What’s on TV?

I wrote this right before the NBA reached an agreement. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

With no NBA season in sight I’ve had several people ask me, “How are you handling it?” In short: not well. My wife is wondering if I need an intervention because I’ve been watching the same YouTube clips of the same basketball highlights over and over and over again. Well, since there’s been no NBA season I’ve tried to cope by seeing what else is on TV.

Football

I’ve been trying to watch more football both NFL and college. My wife, and her family, are diehard college football fans. Truthfully, I can admit that the atmosphere of a college football game is just absolutely amazing. It’s a big reason why the games are exciting because EVERYONE is into the game. It doesn’t matter if it’s 30-below-zero. People are showing up for their team and cheering like crazy. What drives me crazy when I’m at a Laker game is watching people texting, not paying attention to the game, or coming late and leaving early. Why spend all that money on gas, parking, and food in addition to your tickets when you could be doing all that at home for free? It kills me. It also takes away from the fans that are into the game. I don’t care what sporting event it is, I can’t stand apathy. It has no place in sports.

Having said that, I would blow up all of football in order to have my NBA back. Before you diehard football fans get mad just know I would understand if you were willing to blow up basketball in order to save football season. I’ve watched more college football this season than in my entire life combined. And still, I can’t name a single college football player. When it comes to the NFL, I’ve tried watching the games on Sunday but the games are right over our Sunday afternoon naptime. I can’t stay awake past halftime. I don’t know how you football fans do it.

Say “Yes” To The Dress

I’ve been over to the in-laws a couple of times when the women have taken over control of the TV, which is never a good thing. The father-in-law (aka The Big Daddy) is nowhere to be found. So what do the women watch? “Say ‘Yes’ to The Dress.” This is where my iphone comes in handy because I can totally disengage and be completely justified in doing so. I can just observe the women and notice how certain characters consistently annoy them. But don’t dare ask them, “If these people annoy you so much why are you watching this show?” I watched about 5 minutes of one show and felt my balls shrinking significantly. Would I burn every single wedding dress in America, except my wife’s of course, in order to get my NBA back? Let’s move on.

The Biggest Loser

My wife enjoys this show. I used to think it’s unfair. I workout all the time and have no shot at winning any money whereas fat people start working out and it becomes a show. What in the world? But then when I started watching the show hearing and seeing the story of how people’s lives have changed for the better when they started to live a healthier life it became fairly inspiring. There are people who had difficulty putting their socks on in the morning because they were so overweight. After they’ve gone through the program, they were able to go about their daily business without much labor and seeing how it positively affects their relationships is heart-warming. Let’s say “Yes” to healthy living and “Who cares” to the dress. I even asked my wife if it would be a good idea to gain 200 pounds in order to get on the show and win some money. She gave me the “H*** no!” look. Oh well. But after one episode I got bored and asked her to tell me who wins when the season was over. You can only take watching people struggling to run a mile for so long.

The Walking Dead

Season one is currently streaming on Netflix. When I was browsing and came across the show I said to myself, “Why not” which is strange because I’m not really into zombie movies. You know what? It wasn’t bad. The characters are interesting there is plenty of conflict and character development within the group of survivors that’s appealing. Season one was solid. Now we’re about at the half way point of season two and there’s just more drama. It’s turning into a soap opera with flesh eating zombies. Although the second season is attempting to add depth by way of asking the question “How in the h*** do we live in a world overrun by flesh eating zombies?” (e.g., do we have a baby or abort it?). Those are good topics to go over for the show but with less action and an even less sense of direction about where the show is headed my interest is waning.

Fringe

When I was still hopeful of an NBA season happening I decided that I wasn’t going to watch the new season of Fringe, which I already mentioned in a previous blog. Since then I decided to pick the show back up in hopes that it’ll be decent. In short, they finally found Peter Bishop (although the Fringe characters didn’t even know they were looking for him) and quite frankly, it’s been underwhelming. No one remembers who he is or where he belongs although he continues to help them with solving Fringe cases. For three seasons the show was building up the Olivia/Peter relationship only to start from scratch for season four. Sweet. If I wanted to spend time building a house only to tear it down I would build a house and tear it down.

There have been other shows I’ve watched briefly that aren’t even worth mentioning. I can’t believe the crappy shows that inundate the airwaves. If there were this much crap in our pipes we’d be calling a plumber. I’m convinced my buddy Bryan and I could write a better show. No, I take that back. I’m convinced my buddy Aaron and I could write better shows.

In short, I need my NBA and I need it badly. If only for sanity’s sake. I know more about the issues involved in the lockout than some of the players do (I’m not joking) and this lockout is indefensible and completely illogical. Why would the players trust their future in the hands of lawyers who stand to gain a great deal of money if litigation is long and lengthy while they are getting paid zero dollars, forfeiting 2 billion dollars, with no guarantee they’ll get a better deal? It makes no sense. It only makes sense if it’s because they take this business personally.

In which case, the players are that much more detached from reality. How many of their fans put up with difficult bosses because it’s better to have a job than no job at all? How many men and women put up with companies who treat them poorly because they have to provide for their families and can’t afford to risk losing their jobs during a struggling economy? I haven’t even mentioned the people who are without jobs. It’s sickening. You know what else is sickening? When this lockout is over I’ll be watching game one.

Thankfulness 2011

It’s that time for my annual “Thankfulness” list where I list things I’m thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving. Instead of writing out a list and explaining each item I’m going to do something different this year. During our list Grace Group (Home Bible Study) there was a reoccurring theme that came up of dealing with family tension during the holidays.

Some background: My perspective on the holiday season has changed throughout the years. Now that I’m a part of a wonderful, yet crazy, family I look forward to the holiday season. The only tension during family outings is the tension I cause, which happens to be pretty fun. I understand that it isn’t all fun and games for quite a few families. Growing up in a broken home without any type of real emotional connection or intimacy makes for a crappy holiday season- tension replaces harmony, awkwardness substitutes for stimulating conversations, and loneliness overtakes joy. Sometimes that’s just how it works in a Fallen world, but know God doesn’t want you to experience that.

Our church just finished preaching through the book of Colossians. The last sermon was fitting for addressing the very issues some of us face during the holidays. I’ll just give you the bullet points with some of my thoughts. The primary passage during the reflection service was Col. 3:12-17:

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1. Compassionate: "Bowels of Mercy" Love characterized by active heart felt mercy.
The “Bowels of Mercy” means mercy that is deep inside of you, turned out towards others. I can relate to this because it takes some serious digging for me to be compassionate. There are family members I just don’t want to show compassion to but that’s because I’m a jerk. So then, I need some serious “bowel” work.

2. Kind: Generous and warm-hearted, with a gracious, sympathetic disposition.
I think about my mom when I see or hear the word “kind.” She was “kindness” personified.

3. Humble: Considering others above ourselves and serving them. Not being overly impressed by a sense of your own self-importance. (Phil 2:3-8)
This was rather convicting because when it comes to people I generally don’t like I just avoid them. I never connected that attitude with a lack of humility or being too “self-important” to bother myself with people I don’t like or even people I don’t really know all that well. Humility reaches out to people, even the ones we deem unreachable.

4. Meek/Gentle: Tender, kind, and considerate; not cruel, ruthless, (might have missed some of this def.)
What a minute? We’re not supposed to be cruel?

5. Patient: Not easily provoked. Showing kindness to one who sins against you over a long period of time.
Regarding being patient, the part of the definition I get hung up on is the “over a long period of time.” How many times are we to forgive or put up with people’s non-sense? I wasn’t the only one. The apostle Peter asked the same question to Jesus (Matt. 18:21). Jesus replied with The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, where it was clear you didn’t want to be that guy. Those who realize they’ve been forgiven much also forgive much.

6. Forbearing: to endure with others in difficulty of relationships. (1 Cor. 13:4-7)
What I said in #3.

7. Forgiving: Not exacting payment but freely and graciously treating someone better than they deserve. (1 John 4:10 and 1 John 3:16)
What I said in #5.

8. Thankful: Gratitude from the realization that all you are and have is from God. (Col 3:15,16)
Yes, so this blog comes full circle. This year the Lord extended my sphere of gratitude. I’m also thankful for the difficult relationships I have in my life because they’re all designed by God to help me be a servant extending the compassion given to me unto others. Everything comes from God, all of the wonderful blessings and the “apparent” bad that come into our lives. Either way, it’s all good.

Magic Defied Tragic

It's been 20 years since Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive. Today I spent my lunch break reading reading articles about this very special day. It still brings tears to my face when I think about it. When HBO came out with the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird Documentary I wrote this:

Finally, there was Magic’s HIV announcement. After a physical before the 1991–92 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. He stated that his wife Cookie and their unborn child did not have HIV, and that he would dedicate his life to "battle this deadly disease." Johnson initially said that he did not know how he contracted the disease, but later acknowledged that it was through having multiple sexual partners during his playing career. At the time, only a small percentage of HIV-positive people had contracted it from heterosexual sex, and it was initially rumored that Johnson was gay or bisexual, although he denied both. Johnson's announcement became a major news story in the United States, and in 2004 was named as ESPN's seventh most memorable moment of the past 25 years. Many articles praised Johnson as a hero, and former U.S. President George H. W. Bush said, "For me, Magic is a hero, a hero for anyone who loves sports.”

I remember being in high school when Magic’s HIV announcement hit me like a frozen sledgehammer. Some of my female friends couldn’t understand why I was so depressed over it saying idiotic things like, “You don’t even know him, why do you care so much?” I just gave them the “You’re absolutely dumb and it would be a complete waste of time to even try and explain it to you” look and moved on without saying anything.

How would they ever understand the connection of a fatherless boy and his sports hero, the only positive male role model he’s known (at the time)? How would they ever understand how the heart of a man yearns for the inspiration of other greater men? How would they ever understand that all young men desire to be great but need personification of that greatness to see what it looks like? How would they ever understand the heart of a man seeks advantage and we live that advantage vicariously through our sports figure? Given the historical context, HIV was a death sentence. There was little awareness of how the virus could infect a person or how they could even live through it. “My hero was going to die,” I thought to myself. No high school girl will have the ability to understand this. And I don’t blame them.

Reflecting on the life of Magic Johnson, I began to realize how much of an impact he had on my life. As I get older I try and keep things in perspective. The reason he contracted the HIV virus was a direct result of his infidelity. But instead of hanging his head in shame, he become a spokesperson for HIV awareness. As a result, the general public seems more educated on the subject.

There have been mistakes I've made in the past where I've spend a great deal of time in despair. No I'm not perfect. Either was Magic Johnson, my childhood hero. However, how a person deals with tragedy could completely alter the path of the individual's life. Magic Johnson could've given up and simply laid down and waited to die. Instead, he turned tragedy into a symbol of hope. Whether you enjoy basketball or not I believe there is a lesson here for all of us.