William Petruzzo

Something I’ve never really done is play sports. There are various contributing factors in that, the most notable probably being that I’ve just never been all that captivated by them.

Never in elementary, middle or high school was I ever a player on any kind of organized team. I think if I remember right, I tried to play soccer for like two weeks when I was 8 or 9. But that might be some composite memory I picked up from TV or something.

Long story short, that pretty much puts me in a position now where I neither care about sports nor am I any good at them when it comes to participating myself. I could care less which team wins the Super Bowl and probably I couldn’t kick a ball into a net to save my life.

But, I think I’d like to change that.

So, the past couple of weeks I’ve been giving it an honest effort to cultivate some interest and skill in some kind of sport. I have to admit, things aren’t going particularly well.

Last Sunday I went with some friends to watch the Redskins Cowboys game. In the beginning, I didn’t really know what was going on (being that I’ve never had an interest), but thanks to wikipedia, my iPhone and some helpful insights from a friend, by the end of the game I was pretty well clued in. Apparently I was supposed to be excited that the Redskins won? I don’t know.

But also, I’ve been trying to give it some effort myself as well. A very patient friend has been playing tennis with me. Here’s the thing, I really might be the worlds worst tennis player. If I’m not missing the ball completely, I’m sending it soaring over the fence. It’s seriously annoying.

All that been said though, I am giving things an honest effort. I really would like to not be an outsider in the world of playing and enjoying sports.

So, wish me luck!

Today, I rolled over into the month of October in my Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan. I’m finally through the book of Luke, Hebrews, Proverbs and Isaiah. I have to admit, I find Isaiah and Hebrews to be some of the more daunting books to read, and while I’m glad and grateful I’ve been able to do so, I’m also ready for something new.

So, today, I begin the Gospel of John, the book of James, Ecclesiastes and Jeremiah.

I’m quite familiar with John and James already, but Jeremiah I’m less acquainted with. Ecclesiastes however, is among my favorite books of the Old Testament. I was realizing today as I read through the first chapter, that the Preacher’s thoughts through Ecclesiastes are so many of my own before I came to know Christ. And even today, the philosophical logic of the book continues to be an undergirding to my faith.

I’m excited for this month’s reading. I’m sure I’ll be keeping you posted!

Jeremiah 1:6-8:

Then I said, “Alas, Lord God!"
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth.”
But the Lord said to me,
”Do not say, ‘I am a youth.’
Because everywhere I send you, you
    shall go,
And all that I command you, you shall
    speak.
”Do not be afraid of them,
For I am with you to deliver you,”
    declares the Lord.”

I know we’ve all heard the discussions from Timothy about not allowing people to look down on us for being young; about the Lord’s calling superceding our natural qualifications. But it struck me as I was reading this the massive logical problem with fearing our calling (whatever that may be) because of our natural conditioning.

Between men, thirty years might be a long time. In the twenty years between a kid of 19 becoming a man of 39, I imagine a great deal of confidence can be earned simply by living life and gaining experience in things. But to God, who has been for all of eternity, the 20 years isn’t anything at all.

So, if God has called a person to something, on a purely logical level, we must believe we’re the right people for the job. And, if that weren’t enough, we have countless promises of protection and “deliverance”.

Jonathan Bowers, on the Desiring God Blog, posted the notes he took during a message by Mark Driscoll. His articulation was so clear, concise and poignant that I decided just to direct you that way today.

His words are ones that I, more than most, really need to take to heart.

The post can be found here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1417_Pray_More_than_You_Criticize/

Two years ago, my friend Dave moved into my parent’s house. Some complications with school and complications with home made moving in a pretty good idea. And, since my parent’s have always been generous and inviting folks, Dave stayed for free.

Several months ago, Dave joined the Navy. That means his stay is coming to an and and, for a while at least, we’ll have to say goodbye.

Dave is also an active member of a Trinity Community Church, which is not too far away. While he’s only been there a little under a year, he’s developed strong relationships, he’s a youth leader and it shows.

Which brings me to my point:

Tonight I was taken back by the response of his church at the opportunity to send Dave off. Nearly 40 people showed up, on last minute notice, from Dave’s church. Their affection and friendship, I feel, is a model of how the church ought to look. I was encouraged, and I think Dave was as well.

Without question, Dave will be dearly missed while he’s away.

Isaiah 58:1-2:

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
   or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
   between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
   so that he does not hear.

Dang. There it is. Thank Jesus that now He does hear; now his hand in grace always stretches out to cover the iniquities of his people.

Some of the most powerful words in scripture, I feel, are found in Hebrews 12:1-3:

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin…

Few words throw this whole thing into perspective quite like these. Praise the author of my faith. I pray that I can strive, even to the point of shedding blood.

I don’t usually use this blog as a sounding board for frustration with trivial matters, but today, there isn’t much else I can bring myself to think about.

There are three things I need my computer to do:

2. Run Photoshop
3. Don’t throw a temper tantrum

For some inscrutable reason, mine won’t do either. Frankly, I’m not surprised. It spends more time not doing what it’s supposed to be doing than otherwise. Every six months some computer component demands some decent chunk of money from me. About once in every four times that demand is made, I nearly lose sensitive information and lots and lots of time attempting to correct the problem, or at the very least to damage control.

It seems that this will be no exception. You see, last week, one of my hard drives started to click. Now, for those of you who don’t know what that means, I won’t explain. I’ll just say this: it’s a very bad sign. Something like your computer physically screaming, “the British are coming, the British are coming!”

So I responded tactfully, I went online and purchased replacement hard drives. I also purchased an external hard drive to run automatic backups of the important files. Wise thinking, if I do say so myself. Of course, I was kidding myself to think this would go over smoothly. There’s no way. It’s never happened in the past and it’s certainly not going to happen now.

I installed my new drives today. The computer has come to a standstill. It still starts up, but has become quite useless. Like a body rejecting an organ transplant. The computer just sits there looking ill and being totally unproductive. My best efforts cannot seem redeem her.

There is little doubt in my mind that this has something to do with Microsoft. I run a shotty Windows XP 64-bit, which it turns out is the pinnacle of incompatibility a poor planning. When software runs, it’s amazing. When it runs without error, it’s a miracle. Now, who would have thought that this great new Windows XP 64-bit system would have trouble with a few minor hard drive upgrades?

I will say it again. Microsoft is a joke. They make a joke product and if it weren’t so expensive for user’s to switch platforms, they’d be out of business. I’m getting a Mac, the first chance I get. Scratch that, I’m getting two.

I was thinking about the saying today, “don’t burn your bridges”. The idea essentially being, don’t go and ruin relationships you don’t think you’ll need anymore. What if you have to go back, you can’t cross a burnt bridge.

But, in true Christianity, it’s not only necessary, it’s fundamentally inescapable.

When we become believers, we must leave our relationship with sin and burn the bridge. Not because dogmatically we must in order to go to heaven, but rather, because if we truly believe we will out of love.

I think the inverse of the same idea is illustrated in a confusing verse in Hebrews 6:4-6:

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Although I think the author is speaking about a hypothetical person, the idea that’s communicated is that as a new believer, must cut his ties to his former life with sin. It’s the only way of true belief. So much so that should a true believer decide to recross that bridge, there would be no sacrifice left for him.

Now, again, the discussion around that verse is extremely long. But, for my point today, I say that it nicely illustrates this idea.

So lets change the saying. “Don’t burn your bridges… unless it’s a bridge to your former life in sin—in which case, get the matches.”

A subtle, but popular trend in Christian evangelism today is the idea that prosperity is the means by which we can communicate the genuineness of our religion to unbelievers. I only know this because of my stint in youth ministry. It’s never said like that, but it’s communicated between the lines.

I can remember long discussions about the importance of dressing hip. Being strong, assertive, confident yet still "humble". We’d make no big deal about spending money frivolously on things that just weren’t all that important, like interior decorations, late night fast food and gas. Tons and tons of gas. All because in a covert way, it said one thing:

"I have it all together. God has (I have) it all taken care of. And, if you believe this, this is how orderly and nice you’re life will be too."

I’ve often had conversations with people about the absurdity of that idea. Historically, it’s just not effective. In fact, I’m betting it’s more destructive than anything else. I mean, when our behavior ultimately causes people to focus on us and not on God, all we do is create our own little religions that quickly die out. In fact, when was the last time you can think of that getting a new car really really caused your heart to flutter and your mind to move to worship?

Probably never. I mean, I’m sure you’ve been thankful. As have I. But realistically, it’s not generally prosperity in our lives that really moves us to worship. So, if prosperity in our lives barely moves us to worship God, why the heck would prosperity in our lives move anyone else to worship?

I’ve always argued from the point of the martyrs. How so often hardened soldiers and opponents of Christianity would be melted and converted at the sight of a martyred disciple. But tonight, something else dawned on me.

Jesus himself gives a great example of this very thinking:

Luke 23:47-48, immediately following Jesus’ death on the cross, while is body still hung there:

Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

It strikes me that people are hardly ever, if ever, moved and changed at the sight of a Christian’s prosperity. But almost always, at least, impacted at the sight of a Christian’s love and faith, in spite of disparity.

In more ways that one, Jesus’ proved that to us.