"I Pity The Fool!" ~Clubber Lang

In 1982, the catchphrase, "I pity the fool!" was popularized by Mr. T, the actor who portrayed Clubber Lang in Rocky III. But this was only part of what Clubber Lang said when asked if he hated Rocky. His full response was, "No I don't hate Balboa. But I pity the fool. And will destroy any man who tries to take what I got."

This catchphrase came to mind when I read the recent news about sports broadcaster, Braiden Bell's same day (October 1, 2026) hiring and firing as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Portland Trail Blazers. This bizzare event occured immediately after a reporter from KGW8 (a local news station) asked the Trailblazers for a comment on some 15-year-old dirt that this reporter decided to dig up (pray for this person) regarding some of Braiden Bell's tweets on Twitter.

When our sons were in their first years of elementary school, they had the common and unfortunate experience of hearing gossip about another student and their family/home situation. When they came home to tell me about what they heard, I said, "If I asked you to come outside with me so I could show you some dirt in a neighbor's yard, would you be excited?" When they said they wouldn't, I asked them, "Why not?" They responded, "Because everyone has dirt in their yard, Mama. Dirt, is not exciting." Then I said, "That's right Babies, everyone has dirt in their yards, and it's not very exciting because dirt is common. Anything common, is just...well...common. So, what if I asked you to come outside with me so I could show you some treasure I found in a neighbor's yard, then would you be excited?" Their eyes widened and they both smiled ear-to-ear and happily shouted, "Yes, Mama!" And that's when I told them about seeking God's grace—the treasure of His love and kindness to everyone, saved and unsaved. We went on to talk about the many graces of God we'd experienced individually, and as a family. The conversation was full of bright smiles, laughter, and excitement that danced around the room. It was difficult to get them to stop so I could make dinner.

As I began to bring this exhilarting conversation to an end, I asked them, "So what do you think about seeking, every day, the grace of God you get to witness in your life and the lives of your friends, teachers, and anybody else you see each day? Does that sound more exciting than listening to and repeating the "dirt" in someone else's life?" They laughed and happily said, "Yes it does, Mama!" After that day, the LORD blessed me with daily news of His grace displayed before the eyes of our sons who became treasure seekers of grace, rather than grave diggers of skeletons. It was wonderful!

This poor dirt digger from KGW8, shared some not-so-wise and objectively, stupid comments that Bell shared on social media when he was 14/15-years-old. He is now 29, has expressed shame for his egregious views (as he ought), openly apologized without making excuses, and offered to make ammends (e.g., offering to work "alongside the Blazers in community and educational programming, including outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and to organizations that support women and girls in sports." according to NY Times, The Athletic).

Do you remember everything you said, did, or posted 15 years ago? Do you remember everything you said or did to everyone you encountered yesterday—today—five minutes ago? I don't! I remember some things, but not everything. And I can't honestly say I'm proud of, nor even agree with everything I thought, did, or said yesterday, today, and especially not throughout my entire life. Like you, I have MUCH to be ashamed of, and by God's grace, much I've had the freedom in Christ to repentant of.

Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man."

~1 Chronicles 21:13, ESV

For the LORD will not

     cast off forever,

but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion

     according to the abundance of His steadfast love;

for He does not afflict from His heart

     or grieve the children of men.

~Lamentations 3:31-33, ESV

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,

     and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you.

For the LORD is a God of justice;

     blessed are all those who wait for Him.

~Isaiah 30:18, ESV

The Trail Blazers' response to Bell's apology and offer to help heal those he harmed, was far from the way the LORD responds to a broken and contrite heart. Rather, they echoed what our biased, everchanging, prideful, and perverse world says, "I pity the fool. And will destroy any man who tries to take what I got." This is the oft repeated refrain from the ever-increasing groups of people who are self-appointed victims of anything and anyone they legimately, or illegitimately feel is trying to take away something they feel they have a right to (e.g., murder innocent unborn, and born babies; be sexually perverse whether with same or opposite sex partners; loot when tragedies occur, etc.).

What happened to Braiden Bell this past week, is just another example of what happens when we dig up dirt and fling it on people. It hurts. So don't do it.

Now...before you comment or email me thinking that I'm pro-nasty behavior, I am not. There are sins that people commit that should absolutely be privately and/or publically exposed and condemned. But just as God is merciful, so should we be. For none of us is without sin and none of us is above being admonished. And by God's grace, none of us are forced to remain in the multiple putrid dung heeps we foolishly step into.

The merciless judgment that the Portland Trail Blazers made is just another example of the unequivocal truth that only God Almighty judges righteously, and only He is truly merciful, kind, good, and just.

God receives and redeems the repentant (Ps 51:17).

But the world receives hypocrisy and often, redeems the unrighteous, the murderers, and the like; based not on objective truth, but on their ever-changing, prejudiced judgment of everyone and everything—even God.

Those who do not repent and trust in Jesus, reject Christ because they say God is too hard. But those of us who know Him and have had our consciences cleansed with the blood of Christ, are free to understand the truth—that only God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, alone, abounds in mercy and grace without partiality. And unlike the people of this world, His judgments never change. So we are never confused between right and wrong, good and evil.

With the merciful You show Yourself merciful;

     with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless;

with the purified You show Yourself pure;

     and with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous.

For You save a humble people,

     but the haughty eyes You bring down.

~Psalm 18:25-27, ESV