The Gambler's Hand in Shutting down the Cardinals

Apparently, Kenny "The Gambler" Rogers had some substance on his hand during the first inning of Game Two of the World Series. If it was a foreign, illegal substance he should have been tossed from the game. He was asked to wash his hands (and perhaps brush his teeth?) before the second inning. Whatever it was, it didn't appear to give him an advantage, as he held yet another team scoreless for eight innings.

Was it illegal? I don't know. All I know is that The Gambler shut down the Cards.

Doubt

I used to read Sweet Pickles books when I was a kid. There were 26 characters in the books, one animal for each letter. One character was named Doubting Dog. He would run around saying, "I doubt it." No matter what was going on that was his response to everything.

Some people are forever submerged in the foggy abyss of doubt that they cannot see their hand in front of his face. Others battle times of intense doubt.

One of Jesus' disciples has been slapped with the label of "doubter." The story runs as such:

After Jesus was dead and buried, he rose again. He appeared to a number of women who had been his followers. He appeared to 10 of 12 disciples. Judas the betrayer had done himself in. Thomas was not there, probably just needing to be alone.

St. John (chapter 20:24-29) picks up the account as follows:
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Thomas has forever been labled "Doubting Thomas." Was Thomas wrong for wanting proof? I have been skeptical on hearing things that I didn't think could be true. On 9/11 I was a doubter when a co-worker told me about the attacks.

So what of Thomas' doubt? Have you ever doubted God? If you said "no," I doubt that.

As our church was imploding, I doubted God. I argued with God. I wagged my finger in his face. I questioned him: "Why on earth did you drag me here for this? I was perfectly happy where I lived before?"

I was a time of intense struggle for me. I was angry with God. I doubted that I was doing what I should be doing.

When we have doubts, where do we find the answer?

William Barclay notes, "Certainty came to Thomas, not through intellectual conviction of the truth of a creed, but through firsthand experience of the power and presence of Jesus Christ. Thomas became sure, not of things about Jesus Christ, but of Jesus Christ himself." (From The Master's Men.)

Doubts are overcome when we honestly face them. When we doubt God, the solution is not run away from him. We need to run to him. We need to talk to him. We need to tell him our doubts, frustrations or anger.

"I tried to pray without cussing."

That was a comment I heard a man say not so long ago. My daughter plays on a softball team that has many Christians on it. When they play, especially on Sundays, they always have a devotional and prayer before the games. One Sunday, the usual designated pray guy was busy, and someone else filled in. He offered a brief prayer for the safety of the girls and some other words. I could tell he was not at his most comfortable conversing with the Almighty. Later he went up to the man who usually prayers and said, "I tried to pray without cussing."

I thought about how offended some goody-goody Christians would be if they heard such a comment. I can heard the snide comments now. "How dare you say such a thing." "How could you even contemplate praying and cussing."

If some cusses while they pray, I say, "At least they are interacting with the Creator." What the hell? Let's all pray.

The Fall of the "Evil Empire"

No, I'm not 15 years late writing an obituary for the Soviet Union. I mean the fall (i.e. crash and burn) of baseball's mighty Yankees. I just watch a 23 year-old make the vaunted Yanks look like a bunch of tee-ballers swinging the bat. How on earth does that payroll get no-hit for 5 innings?

Congratulations to the long-futile franchise of the Detroit Tigers. The last time they were in the playoffs, Ronald Reagan was president.

The hard part for them is going to be keeping up the intensity when facing Oakland.

One can only imagine the rampage that George Steinbrenner is on. Is anyone safe? Good-bye A-Rod? Good-bye Torre? The Yanks haven't been the same since George Costanza was there.