BladderGate Made Relevant

“Ye who are without sin….”

The deflation issue concerning the Patriots gives us a great opportunity to discuss, in context to the inflation of the bladder of a football, life situations.  I know it is very easy to point a finger and say, “It’s in the rule book, so if you break it, you are a cheater.”  I also know that we “cheat,” “break laws,” etc. on a regular basis.  Let’s look at the issue.

Let’s consider the bladder inflation rule.  The rule states that the football is to be between 11.5 and 13.5 lbs.  That is the specification of the rule.  Should the Pats be punished for using a ball that had a 1.5% overall difference … Yes … as much as the NFL dictates.  But don’t be confused with this rule and the spygate (which isn’t even a written rule).  I do believe spygate was totally wrong and was punished severely … as it should have been.  But this bladder issue touches many life situations.

Soccer rules state (high school) that there are to be no earrings of any kind worn during a contest.  It is the coach’s responsibility to make sure all players are properly and legally equipped.  We asked them this before each game. If any player is caught during play with an earring they are told to leave the field, and the coach gets a yellow card.  Well … 8 of 10 times when this happens the referee will ask the player to go over during a stoppage and give the earring to somebody on the sideline.  Did they break the rule?  Yes.  Are they cheaters?  Should they be punished?  I’ll let you decide.  There is an intent to the rule, and the rule was obeyed when we recognized the earring without interfering with the flow of the game.  But the bottom line is that it is in the rule book to NOT wear earrings.

It is soccer and basketball rule for the ball to be at a certain psi.  The soccer rule is firm and the basketball rule is a little vague in that the psi is a suggestion, but that the ball needs to bounce to, not above, a certain height.  It is the responsibility of the officials, in all sports, to make sure the balls meet the specifications.  In soccer I even take a psi needle and check each ball.  If a ball is ever questioned during a game we just replace the ball.  Did it cause an advantage?  Probably not.  So why change the ball?  We switched balls because there was a complaint.  Some teams, in soccer, like a softer ball for heading while others like a firmly ball for heading and shooting.  It is just a preference.  The rule is there as a guideline so people don’t try to play with a flat ball.  Is there a psi rule in soccer and basketball?  Yes.  Are teams cheaters if they try to use an improperly inflated bladder? Should they be punished?  I’ll let you decide.

The rule book in basketball states that a coach must stay in the coaching box or a technical foul will be awarded.  I know I’ve stepped out of the coaching box plenty when I was a coach, and I’ve received, at least, one technical for that offense.  Is it a rule in the rulebook to stay in the confines of the coaching box?  Yes.  Is there a reason why that rule is in the rulebook?  Yes.  Am I a cheater for stepping out of the coaching box?  Should I be punished?  I’ll let you decide.

Your wife is trying on a dress and asks you her opinion.  If you don’t like the dress … what do you say?  If you say, “It looks great honey,” when you really think it doesn’t flatter her … are you are liar?  Should you be punished?  I’ll let you decide.

This brings us back to the deflated ball that the Pats used that caused an overall 1.5% difference in how the ball “feels” in the hand.  Does this give an advantage?  Kurt Warner said today that there is no way to tell if there is an advantage gained.  He said it’s totally personal preference.  The referees are responsible for making sure the balls are and stay at proper levels, and if there is ever a complaint they are to switch the balls out … just as I do in a basketball or soccer match.  The Colts did this in the first half and the second half was played with properly inflated balls (according to the officials). 

Should the Pats be punished?  Yes … as much as the NFL dictates is necessary to conform to the situation.

Before you answer the question to say, in this situation, that the Pats are cheaters …  PERIOD … I think you need to reflect back to the top of the page.  Have you ever driven 40 mph in a 35 mph?  Did you break the law?  Should you be punished?  If they officer lets you off will you say … “No, I’m a criminal!  I broke the law!  I earned this ticket, so give it to me.”  You went over the speed limit by about 30% by going 40 in a 35 zone.  Should you be labeled as a law breaker and criminal because you go 40 in a 35 zone?  I’ll let you decide?  I’m sure you’ll say, “I’ll pay the ticket if I get caught.”  Thanks for being honest.  That is my opinion of football gate.  It caused no advantage … it did break the rules … and if they did it on purpose they should be punished if caught.  Do I think it’s right to deflate on purpose?  No, but that is specifically an officials issue.

Have you ever texted, at all, while driving?  Is it against the law?  Yes.  Should you be punished?  If caught one certainly will be.  Are you a law breaker and a criminal for texting while driving?  I’ll let you decide.

All that being said, we must be very careful when, why and how we point fingers because, when you do, 3 are always pointing back at the pointer.

BTW … I love Bill’s press conference on 1/22/2015

Live OUT LOUD!

Mark Harrell – Habakkuk 2:2

My RU FIT Testimony

 

My Quest for Reality Living

 

Again, I awake in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat, shaking uncontrollably as I have just witnessed another individual being sucked into the void of the spiritual matrix.  I can’t tell you how many times I have seen this, both in my dreams and in reality.  The spiritual matrix is real, and seemingly no amount of effort is making a difference in thwarting the attempts of the enemy (the architect of the false reality) to slow down, much less reverse the onslaught.

 

My life altering choice

I have been on the front lines of this war since 1980.  I was freed from the powers of the matrix on March 7, 1977.  A battle-tested warrior by the name of Steve Herbster sat me down and explained to me how the matrix (false reality created by Satan) had been blinding me to the reality of my purpose.  He began sharing with me how that I was created for a purpose, and that I could know where I came from, what my purpose entailed and what happens to me when I die.  Agent Smith (in the Matrix Trilogy) was right; even though our purpose is to live and die, it is our choices in between that make the difference.  The choice you make as you are presented with the truth of the false reality will make all the difference as to the function of your “program” in the reality that is yet to come. 

 

Steve Herbster gave me an opportunity to choose.  As in the Matrix Trilogy series, I could choose the blue pill and reject the truth, or I could take the red pill and be ushered into the reality of why the Creator placed me on this earth.  That was the beginning of a process that has never ceased to challenge and motivate me.  Steve gave me an opportunity to stay in the confines of the false reality (and yes, it’s sweet for a season, but payday is someday), or choose reality living.  I chose life, and that was just the beginning.

 

Like Neo – as soon as I ingested the red pill I quickly became aware that I could not move my “body parts,” and could not “see.”  My spiritual mentors (like Morpheus) told me that this was normal.  They explained to me that it’s because I’ve never used them before.  They said my spiritual muscles had no strength; up until now, I had been blind to the truth of reality living.  That was when I first understood that to overcome the powers of the false reality I must be able to tap into a higher spiritual power.  My physical strength in the spiritual conflict counted for zippo (I Tim. 4:8).  I was lost!  I didn’t know where to turn!  This new world was wonderful and terrible at the same time.  I was afraid!  I was afraid because there were so many unanswered questions rushing through the concourses of my mind; questions that would be answered in time, but only as I was ready and willing to forget about myself, and commit to the purpose for which I was created (Psalm 102:18).

 

Choices Are Vital

My first major choice, after being freed from the confines of the false reality, was who would be my companions.  This may seem a little anal; it really is not.  When you take the “red pill” of truth, it will be your choice of friends that can ultimately dictate success or failure in your quest.  Your adversary knows this; he has diabolically inserted people, known as “rogue programs,” into your life to keep you from growing in knowledge about the spiritual matrix.  Many times these “rogue programs” are our spiritual leaders.  The architect of the false reality knows that if you become knowledgeable about how the matrix works, and how it began, that you will be a danger to him.  So, while you are not “of the matrix,” it is his goal to keep you bound to the delicacies “in the matrix.”  As you will find out for yourself one day – one of the dragon’s greatest tools of propaganda is the church and institutions of higher religious education. 

 

Demons and Fallen Angels

As in the Matrix Trilogy, those pesky sentinels are everywhere.  These are the physical things in your life that the enemy uses to sidetrack you and keep your focus somewhere other than on your purpose.  They don’t have to be inherently evil either.  They just keep you from dealing with the main objective.  They are distractions. Good things if not controlled, but distractions for the enemy to use against you.

 

The Divine Appointment

So, why do we stay in bondage to the powers of the false reality when the Holy Spirit resides within us?  At a foundational level I believe it is because we don’t know who we really are in Christ.  I recall the first time I became aware of whom I really was outside of the false reality.  Wham, Bam -- the lights came on.  To this day, the excitement, enthusiasm and energy that coursed through my spirit has not diminished; it has grown!  I am excited to confront the powers of the false reality, because I know who I am in Christ (I John 3:2); I am battling for an eternal purpose that has already been won.  I am not fighting toward victory; I am fighting from victory.  Jesus has already won the war, but He is looking for people who will willingly choose to join Him in the everyday battles for truth.

 

How It Really Began

At this point, I must back up and shed some light on a truth that the enemy would like to stay in the shadows. This light will reveal the beginning of the spiritual matrix.  This has everything to do with who you are and your purpose in life.  I do not jest by saying that most of “Christendom” is blind to the truth of the beginning of the false reality.  The enemy is the author of confusion, and is doing all he can to change truth at its “source” – the Bible.  He is doing this so there will be disagreement about how he (Lucifer) came into existence, what he is doing now, and his ultimate defeat.  Remember – according to agent Smith (in the Matrix Trilogy), everything that has a beginning has an ending.  Listen to the words of Psalm 138:2:  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:  for thou hast magnified THY WORD above ALL THY NAME.  This is very interesting; it deserves comment.  Why would the Word of God be magnified above the name of God?  The reason is simple.  If you change the Words of God, then you can change who God / Jesus is; you can also change the identity of the enemy.  Lucifer, Satan, the devil, the crooked serpent, the great dragon, leviathan, and beelzebub’s first attack on mankind was to attack the source of truth – that source being the Words of God.  He has never changed his strategy.  If he can get you to doubt the truth (John 17:17), then he can succeed at making sure you are bound in the false reality until you die.  Checkmate -- Lucifer wins!  The following pages will answer a lot of questions previously unanswered by the majority of spiritual leaders.  Now, let’s take a journey back in time; back to the origin of the dragon himself, the architect of the false reality.

I remember it well.  It was July of 1995.  My family was on its way to Sarasota, Florida to visit my wife’s sister when I “decided” to call Ken (my youth pastor during my high school years), and ask him if we could possibly have lunch together.  Little did I know that the Holy Spirit directed this appointment?  It was the providence of God leading me to an understanding of the false reality.  On our way back to Charlotte, North Carolina, we stopped by Ocala, stayed the night and part of the next day to talk with Ken and his wife Karin.  He started the evening by asking me what I thought was a simple question.  He said, “Mark, what is the theme of the Bible?”  I blurted out confidently (an easy one – right?): “Jesus Christ is the theme of the Bible.”  “No it isn’t,” was Ken’s reply.  Well, that floored me; I picked my ego off the floor and Ken proceeded to show me from the Bible how Jesus was the central person of the Bible, but He was not the central theme of the Bible.  He explained to me that the theme of the Bible is about a kingdom, and that in the beginning, God had established a perfect kingdom for all its inhabitants to enjoy.  He continued by saying that after a long period of time, His anointed cherub started wanting what was not his to possess.  Lucifer attempted a hostile takeover of the mountain of God by convincing one third of the angelic beings to rebel with him, and usurp the kingdom from God.  Lucifer failed; although the war he began in the ancient past has continued to this day.  That was the beginning of the false reality.

 

The above conversation was the beginning of my journey to truly understand the Bible and its plan for our lives, this earth, and the universe.  Don’t allow Satan to keep you blinded to truth while playing church each week.  Jesus could return for His bride today; RU Ready to give account for your actions, as they match up to His purpose, at the judgment seat of Christ. Maybe Today!

Live Out Loud!

Mark D. Harrell – Habakkuk 2:2