Notes on a Super Bowl Sunday

            As a note, I have not written much lately, in part, due to having been mildly ill for the past 3½  weeks.

Today is the great American secular holiday, Super Bowl Sunday.  According to CNN this morning, the average U.S. person spends $64, which adds up to as much as the total GNP of Montenegro.  That’s an interesting comparison of apples and oranges.

            I am a football fan.  Having grown up in Michigan, and spent 11 years of my life in north Florida, I am a fan of the Lions and Jaguars.  As I see no benefit to them of either the Giants or New England winning, I somehow don’t really care who wins, and the teams appear to me to be quite even.  I am sure this evening I will watch it.

            This morning on tv, I saw a discussion this morning about Mitt Romney’s “I don’t care about the very poor” comment.  As I am among the very poor, it gives me one more reason to dislike him as a potential leader.  I fully well believe he is the most competent businessman in the field, but I am amazed at many of our top “leaders” in their inability to avoid the improper comment.  Of course, I am also not particularly impressed on his point of view on 2^nd century South American history, but I also know that that is a point now politically incorrect to bring up.  I imagine over the next few months, on various Christian television programs, a review of why we disagree with Morman theology will just “happen” to be brought up.  Of course, on the other hand, many “great” leaders have been sufficiently driven persons as to be less than optimally likable.  As this blog is on subject concerning following Jesus in an organic manner, hopefully, that statement is sufficiently ambivalent to be considered unclear.

             During the last week, I had the opportunity to speak with a person looking for an organic church in this area.  A brother stated that most churches have reasons to be, to use his term, incognito.  I believe this helps keep the focus on honoring Jesus, as opposed to leaders, styles, and programs.

            I anticipate writing some, in the extremely near future, on researching and studying the book of First Thessalonians.  I have noticed, among institutional churches and leaders, a tendency to quote chapters 3 and 4 far more frequently than chapter 5, which, obviously, has two sentences in it that highly speak about keeping the church a simple, by the Spirit, informal grouping.  More later.