MLB Thoughts – April 16, 2010

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Jason

For whatever it’s worth, I think it’s very cool that Major League Baseball has developed Jackie Robinson Day. I don’t want to wax poetic, but Robinson was more than a great ballplayer; he was a great American. Robinson is one of my favorite players ever and I’m glad that generations of fans to come will hear and appreciate his story.

A quick glance at today’s standings reveals quite a few surprises. We all knew the Cardinals and Phillies would be good, but San Francisco? Who saw this coming? Well, I hate to toot my own horn, but I did write the following in my NL West Preview a few weeks back:

I think their pitching is good enough for the Giants to contend for the division title.

Horn tooting complete.

I know it’s only a couple weeks into the season. And I don’t want to be that guy. You know, the guy whose team is off to a hot start in your fantasy baseball league so he’s already started making posts about how brilliant he was to predict Jorge Cantu’s record-breaking RBI pace. You know the guy I’m talking about. But it is satisfying for the Giants to prove me right, at least in the early going. The jury is still out on whether or not they’ll be able to put up enough runs over the long haul to be competitive.

And how bad are the Astros and Orioles? Through two weeks of play, these two teams have won as many games combined as Barry Zito. That’s bad. You have to think the Astros will play a little better when Fat Elvis Lance Berkman gets healthy. But what’s the Orioles’ excuse? Lost it in the lights? Still reeling from the loss of Aubrey Huff? Thought we were still playing spring training games?

Perhaps the most surprising development of the young season has been the poor play of the LA Angels. Not only are they off to a horrendous 3-7 start, they’re sitting at -24 on the run differential board (meaning they’ve been outscored by 24 runs already this season). That puts them in not-so-lofty territory: only the Astros, Pirates, and Orioles have a worse run differential. When you’re getting outscored at the same pace as the Washington Nationals (or the Natinals, if you prefer), it’s never a good thing.

Is it too early for a Ted Williams .400 watch? Don’t tell Martin Prado. According to Jayson Stark, since becoming the Braves starting 2B last June, Prado has put up a .331 batting average and an OBP of .380, better than every National Leaguer not named Pujols, Helton or Hanley.

Pitching matchup of the weekend: Sunday’s Jays / Red Sox tilt at Fenway featuring Matt Garza and Jon Lester. I’d bet my Ozzie Smith rookie card this will be the TBS game on Sunday, so tune in and catch two of the best young pitchers in the game square off against each other.

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LOST Season Six: Everybody Loves Hugo

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Jason

Well, we’ve reached Season Six’s most explosive episode to date. I’m talking Black-Rock-detonating, pieces-of-Ilana-on-your-shirt-dude explosive. Let’s get right to it:

The Sideways story of the episode is, of course, Hurley-centric. Nice cameo by Dr. Chang in the opening shot. Other than that, I wasn’t too enthralled by the Sideways story. I’ve never really cared for Libby, at least not as much as the general LOST populace seems to care about her. So her appearance in Hurley’s Sideways was big woop in my opinion. But it was cool to see Hurley’s “aha” moment when they kissed and he instantly downloaded the memories of their Island experience. I have to wonder: did he download their Island experience in its entirety, or just the short time he shared with Libby? If he downloaded the whole thing, that means he would have an awareness of what is happening in the Island present…at least you’d think he would. Now we have to wonder what Sideways Hurley is supposed to do with his life now that he has this information. But maybe he doesn’t do anything. Maybe this is Hurley’s “Happily Ever After”, to borrow the title of last week’s episode. And maybe that’s Desmond’s ultimate role in the Sideways world: he gets to play cosmic Santa Claus, gently nudging others to fulfill their destiny and achieve their own version of “happily ever after”. If that’s true, does that make Desmond the Sideways reality’s version of Jacob? Instead of bringing people to the Island in order for them to fulfill their destiny, is Desmond the universe’s “course correction”, a cosmic way of ensuring that people fulfill their destiny, even in a world where the previous locus of destiny fulfillment lies at the bottom of the ocean?

On the Island, Hurley continues to converse with dead people, ghosts who are “more reliable than living people” in Hugo’s mind. This time, Michael’s specter visits Hurley and cautions him against the plan to blow up the airplane. Michael’s argument has one primary appeal: people are listening to you now, Hugo. You need to think like a leader. It sure feels like Hurley is being groomed to take on a huge leadership role here in the end game. Which is really surprising, really weird, but I like it nonetheless.

Ilana. Didn’t see that one coming. Her Artz-like death bothers me; Ben articulates well the reason why: Jacob said he needed her to come back, to provide protection for our castaways. She supposedly trained for years for this moment. And then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. It all seems so haphazard and random. It makes me wonder if Jacob knows what he’s doing or not. And whether he’s actually benevolent. Ilana’s dying words: “That thing is evil. And God help us if it ever gets off this Island.” Following Ilana’s death, Hurley goes through her things, finding the bag where she kept some of Jacob’s ashes. Not sure how that’ll factor in, but I expect it’ll be important. But how did Hurley know those ashes were Jacob’s?

In the aftermath of the Black Rock explosion, I realized just how much Nestor Carbonell (Richard) looks like Chris Siedman. Non Church of Christ readers, that reference will mean nothing to you.

We had the appearance of another little boy while someone was trekking with Locke through the forest; first it was Sawyer, now Desmond. Different boys in each, though; Sawyer’s was blond, Desmond’s had much darker hair. Are these manifestations of Sawyer and Desmond as young boys? I’m guessing not, because (obviously) they would recognize themselves if they were. But what else could it be? Is this kid just another “lost soul” or whatever?

The WHISPERS! One of the show’s longest standing mysteries was explained tonight. In his conversation with Michael, Hurley unpacks a mythological mystery that dates back to the earliest part of Season 1. Here’s their exchange:

Hurley: “You’re stuck on the Island, aren’t you?”

Michael: “Because of what I did.”

Hurley: “And there are others out here like you, aren’t there? That’s what the whispers are?”

Michael: “Yeah? We’re the ones that can’t move on.”

Personally, I’m satisfied. Some will clamor for more information: Is the whispering community made up of ghosts? Lost souls? People in purgatory? Who knows. I’m cool with a little mystique because the mystery has been clarified to an acceptable degree.

Jack’s moment of surrender. My favorite moment in the whole episode. By his own admission, Jack has a hard time “learning to let go.” From the moment we first saw him burning bodies out of the wreckage of 815, Jack has been a chronic Mr. Fix It. But not anymore. We first see this as the group is deliberating to whether or not to go pursue more dynamite. jack doesn’t think it’s a good idea, until Hugo steps up and says, “Trust me, Jack.” But more importantly, Jack chooses to follow Hurley on their journey to go talk to Locke. It seems that Jack was constantly “trusting” Hurley in the Island world. I hate to admit it, but I’m feeling more and more that Jack’s “let go / go with the flow” personality shift may ultimately lead to his demise. I’m wondering if he’ll end up being “a sacrifice the Island demanded”.

Interesting contrast between Sideways Hurley and Island Desmond. When prodded by his mother as to why he doesn’t date, Hurley says, “I’m not scared.” In reality, he is scared of dating because he doesn’t consider himself worthy of someone’s affection because of his appearance. Back in the Island world, Locke detects a lack of fear in Desmond just before he tosses him down the well shaft. Clearly a healthy sense of fear would’ve served Des well, but then again, when did Desmond ever have reason to be afraid of John Locke? Can Smokey detect fear? He seemed perplexed that Desmond wasn’t afraid. Not sure what to make of all of that. And in their initial conversation after Locke had cut Desmond’s ropes, Locke extends his hand out to Desmond to help him up. As best I can recall, Locke has been extending his hand to a lot of people lately, but Desmond is the only one I can remember who actually took it. Of course, we know this turned out to be a bad move. But now I wonder: will Desmond have the chance to “turn the donkey wheel” down there? I sure hope not.

Is the fact that Sayid didn’t kill Zoe last week proof that he hasn’t completely “turned”? I know he told Locke he couldn’t “feel” anything recently, but maybe all is not lost for our tortured torturer.

I am REAAALLLLYYYYYY worried about the look on Locke’s face when he noticed Jack striding into camp. It was a look of surprised satisfaction, like when the mouse you’ve been wanting to catch for so long finally decided to start sniffin’ the cheese. (That’s the most ridiculous sentence I’ve written in a long time, but you get the point.)

The episode concluded with what I think may be the most significant development of the episode: Desmond’s hit-and-run attempt to murder Sideways Locke. Is this proof that Sideways Desmond still doesn’t understand who MIB is and that he’s assumed the form of Locke on the Island? Or does this mean that Desmond believes he can somehow thwart Island Locke / MIB’s plans by claiming the life of Sideways John? Or is there some other factor in play here? Is Desmond doing this because of some nefarious “you’re supposed to do this” prodding by Eloise or Widmore? Who knows?

Did Hurley have a “mirror” moment in the Sideways? If so, I missed it.

Favorite lines:
Sawyer, spoken to Locke: “You talk to wood now?”

Hurley: “I don’t have to prove anything to you, Richard. You can either come with me or you can keep trying to blow stuff up. Your call, dude.”

Hurley: “So, how do you break the ice with a smoke monster?”

Posted in Television | Tagged | 8 Comments

Things I’m Loving

Posted on April 11, 2010 by Jason

I realized it’s been two years since I’ve done one of these ubiquitous “Things I Love” posts; so until the creative juices start flowing again, this is what you get.

  • The MLB At Bat 2010 app for iPhone.

    Real time scores for every MLB game all season long

    Ever since I bought my new truck back in September, I’ve really missed the MLB Home Plate channel and all the broadcasts of MLB games that I got with my XM Radio account. The new truck has a Sirius radio installed, so I just canceled the XM account rather than paying double for the complete Sirius / XM package. But I’ve recently fallen in love with a superior little piece of techno wizardry: the MLB At Bat 2010 app for my phone. For only $14.99, I can pull up real time box scores, watch highlights of games as they’re still in progress, stream live MLB games through MLB.tv, and (best of all) listen to the home or away radio feeds of any major league game all season long! All from my phone. I can also use bluetooth audio to listen in the truck or at home. The best news is it all comes at 10% of what I was paying per year for XM. If you’re a serious baseball fan, you HAVE to check out this app; it’s incredible!

  • Spring Weather (finally!) This winter was one of the coldest I remember in quite some time. At certain moments, it seemed like spring would never get here. Now that the weather has warmed up, I can’t wait to get out in the yard and get to work. Somewhere over the course of the past year or two, I’ve realized just how much I enjoy working out in the yard. We’ve already been to Lowe’s a couple of times and we’ve started making our list of outdoor projects for the spring. Now I just need to find the time to start tackling them.
  • Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott I read about half of this one two years ago, but I lost interest quickly. (I think it’s because I was reading a lot more political material at the time.) But I recently decided to give Lamott’s spiritual memoir another shot and I’m glad that I did. It’s easy to see the influence Lamott’s confessional, avant garde writing style has had on “emerging” writers like Donald Miller. She writes an honest, painful, and beautiful account of her coming to faith and the wrestles she’s had trying to maintain and redefine her faith over the years. Refreshingly honest. A good read.
  • Jakob Dylan’s “Women and Country” Thus far, 2010 has been a pretty languid year for musical releases. By this time last year, my #1 and #2 albums had already been released (U2’s No Line and M. Ward’s Hold Time). Even February’s American VI, the last recording we’ll ever hear from Johnny Cash, seemed like a collection of leftover tunes trying to suffice as album material. But Dylan’s second solo effort finally gives me something to really sink my teeth into. Whereas 2008’s Seeing Things was sparse and almost exclusively acoustic, the new album brims with Americana roots-inspired Southern rock. Dylan has always been an underestimated lyricist (that’s what happens when you’re the son of lyrical royalty), but this is his most sonically pleasing batch of tunes since 1996’s Bringing Down the Horse. It should come as no surprise, then, that Dylan has re-teamed with T-Bone Burnett, producer of Bringing Down the Horse. Much of the allure of Women and Country comes from the beautiful — and sometimes haunting — backing vocals of Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. For me, this is the first really strong record of the year. I love it.
  • iTunes U It’s no secret that I love to read. One of the best things I’ve discovered recently is iTunes U, a feature of the iTunes store. Through iTunes U, customers have access to a plethora of material from upper level collegiate lectures to podcast-style readings of literary classics…all for FREE. Last week, I used my morning and evening commute to listen to the entire text of Alice in Wonderland. This week: Frankenstein. I’m also listening to a series of lectures on NT Introduction from Yale. If you’re looking for something to break up the monotony of the same old songs on your iPod, you should check out iTunes U.
Posted in Baseball, Books, General, Music, Sports, What I'm Loving | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

MLB Thoughts – April 9, 2010

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Jason

I’m going to try something new here; a Friday column focused solely on the week that was in Major League Baseball. Here are my reflections on Opening Week 2010.

  • I’ll start with my St. Louis Cardinals, who leave Cincinnati with a 2-1 record and a couple of things clearly defined: Albert Pujols is great; Colby Rasmus looks ready to take a huge step forward as a run-producer; Chris Carpenter doesn’t like it when the grounds crew drops the ball; Brad Penny is poised to be Dave Duncan’s next reclamation project; and the Cards bullpen is as dicey as ever. Wonder what Jason Isringhausen is doing these days? I still think St. Louis is the class of this division, but this bullpen problem could really cost them in the long run.
  • What’s up with Vernon Wells? In my AL East Review, I ripped the guy for his paltry power numbers the past few years. Apparently I spoke too soon. It’s funny what healthy wrists will do for a guy.
  • Braves 3B Chipper Jones was injured yesterday. In other news, bear eats man and Republicans don’t approve of healthcare reform. Chipper is a Hall of Fame player and all, but this is getting ridiculous. Currently it’s a strained oblique; next week it’ll be something else. The over / under on games played for Chipper this year is 125; I’m taking the under.
  • The Milwaukee Brewers locked up Yovani Gallardo, their young ace, to a five-year, $30.1 million dollar contract extension which buys out his first few years of arbitration. The deal could actually be worth $42 million over six seasons with all the options being exercised. It’s worth noting that Gallardo has won exactly 22 games at the major league level. I know he’s young and in a few years, who knows, the contract might end up looking like a bargain. But it does seem like an awful lot of money for a small market team to commit to such an unproven player with something of an injury history.
  • Speaking of unproven players, what are we to make of the hype surrounding Braves prospect Jason Heyward? If all of my Braves friends are correct, this is the week we’ll look back on and fondly remember when “the next Hank Aaron” made his major league debut. What does that do to you when — as a 20 year old kid — people are already comparing you to the all-time greats in your industry? I’m certainly rooting for the guy. And that laser beam rocket shot off of Carlos Zambrano on Opening Day was quite impressive. But there’s no way he can meet such lofty expectations this early, unless he has a Pujols-esque rookie season and never looks back.
  • Speaking of Aaron, check out these pearls of wisdom from the real home run champ.
  • This Mark Buehrle play is just amazing. Play of the year…on Opening Day! (Video has since been removed.)
  • Finally, how good does Jim Thome look in that Twins uni? The Twins look good so far and adding Thome’s power bat on the cheap is just the kind of shrewd move we’ve come to expect from their front office. Everything still revolves around Mauer and Morneau, but with a supporting cast of Thome, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Orlando Hudson, and J.J. Hardy, this lineup should be able to score plenty of runs. If I had to pick an AL team to root for, it would probably be Minnesota.
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LOST Season Six: More Thoughts on Happily Ever After

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Jason

Some more nuggets I missed in my earlier review:

  • The artwork on Widmore’s office wall in the Sideways world: a balance / scale with one side holding a white rock and the other holding a black rock.
  • Desmond seems infatuated with the boat model in Widmore’s office; it’s as if his old memories are already trying to bubble through to his consciousness.
  • Some are saying that Eloise is working in concert with MIB, perhaps in an attempt to override the Island reality where she shoots her son. Not sure if it’s true, but it would seem to make sense and gives credence to the ongoing feud between Eloise and her husband. But how sure can we be that Widmore is on Team Jacob? I guess he’s the one Jacob was referring to when he told Hurley “someone’s coming to the Island”. So that might be possible.
  • I never made mention of it, but I noticed two mirror / reflection moments for Desmond in this episode. The first happened at the very beginning of his Sideways story, as he was staring at the baggage claim sign. The other happened as he was approaching the precinct where Charlie was being released. Is this a nod to the fact that Desmond is the only one (so far) to be able to experience both realities / timelines? Perhaps his mission will be to get the rest of the 815ers to experience their second “reflection”, thereby allowing them to shuttle between both worlds or choose one over the other? It’s looking like this (or something like it) is going to be the end game for the series.
  • From my friend David: “What if back in Season 1 when Claire was dreaming that they came to take her baby she was seeing Ethan et al. in the alternate timeline?  This would also go along with the theory that some have had that John Locke was healed in the island timeline because Jack healed him in the alternate non-island timeline.  This would mean that the timelines have been interacting with each other for a while now.” Very interesting. Not sure if I buy it, but could be.
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LOST Season Six: Happily Ever After

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Jason

“We’re going to need to watch that again.” — John Locke, Orientation (S2, Episode 3)

I’ll just go ahead and tell you: I’ll probably have to make this post in two parts this week. As usual with a Desmond episode, Happily Ever After was just absolutely packed with mythology advancement and trippy consciousness-travel. So there’s a lot to unpack / digest and there’s no way I’ll get to it all tonight. So check back in later for more analysis.

We’ll begin with the obvious: this was the episode we’ve all been waiting for when we realized that the Flash-Sideways was going to be a constant storytelling device in Season 6. Desmond Hume — glorious “the rules don’t apply to you”, “the Island’s not done with you yet” Desmond — bridges the gap between the Sideways world and the Island reality we’ve been following for the past several years. I’m still not sure what it all means, but at least we have a connection point between these two worlds — and a fairly satisfying one at that.

The storytelling bookend format of this episode is one that isn’t foreign to LOST. The on-Island narrative is rather brief — Desmond wakes up, beats up Widmore, flashes to the Sideways world and comes back. But the meat of the episode took place in the Sideways world, a place where Desmond has the approval of his otherworldly father-in-law but he’s missing his constant, Penelope. Without her love, Desmond meanders through an existence devoid of true meaning — running errands for Charles Widmore as an attachment-free company man. The episode provided some symmetry with the past by keeping Desmond engaged in the Charlie / Claire love story. But these two were far from the only cameos in Happily Ever After: George Minkowski, Eloise Hawking, Daniel Farraday / Widmore, even those blasted bunnies showed up, albeit in the true world.

Charlie’s explanation of his vision of Claire is exactly what Desmond experiences in this episode. It’s the realization that he’s missing his constant that becomes the impetus for Desmond’s narrative. But it’s the Farraday / Desmond convo that really unpacks it all for us. Sideways Farraday, upon seeing Charlotte, wakes up in the night and jots down a quantum mechanics equation. Realizing this came from some untapped place within him, Farraday posits, “What if this wasn’t supposed to be my life? What if, for some reason, I changed things?” Deep down, Sideways Farraday understands that he’s rebooted history with his nuclear bomb-theory from a season ago. Des wonders what this has to do with him; until Farraday name drops Penny as his half-sister. Boom. Worlds collide and fates are written. Call is destiny, call it fate, call it narrative necessity…but all of this is coming to a head quickly.

A few key questions:

In his toast, Widmore speaks of Desmond’s “indispensability.” Is Sideways Widmore aware of who Desmond really is? How much does Eloise know? She has to be in on everything, since I’m pretty sure the rules don’t apply to her either. She seems to know when Desmond is “supposed” to meet Penny, setting off a chain of events that intersects the “present” Island world.

What is the sacrifice Island Widmore is going to ask of Desmond? I hope it’s not that he will need to sacrifice his life, although that’s certainly what most comes to mind at this point.

What is Sayid going to do with Desmond? And doesn’t it seem like Desmond has some sort of understanding that this is what he’s meant to do?

How will Desmond “show” the other 815ers their fates? Happily Ever After goes out of its way to remind us of one of the running mantras of LOST’s end game: “You always have a choice.” Don’t be surprised if this has some bearing on the final few episodes. Perhaps the castaways will have some choice in the “happily ever after” ending they each receive. Maybe some will opt for the off-Island reality of “bliss” (complete with period knowing mirror reflection gazes of longing for something more), while other choose their Island-persona and the hope that redemption can still be found on the Island.

(Before I forget it, I want to mention one quick thing about last week’s episode: Sunny and I watched The Package together before we watched Happily Ever After — Sunny never saw last week’s Jun & Sin-centric episode. During the rewatch, I was struck by something Locke said to Claire. Claire asked Locke if her name was on the wall in the cave; Locke said no, but that he still needed Claire. Then Claire asked in Kate’s name was on the wall; Locke replied, “No. Not anymore.” I didn’t mention that last week, but this has to be fairly significant. Is Locke telling the truth? Or is he simply feeding Claire more lines of what she wants to hear? Discuss.)

My mind is still reeling. More to come later. But suffice it to say, this was a great episode.

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The Sermon on the Mount 14

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Jason

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. — Matthew 5.14-16

As Matthew records the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in 4.12-17, he references Isaiah 9.1-2:

The land of Zebulun and the land of Napthali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.

Matthew understands the ministry of Jesus as the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy, a light-shining proclamation of repentance for the world. Immediately after this reference, Matthew gives his readers this framing sentence: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (4.17)” This is the message Christ proclaimed in a dark and dying world.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commissions his followers to participate in this light-shining life. It seems that we do this first and foremost by living repentance, by living the topsy-turvy alternative life imagined in the Beatitudes. Jesus also says the Kingdom life by its very nature exudes light; it cannot NOT shine. New Testament scholar Clarence Jordan puts it this way:

Jesus isn’t saying here that you shouldn’t hide your light. He says that nobody ever does that. Now if people don’t ever light a lamp and hide it, neither does God. The Christian community is God’s light which he has lit up with the glory of his own Son, and he has no intention of hiding it. When we come into the fellowship, we become a part of that light. While we can determine the intensity of it, we cannot escape the fact that we are part of the witness, for better or for worse. It is not a matter of whether or not we will shine, but how.

Too often, we refer to light-shining as if it were some kind of human work. “This little light of mine,” our children sing, “I’m gonna let it shine.” But perhaps we would be better served to understand God — not ourselves — as the source of this Kingdom light. Shining the Kingdom light is less a matter of my effort and more a matter of God’s reign intersecting the present sphere through my imperfect attempts at discipleship.

Posted in Discipleship, Faith, Gospel, Jesus, Scripture, Sermon on the Mount | Tagged | 2 Comments

Easter Thoughts: Resurrection

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Jason

Today I had the opportunity to worship at my “home church”, College Hills in Lebanon, Tennessee. When you’re in full time ministry, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to go back “home” for Sunday service; in my 10+ years of ministry, I think this is the second time I’ve worshiped at College Hills. This is pretty easy to understand; I have commitments at Mayfair to keep me occupied most Sundays. But since I was “off” today (as one friend jokingly put it), we decided to spend this Easter holiday back home with family.

There was much about worship this morning that was familiar. Sunny and I saw several old classmates from high school whom we hadn’t seen in years. We talked for a few minutes, showing off introducing our children and catching up. After service, we spoke with Larry Locke, the longtime minister at our church. Larry began preaching in Lebanon not long after I was born; for as far back as I can remember, he has been the voice of Sunday morning for me. His pastoral influence is one of the reasons I wanted to become a preacher. Today was also special because we had the opportunity to worship with people who know my family. My father died 23 years ago; last week marked the 14th anniversary of Mom’s death. All of that to say, I’m hardly ever around anyone who knew my parents. But that wasn’t the case today. I hadn’t been in the building five minutes before one sweet lady told me how proud my parents would be to have such beautiful grandchildren. And she meant it, because she knew my parents well. This feeling of familiarity made today a special memory, without a doubt.

But all of that familiarity was mingled together with something simultaneously foreign and new. Whenever Sunny and I have the chance to worship elsewhere on a particular Sunday, it always feel awkward and weird. I don’t know how to explain it; I guess we’ve just grown so comfortable being with “our people” on Sunday that worshiping elsewhere — even at home — just feels unusual. (Not bad, just odd.) Call me old fashioned, but I like very much the feeling of worshiping alongside the families that we share a context with in Huntsville. I can look out over the crowd as we worship and I see the young mother who’s just been diagnosed with cancer or the widower who buried his wife three years ago or the newborn babe swaddled up tight as her Mom rocks her to sleep…I can see all of this and it means something to me, because I love these people and I’m in community with them. Seeing my brothers and sisters like this as we worship gives me just a slight glimpse of what God must see when we worship together as a corporate body. And when we’re somewhere new, that’s missing and I miss it.

But there’s more: our classmates have all grown up and gotten married and started having children. Although there was a certain degree of familiarity with them (since we shared our formative years together), it’s quite obvious that there are entire volumes of their lives that I simply know nothing about. Even the church itself is at once familiar and foreign; when I was growing up, we were the College Street church and we met downtown; the church has since relocated and has taken the name “College Hills”. I remembered back to the old church building and the way the light used to dance in through the stained glass windows and how PA system would occasionally pick up the wayward signal of a local driver’s CB radio and the salty language that would broadcast throughout the auditorium for just a second or two, certainly long enough for us kids to snicker. I remembered our pew, second row from the back, far right hand corner, where my family would sit each Sunday morning. I remembered the way my Dad would sit with his legs crossed and his arm stretched across the back of the pew behind my mother. I remembered all of this and a hundred other things and before I knew it, my surroundings didn’t feel quite as familiar to me anymore.

And as I participated in worship this morning, feeling so out of place and so at home all at the same time, it struck me how fitting it should be to feel such things on a day like today. If the resurrection of Jesus tells us anything, it tells us that the mystery of resurrection will be a mingling of the familiar with the foreign. Christ’s risen body retains the scars of the crucifixion (John 20.20, 27); He remains a familiar figure to His closest followers. He even engages in the routine, familiar practice of eating (Luke 24.41, 42; John 21.12, 15). And yet, there is something foreign, something different about His body, too. He appears suddenly to His disciples (John 20.19). There are moments when the disciples don’t seem to recognize Him, at least not initially (Luke 24; John 21).

Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:

20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

If Paul is correct, the resurrection of Christ is a preview of coming attractions. It is to be differentiated from other “resurrections” in Scripture. We refer to the raising of Lazarus (John 11) as a “resurrection”, but in reality, it’s more of a resuscitation. Lazarus died again one day; Christ lives even now. So the resurrection of Jesus Messiah stands as the firstfruit, the great hope for our own resurrection life.

The hope of resurrection is that the familiar will meet the foreign in a grand and beautiful consummation of God’s glorious, eternal purpose for Creation. It’s not enough to hope for a transformed existence in a foreign ethereal “streets of gold” heaven. The hope of resurrection is for a redeemed realm where God’s love becomes tangible; where new heavens and new earth are the new reality; where injustice and inequity are met with Jubilee; where famine is expelled at the banquet table of Jesus Messiah; where death is swallowed up in eternal life; where valleys become mountains; where tears are wiped away; where lion and lamb lie down; and where the reign of God is all in all.

This is the hope of resurrection, the hope of the Gospel. Praise be to God.

Easter Sunday 2010

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NL West Preview

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Jason

Final 2010 MLB preview. Click below to see my run down of the other divisions:

AL West Preview

NL Central Preview

AL Central Preview

NL East Preview

AL East Preview

San Francisco Giants

Key additions: 1B Aubrey Huff; 3B / LF Mark DeRosa

Key losses: SP Brad Penny; LF Randy Winn

The Giants boast one of the strongest starting rotations in the majors. Of course, when you begin with a 25 year-old, two-time Cy Young award winner at the top of the rotation, you’re gonna be OK. Lincecum, Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez give the Giants three power arms; Barry Zito — massive contract notwithstanding — is a serviceable change of pace as a soft tossing lefty. Todd Wellemeyer and Madison Bumgarner round out a talented and deep stable of starters. The bullpen is capable, too, with Brian Wilson, Jeremy Affeldt, and Sergio Romo leading the charge. But scoring runs will be the real trick for this team. The bad news: the lineup lacks a bona fide slugger that strikes fear in the heart of the order. The good news: the lineup is sprinkled with veteran bats (Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand, Aubrey Huff, Freddy Sanchez) who know their roles and have been there before. For whatever that’s worth. Still, I think the pitching is good enough for the Giants to contend for the division title.

San Diego Padres

Key additions: SP Jon Garland; OF Scott Hairston

Key losses: 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff

The fact that 1B Adrian Gonzalez wasn’t traded during the offseason should count as a moral victory for Padre fans. But it’s probably inevitable that it happens this year, which is really not a good thing for Major League Baseball. When smaller market clubs like the Padres and Royals can’t afford to keep the players they’ve drafted or developed, these clubs just become feeder franchises for the deep pockets of Boston and New York. Does anybody NOT expect AGon to finish the season in Beantown? How long will it be before Zach Greinke dons pinstripes? At least there are some encouraging signs — the Twins record contract extension for Joe Mauer, for instance — but I could write a dissertation on this issue. As for the Padres, they’re terrible. And probably will be for the forseeable future. But they’ll deal Gonzalez and be even worse for even longer.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Key additions: OF Reed Johnson

Key losses: SP Randy Wolf; OF Juan Pierre

The “key addition” of Reed Johnson tells you all you need to know about the Dodgers offseason. I really thought the Dodgers would go hard after some of the free agent starters on the market, but they’ve decided to stand pat (I’m sure some of their ownership issues played a big role in this decision). They DID resign Vicente Padilla — the same guy who was released by the pitching-deficient Texas Rangers last summer — and anointed him their Opening Day starter. You see my point. Clearly this club has come back to the pack a bit. The offense will still be fairly efficient, with emerging youngsters Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier coupled with veterans Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake. And Jon Broxton is as studly a closer as has ever walked the earth. But the Dodgers’ success this season will depend upon the maturation of two young pitchers: Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley. We’ll see if they’re ready to take the next step.

Colorado Rockies

Key additions: C Miguel Olivo

Key losses: 3B Garrett Atkins; SP Jason Marquis

This has to be the most boring division in terms of new player imports this offseason. But honestly, I’m not sure the Rockies needed much tinkering. They’ve slipped into this Bret Saberhagen-esque of every-other-year contention. The bad news: they’re due for an off year now. But if Jeff Francis can return to form, he’ll provide the Rockies a fairly deep rotation, fronted by emerging All Star Ubaldo Jiminez. With the exception of the ancient Todd Helton, the everyday lineup is full of youngsters whose best baseball is ahead of them. I’m not convinced that Ian Stewart is the long term solution at third base, but I love the power / speed blend sprinkled throughout the Rockies lineup. Don’t be surprised if Colorado bucks the trend and plays their way into October again, despite the every-other precedent.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Key additions: 1B Adam LaRoche; 2B Kelly Johnson; SP Edwin Jackson; SP Ian Kennedy

Key losses: SP Max Scherzer

When Arizona dealt young fireballer Max Scherzer to Detroit this offseason, I wasn’t a fan of the deal for the DBacks. I know Scherzer’s mechanics are all over the place and a lot of player evaluators worry about the long term health of his arm. But I just wasn’t sold on Edwin Jackson based on his second half last year. But the deal also netted Arizona Ian Kennedy, the former Yankee farmhand who was at one time spoken of in the same hallowed tones as Phillip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. So I guess there’s something to be said for quantity, if not quality. The right side of the infield got an offseason overhaul and I love both moves; given that Chase Field is a haven for left-handed hitters, I’m expecting Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson to have career years (even though I couldn’t roster either of them in my recent fantasy draft). And you can take this to the bank: 2010 is the year Justin Upton asserts himself as a perennial MVP candidate. I like Arizona as a darkhorse in this division.

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Easter Thoughts: Good Friday

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Jason

Today has been a messy day. The kids woke up early and trashed the play room; books and cars and Legos and dolls all over the place. Sunny reconciled the checkbook only to find out that we’d been overcharged by a few different companies, so she spent half the morning on the phone haggling with them to make things right. Of course, when either one of us gets on the phone, things always escalate between the kids; I think I broke up three different skirmishes while she was trying to talk to one customer service rep. (The rest of the morning, they played together splendidly.) Our back yard needs some serious attention; I trimmed some bushes the other day, but I still haven’t collected all the clippings to get rid of them. The kids had a little toy “rain shaker” thing — it was actually an old Pringles can filled with birdseed and sunflowers seeds that sounds like rain when you turn it upside down. Anyway, you can see where this is going — Jackson dumped it out in the middle of the den a couple hours ago, requiring a quick vacuum of the floor. One thing after another, today has just been a messy day.

All of this is sort of apropos, given that today is Good Friday. More than any other day, today is about the mess of our lives, the mess of creation, and God’s unrelenting mission to bring reconciliation. The messiness of the cross is God’s way of identifying with the mess we’ve made of things down here. Matthew references the Immanuel text of Isaiah at the birth of Jesus, but the spilled blood pooling in the dirt at the foot of the cross testifies that he is indeed “God with us.” But the cross is about much more than identification. In this beautiful moment, Jesus absorbs the totality of our messiness — our violence, our barbarity, our prejudices, our hostilities, our rebellion, our sin. In so doing, he becomes our peace (Eph. 2.16), through shedding his blood on the cross and reconciling all things to himself (Col. 1.20). The cross is God’s work to bring peace for the world, a world we’ve pretty well wrecked.

Sometimes the messiness of life obstructs my vision; we become myopic and overwhelmed. For many of us, the darkness of Friday seems a bit too much to bear. But in the messiness and chaos of life, God offers a remedy. Peace. Reconciliation. Being brought into the shalom of God where all things are put to rights once and forever. This is the work of the cross, the definitive act of love at humanity’s darkest hour. But the cross is only half of the story. The cross is incomplete without the tomb; Friday can only be called “good” in light of Sunday. As Tony Campolo says, “It may be Friday, but Sunday’s a-Comin’.”

Sunday is coming. Maranatha, Lord.

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