I love to watch a lot of sports, including the traditional american leagues (NBA, NFL and MLB), but living in Brazil, sometimes it is not so easy to follow those championships. Just a few of these games are aired here.

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I watched a few of the MLB final games of this season, and I was moved by the celebration the Texas Rangers players did using soda drinks instead of Champagne when they won the 2010 American League championship. The brazilian narrators explained that the change in the traditional celebration was out of respect to Josh Hamilton, who was a recovering drug and alcohol addict.

I’ve got to tell you, it was moving. The later San Francisco Giants World Series victory celebration was pale next to this one.

Then I remembered that I had bought Josh Hamilton’s biography entitled “Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back” a couple of years before, and I had forgotten about it. By then, I really didn’t really know who he was. I saw the book on a bookstore, checked the backcover information, and since I love to read biographies, this one sounded interesting, so I bought it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life – John 3:16

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You probably have already seen this phrase before. A lot of times. Have you ever really thought about what it means?

What strikes me about this specific verse is its simplicity and objectivity. The whole plan of salvation in one sentence. On the other hand, there is a lot to say about it. Max Lucado wrote a whole book to explain it.