuff to do. I know I know places like Boston, Chicago, and Philly have things to offer as well but will someone freaking be honest and admit none of it compares to South Florida? How many times can you eat a steak sandwich covered in cheese whiz and visit the Liberty Bell before that gets old? Why not go catch a Phillies game? What don't you have in South Florida? Beaches, great weather, bars, clubs, etc, etc. A pro sporting event really doesn't fall on the top of the list in South Florida especially at the prices tickets go for now a days. For sixty bucks I can have an awesome night out and not even think twice about a game score.

4) Everyone brags on how awesome a place like New York's fans are. There are almost 9 million people there! How can you not fill a baseball stadium that holds 30,000 plus have left overs thus the need for a second team - ala Yankees/Mets? Trust me I haven't forgot that Miami is huge but it is a fourth the size of New York plus it battles the previously mentioned factors.

All I'm asking for is a little respect. This is not a traditional SportsTown. But it is a SportsTown But if the goal of sports is to win (and it is last time I checked) the Marlins average a chamionship per decade, the Heat are your current NBA champs, its only a matter of time before the Canes return to glory (although they have hardly "fallen") and the Dolphins are poised for a breakout season. Throw in the fact that you don't have to wear parka's to home games and there is actually stuff to do after and between games and let me know if there is a better place for a sportsfan to live in the country.

Kirk

"...its been a long December and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last..."

At the concert I couldn't focus.
My head couldn't stop swiveling
Back and forth and all around.
Back and forth and all around.
I thought, "there are so many people here."

An amphitheatre.
A band whose lyrics make little sense but haunt you.
An abundance of alcohol.
A crowd forming one voice:

"...if you think that I could be forgiven...I wish you would..."

I began to understand.
Instead of swiveling I stared straight ahead.

I was in the midst of a great escape.

The amphitheatre with its social elixir,
The amphitheare with its family of strangers,
The amphitheatre with its familiar anthems

Was a church for the unforgiven.

The church of the unforgiven lacks pretense.
The church of the unforgiven shares a brew and a song with strangers.
The church of the unforgiven doesn't ask about yesterday it embraces the night.

Listen, Learn, Love O church of the forgiven.

"...I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they passed..."