I was traveling home across country late in 2012, after making some joyful and fruitful pastoral visits.

The day of driving left me sort of dazed and ennervated, but happily planted in a generic roadside motel and ready to decompress. It just so happened that  HBO was showing something clean, a WBC Welterweight championship fight (147lbs) between Californian Roberto Guerrero and Florida's Andre Berto.

In my early twenties, before I knew the Lord, I watched a lot of boxing, and it was one of the things I let go, but since brother Guerrero was prominently repping Jesus with Acts 2,38 on his trunks, my fandom came instantly back to life.

"Repent and be baptized, each of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness [the full remission], and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."      

Besides I had a good excuse- this very verse was the point and upshot of my whole 4500 mile journey.

More about that some other time.

What a fight.

Brother Guerrero started out fast and finished strong, all the while smothering and out working and out punching his dangerous opponent. In the middle of the fight, Berto rallied a bit and in one round hit Brother Guerrero with all he had. I counted four vicious uppercuts to the head, but Roberto was figthing as a man blessed and filled with the Holy Ghost.

What a story.

This guy began as a junior featherweight (122lbs).

He has 31 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw, 18 knockouts and 13 decisions. 

By the way, his wife, and teenage sweetheart Casey, now also 28, had a successful bone marrow transplant in spring of 2010, a life or death blessing which necessitated that Robert cede his Super featherweight title to Michael Katsides and skip the March 27, 2010 fight.

A 22 year old college student from Munich Germany, the dear Katharina Zech, stepped up and was Jesus for his wife.

The transplant was a great success.

Acts 2,38 And Boxer Roberto Guerero

Roberto Guerrero's decision over the battered Berto was unanimous, 116-110 on all three judges cards.

His confidence in the ring recalls how fellow Californian Gene Scott defined faith: "faith is ninety percent courage and ten percent trust." 

Immediatly after his victory, Brother Roberto called out the somewhat elusive Floyd Mayweather.

What do I know about boxing, but my best advice to Floyd Mayweather would perhaps be to take Roberto's Acts 2,38 message to heart, before he steps into the ring with the rolling and rollicking and highly favored Guerrero.

Then we can say-may the best brother win! (and no one get hurt either.)

In the meantime, I'm studying scriptures like these:

Psalm 35,1: "Fight, O Lord. Fight with my contenders; fight against those  who fight against me."

1Timothy6,12: "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

And I'm ready to hit the road again.

Peace out, in Jesus Name.