Charisma Magazine

As a freelance writer and occasional author, one of the perks is spending quality time with some pretty cool people including Tony Dungy, Albert Pujols, Richard Petty, Tobymac, Chris Tomlin and Joel Osteen.

And while some are more famous than others, perhaps none have been more significant than Kay Yow.

It was an average January 20th morning when change came to Washington D.C., and with that change came hope for millions of Americans. It brought hope for a renewed sense of pride in the office of the President and hope that our nation’s standing in the world would once again be bolstered by a healthy respect for a strong military and a robust economy.

The brand new President spoke of our storied past—a past full of mistakes and moments of glory. He closed by reminding us that we are all doing the work of a sovereign God.

I’m sure by now it should be clear that this description is a flashback to the 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush. Or you might be a little confused.

Every year, new words are introduced into the English vernacular. Some are pre-existing words that take on special significance due to national or world events, while other words are manufactured to describe a developing social trend or political phenomenon.

Words like “bailout,” “climate change,” and “Al Franken” come to mind—all words that I could care less if I ever hear again.

But by far, the most disturbing new word to be uttered over the past 18 to 24 months—“pornification”—is used to describe the increased sexualizing of popular culture with a particular emphasis on mass media geared towards young people.

Before I go too deep into this blog, I should probably go ahead and confess that I'm a stereotypical sports junkie. So it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out what I was doing Thursday night (along with a few million other sports fans).

Being from Oklahoma, you would assume that I was cheering for the Sooners to defeat the Florida Gators in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game in Miami, Fla. The truth is, however, that I’m a graduate of The University of Tulsa and had no personal stake in the outcome.

To be honest (and at the risk of alienating some of my fellow Oklahomans), I found myself pulling for the Gators who ultimately pulled off the 24-14 victory. Why, you ask? My response is simply two words: Tim Tebow.