There is an attitude!

Yannick Noah is perplexed by "all that fuss" surrounding the arrest of his basketball player son, who was charged with marijuana possession and having an open container of alcohol. "I don't understand all that fuss for just drinking a beer on the street," Yannick Noah said Tuesday at the French Open.

This little blip of a story has been making he rounds in Chicago because his Joakim plays for the Bulls. He was down in Gainesville, FL when he was arrested. His Dad was in France for the French Open tennis tournament. Athletes who get into trouble with the law are not all uncommon these days. It seems to happen weekly. He also had marijuana with him. Now again this is not a huge surprise. What is interesting is the reaction of his dad. What is the fuss about? Why is everyone so upset?

This is scene is played out in our area over and over again. It is not about marijuana or beer, it is over the issues of how children behave in school or at the mall, or how we behave in the work place. If a child makes an obscene gesture at a teacher, hey what's the deal, why are you hassling my kid? What do you mean he got a "C", my child doesn't get a "C". So what he does not abide by the rules. What is the big deal? Your rules don't make sense. If my child is disruptive it is because you are not doing a good job of keeping in entertained or engaged or "fill in the blank".

Where is the place for the message of the gospel which tells us that we are not live for ourselves, that we are consider others better than ourselves? How can we enter into this toxic environment with good news that calls for personal accountability? Grace with righteousness. Forgiveness with a clear recognition of sin. We are sinners who have been saved by grace. We have repeatedly experienced forgiveness. But we also know that forgiveness involves the hope for change.

The environment has changed. I doubt that in the days of Paul he dealt with this level of narcissism. I never doubt the power of the gospel. I do question of we have the stamina to not become weary in doing good, if we can keep going in order to see the harvest or if we will give up. I pray we will keep going. I pray every day.