Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)

Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)
Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)

Thursday, May 24, 2012

I've Still Got The Blues For You

Well, while I was pretty bummed to see the Blues go down again in Origin last night, I thought at least they put up a good fight, and overall, I thought the team had been pretty well-picked. Great to see Robbie Farah get another shot at last, and he was really solid, so hopefully that'll mean he's in the side for the next few years. Although you never can tell- another series loss will inevitably bring a completely new team next year. Because that tactic is working so well..

On a side note, the reason I haven't mentioned Origin at all before now is because it once again painfully coincides with Bible Study, and knowing I'd miss most of the game, I wanted to lessen the pain by not talking about it too much.  Needless to say though, I was out of BS like a shot, and sped home to catch the majority of the second half. 

Was Inglis' final try really a try? Hmmm. Dunno about that one. But still, beaten reasonably fair and square. So, congrats to you Queenslanders, and hopefully the next game will go our way, to make game three count.  

And to pre-empt your suggestions, yes I did suggest the group watching the game together (but have found myself in a group of the only ten men in the Shire who don't like football. Come on!), and no, we don't own one of those new-fangled machines that lets you record stuff off the tele (new-fangled meaning anything invented in the past three decades).

30 comments:

RodeoClown said...

We called off Bible study last night so that those who cared (i.e., not me) could go meet up at the church building and watch it on the big screen.

I think they had pizza and games or somesuch as well - I wouldn't know though :)

Ben McLaughlin said...

Well, how annoying.

I wish you had have told me this earlier, so I could have gone to your church disguised as you, and you could have gone to my group disguised as me. A bit of hair dye, some inner soles and Bobs yer Runkal, no one would have been the wiser. Please keep it in mind for game 2.

Stuart Heath said...

I seriously don't understand why anyone would put on a Bible study on State of Origin night. It seems like a hard-headed commitment to being irrelevant.

I have zero interest in rugby league and would never watch a match for my own interest. But I know a lot of people do.

But if you wanted me to meet some of your other friends (Christian or non-Christian) and invited me over to your home to watch it, I'd come and sit through it and try not to act too snooty.

Especially if I'd already set aside Wednesday nights.

RodeoClown said...

I'm sure they're doing the same thing for the next game - and you're welcome to come along!

(I'll even make a point of coming if it is).

I'll let you know.

Karen said...

My husband was in the same position as you. Although maybe with a few people in his group who would have been happy to watch the football. But the leader of his group isn't a football watcher, so Bible study it was.

He debated whether to cancel at the last minute but said to me later that he decided that Bible study was more important in the eternal priority scheme.

So he arrived home to see the last ten minutes of the game. He hadn't even been able to listen to it in the car coming home because the radio doesn't work.

That was about as much of the football as I saw as well (after getting kids to bed, cleaning the kitchen, and stuffing around on the internet for a while). I saw the controversial final try. And even though I'm a Maroons supporter and it pains me to agree with anything Phil Gould has to say, I did think it was a bit of a dodgy decision.

Anonymous said...

I find it so very amusing that there is all this talk about combining football and bible studies.
Amusing from the point of view that there are poeple gathering to learn and discuss scripture while secretly yearning for some 'enetertainment' that involves the most neanderthal behaviour from the most base humans that could ever be paid (highly) to perform for the masses. In what is essentially the most commercialised of 'blood' sports apart from cage fighting, we take our kids down to the sidelines to get close to the action and maybe if we arte lucky, a spot of Muscly Mcthugerus' blood on our cheeks. Hmmm... study God before or after? That is the question.
Yeah, good.

Ben McLaughlin said...

Karen, nice to know someone else was in the same position!

Ben McLaughlin said...

Pedro- Argggh! Blinded by melodrama!

Sorry, cobber, not biting on this one.

Anonymous said...

Safe to assume there is no 'out' on this one?
No hidden verse somewhere that says
"yes! It is perfectly fine to subscribe to this example of human vandalism but none of the others!!!"

Now lets talk about how those other people are going to suffer for their indiscretions.

Lets start with 'tsk, tsk tsk..."

Ben McLaughlin said...

Gosh.

Okay, I'll say a few words. Firstly, what sports should a Christian watch or play? Or maybe they shouldn't play any sports at all? You are putting a stack of baggage on a game. There is nothing inherantly evil in running and tackling, is there?

You are also putting a lot of baggage on Christianity. What should a Christian do, shave a circle in the top of his head, don a brown cloak, lock himself in a tower and chant some Gregorian hits?

And secondly, consider the Bible Study thing. At the sart of the year, a group of guys made a commitment to share each others lives, be acountable to each other, and to try their best to be there each week, to look at the Bible and pray for each other. I wasn't secretly pining about the footy, I was very openly pining! They all knew I really loved it and would love to watch it.

I thought it through and decided to be there anyway. I hope that showed my commitment to those guys, rather than showing some crazy hypocrisy and inconsistency that you seem to see that as.

Anonymous said...

"Firstly, what sports should a Christian watch or play?"

Simple.

Ones that DON'T nurture violence and thuggery as the mainstay of the game. Fullstop.

Great role models in that bunch.

'Yes, Timmy, you can play football.'

'Dad, I wanna be like Tony McSmasha skull!!'

'No, son, you can only look up to..ummm..look up to...er...Hang on, there is one guy.'

'Tony Smashaskull! Tony Smashaskull! Tony Smashaskull!!'

'oh...'

Ben McLaughlin said...

Badminton it is then.

Mate, you are not really engaging with the heart of the matter, you are just sensationalising. You are sounding pretty judgemental and restricting, which I thought was what irked you about Christians.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I never thought I would get that!! And in italics too. That must mean the group to which i don't belong and the special ones too!

Are you saying that these men ARE good role models.
That the violence in the game is NOT condoned and enjoyed by the viewers?

I do apologise mate. I completely missed the true nature of these well bred, earnest young family men that hold there game and each other and the women in their lives and their place in the public eye and children who look up to them, in the highest regard.
judgemental and restricting?!?!
Isn't that best used to describe the attitude towards gay marriage?

Heart of the matter?

hypocrisy always has a tinge of convenience.

Ben McLaughlin said...

You've said before that you enjoy these kinds of discussions. I actually really don't. We are good mates, so to me it feels weird doing this. But, I guess I do want to try and give answers for my stance on things.

Certainly not saying all football players are great role models. But that was never the arguement. I'm saying the game is not inherantly bad. And I'd also say there are a stack of good role models in there two. And the occasional Christian that pops up in footy, well I admire them a LOT, because they are stepping into an arena where there will be ridicule, and they will be under the microscope. I actually think that's really brave.

As for me personally, I don't condone the violence, though I see no issue in a robust contact sport. Two meatheads can collide without their being malice:)

Anyways, I think I'll leave it there, i've exhausted what was the point at hand.

Anonymous said...

Mate, thats the thing. We are good mates so we should be able to throw our ideas in the ring and hear each other out, no matter how verbose one (that is me) may get!!!
Its confrontation without confrontation. All good stuff.
I would love to bring up all these topics in my blog but no one reads the bloody thing!!!!!

Now back to that issue of gay marriage...

Thoughts brethra?

Gary Ware said...

It's mate against mate...
Where have I heard that before?

Ben McLaughlin said...

Gary- ha! yes.

Pedro- Might save that one for another time. But I will say that I love everything Nathan of St. Eutychus has written on the topic recently. Here's two good ones-

http://st-eutychus.com/2012/ten-or-more-thoughts-on-praying-away-the-gay/

and

http://st-eutychus.com/2012/praying-away-the-gays-some-responses-from-people-who-disagree-with-my-last-post/

Stuart Heath said...

This is a great example of why inviting people over to watch the game is more valuable than going to Bible study.

Ben and Pedro would get a proper opportunity to discuss the ethics of contact sports. You could explore what Jesus might say about the matter. Pedro would get to meet some other Christians. He could rebuke them if they're exulting in the bloodlust. Or if they're not, they might have an opportunity to give a fuller explanation of how they think rugby league and Jesus fit together.

Assuming you go to formal church events every Sunday and then Bible study during term time, that's about 90 occasions a year. (And hopefully that's not the extent of your relationships, or you've got bigger problems than Origin.)

But how many times a year do you get a great opportunity to invite people into your home and talk about worthwhile stuff like this? Half a dozen?

Don't squander the next Origin night on a regular Bible study.

Ben McLaughlin said...

I'm so forwarding this to my Bible Study leader.

Anonymous said...

Benno. I really liked the way that guy writes.
He speaks well and very logically.
I was a liiiiittle worried about how he said some things but didn't really say them but otherwise, good message and rationale.
Do you agree that 'homosexuality' is not a conscious choice?
i do recall us having this convo a while back...

That other bloke who he quotes on his blog must have played rugby league.
Just sayin...

Ben McLaughlin said...

I'll email you some time and we can discuss that one if you like mate.

Nathan said...

Wow. Who'd have thought a conversation about football would end up being about gay marriage... Pedro - feel free to get my email address of Ben and pass on the stuff you were worried about - I'd be happy to chat about it.

I'm pretty sure you can't reasonably speak of same sex attraction as being a deliberate choice - I'd say there's a complex mix of environmental and perhaps biological factors at play that mean by the time you've hit sexual maturity the die is pretty much cast. But I'd also say that doesn't mean Christians can't maintain a position that homosexuality is wrong - we just need to be careful how we apply that outside the church.

Anyway. Feel free to drop me a line.

Nathan said...

PS. I also love Rugby League.

Karen said...

Have been watching the conversation here during the day (in between marking assignments and feeding the baby) and I was also amazed to see the football conversation end up being about gay marriage...

Glad it all stayed pretty civil though :)

Stuart Heath said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ben McLaughlin said...

I've been thinking a fair bit about this, and I think it's good me and Pedro discuss these things. We are good mates and should be able to. But I have been wondering about the benefit of that conversation taking place online.

Someone who I respect a lot suggested that even though it may be helpful for Pedro and I, maybe it could be unhelpful for other readers. I'm undecided on that one. I will say though, that I find these kinds of things stressful, because it's easy to shoot off a comment, and then look back and realise perhaps there wasn't a lot of love involved, but more of a trying to prove the other person wrong. Dunno.

Something I admire about Nathan's interactions online is that he seems to be able to manage this really well, being able to discuss big issues frankly, but within falling into those traps.

Deb said...

Online? Yes, online! I know the blog is open to the whole wide world, but so are our lives. Lived as spectacles in the arena, those these days minus so many lions. I didn't read any of the comments until today because I thought it was a post about football which I have no interest in whatsoever. But the stuff that was talked about was valuable stuff. Unhelpful for other readers? Sorry, don't get that point. I like hearing Pedro's points of view and I like reading your answers. They often help me to understand how my "assumptions" might look in the eyes of my non-Christian friends and then it forces me to think about how I should lovingly respond to them if they asked me the same thing.

Anonymous said...

Cheers Deb. I'll keep on keeping on!
In case many don't know. As ben said we are good mates and have been in each others faces (literally at somepoints!) for many years.
I admire his tenacity and his ability to stay true to the cause. (well, his cause at that particular moment)
I have the utmost respect for him.
I come froma large family where friendly comments/discussions can take a turn for the better or worse real quick and the results are, if nothing else, entertaining.
i like a good debate (read scrap) and hope to continue.
As I said yesterday, I would post issues up on my blog but thats about surfing and surfboards mainly so no one reads it (sob)...

So.


Next topic!!!

PS. I do consider myself a Christian but there may be issues with some about how i conduct myself.

Karen said...

I have no problem with this kind of conversation happening online. And in fact, I thought it was good that it did. For much the same reasons as Deb.
I'm hopeless at having an answer when these issues come up, so I found it really helpful seeing how others handle it.
And, as I said last night, it wasn't like the two of you were being uncivil. I enjoy a good robust discussion.
But, yeah, I get the point that it's time to move on!

Ben McLaughlin said...

Thanks Karen and Deb.

Well friends, I think what we can learn from this comment thread, is that you guys all obviously really like posts about footy, so I'll have to keep em' coming. Thanks, I thought you'd never ask.