{"id":2027,"date":"2022-10-07T06:38:48","date_gmt":"2022-10-07T10:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=2027"},"modified":"2022-10-07T06:38:48","modified_gmt":"2022-10-07T10:38:48","slug":"born-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/07\/born-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Born Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/a>.

Let\u2019s face it.\u00a0 My hometown Indianapolis Colts need help.\u00a0
\u00a0
The Blue and White have once again staggered out of the gate at the beginning of the NFL season, hoping they will somehow catch up with the rest of the pack by Thanksgiving.
\u00a0
So I\u2019ve decided to make my move.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to make myself available to the team.
\u00a0
Let\u2019s try to imagine how this might go.
\u00a0
After working myself into top condition (that might take a few days), I could ask for a private tryout with the coaching staff.\u00a0 Then I would say, \u201cNow don\u2019t sugar-coat it.\u00a0 Just talk to me straight.\u00a0 What are my chances of being on the field before the end of this season?\u201d
\u00a0
And the coaches would say something like, \u201cMcDonald, the only way you\u2019ll end up playing for this franchise is by being born again.\u201d
\u00a0
Literally.\u00a0<\/em>
\u00a0
Different chromosomes.\u00a0 A father who was an Eastern European weightlifter.\u00a0 A mother who was\u2026well, an Eastern European weightlifter.\u00a0 It would also help if I were born 40 years after my actual birthday.\u00a0 Add to that a lifestyle based on regular vigorous exercise and a careful diet, and I might have a shot.
\u00a0
In John chapter 3, Jesus is approached by a man named Nicodemus \u2013 a Pharisee who is deeply impressed with his teaching. \u00a0What would he need to do to become part of this new movement?\u00a0 \u201cYou must be born again,\u201d Jesus says (John 3:3).\u00a0
\u00a0
This is not a compliment.\u00a0 Jesus is being entirely realistic about Nicodemus\u2019 chances \u2013 and our chances as well \u2013 of joining his community of lifelong learners.\u00a0
\u00a0
Nicodemus is taken aback.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t mean I have to start over again in my mother\u2019s womb, do you?\u201d\u00a0 No, Jesus is talking about spiritual rebirth.\u00a0 We cannot participate in Jesus\u2019 vision for the future unless we display new capacities, new motivations, and an entirely new nature that is capable of responding positively to God.
\u00a0
And such things will never become ours through a rigorous self-improvement program \u2013 in other words, by trying as hard as we possibly can. \u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
But the new capacities, new motivations, and new nature that we need to walk with God can be received as gifts from God himself.\u00a0
\u00a0
Which means there is <\/em>hope for me.\u00a0 At least to join the team that is endeavoring to represent Christ to the watching world.
\u00a0
There is, in fact, hope for anyone who is seeking such a new identity.
\u00a0
Especially if we\u2019re called to confront the forces of evil.\u00a0
\u00a0
Such as the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here. Let\u2019s face it.\u00a0 My hometown Indianapolis Colts need help.\u00a0\u00a0The Blue and White have once again staggered out of the gate at the beginning of the NFL season, hoping they will somehow catch up with the rest of the pack by Thanksgiving.\u00a0So I\u2019ve decided to make my move.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to make… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[512],"class_list":["post-2027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-spiritual-rebirth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2029,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027\/revisions\/2029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}