30 for 30: Pony Excess and Dale Hansen

Watched a great ESPN program in their 30 for 30 series called Pony Excess. As a kid, I remember walking into the great open roofed shrine to watch the Mr. Peppermint clad band, the wealthy parents and boosters (seated much lower than me), and most importantly the galloping duo of James and Dickerson.  S.M.U. looked unstoppable and Mustang fever was pervasive. Then it all came crashing down. Trouble began and by my senior year in High School, the newly initiated “death penalty”  got dropped on them.

So what is clanging around in my head after watching it? I would love to sit down with Dale Hansen. At the time, I wasn’t aware that he was so key to the unfolding story though my family was and I still am a faithful WFAA news watcher. Hansen busted the secrets of S.M.U wide open when he interviewed a disgruntled player who had been paid by the boosters with official knowledge of the payments by the administration. What was it like for him from the time he found out that he had the interview of a lifetime? Was he excited to be in the middle of such a huge story? Was he fearful? Did he get any threats? Was he saddened to have to report such news as surely he was aware it would cause havoc? Watching the short shot of his face that they gave during the press conference with the NCAA official announcing the death penalty, it was hard to read what he was thinking.

So Dale, if you are available, I’ll be happy to take you out to lunch and we can talk all this over. Or you can just leave a comment as I am sure you are a reader of my blog.

An 8 Year Old Boy’s Thoughts On It’s A Wonderful Life

A conversation with my 8 year old son midway through It’s a Wonderful Life (my fave Christmas movie).

Corbin: Dad, are there any guns or stuff coming up in this movie?
Me: No Corbin.
Corbin: They are just walking around and around and talking and even kissing and everything is gray. This is a waste of my time.

Take Your Vitamins (These are Great)

I still do quite a bit of aerobic type endurance sports (rowing, cycling/spinning, some swimming/running). My 41 year old body doesn’t recover like it used to but these help. I put one ounce of each-super easy to dispense- in a small glass of orange juice and you don’t really taste them.

What I like. The Liquid Multivitamin doesn’t have 5000% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance. It is more moderate with 100-150% of most vitamins (details here). This means I am not literally flushing money down the toilet unlike some of the overly juiced up vitamins which have ridiculous  amounts your body cannot assimilate. Liquid vitamins are also absorbed much more efficiently than pills. The Joint Formula (glucosamine and chondroitin) also is  a great dosage with high absorbtion.

I seem to recover more quickly when I am consistently on both of these. I also have better energy during the days.

Where to get it. Amazon has the multi-vitamin and the joint formula at the cheapest rates I have found.

(Note: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV though there is one in my family. This isn’t medical advice. Consult your physician first, not your lawyer afterwards.)

Neeson vs. C.S. Lewis

Liam Neeson (fine actor and voice of Aslan in the Narnia movie)

“Aslan symbolizes a Christlike figure, but he also symbolizes for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries.”

C.S. Lewis (fine author)

“The whole Narnian story is about Christ,” Lewis once wrote. He said he “pictured him becoming a lion” because it’s the king of beasts and because Christ is called “The Lion of Judah” in the Bible.

Mark Johnson (Narnia Dawn Treader movie producer)

The resurrection exists in so many different religions in one form or another, so it’s hardly exclusively Christian.

Winner = C.S. Lewis. Author’s intent when expressed clearly and openly always trumps interpretative comments by characters within the story or those who present them in voice, or those who organize and deal with finances of a film.

The Cliff Lee Question: All In No Matter What?

So it looks like the Rangers might have to roll out $23 million a year over 7 years to keep Cliff Lee. Here are my questions Ranger fans:

  • Are you all in for that amount with the thought that “now is the time to grab the bull by the horns” because the magic is currently here and I am willing to go all in for a single World Series win even if it means for the last 4 years of his contract we are hamstrung financially and thus non-competitive?
  • Or would you rather pass and have a chance to be at the table at least more consistently every year for the next 7 (if that is even in a Ranger’s fan’s reality)?
  • Or would winning a single World Series or two give you enough of an income boost to overcome that ridiculous amount of money and the fact that his arm will be like a rag doll the last couple of years of that contract?

Ehhh?

Jesus vs. Paul Cagematch Part 2: A Response

In his recent Christianity Today article, Jesus vs. Paul, McKnight wrestles with what I, too, have perceived and at times felt some tension over. There appears to be a different emphasis from Paul (justification by faith) and Jesus (Kingdom of God). In “Jesus,” it should be noted that McKnight, I feel, is referring to the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and what these authors, Spirit inspired yet also addressing a specific context not unlike Paul, chose to record to address their contextualized issues. McKnight seeks to find a way through in his article.

My question is, are their some bridging elements between Jesus and Paul within the Biblical text itself? I see two bridges that need further examination in this light. We shall look at the first in this post and the second in a later one.

The Gospel of John. John’s Gospel has a much different tone than the Synoptic Gospels. The later authoring date of the fourth Gospel makes me ask, was John aware of Paul’s writings and, if so, to what degree was he aware of their theological emphasis? In John, there seems to bus seat constructed that allows the emphasis of the Synoptic Gospels (Kingdom of God) and the Pauline Epistles (justification by faith/union in Christ) to do more than ride side by in harmony, but to sit in one another’s lap to some degree.

Adolf Deissmann has taken note of this in The Religion of Jesus and the Faith of Paul (1923) writing,

I regard the Gospel of John, and in still greater measure, the religious attitude which finds its expression in the that Gospel and in the other Johannine writings, as a great synthesis of the Synoptic Jesus and the Pauline Christ. John amalgamated ancient, genuine traditions concerning Jesus – traditions which were partly his own recollection – with his experience of  communion with Christ, and in this way created a Gospel which was in the first place destined to render service in the post-Pauline generation, and in the struggle with Gnosticism, Judaism, and the followers of John the Baptist. Thus we have in John’s Gospel an intimate combination of the tradition concerning Jesus and Christ-mysticism [by which he means our in union in Christ so emphasized in Paul].

Obviously, a further examination of how John relates to Paul and vice versa is needed. If you are aware of key resources on this particular topic, I’d appreciate your suggestions as a comment.

Making the Cut

As I look over my verbose notes for this week’s message a recurring thought enters my mind…..

My biggest preaching challenge is not “God, what do I say,” but “God what do I cut out so this comes with Your power and not my words?”

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1 Corinthians 2:4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1 Corinthians 2:13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Jesus vs. Paul Cagematch

Scott McKnight has a great article in Christianity Today on how many biblical scholars and lay Christians have noted that Jesus preached almost exclusively about the kingdom of heaven, while Paul highlighted justification by faith—and not vice versa. Some conclude that they preached two different gospels. Others argue that really they both preached justification; still others say it’s all about the kingdom. What gives?

Here are the video links contained in the article….

See more videos after the break…. Continue reading Jesus vs. Paul Cagematch