This is an essay written today from my brother-in-law Calvin Wisen. I think it is a great reflection on the whole Tiger Woods fiasco and statement. Enjoy, and Thanks Cal for sharing this!
If you are a fan of sports, or have read the news, or been near a TV this week you are well aware that Tiger Woods has just made his first public comments since the unfortunate details became public regarding his personal life. I think there are some valuable lessons that we as believers and The Church can learn from this situation and I hope these thoughts help us in setting up a Biblical framework for how we think and discuss this situation which it is a very hot issue in our society right now.
I am a sports fan, for as long as I can remember I have known what channel ESPN was on any TV I have ever owned or watched. I often jokingly say to my friends “I am to useless sports information, what Charles Spurgeon was to preaching.”
That being said, I have been fascinated with all of the attention and drama surrounding the Tiger Woods infidelity scandal that has really rocked our culture. I don’t care to know what Tiger did, or any of the details regarding those incidents. All I need to do is read Jeremiah 17:9 to know that the heart is desperately wicked. What has fascinated me however is that as a young man who desires to serve the Lord with his life, this has really given me a unique insight into not only Tiger Wood’s life but into our culture as a whole.
We have all seen and heard many responses and opinions about Tiger Woods since November from our culture and I think we can break these responses down into 3 major categories:
1. Anger: Many people have been angered by Tiger Wood’s actions and have demanded that he apologies publically to all of us, as if we are owed something from him. Some have even gone so far to demand that he retire from golf and leave the public arena all together.
2. Apathy: This whole scandal has really shown us the true nature of post-modern thought. The most common response by media and other golfers has been “It is none of my business what he does with his personal life.” This idea that “if you let me do what I want, you can do what you want” is very individualistic and void of any accountability. This is a very dangerous mentality that is beginning to infiltrate the church and flies straight in the face of how God has called the body of Christ to function.
3. Selfishness: The third response we have seen is “I don’t care what he does, I just want to watch him golf.” The sad thing about being a celebrity is that you are exploited for what you can provide people and many people don’t care about Tiger, or that his family is in ruins, they just like watching him win tournaments.
So how do we as believers respond to this?
I believe our first response should be that of grief as we grieve for our fallen state and we understand that all sin grieves the Lord.
In Genesis 6:5-6 we read:
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him to his hear
It is important to understand that it is not only the sin of Christians that grieve God, but all sin is a reminder of man’s rebellion against God’s authority and his design for mankind. All sin hurts God. Therefore when we look at Tiger let us not be angry, disappointed, or point our finger and laugh, but let us be devastated by the overwhelming path of destruction that sin leaves in its wake.
Secondly it should make us long for the return of Jesus all the more! In Romans 8 Paul writes:
Creation itself will be set free its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth
Creation itself longs to be free from the shackles of sin and we should as well. Let us never get complacent with our walks with the Lord or with life but we always need to keep our eyes on the Lord in anticipation of His return!
Now I also want to take a moment and look at the actual statement that Tiger Woods made as it gives us a chilling insight into his heart.
The Good:
I took away some very positive things from Tiger’s press conference. First I saw a man who was experiencing the effects of sin in his life. His wife was not with him, and even more telling than anything he said, was the fact that while he gave his speech his own mother wouldn’t even look at him. Tiger has learned in a very public and very dramatic way that led to himself, his sin will set fire to every good thing in his life and completely rob him of any joy.
Secondly he defended his wife and children. While I understand that the only reason he needed to defend his family was because of his betrayal of them, I was glad to see him defend his wife’s honor. He held her in high esteem and defended her against false accusations. This may be the first ever time Tiger has loved his wife unselfishly. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the Church and there was evidence of unselfish and sacrificial in what Tiger said.
The Bad:
Most plainly said, “Tiger is still his own god” Tiger made if very clear in his press conference that it was his fault for what occurred, and it was his responsibility, his job, and that he had power to make things right. He said over and over again that “it was up to him”
I know that much of the Evangelical attention will be on his profession of Buddhism as a way to fix his issues. That doesn’t surprise me at all. Buddhism in an inherently selfish religion at its center being the goal of achieving enlightenment and becoming your own god through meditation and works.
What I do know to be true is that as long as Tiger continues to put his faith in himself rather than Jesus Christ, he will never experience the forgiveness, joy, and freedom that Christ provides and left to himself he will once again destroy everything.
The Terrifying:
Tiger ended his press conference with this statement:
“Find room in your heart to one day believe in me again”
What a terrifying look into this man’s heart! This man desires our worship and our belief in him. What is so scary is not that he will be forgiven, and he will (our culture is very quick to forgive), but that people do and will continue to worship this man. Tiger Woods is a god to many people in this country… a false god!
If this whole mess has taught me anything thing it has made me so glad that my heart, faith, and worship belongs to Jesus Christ who through is death and resurrection alone has the power to save!
You are Loved,
Calvin Wisen
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I survived an earthquake last night!!!
I woke up at 4:00am this morning to a loud rumble and shaking of my home!! Here's the news story on it!
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/quake-like-tremors-reported-in-western-suburbs.html?obref=obnetwork
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/quake-like-tremors-reported-in-western-suburbs.html?obref=obnetwork
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Baptism Weekend
Baptism Highlights 2010 from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.
Visit:
http://andirozier.blogspot.com/2010/02/baptism-video.html
for my friend Andi Rozier's comments expressing my same response to this video: I love seeing and being apart of a church where God is Changing lives!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Top 5 reasons why I continue to write a blog that no one reads
5) Blogging is therapeutic. It provides an escape from the world of reality into the world of literary imagination and contemplation.
4) Blogging is more for me than for you. It's nice to write out thoughts and then read them back. More often than not, you'll get a new grasp on what you think by actually SEEING the thought written down. Try it.
3) Blogging is a fantastic productive avenue for my ADD (non-diagnosed mind you, why pay money for finding out something you already know.)
2) Blogging ultimately is practice for my upcoming stand-up comedy routine.
1) Blogging fulfills everyone's inner need to be schizophrenic. :-) Joking of course. Maybe.
moellerd
4) Blogging is more for me than for you. It's nice to write out thoughts and then read them back. More often than not, you'll get a new grasp on what you think by actually SEEING the thought written down. Try it.
3) Blogging is a fantastic productive avenue for my ADD (non-diagnosed mind you, why pay money for finding out something you already know.)
2) Blogging ultimately is practice for my upcoming stand-up comedy routine.
1) Blogging fulfills everyone's inner need to be schizophrenic. :-) Joking of course. Maybe.
moellerd
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