Football Withdrawals . . .


Sorry if I sound like an “ugly American,” but I have to say that the sports channels have STUNK lately. In past years I could usually catch an NFL football game Monday and Tuesday morning. Now that we are in semester break my schedule is flexible. I have time to watch it, but where is it? I see more commercials advertising football games than actual football games.

Monday morning here is Sunday afternoon in the States. This means that somewhere there is an NFL game playing—LIVE. Here’s what I found a couple of weeks ago on a Monday morning:

ESPN: dogs running through obstacle courses
Star Sports: Australian rules football, presumably a rerun
“Balls” TV: Rerun of a 1980’s basketball game
Solar Sports: Tennis, presumably a rerun

Other “exciting” things I’ve seen on the sports channel on Monday/Tuesday. Keep in mind these are all reruns:

Golf (arguably the most boring sport ever invented)
Drag racing (cars racing in a straight line for five seconds—yawn)
Hip-Hop Abs Informercial (like Tae Bo, but gayer)

Maybe one day live football will return to the Philippines.

A Tragic Friday in the Philippines

Yesterday was quite sad for a couple of reasons. As everyone knows, a deadly explosion happened at Glorietta Mall not long after lunch. The latest I’ve heard is that 9 were killed and over 100 injured. I wonder who will claim responsibility for this cowardly act. Regardless of who did this, the fact remains that innocent people died and dozens of others were injured.

The second event did not make international news, but was much more personal for me. The sibling of one of my teammates recently died of cancer. He was only 19 years old. We went to the funeral wake last night. We prayed with the family and did our best to comfort them. I’m glad that we could be there for them, but I cannot fathom their loss.

I watched the news once I made it back home from the wake. There were no new insights into what caused the blast. It was kind of hard for me to sleep as I thought about the things I have witnessed today. It’s hard for me to imagine life ending so suddenly or so young. The day’s events reminded me of a passage in the Bible:

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
-James 4:13-14

This verse, like yesterday’s events, reminds me of a couple of important truths:

1. Life is uncertain. The Bible never promises that this world will be safe, even for followers of Jesus. It does promise that we can be certain of eternal life once this life is over.

2. Life is temporary. The few years we spend on this earth are fleeting when compared to eternity. Rick Warren was right when he said “life is just preparation for eternity.” Whether we live 20 years or 120 years, our years are as seconds compared to eternity.

Today I’m more thankful for the life that God has granted me. More importantly, I’m thankful for God’s certain promises in this uncertain life.

Let’s pray for the families of the bomb victims. While you’re at it, please pray for the family of my teammate.