30 Mar, 2009
You're benched!...for your own good
Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony says he wishes George Karl would have kept his insubordination a secret but promises next time his coach tries to sub for him, he’ll sprint right to the bench like a kid lunging for an empty seat at musical chairs.
“I’m going to run. I’m going to run to the bench. I’m going to run hard to the bench,” Anthony pledged Wednesday after practicing with the team for the first time since his one-game suspension for refusing to come out of Denver’s game at Indiana on a recent Sunday night.
Anthony, who had been mired in a shooting funk, had just hit a couple of shots late in the third quarter against the Pacers and said he felt his hot hand merited his staying in the game, so he refused to be subbed for Linas Kleiza.
Karl was incredulous. So, after conferring with the team’s brain trust, Karl suspended Anthony for the Nuggets’ game the next Tuesday night at Detroit.
“It was just me wanting to be in there, wanting to play, wanting to finish that run that we just had,” Anthony explained in his first public comments about the incident. … If I was wrong, I was wrong. I don’t think I can be wrong for wanting to win a basketball game and trying to help my team win.”
Karl said there was a thin line between passionate play and insubordination and his star player crossed it by crossing the coach.
“I didn’t want to come out,” Anthony said.
What Karl wanted was for Anthony to come out.
(To view full story by Arnie Stapleton, go to sports.yahoo.com 3/4/09)
Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 31:15 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.
What does God’s Story teach us about the importance of the Sabbath?
These two verses are only a sampling of many such verses that reference the Sabbath. It is an extremely important part of what God has called us to as His followers, yet somehow, we have marginalized it. We, as Christians, have somehow made this an optional part of serving God.
It is the 4th of the 10 commandments. It is referenced over 150 times in the Bible. It has been deemed “holy” by God Himself and He even imposed the penalty of death for any Israelite who would break it. This is serious to our God…and I would suggest that it needs to be more serious to us.
Connecting today’s story and God’s Story with my story
Why did God place such a great importance on the Sabbath? Perhaps it was because He knows us so well. He knows that we are inclined to constantly be on the go…run a fast pace…accomplish all that we can…fit in as much as possible. But in the midst of that, the one thing we often fail to fit in is time to just be with God. Psalm 46:10 is a verse that simply says, be still and know that I am God. Perhaps that is why He declared the Sabbath “holy”.
The Sabbath is also an expression of faith. How so? Well, one of the reasons we are so busy 24/7 is because there is so much to do…and we feel that if we don’t do it, it simply won’t get done…or done soon enough.
In today’s story, Carmelo Anthony wanted to be in the game. He even thought he had good reasons. After all, he was just trying to help the team. Apparently he felt like they couldn’t do it without him.
If we really think that taking some time away to rest and be with God will bring the world to ruin, then what does that say about our reliance on God? How much does it indicate a lack of faith in the One who is ultimately in control.
Carmelo misunderstood who the coach was, even to the point of direct disobedience to a command. How much are we living in that same misunderstanding? Our Coach has made it abundantly clear…He wants us to regularly “come out of the game”.
In John 15:5, Jesus tells us to abide in Him and He will abide in us. He also teaches that apart from Him, we can do nothing.
If we are really going to be serious about reaching our friends, we have to take time away to abide in Christ. We must have the regular discipline of getting out of the game, stepping off of the treadmill of life and resting in Him.
It is there where we will learn His heart for our friends. It is in those moments when we will be refreshed in our own spirit so that we can refresh others. It is then that He will be able to guide us in how we should reach out to those He has placed around us.
Sabbath…rest…holy
26 Mar, 2009
Buy nothing. Have everything.
Within the Product of No Product - by: John Hockenberry
What if, suddenly, the strongest product brand was No Product and the strongest consumer impulse was not buying? Last year there was ample evidence that the muscle consumers were flexing most was that of restraint. The inclination not to spend almost did in the entire U.S. auto industry. It still might. At the end of 2008, Chrysler sales dropped 53 percent. Toyota reported an operating loss for the first time in more than 70 years. Retail sales for the end of 2008 actually shrank. Fewer people bought fewer things. Instead of growth numbers and fashion trends, market analysts reported that nonbuyers were driving the market. Not making a purchase was the most powerful impulse in the global economy. No Product was the strongest brand.
These abrupt and mass-scaled changes in behavior suggest that, at least in theory, many basic assumptions about retail capitalism are being reexamined and reevaluated by consumers all over the world.
story courtesy of: metropolismag.com
Sometimes Jesus just lays it out there and we have to deal with it. Sometimes he makes us feel pretty uncomfortable. Sometimes we probably don't want to hear what he has to say. I have to admit this is one of those chapters in the Bible that I'd rather overlook. I love ice cream, buying new music, and I love to drink coffee. All of these luxuries are like treasures to me, things that I take comfort in, things that take up significant amounts of my time and resources, things that make me feel good to be alive. However Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6 that what matters most is not our material gain or personal comfort but the Kingdom of God. Unfortunatley it is often the case that our love and connection to the things of this world disconnects us from our God and the Kingdom. Simply put, we can't serve God and wealth.
The current economic situation in the U.S. is forcing people to consume less and live more simply, Jesus asks us to do it willingly.
Now if you're feeling like Jesus is asking something from you that is difficult, something that might require a painful sacrifice, I'm right there with you, and maybe that is exactly the point Jesus wants us to get. We're all people who love comfort, love material things, and are driven more towards security than sacrifice. Maybe the Church is a community where people who make idols out of green and gold can come together to encourage, challenge, and support one another on a journey defined more by giving than receiving. Maybe the Church is a place where we remind each other that we are a people with a God who gave what was most precious to him so that we could know him. The Church is indeed a peculiar people, and nothing makes us more peculiar than our commitment to love God and neighbor more than ourselves, and nothing displays that commitment more radically than living simply, sharing our possessions, and allowing our lives to be examples of the joy and beauty that comes with a lifestyle defined more by heavenly virtue than earthly riches.
-Don't buy anything except what you need to survive for 3 weeks; (i.e. no ice cream, new clothes, electronics, and other luxuries). Keep a journal of your thoughts as you avoid unnecessary consumption and give the money you would have spent at the mall or ice cream shop to a homeless shelter or food bank.
-Sit down with your Campus Life director or youth pastor and talk with them about Matthew 6.
-Start a conversation with your friends about consumerism and the current decline in consumer spending in the U.S.
-Talk with your friends about your 3 week fast from unnecessary consumption.
6 Mar, 2009
Leave God a message at his Dutch answering service
AMSTERDAM (Reuters Life!) - God is taking calls.
Dutch artist Johan van der Dong has set up a local telephone number in the Netherlands, where he urges people to leave messages for God on his answering machine.
Van der Dong said he set up the number to give people an opportunity to take pause and contemplate life.
"Like praying, leaving a voicemail message is a way to organize your thoughts," he said. "It's a perfect combination for some contemplation."
Callers dialing 06-4424-4901 (or +316-4424-4901 if calling from outside the Netherlands) from March 7 will hear.
"Hi, you are speaking to God. I'm not in right now so leave a message after the beep."
Story courtesy news.yahoo.com & photo images.google.com 3/5/09
"I'm Not In Right Now..."
2Samuel 22:7 (ESV)
In my distress I called upon the Lord, to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.
What does today's God's Story Scripture teach us about calling out to God?
Aren't you grateful that when we call out to God that it doesn't have to be from a phone and that we never really get His voicemail?
God hears us when we call out to Him. Whether it's out loud or in the quiet of our heart, He hears us.
Whether it's in a worship service on the weekend or in the middle of a math class at school, He hears us.
Whether we are keeling beside our bed with hands folded and eyes closed or we are walking down the hall at school, He hears us.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Thank God. Thank God for hearing your cries and always being available.
- Call upon God. Spend some time talking to God about what's going on in your life.
- Cry out to God. Cry out to God on behalf of your friends who aren't connected to His Story yet.
- Ask God. Ask God for an opportunity to connect with someone who isn't a follower of Jesus today.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- Start a conversation today about talking to God with someone who is ready for that conversation.
- When you are with someone today, and they are forced to leave a voicemail for someone else, say "I'm glad God doesn't need voicemail" and see where that conversation goes.
- Ask a close friend if there is something going on with them (good or bad) that you can pray about. Take a bold step and pray for that friend right then and there.
5 Mar, 2009
Their father may have run on a platform of change, but for First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama, the rules are the same in the White House as they were in their home in Chicago, PEOPLE reports in its new cover story.
Start with the girls' chores. They're still making their own beds, cleaning their rooms and clearing their dishes. And even with their grandmother, Marian Robinson, 71, staying in a third-floor guest room to help out, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, must show responsibility.
The girls do have roaming privileges all around the historic mansion and can pop into the Oval Office whenever they want. "I've tried to encourage them to feel like this whole place is their home," Mrs. Obama tells PEOPLE. "We actually had this conversation - just let us know where you're going."
For more on White House life, including family games, dinner-table conversations and new bedtime-reading habits, pick up this week's PEOPLE.
Roaming in the White House
John 10:10 The Message
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
What does today's God's Story Scripture teach us about living life to the fullest?
It is hard to imagine having a Father who is the leader of the free world. Can you picture yourself playing hide and go seek through the rooms of the White House or racing your sister to be the first to burst through door of the Oval Office? What an amazing experience these girls have ahead of them. Most of us can only dream of a life like this.
Sasha and Malia's Father (and Mother) have encouraged them to consider the White House their home. They have full run of the place. What if the girls responded with, "no thanks, we will just stay in our room"? How foolish that would seem when they have been given so much more.
We have a Heavenly Father (even greater than the President) who tells us that all He has is our's and that He came to give a better life than we ever dreamed of. We get free run of a joyous, forgiven, grace-filled, abundant adventure. Another translation in the Bible calls this "life to the fullest." When we follow Jesus, when we allow God's Story to be a bigger and bigger part of our own story, we gain more than we can ever dream of.
Yet, sometimes we live as if we say to God, "no thanks, I just want my little life right here." Sounds ridiculous huh? To be offered life to the fullest and to settle for anything less doesn't seem too smart.
How can we connect today's story & God's Story Scripture to our story?
- Consider your own life. Are you ready to give God every part of it and gain a life that is better than you ever dreamed?
Tell Him. - Is there something in your life that you would like to do but fear holds you back or you just can't quite trust God to give it to you?
Tell Him. - Are you amazed by your full life? Has God forgiven, healed, or done something for you that you know only he could do?
Tell Him.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story Scripture, and my story to their story?
- Share today's story with a friend and talk about what it must be like to grow up in the White House. What activities would you most like to do there? Then tell your friend about why you are happy with your own life right now.
- Tell your friend what you are grateful for and how full your life is because of what God has given you.
- Share today's verse with your friend. Ask them what they think it means to have life to the fullest. What life do they dream of?
4 Mar, 2009
Thousands rally for legislation on climate change
WASHINGTON (AP) Several thousand demonstrators on Monday urged Congress to pass legislation to reduce greenhouse gases, and they targeted the government's own Capitol power plant as a symbol of the problem.
An enthusiastic crowd of mostly young people marched from a park near the Capitol to the small power plant several blocks away, chanting "We don't want the world to boil, no coal, no oil!" Some demonstrators peacefully stood in front of the power plant's gated entrances while police stood by. There were no arrests, said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokeswoman.
Despite attempts by lawmakers to clean up the power plant in southeast Washington, it still burns coal and accounts for a third of the legislative branch's greenhouse gas emissions.
Ahjani Yepa-Sprague, an American Indian who lives in Michigan, said coal is destroying her community's way of life. "Every inland lake in Michigan is contaminated with mercury," she said. "This is the first generation in the history of our people that our children cannot eat fish given to us by the creator."
story & photo courtesy of: The Associated Press
Live Boldly. Pray Fervently.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about living boldly and praying fervently?
Opinions concerning climate change aside, let us find inspiration in the bold dedication displayed by the thousands of young people who braved the cold and risked arrest for the sake of their convictions. While we should all seriously consider how our lives impact the health and well being of God's creation, the most important question for today is, how bold are we willing to act upon our convictions?
Not long after Jesus was crucified by the powers of his day, when Christianity was still an underground, counter cultural movement, the leaders of the Church were frequently persecuted, arrested, and killed for their bold dedication to the kingdom of God. In today's scripture Peter is arrested for his commitment to the way of Jesus. A way of life that was radically transforming people, setting them free from political, economic, religious, and spiritual oppression, and leading them into a lifestyle that was no longer compatible with the way of Rome. Was Peter arrested for plotting a violent rebellion? Not at all!
Peter's only crime was that he was so entirely transformed by his connection with Jesus that he could no longer conform to the ways of the world. It all boiled down to a disagreement over salvation. While Rome promised "salvation" through wealth and military power, Peter invited people to experience true salvation through the grace and forgiveness of Jesus.
In other words, Peter was arrested for showing people Jesus, showing people their salvation.
In the last verse of today's reading from the book of Acts we are reminded that the early Christians were committed to praying fervently to God for the sake of the Church and Her leaders. So we see that the early Church was faithful in both prayer and action.
- Pray fervently for the Church.
- Sit down with your Campus Life director or youth pastor and identify some of the ways God has gifted you to live boldly for Christ.
- Can your friends see that you are dedicated to Christ and his kingdom through your speech and actions?
- Ask your friends about acts of civil disobedience like the one mentioned in today's article, tell them about Peter and the early Christians.
3 Mar, 2009
Rescuers have saved more than 50 whales and five dolphins that stranded themselves on a beach in Tasmania, officials said Monday.
More than 190 whales washed ashore on King island.
The 54 pilot whales were among a group of 192 that beached themselves a day earlier on King Island, which lies between Tasmania and the southeastern tip of Australia.
"You can't just leave them there. You've got to do something...as much as you can." said, one of the volunteers.
A tourist, who was also volunteering, said, "We haven't even checked into our accommodations yet because we are needed here more...maybe we can save one."
(To view full story and video footage, go to cnn.com 3/2/09)
Not an option
"You can't just leave them there."
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
What does God's Story teach us about being a rescuer?
Paul is the author of today's passage from God's Word and in it he is declaring his feelings about the urgency of sharing Christ.
He doesn't talk about how he is required to share Christ. He doesn't just tell us that he feels, out of guilt, like he should share Christ. He doesn't even share that he merely hopes to share Christ.
He tells us that he is compelled to share Christ!
Connecting today's story and God Story with my story
- Remember that you too were once on that beach...stranded and helpless. Someone cared enough to share with you how to get to the life-giving water. Take some time today to call or write the one who helped with your rescue...whether it was a friend, a parent or a pastor.
- Praise God that you have been saved and are no longer helpless, hopeless and just fighting to survive. Instead He has given you new life!
Connecting today's story, God's Story and my story with my friend's story
Today's story is a great picture of the urgency we must have to share the same gospel message that changed our lives for eternity. These volunteers who have been quoted are today's reminder of how we should connect this to our friend's stories.
- "You can't just leave them there. You've got to do something about it...as much as you can." If you don't know what to do to help rescue your friend, start praying and God will help you know the steps to take.
- "We haven't checked into our accommodations yet because we are needed here more...maybe we can save one." You don't have to save the whole world. God has already done that for all who will receive Him. All we need to do is focus on the one friend He puts in our path for today.
- Because we are compelled...doing nothing is not an option.
2 Mar, 2009
Too much PlayStation can cause painful lumps?
LONDON (Reuters) - Gamers beware: Keeping too tight a grip on the console and furiously pushing the buttons can cause a newly identified skin disorder marked by painful lumps on the palms, Swiss scientists said Tuesday.
Called "PlayStation palmar hidradentitis" by the scientists, the skin disorder can cause painful lesions on the palms similar to patches found on the soles of children's feet after taking part in heavy physical activity, they said.
"The tight and continuous grasping of the hand-grips together with repeated pushing of the buttons produce minor but continuous trauma to the (palm) surfaces," Vincent Piguet and colleagues at University Hospitals and Medical School of Geneva reported in the British Journal of Dermatology.
A spokesman for Sony Corp, which makes the PlayStation, noted the study involved one person and said the company had sold hundreds of millions of the consoles since the product was introduced in 1995.
"As with any leisure pursuit there are possible consequences of not following common sense, health advice and guidelines, as can be found within our instruction manuals," Sony spokesman David Wilson said.
"We would not wish to belittle this research and we will study the findings with interest, but this is the first time we have ever heard of a complaint of this nature."
Story courtesy of news.yahoo.com
Photo courtesy of images.google.com
Hold On Tight!!
Are You Holding Firmly to the Word or Something Else?
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NIV)
1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
What does today's God's Story Scripture teach us about holding on?
"Hold on tight!" Do you remember hearing those words when you were little. Maybe it was when you were being pushed on a swing. Or maybe someone picked you up and swung you around. The caution was to hold on, because if you let go, you just might get hurt. It was for your protection. In today's God Story Scritpture, we hear the Apostle Paul saying to the Corinthian church, "Hold on tight!"
Today there are so many "things" to which we could hold on. We could hold our friends too tightly. We could hold too tightly to the religion of Christianity, and totally miss the relationship that Jesus wants to have with us. We could hold tightly to false teaching and false securities. Instead, let's hold firmly to the Truth of God's Story.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Thank God for His Truth as found in His Word.
- Hold On to His Word by reading His Word as often as you can.
- Hold firmly by committing a verse or two to memory this week.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- Find someone struggling with staying with the God's Truth and encourage the to hold on.
- Pray for that friend who is struggling to hold on.
- Ask others what makes it difficult to hold on to God's Truth. Help one another sort through your stuggles.
