Ojo Del Tigre

Okay, the title of this blog entry is just me showing off. In English, it means Eye Of The Tiger. The Spanish version just sounds a bit more passionate and passion is what I want to talk about. I seem to do some of my best thinking after a sermon or discussion with my pastor and friend, Terry Matthews. Last Sunday, his sermon was from the Book of Revelations and he spoke about the passion of the church and its members. He set the sermon up in a way he does sometimes and I love it as far as catching and holding my attention. He talked about the picture, Rocky III. Since the time of Rocky II, Rocky, the reigning world champion, has become more famous, richer, and less passionate about winning. Early in the movie, he is beaten badly by a new, young challenger. His old nemesis, now friend, Apollo Creed, tells Rocky that he no longer has the "eye of the tiger"; that he has lost his passion for fighting and winning. Spoiler Alert: Rocky regains both the eye of the tiger and his championship by the end of the movie and Adrian still loves the old guy. Terry's point was that the Christian church must retain and grow its passion for love of God and service to Him. There is no neutral ground. A church grows or dies. It is not possible to separate the passion of a church from the passion of its members. Terry said it so much better than I am able, but I am in total agreement with him. I've also found that, when I get to know passionate members of God's church, they are passionate in other aspects of their lives as well. Take me, for example. I am passionate about the Washington Redskins, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and... oh yes, my wife, children and grandchildren. Passion certainly isn't a trait limited to Christians. I know Jews, Muslims, Hindus, non-Christian Navajo Indians, an atheist, and a Rasta who are passionate about life and about serving their fellow man. I hope to always find myself surrounded by those whose best joy in life is in passionate service. These eyes are nowhere as young as they once were, but if you look closely, I'm hoping that you'll see the tiger looking back. This morning, I'm wanting three things from this life. I want to never stop living it passionately. I want to travel. I want a big Labrador retriever (I'll name him Bailey after my uncle. My uncle is a big man with an even bigger loving heart just like the Labs I've been lucky enough to know.) God is good.