I thought it’d be interesting to revisit a golden oldie by C.J. Mahaney. In honor of the Super Bowl, here are the viewing tips he gave back in 2008…
(Again, remember – this was written in January 2008)
[EDITED TO ADD: Apparently, C.J. still thinks it's good advice, as he and Chad republished this post today, on their Mahaney Sports blog. There is no acknowledgement in their post that it was recycled from 2008, either.]
C.J. says:
Because of my vast knowledge of sports, this blog has an obligation to publish a public service announcement to prepare blog readers for the impending Super Bowl.
O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-D
First, let me make clear the Super Bowl is the most overrated sporting event in the history of all sports dating back to the very first Olympics. The NFL thinks so highly of itself, the Super Bowl is assigned Roman numerals.
Yet despite the hype, year after year this game rarely delivers. With few exceptions, most of these games are neither exciting nor memorable (unless your team is participating). And so tomorrow we must collectively endure yet another Super Bowl.
For me, the only good thing about the Super Bowl is that it means MARCH MADNESS is fast approaching! Don’t get me started on March Madness and college basketball, because year after year college basketball always delivers.
I’ll give you a Super Bowl game prediction later, but for now some things to keep in mind while watching the Super Bowl (or any televised sporting event).
Tips for watching the Super Bowl
Here are four tips for watching the Super Bowl to the glory of God.
1. Strategically assign the remote.
The remote control needs to be specifically assigned to someone. This cannot be just anybody. Viewers are assaulted with lame commercials, immoral commercials, commercials that assault and offend one’s intelligence, and commercials that parade immodestly-dressed women. These are as much a part of the Super Bowl as the game itself.Working the remote requires skill, coordination, and discernment. This person needs to be paying attention and anticipating commercial breaks. While everyone else enjoys the game, this person is working and always aware of what’s on the TV.
I recommend you establish on the remote an alternative channel that presents no temptation (C-SPAN for example). Turning to C-SPAN at appropriate moments also means conversation will take place.
For those assigned to this task I recommend further reading. I trained my sons-in-law in the art and craft of strategic clickery. One of them, Steve Whitacre (married to my daughter Nicole), has written up these notes and you can read his post here. [link is now broken]
2. Don’t watch passively.
I encourage fathers to watch actively and discerningly, never passively and superficially. There is no doubt that throughout the game you will hear one superlative after another attributed to the skill of the athletes. The accent throughout the game will be on skill, not character.In my book, Humility: True Greatness, I wrote,
Nowhere is the word great mentioned more often in our culture than in the context of professional sports. If you watch any game this weekend and listen to the announcer’s commentary, then like a mantra you’ll probably hear the word great repeated throughout—great, great, great. Yet it may well be that nowhere in our culture is the absence of true greatness more evident than in professional sports. So be careful about cultivating an excessive love for professional or collegiate athletics in your child. (pp. 161-162)
Without minimizing the skill as a gift from God, I want to direct my son’s attention to character as theologically defined and described. So as Chad and I watch the game, I will draw his attention to any evidence of humility or unselfishness I observe, as well as any expression of arrogance or selfishness. I will celebrate the former and ridicule the latter.
I don’t just watch the game with Chad; I seize it as a teaching moment to equip him with discernment about true greatness in the eyes of God. Watching sports actively is about imparting theologically informed discernment.
3. Foster fellowship.
We need to make sure a room full of people are not simply passively watching the Super Bowl. With the right leadership, and with a simple changing of the channel, commercial time can be time redeemed.Don’t misunderstand. It’s perfectly legitimate to watch and enjoy the game. I’m not advocating that you invite those who have no interest in the game and who want to distract your attention from the game. Actually, I don’t recommend you invite those folks over for the game. You can arrange to meet with those people at another time.
In strategically inviting people to watch the game with us we should make sure we don’t neglect interacting with others for the sake of simply watching the game. Watching the game should involve building relationships.
4. Draw attention to the eternal.
Sometime after the game—that same evening or the next day—it’s helpful for a father to draw his child’s attention to the game in light of eternity. It’s also helpful for us as fathers to be reminded of an eternal perspective.Apart from those few who listen excessively to sports talk radio, this game will be quickly forgotten. Let me ask you this—who won the Super Bowl even five years ago?
The day before the 1972 Super Bowl, Dallas Cowboy running back Duane Thomas said, “If it’s the ultimate game, how come they’re playing it again next year?” Some players seem to get it. Sadly, many fans don’t.
More recently Tom Brady—quarterback of three Super Bowl championships—is quoted in a 60 Minutes interview saying,
Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, ‘God, it’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t, this can’t be, what it’s all cracked up to be.
I would anticipate that a week or two from now, even if the Patriots win and complete a perfect season, Brady will still experience the same dissatisfaction in his soul. As Augustine said, “You [God] made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you.”
We must impart this eternal perspective to our children.
February 3rd, 2013 at 6:10 pm
I doubt I contributed to fostering what few relationships I have left with this FB post I just posted:
Terry Withers
CJ has a guide on how to biblically watch the Super Bowl??? Who appointed this numb-skull “Arbitrator & Holy Spirit” over the Super-Bowl and how to watch it I dare ask…I dare. To have someone designated to “control” the remote control??? So now SGM has their “Remote Control Nazis” in place??? I laugh…HAHAHAHA! I would run as far away from this as I possibly could. Good grief…just watch the Super Bowl…and the commercials if you want (leave the room if you don’t want to) and enjoy yourselves like normal folks…but that’s just me.
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http://www.mahaneysports.com
How to Watch Super Bowl XLVIIFebruary 03, 2013/Chad MahaneyGiven my love for sports I have an obligation to publish a public service announcement to prepare you for the impending Super Bowl…O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-DThe Super Bowl is the most overrated sporting event in the history of all sports, dating back…
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February 3rd, 2013 at 6:14 pm
“how might you think Jesus would address SGM if he arrived at Louisville HQ in person?”
Jesus IS at HQ. He was part of the Louisville “church plant.” What did you think the “J” stands for in “CJ?”
Haven’t you been paying attention all these years?
Sheesh…
February 3rd, 2013 at 6:59 pm
To make sure those at our own Super Bowl gathering don’t stumble, Guy just changed to CSPAN. :D We don’t hang with an SGM crowd anymore, so he and I were the only ones who got the joke…
February 3rd, 2013 at 7:40 pm
Terri said:
I am not sure how to answer this. I would say that back in the TAG days (basically in the 70′s) C.J. (and Larry) both seemed to be sincere and with the large crowd that came seemed to be a flow of God’s Spirit and anointing. TAG was a weekly teaching vs. a church.
C.J. and Larry started a church around 1977 (maybe late 76). There were reported abuses and shepherding tactics with members pretty much since the beginning. You would always see members leaving etc.
Maybe the anointing left as they started up their church and they continued abusing sheep? Sometimes good will be patient with a leader hoping for their change. I am sure it was a gradual change for C.J. .
Also, as C.J. received more recognition I am sure his ego got larger and pretty much thought he couldn’t do anything wrong. Apparently he didn’t think God could ever withdraw from him or take his anointing away or could do anything wrong.
February 3rd, 2013 at 7:42 pm
Kris & Guy at #53
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!
February 3rd, 2013 at 7:58 pm
Kris: I saw your edit in the post and wanted to mention that at the very bottom of the Mahaney Sports blog post it says “Originally posted at the Cheap Seats blog.” It just doesn’t give the date of the original post.
It’s so funny that they posted it today!
February 3rd, 2013 at 7:58 pm
@ Discovery #24,
Thank you for your post and the very important warning. The vulnerable children in these systems and institutions are always front and center on my mind as well. It absolutely is a real problem that people in these systems assume so readily that their children are not at risk. These kinds of things only happen to “other people’s children” and in “other places” and “certainly not here where everyone seems so nice and righteous.” Even when it has been exposed there is a sense of “well, that may be an exaggeration” or “I can’t believe that”, and that is the very naive sentiment that continues to expose children to this kind of risk, as well as reinforces to the victims that they will not be believed if they tell.
Nate Morales, case in point, had several victims, and it is not unrealistic to assume there are far more than the ones he was indicted for. Child predators are estimated to commit crimes against children over 100 times before their first arrest. But this predator’s trusted and elevated position as a school teacher, worship leader, and spiritual adviser, and his involvement with the youth group, combined with the overwhelming constant reminder of how sinful all the young people are only served to silence many of his victims. Pile on top the fact that once a few were courageous enough to come forward, the pastors, once again, did not call authorities, and covered this man’s criminal actions. The fact that he was a teacher at a school that also, when informed, did not report him, only makes it worse. His access to these vulnerable children was unabated and it is unacceptable to just ignore this. He ruined lives. But any victim will tell you that while the abuse is horrendous and life altering, the damage done by those they trust to help them, but don’t, is far, far worse. So, like Ive said before, Grant Layman has culpability in this and I dont know how he sleeps at night. I hope all of Morales victims come forward and demand justice from not only their abuser but from the people who they trusted to help them and didn’t for their own selfish motives and for the love of money and reputation. I can’t even imagine how many victims could have been spared over the past several years had these pastors done the right thing. It’s appalling!! Again Discovery – thank you for your post. And I reiterate what you said – people with children, listen up…predators can be (and are) anywhere (yes even in your church) and are often seemingly very nice and friendly people (they are master manipulators), and pretending they don’t exist or that it couldn’t happen to you and yours is the worst thing you can do to prevent it.
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Michael @46 — I hope SA sees and reads your comment to him. Thanks so much for your courage and your excellence.
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:30 pm
Moniker @56 — “It’s so funny that they posted it today”! Maybe the lackey assigned to monitor the ‘blogs’ saw Kris’s post late last night, and suggested it as a good post to re-do today for Super Bowl Sunday. Why not?
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Did anyone else notice all of the pronouns = “I” or “my” following the mention of the book on Humility? Here are a couple paragraphs:
Without minimizing the skill as a gift from God, I want to direct my son’s attention to character as theologically defined and described. So as Chad and I watch the game, I will draw his attention to any evidence of humility or unselfishness I observe, as well as any expression of arrogance or selfishness. I will celebrate the former and ridicule the latter.
I don’t just watch the game with Chad; I seize it as a teaching moment to equip him with discernment about true greatness in the eyes of God. Watching sports actively is about imparting theologically informed discernment.
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:32 pm
I so remember the Super Bowl rules. Channel switched by the assigned person. All the kids heads immeadately went down. When all clear the kids could watch agian. Someone would yell clear. Stupid, stupid, stupid rules.
Man, it was so awesome to watch the commerials today. I am so glad to be out of SGM. I am freeeeeeeee. I wonder if I should call my old home group leader and tell him I was sinning? I have alot to confess. I actually watched all the commercials.
The big question is, what player will CJ make fun of from today’s game? Guarantee in the next couple of weeks he’ll have something to say about somebody.
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:35 pm
Guy said:
C.J. Mahaney has been doing a lot of “recycling” or reusing items recently. Some of the sermons he has given at his new church “plant” are recycled messages also. With Mahaney and son re-posting this today at least SGMers can’t say that this was old thinking. C.J. Mahaney must still believe this or he wouldn’t have posted it.
Guy you are right. Some things don’t change.
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Given the content of the last thread this strategy seems to have been a booming success! Especially given all the pot ads during the Super Bowl. Haha, bowl.
February 4th, 2013 at 12:05 am
Wow, CJ really feels the need to ‘speak into’ my life. Apparently he doesn’t think I can figure out how to watch TV by myself……..
Real pastors write about real stuff.
This is just fluff,
just a clanging cymbal.
February 4th, 2013 at 1:20 am
I’m just going to share a little story and some minor commentary at the end.
One Superbowl Sunday, I was at a prominent SGM (then PDI) member’s house. There were dozens of others in attendance, lots of teens and younger adults. Remote controlling and commercial censoring were in full effect, snacks were in abundance, and everything was so biblical…as biblical as recently invented sports events centered around electronic devices can be.
During a commercial break, I was sexually assaulted against an exterior wall of that house.
I was thirteen.
Not a single one of those appointed to ‘watch over’ anything, much less my soul, noticed a thing when I and the perpetrator went back inside the house. I doubt it would have mattered anyway. My family was in the outer circle, despite decades of $$$ and attendance. I started “rebelling” thereafter and refused to attend any church functions, and my parents surprisingly didn’t seem to mind (despite them not knowing the reasons for my rebellion). They severed ties with PDI/SGM 2 years later.
Why bring this up? I think it’s quite telling that despite the micromanagement of ‘biblical living’, horrible things have not only slipped under the radar of those ‘caring for our souls’ (etc., barf) but have been actively hidden, squashed, silenced. The pending lawsuit is long-deserved. I hope it ruins the entire organization financially and every single perpetrator and co-conspirator financially, mentally and physically.
February 4th, 2013 at 5:16 am
In the early days when our PDI church met in rented spaces, a guy took it upon himself to rent a big-screen TV and set it up in a community center for a church Super Bowl party. The church itself did not host the party, but most members came, and it evolved into a yearly affair with a chili contest. If they censored commercials, I don’t remember, but that was before things went way-out-weird.
To underscore the posts referencing pedophilia (#24 and #57), I want to point out that the person who rented the big-screen tv and organized the Super Bowl parties later went to prison for 20 for molestation of a church child — he was due for release last week.
What we didn’t know in the time before internet searches and sex offender registries was that this guy had already spent 8 years behind bars for previous offenses committed when he was a public school teacher and coach. Church officials assured us at the time of his arrest (and as late as last year) that they did NOT know about his prior convictions. However, other statements and actions lead me to believe that they did, in fact, know or suspect something, whether they knew the entire facts of this guy’s history or not. Regardless, he was/is a master manipulator. He has the ability to appear genuine — the lovable teddy-bear kind of guy — can spout Bible verses by the chapter, has a good sense of humor & a bright intellect, and is generous with his time and many talents.
It’s easier now to find repeat offenders; but the first-time offenders or the never-caught offenders are out there, finding their way into favored positions in churches and other organizations, building close friendships with parents, gaining unfettered access to children.
Pay attention to the red flags that go up in your mind or your gut — don’t dismiss them, as I did, just because Joe Blow says he’s a Christian. If he fits the mold of an older single guy who loves children and spends more time with youth or kids than he does with people his own age — be wary. If there are holes in his history; if his extended family seems to be distant or estranged; if he sometimes slips and uses jargon that might be construed as prison lingo; if he doesn’t want to be introduced to women his own age; if he tells you the story of a ‘friend’ who had a sexual deviance problem but God healed him; if he makes strange excuses for why he didn’t vote, or why he can’t be an official Sunday school teacher; if he works in a job that is far below his education level — be wary — there’s a reason for all that. He’ll avoid taking any position in the church that requires a background check, so he’ll volunteer to ‘help out’ with youth or sports teams under the radar, because he’s prohibited by the courts from being a school teacher or coach. His extended family lives in another state and wants nothing to do with him. He can’t vote because he’s a convicted felon.
Check out the sex offender registry. Even if his name doesn’t appear, even if he appears to be authentic and genuine in every way, do not let your guard down — do not break any of your own rules about allowing access to your children. It may be much more inconvenient to follow rules when you think someone is completely trustworthy, but it is far better to be inconvenienced than to suffer the molestation of a child.
My own kids were not molested. However, their innocence was stolen by this perp — think of having to ‘draw your kids out’ about this very real crime — and our outrage at what was done to his innocent victims and our heartbreak for them is as strong today as it was 20 years ago. Statistics indicate that this guy had many more victims that are still unknown. He was a master at hiding things, a master at gaining trust, a master at lying and telling half-truths, a master at spin.
So — has the Ceej ever blogged about how to draw out your kids when you’ve found out there was a molestation in your midst? Has he taught about how to keep your kids safe from pedophiles? Did he give the remote control to anyone when we had to sit through a ‘family meeting’ that explained the pedophilic molestation of a church child by a church member?
Bet not. But the reality of pedophilia in churches (SGMs or otherwise) is a far worse and more real threat than Superbowl commercials. Pointing out the character flaws in sports figures, indeed — just another way of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
February 4th, 2013 at 5:47 am
QUOTE: “I don’t like the half time shows that consist of has-beens.(hear that mick jagger-you old guys need to get out of the way and stick to oldie shows--nothing worse than 60 somethings prancing around on stage)”
Okay, okay, okay…WHOA! I need to step in here. This is completely an aside from the “CJ’s rules about the SuperBowl” discussion…but I hear people say things like this all the time, and I grow weary of hearing people say such age-discriminatory things like this.
Why is it…that because someone is in their 60′s (or whatever older age), suddenly they are “too old” to do their job or craft anymore? I COMPLETELY disagree with you. And, this is not a joke. As long as you have your health and abilities, you are NEVER too old to do what you do.
And THAT is the truth! I’ll tell you what there is nothing worse than…there is nothing worse than ‘younger’ people being critical of ‘older’ people for no reason whatsoever…as though “AGE” is some kind of qualifier for whether you should do something or not. It isn’t. If you can…then DO!
In fact, some people have to start over in their 60′s…new job, career changes, etc. So, are you saying they are too old to do that? Too old to go to college, learn a new skill, etc.? WRONG!
So, dance your fanny off Mick Jagger…more power to you!
That is all.
Carry on…
February 4th, 2013 at 6:27 am
Square Peg, #66 — I’m WITH you all the way on that post. The SGM mindset is the one that removes anyone over 30 from the stage, unless they happen to be the pastor or the SGM music guru. Play on, old guys!
February 4th, 2013 at 6:55 am
Nickname, your #65 was fabulous.
And Square Peg, I saw Mick Jagger a few years ago. One of the best concerts of my LIFE! That man can entertain!!!!!!!!! Dave Matthews actually opened for him. (Imagine Dave opening for anyone.) During the latter part of the concert Mick let Dave M come on stage and do a duo with him. Dave only had eyes for Mick. He stared at him the whole song. Quite a bromance crush! While Mick was busy wooing (quite successfully) the whole crowd!
A few years before that I saw Steven Tyler in concert. That man can WORK IT!
February 4th, 2013 at 7:33 am
Thanks, Stunned. And I’ve got to hand it to you — you’re truly free of SGM when you can admit that you even know Mick Jagger, Dave Matthews, and Steven Tyler exist and can name their bands!
The SGM guys seemed to be so jealous of successful contemporary Christian artists. Anybody remember Ceej taking potshots at Sandi Patty in a sermon at Celebration? Shortly after her divorce, he read a quote from her, and then said, “NO, Sandi….” and something about how her reasons were not biblical. All I could think is “How can he talk about her situation like that when he does not know the whole story?” Whether she was right or wrong is not my point; she paid a big price personally and professionally, which is neither here nor there. But she was called out & publicly condemned by the Ceej. Right up there with Tiger Woods, etc…