Mondays are for lots of Olympic Ramblings and some Jesus…
**** Editor’s Note - I just updated my podcast with a sermon on Joseph and trying to understand how dreams play a role in our relationship with God****
There are too many things to talk about from the Olympics to delve into them in any depth, so here are some quick thoughts and then some Jesus.
The Chinese give out the most awkward high fives I have ever seen
The Russians are graceful in every sport in which they compete, why is that? It took a Russian in America for their to be a graceful US gymnast.
Usain Bolt’s theatrics don’t bother me for some reason. All sprinters are prima donas I think he is more of a free spirit ala Manny Ramirez than a jerk ala Barry Bonds
Even though the basketball team can only account for one gold medal and at the Olympics, no one can carry the star power of Lebron, Kobe, and Wade. When they show up at a swimming or volleyball match those athletes are awed by their presence. It is very cool that they have acted like real people at these Olympics, however, and actually mingled with other athletes.
If you want to spark a really interesting debate with a man ask him who is more attractive Misty May-Treanor or Kerri Walsh. I had this conversation with my wife and it was very humorous.
I am amazed at how easy it is to see whether an athlete will compete well or not before their events. You can just see it when an athlete doesn’t believe they can win. You can also see the other side when an athlete has that cold stare of confidence. You could see it with the swimmers, Larsen Jensen already had lost before he entered the pool, Kosuke Kitajima had won before he got into the pool.
Michael Phelps can now take his place atop the Mt. Rushmore of the ultimate winners. His head can go next to Tiger, Jordan, Armstrong, and Russell as those athletes who just had a higher will to win than anyone else. The win be one one hundredths of second in the butterfly sealed his entrance into the highest pantheon of sports legend. He is as great a swimmer as there has ever been an athlete in any sport.
Now for some Jesus
This summer we have preached through Genesis, paying particular attention to the lineage of Abraham and God’s covenant. It has been an awesome and challenging series. It wasn’t until this year, however, that I began to see Joseph as a foreshadowing of Jesus. In Joseph’s story there are so many foreshadows of the coming of Jesus and his sacrificial work on the cross. Joseph makes this especially stand out in Genesis 45 where 4 times he tells his brothers that God sent him ahead of them to save their lives.
This is really the first time that God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations through him begins to be fulfilled. Joseph is a small blessing compared to Jesus, but I think that is the purpose of foreshadowing. I had never connected Joseph to Jesus before. In many ways, of course, the twelve sons of Israel who begin the twelve tribes, are precursors for the 12 disciples. It was such a blessing to go through the story of these families this summer and to find Christ in them. The fullness and the connectedness of our story in God is such a beautiful thing to behold.
August 18, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Hey Greg,
What…no mention of the obfuscating, ill-spoken, no teleprompter Obama (ummm, uh, uh, uh…that answer is way above my pay grade) getting outright squashed by an unusually congenial and articulate McCain, at Saddleback’s Civilty Forum, on Saturday night?
Obama was as awkward as the Russian gymnasts are graceful.
Paul
August 18, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Paul,
I actually didn’t watch any of the forum, I only read about it, so I didn’t feel informed enough to offer any opinion. It was an interesting even just from a conceptual standpoint. It seems like a good idea to me, to create a forum that was far less debate and more interview and actually addressed many questions that evangelicals want to ask.
Of course, these are craft politicians, and they know how to shape their message per their audience, so I put anything they said in a somewhat questionable category.
I did read about that comment about Obama about abortion and the Supreme Court and it certainly sounded a bit like a copout. Of course, for most of the past 20 years many politicians have been elected on a platform of doing something about abortion and most of them have been nothing but talk and platform.
August 18, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Greg,
You are right, of course, in your generalization of most politicians…but for a guy that has been labled fast-thinking and skillful in oration…Obama came off as the complete opposite.
It was also obvious that he was trying hide his true progressive positions from the “evangelical” crowd.
It was very interesting when Obama stated that Thomas was not qualified to be on the Supreme Court due to his inexperience. For an alleged uber-intellectual…Obama “stepped in it” several times.
August 19, 2008 at 1:04 am
Well if McCain came off as entertaining and likable, maybe they both decided to try something new for a night!
I will see if I can get a podcast or video download of it, I am sure it would be fascinating.
August 19, 2008 at 1:54 am
Politics…Olympics…It is a wonder that no one out there felt compelled to comment on my being compared to a farm yard bird.
What say you?
August 19, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I’m not taking May or Walsh. I’m taking Susanna Kallur from Sweeden. A hurdler whom even though she fell in her race last night, she still looked great.
Even though Obama/McCain meets Rick Warren was not a true debate, McCain came out on top and Obama shows he has problems sticking to a point and saying what he believes. That was Kerry’s problem in 2004.
With Phelps being gracious in winning, humble, and seemingly fun to be around at the games, hopefully that puts an end to Mark “They Didn’t Invite Me” Spitz. I’ve been really impressed with how Phelps has handled the pressure and still be a normal 23-year-old. Credit his mother for that.
August 20, 2008 at 12:52 am
I watched Kallur last night and was impressed, she is ripped!
I too am glad that we never have to see another Mark Spitz interview. Phelps not only eclipsed his records but showed star athletes how to dominate without making it seem like nothing but an ego trip.