Greatest Sports Movie Ever?

Over the course of our 3-day weekend, the boys and I watched several movies, two of which were Rudy and Remember the Titans. After watching both of those and being brought to tears by both of them (that's right... I'm man enough to admit it), I began to wonder, what is the greatest sports movie of all time? I have a few personal favorites, and I've listed them below.

1. Rudy - This moving true story of an undersized, dyslexic, blue-collar kid from Illinois who stopped at nothing to realize his dream of playing football at Notre Dame is truly inspiring. His determination and passion to see his dream come true can be a lesson for us all. Sean Astin does an incredible job of portraying Rudy Ruettiger, and the scene where he breaks into tears after getting accepted to Notre Dame on his last chance is simply moving.
   Memorable Quote: "You're 5 foot nothin', 100 and nothin', and you have nearly a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football team in the land for 2 years. And you're gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself."
   
   
2. Remember the Titans - This movie is also based on a true story, and tells the tale of an Alexandria, Virginia high school football team forced to deal with racial issues after their school is forced to integrate in 1971. Head Coach Herman Boone (played by Denzel Washington) set an example for the whole community by bringing the football team together despite racial, cultural and economic differences. This is a very inspiring movie, and the racial issues are dealt with from an equitable viewpoint, showing that we all have to give a little to unite and share this planet as human beings.
   Memorable Quote: "I'm not gonna talk to you tonight about winnin' and losin'. You're already winners 'cause you didn't kill each other up at camp."
   
   
3. Miracle - This is the story of the 1980 US Hockey Team that won the Gold Medal in the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. I remember watching this drama unfold back in 1980, especially the game with the Soviet Union, which is featured on the movie. I didn't know anything about hockey at the time, and I certainly didn't know what "icing" and "offsides" meant. All I knew was that we were playing the Commies, and we just had to win. Jim Craig became a personal hero of mine at the time, and I still get goosebumps when I hear Al Michaels' call of the last five seconds of that game. Miracle does a great job of humanizing these boys, and showing the obstacles that they overcame to obtain the ultimate prize. This is not just another cheesy sports movie. Kurt Russell's portrayal of head coach Herb Brooks, the use of real hockey players in the cast, as well as the use of Al Michaels' original play-by-play call of the USSR game make this more than a movie: it's an experience.
   Memorable Quote: "When you pull on that jersey, the name on the front is a hell of alot more important than the one on the back."
   
   
4. Hoosiers - Gene Hackman plays a down-and-out basketball coach in 1950's Indiana that is given a final chance at coaching at a small-town high school. This movie is also based on a true story (which seems to be a pattern among my favorites) of the Milan, IN Indians, who won the Indiana state championship in 1954. What makes this significant is that during this time, there were no classifications governing high schools. So what you have here is the equivalent of a 1A school here in Texas beating a large 5A school. The fact that they even made it to the state title game is remarkable, much less the fact that they won it. Great story with great acting, Hoosiers is an all-time classic.
   Memorable Quote: "I play, coach stays. He goes, I go."

Those are my nominations. I invite others to post their ideas and favorites in the comments. I would like to hear what others think about this topic. I love movies and I love sports, so this is a topic that I'm naturally interested in. Let me know your thoughts.

Until next time... - B

Uhhhh... I dunno...?

This morning, I was innocently brushing my teeth and looking at my thinning hair in the mirror when Kim walked in and posed a question to me.

"Do you know what our problem is in this house?"

Oh, boy. I scanned my mental database of potentially explosive questions and their accompanying defusing answers, and I came back with the response, "I didn't know we had one."

As I sat there smug and confident that my answer was the right one, Kim said, "We have two otters, a lion and a beaver living in our house." To which I replied, "Well, we better get them out. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to keep wild animals in your home."

She rolled her eyes at my lame attempt at humor, and proceeded to explain. She has been reading the book Home Remedies by Gary Smalley and John Trent. In that book, Gary Smalley likens the different personality types to animals, and then proceeds to help with coexistence between the different types. Below is a brief synopsis of the zoo, so to speak.

1. Lion - This personality likes to lead. The lion is good at making decisions and is very goal-oriented. They enjoy challenges, difficult assignments, and opportunity for advancement. Because lions are thinking of the goal, they can step on people to reach it. Lions can be very agressive and competitive. Lions must learn not to be too bossy or to take charge in other's affairs.
   Biblical Example: Paul
2. Otter - Otters are very social creatures. Otter personalities love people. They enjoy being popular and influencing and motivating others. Otters can sometimes be hurt when people do not like them. Otter personalities usually have lots of friends, but not deep relationships. They love to goof-off. (They are notorious for messy rooms.) Otters like to hurry and finish jobs. (Jobs are not often done well.) The otter personality is like Tigger in Winnie The Pooh.
   Biblical Example: Peter
3. Golden Retriever - Good at making friends. Very loyal. Retriever personalities do not like big changes. They look for security. Can be very sensitive. Very caring. Has deep relationships, but usually only a couple of close friends. Wants to be loved by everyone. Looks for appreciation. Works best in a limited situation with a steady work pattern.
   Biblical Example: Abraham
4. Beaver - Organized. Beavers think that there is a right way to do everything and they want to do it exact that way. Beaver personalities are very creative. They desire to solve everything. Desire to take their time and do it right. Beavers do not like sudden changes. They need reassurance.
   Biblical Example: Moses

Well, needless to say, it didn't take me long to figure out who was who. Those of you who know us best probably could figure it out, too. Kim is the lion, Michael is the beaver, and Stephen and I are SO otters.

So, nothing really deep today, but interesting none the less. Take some time to look into this for yourself. You can read more about it at http://www.lifeway.com/fit4/heart/personality/personality.asp. I think they even have a quiz you can take that will help you in determining what "animal" you are.

Until next time... B

Iron Sharpening Iron

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17 - NIV)

(I apologize in advance for the length of this. I've been stewing over it for a while...)

The Lord has lately really been impressing on my heart the need for other men in my life to which I can be accountable. Friends who know me well enough to know when I'm struggling, and that have the guts to call me on the carpet when they may see me heading down a path I shouldn't be going down. The above verse from Proverbs, while taken out of context, is clear to me in that us men need other men in our lives to foster our spiritual growth.

That being said, what are we doing as the "Church Universal", and the American Church in particular, to foster these relationships among our men? Oh sure, there are random friendships that develop among men of a particular body of believers, but I don't feel like the church is doing enough to stress the importance of these relationships or, to go a step further, offer effective means of fostering them and bringing them about.

I look around in our churches today, and see that while some churches are doing something, by and large men's ministry has been put on the back shelf, or worse yet, done away with altogether. We have taken men's ministry and reduced it to a Prayer Breakfast every once in a while, and an occasional mundane Bible Study that frankly has no appeal to my generation and younger. I would like to propose a new approach, although it's not new at all in that organizations such as Legacy Outfitters and Ransomed Heart Ministries have been using this for several years.

I hold to a philosophy that says that men are unique creatures in the way that we approach things. This shouldn't be news to anyone, yet the church has tried to approach men's ministry in the same way that we've approached ministry for women, children, youth, etc. "If you offer it, they will come." I don't think that this is true for men. You can't take a group of random men, put them together in a room, tell them that they are an "Accountability Group", ask them to set up a regular meeting, and expect them to just start spilling their guts. This may work for women, but it DOES NOT WORK FOR MEN. You're going to end up with a group of guys that can't wait to get out of that room and never come back.

No, I feel that while Bible Studies and seminars have their place, they are not going to bring about the type of "iron sharpening iron" situation that we need to make us more Godly men. That is going to take men spending time together participating in common interests, fostering relationships in the process. Let's not make this any more spiritual than we have to. Do we have to get together and ponder over the views of eschatology or the five points of Calvinism to grow closer together as men? Or would playing a round of golf, or cooking for a barbecue or going on a hunt do the same thing?

I would even venture to say that you would be much more successful in getting men to buy into this if you offer something in which they can pursue something they love at the same time. It's not about golf or hunting or cooking... it's about the resulting relationships, and the friendships that normally occur when men spend time together doing something they love.

That being said, I have shared some of these ideas with others in my church, and lo and behold, I'm now the chairman of the Men's Ministry Committee (funny how that works in a Baptist church). My plans are to share my heart with the committee and pray that God has prepared these men's hearts for the work before us.

I'm sure I'll be blogging more on this in the future, so I'll shut up now. Just keep me in your prayers as I begin this endeavour. I don't see this as just another committee appointment. I see this as my place of ministry for the time being, and I expect God to do great things if we be humble and sensitive to His leadership.

Until next time... B

Thoughts on the New Year

Every year when we start our calendar anew in January, I can't help but stop and reflect on what I can do to make this coming year better than the last. I'm in constant need of improvement in every aspect of my life: financially, physically and most important, spiritually. I would like to look back in December of 2006 and see that I and my family are better off than we were in January, especially in our relationships with each other and with the Lord.

I have come up with a list of both long-term and short-term goals that I plan to work on through the course of this year. I refuse to call these "resolutions", because the whole idea of New Years Resolutions has become so blase, and people seem to make them with the intention of breaking them as soon as they can. However, I guess if you must, you can call them "resolutions" if you want. :) Here goes:

• Spend more time being a dad and husband, and less time doing "stuff" (including Church "stuff")
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Decrease the importance of food in my life
• Read through the Bible this year
• Continue to foster friendships with Godly men for accountability
• Continue to lower our debt
• Be more faithful in my giving to the Lord

Some of these are pretty vague, but really are an on-going process that may or may not be measurable to anyone but me. However, I feel that if I make progress in these areas in my own eyes, that I've taken more steps toward maturity in every aspect of my life.

Happy New Years to you all, and I look forward to continue blogging at you through the course of the year.

Until next time... -B