Rescue, Restoration and Redemption...The Jason Mirikitani Story

I'll be honest with you...I don't normally watch The 700 Club. Okay, truth be told, I don't know if I've ever actually watched the program. That being said, I will be setting my DVR to record it on May 4th. This is because my friend Jason Mirikitani will be featured.

On January 15th, 2002, Jason's car flipped 5 times, killing his wife and leaving him terribly injured and close to death himself. Against this bleak backdrop, Jason's life is still one of God's faithfulness. He shares this story in the book Mile Marker 825 and I look forward to seeing him share it once more on television.

Even if you've never watched The 700 Club before and might never watch it again, please consider tuning in May 4th to catch Jason's compelling story of rescue, restoration and redemption. Click here to see when and where you can find it. 

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

"From heaven to earth, rather than from earth to heaven, is the flow of movement and energy, the direction of travel that we see in Scripture.  The biblical hope is not one of man going to God.  It is not the story of the ascent of man.  Rather, it is the story of God coming to man, in man’s createdness, redeeming both man and the creation.  In short, the biblical hope is the descent of God."

Michael D. Williams
Far As the Curse Is Found, p. 281.

Go, Rangers!

The World Series gets underway tonight.  As a St. Louis Cardinal fan (and an old-time, traditionalist one at that), I normally root for the National League's entrant in the World Series.  This year is different though.  I am rooting for the Texas Rangers of the American League.  It's not that I have anything in particular against the San Francisco Giants, it's just that I find the Rangers compelling for a number of reasons, some of which are admittedly better than others:

1. The Rangers have never won the World Series.  In fact, they had never won a playoff series of any kind before this season.
2. During his playing career, I was always a big fan of Nolan Ryan.  I'm not sure if there was a non-Cardinal who I liked more.  He is the team president for the Rangers, and in just his third year at the helm, he has led them to unprecedented heights.
3. Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler, one of the team's stars, is an alum of my alma mater, the University of Missouri.
4. Both my in-laws and my college roommate live in Dallas.  My family tries to go there at least annually and we really like the area.  In fact, my wife recently visited, and brought home an Ian Kinsler replica jersey as a souvenir for my son (which he wore to school today).
5. The Josh Hamilton story.  It's my favorite kind of story - a story of redemption.  Watch the video below.

(HT: Challies)

Redemption and VIP Suffering

I always feel a little uncomfortable talking about how Christians should respond to suffering. I mean, I can tell you what the Bible says about how you should face it, but honestly, I've been blessed with a life that (relative to many) has measured pretty low on the suffering scale. In light of this, my words ring a little hollow even to myself. I can only wonder how they sound to one who is actually going through the pain of life's trials.

Susan Maynor is a friend of ours from our old church in St. Louis. She is much more of an authority on the subject. About five years ago she was widowed when her husband lost his battle with cancer, leaving her with two young sons. I was quite impressed then (and have been ever since) at the faith Susan displayed as she walked through this experience.

A couple weeks ago Susan remarried. Many of us sent our congratulations via facebook. I was especially touched when I read her response to the bevy of messages she had received: "Thank you for all the congrats--so lovely--how I'm blessed and humbled by the sweet, sweet hand of redemption."

And today, I am once more impressed, as in her blog she reflects on the idea of suffering like a VIP. Susan rightly considers her suffering not in a vacuum, but ponders it within the context of the sufferings of Christ in his work of redemption. As she does, she asks, "Can I really get it if I am comfortable, avoiding suffering of any kind?" She answers her own question:

Not really.

Though I don’t have nor will ever know nails in my hands or thorns on my head, the more I lose and suffer in this world, the more I gain in understanding the redemption story. The more I get how truly redemptive it is that I got married again. Or that my children now have a father who can coach baseball and grill hot dogs.

The more I walk this journey, the more I know I need to follow him no matter what because suffering is about as VIP as I can get.

You can read the whole post here.

The NBA, Redemption and Manute Bol

The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting column the other day regarding the life and death of Manute Bol. If you are familiar with Bol, it is probably because, at a height of 7 feet, 7 inches, he is the tallest player to have played in the NBA. Throughout his ten year career, he established himself as one of the greatest shot-blockers of all time. He is perhaps even more remembered by many who saw him for his spindly frame (though 7’7”, he weighed only 225 pounds) and his extremely awkward looking three point shots.

But it was what Bol did off the court that truly set him apart. A Christian Sudanese immmigrant, Bol believed that his life was a gift, entrusted to him so that he might serve God and others. He gave away most of the money he earned throughout his career (approximately $6 million) to assist Sudanese refugees.

In a sports world where the term “redemption” is tritely overused, Bol understood and found true redemption in Jesus Christ, and it motivated everything he did in his life, including the way he died. May we all, like Manute Bol, know where redemption is truly needed and where it can be found. And may we all, like him, humble ourselves and be willing to be “fools for Christ.”

You can read the Wall Street Journal column here.

(HT: TGC)

2009's Most Redeeming Movies

Christianity Today recently came out with their list of 2009's most redeeming movies. I love best/worst lists, I love movies, and I love things which are redemptive in nature, so it's right up my alley.

In looking at the list, you might be wondering what exactly CT means when they say that a movie was "redeeming." They explain:

We mean movies that include stories of redemption—sometimes blatantly, sometimes less so. Several of our films have characters who are redeemers themselves; all of them have characters who experience redemption to some degree—some quite clearly, some more subtly. Some are "feel-good" movies that leave a smile on your face; some are a bit more uncomfortable to watch. But the redemptive element is there in all of these films.