Recording the podcast as I drive is not yielding the kind of sound quality I wanted. That's why I have you good people to talk to and help me work out the kinks. Don't worry though. As I retool, I'll be sure to post my works in progress. Don't stop the feedback and suggestions. Once we get a few more things in place we're going to be able to be more live and interactive.
Can I be secular for just a minute here? You all know that I LOVE to watch pro wrestling. I've watched the characters in the squared circle for as long as I can remember. Whether it was AWA, WWF, CCW, WCCW, ECW, NWA or whatever else I could find, I've always found entertainment and, yes, inspiration in the ring. I've also found frustration at the glaring lack of talent that exists today, most especially in the storylines. So let me rant just a bit here.
I remember years ago watching the Four Horsemen break Dusty Rhodes' arm before Starcade.
Oooh. Did you see that? Forget the grainy video and poor production quality. It was what it was. Bad guys chasing the good guys with a handheld recorder to send a message to all the other good guys. Don't mess with the Horsemen. This stable of wrestlers created some of the best storylines and feuds that I remember watching. They had some of the best talkers in the business, especially when Ric Flair was feuding with Dusty Rhodes. They knew how to work an audience and tell a story inside and outside the ring.
Fast forward to last night's Monday Night Raw. A wonderful story was arcing that had the heel, CM Punk, out of the WWE with the championship belt and no WWE contract, meaning he could go anywhere. They could have milked this for all it was worth and built a strong lead to a major PPV months away. Nope. Cheap cash in with one run in at San Diego Comic Con, culminating in Punk appearing last night after a new championship strap was given to John Cena (again). Gee, wonder who will be fighting at the next pay-per-view in a couple of weeks? What a waste of good talent. No patience. No writing skill. Just when I think things will turn around, more of the same old recycled stories. Only the names have changed.
Why am I so mad? Because I miss the stories. That was half of the fun of watching. That was why I stayed up late to watch Tuesday Night Titans.
I wanted the scoop. I stood in the magazine section at Winn Dixie and Kroger while Mom shopped for groceries so I could leaf through the wrestling magazines and find out what feuds were brewing. No more. Everything is microwaved, instant cash in, and predictable.
Of course there is a spiritual link. There's always a spiritual link. How often do we look for the easy cash in spiritually? How quickly do we succumb to the temptation to stop short on an emotional high from a nice little retreat or speaker, content to remain unchallenged and unmoved. The more I go through this journey of faith, the more I see that the journey is a challenge filled with hills and deep valleys. We need to invest in these struggles, especially when they cause us to look inside ourselves and face the realities we don't like to see. When the light of Christ shines on us and reveals our weaknesses the point is not putting a downer on our day. The point is conforming US to the IMAGE of CHRIST rather than our usual habit of conforming CHRIST to the IMAGE OF SELF.
There is no microwave zap that will make us the Christians we must be. We have to choose each day to live the faith and in fidelity to the truth of the Word, Jesus Christ. It is uncomfortable. It hurts sometimes. But by laying aside the things that encumber us and trip us up, we discipline ourselves and receive true peace and contentment that comes from holiness.
