Unfortunately for Paterno, He Committed One of Our Society’s Unforgivable Sins!

Collin Hansen

When Good Isn’t Good Enough

If former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno had died the evening of October 22, when I saw him pull away in a bus from Northwestern after defeating the Wildcats, he would have been celebrated as a national hero. One week later he coached his final game, a home victory against Illinois, giving him a record 409 wins for his distinguished career. A few short days later, the long-tenured and widely revered coach lost his job in perhaps the sorriest scandal in the history of college athletics. We’ve grown accustomed to learning that amateur college athletes shaved points or solicited pay for play. But the allegations that a longtime Paterno assistant sexually abused young boys roiled even the hardest sports scribes. Following the 85-year-old Paterno’s death due to lung cancer on Sunday, fans have struggled to make sense of his mixed legacy. In the case of Paterno, it turns out good isn’t good enough in the court of public opinion.

No one can dispute that Paterno did a lot of good in his long, illustrious life, probably a lot more good than you and I can boast. He coached players on how to maul each other on a field of grass, yes, but he also molded generations of young boys of 18 into model men of 22. Those disciples have turned out in droves this week to honor their beloved mentor. Paterno has been lionized for coaching winning teams that also succeeded in the classroom. Sure, he may have covered for some players who deviated from this culture, but his example contrasted with so many other coaches and schools who willingly sacrificed integrity for victory. Not content merely to win football games, Paterno also contributed to Penn State’s improving academic reputation. Indeed, the library bears his name, due to a multi-million dollar fundraising campaign he and his wife spearheaded. They also contributed at least $1 million to build an interfaith student center.

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Collin Hansen serves as editorial director for The Gospel Coalition. He is the co-author of A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir. You can follow him on Twitter.

This Applies to Prayer…

From 22 Words… Don’t Give Up!

What About Praying “If It Be Your Will Lord”?

Perhaps the most astonishing characteristic of Jesus’ praying is that when He prayed for others He never concluded by saying “if it be Thy will.” Nor did the apostles or prophets when they were praying for others.  They obviously believed that they knew what the will of God was before they prayed the prayer of faith. They were so immersed in the milieu of the Holy Spirit that when they encountered a specific situation, they knew what should be done. Their praying was so positive that it often took the form of a direct, authoritative command:

“Walk”

“Be well”

“Stand up”

I saw that when praying for others there was evidently no room for indecisive, tentative, half-hoping, “if it be Thy will” prayers!

(The Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster, 33)

Send Revival Lord in 2012!

Father in Heaven!

America is an election year and we have sinned against you because we have depended on political candidates much more than you!

You are the only hope for America Lord!

In 2012, please send revival!

In Jesus’ name!

Amen!

One More Pro-Life Post…

By Ray Ortlund

This is good

This is evil

A Short, Free eBook on Abortion by John Piper

by John Piper | January 20, 2012

 

 

We are children of the light. Abortion is a work of darkness. The apostle Paul said, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).

Our aim, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, through the authority of his word, is to glorify God by making much of his image in the unborn, and his mercy in forgiving sinners.

We would like to give you a free eBook based on three sermons I preached on abortion. We hope it helps you speak out. Please feel free to download it, print it, copy it, and share it with as many people as you like.

Here’s a sample sentence:

God is calling passive, inactive Christians today to engage our minds and hearts and hands in exposing the barren works of darkness. To be the conscience of our culture. To be the light of the world. To live in the great reality of being loved by God and adopted by God and forgiven by Christ (yes—for all the abortions that dozens of you have had), and be made children of the light. I call you to walk as children of light.

Thanks for caring,

John Piper

John Ensor on a Passive Pro-Lifer…

Being personally pro-life but otherwise passive is a cowardly and shameful position!

(John Ensor, Innocent Blood, 42)

Let us pray for our nation and that abortion will soon be outlawed!

Julian of Norwich on the Purpose of Prayer…

The fruit

and the purpose

of prayer

is

to be oned with

and like

God

in all things.

JULIAN OF NORWICH, Meditations with Julian of Norwich

Prayer Must Be Like Breathing According to Martin Luther King, Jr.

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing!

~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pastor David Jeremiah on Specific Prayer…

How often have we prayed something like, “O Lord, be with cousin Billy now in a special way”? Have we stopped to consider what it is we’re requesting? Imagine that you are a parent who is preparing to leave your children with a babysitter. Would you dream of saying, “O Betsy, I ask you now that you would be with my children in a special way?”

No way. You would say, “Betsy, the kids need to be in bed by 9 pm. They can have one snack before their baths, and please make sure they finish their homework. You can reach us at this number if there’s any problem. Any questions before we go?” We are very specific with our requests and instructions for our babysitters. We want them to know specifics. It should be no different with prayer.

~David Jeremiah