On: God & Sports By Bud Johnson The "Old African Warrior"

Woebeit, I’ve never been considered a text book parent, but I was so outraged at those that society anoints as “good parents,”…when I read a very hot topic in the mainstream media, until I wanted to relegate this epistle to the X-Files, so that I could vent my anger forthwith. No Pun intended aside, but the hot topic that overheated by cranial circuits was an article (“Student runner hospitalized for heat stroke…”), in the Houston Chronicle’s Sept. 19, 2004 sports section. Nevertheless, I got a sign that shortstopped my outrage over the stuck on stupid attitudes of today’s brain dead parents.”
And you know how signs get my attention, ergo I must take another sip from the bitter cup venture into The Outer Limits of The Twilight Zone of my “cobwebbier mind” and dare to preach to Black preachers, who fail to grasp the concept of humankind making God in their own image. Fools rush in where angels fear to thread notwithstanding, but God’s will shall be done. Hence, I’ll put my parent bashing Eyeview on hold for future considerations. Meanwhile, mayhap, I should first offer a disclaimer and admit that I’m a wee bit reluctant to alienate my friends in the ministry. But here goes any way. I had cause to pause and ponder if athletes are facting, rather than just cracking when they unwittingly make Jesus a super star on their respective sports teams. Yeah, I hear you thinking, “There goes that crazy, old African warrior again.”
So, pray with me on this, my brothers and sisters, because I’m trying to give you some soul food for thought. Let’s start with an article (“Yates wins on last play of game/49-yard-scorereverses fortune against Lamar in 19-16 Lions win”) that appeared in the Houston Chronicle’s Sept. 4, 2004 sports section. If you missed it, check out this excerpt from Miki Herbert’s article that asserted: “With all that had gone wrong Friday night, Yates receiver Ken Griffin never lost hope. When Lamar broke a tie on a field goal with 13 seconds remaining in the season opener for both teams, Griffin’s faith never wavered. And he delivered the game-winning touchdown with a 49-yard reception on the final play of the game, lifting Yates past Lamar 19-16 at Delmar Stadium. ‘God came to me, and he gave me a sign,’ Griffin said.
"After the field goal, he said, ‘You're gonna do it.’ And all I did was look for the ball. When I saw that ball, I said, ‘It's all mine. All I did was look for the end zone.’ After a long kick return, Yates took over at the Lamar 49 with four seconds left. Quarterback Orie Lemon dropped way back and eluded the rush to find Griffin near the Lamar 20. From there, Griffin - the team's spiritual leader and voted "Mr. Yates " - ran in for the score. ‘ I never doubted,’ Griffin said. ‘God is always with me. He loves me and I love him. He came to me. That ball came to me and we won the game. It's real crazy (to come back). ‘But all you have to do is pray. And I prayed for it, and God blessed me with a victory." Surely, by now, true believers are thoroughly puzzled.
How can any born again Christian possibly have a problem with such a positive, uplifting testimony from a young athlete? Truth is, I’ve long had a problem with that kind of false doctrine, insofar as it has historically reinforced the “Messiah complex” that retards our people’s progress.
Square business, although I truly believe in signs, miracles, wonders, small blessings and tender mercies, I have no expectations of actually rapping with Jesus one-on-one, nor do I believe prayer is for God per se. Instead, it’s for us. Thus, it bothers me when I hear young athletes, or anybody else, talk as if they don’t understand the true Christian concept of a Holy Spirit, which is indwelling. It bothers me because far too many pulpiteers fail to properly teach their congregants that salient tenet that is inexplicably explained in John 14-16, in the Holy Bible.
Even so, I know that most pastors, even if they’re aware of the fallacy, they aren’t about to correct believers who are convinced that Jesus literally walks and talks with them. Hey, preachers know that they would catch as much hell as I am going to catch for daring to write this epistle. Then again, this excerpt from RBC Ministry’s Our Daily Bread corroborates what I’m trying to say. And, since they are not only White folks, but also esteemed theologians, you’ll surely value their opinion over a crazy, old African warrior. RBC’s Sept. 19, 2004 topic (“Informing God”), explains: “We cannot tell God any thing He doesn't already know. When we pray, we simply put into words what He's been aware of all along. That doesn't make prayer unnecessary; rather, it encourages us to pray. We find relief in talking to someone who knows us and our situation fully.
“It's a comfort to know that God’s response arises not from information that we give Him, but from His perfect knowledge of our circumstances. He knows all conditions-past, present, future--that bear on our well-being. ‘Your Father knows,’ Jesus said in Matthew 6:8. He knows our thoughts, our intentions, our desires; He is intimately acquainted with all of our ways (Psalm 139-3)… He knows the anguish of our heart, the strain of continual frustration, the enemies inside and outside that war against our souls. So, can we presume to dictate the time and terms of our deliverance from trials or adversity? Can we say our way is better, more likely to develop our souls? No, we cannot teach God anything. He alone knows the way to bring us to glory.
“Out of all possible paths, He has chosen the best, the route most adapted to who we are and what He has in store for us. We cannot teach God knowledge, but we can love and trust Him. That's all He asks of us.” In essence, what I’m saying is… athletes and those wont to give God the glory for their victories, are actually boasting-- at best-- and putting Jesus in a catch-22 situation... at the very worse. It is written that God is respecter of no persons, therefore a truly educated Christian shouldn’t ever fix their minds to believe that they out prayed, rather than out played other Christians?
Bad news aside, but when Black Christians think God favors them over White Christians, they’re calling Him a racist. I wonder if anybody knows where I’m coming from?