Wise choices in a not-so-desired ending

Although I am very disappointed that Theoren Fleury was "released" by the Calgary Flames today, I think there are a number of wise choices being demonstrated by both Fleury and the Flames organization in this saga. For the details of today's "release" see the TSN story.

Wise Choices by the Calgary Flames

• giving Fleury a legitimate second chance - though it ended up drawing incredible fan and media interest, this was not just a "throw a dog a bone" offer. He had a legitimate shot to make the Flames and one has to believe Fleury's performance in the pre-season made this even more difficult that the Flames management may have initially thought. He was legitimately close to making the team.
• having a clear understanding of expectations from the beginning - With Fleury's release, it has become apparent that he and the Flames had an agreement that they would not send him to Abbotsford (their AHL farm team) and they would only sign him if he was going to be a top six forward. While most of us as fans would now love to see him stay on even as a fourth-line center, a powerplay or shootout specialist, or something, the Flames (and probably Fleury) know that this would become frustrating for the fiery forward and he would not "go out" with a bang but with a whimper... something that could never be said for Theoren Fleury, whether good (bang!) or bad (crash!).

Wise-choices by Theoren Fleury

• clear understanding of expectations from the beginning - as important as this was for the Flames organization, it is great for Theo that the expectations were clear from both sides.
• taking a few days to decide what to do next - there seems to be a widespread recognition in the hockey world that Fleury has proved enough in the pre-season to get some decent offers from other NHL teams to play this season. However, while he may entertain those over the weekend, one gets the impression that the much older and wiser Fleury will have to be convinced its a good fit for him and his family to move from Calgary to play hockey. Fleury is wise to not just jump at the first nibble of a contract but to take some time to weigh options both for hockey and for other parts of his life.

Personally, I hope Fleury comes back to the Flames after the weekend and says he is willing to accept an assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) in order to keep playing hockey and in order to be loyal to the Flames organization. I don't really think this will happen, and I imagine he will be off on a plane to Los Angeles, New York Islanders, Phoenix, or some other nice city that needs a veteran leader who has a 20-30 goal season left in him and who can help a franchise with young players grow up - both in the NHL and in life - as men.

Blog Review Forthcoming If God is Good by Randy Alcorn

My blog review of Randy Alcorn's If God is Good will be forthcoming... once I've read the book. After receiving the book about 10 days ago, I loaned the book to my friend, Tim Strickland, Senior Pastor of the Prairie Tabernacle as his topic for yesterday's message was "Why does a good God allow suffering?" By the way, it was a challenging message both mentally and emotionally. So, here's the Waterbrook Press promotional info... which will need to suffice until I've read the book.

If God is Good... by Randy Alcorn

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist? These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise. Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear. As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Author Bio:
Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

Theoron Fleury Comeback

Nice article in today's Calgary Herald on the Theoren Fleury's comeback to the NHL and with the Flames. As a fan of the Calgary Flames and as a fan of people who are vertically-challenged, I'm cheering #14 on! And I can't wait to get ahold of the forthcoming book!

Book Review: You were Born for This

I was a fan of Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez (POJ) and so I was excited at the chance to do a blog review of his latest book, You were Born for This (Multnomah Books, 2009). Whereas I felt a careful read of POJ showed that Wilkinson was reasonably interpreting the biblical text and not preaching a "prosperity theology," this newest book leaves me concerned and confused that he is not edging but in fact leaping very close to such a warped theology.

The basic premise of the book is that God wants to use every believer as his "delivery agent" to daily bring miracles of all sorts to individuals. All a person has to do is be spiritually alert God's nudges, bumps, cues and prompts and then let God's Holy Spirit do the miracles... whether financial, relational, or salvific.

Wilkinson has laid out a step-by-step method so that even the most hesitant, skeptical, or "untrained" reader will be able to grow in their ability to hear/see the signals that God is ready to do a miracle in a person's life and you can be the delivery agent. Negatively, the book could be seen as a formulaic guide to "making a miracle happen." Positively, it provides a reader friendly and practical guide so that any believer can be God's delivery agent in everyday situations of amazing miracles.

After reading the book, I cannot say that Wilkinson demonstrates poor theology or interpretation. In fact, he's pretty attentive to explaining things carefully (such as "how to make sure God receives the glory for a miracle). His stories are real life examples that are indeed miraculous, and yet not "fanciful" or "spectacular." Yet it is hard not to get the impression that you see "miracles on demand" if you follow the right steps... though again, I'm quite certain Wilkinson would not advocate such a position (and does not in the book).

I would recommend the book as a challenging and thought-provoking read, that pushes a conservative evangelical's thinking.

Video Link

I've also placed this review at Amazon.ca

Happy 25th Birthday TSN

As a Canadian sports fan, my favorite channel is undoubtedly TSN and the "Kraft Celebration Tour" they recently hosted in ten Canadian cities for ten days was great. Though I really only watched three days of the ten, it was a fun thing for TSN to do and a great way to celebrate across Canada. However, the best part... at least of the two days I watched... was their special feature on local heroes: the young man in Dauphin, MB who works as the assistant equipment manager with the MJHL's Dauphin Kings (and he has autism), the story of Bill Riley from Amherst, NS, an African-Canadian who played in the NHL and continues to encourage other young black athletes to excel in hockey, and the story of Jack Munroe, the man who founded Elk Lake, ON after fighting boxer, Jack Dempsey. These were great stories that were exceptionally well-told and were amazingly inspirational... not a word always associated with sports!
Great job TSN. Canadians should be proud of both the content and the style of your sports journalism!