Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[CBS 4]

Could the power of prayer be responsible for Dolphins’ win against the Baltimore Ravens? What may have been one of the most impressive plays of the season, the Miami Dolphins Greg Camarillo’s 64 yard touchdown in overtime was the key to keep the Fins from tying the record for the most losses in an NFL season, beating the Baltimore Ravens 22-16 to put the Dolphins in the win column. The stunning game-ending play sent Ravens to an eighth straight defeat, but broke a Dolphins losing streak which stretched back to 2006.

Last week Commentator Jim DeFede went to Saint Martha’s Church and caught up with a few parishioners to see if they could help the Dolphins. Any chance I could ask you to pray for the Miami Dolphins so they might win a game?

During the Mass, Father Jimenez agreed to work in a few kind words for the Dolphins, even though it was clear he doesn’t really follow the team.

“We are praying for them,” Father Jimenez said in mass.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Well I guess I’ve been out of fellowship with God considering my prayers for the TIDE!

What do you think?

[Yahoo News]

John Kitna has worn baseball caps emblazoned with a cross since 1996, when he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. Several years ago, while playing in Cincinnati, he started ordering 500 at a time to give away. Kitna gathers his teammates for a prayer circle after every practice and game, and about a dozen of them come over each week with their wives and girlfriends for Bible study.

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer said Kitna brought teammates closer by sharing his faith.

“He’s a guy you want to talk to, you want to be around, you want to listen to, because he’s full of knowledge,” Palmer said Wednesday. “You know he knows any religious question you can bring to him. A lot of guys have different questions, whether it be about the Bible or about any religion. You feel comfortable going to him because he’s not going to give you a one-sided answer. He’s going to give you the truth.

Even though Kitna is a self-described “Bible-thumper,” the subtle signs of his religious beliefs inside his home match up with how he acts around his teammates.

“He’s not a prophetizer with his words,” Lions president Matt Millen said Tuesday. “Jon offers his life as his testimony. I think he does that because he’s been there. The reformed are usually the best examples because they understand.”

Read about it here.

[From me]

This is the way all believers should act around their friends, co-workers, families and neighbors.  INVEST & INVITE.

What do you think?

[From Christian Post]

The wife of a professional indoor football player has accused the team’s management of benching her husband over his religious beliefs.

Troy Vermillion, a wide receiver for the Colorado Ice and upfront Christian, had a disagreement with his coaches over a pornographic-like film that would be played during a bus road trip, which his wife Hilda said has led to his release from the team roster.

In an interview with Concerned Women for America (CWA), Hilda Vermillion said the couple feels that their rights have been violated over the incident, and that her husband’s benching is biased.

The problem that sparked the controversy occurred during a bus trip to an away game for the Colorado Ice. According to Vermillion, the coaches on the team had brought on questionable material, including pornographic magazines. The wide receiver decided not to say anything, however, since it was their decision.

When the squad had decided to put on the uncut version of the movie Wedding Crashers, Vermillion decided to speak up since he would be forced to watch. He disagreed with the nudity in the film, and asked the coach if they could watch something else and had agreed to watch Invincible instead.

Following a break, however, the team ended up starting the Wedding Crashers DVD. The Christian football player, who was sitting in the back of the bus, then called his coach in the front twice by phone confronting him about the movie and what they had agreed on. The coach instead cussed Vermillion out.

The wide receiver then asked if he could get off the bus and catch a ride from another vehicle since they were riding in a caravan. The coach refused, however.

Read about it here.

[From Hollywood.com]

A lawsuit has been launched against a school teacher who showed Brokeback Mountain to a class of young students. Twelve-year-old Jessica Turner and her grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking $500,000 against the Chicago Board of Education after the homosexual cowboy movie was shown at Ashburn Community Elementary School.

Read about it here.

[HT: Stuart Delony]

[From me]

I guess only Christians should be tolerant– not the other way around. Why couldn’t the coach let the player off and let him catch another ride? More hypocrisy from the Political Correctness police.

I wouldn’t want my children watching Brokeback Mountain! It is OK to watch sexual immorality but smoking cigarettes will get an “R” rating-what is up with that?

It is becoming hate speech if we tell people what the Bible says but we try to live Holy lives without sexual immorality and tolerance is out the window.

What do you think?

[From Yahoo sports]

Former NFL rushing champion Ricky Williams tested positive again for marijuana last month, which will delay his return to the league until at least September, a person familiar with the case said Friday. Williams sought to end a one-year drug suspension last month when he asked to rejoin the Miami Dolphins.

Read about it here.

[From WSLS]

Michael Vick has distanced himself from an alleged dog fighting operations.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback refused today to discuss the case, and he has reportedly sold the house in Virginia that was the center of the dog fighting controversy.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell already met with Vick and could impose a suspension if it’s shown that he knew about dozens of mistreated dogs that allegedly were used for fighting.

The animals were found at a home owned by Vick in Smithfield, though he said previously that he rarely went to the house. He has had drug issues too.

Read about it here.

[From me]

I dreamed of playing in the NFL but there wasn’t much need for a slow white cornerback. The pro athletes are given so much money it is amazing. They don’t know what to do with their fame and money. Josh Hancock of the St. Louis Cardinals was killed 2 weeks ago in a car accident. Turns out he was drunk and had marijuana in the SUV he was driving. Sad.

Will these athletes grow up and realize the privilege they have in playing pro sports? What a waste of talent.

What do you think?