I just left the sports page of the Atlanta Journal. Catching up on my favorite teams again. Biggest news out of Atlanta today was the latest "mess" with Michael Vick--quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. I won't go into all the details of what he did or did not do. His situation is not what stirred my thoughts today. Rather, I went to the blog on the Falcons beat page. I spent a few minutes reading the response from fans. Frankly, I was disturbed. I know, it's just the sports page and it's not the best place to gauge the intellect of Atlanta (don't believe me? Read a sports blog some time). But it was a great place to catch a glimpse of a wide range of opinions. What I saw was further evidence that there is no longer a moral compass for many Americans. Beyond that, it has been taken down, stomped on, and crushed beyond recognition. Anyone who dares to suggest that there is a standard for right and wrong in our land is belittled relentlessly. It's quite scary.

A few brave souls dared to suggest that immoral choices by a superstar made him unfit to be a role model for our kids. They even suggested (gasp!) that superstars needed to be reigned in and given the same standards for living that the rest of Americans abide by. You would have thought that they had suggested that Oprah Winfrey was a mere mortal (another subject for another day). Seriously, what has happened in our nation when lawbreakers are heralded as something our children should aim to be? The escapades of the Brittneys and the Brads, the Jessicas and the Michaels (you know who I am referring to) make little difference to me other than the fact that they represent the sad state of our land. It's become more appropriate to worship a frail human soul in Hollywood or a fragile super athlete in New Orleans than it is to worship the Savior who died for us. I can paint my body, shave my head, drink the Kool-Aid--all in the name of fame and celebrity status--and all is right with the world. But let me suggest that there is only One who is worthy of worship and I become the most vile of all beings--an intolerant, ignorant and impoverished soul. I scratch my head and scream for some explanation. I am greeted by more head scratching. Where did we sign over the rights to our sanity? When did we sell our souls to free agency and top 10 lists?

Can I ask for some common sense here? Is it too much for you and I to drop back, take a look at ourselves and begin one heart at a time to restore some bit of order to life? God help us if we don't. I can see the Oprah for President stickers right now!!!