“Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus saw through their duplicity and said, “Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and description are on it?” “ Caesar’s”—they replied. “Then give to Caesar what is Caeser’s, and to God what is God’s.”(Luke 20)
On the Sunday before Lincoln’s Birthday in 1954, President Eisenhower chose to do what many presidents had done before him. His motorcade arrived outside the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., and he made his way inside to worship in “Lincoln’s Church”—and sit in Lincoln’s preserved pew. The minister at New York Avenue at the time was Dr. George M. Docherty, a Scotsman who had yet to become a U.S. Citizen, and who had never talked with the president before.
The sermon that morning was titled, “Under God,” and made a case for adding those significant words to the Pledge of Allegiance his children were learning in school. His children had come home excited to describe the ritual of the salute to the flag. They placed their hands upon their heart, and repeated these words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” But instead of hearing it from the perspective of one trained in the ritual, Docherty as an outsider could sit and brood over each word slowly in his mind.
Docherty then announced to the congregation, and to the president in attendance, that something very distinct to the American way of life was missing from the Pledge. He reasoned, “Apart from the mention of the phrase, the United States of America, this could be the pledge of any republic.” He then asked, “What therefore is missing in the pledge of allegiance that Americans have been saying off and on since 1892, and officially since 1942?” He found his answer clearly in the words and spirit of President Lincoln who said in his Gettysburg address, “Under God this people shall know a new birth of freedom”--with “Under God” being his definitive words.
Pastor Docherty looked over his congregation and explained, “We face today a theological war. It is not basically a conflict of two political philosophies—Thomas Jefferson’s political democracy over against Lenin’ communistic state. Nor is it a conflict fundamentally between two economic systems between, shall we say, Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations and Karl Marx’s Das Capital. It is a fight for the freedom of the human personality…. It is the view of man as it comes down to us from Judaio-Christian civilization in mortal combat against modern, secularized, godless humanity.”
Docherty explained that the current pledge of allegiance was omitting the theological implication that is fundamental to the American way of life. “Only when ‘Under God’ is added,” he explained, “can one rightly define what we mean by ‘liberty and justice for all’.” This wise pastor observed that a pledge without “under God” simply omitted that which most contributed to the character of the American way of life. At the same time, Docherty also properly cautioned Christians against a pledge holding out “Under Jesus” as that which best explains the character of our land. He reasoned, “It must be ‘under God’ to include the great Jewish community and the people of the Moslem faith, and the myriad of denominations of Christians in the land.”
As we can now imagine, this sermon greatly impacted President Eisenhower’s thinking on our nation, and her pledge of allegiance. Working closely with Charles Oakman of Michigan, Eisenhower had this sermon placed in the Congressional Record of the 83rd Congress, and the words “under God” added to our country’s official Pledge of Allegiance. This version of the Pledge of Allegiance has served our country well now for over fifty years, but has (Like this National Day of Prayer Service) recently come under attack.
On April 15 (tax day) of this year, a U.S. District Judge in Wisconsin ruled that this annual National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. Judge Barbara Crabb said the Day of Prayer violates the First Amendment's establishment clause, which bans the creation of a "law respecting an establishment of religion" in the Constitution.
"It goes beyond mere 'acknowledgment' of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context."
Perhaps anticipating the anger that her ruling would create, she also noted there was no law preventing Americans from praying or organizing non-governmental days of prayer, and wrote this:
“ A determination that the government may not endorse a religious message is not a determination that the message itself is harmful, unimportant or undeserving of dissemination."
The National Day of Prayer was established by Congress in 1952, and in 1988 was set as the first Thursday in May. The lawsuit against the National Day of Prayer was brought in Wisconsin by a group of atheists and agnostics called the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which argued that it violated the separation of church and state.
To his credit, the Obama administration has continued the practice of calling the nation to pray today. His office argued that the National Day of Prayer was legal because it simply acknowledged the role of religion in the United States. But Judge Crabb disagreed saying:
"It is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray."
So the judge agreed with the atheists and agnostics that there is no place in American government for a call to prayer. First she argued a call to prayer should be abandoned because it serves no secular function in this context. Never mind that prayer improves health outcomes in the midst of a healthcare crisis. Never mind that God can clear an oil slick much better than man. Never mind that prayer improves business ethics. Never mind that prayer improves a marriage and strengthens a family. Evidently there is nothing happening to the fabric of America prayer could improve.
But then Judge Crabb seems to reverse course and argue that a call to prayer should be halted because it has such a powerful effect on a community. Prayer can have such a personal and powerful effect upon people that the government should be discouraged from influencing people to lean upon it. What Judge Crabb envisions is a government that stays out of endorsing anything pertaining to God.
This argument against prayer and against acknowledging God is amazingly similar to the one made a few years ago by Mike Newdow (remember him?). Newdow argued that “one nation, under God” violates the Constitution’s separation of church and state. He appealed to the same laws and made the same arguments as the group in Wisconsin. So a “National Day of Prayer” and “Under God”–are both under attack by atheists and agnostics waving the Bill of Rights.
The fact that Judge Crabb used a system of laws clearly founded upon Judaio-Christian values should not escape anyone’s notice. The very God-based legal system that guarantees “liberty and justice for all” became the tool used to try and ferret out religion from civic life.
But these attempts to overturn religious expression would have in no way surprised Pastor Docherty. As a matter of fact, Docherty concluded his 1954 sermon in front of Eisenhower by asking, “What then of the honest atheist?”
Docherty noted a new breed of person in America, one who “does not believe in God; not because he is a wicked man, but because he is dialectically honest, and would rather walk with the unbelievers than sit hypocritically with people of faith.” His sermon characterized these people as often fine in character; and in their obligations as citizens and good neighbors, quite excellent. However, then he goes on to say in no uncertain terms, “But they really are spiritual parasites!”
“Parasites” is what he called them. Not meaning the word in any derogatory fashion, he was simply classifying them. A parasite is an organism that lives upon the life force of another organism without contributing to the life of the other. Docherty explained that people like the folks in Wiscosin and Newdow are “living upon the accumulated spiritual capital of Judaio-Christian civilization, while at the same time, denying the God who revealed the divine principles upon which the ethics of this country grow.” The danger 50 years later is that the parasite dining on the spiritual capital of God’s people will eventually suck the life completely out of our civic society.
Only in America may an atheists or agnostics deny God and God’s revelation and fight against any talk of God in a legal system founded upon God’s Word! Without a legal system based upon God’s revelation they would never have a voice.
So what should we here gathered tonight do? The great sociologist Lesslie Newbigin warned our society to take religion’s place in society seriously. He encouraged the Judaio-Christian civilization in America not to abandon her role in determining public truth. Newbigin especially encouraged Christians to understand how important it is for them to maintain their role as “first among equals” with a privileged status in America. He argued his case this way, “Only Christianity holds out the cross. Only the cross suspends judgment and offers space for grace.” Not everyone will use this space to find grace. Some like those in Wisconsin will even use the space to attack the only possible system their beliefs could survive under.
It has often been stated that, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” If we suspend the place of God in our civic society something else will creep in to fill the void. So before we remove “under God” from our Pledge or the National Day of Prayer from our calendars, let’s determine what system others propose to put in its place.
“Under God” or under what?
A National Day of Prayer or a national day for what--profits and pleasure?
There was once a young minister who took four worms and placed each one in a jar with a lid upon it. In the first he placed the worm in a jar filled with cigarette smoke, in the second the jar was filled with beer and in the third it was filled with pure chocolate. The fourth worm was placed in a jar of fresh air. The minister then reported that the next day: the worm in smoke—was dead. The worm in beer—was dead. The worm in pure chocolate was dead (smiling but dead). The worm placed in fresh air—alive and happy.
The young minister then made the fatal mistake of asking the church for the moral of the illustration. “What is the moral?” he asked. And a young man from the youth group stood up and said, “Pastor, I think the moral is THIS… if you smoke, if you drink and if you eat lots of chocolate…YOU PROBABLY WON’T GET WORMS!”
With this the congregation burst into laughter and the minister tore up his message and sent everyone home. The moral of the story for us ministers is this-- be careful when preaching by analogy. With that in mind—I dare to close by presenting one.
In 1863 American writer Edward Hale first published the short story, “A Man Without a Country.”It is the story of American army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who develops a friendship with the visiting Aaron Burr. When Burr is tried for treason, Nolan is tried as an accomplice. During his testimony, Nolan bitterly renounces his nation, angrily shouting "Damn the United States! I wish I may never hear of the United States again!" Upon conviction, the judge icily grants Nolan his wish: he is to spend the rest of his life on warships of the United States Navy, in exile, with no right ever again to set foot on U.S. soil, and with explicit orders that no one shall ever mention his country to him again.
The sentence is carried out to the letter. For the rest of his life, Nolan is transported from ship to ship, living out his life as a prisoner on the high seas, never once being allowed back in a home port. None of the sailors in whose custody Nolan remains are allowed to speak to him about the U.S., and his newspapers are censored.
Nolan is a man without a country. He is a man without a word about home. Around Nolan no one speaks of country, of liberty, of the blessings of citizenship. Nolan dies aboard ship as a man longing for home, longing for a word—wishing it could have all been different.
As lost as a man is without a country—how much more is a nation lost without God?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Was Your Mother a Prostitute?
The question clearly stunned recent Dallas Cowboy draft pick Dez Bryant, "Was your mother a prostitute?" Jeff Ireland, director of scouting for the Miami Dolphins, asked him a few weeks ago when interviewing Bryant as a potential 1st Round draft choice. "My job," he explained, "is to find out as much information as possible about a player I consider drafting. Having said that...I used poor judgment in one of the questions I asked him."
At the time Dez Bryant became angry at the question, but did not show it. He kept his cool, answered the question--and several others about his mother's former drug use. It was a lot of picking at a scab Dez Bryant hoped had healed.
Ireland later called and apologized, Dez accepted. For Ireland he thought it was "just business"--but nothing ever is when they're talking about your mother, your wife, your daughter or your sister. Not for me anyway.
But the controversial question remains unanswered: What was Bryant's answer to the question? Was his mother a prostitute or not? Don't you want to know?
I do, because I know someone who achieved a level of greatness far beyond what Bryant ever will--and he had a prostitute in his skeleton closet. Not only that, he actually had an adulterer, two prostitutes and another who propositioned a man in the middle of the night. He was conceived out of wedlock himself. His name?
Many of us just call him, "Lord," but his name is Jesus Christ.
So if Jesus can overcome, even redeem, his family tree with Rahab and Tamar the prostitutes (Rahab actually ran "The Best Little Whore House in Jericho") then there is hope for us too. What Jeff Ireland needs to know is that some of God's finest have always come from the most troubled of backgrounds--that is God's way.
The Apostle Paul once looked out over the church in Corinth and said,"Don't forget that the sexually immoral, the adulterers, the prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the thieves, the greedy and the drunk--none of them will inherit the Kingdom of God. And that was what some of you were. But now you have been washed, sanctified and justified through Jesus and the Spirit of God." (I Cor. 6: 9-11)
Because of Jesus, life for Dez Bryant is not about what he was, or what his mother did--it's all about this: "Are you becoming more and more like Jesus?"
I rub shoulders with prostitutes and strippers every Wednesday night at my church. They come to discover not who they were, but who they can become in Christ. The group is called New Friends, New Life (see the web address in my links). Maybe I'm rubbing shoulders with the next Dez Bryant and his mom each Wednesday there as well.
Scott Sager
At the time Dez Bryant became angry at the question, but did not show it. He kept his cool, answered the question--and several others about his mother's former drug use. It was a lot of picking at a scab Dez Bryant hoped had healed.
Ireland later called and apologized, Dez accepted. For Ireland he thought it was "just business"--but nothing ever is when they're talking about your mother, your wife, your daughter or your sister. Not for me anyway.
But the controversial question remains unanswered: What was Bryant's answer to the question? Was his mother a prostitute or not? Don't you want to know?
I do, because I know someone who achieved a level of greatness far beyond what Bryant ever will--and he had a prostitute in his skeleton closet. Not only that, he actually had an adulterer, two prostitutes and another who propositioned a man in the middle of the night. He was conceived out of wedlock himself. His name?
Many of us just call him, "Lord," but his name is Jesus Christ.
So if Jesus can overcome, even redeem, his family tree with Rahab and Tamar the prostitutes (Rahab actually ran "The Best Little Whore House in Jericho") then there is hope for us too. What Jeff Ireland needs to know is that some of God's finest have always come from the most troubled of backgrounds--that is God's way.
The Apostle Paul once looked out over the church in Corinth and said,"Don't forget that the sexually immoral, the adulterers, the prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the thieves, the greedy and the drunk--none of them will inherit the Kingdom of God. And that was what some of you were. But now you have been washed, sanctified and justified through Jesus and the Spirit of God." (I Cor. 6: 9-11)
Because of Jesus, life for Dez Bryant is not about what he was, or what his mother did--it's all about this: "Are you becoming more and more like Jesus?"
I rub shoulders with prostitutes and strippers every Wednesday night at my church. They come to discover not who they were, but who they can become in Christ. The group is called New Friends, New Life (see the web address in my links). Maybe I'm rubbing shoulders with the next Dez Bryant and his mom each Wednesday there as well.
Scott Sager
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Lame Excuse for a Fisherman
I still remember the story about the father and son who always went fishing together opening day. They would stay up all night and be out on the water at midnight just when the season opened. One year, when the boy was about twelve, the father told the son to go ahead and cast his rod a few times before midnight just to get the kinks out and make sure everything was functioning properly. He flipped his line out with a nymph upon it and the strike sounded like an alligator hitting the water.
The boy reeled in the line with much struggle and with great determination. Pulling the fish up to the boat his father grabbed the net and helped him land "Ole Blue"--a famous trout in those waters that had often been pursued, broken many lines--but had never been caught. Looking at it up close they figured he must weigh at least 8 pounds. This was the mother-load of trout fishing...and they had caught him. There had never been a young boy any prouder, the look of accomplishment on his face was priceless.
But then the boy looked into his dad's eyes and saw a tear begin to fall. He looked at his son, looked at his watch and said, "We have to toss him back son, it's not fishing season yet." It was just ten minutes until midnight--but the fish had to go back in the water. Who cried more as they tossed it back we will never know, but the memories forged at that moment made a difference for a lifetime.
That young boy grew up to be a successful businessman. And every time he was tempted to take a short cut or fudge on a deal he remembered his father--and the lessons he learned that day about more than fishing...but about life.
Compare that boy to Robby Rose--who recently admitted to shoving a 1-pound weight down his fish in hopes of winning a fishing contest and a $55,000 boat. He admits now that he cheated, but it is the excuses that will sink him and any children following after him as well. He claims he wasn't cheating to win the prize, "Second place was mine already to do with as I pleased." He says he wanted to embarrass the sport for being skeptical of him--it seems he has been accused of cheating before. Are you surprised?
Tournament officials wanted to assign an observer to his boat, to make sure he was not cheating. He found that request unfair, the treatment of him and his fish "inhumane." Seems everyone is out to get him--and that is why he cheated, "I snapped. I lost my mind."
The good news is he also lost his privilege to fish for the next five years...as well as spending 15 days in jail, paying a $3,000 fine and knowing his name is chum around fishing circles.
The lesson--do the right thing the first time...and teach your children to do the same. The wise man Solomon once said, "A good name is like fine perfume...." and the only person who can stink it up is you (that last part is mine).
Scott
The boy reeled in the line with much struggle and with great determination. Pulling the fish up to the boat his father grabbed the net and helped him land "Ole Blue"--a famous trout in those waters that had often been pursued, broken many lines--but had never been caught. Looking at it up close they figured he must weigh at least 8 pounds. This was the mother-load of trout fishing...and they had caught him. There had never been a young boy any prouder, the look of accomplishment on his face was priceless.
But then the boy looked into his dad's eyes and saw a tear begin to fall. He looked at his son, looked at his watch and said, "We have to toss him back son, it's not fishing season yet." It was just ten minutes until midnight--but the fish had to go back in the water. Who cried more as they tossed it back we will never know, but the memories forged at that moment made a difference for a lifetime.
That young boy grew up to be a successful businessman. And every time he was tempted to take a short cut or fudge on a deal he remembered his father--and the lessons he learned that day about more than fishing...but about life.
Compare that boy to Robby Rose--who recently admitted to shoving a 1-pound weight down his fish in hopes of winning a fishing contest and a $55,000 boat. He admits now that he cheated, but it is the excuses that will sink him and any children following after him as well. He claims he wasn't cheating to win the prize, "Second place was mine already to do with as I pleased." He says he wanted to embarrass the sport for being skeptical of him--it seems he has been accused of cheating before. Are you surprised?
Tournament officials wanted to assign an observer to his boat, to make sure he was not cheating. He found that request unfair, the treatment of him and his fish "inhumane." Seems everyone is out to get him--and that is why he cheated, "I snapped. I lost my mind."
The good news is he also lost his privilege to fish for the next five years...as well as spending 15 days in jail, paying a $3,000 fine and knowing his name is chum around fishing circles.
The lesson--do the right thing the first time...and teach your children to do the same. The wise man Solomon once said, "A good name is like fine perfume...." and the only person who can stink it up is you (that last part is mine).
Scott
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
When Colt McCoy's Dad Speaks...People Listen
This morning I went to the Dallas Leadership Prayer Breakfast as a guest of my good friend Pete Schenkel. I arrived early to go and speak with the guest speakers of the morning, Colt and Brad McCoy. As I talked with Colt's dad, Brad, he informed me Colt had a serious stomach bug. He was in Florida doing something with NFL Films and got so sick he is on an I.V. With his Pro Day at UT next Wednesday getting well has become top priority #1. Word is that his arm is strong and he is ready to throw.
So Brad spoke gave us four really solid points to ponder as we go through this week. It was one of the best speeches in Prayer Breakfast history and will bless you as well. These points are especially powerful for fathers to pay attention to:
1. "Prepare your child for the path--NOT the path for your child." He went on to say that most parents map out a life path for their kids--and make life too easy on them and too smooth. They want the coach to play, "The ten best players and their son." But what kids really need is to experince adversity.
2. Prepare Your Child to be the Best. Encourage them to do thier best and play to win--"Play to win; Expect to Win." Too many settle for good enough and are never challeneged to greatness.
3. Be a Leader- Daily thoughts should be to tell your children to do thier best and be a leader. Lead in the home, in your daily thoughts and example--and in the way you inspire others. Colt's theme for 2009 was "Thoughts become Themes" so stay positive, certain and faithful.
4. Prepare for Open and Closed Doors- The Rose Bowl for Colt was an Open Door that quickly closed. He used it to glorify God and stand on the Rock--and we should too. Make sure our positive energy is greater than the negative. Let Certainty triumph over doubt. Listen to Faith and not Fear. And leave a legacy of Faith, Love and Service.
Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley had a theme verse around their apartment and with the team, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him." Jeremiah 17: 7 It was the verse Jordan quoted that inspired the kicker to make the last second, game winning field goal for the Big Twelve Championship. It was also the verse that inspired Colt to be gracious in injury and in defeat at the National Championship.
We too will be blessed if we place our confidence firmly on the Rock today--no matter what.
Scott Sager
So Brad spoke gave us four really solid points to ponder as we go through this week. It was one of the best speeches in Prayer Breakfast history and will bless you as well. These points are especially powerful for fathers to pay attention to:
1. "Prepare your child for the path--NOT the path for your child." He went on to say that most parents map out a life path for their kids--and make life too easy on them and too smooth. They want the coach to play, "The ten best players and their son." But what kids really need is to experince adversity.
2. Prepare Your Child to be the Best. Encourage them to do thier best and play to win--"Play to win; Expect to Win." Too many settle for good enough and are never challeneged to greatness.
3. Be a Leader- Daily thoughts should be to tell your children to do thier best and be a leader. Lead in the home, in your daily thoughts and example--and in the way you inspire others. Colt's theme for 2009 was "Thoughts become Themes" so stay positive, certain and faithful.
4. Prepare for Open and Closed Doors- The Rose Bowl for Colt was an Open Door that quickly closed. He used it to glorify God and stand on the Rock--and we should too. Make sure our positive energy is greater than the negative. Let Certainty triumph over doubt. Listen to Faith and not Fear. And leave a legacy of Faith, Love and Service.
Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley had a theme verse around their apartment and with the team, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him." Jeremiah 17: 7 It was the verse Jordan quoted that inspired the kicker to make the last second, game winning field goal for the Big Twelve Championship. It was also the verse that inspired Colt to be gracious in injury and in defeat at the National Championship.
We too will be blessed if we place our confidence firmly on the Rock today--no matter what.
Scott Sager
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A New Game Called Basketball...
“Blogging at the Intersection of Faith and Sports”
On this date in 1892 the first public viewing of basketball took place in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game was invented by James Naismith for cold Massachusetts winters, with ties back to the games of his youth. Naismith was an orphan early in life and was raised by his uncle in Almonte, Canada to be a priest. However in college he discovered sports and dropped out of priestly studies to be a teacher at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield.
There he was challenged by the YMCA staff to invent a new indoor game that was physical, athletic and geared for the indoors. He started work on it in December 1891, and modeled it after games of the Aztec and Mayan Indians as well as the cleanup from the “Duck on a Rock” game of his youth (he remembered throwing the rocks back in the bucket between rounds was as fun as the game itself.) That day, he asked his class to play a match that was 9 versus 9-- using a soccer ball and two peach baskets. The players could not move with the ball: they had to pass it, without dribbling around or past the opponents, as is common today. The peach baskets were closed, and balls had to be retrieved manually (using a ladder). Later they cut a small hole in the bottom of the peach basket and poked the ball out using a stick. Only in 1906 were metal hoops, nets and boards introduced.
Someone proposed to call it “Naismith Game”, but he answered "We have a ball and a basket: why don’t we call it basketball?” So they did; the world of sports was never the same again.
Naismith took the challenge to do something new, fresh and exciting—he took the dare and made something fresh for life. Maybe we need to hear that same challenge again today from Jesus Christ—“Create something new, fresh and exciting that will make the world a better place.” Jesus once said, “Behold, I am making everything new…. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 21: 5-6).
If he is making everything new that means he’s doing it for us, in us and through us. So don't be afraid to make the world a better place!
Scott Sager
On this date in 1892 the first public viewing of basketball took place in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game was invented by James Naismith for cold Massachusetts winters, with ties back to the games of his youth. Naismith was an orphan early in life and was raised by his uncle in Almonte, Canada to be a priest. However in college he discovered sports and dropped out of priestly studies to be a teacher at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield.
There he was challenged by the YMCA staff to invent a new indoor game that was physical, athletic and geared for the indoors. He started work on it in December 1891, and modeled it after games of the Aztec and Mayan Indians as well as the cleanup from the “Duck on a Rock” game of his youth (he remembered throwing the rocks back in the bucket between rounds was as fun as the game itself.) That day, he asked his class to play a match that was 9 versus 9-- using a soccer ball and two peach baskets. The players could not move with the ball: they had to pass it, without dribbling around or past the opponents, as is common today. The peach baskets were closed, and balls had to be retrieved manually (using a ladder). Later they cut a small hole in the bottom of the peach basket and poked the ball out using a stick. Only in 1906 were metal hoops, nets and boards introduced.
Someone proposed to call it “Naismith Game”, but he answered "We have a ball and a basket: why don’t we call it basketball?” So they did; the world of sports was never the same again.
Naismith took the challenge to do something new, fresh and exciting—he took the dare and made something fresh for life. Maybe we need to hear that same challenge again today from Jesus Christ—“Create something new, fresh and exciting that will make the world a better place.” Jesus once said, “Behold, I am making everything new…. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 21: 5-6).
If he is making everything new that means he’s doing it for us, in us and through us. So don't be afraid to make the world a better place!
Scott Sager
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Modern Marathon and Us
On this date in 1896 Charilaos Vasilakos of Greece won the 1st modern marathon in 3 hours and 18 minutes. The 1896 Olympics were the first of the modern era, and the premier race of those Greek Olympic Games was to be the 26.2 mile journey into Athens and Olympic Stadium. Vasilakos won the inaugural race and the right to represent Greece in the Olympics, but then finished 5th at the Olympic Games to a Greek water-carrier named Spiridon "Spiros" Louis. Yet with his monumental run, the marathon became the standard for long-distance runners everywhere.
The name "Marathon" comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. He was sent from the battlefield of Marathon in 490 BC. to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought.) Pheidippides ran the entire 26.2 mile distance around Mount Penteli and into Athens without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (“'We have won”) before collapsing and dying. The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD.
The Apostle Paul, a fellow sports enthusiast, also wrote about running in the 1st century. Paul loved the Greek games, the celebration of sports and even the obsession with winning: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air (Paul liked boxing too!). No, I buffet my body and make it my slave so that after I have spoken to others about Christ, I myself will not be disqualified from the prize.” (I Corinthians 9: 24-27)
The choice is up to us whether we run the race or sit in the stands while others compete for Christ. But the decision ultimately comes down to preparation and this question: “Do we buffet our bodies with discipline and training or merely buffet them with ‘all-you-can-eat’ consumption”?
Let’s join those in the arena and run!
Scott Sager
The name "Marathon" comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. He was sent from the battlefield of Marathon in 490 BC. to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought.) Pheidippides ran the entire 26.2 mile distance around Mount Penteli and into Athens without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (“'We have won”) before collapsing and dying. The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD.
The Apostle Paul, a fellow sports enthusiast, also wrote about running in the 1st century. Paul loved the Greek games, the celebration of sports and even the obsession with winning: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air (Paul liked boxing too!). No, I buffet my body and make it my slave so that after I have spoken to others about Christ, I myself will not be disqualified from the prize.” (I Corinthians 9: 24-27)
The choice is up to us whether we run the race or sit in the stands while others compete for Christ. But the decision ultimately comes down to preparation and this question: “Do we buffet our bodies with discipline and training or merely buffet them with ‘all-you-can-eat’ consumption”?
Let’s join those in the arena and run!
Scott Sager
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Day the Babe Walked Away
“Blogging at the Intersection of Faith and Sports”
On this date in 1936 the great Babe Ruth did the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the incomprehensible thing in today’s sporting world--he walked away. He actually declined the Cincinnati Red’s invitation to make a final heroic comeback. Can you imagine Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali or Brett Favre declining a comeback when a wealthy owner is dangling money in front of their face?
Yet Ruth retired, walked away from the game—and didn’t listen to the inner-voice telling him he could still summon the strength, skill and talent to do it one more time. Nothing is harder for “the greatest” than to turn off the competitive juices and admit the game they love has passed them by. Sports is cruel in that way
George Herman Ruth, Jr. best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935. Ruth originally broke in with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, and converted to a full-time right fielder and one of the league's most prolific hitters. Ruth was a mainstay in the Yankees' lineup that won seven pennants and four World Series titles during his tenure. Without a doubt, Ruth was the greatest baseball player of all-time.
After a short stint with the Boston Braves in 1935, Ruth retired. While Ruth could still hit, he could do little else. His conditioning had deteriorated to where he could do little more than trot around the bases. His fielding was dreadful; at one point, three of the Braves' pitchers threatened not to take the mound if Ruth was in the lineup.
But on May 25, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ruth went 4-for-4, drove in 6 runs and hit 3 home runs in an 11–7 loss to the Pirates. These were the last three home runs of his career. His last home run cleared the roof at the old Forbes Field—he became the first player to accomplish that feat.
Five days later, in Philadelphia, Ruth hurt his knee and walked away from the great game for good. There would be no talk of a comeback the next year with the Reds—it was over.
The wise King Solomon reminds us all that “there is a season for everything under heaven.” There is a time be born and die, a time laugh and mourn, a time to dig deep to give your all and a time to hang them up and retire. Solomon then says this, “And God makes all things beautiful in their time” (Ecclesiastes 3: 11).
Here’s wishing you enough faith to believe God’s timing for your life is better than your own.
Scott
On this date in 1936 the great Babe Ruth did the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the incomprehensible thing in today’s sporting world--he walked away. He actually declined the Cincinnati Red’s invitation to make a final heroic comeback. Can you imagine Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali or Brett Favre declining a comeback when a wealthy owner is dangling money in front of their face?
Yet Ruth retired, walked away from the game—and didn’t listen to the inner-voice telling him he could still summon the strength, skill and talent to do it one more time. Nothing is harder for “the greatest” than to turn off the competitive juices and admit the game they love has passed them by. Sports is cruel in that way
George Herman Ruth, Jr. best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935. Ruth originally broke in with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, and converted to a full-time right fielder and one of the league's most prolific hitters. Ruth was a mainstay in the Yankees' lineup that won seven pennants and four World Series titles during his tenure. Without a doubt, Ruth was the greatest baseball player of all-time.
After a short stint with the Boston Braves in 1935, Ruth retired. While Ruth could still hit, he could do little else. His conditioning had deteriorated to where he could do little more than trot around the bases. His fielding was dreadful; at one point, three of the Braves' pitchers threatened not to take the mound if Ruth was in the lineup.
But on May 25, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ruth went 4-for-4, drove in 6 runs and hit 3 home runs in an 11–7 loss to the Pirates. These were the last three home runs of his career. His last home run cleared the roof at the old Forbes Field—he became the first player to accomplish that feat.
Five days later, in Philadelphia, Ruth hurt his knee and walked away from the great game for good. There would be no talk of a comeback the next year with the Reds—it was over.
The wise King Solomon reminds us all that “there is a season for everything under heaven.” There is a time be born and die, a time laugh and mourn, a time to dig deep to give your all and a time to hang them up and retire. Solomon then says this, “And God makes all things beautiful in their time” (Ecclesiastes 3: 11).
Here’s wishing you enough faith to believe God’s timing for your life is better than your own.
Scott
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