Faith's Edge

So I have all of this wonderful stuff to blog about, but it has to wait because of Ben Roethlisberger. For those of you that don't know, Ben is the quarterback of my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. He was in a motorcycle accident today. He wasn't wearing a helemt, which in my mind puts him in the lucky to be alive category. In the midst of a very good and very full day, I've been dealing with this on a couple of levels. Marnie called me this morning, sounding very panicked. When she asked if I had heard the news, I feared the worst (though not really knowing what the worst, might be I just prepared myself for anything). As it turned out, I was pretty freaked out by the news, but somewhat relieved it wasn't something worse. What was weird was that I was playing Madden '06 (the NFL video game) and was a particularly bad game with Big Ben (the defense kept us in it). I often tease my wife for having unhealthy boundaries between reality and fantasy (like when she has dreams she's hanging out with the characters of Friends (the characters, not the actors), but my own fantasy/reality barrier (or lack thereof) was severely exposed as a person who has for the last few months been a video game character to me was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. All reports indicate that he'll be fine. Broken nose and jaw. Some other internal stuff will probably surface. For those of us that are into sports, I think we get closer to athletes than other "celebrities". They're somewhat more accessible. You're more likely to meet (at least it feels that way) and in a football city like Pittsburgh, they feel like more apart of your community. At the same time, I had to ask myself the question of why Roethlisberger's accident was important to me. Was it because I see him as a beloved child of God or because he entertains me as an athlete? The other level on which I was thinking about this whole thing is the issue of mortality. In an interview he did in the offseason, Ben talked about how he rode without a helmet, but that he was safe. I would imagine that as a 23 year old quarterback on one of the best teams (well, the best team!) in the NFL that there has got to be a bit of a feeling of immortality. I'm sure he's not feeling that today. I've been thinking about that in terms of the churches I'm working at. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit of an ageist. One of the reasons that I (and I think many my age) are creeped out by older people is that they remind of us of our mortality. They remind us that we are just grass. Yesterday, one of the churches had a health fair. I learned alot, but it was depressing. Why does death depress us? Better question: why does dying depress us? I spent today with an older gentleman (a retired pastor) from one of the churches and he reminded me that older people have alot to offer. They have perspectives colored by history and by experience. They have wisdom that is time tested. They have stories. and if we're willing to listen, they have visions for the future. Not all do. But many do.
Of course, as a Steelers fan, the level that I'm working on is one of wondering what kind of condition Ben will be in by the time that football season starts. That's pretty selfish. He's a human being whose suffering, but like many human beings, I only see him in terms of what he can do for me. Which isn't actually anything, directly, other than give me a greater sense of pride in a place that I'm already pretty proud of. I do hope he's okay.

The story of me and my next door neighbors is beginning to spread...I've become a bit of a maverick in Presbyteria. HA!

I'm currently reading 'Race Matters' by Cornell West. It is a phenomenal book. He has quite a vision for the future of race relations in this country. Its been a quick read thus far. I'll write a more comprehensive review when I'm done.
Speaking of reviews, I saw a couple of pretty intense movies in the last week or so that I'd like to recommend. The first was 'V for Vendetta'. Its an over exaggerated tale of what happens when conservatives take over the government. There are some not so subtle jabs at the current administration. It is a very fun film, despite its political undertones. Hugo "Agent Smith" Weaving is quite good in it and you never see his face. Natalie Portman, however, carries the film. Her british accent is suspect, but its good that some one trusted her enough to let her hold an action movie togther (ahem...George Lucas). The other one is 'A History of Violence'. As the title would suggest, the film has some rather graphic images in it, but it is also quite good. The ending is a bit confusing, but best I can tell, the film ends on a note of showing the redemptive power of love. If you've seen it and disagree, please chime in. enough for now. More later.