Falling In Love With The Giver

As I sit here and ponder Christmas, another year older another Christmas morning richer, my mind keeps wondering back to Bethlehem some 2000 years ago.

I’m sure you have been over the Christmas story a thousand times by now, but I want to take a few moments as the Christmas holiday winds down to take a deeper look at the day we all know and love.

Gifts have become such a large part of our culture in terms of Christmas. We get up at ungodly hours of the morning to take advantage of black Friday sales the day after Thanksgiving (and don’t think twice to rundown the person trying to take the last whatever it is on our list), we hustle and bustle and sometimes even rack up a few credit card bills to make sure the ones we love are able to experience the best gifts we can give them.

Our kids and grandkids often find themselves on our minds even more so this time of year, and it is no secret that most of us are willing to go the extra mile to see joy on their faces.

But looking at the first Christmas morning it makes me wonder what was on God’s mind when He decided to unveil the first Christmas celebration and scare some poor shepherds half to death in the process.

I will tell you exactly what was on His mind. It’s not fancy or deep. Heck it’s not even remotely mind-blowing.

It was You.

It was Me.

Plainly put it was His kids.

And don’t think for a second that He didn’t max out heaven in order to give us the opportunity to experience the joy of salvation. Before there were ever ribbons, bows and wrapping paper God Himself wrapped the hope of the world in swaddling clothes and gave Him to us so that we might live.

The greatest Christmas gift ever given had nothing to do with Wisemen, frankincense, gold or myrrh. Nope, the idea had little to do with the men from the east. In fact their gifts were merely reciprocal of the fact that they realized that they had just been given the ultimate gift.

So what’s the point? (Like you can make one out of things far to great to fully understand.) Well I guess another example is the best way to go.

When I was about 11 or 12 years old I think I learned the value of a gift more than ever before. I was raised to appreciate everything ever given to me large or small, but when you are a kid when does it really sink in?

This particular year my dad, a self-employed entrepreneur who had just started out on a new business injured his back so badly that he needed surgery almost immediately. As you can imagine when you are the owner, operator and sole proprietor of a freshly birthed business and you are no longer filling most of those roles that finances run low and stresses run high.

My dad was laid-up for months as he healed, and all of it happened right before the holidays. I watched quietly as my heroes put on their red capes and sacrificed and prayed till it hurt to watch. Some how, some way, my parents gave their kids a Christmas morning.

Whether they knew it or not I saw my parents let go of things they loved to make a way for me to experience life at its fullest. But that Christmas morning the boy that loved gifts fell in love with the givers in a way that can only come from understanding what it took to give that gift.

It was the most humbling day of my life to look my parents in the eye and receive a gift from them knowing what it took for them to do it. There was never a greater Christmas in the last 26 years. There have been Christmases before and since where we have received more, but never one that I was given a greater gift.

For the first time I understood my parent’s love, and it caused me to adore them like it was an honor to be in the same room with them. Still to this day there is a bond that was formed that Christmas that has yet to go away. I just want to serve them, give them everything I can because some how their love made a way where there was no way and never asked for anything in return but my love.

Much the same way God looked on us with the same love and determination on a cold night some 2000 years ago and saw that their was no way for us to experience eternal life.

Through His perfect sacrifice He took what mattered to Him more than anything else and He gave it to us so that we might know His love for us.

He hasn’t asked us for anything more than to accept it. Much the same way my parents gave to my sister and I that Christmas without asking for anything but to accept their gifts, God has offered us something far more valuable than what meets the eye.

He loved us enough to give us His only Son, that whoever would believe on Him would receive everlasting life.

So this Christmas as you stop to take a moment to ponder the meaning of this day. I hope that you can come to the point that I did as a kid when I realized what it took to make Christmas possible. I hope it makes you fall in love with Him. I hope it puts a new desire in you to serve Him just because of what He has done for you. It took more than you think to make Christmas possible. So come, let us adore Him for the gift that made Christmas possible for us. The Ultimate Gift; Jesus Christ.

Goodnight Canada:Kornheiser leaves Monday Night Football crew

Tony Kornheiser resigned from the Monday Night Football crew today. After just a short stint, Kornheiser will be replaced by former Raiders and Bucs Head Coach John Gruden.

As much as everyone seems to be “hating” on Tony Kornheiser today, I feel the need to be fair.

Tony is sometimes loud, opinionated and yes, he’s “orange”. For all it’s worth, he is a great broadcaster. Whether it has been writing for the Washington Post, hosting “The Tony Kornheiser Show” or working as the co-host on PTI over the last 20 years, Tony has done it admirably.

Though most rate what he did on MNF as poorly done, many fail to realize what TK was being asked to do.

Many have never been in a broadcast booth. Even more so, many people don't realize what it took for him to do what he should have never been asked to do in the first place. TK's job was to add filler and be funny in 10 to 17 second clips in the middle of a nationally televised football game.

First off, why?

Having a non-football conversation with a football audience was destined to mark him as anything but funny. How quickly we forget the joke Dennis Miller was at the same job. The only thing funny about Miller was that he didn’t know he was the joke.

At least Tony had a sports background coming into the gig. The fact that he and Jaws didn’t get along in the booth, made for a sort of tension that could be felt by the viewers. They rarely agreed, and one or the other was sure to contradict what had just been said.

I think Gruden will be better for one reason alone… he’s a football guy that is not going to be expected to be funny. We can just get back to talking football once and for all. We don’t need Chris Rock, Jeff Foxworthy or even Frank Caliendo for that matter in the broadcast booth during a football game.

Caliendo might be amusing for a while with all of his impressions, but even that would get old quick.

Frankly, bits like this are just out of place. Not only that, they are just flat out dangerous. The suits wanted to make a massive audience even bigger. The idea was to pull in the “non-football crowd”, but you run the risk of losing the football crowd in the process.

It wasn’t Kornheiser’s fault. He was asked to do a job, and he gave it his best shot.

You don’t take a drywall guy and ask him to pour concrete do you? They may work in the same business of construction, but their functions are far from the same. Sure you can hand the dry wall guy a trial and ask him to make the sidewalk, but when the job comes out less than even, it’s not fair to criticize the guy you stuck in the wrong job.

"The BottomLine" here sports fans is simple. Tony made a great career decision stepping down. I admire the choice, and I hope that those who have given him a less than fond fair-well would consider giving him the respect he deserves.

Tony you are a class act and tonight in honor of you I wave the flag and say "Goodnight Canada."

Brett Favre's Behavior a Racial Issue?

Ok so I know it has been a while. But I am really steamed off and here is why...

Journalist Rob Parker was brought in to debate Skip Bayless this morning on ESPN's First Take morning show. During the First and Ten segment of the show specific topics about subjects in sports are brought up for debate. I emphasize “specific” here. During the First and Ten segment of the show the topic of Brett Favre came up. The topic concerning Favre was a question asking “should Favre be interested in joining the Vikings for the 2009 season?”

After a short answer from Skip Bayless, Parker went on to ignore the question asked and stated that the whole Brett Favre issue would not be happening if he were any other player in the league (most likely true). Then he dropped a bomb that was not only uncalled for, but also completely inappropriate. Parker went on to say that “If it were Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson or any other African American player in the league in this same situation this would not be tolerated.”

Why Rob? For what reason would you take a debate about a Hall of Fame Quarterback that can be accused of being incapable of making up his mind, selfish or at worst maybe too old to play the game and turn it into a racial issue? Is race a valid topic that should be addressed? Absolutely! At the proper time and in the proper context any discussion is valid. But it stands to be said that not every issue in our society is racially charged. Not only is this uncalled for it once again proves what many people began to think of Parker when he shot his mouth off at a Lions press conference a few months back. He is handling the power and privilege of being on one of the world’s biggest stages as a journalist with mindless disregard in terms of the power of his words. The spoken and written word are the weapons and tools of the trade, and at no time is there careful consideration about what is coming from that ignorant seep hole in the middle of his face.

The “BottomLine” here is put best this way: “It is better to remain silent and appear stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Rob Parker has without a doubt opened his mouth and removed all doubt about his mentality and his ignorance in terms of how he thinks and the motivation with which he does it. When a journalist clearly has an agenda questions need to be asked. He has disgraced the profession by going too far once again, and for once I hope Rob Parker is the guy that society will not tolerate.

Exact Change is Suggested

I am a sports journalist by trade. Inevitably I travel a lot. Whether it’s catching the last flight out to Pittsburgh to cover the Steelers after the Super Bowl or hopping the red eye back from an interview with Dwayne Wade in Chicago, I find that I sleep as many hours on an airplane each month as I do in my bed. That is about to change my friends.

US Airways announced yesterday that they will begin charging seven dollars for their “power nap sack”. To put it plane the Gestapo of air-travel is going to charge you seven bucks to use one of their pillows and blankets on the plane.

US Airways stated in their announcement that they are trying to raise money to stay afloat with the decline in travel do to the current economy. It’s a brilliant plan isn’t it? It’s so simple a moron could have come up with it. Make up for the lack of travel revenue by making consumers not want to travel at all.

From experience US Air has poor customer service and even worse hidden charges and fees. Just to run through the big ones you get to pay for every checked bag you bring with you. After you pay the 15 dollars for the first bag and 30 for the second if you so choose, don’t forget you get to shell out the same amounts for your return flight. Whatever you do make sure you don’t try to stuff everything in one oversized bag because if it goes a tenth of a pound over 50lbs you will be charged 50 dollars each way without a discussion to be had. (Ok so maybe I was the guy in the bathroom putting on an extra layer of the heaviest clothes in my bag to make weight the other day, but lets not bring up bad memories.) If you decide to carry on your bag make sure you aren’t planning on using planeside valet because that is only available for first class customers. Yes, that’s right your bag will be checked and you can find it a half an hour after your arrival at the baggage claim carrousel, and it may even be in one piece. Really it’s not that big of inconvenience to drag the thing through security checkpoints and make it all the way to the gate before they say there is no room left in the overhead bins and all other bags will have to be checked.

If they don’t get you with the baggage fees there is always the two-dollar drinks (seven for the stronger stuff) that will be offered to you in flight. But now they have gone too far! Now you have barged right into my flying bedroom and ripped the covers right off of me! Now not only are they taking the shirt off our backs with ticket prices, baggage charges and so on, but now they are charging us for the blanket to cover up with afterwards. As the charges continue to climb and increase to the point that a quarter slot may soon be placed next to the reading light and the air nozzle please remember, “exact change is suggested and appreciated”.

Saying Goodbye to a Legend

It became official even before it became official. Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy is retiring from the game of football. Dungy’s impact on the game went far beyond X’s and O’s and went straight to the heart of professional sports. His integrity, passion and sense of absolute determination made him a respected leader in the community and on the football field.

We lost the class act of the league today, a man that put African-American coaches on the map of success. In 13 NFL season’s as a Head Coach (six with Tampa Bay and 7 with the Colts) Dungy accumulated 148 career wins including the playoffs (19th all-time). He is the only black coach to ever win a Super Bowl, and the first coach period to reach the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons. To put a cherry on top Dungy is the only coach to lead his team to at least 12 wins for six straight seasons. A feat Lombardi, Shula, Knoll and even the hated Bill Belichick have never accomplished in their careers, and he did it with an attitude and humility that exuded every good thing you wanted in a coach.

Despite all the accolades and honors that Dungy as accumulated and rightfully deserves perhaps the thing that will live on longer than any of them is the coaching legacy he has fathered in the NFL.

Since his start in Pittsburgh as a player and a coach Dungy has mentored and developed young men into productive and admired coaches in the NFL. With Herman Edwards, Lovie Smith and young Mike Tomlin on his list of protégés, Dungy has done more than win football games, he has developed a line of even tempered, smart coaches that are not only walking through the door he has opened for them, but doing it with the same confidence and poise Dungy himself has become famous for.

Dungy has been considering retirement since his 05 Championship with the Colts and the death of his teenage son. This year it seems that his family will be together again in Tampa Bay just in time for another Super Bowl. Only from now on they will be watching the game from the living room rather than the sidelines.

Here’s the “BottomLine” sports fans…If you watched the press conference yesterday I am sure you noticed something that was pretty hard not to. Tony Dungy’s faith is the key to every success he has had in life. When team owner Jim Irsay, and President Bill Polian can each stand at a podium and speak for 15 minutes or more and rarely mention the game of football you know you are something pretty special. Even more special is the fact that Tony was not one of those coaches that needed all the filler and fluff to make him look good. His record and accomplishments on the field speak for themselves. Dungy has changed a basketball loving state into football fans one winning season and one community focused off-season at a time. If more young men emulate Coach Dungy personally and professionally as players and coaches professional sports will be better for everyone including the fans.

Thanks Coach for everything you did for the game. You will be missed.

At What Cost?

The world of politics has always been a passion of mine. I have studied it, followed it and have become involved enough to have seen the “backroom” side of things. One cannot help but feel that the greatest ability to affect change in our country is to become a part of the process. After being a part of Election ‘08’ in a large capacity I have walked away with a single, solitary question. At what cost?

What are we willing to pay for a change in our country? It seems that we are willing to pay for it with the lives of millions of American babies. Hey the new administration doesn’t plan on discriminating based on age. If they have it their way you can kill your unborn child by partial birth right up until the time your water breaks as long as the head doesn’t come out all the way.

It seems we are willing to pay for change with our right to the personal health care of our choice. But hey when you are waiting in line for three weeks to have that broken arm fixed like some in Canada and Europe have had to do, just remember to say to yourself “Yes we can”. I mean there isn’t a shortage of healthcare professionals in America is there? Up until now, the countries that have the health care system being proposed have sent their leaders to America for health care because of the lines and the lack of guarantee that they would see the Doctor they wanted or needed to. Interesting. Where are we supposed to send our leaders or better yet your parent or child? India…? Mexico…?

Maybe we are willing to pay for change with our freedom of speech. Yeah that’s it. If we can’t preach the gospel the way the Bible tells it that will make our country better. Lets vote in a candidate that wants to sign hate speech legislation that will make it illegal to preach against homosexuality, sin or to preach that hell is real. Pastor, just make sure as you sit in jail that you raise your voice loud and proud while you shout “Yes we can”. I mean come on this is change we can believe in right?

Quite a tab we are running up now isn’t it?

If I had time I would tell you about Gay marriage, cutting military funding by 25 percent, lack of support for Israel and oh yes my personal favorite the Islamic and radical ties that helped propel the largest campaign in the history of presidential elections. But let’s stay off those hot button issues and push the economy button. Let’s look at a promise for cutting taxes in the middle class. Sure everyone is going to get a tax cut, but did anyone mention that that tax cut is to come after the Bush tax cuts are removed? The government, Wall Street and predatory lenders got us into this mess, but don’t worry guys the American people will reach even further into their hole laden pockets to pick up the check. No really “Yes we can!”

I decided to stand outside a few polling places on Tuesday with a few simple pieces of paper to hand out. On the paper was printed the stances of the two candidates running for office. As I stood there I simply talked to some people. Nothing pushy. Just asking questions as they walked by. In conversation I met people of every race and economic status. Teachers, lawyers, pastors, factory workers, fast food employees and students of every color were all part of this conversation. My question was simple, direct, disarming even. How are you doing today? I see you have made a decision to vote. Have you decided whom to vote for yet? I got the range of possible answers to which I followed up; Really which of their stances on the issues really made you want to vote for them? “Well I just feel John McCain would make a better president” I heard. “You know I just want the complete opposite of George Bush” another one said. “Well to be honest I just want a chance to be a part of making history one woman told me.” Hmm…

I asked one pastor a few questions beginning with “what was it, the stance on abortion, Israel, gay marriage or hate speech that you agreed with the most? He looked at me like I was from another planet. “I don’t understand, what do you mean?” he said. “You know the fact that your candidate agrees with the homosexual agenda, abortion, and hate speech legislation that will limit your ability to preach the gospel. I was just wondering which one of those things lined up with the ministry you are currently representing?” I got another answer that felt like a punch in the stomach. He looked at me with a look of horror and said “I was unaware of the fact that he supported the hate speech legislation.” Hmm…

I’ve been told that I should relax and not worry about the decision that was made on November 4th. That everything will work itself out. That I need to appreciate the fact that history is being made before my own eyes. I’ve been told it will be ok, just because he is a black man doesn’t mean he is going to break the country. I have been called racist and untrusting because of the race of a man I oppose, and that could not be the furthest thing from the truth. Ladies and gentleman I am the furthest thing from a racist that there is in the world. Many of my closest friends are of other races than my own. Collectively we look like a rainbow when assembled. To be honest if the coin were flipped and the candidates switched views and the election had come out the opposite I would be sitting here writing the same thing about John McCain. Lord knows I wanted to have an awesome Barack Obama, rockstar t-shirt just like everybody else, but the coin isn’t flipped and we are sitting here with one question; at what cost?

Many Christians Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian and so on went into this election uninformed about the real issues that were at stake. We voted against someone who wasn’t even running, or for someone because we wanted to make history. Maybe you knew the issues and still went the direction you did and to that thank you for at least being informed. But I must say freely that we have to pay yet another price. We have got to bow our knees and pray for our new president. We have got to stand up and make our voices heard on these issues, and demand that the godly principles we were founded on as a nation be kept and or restored. We have got to pay the price in prayer and diligent action concerning these things. We have no right to complain because we as a nation have chosen our leaders, but we do have a right to petition. Petition heaven and when necessary petition our leaders to see our rights and our morals protected in this country. To that I say “Yes We Can!” Yes we can change our nation! Yes we can come together as a nation regardless of race or gender, finances or social status! Yes we can see America turn to Christ! So what is the answer to this question we face? Everything. It is going to cost us everything we’ve got spiritually to make it happen. We are going to have to stand when it’s not easy and bow when it would be easier to stand. It may be difficult, but that’s hope for a brighter future.

Buying In to Old School in a Bear Market

I went home to visit the folks last week. It’s always good to get back to your roots, see the family and remember where you came from. One thing I got from the visit was an education in "old school". I always considered myself to be "old school". I still read the paper, prefer American products even if I have to pay a bit more and can easily be set off on a tangent if I hear an over paid, loudmouth athlete like Terrell Owens whine about not making what he’s worth. But that’s not "old school". I'm talking Ted Williams, leave baseball in the prime of your career to fight in a war for your country "old school".

Growing up in the city of Pittsburgh I found myself surrounded by tradition, loyalty and pride. Where did all those principles come from? The old school my friend. Plain and simple. People who grew up in mill towns, and believing in the American way. They buy American cars, refuse to bag products that say made in China and would rather be hung naked from the hot metal bridge than outsource what they can get right here at home. The "old school" won the "old school" way. They grew homegrown guys and cultivated them into the best players they could be, and the teams with the best farm systems won.

Loyalty, a concept as foreign as making steel in Pittsburgh these days has become the “old school” way of doing business. Players spent their entire careers with one team. The players were loyal to the team and the team was loyal to its players. These are all things that are far from the norm in a day where teams that have spent over 200 million dollars on free agents cannot make the playoffs. It is nothing to see small market teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Florida Marlins become little more than Triple-A farm-teams for the big spenders.

Yet, in the midst of “new school” despotism where the rich take and the poor give the “old school” has emerged once again showing us all the way home. The Tampa Bay Rays have the second lowest payroll in Major League Baseball ($43,820,598). Yet they managed to beat the Yankees who have the highest payroll in baseball ($209,081,579), and the Red Sox with the 4th largest payroll ($133,440,037) to win the AL East. They managed to wade through the American League Playoffs with little trouble up until a momentary snag late in the ALCS. Now the Rays are poised to take their “old school show” to the city of brotherly love for a good old-fashioned street fight.

How are they able to accomplish what other teams can’t? It’s quite simple really. They have spent the time accumulating and cultivating top draft picks into top-level talent. They have spent money on a few cheap free agents that can still play baseball and provide veteran leadership. Then they got them all to believe in this crazy concept called a team. From the top to the bottom of the roster everyone worked all season. When injuries hit the team (and they hit them hard) another guy stepped up and got the job done. They believed in something greater than personal interest. There’s another foreign concept, the realization that serving the greater good is truly serving every personal interest you could ever have. Every one of these guys has found greater stardom and more notoriety this season than anyone of them could have ever had looking out for number one.

Here’s the “BottomLine” sports fans. The Rays have taken “old school” principles and turned a city that could have cared less about baseball into a baseball town. They have captured the hearts of America and they accomplished everything they did without losing their shirts in the process. The ownership in Tampa Bay needs a monument built in their honor because they had the guts to do what other small market management rarely does. They had the intelligence to take the best value for the pick during the rough years. They put money in their farm system to develop those players. Then they spent the money it took to keep the players they developed even when the higher bidders were out there offering to take them away for a discount price in order for them to make money in a town where there was higher attendance at the neighborhood high-school football games. Who’s making the dough now boys? Here’s to the Tampa Bay Rays for buying in to "old school" in a bear market.