Excellence

Nick Saban, the football coach at the University of Alabama, has coached two American college football teams (Alabama and the Louisiana State University) to national championships and is currently one win away from another national championship game.  Speaking about the fact that many of his former players have gone on to professional football careers and that many of his current players probably will do so, he gave his players this advice: “Don’t save yourself for something that won’t happen if you don’t spend yourself now.” This is very good advice.

Very good advice indeed. It can be applied to any endeavor. Never accept mediocrity when you can display excellence by the full application of your abilities.

Jesus said this exact thing in Revelation 3:16.  “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

This is not expecting excellence. It is demanding excellence. It is disgust with half-hearted, nominal Christianity. Jesus is worthy and deserves our best.

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Film Comment: Bill and Ted;s Excellent Adventure

The video clip below is from a cult classic movie named Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989).  The film is truly hilarious because it is so ridiculously mindless and vapid. This is repeat of a prior post because the video was soon blocked by you tube. 

In 2688 AD/CE, Rufus is chosen to save the Utopian future by using a time traveling phone booth to go to 1988 and to ensure that the Two Great Ones,Bill and Ted , are able to form the rock music band Wyld Stallyns (Wild Stallions) because their music is destined to save the world. To preserve the future, Rufus has to help the two empty headed boys make a passing grade on their high school history project.

The future society has based itself upon the music and philosophy of the rock music band, resulting in world peace.

(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.) 

This video replay is blocked. Try this link instead.

“I think they want us to say something.”

“What should I say?”

“Make something up!”

“Be excellent to each other!”

“Be excellent to each other!”  This is excellent advice but is a very naive basis on which to build a society because of the fallen nature of man.  History has repeatedly proven that we will not “Be excellent to each other!”

Only a complete change in our nature, a total transformation in our understanding of the nature of reality, will suffice. We need to be of one mind about things.  Christians are capable of this because we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit.  We have the Mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:10, 2:16; Philippians 1:27)

“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1John 3:10-11

Christian Emoji

In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, Joanna Stern talks about the pleasure of expressing herself in emoji, what some have called emoticons. She has learned to write entire sentences in the format.

"Emoji" is derived from two Japanese words, "e" meaning "picture" and "moji" meaning "character." and the emoji system amounts to a pictographic or ideographic writing system. It was created by Shigetaka Kurita in 1998. Emoji has not yet developed into a full language and lacks a consistent grammar and syntax. The characters are different on different operating systems. An attraction of the use of emoji is that it can be mutually understood by people whose spoken languages are different.

The Wall Street Journal article made me wonder if a Christian message could be written in emoji. I thought the idea was silly, but apparently other people have had the same idea and there are now sets of Christian emoji available.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/holy-emojis/id581960629?mt=8

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/07/11/move-smiley-face-new-religious-emojis-way/

Whatever You Do ...

Nick Saban, the coach of the University of Alabama football team insists on only the best from his players.  Those players who do not play to their best level of ability are asked to sit down and others are brought forward to replace them.  Saban’s players almost unanimously credit him with teaching them how to be men and how to approach the rest of their lives after football.

One of the things which Saban teaches the young men is to approach each event as if it is the most important event ever.  He uses the example of the professional basketball player, Michael Jordan.  Saban has said of Jordan that “It doesn’t matter how many game-winning shots he’s made in the past.  The only one that matters is the one he’s about to take.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAr6oAKieHk

I have spoken in the past that Christians should approach their lives as a quest for excellence for God. This is what the layman cook and shoe repairer, Brother Lawrence, did.  When he washed dishes, he washed the dishes for God.  When he repaired the sole of a shoe, he repaired the shoe for God.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31