The World Series of Poker

With the first round of the baseball playoffs are completed and with no local NHL or NBA games on I found myself searching for something to watch last night on TV. Usually when there isn’t a game on I will turn to the Law and Order franchise to get my fix of TV viewing, however last night I was drawn to watching the first hour of ESPN’s final table of the World Series of Poker. You can ask yourself the question; why I would watch a non Law and Order or a non sports event show especially one that glorifies gambling and all the inherent evil that gambling brings. The answer comes not from the card playing but rather from the way the eventual winner conducted himself. Jerry Yang the winner of the WSOP is a born again believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I found myself appalled and thrilled that the name of Jesus was being invoked last night not in a derogatory fashion but rather is in an uplifting fashion. I was appalled because here was the name of Jesus being associated with gambling but I was thrilled because the person invoking His name was demonstrating the love of Christ in all of his actions. Even Jerry’s parents, who forbade him from playing cards as a youth, were there and they to, along with his wife were glorifying and praising the name of Jesus not only as Jerry won hand after hand but even as the consoled the families and the other men who Jerry defeated.
I am not so sure I want a generation of young men and women taking up poker in the name of Jesus; I am sure however of the fact that as Jesus has called us to go and make disciples of all nations. And just as He would eat and drink with sinners so must we even if that means playing a game or two of poker.

Today's Culture

Earlier this week we once again witnessed a disturbing clash of worldviews, the hedonistic, naturalistic worldview where life is de-valued and the Christian worldview where life is precious and valued. A local Detroit radio station’s evening DJ decided that it would be a good idea to offer cash to the person who guessed the day that Brittany Spears would end her life either by a drug overdose or however she would die. This type of activity, if you want to call it an activity is known as a “dead pool”. Local residents and those touched by suicide were outraged at the stunt and the station pulled the web site that it had set up and issued a public apology.
In today’s culture we are constantly being bombarded with this naturalistic, hedonistic worldview whether it is from the abortion industry, the pornography industry or even from the national or local media industry. The live for self pleasure attitude rules the day and unfortunately it has permeated even to the church.
What is the response to this culture of death? Simply it is the promotion of the culture of life. There is no better place to start than in the home and in the church. God instructed His people to share without fail his commandments, decrees, and statutes and the place where that was to begin and continue was in the home. He said to teach them in the morning, at noon, in the evening, to teach them as you were on your way, and when you were coming home. Surround your home with those commandments and not only speak about them live them every day. How do we overcome the culture of death we overcome it at home.