Selflessness and sportsmanship

I'm watching Game 6 of the American League baseball series. New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers. And I'm outraged. And pondering the idea of right and wrong. See if you agree.

After Alex Rodriguez got the first hit for the Yankees tonight, a double to center field, Ranger Colby Lewis threw a ball that hit Yankee Nick Swisher on the bounce and Swisher should have gone to first base with Rodriguez staying on third.

Instead, the home plate umpire ruled it a wild pitch and Rodriguez came home to tie the score. But it was a mistake by the umpires. Any umpire on the field who saw what happened could have overruled the call, but no one did. Shame.

I'm flashing back to May, 2005. Rome, Italy. The Rome Masters tennis match.

One set down and serving at 3-5 and 0-40 in the second, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco seemed on the brink of defeat against American Andy Roddick - even more so when his second serve was called out and the umpire started to announce the American as the winner.

Roddick, however, corrected the call, telling the umpire the ball was in. Verdasco went on to hold serve and break his distracted-looking opponent in the following game.

The set went to a tiebreak, which the Spaniard took easily with a series of whipped crosscourt winners. Roddick then put a forehand wide to drop serve in the opening game of the decider and the unseeded Verdasco went on to claim victory.

"Maybe I should have stood on the mark," Roddick told reporters after the match. "I don't think I did anything extraordinary, the umpire would have come down and said the same too. I just saved him the trip. When he (Verdasco) hit it, before I saw the mark, I thought it was out. On a hardcourt I wouldn't have done anything but then I walked back and saw it was good."

So Roddick won and Swisher lost. The Yankees tied the score just now, but I think they lost.

Some may argue that bad calls tend to even themselves out. And they may be right. But calling a bad call 'good' or a good call 'bad' ...that's a good sport. And there's no getting around that.

Roddick 1, Swisher 0.

What will you do today in truth telling? Even to your own apparent loss?

Something about dying

Something about dying
Originally uploaded by bobmendo

Who doesn't like this season of the year? Vivaldi did. ee cummings did. God did. And it's beautiful up in the northern hemisphere. I'm visiting this week and then Monday return to springtime in Sydney.

But I've been struck again by the glorious colors of autumn.
A bit of a science lesson makes sense about now.

This from a "why does this happen?" type website. Written for young students.
"Leaves are nature's food factories. Plants take water from the ground through their roots. They take carbon dioxide from the air. Plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose. Oxygen is the gas that we breathe. Glucose is a kind of sugar. Plants use glucose as food for energy and as a building block for growing. The way plants turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar is called photosynthesis. That word means "putting together with light." A chemical called chlorophyll helps make photosynthesis happen. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color.

As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter. This is how the trees "know" to begin getting ready for winter.

During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. The trees will rest, and live off the food they stored during the summer. They begin to shut down their food-making factories. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves. As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colors. Small amounts of these colors have been in the leaves all along. We just can't see them in the summer, because they are covered up by the green chlorophyll.

The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in autumn. In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves turn this glucose into a red color. The brown color of trees like oaks is made from wastes left in the leaves.

It is the combination of all these things that make the beautiful foliage."

In a way the trees or at least the trees' leaves are dying. And it's in their dying that we see beauty.

Most westerners are clueless about dying and death. We're unaware personally since we are so separated from death and old people. They have their old folks' homes and we live with one or more parents. We get rid of old clothes and old mobile phones almost before the warranty expires. Dying...that's for others.

But to most of the rest of the world, dying is a part of life. It's a reality with which we all have to grapple. The rest of the world understands and things start and things end. All of us are born. Ecclesiastes (that book in the Bible) records "there is a time for everything...a time to be born, a time to die." So reality is that we will all die.

Is that going to be beautiful? I hope so for you and for your family. I hope so for me and my family. Not that I wish death on anyone. Certainly not. But reality is that we will all pass through this life only once, and we must make the best of it. Even making the best of the end of it.

When your processes start to shut down, and your time is at hand, do something even more than you did before. Do the best you can with what you have. Now-- you don't know what is ahead for you. Do it now.

And die beautifully. The trees know how to do that. And they are not advantaged by a mind or heart or spirit. Let God be all He wants to be in you. Give your life to the living One. He is the only One who will never (again) see death. God, the Creator of life, awaits you. And He awaits your willing responsiveness to Him. There is life. No matter your days, early or last days.

There's something (good) about dying. Paul the apostle wrote in Phil. 1.21 "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." It's not about offing yourself; that's not what he means. It's about giving up of yourself to help others, to proclaim Messiah to others. It's not about you at all!

Again Paul wrote the believers in Corinth. 1Cor. 15.31 "I protest, brethren, by the boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily."

It's self-sacrifice, not self-mutilation. It's self-abandonment not self-aggrandisement . It's about living for God and others. How's that? There's something good about dying.

Torah processional

Torah processional
Originally uploaded by bobmendo

I love this shot I took yesterday at the Bat Mitzvah of young Ketzia Barron from Toronto, Canada. She and her family make the annual trek to Pennsylvania for the Jews for Jesus East Coast Ingathering. And this year, Ketzia celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. It was significant and she did a wonderful job. Her singing, her chanting, her speech... all excellent. And her parents are very proud. And rightfully.

But what I like about this photo is that no one of her family or her friends or her community is with her. She is alone. OK, so Rabbi Irving Salzman is carrying the Torah. But what is significant is that Ketzia is the only one following Torah. That statement is one which I hope stays with her all the days of her life.

Even if (God forbid) all her friends walk away; even if her parents leave the faith; even if no one else is helping her walk the way of God-- she can walk alone with Him. And she must!

Most of the time this doesn't happen. Most of the time, we do find community and friends and relatives who assist us in our walk with God. Most of the time God gives us grace in 'others' who affirm us and strengthen us. And this is the usual and the plan.

Nevertheless there are days when we feel alone. There are weeks and months when it seems like no one is with us. Even on those days, we are not really alone.

God Himself will be with us. So He said, “For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself." (cited in 1st Samuel 12.22)

and again, "Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?” (Hebrews 13.5-6)

Walking with God sometimes feels desperately alone. But you are not alone!

Roosters and Dragons

Roosters and Dragons
Originally uploaded by bobmendo

Press Release

New wave of peace in footy fans

Within 100 meters of the Easts Leagues Club, the home of the Sydney Roosters, a banner is attracting major attention. Draping arm in arm, in apparent affection, a cartoon of a rooster and a dragon is displayed in a bookstore in Bondi Junction. The sign, with text, “Even with enemies… our peace is in Y’shua” fills the large plate-glass window of the Jews for Jesus Books & Gifts shop at 576 Oxford Street.

Councillor Sally Betts, mayor of Waverley, spawned the idea. She sent out a message to local businesses this week, encouraging local shops to display a ‘Go the Roosters’ type of signage.

Betts wrote, “Join me in wishing the Roosters every success on the day and together we will make the most of this amazing grand final.”

Bob Mendelsohn, national director of Jews for Jesus, is a member of Easts as well as Norths. He says that Jews for Jesus wanted to make a display which characterized the spirit of harmony and peace which is at the centre of the Jewish High Holidays, which we are only now concluding here in Sydney. “The words of reconciliation and forgiveness, which so highlight Yom Kippur (The Jewish Day of Atonement), seemed more in keeping with us and with the banner, than a simple “Go the Roosters!” display.”

Mendelsohn says there are supporters of Jews for Jesus from all parts of Sydney, including The Shire, and he says, “In Y’shua, that is, in relationship with God through the Messiah, everyone can have real peace.”


Display is visible now at the shop.

Jews for Jesus
576 Oxford Street
Bondi Junction 2022
9388.0559
www.jewsforjesus.org.au
admin@jewsforjesus.org.au

Blunder on Live TV

Shock and horror. Not the stuff you see on television. Certainly not in the era of delay and drawn-out histrionics. Every reality show from So you think you can dance to Survivor to America's Next Top Model wearies most of us. When the producers get the show and the contestants down to the final four or final three or... as last night in Australia, you would expect a point man, a particular person who has the responsibility to hand the envelope to the right person to get to the announcer. That didn't happen last night.

Sarah Murdoch, herself a model and a warm Aussie host of the Australia's Next Top Model, was being given the information about the winner of the season. The final two were Amanda Ware(pictured) and Kelsey Martinovich.

The Sydney Morning Herald this morning printed, "As the announced runnerup Amanda Ware – the show's eventual winner – made her polite second place thank-yous, a look of sheer panic hit Murdoch's face. Someone in her ear-piece was delivering the news."

Murdoch grimaced. She declared, "Oh my God...I'm so sorry about this. I don't know what to say. This is a complete accident, I'm so sorry. It's Amanda...it was fed to me wrong. This is what happens when you have live TV folks,... this is insane."

We grimaced as well. And now the YouTube of this episode will be aired worldwide for days, months, maybe years. It was Australia's worst live show moment ever.

Both girls, Amanda and Kelsey, were cordial, lovely, and gracious. Each one appeared on morning talk shows today and gave testimony to caring about the other. It was humbling to see. And the producers of Fox8 TV have paid off Kelsey with a trip to New York and $25,000 cash to 'match' the blunder with recompense.

This is the era of the Jewish High Holidays. And this is the season to ask for forgiveness and to extend it. So we applaud Kelsey and Sarah; we applaud Fox8 for their quick payoff and apologies.

Look, mistakes happen, although it's unconscionable and terrible in this instance. This shouldn't have happened, and we have some recommendations to all reality shows to prevent this ever happening again. But in the meantime, grace and forgiveness is the word of the day. Seems Kelsey and Amanda have sorted it out. Maybe you and I should as well.

If they build it, they won't come

Israel. Palestine. Settlements. Peace talks. This hours ago from Reuters and the UK press, "UK Foreign Secretary William Hague will urge Israel to renew a moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank amid fears the expiry of the 10-month ban could scupper Middle East peace efforts. Mr Hague said there is "widespread international concern" that the issue could derail the latest direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Shortly after the ban expired at midnight [today], Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Palestinians not to walk away from the negotiations, saying in a statement that his "intention to achieve peace is genuine".

There was no Palestinian announcement about the future of the talks although they asked for a meeting of an Arab League body on October 4 to discuss the situation." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iz6Ji9-y-WP035tqNAbFaEkpUIpQ)

It's very likely Israelis will build more settlements in the West Bank, an area that has been under Israeli control for decades since the Six Day War of June 1967. Those 'two state' proponents want the West Bank (biblical Samaria) to be given to Palestinian families. Israelis who live in the area, and whose land it is by conquest reject that plan for peace. To be fair, it's not an easy solution, no matter on what side of the fence you live.

In the West Bank settlement of Revava south of Nablus where this photo was taken, residents released 2,000 balloons in the blue and white of the Israeli flag. The balloons were meant to symbolise the 2,000 apartments that settlers claim are ready to be built immediately. Aryeh Eldad of the National Union Party is quoted on CBS Evening News saying, "We will start building as in the past. We hope that tomorrow morning we will see more new buildings."

So is it true...if they (the Israelis) build buildings, will the Palestinians come (to the peace talk table)? Or do we have to have another Field of Dreams somewhere else?

Celebrating

Learning to dance
Originally uploaded by bobmendo

Sukkot is the Festival of the Ingathering, it's the Season of our Rejoicing. It's the 7th of 7 festivals in the Jewish calendar and we are in it, right now. A ministry named "Heart of David" flew me up to the Gold Coast/ Brisbane to preach and teach during this time. I know they videotaped and audiotaped all the lessons. But as you can see, they also did some singing and dancing.

That makes sense this is a festive holiday. It's a time to rejoice.

Why? God preserved our people through the wilderness wandering in the days of Moses and the Exodus. Not because we were deserving either. We grumbled and complained. Our lives were well tended by the Almighty, but we didn't have certain things we had in Egypt. Certain foods like leeks, onions, garlic, none available. But then we also didn't have these other Egyptian things: slavery, taskmasters.

The Bible describes our people, the Hebrews, as testing God in the wilderness. Psalm 95 records, "Today, if you would hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness; When your fathers tested Me. They tried Me, though they had seen My work. For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.” (7-11)

Yipes, this doesn't sound like something to memorialize. I'd like to get my black highlighter and remove this section, don't you?

But there it is. The Bible also tells us that the festival of Tabernacles (or Booths or Sukkot) is to remember what God did for us. Aha! It's not about how good we were, or are, but it's about how good God is. And it's a holiday to remember His provision, His abundance, His love and care. Thank you, Lord!

No wonder the (mostly) ladies are dancing on this festival. Are you thinking you'd like to join them? Do you have reason to remember the Lord and to rejoice before him?