No Asterisk*

In 1964, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees broke Babe Ruth's 34-year-old single season home run record. Ruth had amassed 60 home runs in a season with only 154 games, compared to Maris' 61 over 162 games. The then, Baseball commissioner Ford Frick announced that Maris' accomplishment would be recorded in the record books with an explanation (often referred to as "an asterisk" in the retelling.) Though no official record book existed at the time, the stigma of 61* home runs remained with Roger Maris for years.

Since then, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds have all surpassed Maris' home run record for a single season, but with the shadow of the "steroid era" there is conversation that their records as well as others should be marked by an asterisk.* Some have said they don't deserve to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The recent admission of performance enhancement drug use by Alex Rodriquez, considered by many as the best player in baseball today could mean that his career could forever be marked by an asterisk.*

Imagine everything that you ever did being shadowed by an *. It doesn't matter what you accomplished nor its significance in historical perspective. It is all subject to skepticism due to the asterisk.* That's Baseball, but what about our relationship with God. Imagine if because our sin, God placed an asterisk* by our name because of a sin that we committed. We could have given to help the poor,:or never missed church a day in our life; or we could have preached to the masses about Christ, but because we had sinned there is an asterisk by our name. A reminder to all that regardless of what this person has accomplished, he is still a sinner.

God is very clear about the subject of asterisks. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us of all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 In Isaiah 23:25, God says "I, even I am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."

Be glad as a follower of Christ, that when you trust him as Savior and Lord that he blots out all of our sin and remembers them against us no more. It is forgiven and forgotten. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Only by his grace and forgiveness, we are free of the stigma of an asterisk.*

More than a Football Game...

With Super Bowl XLIII, being played this weekend, millions of people will be watching the Cardinals vs. Steelers on their big screen HD televisions. It is the big game! But a few people have noticed that a possibly bigger game was played on November 7th in a high school stadium in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. It pitted two private high schools against each other; Faith Christian Academy versus Gainesville State. One school was Christian high school. The other was a juvenile detention facility and high school that included football in its rejuvenation program.

Several weeks prior to the game, Kris Hogan, the football coach at Faith Christian challenged this team and the student body to do something unique for a football game. He challenged the student body and the people who attend their games as fans to put their faith into action. He wanted them to fill the visitor's side with fans to root for the Gainesville State team when they came to play against his team. Gainesville State had very few fans attend their games. There was no band, no cheerleaders, only a few fans and security guards to support the team.

On game day, the visitor's side was filled with fans with signs and noisemakers. There were cheerleaders on the sidelines and every time a Gainesville player made a good play, the fans cheered and called out their name. Though Faith Christian won the game, the real winners were the players on Gainesville State team. They were deeply moved by such a selfless act of compassion by the opposing school. It was their Super Bowl.

Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated caught wind of the story and wrote a column. Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL read the story and was so moved, that he invited Hogan and his wife, to be his guests at the Super Bowl.

"At the beginning," Coach Hogan said, "I was really surprised because I feel like it shouldn't be that big of a deal that Christians take action and do things like this."

It shouldn't be a big deal, but when Christians seriously choose to act self-lessly and serve others, it shouldn't surprise us that the world takes notice. Didn't Jesus say, "Let your light so shine before men, that when they see your good works, they will glorify our Father which is in heaven."

Well done, Faith Christian Academy and Coach Kris Hogan... it is more than a game!

Our "Children in the Faith"

During the Christmas holidays, I discovered "Facebook." I know some of you are thinking "Where have you been?" Unfortunately, I have been slow to embrace the internet world of the computer generation. "Facebook" has been a blessing on several levels. It's allowed me to re-connect with friends from high school and college days. I've caught up with former staff members and their families. But the greatest joy of my newest discovery is the opportunity to reconnect with some of my "children in the faith."

The apostle Paul referred to Timothy as his son in the faith. (1 Timothy 1:2) Though he was not a biological child of his, Paul was like a father to Timothy, as he served as his mentor in the faith.

In my 30 years of pastoral ministry and the 10 years of youth ministry prior to that I have been privileged to lead many to faith in Christ and have been privileged to help them grow in their relationship with God. They have been my "children in the faith."Over the years, as they have moved on to other places or when God moved me to another assignment, we would become disconnected. I would often wonder where some of my "children in the faith" were and how they were doing. You can't imagine the joy when I got the email saying "Alison and John _______ have requested to be your friend on "Facebook." It had be almost 15 years since we have seen or heard from them.

Alison and John were a young newly married couple from the Northeast. John was in the Air Force and was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, LA where I pastored. I had the privilege to be their pastor during their short stay in Bossier City. They were such a blessing to me and my wife, they weren't much older than our children, so we saw them as our kids. We spent some wonderful times together. I baptized them and watched them grow. Then they were gone. The Air Force gave John another assignment and we lost touch. Until Facebook...."Yes, it's really me!" was Alison entry on the email. She found us...and we have found her and John. They are happily married, with 3 children of their own. Alison is a professional photographer and John has a great job as well. They live in New Hampshire. But more importantly, they are still faithful followers of Christ continuing what began many years ago. God is now using them to touch lives where they live and work. Nothing brings greater joy to my heart.

As I am in the autumn of my life and ministry, it is great to see that God occasionally allows us to see the fruit of our labors. Alison and John are "my children in the faith," and they are continuing to pass the faith in Christ along to their children and to others that I will never meet. It is just a reminder that my job is to faithfully serve the Lord, and leave the results up to Him. But it sure is neat to see the faces of your "kids" on your "Facebook," and know that God is still at work.

For the Sake of Your Family

As a husband and father, I realize that I have been entrusted with a great responsibility for providing for and protecting my family. Most men carry that same burden. We work hard at our occupation to provide shelter, food, and medical coverage for our families. We sacrifice to ensure that our children get the best opportunities for their education. We strive to ensure their safety by living in safe neighborhoods, purchasing safer vehicles and security systems for our homes. But to what extremes are we willing to go to save our families.

If the house on fire, most men would try to get their wives and children to safety. If an intruder was to threaten their family, most men would risk their lives to protect them. To what extreme would you go as a man to save your family?

The Bible tells us of a man named Noah. You remember him the guy with the Ark. There is more to this man than the guy who built a big boat to save a bunch of animals. Noah went to great extremes to save his family. In Hebrews 11:6, Noah life's is summarized this way...

"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family."

The times in which Noah lived were so evil that God regretted ever making mankind to begin with. They had consistently turned their thoughts toward evil and their wickedness was so perverse and evil that God decided to destroy all living things and start over. That is where we are introduced to Noah in Genesis chapter 6.

Noah was a man of Peerless Character.
Genesis 6:8-9 tells us that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord because he was the only man who was righteous, blameless among the people of his time and he walked with God. Noah countered the culture of his day. He was not a chameleon who conforms to the environment around him. He was unique. He was God's man among a godless generation. His relationship with God set him apart from all others. He was that kind of man before there ever was an ark. Because Noah was that kind of man, it saved his family.

Noah was a man who Precisely Obeyed God.
God told Noah that He was going to destroy the earth with a flood. He assigned Noah the task of building the ark. The place of refuge for Noah, his family and the animals necessary to be the "new beginning for the earth." God gave specific instructions to Noah. He provided details about the ark's dimensions and instructions for gathering the animals. The Bible tells us that Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:22) That was no small task considering that ark wouldn't fit on a football field and stood as tall as a 5 story building. Remember there were no power tools, cranes or Home Depots during those days to assist him. But Noah did it all just like God told him to because it would save his family.

Noah also, was a man who Persevered by Faith
It took 100 years for Noah to build the ark. He experienced ridicule and insults. The task was daunting and laborious. Once the ark was completed and the animals gathered, the Lord instructed Noah and his family to enter the ark. God sealed the door shut and it started to rain. The rain came and floods came up. As evil mankind called out for rescue, there were none who survived except those in the ark; Noah, his family and the animals. They were on that ark for a year until the waters receded. When they finally exited the ark, they praised God for saving them. The journey of faith was difficult and scary, but by faith, Noah persevered. He persevered because he walked with God, each step of the way.

Noah was able to save his family because he was walked with God. His walk with God gave him the confidence to trust God's word even when it appeared ridiculous. As a result of being obedient to God's word, he built the ark and his family was saved. Noah is the example for all husbands and fathers who want to save their families in today's world.

A View from the Bench

I've counted down the clock, launching that jump shot toward the basket, followed by the "AAAANK!" sound of the imaginary buzzer as the ball rips through the net of the goal mounted on the garage. I have thrown the winning touchdown pass in the neighborhood football games in the backyard. I've made the game saving catch in the school yard pick-up games. Like most boys, I have loved sports and dreamed of playing in the big leagues one day.

Yet, most of my experience in athletics has been sitting on the bench. I was too small and too slow to play football in high school. My parents were afraid I would get hurt. (They may have saved my life.) So I watched from the stands. In little league baseball, I was a pretty good infielder but my baseball career was shorten because I couldn't hit a curve ball. I spent most of summers dreading games because I would be stuck on the bench. My organized basketball career can be summarized by saying that in the 9th grade, I was the 16th player on a team with only 15 uniforms. Me and another boy shared the same uniform by alternating games. But most of my time was spent on the bench.

It's not fun sitting on the bench. Watching everyone else get to play. Watching families cheer for their sons when they make a good play. On the bench, you try to be a team player, but inside you still feel sad. You want to be in the game...on the field...under lights!

Do you know what can be worse than sitting on the bench? It's the moment that the coach looks your way and He says, "Ellis, go in for____________." In that instant, your opportunity comes, and you are scared to death. The coach gives you some instructions, but you don't hear them because all you're thinking is, "Am I ready for this?" ; "What if I mess up?; "There's a reason I'm on the bench, I'm not any good!" It can be scary to be "in the game." There is a lot of responsibility when you are "on the field." Everyone's watching you when you are "under the lights."

In the real game called Life, there are many who like the safety of "sitting on the bench." I find this is true even among Christians. We convince ourselves that "we are not ready yet" or "not good enough" to be the spouse or parent we know that God wants us to be. We fear that we will fail at trying to live a life of commitment to God "under the lights" in front of our family and co-workers. There's too much pressure to be "on the field" all the time.

You don't have to be scared to come off the bench in the game of Life. The Bible tells us in one powerful encouraging verse:

"I can do everything through Him (Christ) who gives me strength."
(Philippians 4:13)

God has promised that He will equip you to do anything that He is calling you to do. In a relationship with Him, He provides the all that you will need to do His will. Don't just sit there. He's calling your name. Isn't it time to get off the bench, and on the field and into the game?