Violence on the pitch

This really has to stop. Sunday in Perth, one footballer struck another footballer in the mouth. It wasn't part of a play. It wasn't related to positioning, as the ball was over 100 metres away from the two of them. I didn't watch it live, but saw the replay last night and was shocked, but not completely. Saturday night I mentioned this to my friend Roger when we were out at the Sydney Cricket Ground watching our beloved Sydney Swans sneak by the Collingwood Magpies. What did I mention? That the roughhousing on the pitch has to stop. The pushing and shoving and swinging and hitting and .... is a mark of something, but it's not sportsmanship. I'm weary of it.

The man on the right, Andrew Gaff of the West Coast Eagles struck 19-year-old first-year player Andrew Bradshaw. Gaff broke his jaw. And several teeth are out of place. And the young abused Andrew will miss several matches. How many will Gaff miss?

What happened? What I see is not jockeying for position. What I see is violence and madness. In professional cricket a player cannot even verbally sledge another, and certainly there's no contact allowed. Golf, tennis, netball, all have limitation on such. There is NONE!

"Aw, let them play" is the cry of fanatics who want the game to have a bit of jumper pulling and elbowing. But what a waste of effort and energy. The last quarter weariness of many highlights the waste that this physical brutality produces.

What is the point of all the pushing and shoving anyway? It's to show dominance. A rainbow lorikeet and a peacock, an orang-utan and a street gang member all are the same. It's showing off to make himself to be bigger. What do we call that in society today? Bullying. That's the problem in schools. That's a problem on the internet. Why do we not see it as a problem on the ground?

Look at the score of the contest at the time of the jaw-breaking. 80 to 36. It's a runaway. There's no need for the brutality. There's no need for the bullying. Gaff didn't need to do this. And he is saying as such today. And he is remorseful-- ok, that's good. I appreciate regret and hope that never happens again.

But what about the next match? What happens next weekend? When will the AFL put a stop to this nonsense bullying? Maybe a red-card system will help. Maybe a 10-minute sin-bin or more. Maybe an ejection of a player immediately. (Gaff was allowed to stay on the ground and play the rest of the game!)

I think it's the bloodthirsty society in which we live, which took the sanitation of Ben Casey and Dr Kildare, or ER and All Saints, and now we see operations on prime time television. We must have blood. Dexter will be light ho-hum fare in the years to come.

Are the networks bullying us?
Is violence our bill of fare from now on?
Will someone stop the madness?

Comments?

Sinner or saint?

This blog was prompted by some Facebook conversation. The issue may be simplified to a binary consideration--which is true? Are believers to self-define as "a sinner saved by grace or a saint awaiting heaven?" The difference may be negligible to some, but let me see if I can unpack the differences. Back in the 1970s I used to read and reread two books which have stayed with me and in my mind for decades. They are Victory in Christ and Johannes Jorgensen's biography of St Francis of Assisi. I don't even remember who wrote that first book. What motivated me then still envelops me today. There are two realities in my life, and those two books well depicted each.

Victory contained a series of chapters highlighting our position in Messiah. Since Yeshua won the victory over death by his resurrection 2000 years ago, then we have nothing to fret, nothing to fear, nothing will cause us distress beyond our capacity. Paul the apostle wrote, "But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' O death, where is your victory? O death, Where is your sting?” but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah." (1 Corinthians 15.54-57)
John the apostle weighed in with "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith." (1John 5.4)

My life has taken this victory mentality seriously. I trust that God has done all that was necessary for me to survive, to win, to have an optimistic perspective. One of my life sayings is "Since Jesus is Lord, what is there to worry about?" It's similar with amendment to both Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine and Bobby McFerrin's 'Don't worry; be happy'. Newman's "What, me worry?' is close, but neither McFerrin nor Newman hit the right reason. Being happy, not worrying-- both good ideas, but on what do they base this happiness quotient?

That's why the book about our victory in Jesus is so significant. It taught me the position I have and should have each day. Because of the death of Messiah, I can feel good; I can overcome adversity; I saw the glass as half-full. I could sing happy clappy songs at church; I could withstand the rejections that came from being a full-on Jesus freak. No matter what others thought of me, God had welcomed me into his family and made me his. That sonship was rewarding then, in the present, and in the future. Positive attitude was mine, and that was victory.

I also read Jorgensen's biography of Francis. What a character from history. I knew nothing about the guy before about 1973, and two things helped me learn. One this book, which to this day, continues to assist me with another attitude, equally needed throughout the decades, and two, the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon, by Franco Zeffirelli. It was released in 1972, and I saw it about a year or two later. If there is a single word that characterizes this 13th Century mystic, it would be 'humility.' And that character trait, more than any other, is one which I desperately need, and for which I long.

Perhaps those two themes, victory and humility, are what I considered when the Facebook conversation ensued. Should a believer define himself as a sinner saved by grace (humility) or a saint bound for heaven (victory)? I suppose it might be a matter of degree or timing, depending on whom you ask. And maybe that's why I found such a firm footing each time I would read either of those books. Yes, it's clear that we are failed humans, that our sin nature often finds us acting out in wrong behavior, and humility before a holy God is normal. Psalm 51 says "in sin did my mother conceive me" and a serious admission of sin by the great King David of Israel. (circa 1000 BCE). David said, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me."

Admitting our sin is right, and righteous. Admitting our sin is an honest mark of humility. And the result of that admission is the forgiveness that only God can fully extend. David said, "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean." (51.7) and "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness." Victory comes and happiness is resultant from repentance.

"Never water down the word of God, preach it in its undiluted sternness; there must be unflinching loyalty to the word of God; but when you come to personal dealing with your fellow men, remember who you are - not a special being made up in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace." so said Oswald Chambers.

So what's the verdict? His blood has set me free. Victory comes, not because I'm so worry free, not because I'm so good, but because of God's awesome grace and forgiveness. My humility is the entry to the eternal hope of mankind, a relationship with God through Jesus, the Savior. This sinner saved by grace has the victory, and I'm singing tonight. Thanks be to God who gives me the victory.

Blood everywhere...(ANZAC, Democrats,

An Australian Facebook friend wrote about the Spirit of the ANZACs. "Next year marks the 100 year anniversary of the Australian Light Horsemen freeing Beersheba from the Islamic Caliphate (Ottoman Empire). If Australia will continue to support the descendents of Israel, then she will continue to be blessed. However if Australia turns her back on Israel, by calling for Israel to give more land for peace, then not only will she be trampling under foot the blood of the ANZAC soldiers, denying their victories, and returing the land to the ones they liberated it from, but she will also find herself fighting against the living G-d!"

I value the work of the ANZACs at Gallipoli, Turkey, and in the entire campaign in what was then labelled Palestine at the end of World War I. The history is clearly unpacked in this article from AWM .
The simplest description is "The battle of Beersheba took place on 31 October 1917 as part of the wider British offensive collectively known as the third Battle of Gaza. The final phase of this all day battle was the famous mounted charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade. Commencing at dusk, members of the brigade stormed through the Turkish defences and seized the strategic town of Beersheba. The capture of Beersheba enabled British Empire forces to break the Ottoman line near Gaza on 7 November and advance into Palestine."

That anniversary in 16 months will be noteworthy for the Aussies, the Brits, maybe even for the world. So the question is begged with which I began. What does the phrase, "trample under foot the blood of the ANZAC soldiers" mean?

Actually the Bible uses a similar sounding phrase nine times. Four in the Older Testament and five in the Newer Testament portion. Three are direct quotes from Yeshua. Only once does the word 'foot' actually appear, and seems unnecessary. Trampling seems to imply 'under foot' as it is a visual word.

After the recent Democratic National Convention, having been blurry-eyed from watching much of both conventions, I posted on FB and Twitter about some of my takeaways. "My takeaways from the ‪#‎DNC‬: Black preachers get the crowd moving. Four days is too long for a pep rally. Videos of Trump's poor rhetoric were excellent. Hoping for Hillary Clinton to include victims of ‪#‎abortion‬ in her Village. ‪#‎Im‬(almost)withher. God was mentioned much more than at ‪#‎RNC‬. Balloons every night would make things more fun. Ended in prayer--that's good. Michelle and Barack are amazing orators." I enjoyed some of the speeches and routines. I found neither convention compelling, but I saw more clearly how I should be voting in 100 days. When I mentioned anything good about Hillary, almost immediately I received more than a fair share of pro-Trump, name-calling of the Dem's candidate. If I mentioned anything positive about the Repubs many took me to task.

That whole posturing and especially the quoting of any evidence came almost exclusively from Fox News or MSNBC. I was gobsmacked. It's almost as if whole chunks of society are 'mediated' by the ultra-right or ultra-left. People aren't thinkers anymore, we are merely quoters. And bad quoters at that.

This excursus into the topic of the conventions allows me to discuss many of the one-issue people from the right. I've been told and retold, scolded and re-scolded about Hillary. Don't I know anything? They tell me that she's an anti-Israel, left-wing, liar and flip flopper who is in bed with Wall Street and a baby killer. Yes, one or two have even told me she is a witch, a practicing witch who believes in Molech and has sacrificed children to the ancient god of fire.
One wrote, "If we can reason away murdering our unborn children and put anything above that we are so being absorbed and digested by society our culture to a point that we don't even see it. We need prayers." One cited Mother Teresa, " It is a poverty that a child must die so that we may live as we wish. Mother Teresa"

The business of abortion in the US which has seen over 58 million children removed from life since 1973 is huge. Planned Parenthood had a very grand welcome by Hillary and the Democrats and is well entrenched in their platform. The abortion mill well represents the phrases trampled under foot and subsumed by the blood of the infants-to-be.

The Bible records this in the Book of Hebrews: "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" This phrase of 'trampled under foot' seems to be a synonym for disregarded. And it's linked with a blood covenant reference. That is clearer in the book of Ezekiel.
I quote this passage which seems to depict abortion with no apology:
“As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ (Chapter 16.4-6)

God hates the shedding of innocent blood.
God hates the taking of a human life, especially one which has no voice to self-defend.
God wants us all to know Him personally, to regard Him with honour and to receive the Spirit of Grace.

What will you do with Yeshua? Please, I urge you, receive His love and care. His blood was spilled for you; He died for you taking on Himself your sins and mine. Any and every sin. And He longs to be in relationship with you. Don't disregard this blog. Don't disregard His voice. Today, if you hear His voice, don't harden your heart. (Psalm 95, Hebrews 3, Hebrews 4) And write to let me know your choice. Thanks for listening.