I am not always myself.

There are times when I am almost good. When I put others’ needs first. When I seek God’s will, and actually look for opportunities to share His love. I can be caring, giving, loving, and many other New Testament adjectives.

But I’m not always like this, because there are times when I am crazy. Times when I won’t let people over in traffic because of their bumper stickers. Times when I make wild judgments about people based on their t-shirts. Times when I say and think things that would appall me were I myself. Times when the needs of others drift to the deepest recesses of my dark mind. This time is called college football season.

This fall I begin work on my second book. It is a look at faith and fanaticism in the Southeastern Conference. I will spend a football weekend with rabid, Christian fans from each of the twelve SEC schools, trying to learn how they balance passion for their team with devotion to their God.

So I’m looking for people. People like me who know the joy of serving others in Christ, but also know the joy of unleashing Old Testament wrath on their rivals. I hope to either learn from them, or learn that I am not alone.

Check out the blog if you will, and if you know of a fan who might be a good fit for my project, please email me at othergodsbeforeme@gmail.com

Thank you, Chad

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members throughout the summer. This submission is from Member #028, MC Bias.

By now most of you have already heard or read Tim Tebow’s confession that he is saving himself for marriage. Reaction was understandably mixed, with many wondering how Tebow could hold to his values while being so famous. Some of us Christians found ourselves in the midst of awkward conversations with non-Christians on how our faith calls us to sexual purity. Personally, I thought Dan Shanoff put it best: “In fact, his answer shouldn’t have surprised anyone. It is entirely consistent with his core values”.

However, I thought that there was an unfortunate moment in the analysis for a lot of people. If you listened carefully, Tebow said he was “saving himself for marriage.” People quickly took that to mean Tim Tebow was a virgin, and I do believe he is one. However, there’s a difference between saying “I am a virgin” and “I am saving myself for marriage” that is worth exploring. Suppose I show you two Christian young men. Guy 1 is a virgin. Guy 2 had sex once. Is Guy 1 holier than Guy 2? Counting and using statistics, yes. Zero is better than one, right? Guy 1, holy! Guy 2, sinner!

But that misses the point of the mindset of saving yourself for marriage. We are called to be holy in thought and approach, too, not only deeds; the Sermon on the Mount pounds this point home time and time again. Our culture has an unhealthy fascination with virginity and statistics instead of purity. Guy 1 could have wanted to lose his virginity many times, but got turned down. On the other hand, Guy 2 could be a handsome fellow with many opportunities to lose his virginity, yet he remained faithful to his values at all times except for one error years ago. Can we then say that Guy 1 is better? It’s wise to be cautious on judging too quickly in these matters. As Christians, we commit ourselves to holiness, but we also commit ourselves to repentance.

As a Christian, I am proud of Tim Tebow, not just because he is a virgin, but because he is striving towards the goal of being holy in all areas of his life. He may yet have sex before marriage; the temptations are likely to be many. (Although, I would note that Kaka, the Christian soccer player, did manage to make it to marriage, as did AC Green). But even if he does fall, I believe he will get back up and show a strong commitment to pursuing God’s will.

And that is definitely an example worth following.

(MC Bias also writes for his own blog, which you can check out here.)

Chances are you’ve seen this already, but Clay Travis (Deadspin, budding author) asked Tebow the other day if he was still a virgin. Tebow confirmed and stated that he was saving himself for marriage.

Depending on who you are, this news probably settles on you in drastically different ways.

If you grew up in church and profess to be a Christian, the news is probably unsurprising and encouraging. You’ve been taught that sex is a dish best served in the marriage covenant, and perhaps you even waited for marriage yourself. In fact, you’d like to give Tim Tebow a high five right now.

If you grew up outside the Christian church, and don’t care much for abstinence, then you may be baffled. I mean, everyone on earth knows this guy is the Heisman Trophy winner of morals, but no sex EVER? As a stud College QB? Some folks probably see this  Shakespearian-esque tragedy.

Dan Shanoff, who recently launched TimTeblog.com, commented on the story with his own perspective. Though he’s not a Christian, he believes that Tebow-Virginity story DOES matter. An interesting read, if nothing else.

There’s two things that pastor and author Mark Batterson is known for around these parts:

1 – losing to Andy Osenga (like we all did) in the 2008 NFL Predictions Game.

and

2 – claiming to be a fan of the Vikings, Packers, and Redskins all at the same time.

We love Mark here at PFB, and figured we’d pass along his thoughts on Favre going to the Vikes, since that kinda involves 2 of his 3 favorite teams.

I can’t keep silent any longer. As a life-long Vikings and Packers fan I have to go on record. And, no, that wasn’t a misprint. I was born in Minneapolis and lived in Wisconsin as a kid. I’ve got purple and green in my veins. How can I love two rivals? I have no idea, but I do. I just hate it when they play each other.

Here’s the bottom line: I hope Brett Favre comes back for another season. If he does, I predict the Vikings will win the NFC North with a record of 11-5. The Packers will improve to 10-6 and earn a wild card. And the Vikings will be playing in the Superbowl. There you have it.

If Favre doesn’t return? This blog post will self-destruct.

By the way, I’m actually waiting until Favre makes a decision to make my decision on whether or not to get the NFL Sunday Ticket.

Gotta admit, the thought of a conflicted Mark trying to watch a Packers-Vikings game is kinda funny.

Remember, a house divided against itself can not stand.

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members this summer. This submission is from Member #038, Michael Terry.

Well, I know I’m new around here (as a contributor) so I want to say “hi” and give a brief introduction. As you will see, if I make any other contributions here, I am not your typical American sports fan. I love racing, but hate NASCAR. I like NCAA Football, but am bored by the NFL. My top 5 sports, in no particular order, are F1, Pro Cycling, NCAA Football, Soccer, and ALMS (do any of you even know that last one?). So even though my “fanhood” may not jive with yours, I hope my contribution(s) will be readable, enjoyable, and beneficial to all the PFB readers.

There has been a massive upheaval in the sport of Formula 1 racing. Even as I type this, news of an imminent change of command at the head of the FIA (the governing body for F1) has just been announced. A lot of the upheaval has centered around a desire to cut costs. The FIA wants to appear like they are cutting costs while The Formula One Teams Association (or FOTA) thinks that the ways the FIA are choosing to cut costs are… hmm… well… “bloody stupid.” In an effort to find a Christian life lesson in the world of sports, I began to think about how a situation like this plays out in the Church.

The FIA didn’t like its image so it decided that it was time to cut costs. But in a sport where an average of $10m is spent to take off 0.10 sec. of a lap time, the cost cutting methods that were chosen are lame. They banned all in-season testing, for one thing, as well as changing the aerodynamic regulations. But the straw that broke the proverbial camels back was when they placed a budget cap on next years racing. They told teams “if you spend under $___ you will have more lax rules while if you spend over $___ you will have a more strict set of rules in place that will, in effect, attempt to hamper your team and its performance“.

Why do these things chap the hides of F1 fans? We are coming off of an F1 Championship that was decided by 1 point on the final corner of the final lap of the final race of the season! Does it get much more exciting than that? But the FIA, again, wants to save face and not look bad, so they went for the new rules changes. But like most who want to save face, they really don’t want to change anything other than outward appearance. I’ll give you an example: F1 rules state that you can only bring one car per driver to each race. This sounds like an effective cost cutting solution since teams used to bring as many as 4 cars per driver to each race, but the fine print of the regulation states that you can bring all the parts necessary to build a second car, it just can’t be put together. It is this kind of hypocritical, “face-saving” that has me chomping at the bit for a new head of the FIA. But how does this apply to the Church?

As those of us who have the audacity to call ourselves followers of Christ know, it is our job “to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.” One of our directives is to love and serve the poor. In the last 20 years or so a new attitude has infiltrated the Church. It’s the idea that a big fancy church building full of people equals a good church. We must ask how this attitude jives with out directive to love others by giving of ourselves. Many of these “Mega-Churches” have shared their desire to serve the poor and they can tell you how much they give…etc. This spoken desire, however, is conflicted by other actions. How does a 37 million dollar gaudy monstrosity of a building help you serve the poor? Many of these churches like to say they are serving the poor but their bank records say another thing.

So what am I espousing here? Am I telling us all to live in monasteries and have no monetary income? No. All I want to encourage us with is that if we say we are followers of Christ who want to love and serve the poor, we should have concrete evidence of it in our lives. We should volunteer to serve dinner at a homeless shelter. We should sign up to give less fortunate children a better christmas by providing some gifts to those who might not receive any. There are endless numbers of charities like Blood:Water Mission and the International Justice Mission that are doing great work around the world and would gladly and humbly accept anything you can offer. My extended family and I are saving money so that we can purchase a well at Christmas time for a village in Africa through Blood:Water Mission as a way of giving back.

I hate to be the “guy” that most of you may think I’m being right now, but as we sit back in our comfy chairs to watch our NFL or MLB, let’s remember to not only say we love and serve the poor but to find ways to actually love and serve them. Let’s not concern ourselves with the outward appearance of our actions like the FIA, but rather let’s be the real deal.

As believers, we know what has taken us from being “poor in spirit” to the infinite riches of Christ Jesus. In loving those around us, we can show our brothers and sisters that difference as well.

Grace and Peace in Christ Jesus,

Michael Terry

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members this summer. This submission is from Member #031, Andy Vandergriff.

Here at Prayers for Blowouts, we love hearing stories about the underdog finally getting some recognition (maybe because we are a bit of an underdog in the sports blogging world, but anyway) for their long years of struggle and labor, and what better time to do that than baseball’s upcoming All-Star Game?

Voting is already over, and people have voted for popular players that may or may not have deserved a chance to play in the Midsummer Classic, and likely left these guys at the altar for the pitiful reason of their playing in a small market. Hopefully you’ll hear of some guys you haven’t had a chance to yet, and hopefully you’ll get to see them in the All-Star Game after being voted in by their peers.

American League

1B: Russell Branyan, Seattle

Branyan has quietly put together an All-Star worthy season in Seattle this year, with a
.303 BA, 40 RBI, 19 HR and an OPS of 1.006, but it’s a little hard to get noticed on a barely above .500 team in the AL West.

2B: Aaron Hill, Toronto

Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia are getting all the attention, but Hill is having one monster year at the plate, racking up a .305 BA, 56 RBI, 19 HR and an OPS of .855 for a surprisingly competitive Toronto team.

SS: Marco Scutaro, Toronto

In a thin position dominated by Derek Jeter, Scutaro is also having a season worthy of taking a look at in Toronto, with a .279 BA, 53 BB, 33 RBI, and an OPS of .794.

3B: Scott Rolen, Toronto

There are a lot of players from the Blue Jays on this thing, aren’t there? He’s not hitting for power yet, but he is spraying the ball all over the Skydome, riding a 19 game hitting streak to a .333 BA, and a .888 OPS.

C: Victor Martinez, Cleveland

Martinez has split his time between 1B and catching and has been one of the few bright spots for a suddenly anemic lineup, turning in first half totals that include a .313 BA,
.916 OPS, 14 HR and 57 RBI.

OF: Jermaine Dye, Chicago

Jermaine Dye just keeps on hitting the ball, powering a surging White Sox team to 2.5 games back of the division leading Tigers with first half totals of: .294 BA, 48 RBI, 18 HR, and an OPS of .926.

OF: Johnny Damon, New York

It pains my soul as a Red Sox fan to admit this, but Johnny Damon is playing like an All-Star right now. After all, it is very hard to argue with the stats he’s been putting up in left for the Yankees: .292 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI, and a .910 OPS.

OF: Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay

The husband of CCM artist Julianne Zobrist (remember, the one with the strange fake feathery eyelashes) has been turning in a solid 2009 as a utility player for the Rays, playing 6 different positions this year and hitting .297 with 16 HR, 46 RBI and an AL leading OPS of 1.051.

National League

1B: Todd Helton, Colorado

Helton had a horrendous (“How horrendous was it?” “It was so horrendous, we almost started remembering him as a former UT quarterback!”) year last year, but seems to have turned it around this year, although his power has yet to make its reappearance in a 2009 first half campaign that has him hitting .312 with 53 RBI and a .895 OPS.

2B: Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh

Non-residents of the Steel City are probably wondering how anyone from the Pirates even made an “Underdog” team, but even through the ineptness of their front office, they still have some talent there, and Sanchez is a perfect example of that, with a batting average of .315, and an OPS of .831 with 6 homers thrown in for good measure.

SS: Yunel Escobar, Atlanta

In his second full year, Escobar is continuing to be a solid at shortstop for the Braves, making them very glad that Rafael Furcal left them at the free agency altar this offseason by hitting .293 with 40 RBI and 7 HR.

3B: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco

Sandoval is looking like he wants a Rookie Of The Year award a little more than he wants another cheeseburger (which at 246 lbs and just 5’11”, might be a considerable amount) with a first half where he’s hitting at a .332 clip (6th in the NL) with 10 HR and 40 RBI and a .940 OPS.

C: Bengie Molina, San Francisco

The Molina family is having a very good year catching in 2009. Yadier is the one who won the NL All-Star starting spot this year, but it’s Bengie who is really tearing it up at the plate for the Giants this year, with 10 HR, 46 RBI and a .263 average.

OF: Brad Hawpe, Colorado

By now, you’ve probably heard that Raul Ibanez is tearing it up in Philly with an OPS of 1.027, leading all NL outfielders. But do you know who’s in second place? Brad Hawpe, with an OPS of 1.008. Hawpe is also in the top 10 in BA(.333 for 5th) and RBI(56 for 7th).

OF: Justin Upton, Arizona

After an injury-shortened 2008, no one knew quite what to expect from Upton this year, but he has shown himself to be the class of the league during the first half, batting .315, with 14 HR, 45 RBI, 49 R, and a .961 OPS.

OF: Hunter Pence, Houston

Pence is having a great first half so far for a not quite stellar Astros team, hitting .310 with 10 HR, 32 RBI, and an .884 OPS.

Now, we’re done with the position players, but there’s still plenty of underappreciated pitchers out there, so we’ll put together a pitching staff for The PFB All-Underdog Team in a couple of days.

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members this summer. This submission is from Member #020, Christian Arvold.

So Kobe finally got his first Shaq-less ‘ship and now… he can start smiling once in a while! In all the comparisons between Kobe and MJ, the one that always sticks out to me is that both have the “killer” instinct. Both guys HATE losing, whether it’s a game, a drill in practice, ping-pong in the locker room or cards with the fellas. Most of us who play sports (or board games) play to win the game. But apparently, MJ and Kobe have a competitive streak in them that rivals anything mere mortals may have ever known. If you have or had the misfortune to end up an opponent of either guy, neither would think twice about killing you, then grinding your corpse into dust, then mashing the particles back together just to blow them up again. All through the Finals (as Bill Simmons pointed out a few times), we were told over and over again that Kobe was really, really¸serious about winning this Title- and how did we know? He never smiles. In fact when he’s zeroed in, he has a scowl that would frighten most wild animal predators.

Lately, I have decided that this is just strange. Why is it that when the world’s best basketball player (sorry LBJ, you need a couple rings) is playing his best, he looks livid? Why is that when we witness basketball played at its highest level humanly possible, the athlete performing other worldly stunts looks like he’s been told his mamma is ugly, his car has been towed-locked-up-and-the-attendant-won’t-be-back-for-three-hours, his tax guy made a mistake on his taxes and he now owes a couple mil to the government, his Nike shoe contract has been terminated, and his puppet commercials have been pulled all at the same time. Why must it be so painful to be the best in the world at something? I am not really musically inclined, which is why I really enjoy watching a musician who is great and really enjoys being great. It makes me want to learn to play an instrument.

A few weeks ago I was talking to a new friend who had grown up a pastor’s kid and as an adult does not embrace the Christian faith he was brought up in. One of the reasons for this was his experience with Christians in his father’s church who were always angry with him about how he did not live up to their expectations of what a pastor’s kid should be. Even now as a young adult, he is strongly turned off to Christianity by their anger towards him. If that is what a Christian is, he wants no part in it.

It is hard to hear his story, since I have met several Christians like those he encountered. It is frustrating because Christians should be exhibiting joy- it is a fruit of the Spirit. Though we are not “happy all the day” as the old hymn says, we have a living hope in Christ that should remind us that our worst days and issues (that may take some time and prayer and support to work through) pale in comparison to what God has done for us and what he promises to still do for us (Romans 8:18).

My 5 and 3 year old sons have decided that Kobe is their favorite player this spring (though Michael Redd is still their hometown hero). When the Finals’ games came on, I would tell them to come watch the best player in the world. After watching a little bit they would inevitably run from the couch to their hoops set up in our family room and try their best 5 and 3 year old impressions of Kobe with two major differences: they lacked the world-class abilities of Kobe and they laughed and smiled all the time while they played.

It is my hope as a father that as they grow up playing ball, they always remember that it is a game to be enjoyed. But more than that, I hope they grow up in the Faith knowing that their God and the life of faith he offers are also to be enjoyed.

a few things to consider why you figure out how the Red Sox blew a 10-1 lead last night…

+ We’ve written about Josh Hamilton at PFB before, but Guideposts has a new article up on him that he wrote himself. Worth a quick read.

+ Many of you read about the Ohio High School football coach, Ed Thomas, who was murdered last week. But you might not have read the words that Green Bay Packer Aaron Kampman spoke about Thomas after his passing (via Justin Taylor’s Blog):

Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities. His legacy for many will be identified with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his largest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence. His faith in Christ pervaded everything that he did and that is why in the midst of the heartache we all feel there is comfort in knowing he is with his Savior.

+ The Bleacher Report has a slideshow of the “Influential Christians in the Sports World”. Not sure why they included the late Reggie White, but there are some good quotes from Pujols and Mo Rivera, to name a few.