Hope, basketball, and the Hobbit

I. Hebrews. 'there is a bringing in of a new hope' (7.19) What fascinating implications come from this short little clause tucked in the middle of a fairly tedious section on Melchizedek the priest. It's just incredible how the Scripture still lives and breathes and moves, even though it was written such a long time ago. It's the living Logos, continuing to bring truth and clarity and conviction and hope to my life every time I engage it. Think about it. The Jewish citizens of Jesus' time were waiting for a Savior, strong and mighty, to come and rescue them from the hands of their pagan oppressors. And then Jesus comes and proclaims that if you've seen him, you've seen the Father. He comes and indeed saves, but not in the way that everyone was expecting. I wish I could go back and figure out what was going through the head of the writer of Hebrews during the penning of these initial chapters. Hebrews works so hard explain the hope that has arrived because of Jesus' death and resurrection, and I have to wonder how it was received. It gets me thinking further, how are we receiving this news today?

II. I'm watching the NBA Conference Finals, and as I've been watching the games so far, here are some observations:
a. The Cavaliers have been exposed by the Magic as a one dimensional team. Where is the rest of the team? Lebron is playing
phenomenally, but the rest of their team leaves me wondering how they won so many games in the regular season.
b. The Lakers are the team to beat. The combination of inside/outside with Kobe and Gasol is just too much for any of the
remaining teams to handle. But the funny thing is, the NBA playoffs are incredibly unpredictable, and this year is proving
just as much.
c. Charles Barkley is back to his old form as TNT's half-time comic relief. The bit with the M&M's was hysterical.

III. The Hobbit. I think i'm going to start making this blog more of a book review place than a "what's going on in my life" page. So i'll start soon with a review of The Hobbit, from esteemed writer J.R.R. Tolkein.