While most of the country fills out their brackets for the NCAA tournament, I know what you’re thinking—someone needs to cover the NIT. You’re thinking, “Where can I get the insightful analysis I need in order to fill out my NIT brackets?”
 
Yep, I hear you, someone needs to cover the NIT and this year it appears that role would fall to me.
 
The reason this falls to me is because Maryland did not make the only tournament that matters. The reason Maryland didn’t make the only tournament that matters is…well, I could write for hours about this, and since I’ve already prayed “Lord, lead me not into temptation” this morning, I should refrain from any further comment. But if you happen to run into me today, please ask me why for the third time in four years we are going to the tournament no one cares about. I’ve got plenty to say. For Maryland, playing in the NIT is becoming a disturbing pattern. And did I mention no one cares about this tournament? The relatives of those playing don’t even attend these games! And Maryland is going to lose on Tuesday to Minnesota, and so my exclusive and extensive coverage of the NIT will conclude on Tuesday.
 
As for the Big Dance, there is no doubt it will be yet another memorable tournament where what happens in certain games defies explanation except that we now expect this to take place. The only thing yet to take place in the NCAA tournament is a 16 seed beating a 1 seed. Maybe this year that will happen. It will eventually (I’m saying Texas Arlington beats Memphis!).
 
I returned home last night from Orlando, having had the privilege of participating in the Ligonier conference and then speaking at Metro Life Church on Sunday, so I haven’t been able to study and finalize my brackets. I did start the process this morning with an annual tradition. I have Duke losing in every round.

Recently, I was reading A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards. The book reminded me of hearing Sam Storms preach an excellent message on heaven at the 2003 Desiring God conference hosted by John Piper. I told Sam after his message that this was the finest message I have heard on the topic of heaven. His book on election--Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election--is my favorite on the topic. Sam is a good friend and a man I respect.

Obviously Sam is much smarter than I am. He has obtained a PhD (University of Texas at Dallas). I graduated from high school (I think).

But I am street-smart and I know it’s normally unwise to disagree with intellectual heavyweights.

My friend Sam Storms knows more than I on every topic, except one. And it just so happens that yesterday he wrote on that solitary topic in a blog post titled “The Greatest College Basketball Player of All Time, and the Meaning of Life.” In that post, Sam assigns “greatest college basketball player ever” status to Pete Maravich. I simply cannot remain silent.

Sam—I love you, my friend—but Pete Maravich was not the greatest college basketball player of all time.

I acknowledge Pete Maravich had offensive genius without peer. He was the greatest offensive college basketball player of all time. But to be included in the conversation about the greatest basketball player of all time, one must play both ends of the court. One must play defense as well as offense. And Pete Maravich did not play defense (I’d put up 40 if Pete were covering me).

The greatest college basketball player of all time, without argument, was Oscar Robertson. No one in college or professional ball had more triple-doubles than Robertson and only he has averaged a triple-double for an entire season of professional ball (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists in 1961–62)! Robertson’s dominance in pro ball reflects his unprecedented dominance at the collegiate level.

He was the first big point guard who dominated the game at both ends of the court, handling and distributing the ball and scoring at one end. He played suffocating defense on the other end. The man simply was the entire package and that is why Oscar Robertson—not Pete Maravich—was the greatest college basketball player who ever played.

But I get Sam’s ultimate and (most important) point. Sam points out in his blog post that the work of God in the life of Pete Maravich is incredible and wonderful.

Sam writes,

Maravich openly and proudly rejected the God of Scripture. He pursued every possible option in his relentless effort to find meaning and purpose and joy in life. He tried Hinduism, but that didn't work. He dabbled in Buddhism, but that left him as empty as before. He immersed himself in astrology, hoping to find in the configuration of the stars and planets some indication of the meaning of his existence, but again to no avail.
 
He embraced reincarnation and spent time trying to discover who he was in past lives and who he might become in future lives. He experimented with astral projection, investigated UFO's, became a vegetarian, and eventually gave himself over to drugs and alcohol.
 
Nothing satisfied him. Nothing filled the hole in his soul. Until one night in 1982, as he lay quietly in bed, for the first time he cried out to God for help. He fell out of bed and got on his knees and committed his life to Jesus Christ. From that point on Pistol Pete Maravich became an outspoken, devoted, passionate disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, proclaiming the gospel to everyone he met, declaring for all to hear that in the person of Jesus he had finally and fully found purpose, satisfaction, hope, and the forgiveness of sins.
 
Six years later, in January of 1988, at the age of 40, Maravich was playing a pick-up game of basketball in a church gymnasium in California, together with noted Christian psychologist and author James Dobson. He made a shot, turned to Dobson and said: "Boy, I feel great!" Whereupon he collapsed, dead before he hit the floor....

I would like to think that in the new earth I’ll get to shoot some hoops with Pistol Pete. But I strongly suspect that neither of us will be drawn to anything other than the joyful celebration of the greatness and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Well said, my friend. I fully agree.

---------------

P.S. Anyone interested in more on these college basketball phenoms can read two books I’ve especially enjoyed: Oscar Robertson’s autobiography, The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game; and Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich by Mark Kriegel.

One of my favorite columnists, Michael Wilbon, announces today in the Washington Post the long awaited arrival of March Madness!

An eight-month period that has produced spying on the field and lying under oath off of it has arrived at what might be the only month of athletic purity. You don’t have to wait another day for buzzer beaters and weeping cheerleaders. It’s here for the next 30 days, and one might argue this is the best week of all, Championship Week as it’s now commonly called, the appetizer, that’s sometimes even tastier than the entrée.

Over the past few years, sports fans have endured a steady diet of news about high-profile athletes who have been busted for using steroids. Though steroid use is not limited to baseball, most recently professional baseball has been the focus of criticism due to the Mitchell Report and the recent hearings on Capitol Hill.

As I’ve listened in, read the sports pages, and watched part of the hearings, I’ve listened carefully to the way athletes articulate their words. Sadly, as I listen to these confessions of drug use, I see no discernable difference between the professing Christian and the non-Christian athletes. Specifically, this has been obvious in the recent round of charges against and admissions by Andy Pettitte.

Andy Pettitte

If you’ve followed major league baseball, you know pitcher Andy Pettitte was identified in the Mitchell Report and later acknowledged using human growth hormones (HGH), a substance banned by the league.

Sadly, though he has publicly admitted using HGH, Pettitte (a professing Christian) did not get off to a good start. His first public statement (Dec. 15, 2007) included some “if” statements like “If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize.” I don’t really even know what this sentence means. But I do know that confessions including the word “if” quickly move away from a truly biblical confession.

Monday at a press conference from spring training, Andy Pettitte was asked by a reporter, “Considering it [HGH] is illegal, do you consider yourself a cheater?” Pettitte responded by saying,

From the bottom of my heart, I know why I did this. I didn’t do it to try to get an edge on anyone, I didn’t do it to try to get stronger, faster or to throw harder. I did it because I was told that it might be able to help me. That’s for other people to decide. If people think I’m lying then they should call me a cheater. Do I think I’m a cheater? I don’t. God knows my heart.

As I watched Pettitte, I noted how high-profile Christian athletes miss opportunities to present culture with a compelling alternative: someone who has been genuinely convicted of sin and confesses those specific sins. Instead, the norm for these athletes (who are professing Christians) is to conform to the evasive language so common when someone has been caught.

Reading these explicit references to God, I find it difficult to reconcile Pettitte’s statements with Scripture. He is a professing Christian, yet when it comes to his admitted use of HGH, we hear posturing and ambiguous language. And you see this throughout the process. The Mitchell Report named Pettitte, and Pettitte acknowledged the accuracy of the Report in regards to a personal use of HGH, but withheld specifics about his uses on other occasions. Then Pettitte later revealed more specifics about his use, when deposed by the congressional committee. And though he has (and only after he was caught) admitted to multiple uses of the drug, Pettitte refuses to see himself as a cheater.

Now Pettitte is claiming that his motives were pure, attempting to justify the steroid use by a desire to recover sooner from an injury. With this statement Pettitte presents himself as though what he did was admirable. He says he did it for the team. Please, does he think we’re all fools?

Tuesday morning I jogged on the treadmill while watching ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning. After clips from the Pettitte press conference on Monday, attention turned back to Mike and Mike. One of them, former professional football player Mike Golic, acknowledged that in 1987 he took steroids for five weeks to accelerate the healing process of shoulder surgery. After ridiculing Pettitte for using his faith in God, Christian beliefs, and personal feelings as justification for his actions, Golic went on to say, “I did it [steroids] for the same reason [as Pettitte]. But when I admitted that I did it, I never tried to come across as though I didn’t cheat. I did. It was wrong.”

Golic clearly acknowledged cheating. He did. And it’s disappointing to me that a guy who is (to my knowledge) not a Christian acknowledged he cheated and can easily discern the weaknesses of Pettitte’s “confession.”

As I watched the Pettitte press conference, I didn’t question the sincerity of his profession of faith. What I am questioning is his understanding of Scripture (specifically ethics as taught in Scripture). I wonder if he has a pastor. I wonder if he’s a part of a local church. I wonder if the Yankees have a chaplain who is a true pastor. Because I think Pettitte needs a pastor or chaplain who can meet with him to walk back through his confession and examine his heart in light of the holiness of God, the doctrine of sin, and (most importantly) the gospel.

It was disappointing because Andy Pettitte missed his moment. He had a moment where he could have articulated a clear confession that was theologically informed. Sadly, he didn’t, but others have; you just may not have heard of them. Meet Daniel Naulty.

Daniel Naulty

The now infamous Mitchell Report on steroid use in major league baseball pointed a finger at high-profile players like Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, and Gary Sheffield.

Long before the Mitchell Report was released, a lesser-known pitcher named Daniel Naulty was caught using steroids. Naulty pitched for the Twins (1996–98) and Yankees (1999), which put him in contact with a number of players later named in the Mitchell Report. Naulty not only is a professing Christian, but is now pursuing a Ph.D in theology with the hopes of one day becoming a seminary professor.

Naulty has repeatedly confessed publicly his use of steroids. He told the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune,

I stole people’s jobs. That’s the part for me that was so wrong. I have to explain to my boys that I took people’s jobs by cheating, and that penetrated my soul a number of years ago and still haunts me today.

And in reflecting on all the players behind the scenes he influenced to use steroids, he told USA Today,

I want to apologize to as many [fellow players] as I can. If they forgive me, great. But I need to be prepared to be declined and I’d understand if they didn’t. I took a piece of their life away from them that I could never give back. You reap what you sow and I might very well reap a lot of what I sowed.

Let me tell you what he won’t reap. He won’t reap a perjury charge or a seared conscience or the ridicule of a world that easily discerns someone who is lying. And he will reap the love and respect of his sons.

Naulty embraced his moment to speak and he spoke clearly, specifically, and humbly. Pettitte missed his moment.

Now, what about your moment of confession? Your moment is coming, and so is mine. And this is what concerns me the most—that I will miss my moment.

My Confession of Sin

Though I’m seeking to grow in godliness (by God’s grace), I know indwelling sin remains, and that means I will sin against my wife, son, or friends at some point this week. I am the worst sinner I know, not Andy Pettitte. I am more familiar with my sin than I am with his sin. And I have my own moment fast approaching when I will need to acknowledge my sin.

Obviously I am not a high-profile athlete, and my words are not being recorded and evaluated by the press. But my words are being evaluated by God (Matthew 12:36). And at times, I am sorry to say, my confession can be all too Pettitte-like.

When I have sinned against someone, a sincere confession is required. A confession that is sincere and pleasing to God will be specific and brief. I have learned to be suspicious of my confession if it’s general and lengthy. A sincere confession of sin should be specific (“I was arrogant and angry when I made that statement; will you please forgive me for sinning against you in this way?”) and brief (this shouldn’t take long). When I find myself adding an explanation to my confession, I’m not asking forgiveness but instead appealing for understanding.

If my so-called confession extends beyond a very specific (acknowledgement of sin) sentence or two, then I am most likely excusing my sin, and requesting understanding for my sin, rather than sincerely asking forgiveness because of my sin. So I have learned to be suspicious of any confession of sin that is lengthy. Genuine conviction of sin is evidenced by a sincere, specific, and brief confession of sin, without any reference to circumstances or the participation of anyone else. When I sin, I am responsible for my sin, and the cause of my sin is always within my heart and never lies outside my heart.

Often after I sin, and even after I confess my sin—most importantly to God to receive the forgiveness I need from him for my sin through the death of his Son for my many sins—I experience a conflict in my soul about the confessing, when necessary, to the appropriate individuals. And whenever there is this conflict in my soul about specifically confessing my sin, I am aware that pride is actively at work in my soul, opposing the confession and seeking to persuade me that it wouldn’t be wise or even necessary for me to confess. But I have learned to ignore this noise from my arrogant heart, and instead weaken this noise by specifically confessing my sin to the appropriate individual as quickly as possible.

When I do confess, first and foremost to God and then (where and when appropriate) to others, I want my confession to be sincere and specific. I want my confession to express genuine sorrow and gratefulness to God for the mercy I experience because of the substitutionary sacrifice of his Son for my sins on the cross.

And when I confess my sin to others and ask their forgiveness when I have sinned against them, I don’t want my confession to resemble the press conference of a high-profile athlete, characterized by evasive language and the refusal to be specific. Instead, I hope my confession of sin is the sincere and specific confession of one genuinely convicted of his sin, sorrowful about his sin, and amazed at the grace of God provided for the forgiveness of sin.

In the midst of the Super Bowl hype you may have missed an example of masculinity.

Last Thursday, after the Washington Capitals defeated Montreal 5-4, Alexander Ovechkin was quoted (in broken English) saying, “Today was special day. I broke my nose, I have stitches, I score four goals.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Most of what you read and hear today about the Super Bowl will involve what took place on the field. I don’t need to add to this noise, and I wouldn’t have anything unique to add. (Although how could Belichick have gone for it on 4th and 13 and not kicked a field goal from the 49-yard line in the third quarter?)

Obviously my prediction of an easy win by the Patriots was slightly off. Personally, I didn’t think it was a great game -- but it was a great 4th quarter. And I can’t believe I was rooting for the Giants. And I can’t believe I am happy they won. Actually, I was more interested in what would take place after the game. I was leaning forward as the game ended, eager to observe what Bill Belichick would do. How would he respond to this test of adversity and his first taste of defeat this year? Would he be humble and gracious in defeat?

Sadly, he didn’t appear to be. Before the game officially ended he had already left the field. Sure, he did make his way across the field to congratulate Tom Coughlin, but then he left the field and the game was not over! He should have returned to the field to take his place as coach for the final play of the game. He should have humbly returned to the sideline and set an example as the leader of this team. This game will be difficult, if not impossible, for the Patriots to forget, but Belichick could have set an example for his team that would have transcended the game. He could have set an example of humility they would never forget.

I stayed up after the game for one reason. I knew they would interview Belichick, and I wanted to hear what he would say. I hoped he would at least congratulate the Giants on their victory. He did not. He missed yet another opportunity to provide a compelling and humble example of how to conduct oneself when one has lost the game.

Though many will write about what took place on the field during the game, I thought his actions at the end of the game and after the game were the most disappointing aspects of the game. And this is the stuff I review and emphasize with my son as we talk about the game. This is what I want him to remember and learn from this game.
 
But I must pay careful attention to my heart as I critique coach Belichick, because I am vulnerable to my own more serious expression of arrogance as I observe Bill Belichick. In critiquing coach Belichick and teaching my son biblical discernment and the importance of godly character, I must avoid a self-righteous attitude.

Bill Belichick is not the worst sinner I know. I am the worst sinner I know. For am I most familiar with the countless sins I have committed against God, the countless times I have responded in a similar way as Mr. Belichick when I have encountered the test of adversity. Though it doesn’t appear Bill Belichick is a humble man, I know I am not a humble man. 

I am a proud man who is pursuing humility only by the grace of God. And it is only by the grace of God that I have been saved from the wrath of God against my sins. It is only by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross, as my substitute for my sins, that I am forgiven of my many sins and have hope for the weakening of pride in my life. And therefore the appropriate response to what I observed in Mr. Belichick last night is to pray that he will become aware of his need for a Savior and turn from his sins and trust the Savior.

So today after examining my heart for any trace of self-righteousness, any hint of moral superiority in my soul, I have prayed that God would use these circumstances to obtain the attention of Bill Belichick. I pray that God would strategically provide individuals to care for this man at this time and share the gospel with him. And I pray that God would have mercy on him and grant him the gift of repentance so this most disappointing experience would become for him a means of encountering the most amazing experience, the grace of God in the gospel of Christ and him crucified.
 
C.J.

 

We’ve come to the third and final question in our series of most common questions I’m asked. The first question was “What books on the cross of Christ have affected you the most?” The second, “As a charismatic/continuationist, what books would you recommend on the person and work of the Holy Spirit?”

Finally, we arrive at the third:

“C.J., how do you know so much about sports?”

Okay, I admit this is not a question I get often (maybe never). But I know that my friends secretly harbor this question deep in their hearts. And I know my friends also admire my athletic abilities (but that will need to wait for another post).

Because of my vast knowledge of sports, this blog has an obligation to publish a public service announcement to prepare blog readers for the impending Super Bowl.

O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-D

First, let me make clear the Super Bowl is the most overrated sporting event in the history of all sports dating back to the very first Olympics. The NFL thinks so highly of itself, the Super Bowl is assigned Roman numerals.

Yet despite the hype, year after year this game rarely delivers. With few exceptions, most of these games are neither exciting nor memorable (unless your team is participating). And so tomorrow we must collectively endure yet another Super Bowl.

For me, the only good thing about the Super Bowl is that it means MARCH MADNESS is fast approaching! Don’t get me started on March Madness and college basketball, because year after year college basketball always delivers.

I’ll give you a Super Bowl game prediction later, but for now some things to keep in mind while watching the Super Bowl (or any televised sporting event).

Tips for watching the Super Bowl

Here are four tips for watching the Super Bowl to the glory of God.

1. Strategically assign the remote.

The remote control needs to be specifically assigned to someone. This cannot be just anybody. Viewers are assaulted with lame commercials, immoral commercials, commercials that assault and offend one’s intelligence, and commercials that parade immodestly-dressed women. These are as much a part of the Super Bowl as the game itself.

Working the remote requires skill, coordination, and discernment. This person needs to be paying attention and anticipating commercial breaks. While everyone else enjoys the game, this person is working and always aware of what’s on the TV.

I recommend you establish on the remote an alternative channel that presents no temptation (C-SPAN for example). Turning to C-SPAN at appropriate moments also means conversation will take place.

For those assigned to this task I recommend further reading. I trained my sons-in-law in the art and craft of strategic clickery. One of them, Steve Whitacre (married to my daughter Nicole), has written up these notes and you can read his post here.

2. Don’t watch passively.

I encourage fathers to watch actively and discerningly, never passively and superficially. There is no doubt that throughout the game you will hear one superlative after another attributed to the skill of the athletes. The accent throughout the game will be on skill, not character.

In my book, Humility: True Greatness, I wrote,

Nowhere is the word great mentioned more often in our culture than in the context of professional sports. If you watch any game this weekend and listen to the announcer’s commentary, then like a mantra you’ll probably hear the word great repeated throughout—great, great, great. Yet it may well be that nowhere in our culture is the absence of true greatness more evident than in professional sports. So be careful about cultivating an excessive love for professional or collegiate athletics in your child. (pp. 161-162)

Without minimizing the skill as a gift from God, I want to direct my son’s attention to character as theologically defined and described. So as Chad and I watch the game, I will draw his attention to any evidence of humility or unselfishness I observe, as well as any expression of arrogance or selfishness. I will celebrate the former and ridicule the latter.

I don’t just watch the game with Chad; I seize it as a teaching moment to equip him with discernment about true greatness in the eyes of God. Watching sports actively is about imparting theologically informed discernment.

3. Foster fellowship.

We need to make sure a room full of people are not simply passively watching the Super Bowl. With the right leadership, and with a simple changing of the channel, commercial time can be time redeemed.

Don’t misunderstand. It’s perfectly legitimate to watch and enjoy the game. I’m not advocating that you invite those who have no interest in the game and who want to distract your attention from the game. Actually, I don’t recommend you invite those folks over for the game. You can arrange to meet with those people at another time.

In strategically inviting people to watch the game with us we should make sure we don’t neglect interacting with others for the sake of simply watching the game. Watching the game should involve building relationships.

4. Draw attention to the eternal.

Sometime after the game—that same evening or the next day—it’s helpful for a father to draw his child’s attention to the game in light of eternity. It’s also helpful for us as fathers to be reminded of an eternal perspective.

Apart from those few who listen excessively to sports talk radio, this game will be quickly forgotten. Let me ask you this—who won the Super Bowl even five years ago?

The day before the 1972 Super Bowl, Dallas Cowboy running back Duane Thomas said, “If it’s the ultimate game, how come they’re playing it again next year?” Some players seem to get it. Sadly, many fans don’t.

More recently Tom Brady—quarterback of three Super Bowl championships—is quoted in a 60 Minutes interview saying,

Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, ‘God, it’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t, this can’t be, what it’s all cracked up to be.

I would anticipate that a week or two from now, even if the Patriots win and complete a perfect season, Brady will still experience the same dissatisfaction in his soul. As Augustine said, “You [God] made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you.”

We must impart this eternal perspective to our children.

Super Bowl XLII predictions

Okay, on to predictions. Who will win? I predict that New England will win easily and decisively. How’s that for a bold and risky prediction?

Who do I want to win? I cannot believe I’m saying this, but Sunday I will be rooting for the New York Giants.

As a lifelong fan of the Washington Redskins, it’s most unusual for me to root for the Giants. The Giants are a division rival. In the NFC East, I scorn teams in order of priority. I despise the Dallas Cowboys. I strongly dislike the New York Giants. I dislike the Philadelphia Eagles. Just like my dad taught me.

“Spygate”

The primary reason I’m rooting against the Patriots is because of “spygate.” Let me fill you in on the details.

The Patriots were caught filming the NY Jets’ sideline signals to the offense and defense.

There was nothing subtle about what the Patriots were doing. Their camera was confiscated on the Jets sideline!

I would argue this gave them an unfair advantage— and this is cheating, plain and simple. The Patriots protested this advantage. But if it didn’t provide them an advantage, why would they have done it?!

They also made statements about how everyone else in the league does it. So what? Everyone else that does it should be penalized as well. They were clearly caught doing it. There should have been a specific and humble acknowledgement of their actions. There was a pathetic attempt at an apology by coach Belichick followed by what I thought was an insufficient penalty by the NFL upon them. (What, no suspensions?)

Belichick’s response to the controversy portrayed the Patriots as victims! Throughout the year it was reported the team was motivated to win because of this charge and discipline – as if they had been wronged.

Instead of shame and acknowledgement for their actions, they transferred blame to the Jets and the NFL for calling them out! Yet another ethical deficiency in professional sports.

How can the Giants win?

This upset would require another turnover-free performance by Eli Manning. And it would require an effective running game by Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. (Averaging over eight yards per carry, it’s perplexing why Bradshaw doesn’t get more carries.)

But it will also take pressure on Brady from the defensive line. In order to surprise and intimidate Brady, at different times during the game the Giants will need to rush and rush hard.

Here’s a recommendation for the Giants defensive coordinator: Just once, rush all eleven guys! Tell all eleven to blitz and make loud, frightening noises as they rush towards Brady. We’ll call this “C.J.’s special blitz package.” (Growing up I found this defensive approach to be very effective in our backyard pickup games.)

The less-risky version of this package includes rushing ten guys and leaving one back for coverage.

How can the Patriots win?

As long as they are prepared for the “C.J.’s special blitz package,” the Partriots need only show up to win this one.

Conclusion

As you can see by the vast insight present in this post, it’s surprising that I’m not asked about my sports knowledge more often.

What may be more surprising to you—I wrote a book on humility. Go figure.