Tattoos

When I was a sophomore in college I did one of the stupidest things, I think, that I have ever done. I let a girl talk me into getting my ear pierced. But not the normal place where guys usually get their ear pierced, I got mine on the upper part of the ear. It didn't hurt at all. I thought I looked cool and everything, but I went to a Christian college where they have strict rules on guys having pierced ears, so hiding it was going to be a bit of a project. Like most of my projects, it lasted for about two days. Some how my parents found out, I think I might have told them, and my mom started crying, no joke, threatening that I wasn't going to be allowed in their house with my ear pierced. We were going back and forth for about two hours over the phone, I was saying that stuff like " God doesn't look at the outside of the man but what is on the inside." What a dilemma, home cooked meals and laundry done for you or looking cool and stylish. I went with the home cooked meals. But I got them back, sort of. I was going to meet them halfway that weekend at Harding's road game in Russelville, Arkansas. So I got together earlier that week with my roommate at the time and I bleached my hair, or attempted to bleach my hair. I have dark and thick red hair and I bought that stuff from Wal - Mart that is supposed to only be used on light colored hair. It looked okay for about a day and a half and then it turned into this hideous yellow orange color, I really don't know how to describe it it was really bad. So I went to the game and I also got a magnetic clip on ear ring just to do a joke on my parents. I surprised them alright, especially when I went to hug them and my dad took off my hat and looked at my hair, he was speechless and I don't mean in a good way. I later went on to shave my head and start over, but that is another story for another time.

Today I am in conflict of rather or not I should get a tattoo. I have nothing against tattoos or against the people that have them. What I am in conflict with is why is it just a huge deal when it involves Christianity? I grew up in a small town Arkansas sheltered away from a lot of the big city stuff. So I was raised on my parents thoughts on why things are the way they are. On tattoos I felt like I was Adam Sandler in the Waterboy when he asked his mom questions and her reply was always " because it is the Devil." But she wasn't too far wrong with how many Christians think and act on topics such as this. Leviticus 19:28 stats" Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourself. I am the Lord." On doing research for this topic, this is the scripture that everyone put out there on why we shouldn't get tattoos as Christians. But I started reading a little bit more in Leviticus and came upon these things as well, " Do not eat meat with the blood still in it," and " Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." If this is so, then how come hair salons are being looked down upon as much as tattoo parlors. And how come it doesn't mention anywhere in the New Testament about the sinful nature of getting tattoos. In 1st Corinthians 6: 19 -20 it stats that " our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit, it is not your own." and " therefore honor God with your body." i know for me personally, in the past, I felt uncomfortable talking about my faith and my beliefs with someone that had tattoos all up and down their arms, and I don't know why. Some of the greatest people I have come to know have a lot of tattoos, and I am not going to treat them any different then anybody else. I admit, I stare at them. And even so, they are still children of God, like it is stated in 1st Samuel 16: 7 when Samuel anoints David as the next king, " the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." That was the argument I used about my earring, but I couldn't be laid out there any better then that. I am not saying that I personally am going to get a tattoo, it has crossed my mind though. I am still just a little afraid of the needles. But if I do I am not going to get something like my favorite sports team or Alma mater. But rather something that I know wouldn't defile who I am as a person or a child of God, no matter what is on the outside, my heart still belongs to God.

Unknown and some known sports heros

Everybody that knows me knows that i am big Denver Broncos fan but more important a huge John Elway fan. But it wasn't until an article written by Rick Reilly a few months ago that sealed the deal for me. It was a story about one of Rick's wife half brother, Lil Bob, and his son Jake. Lil Bob promised to take Jake to a Broncos, but never got the chance because this past March his liver failed. Jake took it hard and was struggling with every aspect that life offered. One of Lil Bob's friends bought tickets to a Denver game and they called up Rick Reilly, who lives in Denver, and took him to John Elways restaurant. Rick introduced them to John and Jake just froze. Elway then invited them up to his box for the game later that day and Jake couldn't leave his heroes side. Later into the day Jake called up his mom and started crying, which he hadn't done since his dad passed, and since that day started getting his act together and becoming the 13 year old he was before.

Or even people like Lyman Bostock, who was an up and coming star outfielder for the California Angels. He just recently signed a big contract at that time, 1977, and had a rough month where he batted around.150 and decided to give his monthly salary to charity stating " I just can't make that kind of money and not produce." It might sound like a cheesy pr stunt, but not with Lyman. I don't know if I've heard of many big name athletes doing that, just imagine A-Rod giving away his monthly salary, it might be enough to feed a couple of small countries.

Albert Pujols one of the most feared hitters in the game of baseball that ever played the game, and that is not just my thought, but everybody who knows a thing about baseball thinks the same way. He was recently stated in a Sports Illustrated article, " I don't want to be remembered as the best baseball player ever. I want to be remembered as a great guy who loved the Lord, loved to serve the community, and who gave back. That's the guy I want to be remembered as when I'm done wearing this uniform. That's from the bottom of my heart." Every year, Albert is the chairman for this charity called Buddy Walk, a charity for children who have downs syndrome. And almost every year a kid will ask him to hit a home run for them. In 2002, a 10 year old threw out the first pitch and when Albert handed the signed ball back to her, she requested a home run and he did in the first inning. Almost every year since then on the game after the Buddy Walk, Albert hits not just one, but on a couple of times, multiple home runs for the kids.

Warrick Dunn is an NFL running back who in 1993 lost his mother who was shot by gunmen robbing the Piggly Wiggly she went into to cash her paycheck. He helped raise his siblings while he was a star running back for the Florida State Seminoles. Here recently he came out with a book that tells of how he went to confront the accused man of shooting his mother and also facing his demons about the situation. If you just google his name, countless articles come out on how he buys houses and helps provide futures for down and out single mother families.

I know there are several other stories out there about athletes doing this type of stuff, but these are the one's that stand out to me. Roberto Clemente is one of the greatest and saddest stories like this. He was one of the greatest outfielders of his generation and is still considered to be one of the best to play the game. He was on a plane to Nicaragua to deliver aid to earthquake victims when his plane failed and crashed. His body was never recovered. He was known throughout the league to giving back to kids in Peurto Rico and other Latin countries. He remains a hero to me for his work off the field. I love hearing and following stories like these. To me, they separate the true athletes from the ones that just go out there and play. They use their name for the good of their sports and are role models to the younger generation.

Me, God, and Politics

I know I haven't written in a long time and I know that I need to be more consistent about this, I'm trying to get my buddy Jonathan to post this on his web page but he told me I needed to write more. I guess it is because I feel like I don't have good stuff to write about and that i think about what i want to write about way to much. so here is what has been on my mind over the last few weeks. I hope to get a few more people to read this and comment on it.

Ever since I became eligible to vote I guess I have been trying to get caught up and have been getting a little more clearer understanding of our twp party system and what both them bring to to the table. I grew up in small town America all my life and a little out of the loop until i figured out what the internet was and how to use it, which for me growing up in small town Arkansas, was around my junior year in high school. I knew who the president was and since he was a Democrat, that we didn't like him, but i didn't know why we didn't like him. i was too busy playing football or baseball to worry about that type of stuff. then i started taking some of my social work classes in college and started to get a little more perspective of what was happening during my high school years.and to be honest with you, I agreed with some of the things that took place while the democrats had the office those years. I couldn't ever say this to my parents or relatives because i might be shunned from family reunions and stuff. I grew up in a very republican house with grandparents to this day still have the television set on Fox News 24/7 in there house, so my political status was already set up for me.

i have never been the one to get all riled up about politics. Don't get me wrong, there are things that i care deeply about that politics are involved in such as the social injustice and poverty. I have chosen a career path where these things affect my work. i have had co-workers that were homosexual and have known friends beginning in the 8th grade that have had an abortion. i have had people all my life tell me it is all bout their choices and that they aren't living the life that was set up fro them. But we have choices to and most of the time, we chose to not do anything about it and just sit there and continue to criticize other peoples lives and forget about what was going on in ours that was keeping us from making a difference in their lives. i view the big news networks and bullies, who pick on the weak that and heavy laden instead of being encouraging and supportive of one another.

i could express my political issues and what i feel our society should do. but i am more concerned about being a better stronger Christian and follower of Christ then to worry about if i am a democrat or republican. I don't want to be remembered for my political standpoint but by my acts. and i can't help out but realize from experience and conversation that the one thing should be an answer to this isn't. Church. Church was meant to be a safe place for the downtrodden and the underprivileged, but over the times it has been a place where it has become their lost hope. why bother having a pantry if they are going to make anyone who comes in asking for it feel even worse about themselves then when they walked in. i thought Jesus taught about this in the Beatitudes or was that just supposed to be referring to those times and not today. Last time i checked, the resurrection hasn't happened it and that we are to go about living in anticipation and living His words. I haven't been the best about doing this, but i am trying and the Church that i belong to has helped gain a little visual of what that looks like. They have adopted a rundown and poverty stricken elementary school and has spent weekends making repairs on it and we aren't talking about hiring people to do it, members have given up their weekends to do so. i have never been part of a church, or a group of fellow believers, that have done service projects whole heartedly and enjoyed it.

I hope I am not bashing on any democrats or republicans that may read this, that is not my intention. I know politics play a huge role in or society and that it is hard to not get involved, but i have more important things to worry about. some of my beliefs can be viewed as democratic or republican, but I view them as having the Christian point of view and doing my best to continue that. God is my judge and i am doing my best to get a life sentence when i am up for trial.