Dancing with ACL Injuries
Aren’t you glad you are not an NFL head coach. Jim Zorn the rookie head coach of the Washington Redskins discovered what it means to be the top man of an NFL team real quick this week. On the first play, of the first practice, on the first day, of training camp one of the truly indispensable defensive players on the roster, defensive end Philip Daniels, was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Then before the day was over, another defensive end, one of the players who could take Daniels’ spot was lost for the season with a torn tendon. No wonder coaches burn out within 4 years and have such physical problems.
The Skins did the only thing they could in the situation, they traded for Dancing with the Stars phenom Jason Taylor of the Dophins. Taylor should be a good fit for the Skins. He seems to have some tread left on the tires, and paired with Andre Carter he should give them a bona fide pass rush for the first time in a while. But the Skins better be investigating some young d-linemen who are available or get cut throughout camp. They need some depth. Welcome to Washington Mr. Taylor, may your stay be more fruitful than Bruce Smith’s, Neon Deon’s, and Brandon Lloyd’s.
Heaven is closer than you think
Is there a larger part of orthodox theology that Christians have little or no understanding of than heaven and
the afterlife? Whenever I poll my congregation, talk to strangers, ask teenagers, or speak to people who claim the name of Christ, I am amazed at how little real instruction they have received about heaven and the afterlife. How many people believe they will be angels when they die? Angels and humans are very different, scripture makes this quite clear. How many do not believe in a bodily resurrection? I am talking about real skin and bones, an actual physical resurrection that will be the bodies we have for eternity. Do people believe in those? Very seldom do they have any idea that this is a central, orthodox, teaching of the church. It is in the Apostle’s Creed, really take a look.
So if you struggle with the theology of eternity, thankfully God has given us Bishop NT Wright. His latest book, Surprised By Hope, is the best work on the subject I have encountered. He delves into our bad theology, the true origins of theology, and Christ’s teachings in a very thorough and engaging manner. Pick up a copy, read it, and share it with some friends. It is worth every penny.
You can pick up my first book at Costco
An article last week talked about the changing reality of Christian bookstores. I have never been a fan of Christian bookstores, at least not the ones you can easily find in strip malls around the country. When I walk into a place and see Christian kitsch, just junk that somehow supports our faith and proclaims the name of Christ, it really drives me crazy. Not that there aren’t books worth getting there, it is just that you would have no idea how to find them amidst all the junk. Publishing houses figured out a long time ago that Christians spend a lot money on Christian stuff, so they should publish Christian books. But, the changing culture of commerce and the changing culture of the church in our country are reshaping bookstores and hopefully bringing an end to the vast wasteland of resources that makes up Christian kitsch. Maybe if we buy less overpriced Christian t-shirts and eliminate figurines from our existence we will find resources to make a difference in the world.
Christians get offended by potty language
Tom Davis from Children’s Hopechest wrote an interesting article for beliefnet called Why Christians S**K. Why they had to mark out the word suck, I don’t understand, but that is besides the point. The article is thought provoking even if it only touches the surface of why we struggle to live faithfully, and you can check it out here. More interesting are some of Davis’ idea about how to live out our faith more effectively.
Alright, there are some thoughts to get the week started. Here is to hoping that the Redskins don’t lose three more players in todays walk through.
July 21, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Good move getting Taylor, however did you give up a lot in the end? Those draft picks may come in handy in the offseason especially if you’re in need of depth. Regardless, Taylor fills a need, but there is still a depth concern.
Regarding Christian items, I am a Christian and nothing on my truck represents my faith. Does that make me a bad Christian that I’ve not bought a Jesus fish for my tailgate or removed my WVU license plate cover with a God is my co-pilot tag. We get too caught up in that sort of Jesus Vanity, if I could use the term. Christ called us to be humble servants and to lead by example (something I need to do a better job myself in some aspects). He didn’t call us to have the biggest pieces of Jewlery, the biggest car magnet, or the sort. He called us to serve with our hearts.
July 21, 2008 at 3:45 pm
We gave up too much for Taylor, but there was literally no other choice. This is a case where disregard for addressing a need earlier is hurting the future. Maybe one of the three picks we used on a pass catcher in the 2nd round could have been used on a young d-lineman. That is just an idea.
I want you to come up with some sort of way to combine your WVU bling with an ichthus eating a darwin fish and warning us about the rapture.
Get right on that Shannon.
July 21, 2008 at 10:52 pm
So… when I get to heaven, will my dogs be there or is that a different heaven? Is there cable tv in heaven? Can I throw lightening bolts at people that are still alive? Berlinda Carlisle says that in heaven love comes first, but we’ll make heaven a place on earth. I think she might be right.
One of my favorite Christian kitsch items is the “Jesus fish” eating the “Darwin fish”. It tells the world that Christians are the biggest baddest fish in the sea and really hits at the heart of the evolution v. creation controversy. It says, “Take that darwinists! Christians are more evolved than you bc our bumper decal is eating your bumber decal! We’re higher on the decal food chain!
I’m trying to think of more offensive four letter words that start with ‘s’ and end with ‘k’ that might be the real word in that article’s title. Maybe it’s ‘sink’, ‘sunk’, or ‘sank’. It’s not that offensive, but it’s pretty negative. Or possibly it’s ‘soak’ and it’s about baptism. Maybe the article is about being sad and the word he doesn’t want to use is ‘sulk’ because it would be too depressing. I’d like to hear other 4 letter words that start with ‘s’ and end with ‘k’ that might fit in this title but would be better edited with some ** in the middle.
July 21, 2008 at 11:21 pm
How many Christians believe in animals having souls? I would bet it would be about 3-4 in 10.
The fish wars and bumper sticker wars make me sad to be a Christian.
Maybe it says that Why Christians Seek, and it is a good thing, or Why Christians Silk and it is about fashion.
July 21, 2008 at 11:48 pm
What makes me sad and offends me are pics like the one posted above that encourage a poor image of women.
July 22, 2008 at 12:51 am
Greg,
So, I’m thinking of the Jesus Fish dressed in Old Gold and Blue swallowing the Darwinian fish dressed in Pittsburgh colors or just for you … Maryland Red.
Maggie,
I agree. The media has done a disservice throughout the past 20 or 30 years to women. Take a look at the magazine section at the bookstore and you’ll find several magazines around the same theme of skinny to the bone, lots of make-up, and lots of jewelry.
July 22, 2008 at 12:56 am
I am sorry the pic offends you. I would disagree that a promo image from a dance show with a woman in stylized dance attire is particularly full of commentary on the poor images our society assigns to women, but I appreciate your input and your voice.
July 23, 2008 at 12:32 am
I guess you didn’t disagree that much since you changed the photo. The new one surely seems more appropriate…in more ways than one.
July 23, 2008 at 1:21 am
I only changed it as a sign of love for you. I actually almost changed it to a modeling photo of Taylor that objectified him very clearly.