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And the Game Goes On

Dwain

December 3, 2012

This past Saturday, December 1, 2012, Jovan Belcher, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs football team, shot his girlfriend to death. The two have a 2-month-old daughter who most likely heard or saw everything. Belcher then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and spoke to his head coach, the linebackers coach, and the team general manager in the parking lot, thanking them for what they had done for him. Then Belcher shot himself in front of them.

I don’t know how the news of this tragedy hit you, but it sure bothered me, for obvious reasons. How can someone be so upset that they would kill the mother of their newborn then turn the gun on themselves? Did he even consider his daughter and the impact this would have on her? Jovan Belcher may have killed three people on Saturday—his girlfriend, himself, and his baby.

I was pretty upset over the whole thing already, but then I learned later that the Kansas City Chiefs would go forward with their game against the Carolina Panthers. THEY PLAYED! Did you read what I just wrote? Despite the fact that Belcher “offed” himself in front of two coaches and the general manager at the team’s training facility, the team chose to PLAY THE GAME one day later. Am I the only who finds that a little bizarre?

Does life mean anything in our sports-crazy culture? Let the record show that I am a football fan, but my love for the game has been dying for years now, and this past weekend’s events may have been the last straw. It’s bad enough that studies show football players’ brains are basically “mush” after they retire, and the league does nothing to help them. And let’s not even get into the off-the-field drama the league deals with, everything from drug arrests to shootings to fights at clubs. The NFL has an image problem.

Coach Romeo Crennel said that the team played because the game allowed them to get their mind off the tragedy, among other things. One player said this is what Jovan would have wanted, as if he was channeling Belcher’s wishes from the grave. One sports commentator said the Chiefs have to put it behind them and “move on.” Ahh, there it is. I knew it wouldn’t be long before we heard that overused phrase. (I hate it!)

In America it seems like all we do is “move on.” Hurricane Sandy upsets us for a moment, but then we move on—even though the people in New York and New Jersey can’t. Does anyone even talk about Haiti anymore? Remember the earthquake that reduced large swathes of the country to rubble? Nope. We moved on.

Some things are really worth stopping to consider. When a guy kills his girlfriend and then himself and leaves a 2-month-old parentless, it should stop us. No game is more important than mourning the loss of those lives and figuring out how we might prevent similar tragedies in our society. I have a sad suspicion that the Chiefs and the NFL chose to move forward with that game for financial reasons more than anything else. I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it.

I think it’s time to rethink my love affair with sports.

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What Do You Do? What Do You Want? Weigh in on Insight's direction.

Tom

December 6, 2011

We at Insight are trying to figure out the best way to get our material into your hands. Of course, we are a printed publication that comes out weekly, and we have our Web site and theFlow. But we want to ask you, our readers, about how you use and process information.

What do you actually do the most to consume information? Watch (as in TV, Web video, etc.), listen (radio, Web streaming, etc.), or read (printed material, on the Web, etc.)? What is your preferred and main method of getting information? And what do you do with the information?

How many of you use laptops, iPads (or other tablets), smartphones, etc.?

Should Insight transition to a more mobile-friendly ministry and scale back the printed magazine aspect?

Also, do you guys even have time to sit and read full articles? Should we go shorter with our articles? What about in-depth pieces that require some space?

What do you think? Please let me know. Feel free to be open and honest with me. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

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Black Wednesday

Tom

November 23, 2011

It's the day before Thanksgiving, an exciting time for many. But I just learned that there's a name for this day that has to do with teens and young adults--it's "Black Wednesday." The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of the deadliest times of the year for teens and young adults. Why? Because many come home from school, get together with friends at their homes (many of which have been stocked with much alcohol for the holidays), and party and drink. Bad stuff happens, including drunk driving and its deadly results. I just want to encourage you all to make wise decisions this holiday season, steer clear of the booze and any other harmful things, and BE CAREFUL out there. May God bless you all!

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Purposely Preserved

Tom

October 18, 2011

I’ve been thinking about crazy-cool stories of survival—lives being preserved through some unreal circumstances. For example: After serving as an officer in the British military a guy named Chris Moon decided to serve full-time with an organization that goes around the world clearing land mines. (There are about 100 million land mines still hidden in many war-torn areas around the world—a deadly problem, for sure.) While doing this in Cambodia he and a group of locals were ambushed by Khmer Rouge guerrillas—a murderous, genocidal group of people who at one time ruled the country. Moon and two locals were kidnapped, and let’s just say that their prospects for living were dim.

After a harrowing few days the three men were actually freed. However, their freedom wasn’t easy; they had just 24 hours to find their way out of the Khmer Rouge-controlled part of the jungle—or else. Long story short, Moon and his companions made it out, Moon being one of few Westerners to survive such an ordeal.

Hardcore story of survival, right? But there’s more. Two years later Moon was clearing land mines in Africa. One day while he was walking through a supposedly clear area, Boom! He stepped on a mine. He lost parts of his right limbs, but he survived. Since recovering he has run marathons and super-tough races in locations around the world for charities, and now he’s a motivational speaker.

I don’t know Moon’s beliefs when it comes to God. But when I look at his story, I see one of a life being preserved through extraordinary danger and trials. And when I think about that, I think about purpose—that God has plans for people.

One can see this throughout history—God preserving people and using them and their stories for His purposes, for inspiration, for hope (see the biblical story of Daniel, for example). From Bible times all the way to today, God is working. True, there are times when life ends too soon, and it breaks God’s heart and ours (and thankfully we know He can still bring good out of any situation and will soon make all things new). But there are many times when survival and preservation for a little more time is a reality, and big things happen as a result. The December 17, 2011, cover story is another cool story of survival, one that I’m sure means God has fantastic plans in store for the author. Be sure to check it out.

The Bible says God has plans for you, too. They may come to pass now, or later down the road (the timing is up to Him), but you can rest assured that His eyes are on you. Why not get with Him and see what He has in store?

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Bible Drive

Tom

September 7, 2011

We just received this postcard at the Insight office. It looks like a pretty cool thing to take part in. I looked at some things on their Web site and it looks legit.

I know I have a lot of Bibles that I don't use anymore at home in boxes--some older ones, versions I don't really use, even a couple Spanish translations.

Do you have old Bibles just sitting around collecting dust? Well, after making sure you've kept some Scripture on hand for your own use, why not donate the copies you aren't using?

Check out this postcard and their Web site, www.bf.org.

OK, so the postcard image on the Web here is kind of hard to read, but check out the Web site and see what you can do to get God's Word out to a hurting world.

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10 Previous Blogs

And the Game Goes On
12/3/2012 1:06:26 PM

What Do You Do? What Do You Want? Weigh in on Insight's direction.
12/6/2011 11:33:51 AM

Black Wednesday
11/23/2011 8:48:42 AM

Purposely Preserved
10/18/2011 2:09:04 PM

Bible Drive
9/7/2011 11:24:34 AM

Memphis Junior Academy
8/15/2011 5:59:53 AM

Collar Bombs and Sin
8/3/2011 10:06:53 AM

Some Thoughts on Bin Laden
5/5/2011 11:46:19 AM

A Call
3/15/2011 2:27:25 PM

A Decade Later
1/25/2011 3:10:11 PM

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