Moody

Well, its the end of our last day of orientation. It was quite a long week, but a very informative one. I have really enjoyed getting to know a bunch of different guys, from completely different walks in life. It is amazing to see how God works in different ways through His people. It is clear that He has put each one of these guys at Moody for a definite purpose. I am so blessed to just be a small part of this great body of Christ! I am happy that orientation is over though, and I am so looking forward to starting classes. I know that some of these classes may stretch me, and make me feel uncomfortable, but I know that God will comfort me. If I could ask for a big prayer request it would be this, that my school would only be done to fall more in love with Jesus. If my classes don't do this, then I have not glorified God.

Where Cheating Happens

On the advice of one Drew Papillon, I am going to write about a topic that has been bothering me a lot lately. The issue is this: Is the NBA a real product, or one under the heavy influence of rich corporate executives? The commissioner of the NBA's name is David Stern. He is easily looked at as the most corrupt commissioner of any of the "big name" sports. There is a lot of evidence that points to the NBA fixing games so that the more popular teams would win. There has also been accusations that David Stern fixed drafts so that teams he liked would get better picks.

David Stern is an avid Knicks fan, and so it must have bothered him when they were doing very poorly in the 80's. A player came around that year by the name of Patrick Ewing. There was a great amount of hype that this player would be one of the best the league had ever seen. I don't think that it is just by chance then that Stern decided that year to do something different with the draft. He created a lottery type system where envelopes were placed inside a large sphere. These envelopes were then mixed and eventually chosen by none other than Stern. While watching the envelopes be put in, you can see that one of them does something a little different from the rest. It hits a pole inside the sphere which creates a rather large dent on one of the corners. This, I believe was the mark for Stern, so that he would know which envelope to pick. Sure enough, he goes right for the dented envelope. The most disturbing thing is that after he grabs it, you can clearly see him fixing the dent with his finger! Why would he do this? Because, he didn't want anyone to know what was going on. He had the whole thing fixed from the beginning. The only thing that gives me a laugh from the whole situation, is that the knicks never won a title with Ewing.

This scene would be enough cause for investigation into the way Stern has run the NBA. But sadly, there is always more. One of the saddest moments in the history of the league happened in 2002. The Lakers vs Kings series. This was a battle of two great teams, and one that Stern must have been salivating at. This was a re-match from the previous year, and it brought in great ratings. This was a great chance for the NBA to make a lot of money, and it did. The lakers were searching for their third title in a row. The Lakers were easily the most popular team in the NBA and the kings were just an up and coming team. The NBA could not risk the chance, that this group of rag-tag young guns could beat one of the greatest teams the NBA had ever seen. The series went 7 games and the Lakers won, but the controversy that came from it still lasts today. The highlighted game from the series was game 6. The Kings were up 3-2 and were playing to advance. Like I said before, this would be one of the greatest upsets ever. Instead of me going into all the detail of the game I will simply post a video that I found highlighting the travesty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhlGYvIMPgQ&feature=related

If you watch the video you will see exactly what I am talking about. Now obviously the sad music in the video will make it look worse than it was. But just watch the calls in and of themselves. I cannot understand how there was not a serious investigation after this game. But the saddest fact of everything that has happened, is that there was an investigation. The investigation showed that there was a few errors made, but that these errors helped both teams. Finally the report showed that nothing was wrong with the game, and that it was not fixed. Now, you might say, "Well thats the end of it then!" I say, not so fast. The report was spear headed by......... David Stern! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! The guy who is judge, jury, and everything else in the NBA is the same one who conducts the investigation to see if the NBA is dirty! That would be like having Osama Bin Laden do an investigation on Al Qaeda! There is something so fishy here that it is sickening.

Finally the day that every Kings fan waited for arrived. An actual referee from the NBA came out that he had been fixing games. He also mentioned that a certain 2002 series had been prolonged because the NBA wanted a certain team to win. He even went as far to say that they purposely did not call fouls on one team, but made up fouls for the other team. GEE I wonder which series he could be talking about. Hmmm, the Lakers had 27 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter alone of game six, so it is obvious which game he is talking about. But of course nobody wants to question or dig deeper to see what is going on here. We are afraid of what we will find, and it is this. The NBA supports the team that have the bigger markets, and leaves the smaller markets out to dry. It is a business, and Stern is the CEO. He is looking at the bottom line, and whatever makes the most money is what is going to happen. The NBA is starting to look more like the world wresting federation than an actual sport. The most important thing in all of sports is that the fan knows that what they are seeing is true. The NBA has lost this quality in my mind, and I can never be sure of what is really going on. So everyone, enjoy your Lakers vs Cavs series this year, because that is what is guaranteed to happen.

The Tongue

I have been sick this week with some sort of cold. This was a little different then the usual cold however, it attacked my throat more than any I can remember. I could hardly swallow without my throat being in great pain, before long, it would hurt for me even to talk. As I sat around not being able to speak, I was really overwhelmed with thoughts about how I speak. I was challenged by how my words need to reflect the greatness of Christ, not the greatness of things in this world. I was also hit by how much I speak in sarcasm, and I really realized how this is not glorifying to God. There are a couple verses that I want to share that I really liked, that talk about the tongue.

1. Luke 6:45-- "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." What we say shows what we want in this life. I pray that what I say will become more like what I hope for in Christ.

2. Proverbs 17:4--"A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue." This challenged me to not only guard my own tongue, but to not let my mind be perverted by the lying tongues of others. This made me think about how there are so many filthy comedians and songwriters out there, and as believers these are things we should not enjoy.

3. James 1:26-- "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." These are strong but true words that we see in James. They tell us that what we truly love in this life, will come through in how we speak. It is by our own words that we condemn ourselves! This is a frightening thought, but one that should encourage us to guard what we fill ourselves up with. I hope that these verses were as challenging and changing to you as they were to me.

Lukewarm and Loving It

I've been reading the book crazy love recently. Pretty much everyone I know at church has read or has been reading it, so

I thought that I would give it a shot. It has been incredibly challenging to me, to truly test my faith and see if I am at where I

need to be. The chapter that has really stuck out to me was called, "Profile of the lukewarm." Francis Chan, lays out many ways that we as Christians, tend to be lukewarm in. A few that stuck out to me are: Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict, Lukewarm people don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want to be saved from the penalty of their sin, and Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, and friends. I think that we should all check ourselves and see if we fall short in any of these areas. Another thing that stuck out to me is that God says he will spit lukewarm people out of his mouth. I think its safe to say that this means we will not see lukewarm people in heaven. Everything about God is calling us to surrender our lives fully to Him. If there is any area that we are being lukewarm both in our daily lives and in the church, let us pray that God will transform us away from it!

Doppelganger

Facebook is having a doppelganger week, meaning that everyone puts a picture of someone that they think they look like. We always love being compared to, or thinking that we look like someone famous. We examine their faces and look for similarities to ours. This has got me thinking a lot about what we should look like. Not in appearance, but in action. We are supposed to be the fragrance of Christ. We should look like Him in every way, as we have Him working through us. So, thank you doppelganger, for reminding me who I want to strive to become more like every day.

Excitement

I have been thinking a lot about what gets me excited. Whether it's some great sporting event like the superbowl, or even the premiere of a tv show like Lost; where does my passion lie? These things are ok for us to look forward and are fine for us to enjoy, but our true passion should be for our Savior. We have been given a living hope through Christ, and someday we will meet our Lord! This is what we should really be excited for. This is what should drive us to live a life Holy and acceptable to God. So, the next time you get really excited about something, think about how much better it will be to be in the arms of Christ!

Timing

Oh how I am thankful for the timing of God. It at times may be confusing and we may not understand why things happen the way they do, but when we see the fullness of His timing it is glorious. This has shown up in my life many times, and it has happened again recently. I am currently taking classes online through Moody Bible Institute. I would love to be at the campus in Chicago right now. Where I would be able to interact with classmates and professors, but I know God has been keeping me around for a reason. It is His timing that it keeping me here and now, and preparing me for a life in ministry. I can see that this is true in a few ways.

1- Working with the 2nd graders at church

I have been immensely blessed by this ministry for the past few months. I am able to work with a group of second graders during the second service at church. I have enjoyed getting to know these kids better, and letting them see Jesus through my actions. I reinforce the lesson with the children through a craft and game time. It has been great for my own growth to go over lessons that I remember being taught at their age in this new light.

2- Sunday night Character Kids

We also have a program on Sunday nights for kids K-5 at church. The group is called, "character kids" and we do a lesson game and snack with them. I have been blessed by the fellow leaders in the group, and have seen God use them in some awesome ways. It's always so cool to see how people have so many different gifts, and how they all work together for God's glory. Some people are great at leading, some are great at interacting with the kids, and some are great at teaching. I am very excited to be able to teach the lesson this week, and I pray that the kids would really understand what I am saying. I hope that I will be able to do more teaching as it is a very growing experience.

3- Fellowship

God is so good, and I have so blessed by the body that He has put around me. I have many brothers in Christ, who encourage me through the Word of God. I am very thankful for their fellowship, and how they challenge me to be on fire for Christ. I don't think I would have grown as close to anyone at school, as I have to these men.

4- Reliance

I think a lot of times I try to do everything on my own. I think that I'm all I need, and God is showing me all the time that I am dead wrong. Just yesterday I found out that I have to wait to April to find out if I will be attending Moody next year. I thought, "What did I do wrong?" "Why doesn't God want me to go?" God has shown me that I need to rely fully on Him for all my needs. I am reminded of the verse Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." That's all I need. His Righteousness; and I must trust in His divine design. If I am truly pursuing Him, He will open doors and lead me where I need to go.