Essential Reads

There are some books that are absolutely essential in my opinion. These books communicate invalubale truths and ideas. There are also certain points in life where these books must be read in order to achieve their optimal benefit.

Below is a list of the "Essential Reads" and the time period in life in which they ought to be read:

• Before Going to College -- Marx and Satan, by Richard Wurmbrand
• Before Moving Out on Your Own -- Dr. Mercola's Total Health Cookbook & Program, by Joe Mercola
• Before Marriage -- Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas
• Before Fatherhood -- Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge
• Before You Do Anything Else -- Money, Possessions and Eternity, by Randy Alcorn

Also-Rans:

• Heaven, by Randy Alcorn
• Does the Birth-Control Pill Cause Abortions?, by Randy Alcorn

Check back in the future for more books that are absolutely "Essential"!

Favre, Green Bay and Legacy

Gone are the days of athletes and loyalty. Yes, owners also affect loyalty when they get rid of players who don't perform, but I still hold the athletes primarily responsible for the sad state of loyalty and legacy in professional sports today. It's not really the average-to-good players, who might be dealt or let go, that concern fans so much, anyway. It's the players who are great, and excel throughout practically all their career in one city about whom I am concerned. It's players like Brett Favre in Green Bay, Michael Jordan in Chicago or Tom Glavine in Atlanta that upset fans so much.

I do realize that it's a business and it is that particular athlete's own choice to do whatever he/she wants. I do realize that changing teams (especially to a rival) may even be good for football and non-Green Bay, generic NFL fans. But still it would be nice if we could see more loyalty. There are players like John Elway in Denver, Tony Gwynn in San Diego and Reggie Miller in Indiana; players who stick with a team no matter what. Good or bad. Potentially better contracts in the market or not. These players leave good memories and sentiments of love and appreciation when they retire. Growing up in Seattle I remember the feelings of respect and admiration for guys like Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez. They weren't even that incredible, but they were great in the eyes of Mariner fans. I have a sneaking suspicion they don't regret not taking more money elsewhere.

So, do I understand a little of the disappointment Packer fans feel? Yes. That being said, it is football. It is a sport. Sports are meant to entertain. They are ultimately meant to be fun. If they become more than that, it can be downright unhealthy and silly. If they are not fun, it's time to reevaluate. Fans take sports and themselves too seriously when they get visibly upset about such a trivial thing as Favre heading to the rival Vikings. Life is too short to let this get to you. There is far graver suffering going on in the world. I would be ashamed if a starving child with malaria saw me crying after the Mariners lost to the Yankees in the 2001 ALCS after winning 116 games in the regular season.

The appropriate reaction to all of this should be a, "Oh, well. That's a bummer. Let's show him a 'good time' when we play him," reaction. One that keeps the fun in sports.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Having just finished Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship, I was struck by one great point he drove home. This point was the one about which he was most adamant. He repeated it throughout the book. It was even more intriguing as it was a saying of Jesus' that is perhaps obscure and not often repeated, at least that is how I felt. Bonhoeffer over and over reiterated Jesus' admonition to:

"Let not the right hand know what the left hand is doing."

I never quite fully grasped what Jesus meant when he said this. I mean, how can your right hand not know what the left is doing? I know Jesus is speaking in metaphor, but I only thought he meant that our deeds should be done in great secret and he used hyperbole. But, Bonhoeffer elucidated the Scripture far more deeply for me. Furthermore, what Bonhoeffer said hit home for it revealed a source of frustration in my life.

The verse means more than saying, "let your deeds be done in secret" and doing so with hyperbole. Jesus is actually saying, "Not even you should know what good deeds you are doing." The deeds should even be in secret to us! What a mystery? A thought so quizzical and seemingly illogical, it is no wonder I never interpreted that verse that way before. This struck me so profoundly since I had been struggling with this very issue. I was always being cognizant of my actions, good or bad, and trying to analyze them. Whenever I did good, it just brought on feelings of pride and unhealthy comparisons to others. It also prevented me from being myself; always trying to make sure I was doing good, instead of just being myself and letting the Spirit work the good through me naturally.

The instruction of Jesus frees me up to not have to think about the good I'm doing, how it fares, how people respond to it, how it compares to the actions of others. It allows me to just do the good and not fret it. Bonhoeffer is a masterful student of the Word worthy of emulation.

Class Struggle

So much is made of class struggle. It seems to be the defining issue of so many generations. It caused the French Revolution, led Karl Marx to communism, much of the developed world to socialist ideas, and now seems to be one of the great factors in our country's concerns over healthcare. Barack Obama and much of Congress sees universal healthcare as a remedy to the ongoing disparity in healthcare that comes in large part from class struggle: the rich and middle class have healthcare and the poorer people do not, or at least not enough.

The poor of this world do have it rough. And there needs to be an answer for them. Communism, socialism, universal healthcare are man's answer to class struggle. Even capitalism is not necessarily the answer. There are great gulfs for the poor to cross.

Thankfully, God does have an answer. The Church is God's answer to class struggle. I am convinced that one of the great reasons God has a Church is because He saw the plight of the poor and downtrodden of the world. The Church is the very Body of Christ come to help the world's suffering. I am also convinced that if the Church were to act (especially give) as it should, class struggle would not be the scourge that it is.

Macho Men

It is rather odd. God is up to his old tricks. He seems to be on the move in another subversive way. This time he's making a move in the world of tough guys and teenage boys (a very important demographic for influencing culture).

What am I talking about? Everyone by now has heard the plethora of Chuck Norris jokes extolling his superhuman strength, grit, intimidation, etc. Jokes like: "Chuck Norris ran into the dinosaurs once. Once." or "Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird." Well, Norris is a strong Christian. Now, people the world over (okay, America over) revere and respect Chuck Norris. What a platform! And he barely had to do a thing.

Well, now Tim Tebow seems to be the latest subject of the machismo-myth craze. There now abound jokes extolling Tebow's manliness. For example, "Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas to bed," or "Tim Tebow can win Connect Four in three moves" (his personal favorite). And, I'm sure it goes without saying that Tebow is a follower of Jesus, too. Something's going on here.

I realize other people, namely teenage boys, created these jokes. But God has the amazing ability to inspire, impress ideas, and lead people. We serve a God of cunning, wisdom and one who appreciates teenage-boy sense of humor.