Sports, and Why Guys Like Them

Football. Baseball. Hockey. Basketball. Tennis. Soccer. Nascar. What do these sports have in common? There must be a winner. Of all the rules in all of sports (and let’s face it, in some sports there are way too many rules (yes I’m talking to you NFL)), requiring a winner is the single most attractive thing about sports. If you then connect this all-important rule to the male mind, it’s very easy to see why guys like sports. Because in a guy’s mind, there is order. There is a #1. There is a #2. There is a #3 and so on.Open up the passion for sports in a more broad fashion, and you’ll discover it’s more about competing than it is about the actual sport, though. My favorites to play are football and basketball. My favorite to watch is football. But my ultra favorite thing to do? Win. It can be pick-up basketball at the Y, it can be a 5K race or a race up the stairs. It can also be something as absurd as the Nashville Fantasy Bachelor League. Guys want to be #1. And when we can’t be, we cheer for a team we think can.

Lance Armstrong, Tour De France winner

A friend of mine is a self-proclaimed sports agnostic. He’s not against athletics, he’s not against athletes. But he is against those fanatics. If you’re interested, his thoughts on the subject are posted here. What I submit to him is the idea that sports should be viewed on a broader scale (like I mentioned, it’s more about competing).If my friend were to watch a football game the way he writes blogs, I think he may begin to understand. Yes, my friend is a writer. And before you say, “Well, no wonder the flower child doesn’t like sports! He’s one of those weirdo creative types,” you should know that he is an Alabama Crimson Tide fan as well (Now you have my permission to say it). His allegiance to Alabama is more for the sake of picking a side (Alabama or Auburn) than it is about actually liking the team, but hey, at least he’s aware that there are sides in that fight.When my friend writes, he spends time and energy making the delivery and presentation a top notch product. Why? It’s not so the reader will like it. It’s so the reader will like it more than anything else they read. When the Seattle Seahawks take the field against the New Orleans Saints they want to run the right plays and score points, but not just to play well. They want to win the game and be the best in the league. My friend writing to be the best and the Seahawks playing to be the best are the same thing.

Why guys likes sports can be summed up in four points.
Challenge. It’s exciting to push skills to the limit, and watch other people do the same.
Competition. An exciting way to measure talents, passions and skills.
Hitting. Guys like to hit things, or watch people hit things.
Hierarchy. There must be a #1. This idea is built into the male DNA. If you’re a guy, you are born with the desire to be king of the mountain, and have songs written about your halls. 

You Make Me Want To Be A Mom

You were the one He was waiting for.
An adventurous person,
content to follow His urging to become a mother of four.

From Key West to Key West,
miles and years between.
Shannon, Erin, Nathan and I know you’re the best,
the best Mom we’ve ever seen.

When I think about trust, faith, and living free,
shelter, confidence and Grace,
there is in my heart a restricted place
for the one that showed these things to me.

I love being an uncle, I love being a brother.
But most of all, I love that you’re my mother.

It’s unfair, only we can call you that.
But what a thrill, what a thrill!! to be your son.
You’ve set our lives on an amazing track
and the adventure isn’t done.

I can love sports and love my dog.
I can love the Lord and love my job.
I can love Tennessee and love beaches.
I suppose there’s no limit to where love reaches.

But of all that’s in my heart;
like passion, hope, truth and fire,
there will always be a place set apart
for the adventurer, teacher, the one that makes me want to be a mom,
Terry Davis Wilder.

Happy Mother’s Day, I love you!
Ben

August 1981 (from left to right: Mom, Erin, Shannon, Nathan, Ben)

Liking Michael Jackson and Disliking Osama bin Laden Makes You Cooler

You’re at a wedding. The couple begins their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Suddenly the romantic ballad stops, and Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” echoes through the banquet hall as the bride and groom perform a choreographed dance. Cool.

You’re standing on a rocky ledge at a marina. The water is calm until all of the sudden a gigantic while jumps over you. Cue percussion intro to “Will You Be There?” by Michael Jackson. Cool.

You’re watching the news announcing that bin Laden is dead and you put your American flag out, even though it’s night time. Cool.

In summary, if you need help making something cooler, add a Michael Jackson song or mention you’re strong dislike for the person responsible for September 11th. Adding a quick comment about what you would do if you found him works well here, too. For example, “If I was in Pakistan and found bin Laden, I’d tie him to a chair and tell him he can have face chat with his buddies in the cave on an iPhone 4 but then I’d drop the bomb that there’s no WiFi!” That kind of stuff is hardcore dislike.

Thank you to the military of the United States of America. You are stronger and cooler than any military anywhere (with or without a Michael Jackson song).

How Great Thou Art – Performance

POST UPDATE: Holly Tucker, a contestant on The Voice, recently performed “How Great Thou Art” on the show (link is below). Read on for the rest of this post about two other artists that have performed this song…

Carrie Underwood has not earned the one-name reference (ie. Elvis, Cher, Madonna, Britney, etc)… yet. But there’s no denying how good she is as a singer, performer, and an off-stage role model. She recently performed “How Great Thou Art” for a television special and her rendition of the song is drawing comparisons to Elvis’ performance of that song. I’ve conveniently included them in this post so you can draw your own conclusion. At the end of the day, they both win because they sing the song so well. When I watch Carrie’s, I think to myself, “This is what true worship is. It’s giving what you’re best at back to God and doing it with an undeniable passion.” It’s apparent she was singing for a larger audience than just the people in that auditorium, and I have a feeling there was a giant smile in Heaven for 5 minutes and 12 seconds. Didn’t hurt having Vince Gill on guitar and backup vocals either. She holds the last “thou art” for a solid 15 seconds, and it’s simply great. 

People say Elvis was the only Rock n’ Roller to include Gospel music in his concerts, and why not? He sang them so well. His version of “How Great Thou Art” is more Southern Gospel than Carrie’s version, but just as touching. Personally, I like Carrie’s better. Who’s do you like better? Why?

10 signs that Christian guy is into you

10. He says he won’t marry you until Proposition 8 is supported by all 50 states.

9. His Facebook status is a direct quote from something you said in Bible study.

8. He sends his friend to talk to you, just so he can casually walk up and join the conversation.

7. He wants to light your unity candle, if you know what I mean.unity-candle-songs-wedding-hit6. He comments that you two fit together like praise and worship.

5. He’s not afraid to Tebow with you in public.
Chase-Baltimore-Wedding-7

4. He tags you, and only you, in his Facebook note that reads, “If anyone wants to help me deliver food to the elderly Friday night, and then catch a movie, let me know.”

3. You tell him you’ve signed up for the Spring retreat and he says he did, too. Then you see him sign up for the Spring retreat.

*Take a quick break and check out a horrible date I had with a girl I was into, until this horrible date, that is 🙂

2. He says if you both were alive before the flood, he’d want to walk into the Ark with you.noah-mural-web

1. During the Lord’s Supper, he leans over and asks, “Want to top off this supper with some dessert?”