The Central Theme

Christ died on the Cross, in our place, as requested by the Father, setting us free from the eternal curse that we brought upon ourselves, as an expression of His love, then overcame death by raising Himself from the grave, conquering Satan and sin, proving His deity and holiness so that we might believe. This must remain central in our hearts and cannot be forsaken or replaced with any other notion. Minimizing this truth is to mock the central theme of the gospel.

Off the Field Antics

The Dodgers and Giants are teams that don't like each other too much. This point was made rather boldly last night as Dodger Casey Blake thought it necessary to taunt his opposing pitcher, Brian Wilson. Why was this such a big deal? Well partly because this is the biggest Dodgers news since the Manny suspension, but also partly because the nerve that Blake struck with Wilson was deeply emotional.

Brian Wilson has performed a sign with his arms after finishing his work on the mound for a while now, so my sources say. This arm-crossing gesture is done as a tribute to his late father and as a sign of his faith. Well, last night after Casey Blake took one of Wilson's pitches past the outfield wall he also emulated Wilson's gesture - no doubt poking fun at him. Wilson, after the game, was upset and speechless. His emotions were running wild.

Is Wilson justified in being so upset? Is Blake really a bad guy after doing this? This makes me wonder how many times I get my feathers unnecessarily ruffled for a mindless joke. I question whether or not it does me any good to get all worked up over the times when other people don't take me seriously. Is it prideful of me to allow such obscure events to control my attitude and impact my response? I think I've got to overcome these little, obscure things and rise above it. Sure, some words and actions may hurt and sting to the core. But ultimately they should never get close to upsetting us. If this was the case then I think Christ would've had more to say when his accusers hit Him in the face, plucked out His beard, and spit in His eyes. He understood that His faith was far more important than their insensitive actions and, maybe, so should we.