28 Mar, 2007
Man's ear bitten off in Greek soccer brawl
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Four men have been arrested on the island of Crete after part of a man's ear was bitten off during a brawl after Greece's 4-1 loss to Turkey in a European Championship qualifier.
The incident occurred Saturday near the town of Ierapetra during a fight between Bulgarian workers and local Greek men who had been watching the match on television, police said Tuesday.
Local businessman Dimitris Tsimbibakis, 40, was hospitalized after a man bit his ear. He told authorities he had intervened to try and break up the fight but was beaten by four Bulgarian men.
The fight apparently started after the Bulgarian men cheered Turkey's goals.
Greece travels to Malta on Thursday, while Turkey hosts Norway in Group C.
photo & story courtesy foxsports.com, 03/27/07
Got your ears on?
Mark 4:9
9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (ESV)
What does Jesus want us to hear when we read today's God's Story scripture?
You've probably heard today's verse before even if you don't remember ever reading it in the Bible. It is often quoted, but what does it really mean?
Jesus is not talking about ear buds or speaker phones, nor is He trying to get us to act interested in someone telling a long story that we've already heard many times.
When Jesus says we should "hear", He wants us to listen to His words, know them, and do them.
If we're serious about letting Jesus be Lord (in control) of our lives, we will immediately apply His words in our attitudes, our decisions, our values, our lifestyle, our relationships, our families, our spending, our praying, our worship, our use of time, our....
Now the guy in today's story (the one who got his ear bit off) doesn't have to do today's scripture because he doesn't have ears to hear. Yeah, right!
Actually, today's story got me thinking about one reason why we as Christ's followers so often don't have ears to hear - it's because we are self-centered and often focused (or even fighting over) on what really isn't that important in the big picture of life. It's all about God's purposes - not ours!
To hear Jesus' words we must humble ourselves before Him. What is Jesus saying to you today? Are you listening?
How can we apply today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Start by taking several minutes to be alone in silence with Jesus. Tell Him you want to hear from His Spirit working in your mind and heart. Now listen....
- Jesus may have pointed out His love to you; His promises for you; His encouragement to you; His patience; His offer of forgiveness for something you need to confess; His instruction to obey...ask Him for the faith and power you need to apply His words...
- Today's verse is in the context of one of Jesus' parables. Numerous times in the gospels, Jesus makes the connection between ears and "doing". In the next month, read through Matthew or Mark and watch for the instruction to use our "ears to hear".
- Go to http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/ and look up "ears to hear" for an interesting study on how these words are used in God's Word.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- With your friends and family who need Jesus, be intentional in the next two weeks about listening to their words. Remember to ask them questions that give them the opportunity for you to "hear" what they are thinking, feeling, wondering about...
- With your friends and family who know Jesus, share today's DAILYBIDE with them and what you learned. Maybe you can even talk about what causes you to not have your spiritual "ears" on?
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