“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Transition?

What’s going on with golf right now? I mean, I understand that it is the end of the season, but there is not a lot of it going on. I have read that the players were concerned that the season was too long and they are looking at working on a different schedule.  I know a lot of people that think that they should suck it up and continue to play because of all of the money the players make. I am sure the PGATour can work something out for the players that can keep the advertisers happy and the viewership up.

It won’t bother me. I’ll still keep an interest in what the players are up to on tour. Even with the NFL in mid-season, I still want some golf and in California, we can play golf year around.

Then we have the World Series with the San Francisco Giants sweeping the Detroit Tigers. Incredible win for the Giants. I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I do enjoy the playoffs and of course the World Series. I enjoy the stories of how some of the men were traded or drafted to the different teams and how some of the men were living before their life in professional sports.

With all of the sporting events taking place and school, with work and well, life, how do we find time to reflect and spend time with our most important relationship we should have…our relationship with the Jesus!

Don’t get me wrong, I really can say that I enjoy sports just as much as the next person. But, sometimes it can get me off track of what I am really here to do. I am learning that it is OK to like sports and excel in them. I finally figured that out after researching this verse that is found in 1Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 

Paul is teaching the Corinthian church that are struggling with some of the things they are doing, “Religious” or “Traditional”, which we have learned over time can bog us down from being more productive in our spiritual and everyday life which we are more inclined to pay attention to.

In the book of Mark 7 verses 1-13 Jesus is having a discussion with some of the teachers and high priests of His time. The teachers were angry with Jesus about His disciples not washing their hands properly and other silly little matters that have nothing to do with our relationship with Jesus except for men to follow man made rules.

Jesus tells them this in verse 8, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Now some of us enjoy tradition and some of us don’t really care. My point to this story is not so much about traditions as it is about our habits that may have been formed out of traditions. A lot of times these traditions become the normal part of our culture. You know some of them, taking your hat off at the table or during the national anthem. Or if you’re really religious, making a sign of the cross before you enter particular areas, or large number of other religious motions we do. There are literally millions of them!

So what do we do? So, if we take another look at the verse above, 1 Cor 10:31 and look at a few words. Let’s take the word “whatever”. I don’t think Paul is trying to be the proverbial “Valley Girl” “Whatever” approach! I can look at what he is saying in context with what the rest of the verse and story says, and how Jesus reacts to this issue. It’s almost like a Nike add, “do it all for the glory of God”

I worked as a Men’s Ministry Director at a church in 2006-2008. This particular church was going through a major transition. The pastor of 33 years had suddenly passed and the church was in a tailspin of egos and “Tradition”. When I was asked to be a interim director, I walked in to, what I used to call a “Ferrari” that was wrecked and needed to be repaired from the frame to the paint job. This was a premier Ministry that most of the main players had walked away from disgruntled and bitter.

While I was there, we went through five pastors. I’ll never forget one of the pastors when he came on board for our first staff meeting. He said something that I have never forgotten and use to this day. He knew the problem we were in and was there to get us back on track. This church had been around for over fifty years, so change was not what the parishioners were interested in hearing. They wanted to go back to the “way it was.” What they didn’t understand, was there needed to be change. The traditions were robbing some of the other believers of an experience that would not be allowed to happen as long as it stayed the same.

So, as the meeting was in session, our new pastor began leadership training. Something the staff had never experienced before. After prayer and a few announcements, he made this statement, “People are against what people don’t understand”. Now, I know that isn’t that profound until you really understand the gravity involved in establishments that hold on to tradition. It becomes part of who we are, it can become a habit then to a lifestyle. Just go to any third world country and try to feel comfortable. If you have ever been into most parts of Mexico, you can’t even throw toilet paper into the toilet when you’re finished doing business. I’m sure some of you know what I’m talking about. I’m against doing that, but I got used to it.

What I am saying is this, If you are doing life because you are used to doing something because that is the way it has always been done and someone might want to show you a better way, don’t get upset, try something new, it might be a better way. I think Jesus was telling us to do something different to get out of the mundane routines of life to get our focus on Him. So we could get out of our comfort zone and get uncomfortable in life in order to get comfortable in trusting in Him.

 This way, you and I can be comfortable in doing what we are called to do and to do it to the best of our abilities and give glory to Him through our efforts. There is nothing better than a happy worker, not worried about someone looking over his shoulder. That person knows who his real boss is and if he pleases Him, that is the highest pleasure! Ephesians 5:10 “Find out what pleases the Lord”

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” Calvin Coolidge

What motivates you?

This past week I thought about what happened during the last seven days. I often will reflect on the past week and ask myself a few questions; what happened that significantly set me up for a learning opportunity and what can I learn from either a failure or a victory.

I have received many lessons from my kids and this one involves them both. My 7^th grader is the one that you may consider the athlete and my 10^th grader, well, maybe not as much, but something changed my thoughts on that. My daughter plays water polo and is a starter as a sophomore. The team is mostly sophomore with the exception of two seniors. She has worked really hard to make that team and has improved far beyond what most thought capable. She is tenacious and puts in 100% for practice, which has paid off.

My son on the other hand is a gifted athlete with a lack of motivation. He doesn’t try hard in practice. In the first four games of the season, he did just enough to get by on the field.  He doesn’t work at it like my daughter and he doesn’t seem to really care. So, I had an idea. I told him that if he worked hard all week and played in the game like he is capable of I would get him a pair of shoes he has been bugging me for. He has been begging me for a new pair of shoes for over a month.

My boy loves shoes. In fact if he could by a new pair of shoes every day, he would! He has talked his grandmother, his mom and his grandfather into buying him new shoes. They have all been sucked into his charm and they bow to his shoe fetish. I finally put a stop to it three months ago and it is driving him crazy. The kid has five new pair of $80-$100 pairs of shoes.

This Saturday, he played hard for the first two quarters scoring a touchdown and an extra 2 point conversion and multiple tackles and two sacks. He was pulled from the game along with all of the other starters in the second quarter after their team was beating the opposition.

Of course after the game, he was excited and also ready to head to the sporting goods store for a new pair of shoes. I really don’t want to make a habit of motivating him in that manner, but I wanted him to get a taste of what hard work feels like and thrill to know that he contributed to the team and also a chance for me to have a teaching moment with my boy.

I was studying in the book of Timothy this week. I was reminded in this verse about our talents and gifts that we are rewarded with from our creator. It reads 1 Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you…15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” I reminded my son of this verse and mentioned to him the story about his sister. Now, that itself will motivate most boys. Knowing that his older sister is playing well as a starter, should be enough to challenge him! She has become a person that many of the girls get motivation from to work harder. Now that’s progress!

My daughter found motivation from within herself to work hard while my son found motivation from something different to accomplish the same task. The most difficult responsibility for most of us can be to understand and realize that we are responsible for our talents and gifts. We are responsible to give those gifts and talents to humanity without question. Unfortunately, most of us are not taught that way. Our culture is not really about giving as much as it is about getting.

My daughter has been “diligent” in her pursuit to be a top athlete, while my boy has been riding on his talent. She has given herself “wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.”  So, what about you…?

Question, are you diligent in your talents to give to others? If not, it may be a time to reflect on this verse and ask God to guide you in the correct area. If you are not sure what to do, seek Him with diligence and do something good until God gives you the next task to use your talents.

Ryder Cup weekend is here and gone. I enjoy these formats. It consists of the top players in the world against USA’s best. For golfers and golf fans it doesn’t get much better. I enjoy the different formats used. It mixes things up for something different and builds drama into almost every shot. Obviously I rooted for team USA, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t like the opposing team. I don’t think there are any golfers I don’t like, but I do like some more than others.

Golf is not a team sport until these types of formats, which I believe is the huge draw of the Ryder Cup. All of the golfers in this event depend on each other to perform and acquire points for each event. As the event was coming to a close on Sunday the Europeans began to take over. America had a sizable lead on Saturday, but that didn’t seem to matter to Team Europe. Jose Maria Olazabal was asked Saturday night about the lead that the American team had and he responded, “I believe”.

The European team came back from a surmountable deficit to take the cup by a half of a point, just a half of a point. I find that incredible. I thought Ian Poulters play Saturday gave them the hope they needed to rally back and take the cup back to European soil.

Golf is a very individual sport. But the Ryder Cup format changes that and it becomes a team sport. I sat back and began to think of why the Europeans seemed to have dominated this type of play. I wondered why, if we have some of the best players in the world why don’t we win more? This is where we can look at society as a whole and wonder why we are separated as a culture.

I believe we can learn something from the team aspect of golf. The American team to me, just never seems as passionate about winning as a team as the Europeans. I realize that the American team wants to win, but I don’t see the camaraderie between them like I see with the Europeans.  

What is that telling us? Can we not learn from the game of golf that our “Team” efforts are a reflection of our culture? A lot of the Europeans don’t even come from the same country but find “Team” passion for each other. Now, I guess I’m a typical American male, I don’t like to necessarily hug other men or kiss them on the cheek, which most Europeans find it common place. I have to say that I am envious of that type of caring for another man to win.

What happened to the America that once was dominant in just about everything? What happened to the America that my grandfather was not ashamed to be a part of and fight for, even though he was a native Indian? I think we can learn a lot from a game that has the passion of men to win with other men and share in the victory!

This weekend I was a part of a men’s event that I have been dreaming of for a long time. On Friday night we had a comedian that hit us between the eyes and heart about the Truth of America. I saw a lot of men rally around a message that I thought may divide men. But it inspired them to change and think about America and the team aspect of its roots. Europeans came over to start a “Team” that would not be taken over by a tyrant, but a democracy for the people and by the people.

I think it’s time to go back to our roots and take a long hard look at the Truth. The Truth of what the original Americans had in mind for our country. Until we go to that truth, our country will continue to fall into the hands of apathy and weakness! What will you do to make a difference?