Things I Think…
1. The rains have come and Southern Oregon has survived another summer…we thank God for both…
2. For those of you that have been here less than fifteen minutes, I am a lifelong fan of the Minnesota Vikings.
I am a fan in good seasons and bad seasons and awful seasons like the one we are currently experiencing. I criticize the team (sometimes harshly) when appropriate. I’ve been known to try to fire coaches from my chair in Oregon. Everything I say and do in regard to the team is because of a love for the team and an earnest desire for the team to be the best it can be. Take all that and apply it to the church and don’t send me anymore emails asking why I say what say…
3. You can also stop sending me emails telling me I love my cats too much. One of the weirdest evangelical tropes is that we must be careful how much we love a pet or a person because you may love the aforementioned more than you love Jesus. People actually try to love a spouse or a child or a pet less, because somehow too much love could offend Jesus. That is both cruel and insane and those are the things that probably offend Jesus…
4. Listen to me …love for a person (or a pet) does not offend Jesus, because the more you love anything or anybody, your capacity to love anything or anybody increases…including your love for Jesus…who is love…loving intensely is what we were created for…
5. I actually ended #4 with ” so keep my cats name out of your foolish mouth”, so I obviously need to love my cats more so my heart expands to include people who irritate me…
6. The fact that (theologically speaking ) we are truly and eternally “safe” becomes another theological blunt instrument if it doesn’t also acknowledge the pain, fear, and suffering that are part of the human experience in this life…Jesus did…we are capable of holding more than one concept at a time…
7. Brethren, do not let anyone shame you for feeling fear, anxiety,anger, or grief…just learn to allow those emotions to lead you to Christ who is never ashamed of you…
8. I’ve always used lots of notes when I teach…our services are interactive and I like to be prepared to answer questions as they arise…I’m being even more structured now,because I realize the importance of leaving my personal opinions out of my teaching time…I have one hour to teach and it needs to be about Jesus, not me…
9. The older I get, the more I believe that there are two things you can never say too much…”I love you” and “thank you”… I’m trying to get better at both…if our conversations with each other sound like that, so will our conversations with Jesus…
10. There is absolutely no biblical or theological justification for the “prison camp” and “extreme situation” “training” that programs like “Patmos” and the now disgraced “Potters Field” ministries put young people through…they simply meet the sadistic needs of the freaks who run them…I hope to end them before my time is through…
Amen to all.
I wasn’t present online to see what happened with our Vikes yesterday, but last night during a bout of insomnia, I pulled up on YouTube highlights of last year’s (sigh) wild victories agains Indianapolis (the greatest comeback in NFL history) and the Bills (insane “you-just-got-to-see-this” plays by Jefferson and the goal line TD). It was bittersweet in that I have to look BACK to good highlights.
I’ve been pining a bit on LinkedIn about loving others in light of the garbage I experienced on a “christian” website a week or two ago. I’m gonna risk loving outsiders of the church.
I also grew up saying ‘Thank you’ to my mom after every dinner she made. Simple but necessary manners!
Regarding #3, yeah, I think I heard that one from someone with the initials John Piper.
Dan,
It’s going to be a long, long, season…I’m shifting to hockey asap…
Outsiders generally have less religious badge to beat his with, so I’m all for relationships with all.
I’ve heard #3 from all manner of evangelicals…it used to cause me great conflict….used to…
I think that if you really love Jesus, you won’t have any difficulty expressing love profusely and openly to both people and animals. I’m not a gushy kind of person, but my students know i really care (even when it accompanied by a low growl of “where is your homework?”). Jesus certainly didn’t hold back on affection. He had close relationships with his disciples and the people to whom he ministered.
No comments on football because I really don’t care to watch it. However, I keep up with which teams are ahead because that is a way to show my 91 year-old father that I love him. He runs a football pool out of his assisted living site.
Honestly, I have never heard about the #3 trop until Piper wrote something about it a few years back.
What hockey team do you root for? I still remember when a certain owner pulled up stakes and moved the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas. I’m following the MLB Twins now (that’s my number 1 sport) and will keep a distant eye on the Vikes.
Sports and spirituality – I remember one time feeling guilty for enjoying following a team, but had to talk myself down from that hang up.
Dan,
I’m an L.A. Kings fan…almost as long as I’ve been a Vikings fan.
I have no guilt feelings about either… 🙂
Linn,
Bless your father…I hope I’ll be doing the same thing if I make it that far…
“ One of the weirdest evangelical tropes is that we must be careful how much we love a pet or a person because you may love the aforementioned more than you love Jesus.”
I’ve never heard a more asinine statement.
I’m not an NFL football guy. It’s become more about politics than football. But I’m attached to the TV on Saturdays when the college games are on. Although, with college athletes receiving money to play and the transfer portal, I may switch to badminton! (Haha)
Michael
Did you know a guy from Medford played for your Vikings?
He wasn’t from Medford…he was from Prospect and I grew up with his family.
His mom, dad, and sister were the salt of the earth…his brother was actually a better player than he was, but a knee injury did him in.
I love my dog (see avatar). Fight me. On second thought, don’t. She will stop you. She’ll love you otherwise though. Unless you’re a stranger who might violate the property lines.
He was from Prospect but after football, he lived off of hwy. 238. I did the music at his memorial. He had 2 Super Bowl rings
from a lifelongsuffering Lions fan–there’s always hope. 🙂
Isn’t it strange that getting old somehow reveals what we should have known all along?