By Arash Markazi
ESPNLosAngeles.com

It will forever go down as basketball’s version of Dan and Dave. A rivalry manufactured on Madison Ave. and idealistically played out in boardrooms like children toying with puppets.

Kobe versus LeBron is dead — again — and sadly we may never see it.

As the country searches to find the deeper meaning of LeBron James being humbled in the postseason, another embarrassing playoff exit for a player who seems to be regressing in the clutch since being swept out of the NBA Finals three years ago, I’m still coming to grips with the death of the Kobe Bryant-LeBron James Final we’ve been promised for the past two years.

LeBron will be fine. I’m not worried about him or his legacy. He will re-sign with Cleveland or go to New York, continue to make millions of dollars and establish himself as one of the greatest basketball players ever. Whether or not he finishes his career with a handful of championship rings is inconsequential to me and something I’m not going to lose any sleep over until he tearfully retires without a title. I’m sorry if I’m not ready to write the review of a play halfway through Act I.

We still have at least 10 more years to shape and mold LeBron’s legacy. I know we’d all love to gift-wrap and mail in the career of a 25-year-old player in a quick 30-second sound bite or a 30-inch column, but it can’t be done and I won’t do it.

LeBron’s career will not be defined by one playoff series. He’ll recover, but what we lost tonight and might never get again is Kobe versus LeBron in the NBA Finals, which is not only a huge loss for the NBA but for both of their legacies.

No matter what LeBron ends up doing in the offseason we can all agree the odds of him reaching the NBA Finals next season aren’t as much of a foregone conclusion as we had previously thought. If he returns to Cleveland, the Cavaliers, after being eliminated before the Finals despite having the best record in the league the past two seasons, have to make major changes to get past the Celtics and more important the Magic. If he goes to New York, the Knicks’ rebuilding process will be even more daunting.

Meanwhile, Kobe will turn 32 in August and has already shown the wear and tear of a player in the back end of his career. If we were going to get Kobe versus LeBron in the Finals it had to be last year or this year. If we end up getting it two or three years from now it will be like watching Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando in “The Score.” It might not be terrible, but you’ll always wonder how amazing it would have been if they were both in their prime.

The truth is Kobe needs LeBron and LeBron needs Kobe. As manufactured as their rivalry may be, they need to face one another to validate their accomplishments during a time when you are judged by your competition as much as your talent. Yes, Kobe finally won a championship without Shaquille O’Neal last season when the Lakers beat the Magic, but how much bigger would the victory have been viewed historically and by his critics if he had taken down LeBron in the process? It would have been infinitely more memorable if Kobe had his hands raised while LeBron was walking off the court with his head down behind him.

All great stories have heroes and villains, ebbs and flows, drama and intrigue and that’s what Kobe versus LeBron potentially represented. It represented everything we miss about the NBA during the 1980s when we’d have either Magic versus Bird, Magic versus Dr. J, Bird versus Dr. J or Magic versus Isiah every year for a decade. These weren’t distinctly separate characters who never played one other; they were intertwined and were ultimately judged by how they fared against each other on the biggest stage. That’s why the league was so transcendent then. Anyone sitting down to watch the NBA Finals back in the ’80s knew who the top two players facing each other were. It was like a heavyweight boxing match, back when people actually knew who the heavyweight champion was.

The days of having those kinds of rivalries in the NBA are as dead as a big-time heavyweight title fight in boxing.

If Kobe were to beat Orlando in the Finals again this year and win his fifth championship, it would certainly add to his legacy, but it wouldn’t be remembered as fondly by history or silence his critics as much as a win over LeBron (not to mention Shaq) would.

The same goes for LeBron.

A few years from now if he finally wins the title but does so against Brandon Roy and the Trail Blazers, it would still be a great moment but not the same as taking down Kobe and the Lakers. The fact Michael Jordan’s first championship came against Magic and the Lakers at the Forum did as much to cement his legacy as anything else he did during his career.

So don’t worry about LeBron and his legacy. Call me crazy, but something tells me the kid will be just fine. But take a moment to remember the rivalry that never was and may never be — Kobe versus LeBron. It’s a rivalry that will continue to be played out in bar rooms, talk shows and ill-fated ad campaigns but sadly never on the court the way it should have been.

Re post from Perrynoble.com

Jesus made it pretty clear in John 13:34-35 as to how the world would know we are His disciples…notice He did NOT say, “They will know you are my disciples…

#1 – By the way you forward really stupid, ridiculous emails to one another…and if you refuse to forward them to everyone you have in your contact list then you don’t love me.

#2 – By the way you yell at people who don’t know me for living as if they don’t know me.

#3 – By your T-shirts and bumper stickers!

#4 – By the music you listen to!

#5 – By the political party you support.

#6 – By the denomination you belong to.

#7 – By the way you protest.

#8 – By the products and companies you boycott.

#9 – By the way you look down on those whom you perceive aren’t as good as you.

#10 – By the way you take from one another!

Nope…John 13:34-35 is clear, Jesus didn’t mix His Words…we are called to live this out.

First off…
I DID NOT WRITE THIS!
There are some things in this article that I agree with and some that I don’t!
I personally DO NOT drink. But it’s not because I think if a person of age does drink that he’s committing a sin. I’m simply posting this because I would love to hear your opinions on this. That’s all! No arguing. Just your opinions.

By Jason Boyett…
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/features-reviews/life/1539-alcohol-a-commentary

Question: Which is better? Fishing with one Baptist or two Baptists?

Answer: Two. If you take one, you’ll have to share your beer. If you take two, you’ll have the beer to yourself, because Baptists won’t drink in front of each other.

I’m not much of a drinker. I didn’t drink alcohol at all until I was 22 years old. And these days, I might have little more than the equivalent of two 6-packs over the course of a year. A Coors or Shiner Bock when I play poker with my brother’s friends. The occasional mixed drink when hanging with another couple from our church. And should I find myself in the Caribbean, I’m man enough to admit I really like banana coladas—not the virgin ones my wife prefers, but the real thing. And that’s pretty much it.

Other confessions: I like to smoke when I go fly-fishing, because campfires are better with a good cigar, and mountain air is fresher after a cigarette. Furthermore, I play cards, invest in the stock market, let my wife manage our family’s finances and used to watch “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with devoted regularity.

Next time you’re in a church service, fold a paper airplane out of the bulletin, give it a good toss, and chances are you’ll hit someone who thinks at least one of the activities above are sinful. Problem is, none of them are expressly prohibited by anything in the Bible, unless you do tricky things with the language or remove things from context. That’s one of the big struggles with being a Christian in a society two millennia removed from the time the last of our scriptures were written—all the gray areas. Jesus never said, “Disciples, don’t drink alcohol.” He never told any parables about the effects of R-rated movies on his followers. He never chastised the Pharisees for spending too much time playing video games. Of course, he was pretty clear on things like adultery and divorce. And he really got worked up when the religious folks passed judgment on those who didn’t live up to their lengthy lists of societal and religious rules

When Jesus walked around Palestine, the people who most upset him were the Pharisees. Why? Because they focused on their petty, pseudo-religious rules while losing sight of the important stuff like loving God and loving people. We do the same today. Lots of the “rules” of our comfortable Christian subculture are based more on tradition than the Bible. They have more to do with the notion of “being separate” from the world than being made in the image of Christ. And how significant is it that this attitude of separation places great emphasis on some issues of outward appearance (alcohol, smoking, tattoos, entertainment) and not others (unthinking consumerism, gluttony)?

Which brings us to the issue of drinking alcohol. Many readers strongly believe the Bible is clear in its prohibition of alcoholic beverages. Others believe Scripture doesn’t precisely disallow it, but feel it’s best in today’s society to abstain. And there are still others who think there is absolutely nothing wrong with drinking, while recognizing that drunkenness is very much a sinful act.

Some Christians go even further on the issue and don’t condemn drunkenness. A good friend of mine got to spend an evening with the members of a notable hardcore Christian band. After a concert at a local Christian venue, they all proceeded to a local bar and got plastered—the band, their management, the venue’s promoters, everyone. My friend ended up actually escorting the entourage around that evening because she was the only one in any condition to drive. Needless to say, it was a very long, weird night for her. She wondered if her local Christian bookstore would still display their huge cardboard cutout of the band had they known what went on that evening.

That’s all there is to the story. You’re wondering who the band was, aren’t you? Why is that? Is it so you can judge them? Pray for them? Join them? What’s the Christian response to that kind of story?
Let’s leave those questions aside and just look at some of the issues regarding the Bible and alcohol.

There’s somethings I could watch over and over and over again and never get tired of them…
Not only never get tired of them but be inspired by them…
This short clip of a sermon called “How Great Is Our God” by Louie Giglio is one of them…

One of the questions I’ve asked many Pastors in Ministry is “How do you turn it off or can you turn it off”? I’ve really struggled with taking “days off” since I’ve started Full Time ministry! My mind is constantly racing about God, People and the plans he has for his people!
I came across this blog post by Perry Noble in which he talks about this so I thought I’d share it with you in case you’re a Pastor and you’re going through the same thing…

From Perry…
One of the questions I get often in leadership circles is, “How do you turn ‘it’ off?  How do you go home and just not think about the church anymore?  How can you sleep at night and not let your mind begin to obsess about the things you need to do?”

I think that is a GREAT question…because I’ve been asking it for years.

If you are a leader you know exactly what I’m talking about…

• You go home…but while you are at dinner you catch yourself thinking about the next day.  (You’ve got to fight to stay focused on your family.)
• You try to lay down and go to sleep…but your mind starts churning about things that you have coming up.
• You get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom…and a sermon idea or a leadership solution hits you and you are up for the rest of the night thinking about it.
• You go on vacation…and while you are there (usually about three days in) ideas begin to hit you out of nowhere and you have to find a journal to write them down in.

I could go on and on…but I am sure if you are a leader then you get the point.

I used to think I was crazy…that I was cracking up…that there was a switch inside of me that I could flip and that by doing so I would be able to disconnect and not really care about the church, the Great Commission and/or the calling that God has placed on my life.

Until I had this thought one day…if you can turn “it” off…then you probably never had “it” to begin with.

If you can leave the church and completely disconnect…then you’re probably not that connected to begin with…what you do is a paycheck & not your passion.

Reality is this…if you are called by God…if He has placed HIS zeal and passion inside of you…THEN THERE ISN’T A SWITCH ANYWHERE that you can flip to make that go away.

When I read the Scriptures I don’t see people like Nehemiah “turning the switch off.”  He cast vision, built a wall, dealt with critics and did a great work.

I don’t see JESUS “turning off the switch.”  He met the needs of people everywhere He went…and when He did try to go on a “retreat” to catch His breath and crowds followed them He would heal and feed them.

I don’t see Paul “turning off the switch.”  Everywhere he went He could not stop talking about Jesus and starting churches.

So…if you can’t “turn off the switch” you are NORMAL!  It means that Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, lives in you and is PUSHING you to do something about the things He is bringing into your awareness.

I used to feel bad that I could not “turn it off,” now I feel blessed because it affirms His calling on my life and His leadership in my life.

Via Perry Noble

I don’t know if you’ve read today or not. Or if you even like reading.
But if you love to read I have a book you should dive into.

For the people who don’t like to read because it’s “boring”, would you read a book if you knew it was about…
murder…
Lies…
Forgiveness…
Grace…
Sex…
Cheating…
Love…
Heroes…
Wars…
Would you read a book about all these things?
I mean you gotta admit, it sounds interesting right?
Ohh and I forgot, more than SIX BILLION copies of this book have been sold making it the number one selling book of all time!!!!
It’s the Bible folks!

“The goal of reading scripture is not to simply “get through” the scriptures but to get the scripture through us!” Philip Bixby

If you read it with that mindset and apply it to your life, it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!
Take some time today and read the BEST SELLER!!

Now I’ll go ahead and let my boy Rich Wilkerson Jr tell you what he thinks about this book as well…

My stomach is empty, as is my fridge. It is very much time to make a trip to the grocery store. I grab my wife, wallet and keys, and fly out the front door.

Minutes later, ravenous, I am scouring the aisles of the grocery store, piling sustenance into my cart. I have breads, cereals, meats, cheeses, puddings, pastas, frozen burritos, and produce. Kozy Shack, Life, Prego, Tillamook. Never grocery shop when you are hungry. Your savings will disappear at the checkout.

With a full cart (and then some) my wife and I exit the store. I am almost sprinting, ready to tear open a bag of Kettle Chips for the car ride home.

We get to the car and unload our groceries, caught up in the excitement of our forthcoming gluttonous feast. Then, we hop in and speed out of the parking lot. As we approach the first stoplight, we look to our left and notice a woman sitting on the median.

She is perched on an overturned shopping cart. She is dressed in tattered, mismatched clothing. Next to her is another cart filled with empty soda cans and plastic water bottles. Amidst the recyclables are several bags of belongings—socks, shirts, and small household items. Her face is sullen and vacant. She does not speak, but only looks up at us through weathered, distant eyes. The woman holds a sign:

Homeless.
Need Help.
God Bless.

The first wave of thought that comes over me is guilt: Here I am raiding Vons like a sultan and not thinking twice about it, yet this person doesn’t even have a roof over their head.

Then another thought enters my mind: What if this person is running a scam? What if she is just lazy or is an addict or has made decisions to put herself in this position? Without a doubt, there are those out there who would take advantage of a situation like this, using homelessness as a means to rip people off …

On the one hand, we know we are called to help the homeless, to give to those who are in need. Jesus was pretty clear on this. Nothing we have is our own. And everything we have been given is simply a tool to bless others, right?

But, how do we know what a homeless person is going to do with what we give them? After all, people become homeless for many different reasons. We all know the stories about the drug addicts, the drunks and the criminals. But there are also those who, through no fault of their own, have run into economic problems—and the sad reality is that there are so many more people in this situation because of our economy. We know that some are homeless because they have chosen to be, because they refuse to get a job, or because they refuse to get help for their addictions. But there are also those who are the victims of mental illness, who cannot possibly change their position in life without outside help. There are scammers—people who don’t work because they are able to raise generous amounts of cash running street hustles. But there are also many hard-working people out there who have been laid off and who are trying with all their might to find work for themselves …

I look at my wife, and I know that she is going through a similar debate inside of her. Is this a calculated attempt to capitalize on our guilt or a sincerely hurting person who desperately needs our assistance?

The light is about to turn green, and we have to make a quick decision.

We decide to keep our window rolled up and just head home.

During our ride, we deliberate over the situation, and it is a depth-filled conversation that lasts the rest of the evening.

I feel a vague sense of remorse for not giving anything to the woman. But then again, I recall times where I have been in similar situations, gave the person money, then second guessed myself afterward.

What is the right thing to do?

These are legitimate questions, because in these times our hard-earned income does not last as long or go as far as it used to. The last thing we want to be doing is giving our money away to someone who is just going to buy alcohol or drugs or find a way to avoid finding work. Yet, we want to do what is right at the same time.

Look, I know that in many cases, giving food is a better alternative than giving money. But what if you are running late for an appointment, or you are at a stoplight?

Truth be told, many of us have a preconceived opinion of homeless people. We fear them, just as we distrust their motives. And we use this as an excuse—a justification—as to why we don’t do more for those in need around us.

But here is the burning question—does God want us to give without judging the ones we are giving to? If you are stopped at a light and someone passes you with a sign asking for change, is it better to give it to them, knowing they may use it for wrong, or is it better to just look the other way?

I took this situation as an opportunity to look in the mirror. Am I doing anything at all in my life to help those in need around me, in my immediate communities? If the answer is no, do I have an excuse?

It’s the holiday season, so naturally it is a time for thanks, a time for reminding ourselves how blessed we are. And it is also a time to give to others who are in need. But this year, why not take it one step further, and examine our motives as well as our understanding of the heart of Jesus? Why not take these questions as an opportunity to look, once again, at the stories we have in our Holy Book about’ Jesus’ interaction with the needy?

So do you give to this guy??
or this guy??
or Neither?!?

THOUGHTS?!?!?

VIA Andrew Schwab
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/

It’s 3 in the morning and I can’t sleep at all so I started doing what I usually do at 3 in the morning when I can’t sleep! I started praying! Tonight after I went through some different things I’ve been praying for God placed Gary Lamb heavily on my heart!

For those of you who don’t know Gary Lamb, he is the awesome founding Pastor of Revolution Church in Canton GA! Revolution Church is only 5 years old but is now the home Church to over a thousand believers!

Well despite Gary Lambs strong walk with the Lord he made a mistake that was a pretty big one. This is a post from his blog that I’ll let tell the story of what happened. But after you read his post I’d like to say a few words to Gary!

Hardest Post I’ve Ever Written

This is a copy of the letter my friend Greg Rohlinger read from the Revolution stage today:

Dear Revolution Church,

5 years ago DeAnna and I moved to Canton Ga. with a vision to start a church that was doing whatever it took to reach those far from God. Over the last 5 years God has exceeded our expectations and more people than I can count have entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Pastoring Revolution has been one of the great highlights of my life. I think Revolution Church is the greatest church in America and I count it an honor to have been called to start her.

It is with those thoughts on my mind that I’m now writing the toughest letter I’ve ever had to write.  Effective immediately, I will be stepping down as the pastor of Revolution.  6 weeks ago, I entered into an emotional and physical affair with my personal assistant, Elena.  I have no excuses, no justification, and no one to blame but myself.  I did exactly what I have preached against from the Revolution stage by letting my guard down and putting myself into a position to fall into sin.  I’m so sorry.

It breaks my heart to know all the people I have let down from my wife DeAnna to all of you who have invested your blood, sweat, and tears into making Revolution the church it is today.  I know what I did was wrong, I have asked God for forgiveness, but there is still consequences for our sin and I’m no longer qualified to lead Revolution.

I know this comes as a shock to many of you and your emotions will vary from anger to hurt, know that it was never my desire to hurt any of you.  This is the end of my time as your pastor, but it is not the end of Revolution.  Revolution was not about me, it was about Jesus Christ.  God has awesome plans in store for Revolution and I believe with everything that is in me, He is going to to take Revolution to places we never imagined.

God has blessed this church with an incredible staff and an incredible Board of Overseers who will be led by God to make sure Revolution remains true to the vision God gave us when we started.  I plead with you to stand by them, rally around them, support them, and do whatever it takes to lift each other up during this time.

I would also ask that you stay in prayer for me and my family.  I am committed to doing what it takes to get my walk with God back to the place where I know it should be.  I am focused on Him during this time and I’m looking forward to seeing Him work in my life in the days to come.  Also pray for DeAnna and my children.  They are the true victims in this and they will need your love and grace like never before.  I am committed to getting myself healthy where I can be the husband and father my family needs.  I appreciate your prayers during this time.

Let me close out by again saying how much I love all of you.  I am so sorry I let you down. I am so sorry that I have given the cause of Christ yet another black eye. I’m so sorry that I have left all of you in this position. I’m sorry, but know I believe in you and I will be your biggest cheerleader as you reach this community for Jesus Christ.

Be Revolutionary,

Gary,

Now Gary I’ve never met you before and I highly doubt you’ll ever read this but God has been placing you on my heart to pray for you like something fierce! I’ve followed your blog and twitter for awhile and I have to say I think you’re an amazing leader!

Right now I can’t imagine the pain that you feel! I want you to know that you’re not going through this tough time alone! You have brothers and sisters in Christ that are praying for you and lifting you and your family up 24/7! We all make mistakes but there’s this little thing called GRACE! Your mistake has been forgiven by God and it has been by me too (as well as it should by other believers).

Now it’s time for you to bust your butt and do whatever it takes for you to get back to being the leader that God has called you to be! When a man falls down we’re not to sit in our mess and lay around, we’re to stand to our feet and fight like we’ve never fought before! I’m not making light of the situation at all, it was a big mistake! But big or small at some point it has to be put behind you/us so that we can move forward with the things God has called us to!

I can imagine that there are some people out there who are throwing stones at you and what not. But Gary look in the Bible and tell me one person who didn’t mess up outside of Jesus! Again I’m not making light of the situation, I just believe that you have to keep fighting because the enemy wants you to quit and give up. But the only thing the enemy deserves is a swift kick to the crouch and I think that’s exactly what you would be giving him by standing to your feet and living 100x more passionately for Christ!

You may not be the Pastor any more but trust me people are watching you and will still look to you for leadership! You may not have the platform that you had before but you still have a platform! What you do with it from here is up to you but I urge you to continue to push towards Jesus with everything in you!

I’m praying that you get back to being the Leader that God has called you to become because I know that God isn’t done with you yet! I truly belive that the best is yet to come for the Lamb family and the family of Revolution Church!

I love you and I’m praying for you and your family!
Your brother (Proverbs 17:17) in Christ that you’ve never met,

T. Rousey

This is definitely worth a repost!

West Ridge Church Gives Away Money
http://www.westridge.com/
from tonymorganlive.com by tony

We did something today at West Ridge that we’ve never done before, and the stories are already starting to flow in from people who were deeply impacted by the experience.

We’re in the middle of a brief three-week series on being “Fearless.” Basically, we’re teaching about how big our God is and that Christ-followers should be champions of hope and courage in today’s rough economic times.

After teaching a couple messages from 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, Brian challenged our church to immediately demonstrate generosity and faith. Following the example of something we heard about from Rob Bell…

* We took several thousand dollars from the church’s funds and put them in two big buckets at the front of the auditorium.
* At the end of the service, we asked folks to bring cash offerings to add to what was already in the buckets.
* It felt like just about everyone in each service came forward to make an offering. Literally thousands of people participated.
* Then we encouraged people who are hurting financially to come forward and take the money from the buckets. Some people grabbed one handful. Other people grabbed two handfuls depending on their needs.
* In one service, the buckets were emptied and people just started writing checks to other people.

Obviously, since we didn’t count the money between the offering and the giving, there’s no way to know exactly how much was given away today. All I know is that this was a great picture of the church in action. People who God has blessed gave an offering from what God have given them. Then God used that offering to bless people who needed help.

Wouldn’t it be something if the Church in America became known for its generosity?