Tonight I got to make my first solo trip to town in a week or so. There were errands that needed to be run including a stop to see one of my favorite people at the nursing center. I also got my hair cut, paid a bill, and browsed the bookstore. My reading habits are varied to put it mildly. I read novels and history along with my biblical stuff. One of my favorite writers in the past is a guy named Mick Foley. Mick has several biographies out along with a novel or two. He is also an occasional professional wrestler. He was one of the most popular wrestlers of our day until he cut back his schedule. In spite of his former job he is really very articulate. This book I bought tonight is written by him. It is a behind the scenes look at his wrestling world with all the interesting details laid out in the open.

Wrestling is one of those odd stories that is woven into my life. Not many people know that I left college as the two time heavyweight champion on campus. The matches were usually held in various dorm rooms at night. Just prior to the end of my last semester I regained the title in a rematch against the student who defeated me. You will need to know as a matter of honesty that I won that rematch with a powerful headbutt followed with a pin fall where I held onto the tights! The so called referee either did not see the move or ignored it. Perhaps that is not the most ethical thing I could do but it worked. I went off to graduate school with my ethics damaged but my title reign in tact.

In my first church I spent time with a fairly famous wrestling family. At the time they owned the old Sportatorium in downtown Dallas. There were several afternoons spent in their home especially when tragedy began to strike them on a regular basis. I drank many cups of coffee with the mother while listening to her dealing with a loss in her family. I talked to the patriarch often about the old days of wrestling as we discussed some of the guys from my younger days. He told me about giving them the professional name and persona they would use in the ring. One of the sons would win the NWA heavyweight title before spiraling down in drug abuse. He would later win the Intercontinental title while hiding the fact he lost a foot in a motorcycle accident. There was a lot of practical theology learned in those days about suffering and grace.

Most of my wrestling since then takes place in church. Though I never use the headbutt anymore there are times I wonder if one might not be in order. Church behavior is not always in line with the teaching of Jesus. Sometimes people wrestle for attention or for some other reason known only to their DNA. I even find myself on occasion being the referee for an old fashioned church tussle. We just don't seem to realize that our true foe is unseen. Our eyes are diverted from a focus on our Lord to behave as if another person is our enemy. The reality is when that happens, we are our own worst enemy. Even worse is when it occurs no one wins.

Bro. Trey