"But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips" (Colossians 3:8).
"Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance" (Titus 2:2).
In an article in the sports section of the Tulsa World today titled "Profanity Remains a Sports Curse" (www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?subjectid=93&articleid=20090215_29_B1_Profan567422), sports writer Bill Haisten writes about the prevalence of profanity in sports today.
The problem is not new. I had football coaches in middle school in the early 1980s who did not seem to know how to refrain from profanity in their normal conversations. I'm not sure that they ever knew that they were not nearly as respected as my coaches who demonstrated self-discipline.
The article singled out two great coaches who never used profanity: Tom Landry and Tony Dungy. While other coaches are mentioned in the article, I'm not sure that any are more respected than those two men.
If we want to stand out as respectable in today's society, we must watch our language and maintain high standards for ourselves.
Showing posts with label Tulsa World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tulsa World. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Church Dropouts
Last Saturday, the Tulsa World ran an interesting story about why many people "drop out" of churches after leaving high school (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=18&articleID=20080202_1_A8_hMany37332). Some of the reasons were understandable. After all, some churches are "boring" for some reason. Some do not see the Christian life as an adventure with both fun and danger. Some churches put on "an act." They concentrate on a show without substance.
However, some of the reasons cannot be changed. A church must teach that homosexuality is a sin, even though it may appear "homophobic" to young people. We must teach the truth with compassion.
In No More Jellyfish, Chickens, or Wimps: Raising Secure, Assertive Kids in a Tough World, Paul Coughlin mentions a reason for young people dropping out of churches that I have never read before. He writes,
"(It) is spiritually neglectful not to explain to our children that if they align their lives with God's will, they will be met with challenges. If we don't, we can be sure we'll be raising a generation of what I call Second-Seed people---those who walk away from their faith when the going gets tough.
When we read Jesus' parable of the sower (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8), which describes why faith grows in some but not in others, we hope we'll only find our inner lives described in one key passage. When we find our faithlessness laid bare on the page, we sometimes fail to understand the real reason: We simply don't have the backbone to withstand the difficulties that come from being the oddballs God wants us to be.
Second-Seed people respond superficially to God's Word.
These are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. (Mark 4:16-17 NRSV).
They lack the rugged virtue of fortitude. Why? Because their training makes them so eager to please others that they crumple under even mild criticism. They were trained to be nice kids instead of good ones" (pp. 112-113).
I want to raise a good son, not necessarily a nice one. Although his teachers may not like it and it may cause me some problems in the future, I have told Christopher to intervene when another student is doing something wrong or hurting another. I warned him that he may get into trouble at school for doing so, but that he would have my support at home. I would be proud of him for standing up to those who would harm others. He would be a hero. I want to train him to do good despite opposition, misunderstanding, and trouble. If he is to become a godly man, he will need such training to make it in a world in which evil and wrong are rarely challenged. I am convinced that, if he grasps such lessons, he will not become another "church dropout."
However, some of the reasons cannot be changed. A church must teach that homosexuality is a sin, even though it may appear "homophobic" to young people. We must teach the truth with compassion.
In No More Jellyfish, Chickens, or Wimps: Raising Secure, Assertive Kids in a Tough World, Paul Coughlin mentions a reason for young people dropping out of churches that I have never read before. He writes,
"(It) is spiritually neglectful not to explain to our children that if they align their lives with God's will, they will be met with challenges. If we don't, we can be sure we'll be raising a generation of what I call Second-Seed people---those who walk away from their faith when the going gets tough.
When we read Jesus' parable of the sower (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8), which describes why faith grows in some but not in others, we hope we'll only find our inner lives described in one key passage. When we find our faithlessness laid bare on the page, we sometimes fail to understand the real reason: We simply don't have the backbone to withstand the difficulties that come from being the oddballs God wants us to be.
Second-Seed people respond superficially to God's Word.
These are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. (Mark 4:16-17 NRSV).
They lack the rugged virtue of fortitude. Why? Because their training makes them so eager to please others that they crumple under even mild criticism. They were trained to be nice kids instead of good ones" (pp. 112-113).
I want to raise a good son, not necessarily a nice one. Although his teachers may not like it and it may cause me some problems in the future, I have told Christopher to intervene when another student is doing something wrong or hurting another. I warned him that he may get into trouble at school for doing so, but that he would have my support at home. I would be proud of him for standing up to those who would harm others. He would be a hero. I want to train him to do good despite opposition, misunderstanding, and trouble. If he is to become a godly man, he will need such training to make it in a world in which evil and wrong are rarely challenged. I am convinced that, if he grasps such lessons, he will not become another "church dropout."
Friday, November 16, 2007
Have You Read the Obituaries Today?
I am not making this up. This is an actual sentence from one of today's obituaries in the Tulsa World:
"An enthusiastic, though independent, member of the Park Plaza Church of Christ, Elizabeth was a T-Totaler, most likely in response to her husband Frank, who was the opposite."
"An enthusiastic, though independent, member of the Park Plaza Church of Christ, Elizabeth was a T-Totaler, most likely in response to her husband Frank, who was the opposite."
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Pay It Forward
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things" (Philippians 4:8, NIV).
The Tulsa World published a good article today about some citizens of Owasso (a Tulsa suburb) who have created "Character Coins." When they see someone doing something good for someone else, they give that person a coin and ask him or her to notice someone else doing good so that it can be passed on to another person.
I like the idea for 2 reasons:
1. People are encouraged in doing good.
2. It creates a mindset in which we are looking for the good in life rather than the negative.
The article may be read at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071007_1_A2_hNewc70268.
The Tulsa World published a good article today about some citizens of Owasso (a Tulsa suburb) who have created "Character Coins." When they see someone doing something good for someone else, they give that person a coin and ask him or her to notice someone else doing good so that it can be passed on to another person.
I like the idea for 2 reasons:
1. People are encouraged in doing good.
2. It creates a mindset in which we are looking for the good in life rather than the negative.
The article may be read at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071007_1_A2_hNewc70268.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Abortion in the News
Yesterday, the Oklahoma Senate approved a bill that will prohibit tax money from supporting most unnecessary abortions in our state.
The Tulsa World's article about the measure stated, "The measure bans the use of public money and facilities for abortions except to save a woman's life or in cases of rape or incest."
The Oklahoman's report stated, "State senators easily gave final passage Wednesday to a new abortion bill that prohibits public money and institutions from being used to perform abortions...SB 139 allows abortions to save a mother's life and in cases of rape or incest."
Woman or mother? Since the Tulsa World officially supports the legal killing of any pre-born child, it chose the term "woman," because to say "mother" would imply that a child is involved in the abortion, making its justification more difficult. The Oklahoman recognized and reported the truth: a pregnant woman is a mother, a woman responsible for nurturing a child. The Oklahoman is to be commended for its honesty.
The Tulsa World's article about the measure stated, "The measure bans the use of public money and facilities for abortions except to save a woman's life or in cases of rape or incest."
The Oklahoman's report stated, "State senators easily gave final passage Wednesday to a new abortion bill that prohibits public money and institutions from being used to perform abortions...SB 139 allows abortions to save a mother's life and in cases of rape or incest."
Woman or mother? Since the Tulsa World officially supports the legal killing of any pre-born child, it chose the term "woman," because to say "mother" would imply that a child is involved in the abortion, making its justification more difficult. The Oklahoman recognized and reported the truth: a pregnant woman is a mother, a woman responsible for nurturing a child. The Oklahoman is to be commended for its honesty.
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