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Blaming God
If you follow the NFL, you have probably already seen this video. If you haven’t seen it, take a look. The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied in overtime, and the first team to score, wins the game. The Bills have the ball on the Steelers 40-yard line when Stevie Johnson breaks through the Steelers defense. Ryan Fitzpatrick delivers a perfectly thrown ball to a wide open Johnson in the end zone…
…and he drops it.
What would have been the game-winner, bounces in and out of the hands of Johnson. The Steelers would then go on to win the game 19-16. As big of a story as that is, what transpired after the game has become the bigger story.
Johnson, obviously disappointed, took to Twitter to air his frustration. However, Johnson did not blame himself for taking his eyes off the ball. He didn’t blame himself for not getting his hands into position.
My initial reaction, like many of you, was to question how Johnson could blame God for something that was so obviously Johnson’s fault. His eyes and hands were not where they needed to be. How can he blame God for that?
Then my thoughts turned to myself. I wondered if I had ever done the same thing as Johnson. It didn’t take long before I realized I am often the same way. When things are going the way I want them to go, it is easy to praise God, but when life does not turn out the way I had planned, I often question or blame God. Even when it is my own foolishness which gets me into trouble, I sometimes demand that God explain to me how he could allow that to happen.
Perhaps you can relate.
Perhaps you and I are a lot more like Stevie Johnson than we would care to admit. In fact, Johnson may even be a little more mature than many of us. The day after, Johnson tweeted this:
Johnson went on to tweet that he was not trying to blame God, but that he was simply crying out and asking “Why?”. He also said that after talking with friends, teammates, his wife, and Kurt Warner (via Twitter), he is able to see the bigger picture, knowing that God can use these trials for higher purposes.
Hard times are a part of life on this earth. Everyone experiences them. God is not worthy of praise just when things are going my way. That is selfish. God is worthy of praise always, because God is always here for me. When things are going well (according to my standards), God is there blessing me. When things are not going so well (again, according to my standards), God is there to lead me through it.
I want to be more like Job. After losing his possessions, his livelihood, and his children, one would expect Job to be angry with God. Instead, Job has the faith to declare:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1.21, NIV).
What lessons has God taught you (or is currently teaching you) through difficult times in your life? Please share in the comments.
Food and Photography
It’s been awhile. I made the mistake of starting a blog at the end of summer. As a youth minister, this was a bad idea. I’ve been trying to start back again, actually beginning several posts but never finishing.
But I am determined to start back up again and keep it going. I have debated for quite some time as to what the focus of this blog should be: ministry, Christian Living, food. I decided to focus on the things I love, which is all three and then some.
Recently, I started getting into photography. My friends Chase and Jaime of Chase + Jaime Photography invited me to assist them at a few weddings. Eventually, they put a camera in my hands and let me go at it. Earlier this month I attended PartnerCon, a photography conference in New Orleans, where my knowledge increased dramatically. Then this last week I broke down and bought a Nikon d300. I have been bitten by the photography bug!
This week is Thanksgiving, of course, and I am responsible for taking appetizers to my family’s Thanksgiving feast. So today I did a little shopping (okay, more than a little). When I got home, I just had to take pictures of my finds.
I love cheese, if you can’t tell from the picture. I thought a nice cheese platter would be a wonderful start to a Thanksgiving meal.
I thought I would start with The Drunken Goat. I first found this cheese at Whole Foods Market in Tulsa. It is a Spanish cheese made from goat’s milk and immersed in red wine. The combination of flavors is magical.
Sticking with Spanish cheeses, I had to go with Manchego. The first place I tried this cheese was at Bolero in Bricktown, OKC. For this one, I will be drizzling it with a warm honey-butter sauce and serving it with crostini. If you have never tried Manchego, what are you waiting for? Go grab some right now!
Since my mom’s side of the family is Italian, I had to pick some Italian cheeses. When most people think Italian cheese, they often think of Parmesan. Unfortunately, most people think of the dry, boring powder served at pizza joints. Real Parmesan cheese is anything but boring. It has a slightly nutty taste, which adds umami to any dish. Parmesan is one of my favorite cheeses.
This Parmesan is soaked in Merlot. I have never tried this one, but if it’s anything like Drunken Goat, it will be incredible!
Next, I spotted an Asiago, another delicious Italian cheese. This one is spiced up with olive oil and basil!
I decided that there may be some at our family Thanksgiving who may be a little leery about trying these cheeses, so I also picked up a smoked cheddar. Who doesn’t like smoked cheddar? It is definitely one of my favorite cheeses. I prefer sharp cheddar, but I could not find one. However, I am confident this one will be quite delicious!
What goes well with delicious cheeses? Delicious cured meats! How about some pancetta, prosciutto, and salami?! The salami is made with Pinot Grigio. Why not?
Finally, I have Mascarpone cheese (an Italian cream cheese), olives & peppadew, and red & orange bell peppers. I’m not sure exactly what I am going to do with these, but I can’t wait to experiment!
I can’t wait to be with family and enjoy some amazing food! So what is everyone else preparing for Thanksgiving?
Michael L. Parks 