John Piper was not always a pastor. He was once a professor at Bethel Seminary. John Piper didn’t even want to be a pastor. Yet God had other plans. Read about the encouraging story of how God called John Piper into the pastorate, a calling that has created an ever-expanding ripple effect for the glory of God as revealed in the Gospel.

Ray Ortlund has a great post on why we should show our love for God’s Kingdom by loving and serving His body, the local church.

“My passion isn’t to build up my church. My passion is for God’s Kingdom.”

Ever heard someone say that? I have. It sounds large-hearted, but it’s wrong. It can even be destructive.

Suppose I said, “My passion isn’t to build up my marriage. My passion is for Marriage. I want the institution of Marriage to be revered again. I’ll work for that. I’ll pray for that. I’ll sacrifice for that. But don’t expect me to hunker down in the humble daily realities of building a great marriage with my wife Jani. I’m aiming at something grander.”

If I said that, would you think, “Wow, Ray is so committed”? Or would you wonder if I had lost my mind?

If you care about the Kingdom, be the kind of person who can be counted on in your own church. Join your church, pray for your church, tithe to your church, participate in your church every Sunday with wholehearted passion.

We build great churches the same way we build great marriages — real commitment that makes a positive difference every day.

I didn’t get to watch the entire match. I saw the majority of the 2nd half and highlights (if you can call them that) from the first half. The US continues to lethargically march through the final round of World Cup qualifying, and unless there is a dramatic turnaround in both philosophy and energy over the next month, the US could find itself in significant trouble in their next two qualifying matches versus Honduras and Costa Rica. In fact, the only saving grace for the US is that Costa Rica is actually playing worse than the US right now. After leading the group heading into September, Costa Rica now finds itself in the precarious fourth position, staring down a home and home match with the 5th place team from South America, which right now is Argentina!

The play of the US last night is simply inexplicable. They had to have three points from this match, and while they achieved their goal, they were lucky to leave the islands with three points. They lacked energy and organization. The US continues to play down to the level of their opponents and are developing bad habits in the process. While Jonathan Bornstein actually rewarded Coach Bob Bradley’s faith in him with a respectable game against T&T after a woeful performance against El Salvador, the very fact that he was even on the pitch is mind-boggling. Michael Bradley continues to play poorly (even though his first half showing was better, he faded down the stretch), and yet he continues to get 90 minutes every match. Clint Dempsey was a ghost last night, and he has been for some time, his key goals in the Confederations Cup notwithstanding. The only time that Dempsey shows himself to be effective is when Bradley moves him up top late the match. The problem is that his lack of defense throughout the match leading up to his position switch is putting far too much pressure on the US’ outside backers, which are positions of weakness for the US side. Only Ricardo Clark’s brilliant goal will make us forget an otherwise forgettable performance. When will Bob Bradley figure out that a central midfield of Clark and Bradley isn’t going to cut it when we play better competition?

The US is sitting at the top of the group with two matches remaining thanks to El Salvador’s shocking upset of Costa Rica (1-0) and Mexico’s defeat of Honduras (1-0). Next the US has to play at Honduras. Honduras is playing perhaps the best soccer in the region even with their recent loss to Mexico. The US will not earn any points in Honduras if they duplicate their recent showings versus El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago. Fortunately for the US they have a month to reorganize and will welcome Edgar Castillo, a healthy Maurice Edu, and hopefully, Jermaine Jones (if he gets cleared by FIFA), to camp prior to the contests with Honduras and Costa Rica. The US will have to earn at least 1 point in one of those matches to advance to South Africa. The only way the US can advance following their Honduras match without a win at Honduras is for T&T to defeat Costa Rica, which isn’t likely to happen given that the match will take place in Costa Rica. This means apart from a win at Honduras, the US hopes of advancing to South Africa will rise and fall at RFK stadium in Washington D.C. against Costa Rica in October.

Going forward I would like to see Coach Bob Bradley do the following to shake up a sleep-walking US team:

• Give Jermaine Jones a long and legitimate opportunity to win the CDM position, even if it means moving or benching Michael Bradley (his son). If Jones doesn’t win the job, make sure that M Bradley assumes the role of CDM, not CAM.
• Give Maurice Edu and Edgar Castillo a look at LB. Jonathan Bornstein isn’t the answer. In fact, if Edu and Castillo aren’t the answer, consider shifting Spector to LB (where he plays at West Ham in the Premier League) and start Cherundolo at RB. Actually, Frankie Hejduk is a better option at LB than Bornstein.
• Recognize that Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley are both defensive midfielders. They are not viable attacking options. Both lack creativity and touch, and are prone to turnovers.
• Insert Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey or Jose Francisco Torres into the CAM position. These two players possess the most ability to possess and distribute the ball. Yes, they may be defensive liabilities at times, but neither are the defensive liability that Clint Dempsey is.
• If you aren’t going to play Dempsey as a CAM where he actually has some help defensively, put him up top as a striker. In fact, bench his lazy butt and bring him in around the 70th min as a substitute for Altidore or Davies. In short, send a message that work-rate matters.

No rankings on last nights match. Tim Howard once again proves his worth. Onyewu showed some rust but the team was overall fairly solid defensively, which is surprising after the El Salvador game.

Coach Bradley is holding this team back. Yes, he has the highest winning percentage in US Soccer history, but think about it: what does that really mean? The US doesn’t have much of a soccer history. Bradley continues to show that he isn’t interested in putting the best players on the pitch. Stuart Holden, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres…They all need to play more, and they aren’t because Bradley continues to stick with players like Bradley and Dempsey, even when they aren’t performing. Coach Bradley showed the same loyalty to Sacha Klejstan and Damarcus Beasley. Enough is enough. If players aren’t performing, bench them. Coach Bradley’s blind loyalty to certain players will eventually cost the US dearly.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t keep the US from booking a ticket to South Africa.

The United States came into tonight’s match desperately needing three points as they attempted to keep a clean slate on home soil. They entered the match sitting in third place in CONCACAF with 10 pts behind Costa Rica (12 pts), Honduras (10 pts w/+ 2 goal differential), and only 1 pt ahead of Mexico after last months 2-1 loss at Azteca Stadium.  With Mexico playing at Costa Rica and Honduras hosting Trinidad & Tobago, the US could ill-afford to tie or loss tonight in Utah. El Salvador came into the match needing three points to keep their fading World Cup hopes alive.

The US started the match by controlling the possession, but it became apparent early on that they would significantly miss the presence of Oguchi Onyewu, who was unavailable due a yellow card accumulation suspension, and Jay DeMerit, who injured his groin during training this week. Their absence cause Coach Bob Bradley to move Carlos Bocanegra back to central defender and Jonathan Bornstein at left back. Chad Marshall also earned the start beside Bocanegra after a strong Gold Cup.

A poor clearance by Bornstein and passive defending by Bocanegra, Marshall and Michael Bradley led to the US conceding the first goal around the 32′ minute of the first half. Unfortunately, neither the defenders, Michael Bradley or Clint Dempsey learned from this mistake as the US repeatedly gave away the ball in very dangerous places on the pitch. If this continues, even if the US advances to South Africa, it won’t matter because they won’t get out of their group unless they get the easiest draw of the tournament. As a matter of fact, if the US doesn’t begin to play better they will be fortunate to qualify for the World Cup at all.

The US responded nicely to being down a goal, although poor finishing almost cost them in this match. Dempsey wasted a clear opportunity to bury the ball in the back of the net on a header less than five minutes after going down a goal. Dempsey also made a poor attempt on a one-on-one with the El Salvadorian keeper, though one must concede he did make a 50-yard run so perhaps he was out of gas. Dempsey’s only redemption is that it was on his second good opportunity around the 40′ min that he buried the ball in the net off a beautiful set piece.

Interestingly, in a game with a lot of very suspicious officiating (isn’t it ironic that the crew for this match was from Honduras), it was the excellent judgment of the assistant referee to recognize that Dempsey was onsides when no less than three other US players were in an offside position, that allowed the US to draw even in the match.

Less than 1 minute before the end of the half, Landon Donovan served a beautiful ball to Jozy Altidore that he buried to give the US a 2-1 lead at halftime. Later Altidore was robbed on a phantom foul where scored after a great effort by Dempsey. The referee said that a foul was committed, but replays clearly show that neither Dempsey or Altidore committed a foul. Here’s hoping that goal differential doesn’t come into play for the US.

After the referee took the ball out of the net for the US, negating a 3-1 advantage, it seemed that the US became much too defensive in their strategy, settling for counter attacks and allowing El Salvador way too much possession in the attacking third. Bob Bradley’s weakness as a tactician becomes more and more apparent when the game gets close, but I do have to applaud the fact that he actually used all three substitutes, although it amazes me how often his use of substitutes is reactionary to the line-up changes made by his opponent.

Overall is was a mediocre effort by the US, but it did seem that they were effected by the erratic decisions of the Honduran officiating crew. They clearly missed Onyewu and DeMerit defensively. Overall, here’s how I’d rank the players based on tonight’s performance (scale 1-10).

GK Tim Howard: 5  Howard made a stunning save in the 87′ min at point blank range to save the match. However, he was badly out of position on the first goal is shares some blame for the US having to play from behind.

LB Jonathan Bornstein: 2  I think tonight it became crystal clear that the US has a MAJOR problem at the LB position. Edgar Castillo at least deserves a look when he becomes eligible to play for the US. Bornstein’s poor clearance led to the first goal. He also held the El Salvadoran player onsides on the goal that almost was in the 87′ min.

CB Carlos Bocanegra: 4  Boca continues to be unimpressive whether at CB or LB, but Bradley will continue to play him regardless of how he plays. He shows him the same kind of loyalty he showed Damarcus Beasley (who I still think we may see in South Africa if he starts to get some regular club time (much to my chagrin)

CB Chad Marshall: 5  Not a bad effort. He was picked on early by the center official and called for some weak and/or phantom fouls. Overall not bad, but not spectacular

RB Jonthan Spector: 6  Solid effort. Well involved offensively.

LM Clint Dempsey: 4  If not for the goal that evened the score Dempsey would be ranked much lower. He missed 3 golden opportunities to score and could have easily had a hat trick tonight. He continue to be a liability defensively and gives the ball away too easy in the midfield because he refuses to play the simple ball. I think Bradley should use Dempsey as a striker.

CM Benny Feilhaber: 6  Played well. Good on the ball. Good work rate.

CM Michael Bradley: 5  Overall I thought this pairing at midfield was the best that Bradley has put together. However, Bradley had some key turnovers that didn’t cost the US, but easily could against a better opponent.

RM Landon Donovan: 8  Great game. Good enery and effort on both ends of the pitch. Assisted both goals.

F Charlie Davies: 7  Continues to impress with work rate and nose for being around the goal. Sometimes is a bit too selfish but has locked down a starting job.

F Jozy Altidore: 6  Looked good for someone who wasn’t “fit”. Deserved better on the goal that would have put the US up 3-1.

Substitutes:

Stuart Holden: 8  Brings good energy off the bench. Serves the ball as well as anyone on the roster.

Kyle Beckermen: 3 I didn’t like this substitution (came in for Feilhaber) and he proved my instinct right. He looked nervous, timid and out of place. I hope we don’t see him again anytime soon.

Jose Torres: 6 Hard to rate because he only played about 10 minutes, but he brought good energy and pressured the ball. Had a fantastic power-header that required a brilliant save by the El Salvadorian keeper. He deserved a goal there. Good to see him back on the pitch. Nice to know that perhaps our most talented holding midfielder hasn’t been forgotten by Bradley.

Today the United States missed out on a golden opportunity to end their 0-22-1 winless streak in Azteca Stadium in Mexico. When Charlie Davies nailed home a punishing goal on a beautiful assist from Landon Donovan, it looked like the time for the United States to win in Mexico, and at the same time severely cripple Mexico’s chances of making the 2010 World Cup. However, the reality is that overall, Mexico dominated this match. The midfield quartet of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Ricardo Clark was completely dominated by their Mexican counterparts. The truth is that this game was lost for the United States in the midfield. And the most discouraging aspect about this is that the midfield is where the United States is supposed to possess the most talent. But it wasn’t until Coach Bob Bradley inserted Stuart Holden and Benny Feilhaber that the midfield began to show any signs of life.

Bob Bradley’s decision to start Brian Ching really isn’t as surprising as much as it is revealing. Jozy Altidore didn’t arrive in camp until yesterday from England, so not starting Altidore made some sense. The problem isn’t that Altidore didn’t start and subsequently only played about 19 minutes. The problem is the lack of viable options behind Altidore and Davies. Brian Ching, as he demonstrated today, is not the answer. And neither is Conor Casey. I’m puzzled why he even made the roster. Ching brought almost nothing to the match today.

The match also revealed what a liability Ricardo Clark is offensively. He has ability to track all over the field, and offered a handful of good tackles, but his touch killed multiple attacking opportunities. He doesn’t compliment Michael Bradley well, who while a workhorse in his own right, has to make up for his lack of creativity with hustle and effort. The problem is that Michael Bradley isn’t going to leave the starting 11. And I am not necessarily suggesting that he should. He is one of the US’ best players. But Bradley isn’t a defensive center midfielder, nor is he quite good enough to be an attacking midfielder. You have to put 2 players in the midfield who compliment one another. Unfortunately, Clark and Bradley are too similar in their style and ability.

What should Bob Bradley do? Consider using his son as a substitute, insert Benny Feilhaber or Jose Francisco Torres, and see what Jermaine Jones can do come October. Jones is more of a defensive midfielder, but with better ball skills than Ricardo Clark. Clark can be a valuable asset against lesser quality teams, but his lack of touch makes it difficult for the US to possess in the midfield. And both Feilhaber and Torres are not only more creative than Clark or Bradley, but they are also better on the ball.

The central defenders (Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit) played very well. DeMerit was unlucky on the winning goal, as he made a valiant tackle that, in most cases, dribbles harmlessly out of bounds. Onyewu was the best player on the pitch, with Charlie Davies not far behind. The outside defenders (Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra) were abused throughout the day and neither had a particularly good match. I suspect that Cherundolo will have a difficult time holding off Jonathan Spector, who played brilliantly at the Confederations Cup (though I do understand why Bradley went with experience here). I am not sure that Bocanegra is the answer at LB, but neither is Jonathan Bornstein, so I am not sure where Coach Bradley looks from here.

The officiating was, by far, some of the worst I’ve ever seen in FIFA. The referee’s judgment with cards was questionable and his foul recognition even worse. But this game wasn’t decided by poor officiating (even though it clearly favored Mexico). This game was won by the better team today. The truth is that this game was more critical for Mexico than it was the US. The next two qualifying matches for the US are at home vs. El Salvador and at Trinidad and Tobago. They should be favored in both matches, and will likely win. 16 points will probably secure the US a spot in the 2010 World Cup.

While this match was more critical for Mexico, it was a match where the US should have seized the opportunity to take a giant leap forward towards respectability. The US has taken leads against Italy, Spain, Brazil and Mexico, and yet the US is only 1-3 in those matches. The US has to do a better job of putting quality opponents away when taking the lead. Once again, just like in the Confederations Cup, the US showed it still has a long way to go in becoming an elite team in the world of futbol.

In the meantime Coach Bob Bradley needs to find a reliable third striker to go with Altidore and Davies. Clint Dempsey could be the answer, even though he was noticeably absent in this match. Another option would be to give Michael Bradley a look at striker. The US also needs to settle on outside defenders. Jonathan Spector should be the starter at RB. But right now LB is going to be a weak link, and in all likelihood, unless Jay DeMerit self-destructs, Bocanegra is going to stay there. If this happens the US will remain vulnerable to teams with speed on the flanks. Given the fact that the US was completely dominated in possession against Spain, Brazil and Mexico, trying a different combination at central midfield might not be a bad idea. The US needs someone who can hold possession, and right now only Benny Feilhaber and Jose Francisco Torres fit that description. Bradley would do well to stop punishing Torres for his play against Costa Rica (which wasn’t even bad) and give him another shot versus El Salvador and/or Trinidad and Tobago.

Player Rankings vs. Mexico:

Tim Howard: 8  Did everything that was asked of him. Kept the US in the match.

Steve Cherundolo: 3  Did not have a good match and was abused most of the day.

Oguchi Onyewu: 8 Man of the match.

Jay DeMerit: 6  Played well. Unlucky on game-winning goal.

Carlos Bocanegra: 3  Forgettable match. Too slow for fast wingers. Could have closed space better on Mexico’s equalizer.

Landon Donovan: 5  Brilliant pass to Davies. Held ball too long on certain occasions. Fatigued from 70min on and largely non-existent. Blizted on winning goal.

Ricardo Clark: 4  Several good defensive stops. Showed no ability to possess.

Michael Bradley: 4  Largely ineffective and outplayed.

Clint Dempsey: 3  Where was he?

Charlie Davies: 7  Great effort. Fantastic finish to put US up 1-0. Should have done more with Stuart Holden’s beautiful cross in 71 min.

Brian Ching: 3  I am pretty sure that only thing I saw him do with consistency was head the ball out of play

Substitutions:

Stuart Holden: 6  Impact substitution. Good effort defensively and offensively. Could be a long-term solution off the bench because of versatility.

Benny Feilhaber: 5  Brought some composure to midfield.

Jozy Altidore: No Ranking. Didn’t play enough.

Steve McNair, former Tennessee Titan and Baltimore Raven NFL quarterback, seemingly had it all. A loving family. A successful career. The respect of his peers and fans. A successful businessman. He was known for his charity work and made himself accessible to the public. Little did anyone know – not even his closest companions or his wife Mechelle – that McNair, affectionately known as MAC by his friends, had been seduced by sin and that his choice to embrace that seduction would leave behind a wake of devastation.

Six months prior to his murder, McNair met 20 year-old Sahel Kazemi at a sports cafe where his family often shared meals together. Details continue to emerge, but to date, we know very little about McNair’s relationship with Kazemi, other than the fact that his wife “didn’t know who this girl was” and very few of McNair’s associates knew about Kazemi either. What seems to be clear is that McNair was having, at the very least, an emotional affair with this young woman, only 3 years older than McNair’s oldest son.

Tragically, for McNair, the snare of this relationship led to his untimely death. McNair’s sexual appetite, like many before him, killed him, and his betrayal ruined the lives of many who knew and loved McNair. Hear the warning of Proverbs 7:21-27:

With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to slaughter; or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.

And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

There is no doubt that Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi probably never conceived that their forbidden relationship would literally cost them their lives. And yet it did. Even if, perhaps, this relationship had not ended so violently, it would not be any less of a tragedy. Had Kazemi just walked away from McNair rather than killing him when it became apparent he was not divorcing his wife, and even if her suspicions that he was perhaps having another extra-marital affair as reports now suggest were true, the devastation, though perhaps not as violent, would have been no less real, hurtful or destructive. Betrayal. Falsehood. Being used and abandoned. These sins plunge the souls of men into a deep darkness that many find difficult to ever escape.

We shouldn’t demonize either McNair or Kazemi. They both gave into their passions, and we aren’t exempt from their seduction. We should be mindful of the words of John Owen who asks, “What associates of Satan reside in your heart?” None of us are beyond the seduction of sexual sin, which is why the warning of Proverbs 7 is so poignant. It isn’t meant to be used to shame those who fallen into sexual sin; it is meant to warn us to avoid it. Sadly, we now have a modern-day picture of the devastation of sexual sin.

We aren’t immune to following in McNair’s footsteps. Our only hope to escape the dreaded curse of sin is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You may not be an adulterer or sexually immoral person. But your envy, covetousness, greed-driven materialism, lying tongue, disobedience to parents, idolatry, hatred for enemies, gluttony, and pride are no less than deadly than sexual sin. The snare of all sin leads to death, first spiritual, and then ultimately physical. The only way to escape this curse is by trusting in the curse-destroying, sin-killing work of Jesus Christ on the cross on behalf of sinners.

While a sad and tragic reminder of the consequences of sin, there is a grace given to humanity in the Steve McNair tragedy. We are a culture that so often trivializes and downplays the consequences of embracing our sexuality and sexual desires outside of God’s boundaries. We grieve with Mechelle McNair, her children, and the family of Sahel Kazemi because they are in the middle of a nightmare from which they will never wake. And we pray for God’s grace, mercy and compassion to be real to them during these difficult days. But for those of us who stand so distantly from this tragedy, let us not forget the warnings of Scripture. We should trifle with the seduction of sexual sin. The seduction is not always obvious. It often seems harmless. But in the end it leads to our destruction and the devastation of many lives. We would be mindful to unmask the potential consequences of our sin before we ever consider that the pleasure to be had is worth the risk of giving away everything for a few fleeting moments of carnality.

I had heard about Rachel Barkley’s testimony but had not taken the time to listen to it until today – the day that God laid her down to die…and live. I wept out loud in celebration for the Gospel and goodness of God demonstrated through Rachel’s faith as she embraced her cancer, defiantly stating that death is not dying. Rachel was 37 years old. Listen to her testimony. It will take an hour of your day, but it will be an hour well spent. You won’t regret it.

How should a biblical community respond to one another when redeemed sinners sin? This is my topic for bible study tonight. Here’s the OUTLINE.

1. TEST CASE
2. TWO KINDS OF SIN: Omission and Commission
3. THREE THINGS WE MUST REMEMBER: Everyone sins, everyone needs grace, and the Gospel is sufficient for both our righteousness and wickedness
4. CONFRONTATION IS NOT ONLY BIBLICAL, BUT IS A NECESSARY EXPRESSION OF LOVE FOR GOD (Leviticus 19:15-18
5. WE MUST BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS, INCLUDING OUR WEAKNESS TO SIN (Gal 6:1-2)
6. UNREPENTANT SIN NECESSARILY ALTERS THE LANDSCAPE OF OUR RELATIONSHIPS (1John 1:5-11; 2Thessalonians 3:14-15; 1Corinthians 5:5; 2Corinthians 12:20-13:10)
7. WHERE REPENTANCE IS PRESENT, FORGIVE ALWAYS (2Corinthians 2:1-5; Colossians 3:13)