Most of us remember Michael Oher as the subject of The Blind Side. The inspirational movie told the story of his childhood poverty, adoption by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, and eventual career as an offensive tackle in the NFL. Now Michael Oher is playing in the Super Bowl for the Carolina Panthers, protecting quarterback Cam Newton from Denver’s defense, the best in the NFL.

But only because Newton asked him to. Here’s their remarkable story.

Oher played several years for the Baltimore Ravens, then was signed by his home state Tennessee Titans. His season there was disastrous—he allowed six sacks and twenty-six quarterback hurries in eleven games during a 2–14 season. The Titans later cut him. What he didn’t tell anyone was that he was playing with a torn bicep and an injured toe.

Cam Newton’s brother had played with Oher in Baltimore and thought Michael could help protect the Carolina quarterback. So he notified Newton, who texted Oher to say he needed his help. The Panthers then signed Oher to a two-year contract that was widely criticized. But Oher had an outstanding season for the team that is widely favored to win the NFL championship.

Continue reading Denison Forum -‘THE BLIND SIDE’ PLAYER’S SURPRISING ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL →

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: “A televangelist and a Catholic Sunday school teacher were talking one day . . .” But Tuesday night it really happened: Pastor Joel Osteen appeared on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show to discuss Osteen’s latest book, The Power of I Am.

Colbert, one of the most biblically literate Hollywood celebrities, noted God’s description of himself as the “I Am” (Exodus 3:14). It turned out, the book is about something else entirely.

Osteen explained to Colbert that he wrote about what follows the words “I am” in a person’s mind. He illustrated: Sometimes we say “I am slow” or “I am unlucky” or “I am not attractive.” Instead, he wants us to say “I am blessed” or “I am strong” or “I am talented.” According to Osteen, “We don’t realize how many times we speak negative things about ourselves.” To which Colbert responded with his typical wit: “I do that all the time. I’m so stupid.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – JOEL OSTEEN ON STEPHEN COLBERT’S ‘THE LATE SHOW’ →

Susan Jordan was principal of an elementary school in Indianapolis for twenty-two years. Tuesday she was standing outside with her students when a stationary school bus inexplicably accelerated and jumped a curb. She pushed several students out of the way before the vehicle struck and killed her. A fire department spokeswoman said, “Up to the minute she was alive, she was helping the kids.”

Her superintendent said of her, “Quite frankly, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about a legend.” He described Jordan as “a phenomenal individual that truly cared about children.” Last May, dozens of students, faculty, and staff made a video about her. The students called her “friendly, focused, smart, organized, inspirational, dependable, determined, positive, and awesome.” The district closed all schools yesterday in her memory.

When the bus careened toward her students, Susan Jordan didn’t have time to decide whether she would risk her life for them. In that moment, her reaction revealed the sacrificial commitment she had already made.

Like her, the time for us to decide our life priorities is before they are tested. Only then can we be ready for challenges when they come.

Continue reading Denison Forum – PRINCIPAL DIES SAVING THE CHILDREN SHE SERVED →

Darius Fleming is a linebacker for the New England Patriots. As his team prepares to face the Denver Broncos this Sunday for the right to play in Super Bowl 50, Fleming’s heroics off the field are making as much news as his play on it.

He was driving home from practice last week when he came upon a three-car collision. A woman was trapped in her car. “I saw her panic on her face,” Fleming said later. He kicked in the passenger side window and pulled the woman to safety, cutting his leg in the process. He needed twenty-two stitches to close the wound.

Here’s where the story takes a sad turn. The website TMZ Sports published a story claiming that officials had no record of the crash Fleming described. Critics soon began asking if he made up the story to disguise an injury or to raise his stock with the Patriots.

Then it was discovered that the local police department had, in fact, responded to an incident matching Fleming’s description. According to their report, the woman in question told an officer that a person “kicked in my window, I think he was a Patriot.” Fleming later tweeted, “People are quick to try and bring you down…so sad.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – PATRIOTS PLAYER RESCUES WOMAN TRAPPED IN CAR →

A year from yesterday, a new American president will be sworn in. What will he or she face?

The stock market declined another 249 points yesterday. Militants attacked a university in Pakistan, killing at least nineteen. A car bomb in Kabul killed six. Teacher protests in Detroit closed most public schools there. A new study indicates that “no religion” is now the majority religion in Great Britain.

A new poll tells us that ten percent of college graduates think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court. Atheist Michael Newdow has again filed a lawsuit seeking to remove “In God We Trust” from our currency. And North Korea claims to have invented hangover-free alcohol.

It gets even worse, apparently: Stephen Hawking, the best-known physicist in the world, is quoted in a Time headline as predicting that disaster on Earth is becoming a “near certainty.” However, it turns out the cosmologist is talking about “the next thousand or ten thousand years.” Within the next 100 years, he believes, we will have learned to colonize space, so our race will survive. We just need to avoid destroying our planet until we learn how to leave it. We all hope the next president is up to the challenge.

Continue reading Denison Forum – IS JUDGE JUDY ON THE SUPREME COURT? →

President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address last night.

If you have images disabled or have trouble viewing this message, please view in browser. Also: Forward this email to a friend.  President Obama delivered his final State of the Union (SOTU) address last night. He described his administration’s accomplishments while addressing our fears about national security and terrorism.

The lasting value of the annual SOTU is not primarily legislative. Since 1965, only 39.4 percent of SOTU initiatives have been passed at least in part by Congress. The larger significance of last night’s speech is more visceral. The president sought to articulate a message of hope and optimism, seeking to unify Americans around a vision for the future.

However, The Washington Post noted that “the gulf between his vision of a unified America, one he has trumpeted from his earliest days on the national scene, and the political reality has never seemed wider.” The Post lists guns, immigration reform, Middle Eastern refugees, the Iran nuclear deal, the opening to Cuba, and war and terrorism as issues over which we are more divided than ever.

Continue reading Denison Forum – WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF OUR UNION? →

Last night’s college football championship game made history. Alabama had already won more titles than any other team. By beating Clemson, which was ranked number one in the country, the Crimson Tide added another trophy to their remarkable collection. (For more on the game, see Mark Cook’s 3 Aphorisms that Explain the Clemson Alabama Game.)

We want to leave a legacy. We want to build something that outlives us to show the world that we were here and our lives mattered. The builders of Babel are in the Bible because their story is our story: “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4).

God dispersed them, not because he opposes our leaving a legacy, but because he wants to build it. In the next chapter we find his promise to Abram: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. . . . in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2, 3). The people of Babel wanted to build a city—God wanted to build a nation.

And not just any nation, but a people through whom he could bring the Messiah who would bless “all the families of the earth.” If you’re a Christian, you’re part of “Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29).

Continue reading Denison Forum – ALABAMA WINS AGAIN: HOW TO LEAVE A LEGACY →

The Golden Globes were presented last night. The Revenant won for Best Motion Picture and Best Actor, Drama. The film tells the story of one man who overcomes enormous odds to avenge his son’s death. (For more on the film, see Ryan Denison’s review.)

The Martian won for Best Motion Picture and Best Actor, Musical or Comedy. It tells the story of one man who overcomes enormous odds to return to life on Earth. Steve Jobs won for Best Screenplay, Motion Picture. It tells the story of one man who overcomes enormous odds to create a company that revolutionized the computer industry. Jennifer Lawrence won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture. She portrayed Joy Mangano, who overcame enormous odds to establish a business empire.

Do you see a pattern here?

Continue reading Denison Forum –What the Golden Globes tell us about us →

The Powerball lottery is played in forty-four states, Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories. The drawing to be held tomorrow has grown to over $700 million, the largest in history. Every hour, between $5 million and $10 million in Powerball sales are expected in California. Clearly people want to be part of such a huge jackpot.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Electronics Show is continuing through tomorrow. It seems appropriate that the show is in Las Vegas, since so much of what is being revealed is a gamble—for inventors, producers, and consumers. A robotic dog, a smart ski airbag vest, and an alarm clock that wakes you by using scents are among the inventions unveiled so far. Companies must think we want ever-smarter technology, because that’s what they’re creating.

In Teach Us to Want, Jen Pollock Michel reports on a new field of psychology called “wantology.” According to her, “A wantologist helps clients verbalize their latent, unrequited desires and moves them toward achieving happiness by identifying the ways they can satisfy those desires. The goal of wantology is to help clients connect the dots of desire: what do they want, and how do they get it?”

Continue reading Denison Forum – POWERBALL NOW $700 MILLION, LARGEST JACKPOT EVER →