Daring to Dream

JULY 9 UPDATE: Ryan has made the money at the Main Event! An update on that is coming soon.

UPDATE: We looked at the wrong day's chip count. Ryan is in 846th place, heading to "Day 2C." Why he wasn't shown on the "Day 2AB" scoreboard despite not playing is a mystery to us.

As we write this, about 1,070 players remain in the 2019 World Series of Poker Main Event. This year's big tournament had 8,225 entries - including one (hold on to your chair) who's a candidate for President of the United States!

No, we're not kidding. Ryan Von Bevern filed the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for President. He has a billboard or two up in the Kansas City area. Of course, he has a campaign website. But by his own admission, he hasn't raised a lot of money - and he lost his buy-in at the Main Event, by not placing among the top 2,500 players [SEE UPDATE ABOVE]. (He won a discounted buy-in by playing in a local league.)

We've mentioned Ryan's WSOP exploits before, because he's married to one of our nieces. He obviously has big dreams - even though we think his Presidential bid is tongue-in-cheek.

Our poker dreams are a bit smaller these days. (For one thing, a $10,000 Main Event buy-in is massive.) But we have a big dream, too - and believe it or not, it ranks above being President of a country:

And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." - Revelation 5:9-10

Can you grasp what the apostle John saw in this vision? Creatures in heaven are singing this to "a Lamb" (verse 6) - and it clearly refers to Jesus Christ....

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." - John 1:29

Jesus, who was with God the Father from the beginning (1:1), came to Earth to redeem us from our sins by His pure sacrifice. But it means more than that. We're made "to be a kingdom and priests" - or as the King James Version puts it, "made.... unto our God kings and priests...."

Pocket Kings in poker can be good. Becoming a real king is even better. And to be a king serving under God on this Earth? That's a huge dream, that the Bible indicates someday will come true. As Jesus put it....

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. - Revelation 3:21

Uh-oh - did you see the "catch" there? We have to overcome, before we can sit with Jesus. That's the daily battle of life, resisting sin and walking in a godly way.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

That's obviously not easy to do. But it's what God requires to obtain that big dream - and with His help, you can do it.

...Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. - I John 5:4

How are you doing, in achieving your dreams? Do you have the biggest dream of all? And have you put your faith in God, so you can gain it?

Almost Kings

Pocket Kings look good to some poker players. But they're scary to others - because someone with an Ace might show them up on the flop.

But would you like to someday be a king? Our last post examined some interesting writing that indicates you can be. But as we looked closely at it, questions arose. Here's what we read:

And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. - Revelation 5:10 (KJV)

But then we backtracked and saw this....

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb.... - Revelation 5:8 (NIV)

So what's going on? Is the future title of "king" only for some mysterious creatures in heaven?

We found the explanation is as simple as comparing Bible translations. Since we cited the New International Version in verse 8, let's keep reading it....

And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, ad they shall reign on the earth." - Revelation 5:9-10

We emphasized a few key words here. The creatures and elders praise Jesus for purchasing men - as in human beings. A footnote in the New King James indicates some Greek versions of Revelation which have been handed down over time put the emphasis on humans, while others do not.

A check of numerous translations indicates most translate this section as giving the "kings and priests" title to humans. It fits better with other verses in Revelation - verses which explain how you can become a king:

To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcome and sat down with my Father on his throne. - Revelation 3:21

These are words of a resurrected Jesus. He amazingly offers you the opportunity to be resurrected as well, and sit with Him! (We think Jesus would be the "Ace", overriding our King-ship.)

But as our title (borrowing from a rock band) indicates, there's something we must do. To borrow from an old spiritual, we must overcome. And....

To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.... - Revelation 2:26

We overcome this world and our own sinful nature by doing the will of Jesus Christ. Discover that will by reading carefully through the first four books of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are known as the "gospels," telling the story of Jesus from conception to crucifixion to resurrection.

But we've left one question unanswered here. What about those "elders" mentioned in Revelation 5? We'll keep working on that for another post.

Cynn City

Soccer fans will be focused today on the World Cup finals in Russia. The event might last three hours, if it winds up in a penalty kick shootout. But imagine an event where determining a world champion came down to a showdown even longer than that - practically lasting all night.

Courtesy Joe Ginn/WSOP.com

That's what happened this morning at the World Series of Poker's Main Event. The final two players battled from Saturday sundown until nearly 5:00 a.m. Las Vegas time - and it ended with Indiana native John Cynn (right) outlasting Florida's Tony Miles to take the "title belt" and $8.8 million.

The lead in heads-up play went back and forth several times, so we give credit to both men for playing hard and well. But in the end, this Main Event probably will inspire a lot of clever headlines (like ours) - and maybe even a few sermons from preachers.

For instance, Miles wore a Tim Tebow college football jersey to the final table. Tebow is known as a  believer in Jesus Christ. We're not sure where Miles stands on that - but his challenge for more than ten hours was, well, overcoming Cynn. It's your challenge, too, only with a different spelling....

...for everyone born of God overcomes the world.... Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. - I John 5:4-5

Louis Armstrong sang years ago, "What a Wonderful World" - and in some ways it is. But it's also a world filled with sin:

For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world. - I John 2:16

This endurance contest isn't only for one night - it's a lifelong "main event." So how can you overcome these more common "sins"? We skipped over part of chapter 5, which offers an answer:

This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. - I John 5:4b

The late George Michael sang it correctly: you've got to have faith. But it needs to be in the right things - or better put, the right Ones. It means believing in Jesus as God's Son, and turning to Him to cover your sinful life.

...For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. - Revelation 12:10-11

That "accuser" is Satan, the devil (Job 1:6-9). The blood of Jesus can pay the penalty for your sin, and give you freedom to testify of the good things God does in your life.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

On this Sunday in Las Vegas, Mr. Cynn came out on top. It's a victory he earned. In your life, "sin" doesn't have to win. Put your faith in the Son of God who can help you overcome it.

Do You Love Me?

At its base, some would say poker is a selfish game. The object in a tournament is to gain everyone else's chips. As long as we remember it's only a game, we think there can be some balance there.

But how self-serving should we be? We asked in a recent post if it's wrong to love yourself. The greatest example of love we know had something to say about that - perhaps in a context you hadn't considered before:

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12

Jesus is reciting what some call the "golden rule." We normally think about the outgoing aspect of that, and we absolutely should. But how would you "have" others "do" things "to you?"

A masochist might want to be insulted and shamed at a poker table. We've heard that way of thinking called a "martyrdom complex" - and at one point Jesus seems to encourage that approach:

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:10

But Jesus also said He overcame the world (John 16:33) - and He wants us to have the hope of overcoming as well.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. - Psalm 42:5

One frequently-quoted Bible promise is that God will complete the work He's begun in you (Philippians 1:6). If you love God for what He's doing in you, that can be the proper kind of "self-love" - and one you can share with other people.

The Fear Factor II

Our last post attempted to show the importance of fearing God - and even fearing Jesus Christ, our Savior.  (After all, the first part of John 1 shows Jesus is God.)  We stopped at the importance of overcoming our sinful nature.

Some poker locales sadly can lead to sinful things.  Bars can have alcohol and smoking (at least).  Casinos can fuel gambling addictions.  You can stay away from those places, to wean yourself off bad habits.  But truly overcoming takes something else....

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. - I John 5:5

Sound simple - almost too simple?  Well, let's back up a verse:

...For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. - I John 5:4

Faith in Jesus and being "born again" brings overcoming.  But it comes by living out your faith every day.  Back up a little more....

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome... - I John 5:3

Yes, God has "commands" for you to carry out.  But He provides help in doing them:

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. - I John 4:4

Who is that "one.... in you"?  Verse 2 indicates it's the Holy Spirit, which enters believers.

And here's the ironic thing: this section of the Bible indicates that poker player who asked why he should fear his Savior has a point....

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. - I John 4:18

We've heard ministers put it this way: We should fear God and Jesus Christ because they hold the power of ultimate judgment, life and death.  That's the idea of awe and respect. But those who obey God's commands don't need to fear every single move they make. They should love God for setting boundaries for right living and conduct.

It's easy to fear playing poker against a big winner with a championship reputation.  (Maybe you shouldn't - but that's another blog post.)  But the One everyone should fear is God - and we should live our lives accordingly.

A Tempting Secret

We returned to National League of Poker this week for the first time in months.  It turned out well - recovering from an early all-in moment of desperation with a flopped flush to finish second out of 153 players.  (Sadly, only first place paid off with money again.)

Along the way, we chatted with a man who's also written about poker online.  In fact, he claims he found "the secret to life" from several months of poker.  He sums it up in two words: "overcoming temptation" -- which he defines in several ways in our link.

He points out it's a Biblical secret -- and he's right.  Even though Jesus recommended this prayer....

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. - Matthew 6:13

....the facts of life are that moments of temptation will come, at the poker table or away from it.  Even Jesus faced it while walking the earth:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. - Hebrews 4:15

The first part of Matthew 4 and Luke 4 detail how Satan the devil tempted Jesus.  Yet the Lord said no through it all -- which is how we need to respond to sinful temptations as well.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. - I Corinthians 10:13

Pray for God to sound alarm bells when temptations happen -- whether it's an all-in moment at the table or something more serious in your life.  Ask Him to show where the escape route is.  Then don't be afraid to take it, even if it makes you look wimpy.

The Book on You

Top poker players write books all the time, offering everything from introductory instruction to advanced ways of spotting an opponent's bluff.  A search on Amazon.com this morning brought 5,155 titles of poker books.

But in a post this past week, we asked for your thoughts about getting in something called "the book of life."  This is a book we all need to enter, whether we play poker or not.  It first came up in a conversation between Moses and God....

"But now, please forgive their sin -- but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written."  The Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." - Exodus 32:32-33

So there's no confusion: the Bible itself is a "book of life."  It contains the "word of life," about how to gain eternal life (Philippians 2:16).  But the book described in Exodus is different.  Apparently it's a book with lots of names, which God can adjust when He chooses.

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.... May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. - Psalm 69:19, 28

So the book of life contains names of righteous people.  But the problem is that we all sin (Romans 3:23) - and when we do that, God can remove our names from it.  And that's potentially bad news....

If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:15

This verse describes a vision of the final judgment, when everyone will come before Jesus.  The lake of fire is called "the second death" in verse 14.  To avoid that, we need our name back in that book -- badly.  How can we get there?

Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.... whose names are in the book of life. - Philippians 4:3

How did these women get in the book?  Apparently by helping the apostle Paul spread Jesus's gospel message.  We think that requires actually believing that message -- and something else:

He who overcomes.... I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. - Revelation 3:5

Overcome sin, in your own life and this world.  Then help spread the news about Jesus coming to put an "end" to sin (Hebrews 9:26-28).  You'll be well on your way to appearing in the book that matters most.

Merson the Marathon Man

People who enter triathlons have to be in great shape.  But how many of them could compete at a top level for more than 12 hours in one session?

Greg Merson did -- and a few minutes ago, he won the World Series of Poker's Main Event.  The "final three" were at the table in Las Vegas all night, with the winning hand coming around 5:45 a.m. local time.

We were unfamiliar with all of the "October Nine" players.  But we leaned toward rooting for Merson because of his biography -- a story of overcoming personal addictions.

The challenge of overcoming is something we all face, whether we realize it or not.  We need to overcome the evils of this world....

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

We'll have more to say about Merson's triumph in the coming days.  But in the meantime, what's the longest poker "all-nighter" you've ever had?  Did it end in success - or lessons from failure?  Comments are welcome.

Win, Lose or Hang

Let's play a little pretend poker.  You're in a 100-person tournament.  Only the top ten earn money.  There are 12 players remaining at two tables.  A player ahead of you raises enough pre-flop to put you all in.  You check your cards and see  10-10.  What do you do?

 

Your response to this situation may say a lot about you and your intentions.  If you're trying simply to "make the money," you might fold this rather promising hand.  But if your goal is to win first place and the top prize, would you call?  Would you go all-in -- even if it means risking everything, and perhaps winning no money at all?

 

The sports world has a phrase which might apply to the people who fold - they're "playing not to lose," instead of playing to win.

 

We heard a thought-provoking church message this weekend about that very concept.  The speaker said some people can take that approach to their lives -- and by doing so, they allow the devil to get to them.  Instead, he said we should focus on winning because....

 

....In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. - Romans 8:37

 

The "things" Paul mentions here are much more stark than an all-in moment at a poker tournament -- everything from tribulation to famine to a deadly sword (v. 35).

 

Perhaps you're saying you've "gone for it" at the table many times, only to wind up at the rail over and over?  Well, the speaker went on to say we should NOT focus on our past failures.

 

How much more, then will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God? - Hebrews 9:14

 

Shift your focus, the speaker said -- away from earlier stumbles, to follow the One who already has overcome all trials.  That makes us think of these words of Jesus:

 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world. - John 16:33

 

How do we do that, to overcome the world?  It takes the infusion of God's Holy Spirit....

 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. - II Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

We've admittedly followed the "hang in there" approach many times in poker tournaments -- as our standard has been based on making final tables, as opposed to going all the way and winning prize money.  The thinking has been: "Just get me there, and give me a chance."  But come to think of it, we don't often reach the final table in a dominant chip position that way.

 

So tell us -- what's your strategy at a tournament?  And do we need to make some adjustments?

 

Over-All Success

Poker games can provide all sorts of challenges. We played an online game tonight which had a very annoying one -- as our computer protection service decided to do a 30-minute update in the middle of the game. It was more than our computer could handle, and we had to wait 20 minutes to play a hand. (No, we didn't win.)

Then there was the online tournament we did win last weekend -- rallying against two players with huge stacks, and a chip advantage over us of more than 12 to one. What happened for us was an example of a regular theme for our pastor: overcoming. The Bible speaks about it dozens of times. For instance....

To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. -- Revelation 3:21 (KJV)

These are words of Jesus to a first-century church. In fact, Jesus used a form of the word "overcome" to address seven churches in Revelation 2-3. In every case, overcoming is promised a spiritual reward. But how do we do that?

For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. -- I John 5:4

As Jesus said in the gospels, you must be born again. That takes faith -- but not in your own "survival skills" or mental toughness....

Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God? -- I John 5:5

That belief is more than saying words -- it's acting on your belief, to live obediently as though Jesus truly is your Lord and Master.

Overcoming can be a long process. In last weekend's tournament, we were at the last table for more than 180 hands before we won. But the payoff was nice. There's a check in the mail for us; there can be a crown of victory alongside Jesus for you.