God's "Allow"ance

Recently in the Rock Valley College newspaper-- The Valley Forge-- there was an opinion column written titled "An Open Letter to Jesus" this controversial article was more-or-less about how the author of the article was tired of the horrible weather we had been experiencing and requesting that Jesus/God make it stop.

The controversy rests within several lines of the article where the author states that he "would have gotten along famously (without Jesus dying for our sins.)"

This obvious blasphemy caused quite an uproar with the Christians at RVC. The editors received several letters stating that the Forge was a "left-wing" paper and that one columnists opinion- and right to free speech- was reflective of the entire VF staff.

Another response to the column claimed that "only crazy [Christians] believe that God 'allows' wars and school shootings." The thing with this last statement is that earlier in their letter they said that Mr. Columnist should research the religion before he bashes it. If the Responder knew about their faith also, they would know that- sadly- God does allow these things to happen.

The key difference is that He allows them to happen. It's not His will

If God did not allow things to happen, then how did they happen? As the Almighty Ruler of the universe if He obviously does not want us to do these things. But because of His promise of our free will these things can and do happen. If God doesn't allow all the bad things that happen in this world like rape, war, murder, teenage suicide, etc. then why are we even here? If God didn't allow all these things that would mean there'd be no free will.

Without free will there would have been no problems in the Garden of Eden and with Adam and Eve. God would have said "Don't eat from that tree" and their response would have been a resounding "Duh, okay!" with maybe just a little drool dripping down the side of their mouths because there wouldn't be a single thought in their heads.

Take, for example, the story of the Prodigal Son: the youngest child wants to cash in his inheritance early. His father allows him to do so because he knows his son has a mind and will of his own. Though the son was bull-headed and squandered all of his father's money he was welcomed back with open arms.

The father didn't want his son to leave and squander the riches that were going to be given to him. But he did allow it. The father could have easily said no to his son and kept his son from making a mistake. But the father knew that his son would only learn to appreciate what he had after it was gone.

As grim as it is to think that the Lord of all creation allows such things to happen the fact of the matter is that it's our fault that these things happen. Not Gods.

We make the choices to murder our brothers and sisters. We make the choices to abort pregnancies because they aren't convenient for us at this stage in our lives.

We worship a just God who is perfect. His will is perfect. We are imperfect in every way possible. We are dirty. We are immoral. We are made clean through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The only way mankind even still exists is because "...God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

If you are a Christian and do not believe that God allows bad things to happen in this world you are terribly mistaken. And the God that you believe in does not exist. God does not promise that as a follower of Him that your life will be all roses and chocolates.

The God of the universe wants to make us whole in an incomplete world. He wants to feed us while we are in a a barren wasteland. Shelter us against the storm that comes with being one of His chosen.

We will all be persecuted. We will endure many hardships. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:2-6)

We are all sinners. God allows sin to happen in this world. God wills us to follow Him. It's our choice to live a life of redemption or to just live.

10,000 B.C. Review

Grade: D

With the hype that surrounded 10,000 B.C., you would think that there would be more historical continuity within its "epic" story.

The story begins with a tribe of cavemen/early homo erectus - the audience is never really able to tell what the character design is going for with several scenes where it seems the actors have prosthetic brows attached to them - hunting the great wooly mammoth. The first man to kill the bull mammoth wins the companionship of the lovely, blue-eyed Evolet.

But hold on, fellas. With this girl there are some major strings attached: earning the White Spear of leadership, fulfilling a prophecy to save the entire non-civilized world - just little things like that.

The subject of this prophecy is the tribe's very own village outcast: D'Leh. He is outcast by the tribe due to his father's apparent abandonment of the tribe when D'Leh was a younger.

After D'Leh claims his bride the village is attacked by the "four-legged demons" (AKA big Egyptians on horses), that were prophesied to attack the village on the day of the "last hunt." Failing to protect his new bride and the others within the tribe D'Leh and his surrogate father Tic-Tic begin the journey to the end of the earth to find his beloved and the rest of the tribesman.

The landscapes traveled through the world look something like a level out of a game of Halo. Traveling from the snow-covered mountains of the Neolithic men's homeland to the other side of the mountains where bamboo forests - and giant ostriches - grow wild. From there they journey another day or two and reach a barren desert and the Nile River.

The historical inaccuracies are laughable within the picture - although with this style of movie it is not intended to be accurate. According to the story the Great Pyramids of Giza were built in 10,000 B.C. Giant sail boats that did not re quire oars moved faster down the Nile.

With a running time of 109 mins B.C. is a very evenly paced and gives you all you need to see without running too long.

"... Being ‘Brett Favre’ got hard to live up to"

Brett Favre addressed the public today, March 6, two days after the official story broke about his decision to retire.

As Favre walked up to the conference table in typical Favre fashion-- jeans and a casual button-down shirt-- he sat down and spoke into the microphone with a quivering voice "I believe you all know why we're here."

An obviously emotional Favre struggled through his official statement of announcing his retirement. Thanking God, his wife, his family, the Packers organization. Ending a 17 year career in which he broke every major passing record while playing in the NFL's smallest market. "I still can play," said Favre "I just don’t want to. It's been a great career for me, but it's over."

Favre left a voicemail to ESPN's Chris Mortenson Tuesday morning saying that he was "mentally tired" when giving his reason as to why he would not be returning for an 18th NFL season.

"I thought about wearing a suit." He said when asked about his choice of clothing for his formal goodbye to the Green Bay Packers and the NFL. "I thought about shaving. But what you see is what you get."

Favre was originally draft 33rd overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991 and only threw five passes for the franchise before, then Packers GM, Ron Wolf traded the teams first round draft pick for the talented, but raw QB out of Southern Miss. 16 years later it is considered one of the greatest trades/steals in sports history. “I hope that with every penny they've spent on me, they know it was money well spent," he said. "It wasn't about the money or fame or records. I hear people talk about your accomplishments and things. It was never my accomplishments, it was our accomplishments,” displaying his character and love towards the franchise that risked a lot on him, but got more in return.

Once Favre gained his composure at the table he joke about all the rumors and videos being played over all the sports and news networks; “I found out what it will be like to die”

Favre’s legendary play revived the Green Bay franchise that had not won a playoff game in a decade and more importantly hadn’t won a Super Bowl since they won in 1967. Over the next 16 years Favre got the Pack to the playoffs 11 times, made it to 4 NFC championship games and won a Super Bowl in 1996 but also lost Super Bowl XXXII in 1997 to John Elway and the Denver Broncos.

Favre also stands as not just the NFLs only 3-time MVP; he also won the awards consecutively (1995-1997). “One play-one season- doesn’t define me.” Answered Favre to the question on many fans minds about why he would want his legacy to end with an interception in the 2007 NFC Championship game.

When asked if this retirement was definite and not like Michael Jordan’s famous “99.9% done” speech, he replied “I’ve questioned my decision. I think it’s the right one. There’s nothing that [the Packers] can say or do that can change that.” But as another reason for his “sudden” retirement Favre added that ““I’m no different than most people. I can act a part. But being ‘Brett Favre’ got hard to live up to”

Brett appeared extremely humbled to be able to sit and announce his retirement from professional football. “I think most people would kill for the opportunity to play just one game in the NFL,” he said “I had thousands and thousands.”

“I hope my legacy is a lot more than [the records.] If I have to be remembered for the statistics then I did something wrong.” Trust us Brett. You will be remembered for far more than just your statistics. You will be remembered as the 30+ year-old kid who reminded us why we love to play the game.

Semi-Pro Review

Grade: C+



Before there was only the NBA there was also a “small-ball” league known as the American Basketball Association (ABA). The new Will Farrell picture Semi-Pro tells the humorous and unlikely story of the Flint, Michigan Tropics. Starring as owner/player/coach- Jackie Moon- Farrell takes his antics to the hard-wood.

In the 1970s the Tropics were a struggling team at the bottom of the ABA standings when the NBA called the league Commissioner for a merger. With the condition that the four teams with the largest markets be absorbed into the new-look NBA the next season. To this Jackie argues his way into a compromise with the Commissioner: the four teams with the best overall records would be absorbed.

Semi-Pro has a surprising amount of heart within it. Farrell’s character is more like a man seeking redemption after the death of his mother than just a guy who is interested in making money. Farrell has not quite found that niche of his that produced such memorable comedies like the 2003 family comedy Elf and Anchor Man in 2005 but with Semi-Pro Farrell appears to be heading back to his roots and taking the focus off of him and placing it more on what made his previous movies so successful: the chemistry between himself and the other actors. With a supporting cast of Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, Andrew Daly, David Koechner, and a cameo by the always humorous Tim Meadows. The on-screen chemistry creates a believable dialogue within this outlandish “semi-true” story.

Some of the more intriguing questions that arise from the movie are the things that are not made up. Such as why is the Flint, MI basketball team called the “Tropics”? Could players really void trades in the middle of a game? Were players really traded for equipment like washing machines? Were there afros that big before Ben Wallace?

"Irrelevant"?!

On Wednesday Feb. 27, during the ESPN show Around the Horn, a show where sports columnists from the nation’s largest sports cities debate on specific subjects. a regular guest on the show and Los Angeles Times sports writer Bill Plaschke said to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti that Chicago was an "Irrelevant sports town"

It's true that a lot of Chicago's sports teams are in desperate pseudo rebuilding phases. The Bulls with the acquisitions of Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes. The Bears and their lack of anything resembling an offense. The White Sox, two years after winning the World Series missed the playoffs by 20+ games. The Cubs have hit the 100 year mark for not winning a World Series and are "celebrating" the 63rd anniversary of the last time they were even in the Series.

What Mr. Plaschke might not remember is that about four or five years ago the Denver Nuggets were one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Broncos were still trying to find a replacement for John Elway. And not too many people cared about how well the Colorado Avalanche were playing well, and were a couple years removed form winning the Stanley Cup.

But let's take a look at the bright side of Chicago sports for a moment. The Bears are a little over a year removed from being in the Super Bowl. The White Sox brought a World Series title to Chicago for the first time in 88 years. The Cubs are giving fans an actual sports related reason to attend Wrigley Field again this year.

There are also the not so major sports: the Chicago Wolves of the IHL have won 4 championships in the last 10 years. They have also never had a losing season. The newest addition to the Chicago sports family, the Rush of the Arena Football League, won the AFL championship in Arena Bowl XX and has made the playoffs in every season of their existence. The Chicago Blackhawks also gave fans a reason to cheer early in the NHL season, but have fallen back into losing. They do have a very bright future ahead of them.

Though Chicago's sports are in a state of limbo and the teams are not as feared as they used to be (or in this coming MLB season; should be.) But professional athletes still want to be come to Chicago.

Japanese baseball player Kosuke Fukudome (Cos-kay Fook-u-domay) was quoted as saying his two main choices to play Major League Baseball came down to Chicago's north and south side ball clubs and eventually landed with the Cubs.

The White Sox have been no strangers to welcoming foreign players into the clubhouse having 2 Cuban players on the current roster. Picking up a couple Japanese players in Shingo Takatsu and Tadahito Iguchi a few years ago. Pplus several players from Manager Ozzie Guillen's homeland of Venezuela.

Calling Chicago an irrelevant sports town is like saying that the sky is green. Bill Plaschke needs to check his history and make sure he wasn't talking about Cincinnati.

The Only QB I've Known

One day in 1993 my father came home and walked into my room. He tossed a folded green and white shirt onto my bed. I unfolded the shirt to realize it was a jersey with the number 4 on it. As I turned the jersey around to see who wore this number I read "Faver?"

15 years later I'm cherishing that jersey like it were the Shroud of Turin. 15 years later I'm walking out of work and glance at one of the TVs tuned into ESPN to see a bunch of Packers highlights playing. I smile knowing that half the building is filled with Bears fans pretty much being forced to watch more highlights of Brett Favre (Far-ve) tear apart opponents for monster gains and touchdowns.

Then a realization of horror strikes me: there's only one reason they would be showing these highlights... He's retiring.
Favre's spontaneous TD celebrations were as exciting as he was.
The only quarterback I've known to start for the Green Bay Packers since I began following football is now gone.

Normally a Chicago Cubs fan mantra- "One More Year"- was adopted by the Packers Nation in their hopes of seeing Favre play yet another season in the Green and Gold, hoping to see him in his third Super Bowl.

In one of his final games Favre chucks a snowball at his teammates.
Falling one game, and potentially one pass short of Super Bowl XLII. Next year has come, somewhat unexpectedly. The way Favre played the 2007 season, he looked like he was 26 again, and it seemed like he would be back. But at 38 years-old, he's earned the right to hang up his cleats and sit back in his home in Mississippi and spend time with his family.

But the selfish football fan in me wishes Brett, the 2007 SI Sportsman of the year and three-time NFL MVP, would have stuck around for at least one more year.

As the NFLs all-time leading passer, Favre has little to prove to anyone. He won Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. Fell a drive shy of overtime in SB XXXII.

I feel fortunate that my first live Packers game was not only at Lambeau Field this past season against the Lions, but that I got to see Favre throw the last two TD passes of his career.

The only QB I can remember to start a game for the Pack has retired. And with him a piece of football leaves the game.

No other player in the league plays the game with the love and passion that Favre did.

Much like Michael Jordan's second retirement from the Chicago Bulls; the Packers now will begin to rebuild with Aaron Rodgers, the teams first round draft choice from 2005, as their starter.

I think ChicagoSports.com writer Mike Downey said it best this morning:

"There was something about Brett.

You won't ever forget him.

Or that the 'v' comes before the 'r.'"

Good luck Brett. See you in Canton in 2012

Perfect Strangers DVD

Grade: D+


"Oh, my lord!" It's the classic sitcom, Perfect Strangers, finally out on DVD.

Originally airing in 1986, Perfect Strangers starred Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous and Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton; two very different cousins raised on opposite ends of the world. Balki: a sheepherder from the extremely small island of Mypos (a fictional Mediterranean island.) Larry: a small town boy from Madison,
Wis. looking to make it on his own in the Windy City.

The box set is rather dry when it comes to material beyond the 28 episodes of the first two seasons. The lone bonus feature within the set is a montage of a staple within the show - the "Dance of Joy." What this set really could have used is some deleted scenes, and some commentaries by cast and crew definitely would have been nice to have. With the original cast of the show being Louis Anderson and his actual cousin a "making of" featurette showing why these two wouldn't have worked giving the director and producers insights on how Linn-Baker and Pinchot did make the show work could have complimented the set nicely.

The episodes also do not appear to be in sequential order. There is an episode on
disc 4 - entitled "Tux for Two" - in which Larry is invited to a gallery event featuring the work of his idol - fictional photographer Roger Morgan. In the episode, Larry mentions that Morgan judged a contest in which he had won 10th place. However, in a later episode ("Up on a Roof") Larry attempts to enter the very same contest. The set isn't entirely to blame for this, as the episodes were initially aired out of order on ABC; however, this seems like something the producers of the show would want to change for this release - the fact that the order remains unchanged is simply another example of how rushed the set feels.

Is this set worth your $30? Only if you were a huge fan of the show and intend to continue through the entire series as the are released.