Home Run King

Last night Barry Bonds hit home run no. 756 surpassing Hank Aaron's record. The Barry Bonds steroid-scandal-media-saga has cast a heavy shadow on the home run record. I didn't watch the game last night, but I tuned in for the coverage this morning. More than once my attention focused on two words that the media repeated: "now what?". Commentators ask the question. Bonds has set a record. Now what? Put the scandal aside for a moment. Put baseball aside and recognize what an accurate commentary these two words offer to our culture. We are a "now what" culture. What's next? Our focus, our attention and often our commitments do not linger for long. Although our problems with these issues are exaggerated today, it is not a new issue. After Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people with a boy's lunch they chased after him and asked "now what?" (John 6:30). His reply pointed them toward something deeper than the latest miracle. He urged them to "believe". He urged them to consider a relationship that reached past their bellies to their hearts. Many of them chose to walk away and continue their "now what" way of life.