Paranoia is the delusion that your enemies are organized.

During dinner we watched a PBS special on the life of Luciano Pavarotti. As a young tenor singing his first roles he was physically fit, nimble, and humble. He showed up for every rehearsal and performance, worked hard, and tried to learn from his seniors. At the end of his career he was known for his ego, mailing in a performance, and self-indulgence in all things physical.
Last Sunday in Foundations our lesson included an overview of Saul, Israel's first king. Same thing. Started out so humble that he hid from the Israelites at his own coronation. Ended up at the bottom thanks to his increasing arrogance and presumption. Sin.
Greatness, in talent or position, poses real risks. That will never change (see: Spitzer, O.J., Plaxico, et al).
There's a lot to be said for mediocrity.

I'm not a college football fan. Normally I would root for the Washington Huskies because Seattle is my home town. But I left Seattle at 17 for college, and before that sports wasn't exactly a key part of my life (I played the cello). Besides, I can't keep track of the conferences, never mind the teams within them. But the Florida Gators have grabbed my attention, mostly because of their QB, Tim Tebow. The son of missionaries to Bangladesh, Tebow, a Family, Youth & Community Sciences Major, won the Heisman Trophy last year and is considered a realistic candidate to win it again this year. If he does he'll be one of only three players to win it in consecutive years.
The Gators, ranked #2 or #3, depending on the poll, played the #1 ranked Crimson Tide from Alabama today and beat them 31-20. That should guarantee them a place in the BCS Championship game. He threw three touchdown passes and led his team in rushing with 57 yards. In an on-field interview after the game the reporter asked Tebow for his reaction to the win.
"I want to thank my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, my players, my coaches, everybody who made this possible."
Everybody agrees Tim Tebow is a dude. Besides being an outstanding athlete he's the team leader. At one point his coach had to almost push him off the field because he was out with the kick-off team, getting them all pumped up before a kick-off late in the game. His coach, Urban Meyer, says he's never seen a leader like Tebow.
An interesting detail: When she was pregnant with Tim his mother Pam got a serious infection. Doctors encouraged her to have an abortion.

You gotta watch this very high-speed video of an artist who works with paper mache:
Paper Mache Dragon
Makes me want to play around with that stuff and see what I could do. There has to be tons of instructions, plans and tips on the web.
I've always thought it's too bad that adults don't get to spend time coloring, playing with pipe cleaners, and Legos. Why not paper mache?

I look forward to Sunday mornings. They are a stewardship, and I feel a very significant degree of responsibility to do my absolute best. It's that sense of responsibility that makes me such a harsh critic of my efforts. And it's why I'm so whooped Sunday afternoons/evenings. But I have also always found the opportunity to open God's Word to his people the most satisfying thing I do.
Tomorrow we'll talk about why we don't believe in the birth of Jesus (you don't either; you just don't know that you don't). And why what we do believe in (I'm not going to give it away here; you'll just have to wait) is so critical to all dimensions of the Christian experience.
I hope I do a very good job. He deserves nothing less.