My Super Bowl 52 prediction

This year’s Super Bowl stars the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots.  It’s also worth mentioning that this is a rematch of Super Bowl 39; a game where Tom Brady and the Pats defeated Donovan McNabb and the Eagles.  Actually, I vividly remember this game.  The score was tied after the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter.  New England pulled away in the 4th quarter and ultimately won the game by a score of 24-21 (NBC is hoping for a game that close again on Sunday).

Some might suggest that conventional wisdom favors the Eagles.  Because the Patriots are trying to do something that is very hard to do and hasn’t been done in a long time: repeat as world champions.  In fact, the last team that had the opportunity to do this was the Seattle Seahawks.  They won Super Bowl 48 and then returned to Super Bowl 49, but they lost to the Patriots.  Furthermore, one might propose that the Eagles are poised to win because they are so hungry to bring a Super Bowl victory celebration to Philadelphia for the first time ever.

Despite all this, I’m going to pick the Patriots to win Super Bowl 52.  Think about some of the dynasties of the NFL: the 1970’s had the Pittsburgh Steelers; the 1980’s had the San Francisco 49ers; the 1990’s had the Dallas Cowboys.  The current dynasty is the New England Patriots.  What they have been able to accomplish is remarkable.  I could mention several statistics on their dominance in recent years, but I think it’s amazing to consider that they have earned a trip to three of the last four Super Bowls.  My gut tells me that New England is going to find a way to win on Sunday and further bolster their current dynasty status.

 

Furthermore, every time you think the Patriots are about to defeated, they pick it up a notch and prove you wrong.  It happened against the Steelers back in December when Pittsburgh had the lead late but couldn’t keep it.  The Jacksonville Jaguars were ahead for most of the game in the AFC championship game, but ended up losing it.  And of course, in last year’s Super Bowl against the Falcons, the Patriots were down, but certainly not out.

I recently watched the last few minutes of a Madden video game on You Tube simulating Super Bowl 52.  Interestingly, in that simulation, the Patriots were down by 3 late in the 4th quarter only to have New England’s offense march down the field, and tie the game with a field goal to send it to overtime.  New England ultimately won the game 33-27 on a Tom Brady touchdown pass.  It may not be an overtime game, but I suspect that Super Bowl 52 will be a lot like that simulated game, with New England hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

Kevin

7 years later

It was back in January of 2011 that I began this blog.  Let me illustrate my feelings regarding my life then and now with a story: over the weekend, to decompress, I watched the network broadcast of Super Bowl 32.  This was the game where the Broncos defeated the Packers to win their first world championship.

I found it interesting to note how different football was back then compared to what it is now.  For example, there was no instant replay at that time.  Further, the two teams were different than they are today.  John Elway, Terrell Davis, and the rest of the Broncos were coached by Mike Shanahan; Brett Favre, Dorsey Levens and the rest of the Packers were coached by Mike Holmgren. But despite these differences, it was still the NFL.  It was still the Denver Broncos; it was still the Green Bay Packers.  In the same way, my life is not the same as it was in January of 2011.  I’m still Kevin Bauer, but there are vast differences to who I am today when contrasted with 7 years ago.  I could give 15 examples of this, but I won’t.  You can just take my word for it.

Conversely, one thing that has not changed is my burning desire to defer any accolades, praise, and glory to God alone.  He is the One who deserves it; not me.  I love this quote from a sermon by the late Rick Ferguson (who incredibly has been in Heaven for going on 16 years now); he said, “This has been a consuming discovery for me: that the ultimate issue of the entire universe is the glory of God.  Life is not about me; it’s not about you; it’s not about us; it’s all about Him.  [It’s about] His glory, His renown, His pleasure, His will, His desire, His rule, His Kingdom…His great name.”  An enthusiastic “amen” belongs here!   

Kevin

Perspective is everything

Cary Friedman in his book “Wisdom from the Batcave” writes, “Did you ever notice that people rarely appreciate what they have until they don’t have it anymore?  It is a sad reality that few of us recognize our blessings until they disappear…blessings that go unrecognized go unappreciated.”  Perspective is everything.  For instance, I’m irritated by those commercials that promote how difficult it is to sleep just because their spouse is snoring.  The reality is it is an amazing gift to have a spouse sleep next to you every night.  Just ask Gracie Parrish, a woman who became a widow earlier this month when her husband, Deputy Zackari Parrish, was murdered.  Perspective is everything.  So what if your spouse snores?

  

I was recently made aware of another example of this subject matter.  New England Patriots left guard, Nick Solder, and his wife Lexi, had their world turned upside-down in 2015 when their son, Hudson, was diagnosed with Wilms tumors a rare pediatric disease.  Hudson was only three months old at the time.  The Solder’s family continues to bravely fight this horrific fight to this day.  “I have a different perspective now because I see how frail everything is,” Nick said.  “The air we breathe is precious.  To be at this game [Super Bowl 51] is a sign that you aren’t able to choose what you get but you can get some amazing things in life.”  (Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/patriots/2017/01/31/nate-solder-son-cancer-new-england-super-bowl-2017/97290770/).  I know about how fleeting health can be, both as an adult or a child.  It’s not a gift to be taken for granted.  Perspective is everything.

Of course, it would be negligent of me to not mention my dad in this subject matter.  A 15 year old once wrote this to Rebecca St. James, “Give your dad a hug and tell him you love him, for he won’t be on earth forever.  It took the death of my father for me to realize that.”  Such a sentiment obviously hits me hard.  My dad was a special man.  I wasn’t ignorant to the fact that God gave me one of the most selfless individuals ever for a dad.  But had I known that the days with my dad would be less than anyone would have ever guessed, I would have cherished them more than I did.  Perspective is everything.

I could go on.  I could mention the gift of having a job, or having a reliable car.  But you get the point.  It’s easy to carp and complain about our lot in life, but let’s not forget about the gifts we have been given.  Let me conclude with Friedman’s book “Wisdom from the Batcave” again.  “Think about what a happy place the world would be if we recognized that we already have what we really want and need in life…What if, instead of fantasizing about money, glory and our adoring public, we dreamed of growing old with our spouses, watching our grandchildren grow and develop?  Those are wishes that are within our grasp.”

Kevin

And then there were four

I have made it a tradition in this blog to make my prediction for who I think will win the Super Bowl after the championship games have been played.  But I thought I would do something new this year: I will make my prediction as to which two teams will win the upcoming championship games on Sunday.  I will probably still make my annual prediction regarding the Super Bowl winner, but that remains to be seen.  So here I go:

AFC championship game: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are attempting to do something that is very difficult for an NFL team to do, historically speaking.  They are attempting to win back-to-back Super Bowls (by the way, the last team to do this feat was the New England Patriots back in 2003 and 2004).  When you are the world champions, you get hit with the best shot from every opponent, regardless of their record.  They want to beat the best.  And yet, despite all this, New England just continues to churn out win after win this year.  I predict that the Pats are the best team in the AFC and will show it on Sunday.  However, if there is a team that can dethrone the champs it is the Jaguars.  Nobody has given them a chance the entire postseason, but here they are in the AFC championship game.  The Jaguars ‘us against the world’ mentality (plus that tough defense and potent offense) could be enough to pull off the upset. 

NFC championship game: Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Super Bowl is being played in Minnesota this year; the Vikings are attempting to earn a trip to the Super Bowl and essentially play a home game (something that has never been done in the Super Bowl era).  And after watching the ending of that Saints/Vikings game they have a good shot at doing just that.  Case Keenum’s touchdown to Stefon Diggs on the last play of the game was one of the most improbable, unlikely, and breathtaking conclusions to a playoff game in recent memory; I think the momentum of that finish will propel the Vikings.  I predict that the Vikings will win the game on Sunday.  Once again, however, despite a lot of success this year, the Eagles have somehow had to play the underdog role in the postseason.  They weren’t favored to win against the Falcons, and I may be wrong here, but I don’t think they are favored to win against the Vikings.  The Eagles are a very good team who just could punch their ticket to the Super Bowl after all.

Kevin     

Honoring Dr. King and his dream

Today is the holiday that we call Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I thought it appropriate to say a few words about Dr. King.  Many know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as an inspirational man who fought against the current of racism.  And, of course, that is true.  But some don’t know just how much this man suffered for his vision.  I came across these words from Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King.  She says that this holiday “commemorates America’s pre-eminent advocate of non-violence – the man who taught by his example that nonviolent action is the most powerful revolutionary force for social change available to oppressed people in their struggles for liberation.”

She continues, “This holiday honors the courage of a man who endured harassment, threats and beatings, and even bombings.  We commemorate the man who went to jail 29 times to receive freedom for others, and who knew he would pay the ultimate price for his leadership, but kept on marching and protesting and organizing anyway” (see below for link).  And he did “pay the ultimate price” when he was assassinated in 1968 – 50 years ago.

 

Obviously I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Dr. King’s famous speech “I have a dream” delivered in 1963.  One of my favorite lines in the speech is when Dr. King proclaims, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”  Has that day arrived?  Is Dr. King’s dream a reality today?  Unfortunately, the answer is no.  We have made tremendous strides, but there are still too many instances of racism in our world.  I could cite examples of this that we’ve seen in recent days and years, but they nauseate me so I’ll refrain.  The bottom line is we are not there yet.  But we can keep striving because it is a noble – and God-honoring – quest.

In conclusion, I am inspired as I’ve shared a little bit about the life, example, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with you.  This was a man who was willing to suffer and eventually give his life for his dream of a better tomorrow.  Ron Luce once stated, “Until we find a cause worth dying for, we’re not really living.”  That quote epitomizes Dr. King. 

http://www.thekingcenter.org/meaning-king-holiday

Kevin

"Virgin" is not a curse word!

Sometimes watching TV – something that is supposed to be relaxing – can result in righteous indignation.  This happened to me recently.  I was channel surfing; I happened to land on a TV drama.  A man and woman were talking.  I didn’t see the whole scene, but it was apparent that these two had just met for the first time; they probably didn’t even know each other’s names.  But the scene abruptly changed to them having sex.  Afterwards, the man proceeded to ask the woman for her telephone number, and she answered, “Let’s not ruin this by getting to know each other.”  So they just agreed to go their separate ways.  The man smiled and said to himself, “It’s a golden age.”

This scene sends a powerful false message.  One of my heroes, Rebecca St. James, once put it this way: “I see so many in my generation ripped off; believing the lies that they are seeing in TV or movies: that you can do whatever you want, with whomever, at whatever time.  ‘Just do it.’  But they are not talking about the consequences.”  She’s right.  If you touch a hot stove, you burn your hand.  Similarly, if someone were to have casual sex like the scene described in the previous paragraph, they wouldn’t just glibly say, “It’s a golden age.”  To the contrary, there are inevitable consequences.

A few months ago, my mom and I came across a multitude of sermons that we knew nothing about.  My dad, the skilled organizer, without anyone’s knowledge, had stored them in a movie credenza.  What a treasure to find!  In my mind, uncovering these sermons speaks yet again to Dad’s strong faith in God.  One of the sermons in that credenza was preached back in 2006; the message was on sexual purity until marriage.   At one point the pastor gave these eye-opening and bleak statistics:

“Sexual transmitted diseases infect 3 million teenagers every year.  1.3 million new cases of gonorrhea occur annually…Syphilis is at a 40 year high, with 134,000 new infections every year.  500,000 new cases of herpes occur annually…There are 4 million cases of Chlamydia that occur annually.  And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg of the sexually transmitted disease epidemic that has come into play.”

The Bible repeatedly tells us to remain sexually pure until married life.  As I said in my blog title for today: “virgin” is not a curse word!  But have you ever asked yourself why God advocates sexual abstinence until marriage?  I submit to you that one of the reasons is because He knows that there are a myriad of negative consequences for choosing sexual involvement with whomever you happen to desire.

You say, “Kevin, I’m in full agreement with you.  But the sad truth is, I have been sexually active. What hope is there for me?”  The Bible presents a glorious and liberating truth. The Bible says, “The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7, 9).  There is hope for you!  Jesus shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.  Once again, to quote Rebecca St. James, “You can be pure, clean, and whole again in God’s sight.  It doesn’t mean you’re not going to have those memories; because the memories will still be there to some extent.  But there’s that hope and that forgiveness.”

Let me conclude with this illustration.  Suppose you are driving somewhere, and you realize that you have made a wrong turn somewhere along the way.  Nothing looks familiar.  What do you do in that situation?  You turn around; you make a U-turn.  If you have been on the road of sexual indulgence, today is the day to stop, and turn around.  The Biblical concept here is repentance.  I love this quote by Charles Spurgeon: “Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, [and] a resolution to forsake it.  It is, in fact, a change of mind of a very deep and practical character, which makes the man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved” (source: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-repentance).

Kevin

Returning from an unexpected hiatus

Somebody once said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”  I can relate to that sentiment.  You see, my plan was to submit this blog way back on December 21st.  Then I wanted to post more Christmas themed blogs and a subsequent New Year’s Day entry.  But due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to do any of that.  Here it is January 9th and I am finally posting my first blog for 2018.  What do I say to all this disruption of my plans?  I say if that’s what God wanted (and clearly it was), I submit to His plan.

Last time, I left you with the question of what relevance Jesus has for your life today.  This question has been left hanging for much longer than I intended, so let me dive right in.  I submit to you that the answer has to do with who Jesus is and what He came to do.

The Bible tells us that Jesus isn’t just a man; He is God in human flesh.  The gospels describe Jesus as doing things that only God can do.  For example, Jesus and His disciples endure stormy weather in a boat.  The disciples freak out.  But Jesus calmly tells the storm to stop, and it obeys (Mark 4:35-41).  Or how about when Jesus’ friend Lazarus dies?  Jesus tells Martha, one of Lazarus’ grief-stricken sisters, these words: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and He proves it by literally raising a man back to life who had been dead for four days!

   

In your Christmas celebration a few weeks ago, I wonder if you stopped to contemplate a verse in Isaiah 9.  Isaiah 9:6 – a verse prophesying Christ thousands of years before He entered the scene – states that Jesus is “Mighty God.”  Consider this: no one else in history is like Jesus Christ.  Jesus (“Mighty God” wrapped up in human flesh) was the only one in history who was worthy or qualified to carry out the role of humanity’s Savior from sin.  That’s why He came to Earth in the first place.

Let me illustrate this with a particularly noteworthy episode in the gospel of John.  In John 8, a woman who is caught in the act of adultery is thrown at Jesus’ feet.  The religious leaders, to test Him, say that she should be stoned to death, but they ask Jesus what He thinks should be done.  “If any one of you is without sin,” Jesus says, “let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  The text says that His words pricked their conscience; they all knew they were guilty of sin.  So they each simply walked away; Jesus and the woman are left alone.  I can imagine Jesus saying these words to her with a smile: “Where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10).  She answers, “No one, Lord.”  And Jesus, with mercy, tenderness, and compassion, replies, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Why did Jesus say that?  Why did He extend mercy rather than condemnation?  After all, she was guilty.  This exchange was not because Jesus was soft on sin.  No, I submit to you that Jesus knew that His mission all along was to pay the price for all of humanity’s sin, including the sin of the woman before Him.  That adultery was perhaps the worst sin that woman ever committed in her life, but let’s get intensely practical here: think of your worst sin – just as I recall mine.  Here’s the truth, beloved reader: Jesus paid the penalty of that sin when He shed His blood on a wooden cross at Calvary.  Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Let me conclude with this: God loves you with a passion.  He proved that love by dying a horrific death (see Romans 5:8).  Unfortunately, it is possible for Jesus’ sacrificial death to make no difference in your life.  It’s like if you were an heir to a rich relative who bequeathed all of his wealth to you in his will, but you said, “I don’t care.  I don’t need his money.  I can make it on my own.”  Jesus paid it all on the cross for you.  But you have to say “yes” to Him and His sacrificial act for it to be of any good to you.  The Bible says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”  Someone broke that verse down this way: “believe + receive = become.”  Have you done that?  If not, we are not far into 2018.  It is a great time to make the best decision of your life; the decision to make Jesus your Savior, Lord, and friend.

Kevin