RELIGION: Seeing God's magnificence through NHL Ice Hockey
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There are plenty of ways to see God in this world. Some see it nature, like the Yosemite Valley. Some see it the kind acts of strangers or in victories of good over evil. But I think one of the best places to see it in motion is in the NHL's highlight reels.

Now this is true of any sport. Seeing professional athletes in motion, making great plays is a true way to see the Glory. When an athlete of any sort goes beyond what we think is possible, makes a brilliant play or uses their body to amaze us, this is truly human beings operating at a higher level.

Seeing things like a beautiful double play in baseball, a stealthy interception or a good run in football or a skier making a stellar downhill run are all great moments in our world. But nothing is more graceful in pro sports than the speed and skill of hockey players.

All right, fighting clutching and grabbing aside, when you watch the beautifully crafted offensive plays and the center rushed the puck up the center with the wingers swooping in for the first pass, the drop pass and then the tick-tac-toe plays, you are truly seeing the designs of the good lord in motion.

Watch the Colorado Avalanche, the Detroit Red Wings or (my favorite) the Vancouver Canucks. Watch Olympic hokey with stellar teams like the Russians, Czechs, Swedes and, of course, the Canadians. You will see what a hockey team can do when they are stacked with talent and committed to dazzling offense.

No other sport has the combination of speed, skill and grace that hokey does. An old friend of mine used to say that ice hokey has the skill of baseball, the brutality of football, the team work of basketball and the strategy of soccer. Not to mention they do it on a slippery surface alien to most athletes.

So next time you are looking for something to watch, turn on the good old hockey game and see the penultimate sport in action. It's as close to God as pro sports can get.