EXALT Youth Ministries: September 2008

Cubs Clinch!

Please PLAY this Video while you read this post!

Being a fan of any given team brings you together with others. Being a fan of a losing team somehow brings you even closer together as you weather another “rebuilding” season. These people have a strange sense of pride that is produced in their perseverance. Being a fan of a winning team comes with some interesting observations as well. Clearly there are fellow “fans” that were rooting for last year’s team that played well and not “your” team (the team that is playing well this season) in which they now root for. It may be that they were rooting for a team last year that their favorite player played for… and this year they root for the Yankees or Red Sox who recently acquired their favorite player in a last minute bid to make the playoffs (moment of silence for Pittsburgh Pirates fans… continue)! Their pride comes in the moment. Not in the past struggles or former accomplishments… not in the prospect of “next season”… but in the right here and right now… WE ROCK! It’s not a bad pride, I mean… New England Patriots fans are waking up to the fact that they got Sheee-Lacked by the Miami Dolphins (9/21/08). The Pat’s who had a 21 game regular season winning streak… got beat by a team that won 1 game last year and the most press they’ve had came at the heels (literally) of former player, Jason Taylor, being a finalist on “Dancing with the Stars”. If you’re a Dolphins fan… WHOOP IT UP… this is your week!

Cubs Clinch! I’m 32 years old and for most of that time I’ve been a Yankees fan. NOW, I became a Yankees fan in the 1980’s when they were LOUSY! I was a fan in the 90’s when they dominated… and I remain a fan today when they somehow find a way to dominate and disappoint on a regular basis within the same season. Cubs fans haven’t had much to celebrate since the 40’s. I’ve ridden the “T” (I think that’s what it’s called… I wanted to look cool with my Chi-Town lingo to bring credibility to this) and have had my breath taken away while going past Wrigley Field. It’s something to behold… a real baseball icon! Yet, the Cubbies really haven’t had the taste of victory in quite sometime. Things are changing and we may have yet another historically losing franchise rise from the ashes much like the Bo-Sox have done the past five years.

Steve Goodman wrote and performed many humorous songs about Chicago, including three about the Chicago Cubs: "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request", "When the Cubs Go Marching In" and "Go, Cubs, Go" (which has frequently been played on Cubs' broadcasts and at Wrigley Field after Cubs wins). The Cubs songs grew out of his fanatical devotion to the team, which included many clubhouse and on-field visits with Cub players. On September 20, 1984, Goodman died, his life finally taken by leukemia. He was only 36. Just four days after Goodman's death, his beloved Chicago Cubs clinched the Eastern Division title in the National League for the first time ever, earning them their first post-season appearance since 1945.

Allow me to bridge the gap…

Romans 5:3-5 ~ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Remove the spiritual application of this passage and you have every element of every sports movie ever made (OK, I’ve not watched them all… but at least every "Mighty Ducks" movie ever made) Why aren’t we as passionate about rallying behind the cause of Christ as we are about our favorite team? Why are so many “fair-weather” fans? Why do we spend more money on clothing, bumper stickers, lawn flags… more time on-line, at the ballpark/field/stadium or in front of the television… than following after Jesus?

A great sports story makes me cry! Championship montages make me cry! Michael Jordan reduced to a little boy sobbing in his fathers arms after winning his first NBA Championship… makes me cry! The humility of both the winners and losers who display perseverance and hope… makes me cry! A great witness of faith in Jesus makes me cry! The character of Christ and hope produced in us through the struggles of life… makes me cry! A first time move toward Christ… makes me cry! I started following the Yankees in the 80’s… Jesus in the 90’s! Who do you follow?

September 12-14 marked our 5th year heading out to Mount Vernon Nazarene University for the all day music festival SONFEST! Rain was the keyword as hurricane Ike found its way inland and moved through Ohio into PA. Foiling our plans to enjoy the lakefront home of Mom & Pops Maier, we piled into the (leaky) church van and headed for Grandpa's Cheesebarn (after all... my folks live in Amish Country). Click on Pic to ENLARGE

Having filled our gullets with free samples (some less desirable than others) we headed over to Sweeties chocolate shop for a healthy dose of high fructose corn syrup... and good ol' straight up shhhhuuuuuggggaaaa!

Next was a jaunt to Fin Feather & Fur... kind of a local Cabelas... all your fishin' for and killin' critters and such kinda place. The ladies really dug all the fashionable offerings... not much different than living in NW PA!

The weekend happened to fall on Katie's 18th birthday so we celebrated together as my own was just a few days later. Adon and Jeff showed that tribal differences (BIG 10 College Football loyalties) can be set aside for the sake of community!

Bodies everywhere... 17 people and one baby makes tight quarters no matter where you are! The tunnel has instructions because it's only one lane. You have to pull up... roll down the window and listen for either honking or clopping (remember it's Amish country) and then proceed... honking or clopping as you go!

As Ike poured down upon almost all of Ohio... somehow Mt. Vernon stayed dry... although the joke became "Welcome to SWEAT-FEST" as the weather was 85 degrees with super high humidity!