NFL Championship thoughts - and remarks on gratitude

First off, let me say a few words about the championship games this past weekend.  I want to express my congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers for their victories to get to the Super Bowl.  The 49ers keep striving to get their next world championship; they have been in the championship game four out of the last five years.  There have been two Super Bowl appearances, but no Lombardi trophy since the 1994 season.  San Francisco gave an epic comeback in the NFC championship game just to get another shot at hoisting the trophy (there’s a helpful blog just waiting to be written here about how it’s not how you start, but how you finish, however that’s not where I’m going today). 

Moreover, I give a lot of credit to Kansas City.  Not many teams have the opportunity to win back-to-back world championships in the NFL, but the Chiefs have a chance to do so.  Frankly, I just marvel that we live in a world where Bill Belichick doesn’t coach the New England Patriots, the once-mighty Denver Broncos have had multiple consecutive losing seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have quickly made their bid to be NFL’s next dynasty, and the Detroit Lions were 30 minutes away from making it to their first ever Super Bowl, until a furious comeback.  Such is the wacky world of the NFL.

The cities of Detroit and Baltimore are still morose, no doubt.  But I also know there is a lot of pain and heartache right now, and not just because of a lost football game.  People are suffering intensely, and they’ll talk to you about it, if you bend an ear to them.  In my own life for example, back in September, I saw my health evaporate seemingly overnight.  I found myself in a hospital needing an IV, and a blood transfusion.  It reinforced to me the notion that whenever you and I wake up to face a new day it is a tremendous gift.  Similarly, health is a huge gift not to be taken for granted.

Furthermore, the Christian has incredible gifts to be grateful for, and this is true no matter what crisis we may be facing.  Look at just the first few verses of Psalm 103 with me.  Psalm 103:2 says to “forget not all of His benefits”; and it goes on to speak of God’s great gift of forgiveness from iniquities (verse 3; and all God’s people said “amen”); verse 5 states that the Lord “satisfies your mouth with good things." 

Psalm 103:4 makes me want to sing a song of worship to God; it speaks of how the Lord “redeems your life from destruction.”  Pastor Rick Ferguson has been in Heaven since 2002, when an automobile accident unexpectedly ended his life at age 46.  But I am still impacted by him to this day.  Since he was saved as a boy, Rick often said that God saved him, not just from who he was, but from who he would have become.  I echo the same thing for myself.  My life would have been one of hopelessness, futility, and destruction had I not been redeemed by the glorious grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless,

Kevin       

"Greater love has no one than this"

I’ve been re-watching the CW series “The Flash”.  I admit I miss Grant Gustin’s portrayal of Barry Allen/The Flash.  His valor, optimism, and hope inspires.  The 6th season of the show is one of the high points of the series, in my opinion.  In the first episode of that season, Barry is visited by a cosmic being known as The Monitor.  He prophecies that there is an imminent threat coming, an event he referred to as a crisis.  “In order for billions to survive the coming crisis,” he states, “The Flash must die.”  Team Flash is initially skeptical, but soon they discover for themselves that The Monitor is right.  The dramatic, emotional build-up leading up to Crisis is gripping and palatable.  Everyone who knows and loves Barry don’t want to see their beloved hero sacrifice himself, but they know he will do it, to save countless lives.

Ultimately, after a lengthy multi episode arc – in part 3 of an epic crossover event known as “Crisis on Infinite Earths” – the moment Team Flash had been waiting for presents itself.  The situation had arrived: it was time for Barry to heroically give himself up for many.  In a touching scene that always makes me cry, Barry takes a moment to say goodbye to his team, expressing his love for them.  But, an unexpected twist occurs, another Flash from a parallel Earth, steps up.  He states that he will be the one to perish.  Barry and the team are reluctant.   “Let me do this,” he implores.  “Let me save you all.”

To better understand the emotional impact of this moment, we need to take a step back.  Back in 1990, John Wesley Shipp portrayed Barry Allen in an excellent TV show of the Flash – for some reason it only lasted one season.  This was my first exposure to the Barry Allen Flash; to that point, I had only seen the animated version of Wally West’s Flash in “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited”.  But this Barry Allen fought on.  This is made clear in the course of the conversation (and the fact that he was referred to as Barry from “Earth-90”; a clever homage).  “The Monitor said the Flash was going to die in crisis,” said the parallel Earth speedster, “he never said which one.”  They finally agree to the gracious offer.  To then watch Earth 90’s Flash selflessly sacrifice himself, as the old 1990 Flash theme song plays, always grips me emotionally, and makes me shed some tears.

At this point, you may be thinking, “It’s a new year, but it’s the same old Kevin.  He’s prattling on about superheroes.  Why are you talking about this?  So what?”  Rest assured, I don’t bring all of this up just because I’m going through “The Flash” withdrawals.  First off, I take the time to describe this epic saga because it doesn’t take a lot of imagination for me to predict the reaction of the CW’s Flash after all this took place.  There were actually 3 different times in my life when I was very close to the precipice of death myself, including this most recent time just last year.  To survive this leaves you feeling incredibly grateful, humbled, and with the knowledge not that you are living on borrowed time, but rather that you’re living on time that was granted to you as a gift, given out of love.  In fact, Jesus actually said in John 15, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Secondly, superheroes often present us with a picture, a fictional representation, of Jesus Christ.  A selfless hero, out of pure love, chose to give his life so that others might live (and this is true of either Flash, even though Grant Gustin's Flash lived on).  This shows what Jesus did for you and me.  In Matthew 20:28, Jesus states that He came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (italics added).”  1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”  Jonathan Evans, in his book “Your time is now” puts it well when he writes, “Not only did Jesus live perfectly, but He also died perfectly so that He could rise perfectly from the grave.  That is a receipt to let you and me know that the price had been paid in full…We don’t get the death we deserve because He took that death in our place.” 

The fact of the matter is Christianity is not just a religion; it’s primarily an invitation to have a relationship with Almighty God, through the finished work of Jesus Christ.  It’s my desire to live my remaining days pointing others to Him, in word and deed.  So I conclude by saying if you’ve strayed from God – or if you’ve never began a relationship with Him at all – let today be your day.  Cry out to God in prayer.  I love Acts 3:19: “Repent therefore and be converted [or, as the NLT puts it, “turn to God”], that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”  

God bless,

Kevin

Thirteen years later

As we get into 2024, I just wanted to take a moment and point out that this blog is officially a teenager.  It was back in January of 2011 that I began blogging, and now – quite unbelievably – it’s 13 years later. 

Over the years, I’ve written on a wide range of subjects because I have variety of interests (which is evident to see when you view my updated profile, under the “about me” area).  I’ve written on things like chivalry.  I’ve written on sports, usually NFL football (although I confess this interest has lost a bit of its luster, perhaps due to the fact that the Denver Broncos, my hometown team, has just suffered another losing season; that makes 7 years in a row, if memory serves).  And of course, I’ve written extensively on superheroes; my love for superheroes is just a part of who I am. 

Ultimately, however, what I’m all about is pointing to the God of the universe, Jesus Christ.  The overarching goal of my life, what I hope to be remembered for, is someone who declared (both in word, but also through my example) the goodness, grace, and transforming power of God.  I don’t do this perfectly.  I fail, falter, and fall.  In fact, I even thought about calling today’s blog “I’m no Superman” referring to a line from a song by Lazlo Bane, popularized by the theme song from the TV show “Scrubs”, but decided not to do so.

I may not be the same person I was when I began blogging back in 2011.  I wrote extensively about how my father’s unexpected death in 2015 changed me.  It’s true.  A difficult loss like that inevitably changes you.  Furthermore, I’ve documented how 2023 was a difficult year for me.  I even went so far as to declare that I’m not even the same man anymore.  While there’s a lot of truth to that, one thing hasn’t changed.  In 2011, my passion was to write content that pointed to God, and as I submit this first blog installment of 2024, I have the same passion.  In fact, in a Christmas themed blog in 2011, I stated that if just one person saw their need for Jesus through what I wrote, and subsequently believed in Him, I said that I considered it “the privilege of my life.”  Today, I still feel the same.

God bless,

Kevin