Plaid Eggnog is Steve and Julie Golding Page - the title comes from mixing up our two surnames in a word puzzle. We'll share our thoughts on here, and we'll occasionally let Gryffin the Welsh Terrier have his say too.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, our
images of Christian faith and spirituality come from the wonderful
world of Sports. This is my final devotional, I hope you have enjoyed
them and found them spiritually helpful.
With the Super
Bowl coming this weekend, let's end with a football lesson. Let's go
back to Super Bowl 22, between the Washington Redskins and the Denver
Broncos in January 1988.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports. With the Super Bowl
just around the corner, let's talk football today.
Going through an
entire football season without a single loss or tie is a very
challenging task. If a team does win every single game they play,
it's called a Perfect Season.
Since this is All-Star Weekend for the NHL, here's a bonus Sports-and-Faith devotional message, one that did not air on the radio in Hudson Bay.
If past practice holds, when the hockey players take to the ice for this weekend's NHL All-Star Game, each team will dress head-to-toe in matching uniforms. Team Alfredsson will be decked out in white with red trim, to take on Team Chara in their navy with blue and white trimmed jerseys.
Hockey's all-star game, with its draft to choose the sides and its matching team looks, is unique in the world of pro sports all-star games.
In the NBA, the basketball all-stars play for their conference, East vs West. Each team wears a matching uniform, designed especially for the single game. They come together as a team, and they look like a team.
In Baseball, the all-stars represent their league, American or National, but wear the regular uniform of their own team. So this year, Jose Bautista made his spectacular sliding catch at the all star game while wearing his Toronto Blue Jays togs. They may play together, but they don't look the part. One side will be in predominantly white, the other in grey. But on each side will be red, blue, green, black hats and trim, depending on the unique elements of the uniforms of their "real" teams.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports. Today, let's go back
to the 1970s and Darryl Sittler and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sittler had a
Hall-of-Fame career with the Leafs. In the 1975-76 season, he was
named their Captain, and he responded with 41 goals and 59 assists,
becoming the 1st Leaf to reach the 100-point mark in one
season. Two years later, he topped that total with 117 points on 45
goals and 72 assists, a total that trailed only Guy Lafleur and Bryan
Trottier in the league.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the world
of Sports.
Back in the mid
and late 1980s, the Edmonton Oilers were an awesome, dominant,
Stanley Cup winning team. But things have changed since then, and
they seem to be perpetually rebuilding, hoping to contend “next
year”.
That was the case
in 1997, when they squeaked into the playoffs at the end of the
season and drew the Dallas Stars in the first round. Dallas had a
great team that year. They were second in the overall standings, and
entered the playoffs on a serious hot streak. And since they had
swept the season series with the Oilers, they were heavy favourites
as the playoff series began.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
world of Sports.
Sports are always
at their most exciting when the game comes down to the final seconds,
or the last at-bat, or the final hole of the final round. And the
bigger the stage, the more exciting and tense these final moments
are.
The Super Bowl is
one of the biggest stages in the world. This year's is just around
the corner. Every year a hundred million people watch the Super Bowl.
Not everyone stays to the end of a blow-out, but the close games are
riveting.
That was
especially the case in Super Bowl X in 1976, between the
defending-champion and heavily favoured Pittsburgh Steelers and the
underdog Dallas Cowboys.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the world
of Sports.
I turned 40 last
year. I have never been much of an athlete, so outside of a few
humorous birthday cards, I have not been called over-the-hill much.
But I know that I am now older than 99% of the pro athletes. So I
chuckle when I hear 36-year-old Derek Jeter called a fossil, for
example.
But athlete skills
definitely fade with age. The prime years might be in the late 20s,
and after that it's a gradual, sometimes steep decline. It works that
way for the great ones. Even The Great One, Wayne Gretzky himself,
saw his speed and accuracy and stamina and other skills diminish as
he aged.
As Gretzky's
career wound down, he spent the 1996-97 season with the New York
Rangers. With skilled but aging teammates like Mark Messier, Esa
Tikkanen, and Luc Robitaille, Gretzky and the Rangers made the
playoffs. There, they met the Florida Panthers, at the time the
defending Stanley Cup champs.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the world
of Sports. If you've missed any, they are available through St
Patrick's church (call 3488).
Nowadays, in the
early 21st century, figure skating is all about quads. The
best of the best can leap in the air, spin around four times, and
successfully land on a thin
skate blade. Don't ask me to try it! But it's impressive to
watch.
But once upon a
time, even double-spin jumps were unheard-of. In the 1948 Olympics,
Dick Button landed figure skating's first-ever double axel. During
his free-skate routine, he glided forward on one foot, jumped into
the air, spun two and a half times, and landed on his other foot
while skating backwards. The jump was the centrepiece of his routine,
and he took the gold medal by a wide margin as the judges were
dazzled by this new jump.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports.
March Madness is
the annual month-long tournament in which 68 colleges and
universities in the US play a series of single-elimination games to
determine the national champion in college basketball.
Every year has
epic battles and cinderella underdogs and action and excitement. But
back in 1981 there was an especially memorable battle. The University
of Arkansas Razorbacks battled the defending champion University of
Louisville Cardinals met in the second round of the tournament.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports. Let's talk some more
hockey today.
I know, we're a
little early for the NHL playoffs yet, but let me take you back to
the Stanley Cup finals of 1996. Can you remember who played for the
Cup that year?
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports.
This July and
August, the Summer Olympics will be played in London, England. Some
10,000 athletes from more than 140 nations will gather and compete in
more than 300 events, vying for the glory of Olympic gold.
20 years ago, the
1992 Summer Olympics were held in Barcelona, Spain. Two American
athletes were heavily favoured in the Decathlon. That's a 2-day
competition involving 10 different sports: 100 metre sprint; long
jump; shot put; pole vault; high jump and 5 other track-and-field
events.
The Americans were
named Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson. They were so highly regarded that
the sneaker company that sponsored them ran ads asking, “Dan or
Dave?” Who is better?
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment on CFMQ, sponsored by the
Hudson Bay Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing images of Christian faith and spirituality from the world of
Sports.
Let's go back to
the 1985-86 NHL season and playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens team that
year was a mix of rookies and veterans. With Bob Gainey as captain,
Larry Robinson anchoring
the defence, and Mario Tremblay contributing some serious minutes in
what would prove to be his final season, they had several players
from their dynasty team of the late 70s.
But the team mixed
in no less than 8 rookies, including rookie scoring leader Kjell
Dahlin, right winger Stephane Richer, and goalie Patrick Roy.
The result was a
strong team that finished 2nd in the Adams division to the
Quebec Nordiques. They might have finished 1st but had a
poor month of March, losing 9 of 11 games in one stretch.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports.
1986: The Edmonton
Oilers are in the middle of their dynasty years, and have won the
past 2 Stanley Cups. Come playoff time, the mighty Oilers were
battling in the second round with their arch-rivals the Calgary
Flames. The teams knew each other well, and played each other tough.
So while the standings said it should have been an Edmonton
cake-walk, the series still came down to game 7.
January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a
video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but
who cannot catch them on the radio.
Good morning, I'm the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith from happenings in the world of
Sports.
In January, the
sports pages are dominated by hockey and football. For a change of
pace, let's talk basketball today. Specifically, a 1962 game between
the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia Warriors, the team we now
know as the Golden State
Warriors. In fact, they moved from Philadelphia to the San Francisco
bay area not long after this game.
This game in March
1962 was not the most meaningful regular-season game. The Knicks were
well off the pace for the playoffs, and the Warriors had little hope
of catching the powerful and eventual champion Boston Celtics. The
game counted as a Philadelphia home game, although it was played, not
in Philadelphia but in tiny Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town of just a
few thousand people located almost 100 miles west of Philly.
Note: January is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the local
radio station. If you're interested in sports and Christian faith but
cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each morning, we'll post the text and a
video version each day.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from Sports.
Last time, we
heard about Mario Lemieux returning from injury during the 1992
playoffs.
Today, let's go
back a little farther, to the 1975 Stanley Cup finals. The teams that
year were the Philadelphia Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres. I know,
there's no way those team could meet in the finals in the current
system, but they did meet in 1975.
Game 3 that year
was at Memorial Stadium in Buffalo. But that late-May day in 1975 was
a hot and humid one in the city, and the rink did not have air
conditioning. So as the game progressed, the ice got slower. Puddles
began to appear in places on the ice. By the third period, the ice
was hidden under a thick, waist-deep layer of fog.
Note: January is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the local radio station. If you're interested in sports and Christian faith but cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each morning, we'll post the text and a video version each day.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith from the world of Sports.
Now, about a year
ago, Sidney Crosby got hurt. He's the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar
and Team Canada Olympic hero, a highly skilled skater, shooter and
passer. But in two games in a row last year, he took hard hits to the
head. The result was a concussion severe enough that he was out of
NHL action for about 10 months.
Note: January is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the
local radio station. If you're interested in sports
and Christian faith but cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each
morning, we'll post the text and a video version each
day.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports.
Today, let's go
back to the 1964 Winter Olympic games in Innsbruck,
Austria. It was not a good Olympics for the United States. If
you are used to seeing the US dominate whatever it tries, you would
have been surprised to find that, by the midpoint of the '64
Olympics, they had only two measly medals, and neither was a gold.
They had 1 silver and 1 bronze.
Note: January is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the
local radio station. If you're interested in sports
and Christian faith but cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each
morning, we'll post the text and a video version each
day.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment on CFMQ, sponsored by the
Hudson Bay Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports.
Tonight is the
championship game for American College Football. #1-ranked Louisiana
State Tigers will battle second-ranked University of Alabama Crimson
Tide, with the winner claiming this year's title of national
champion.
Two anecdotes today left me wondering if Canadian media is covering (and coveting) American stories more than homegrown ones.
Detailed coverage of US politics on CBC
More American (NFL) football on free-TV than Canadian;
First the politics. I awoke this morning to the CBC radio newscast. It dedicated 10-20% (I'm guessing; I didn't have my stopwatch ready) of its time to a political debate.
See, one political party occupies the nation's most powerful office. A political party NOT in this office is holding a long, protracted leadership contest. I could be talking about the Canadian NDP.
But the above description also applies south of the border, in the US. And it was that contest, the Republican party primaries in the US, not the Canadian NDP race, that occupied so much of CBC's time. Seems there was a leaders' debate in New Hampshire that we Canadians really needed to know about.
Did the last NDP leaders' debate garner so much time on the newscasts? (I don't know, I missed the news that day). And why the obsession with the Republican primaries? I can see a Canadian interest in the race for President of the US, what with the Most-Powerful-Human role the winner gets. But why the fascination with a foreign country's pre-race race?
Second the football. TV comes into our household via rabbit-ears. What we like to call "Boonie-Vision" - Free TV. We currently get 2 channels that way: crystal-clear CBC-TV and sometimes-clear-unless-it's-a-cloudy-day CTV.
I'm not aware of either station carrying a single Canadian football game over free-TV. Certainly not CBC. And CTV and cable-based TSN are owned by the same parent company, so it seems to me that all games went the pay-TV route.
Yet every minute of the American football playoffs, plus hours of pre- and post-game coverage, is available over free-CTV.
So here in the football hotbed of Saskatchewan, I can watch loads of NFL playoffs for free, but none of the beloved Roughriders, apparently.
Now, I can think of several reasons both the political and the football coverage was as it was. But what perplexes me is this:
In a land that struggles at times to articulate our own identity, where too often we define ourselves as "Not American," why the fascination and focus on American news and sports?
Note: January is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the
local radio station. If you're interested in sports
and Christian faith but cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each
morning, we'll post the text and a video version each
day.
Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the
wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports.
Do you remember
Bill Mosienko? He was a little before my time, but he played in the
NHL back in the 50's. One night, in1952, he scored the fastest 3
goals in NHL history, a hat trick.
Note: This month is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the local radio station. In case there is interest in the topic of sports and Christian faith among people who cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each morning, he will post the text and a link to a video version each day.
Good morning, I'm the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay Ministerial.
This month, I'm drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports.
In the National Hockey League, the record for most consecutive games without a loss is held by the Philadelphia Flyers. Starting on October 14th, 1979, they rattled off 35 straight games without a loss. They won 25 times, and tied another 10 – this was before the days of overtime and shootouts. It was a stunning streak, by a team that not only looked but for nearly 3 months actually was unbeatable. In fact, it still stands today as the longest unbeaten streak in any North American pro sports league.
Note: This month is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the local radio station. In case there is interest in the topic of sports and Christian faith among people who cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each morning, he will post the text and a link to a video version each day.
Good morning, I'm the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay Ministerial.
This month, I'm drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the world of Sports and athletics. Today, let's talk College Football.
I've always loved the Rose Bowl. It's a once-a-year spectacle of an event. The day starts with the Parade of Roses, with some of the most spectacular floats and marching bands you'll ever see. But the centrepiece of the day is the Rose Bowl itself, a battle between two of the best college football teams in the United States. This year's game featured the University of Oregon Ducks against the University of Wisconsin Badgers.
The Rose Bowl has a long and rich tradition; it's been around for a long time. In one game, more than 80 years ago, in the heat of the moment, one player turned the wrong way, and it led to disaster.
Note: This month is Steve's turn for the daily devotionals on the local radio station. In case there is interest in the topic of sports and Christian faith among people who cannot tune in to CFMQ at 9:30 each morning, he will post the text and a link to a video version each day.
Good morning, I'm the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay Ministerial.
I don't know how many times, since I moved to Hudson Bay, that I have seen a grand idea shot down because of the popularity of local sports. Many times, a possible activity for children or parents or families has come up at our church leadership meetings, only to have someone deflate it by saying, “That will only work until hockey starts.” The implication being that nothing we do for church activities can compete against hockey.
So.. if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Well, sort of.
The world of sport is about competition and winning and championships, and of course it's about lots more than that, too. And in the struggle, in the competition, in the sportsmanship, in the challenges overcome, we can find lots of lessons that will inspire our spiritual life, too.
Because the Bible does use sports and athletic imagery from time to time. It's by no means a sportscast; you don't look in the Bible to find out who won the Grey Cup in 800 BC or anything. But the apostle Paul, for example, uses the image of athletic competition in Philippians 3 when he says, “forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ.” Or 1 Cor 9:24-27, when he compares the discipline and practice of an elite athlete to the spiritual disciplines necessary for a mature Christian life.
Recently, a teenage boy asked me if the Bible ever talked about hunting, which I suppose is another kind of sport. The first answer that came to my mind was the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 27. Now, the story is not about hunting, per se, but Esau's skills in bow-hunting are an important element of that narrative.
Join me this month, as we explore the Wide World of Sports – hockey, baseball, football, and more. If you miss a day, or if the sports fan in your life can't catch the devotionals on the radio, they will be available through the Anglican church office (call 3488) and I will also post them on YouTube.com each day, search for my username, PlaidEggnog.
Some of my inspiration comes from a book by John and Kathy Hillman, entitled “Devotions from the World of Sports” - a fine gift idea for the sports fan in need of a daily spiritual workout. We'll use these real-life sports moments to learn some lessons about how to grow in our faith and be better able to run the race that is before us.
After all, the Christian life is not a spectator-sport. God wants us to come down out of the bleachers, lace up our skates, grab a stick and get out on the ice, to live our faith actively, as part of his team. That's our challenge this month.
Computer-nerd-dude and Business-chick turned clergy-couple, with a passion for travel, cooking, films, terriers, art / fine craft, education, languages, writing.
After living on both the east and west coasts, followed by the Toronto urban jungle, we are now exploring the very wide and very open spaces of the prairie provinces. Building a great car-license plate collection on the way, too. Gryffin-dog the Welsh Terrier and our baby daughter, Anastasia ("Asta"), join us on our adventures.
