Resolution.
Webster defines the word as being “marked by firm determination”.
The word dominates every New Year’s Eve. Each year we resolve to change careers. Get healthy. Make new friends. Earn more money. Be patient. Be assertive. The list goes on, and in just a few hours we will walk through the same old ritual once again.
What exactly is he doing? Why does he have only one ankle in a pool, and why is he wearing a helmet?
The answer speaks volumes, even to those of us who only dream of playing in the NFL.
For starters, Peyton Manning is the best at what he does.
He is a Super Bowl winner, and without question a first ballot Hall-of-Famer. He is an instantly recognizable “face of the League” to many, and represents all that is good about the NFL. In a league filled with controversies regarding player safety, criminal acts by players, cheating scandals, etc., he has consistently represented the positive ‘All-American’, ‘clean-cut’ side of football. He is a polite, humble, well-mannered guy who has consistently not only stayed out of trouble, but benefited many a worthy cause.
He is still at the top of his game after a neck injury that many thought would either end or severely impact his prolific career. Yet he has emerged in having what is perhaps his best year as a pro.
The point of saying all that is this – it didn't just happen that way. It took some serious effort and determination.
But back to that strange picture.
This photograph of Peyton Manning was taken during a Broncos practice. Having sustained an ankle injury, Peyton had to sit out of practice. His official listing was “did not participate”.
Unable to participate physically, he chose to participate mentally. He couldn't be on the field, but he could be active. He chose to keep his injured ankle in the “cold tub” in the team training room, and wear his helmet to listen in on practice and the plays that were called on the headset, while simultaneously studying game film on a tablet.
This is the guy who leads the league with 45 touchdowns. His team has the best record in the NFL (11-2). He has been a starting NFL QB since 1998.
These numbers didn’t come because he’s just ‘that good’. It appears to be because of his attitude, and using even down moments to improve his craft instead of resting on his laurels. This picture reflects a multi-tasking intensity that we could all apply to our life, whatever it is that we do. Do I pray with this determination? Do I apply it to my work or home life? Embrace this intensity, and strive to be a better husband, a better parent, better employee, a better driver, a better writer, a better friend. The list is extensive and personal.
In education, we often speak of the desire to see students become “lifelong learners”. I think Peyton Manning in this candid moment is a perfect model of that. A guy who continues to perfect his craft and keep his mind sharp on a day he could easily just do nothing and still keep his job and still be one of the best. No one but him would really know the difference. Right?
So to answer the question, what is he doing?
He’s doing exactly what I should be doing.
It's raining. It officially becomes Fall in a few days. I just bought a couple good books I am excited about reading. At church I am in the early stages of gearing towards the Christmas season. And in the sports world, Blues Hockey is about to get rolling, Cardinals Baseball is headed into the post-season, and Texans Football is well underway. This Early Autumn convergence of activities takes up a good deal of my attention. Love it.
This morning I was sitting in my living room watching the rain outside while doing a Bible Study. I am reading "Kingdom Man" by Tony Evans, and wholeheartedly recommend this book! A simple but significant passage caught my attention to the point that I wanted to share it :
"If you are a messed up man, you are going to contribute to a messed up family. If you're a messed up family, you are going to contribute to a messed up church. If you are a messed up church, you are going to contribute to a messed up community. If you're a messed up community, you're going to contribute to a messed up state. If you're a messed up state, you're going to contribute to a messed up country. If you're a messed up country, you're going to contribute to a messed up world.
The only way to have a better world made up of better countries composed of better states filled with better communities influenced by better churches and inhabited by better families is by becoming a better man. It starts with you."
Wow.
A needed reminder that as I enjoy my life, my life is not about my life. My life is about honoring God. And the simple things I do combined with the simple things others do ultimately impacts the type of world we live in and leave behind for the next generation.
FOOTBALL! It’s a game of inches! A Hundred Yard War! And yes, I am a serious football fanatic. As in, I count down the days to the supplemental draft fanatic.
What I love most about football is that every man on that field knows instinctively that the man next to him has his back. He has to know this. If he does not have that confidence, he can’t do his job. He can’t take on his assignment without knowing that whatever happens when the ball is snapped, his teammate has his back and will do whatever it takes for them both to succeed. The best QB is absolutely useless without the left tackle having his back play after play after play.
Without this mindset, nothing else matters. The entire game hangs on this simple fact.
I love this. My wife and I plan to hit every NFL stadium in the near future, and our next stop is the season opener in Jacksonville. I don’t even care about Jacksonville. I just love football.
I do serious statistical research for my fantasy teams, and never miss an opportunity to share tales of my glory days as a backup kicker in high school. I’ll never forget that legendary 2-point conversation PAT fake that I sold ever so well. They totally thought I was kicking it. Totally! Fooled them Every. Single. Time. It was so convincing that we almost even scored points from it.
But I digress…
Being the fanatic I am, I am thrilled that my son has the same affinity for the game. If there is a football game on television, any game, he is watching it through the waning seconds. He understands the subtle nuances of most defensive schemes, and is among the most dominant defensive players in his league. They call him “Seek and Destroy”.
Did I mention he is seven?
Of course, here in Texas, by the time you are seven you are expected to be a seasoned veteran with significant experience under your belt, battle scars and helmet stickers to show for it.
Seriously.
But the truth of the matter is that when he takes the field with his fellow gridiron warriors, what really lies behind that facemask is not Brian Uralcher or J.J. Watt, but a little boy. My little boy.
While dads like me dream of full-ride scholarships and Hall of Fame acceptance speeches, he is just hoping to get McDonalds for lunch because the new Happy Meal toy is cool.
Or maybe he is thinking about digging into the sandbox, coloring a picture, molding some Play-Do into the carpet, or going to the playground to ride the merry-go-round. And of course, he wants me to take him. Because I’m his dad.
And if I can devote hours and hours to football practice, I should certainly be able to find some time for those things.
He deserves that.
So I will cheer him on faithfully over the next few months, win or lose, starting hero or lonely benchwarmer, and will make an effort not to moan and groan about him wanting to play checkers when we get home from practice.
My son loves football as much as I do. But in the big scheme of things, all that matters to him, all that ever has mattered and all that ever will matter, is knowing that I have his back.
So tomorrow will be the first time in an awful long time that will not find me Back-to-School.
But my time in the classroom, and time with the many people who crossed my path as a teacher has shaped who I am and what motivates me.
Every day I had the privilege of spending time and investing in students and their families. I talked kids through tough choices, tough situations, and tough writing assignments.
I met some great parents who supported our school and their children. And I met some parents who thought I was doing a horrible job and didn't mind telling me so. :-)
I coached a small soccer team through some tough losses and some great wins.
I moved from being a novice to being a mentor.
I became friends with teachers who consistently put others before themselves, and worked tirelessly to motivate, encourage, and offer a smile.
I met people who had the smarts to do just about anything they wanted in life, but chose to be in the classroom, because deep down they really believe in the difference they are making.
Sure, lots of people can teach reading, writing and arithmetic. But not everyone can teach children.
I can also recite an awful lot of Shakespeare. Because as an English teacher I read it all. day. long. It can be fun at parties.
________________
My first full-time teaching gig was at an alternative school as a permanent sub. I got to hang out in the library, hang out with the students, and learn how to teach from the best in the business.
These students, whom others had given up on, proved to be more than capable given the right motivation and the right environment. They went on to teach us all a lesson by voting our school custodian as their graduation speaker, and it made the national news.
Why? Because he is a good man and a positive role model, who exemplifies hard work and lives what he talks.
In retrospect, I'm sure I learned more than I taught at Fern Ridge. Teaching is often like that.
From there I taught English in several schools in Missouri and Texas. So there will always be a place inside of me that is a Winfield Warrior, a Windsor Owl, a Klein Collins Tiger, and a Morton Ranch Maverick. I have a closet full of outdated spirit shirts, and it seems that just about everywhere I go I run into a former student, and I enjoy hearing the "what are you up to now?" stories.
I guess my point is this. We may not always agree with every policy decision the school makes, or every decision that is made in the classroom. But I can say without reservation that the teachers I know choose to spend their life teaching because they want to. "Bad" teachers are the rare exception, not the norm. The teachers I know teach because they want to make the world a better, wiser, more meaningful place; one class period at a time.
And that's exactly what they do.
Teachers - thanks for what you do. You rock. We are praying for you, and we've got your back. Get some rest and have a great tomorrow.
When we are seeking God in the Scriptures, we often instinctively turn to the Gospels or to the Psalms. But much wisdom can be found in a section few of us rarely turn to called the “minor prophets”.Really? who would want to be called a “minor prophet”?
It sounds rather derogatory.
I mean, would you rather play in the Major Leagues or the Minors?
The truth is that these prophets are called “minor” merely because they wrote smaller amounts of material than say, Isaiah or Jeremiah, and it has nothing to do with being less important than the others.
Among these “minors” is the book of Amos. But in spite of being “minor”, he has a very significant message. In fact, the book of Amos was even a favorite of Martin Luther King, “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” (5:24).
Amos was unique among the prophets, and he is a guy I think many of us can relate to. To start with, he was admittedly not your standard prophet material.
“I was not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’” (Amos 7:14-15)
Like Shakespeare wrote, “Some are born great….and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em”.
But clearly his heart and mind were ready. He was out in the field working his job, God called him elsewhere, and he went about fulfilling the call.
He had no seminary training, no ministry experience, no public speaking seminars, no qualifications, no expert references, no previous prophet work, no famous prophets in his family.
What he did have was the call of God. And it turns out that’s all he needed.
The name Amos means “burden-bearer”, and Amos indeed carried a heavy burden. He was called from his native sheep-herding lifestyle into the nation of Israel, where he pronounced very unpopular prophecies of judgment to the King and leaders.
He knew he was called of God, but they saw him as...well...unqualified.
He pointed out their oppression of the poor (5:11-13), dishonesty in business (8:4-6), selfish indulgence (6:4-7), and their idolatrous worship (5:21-27).
Not sunshine and roses kind of stuff.
Keep in mind that things in Israel were good! Very good! Israel at the time was a very prosperous nation, and archaeological evidence proves that the reign of Jeroboam was the most prosperous the nation had known. and few were interested in hearing such a “doom and gloom” message in good times. Especially from an out-of-town guy who just came off the farm.
Amos was an average guy chosen by God to leave what he knew, to walk out in the public and speak a very unpopular message.
Although Amos ends his prophecy with a hopeful vision of the future, he is the first prophet to predict the captivity of Israel and God’s punishment upon His chosen people (4:4, 5:21-24). We know historically that this prophecy came to pass years later.
He even went so far as to accurately predict the end of the King's royal lineage.
His prophecies contained pretty bad scenarios regarding their behavior and apathy, and they were all based in the truth of God. Yet the priests and the leaders, instead of listening and repenting, chose to complain about him and simply wanted him gone (7:10-11).
Why?
Because they were qualified, and he was not.
For being omnipotent and all, God seems to make some pretty big mistakes when it comes to choosing the right person for the job.
Then again, maybe He is just really, really that good.
“even as You gave Him authority over all flesh” (John 17:2)
Authority.
The ministry of Jesus was one of authority, and this concept was the cornerstone of all He said and did. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached what is often referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount”. It was here that He laid the groundwork of who He was and what He was all about. After hearing Him, the Bible states that the people were “amazed”, “for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:29). The real question here is why didn’t their scribes teach with authority? Weren’t they the authority of their day? Weren’t they the ones responsible for bringing the laws of God to the people? Weren’t they the ones who were supposed to have the answers to theological questions?
Of course they were.
What then made Jesus so different?
It should be noted that early on Jesus was generally considered as one among many rabbis. John the Baptist, from a family of priests, would have been considered a rabbi as well. In Jewish culture, these rabbis were teachers who gathered disciples around themselves and taught the law as they had been taught it. These men were well-known, respected, and had great influence. But never, under any circumstance, did even the greatest rabbi make a claim to change a commandment, adapt a teaching of Scripture, or give a new teaching. Their job was to interpret, explain, give commentary, lend wisdom, and call to action; not to create.
In their teachings they would avoid error and draw their authority by quoting from someone considered above themselves, by using a phrase such as “the Scripture says”, or “Rabbi so-and-so once said”, or “the doctors of the law say”. They typically kept their topics to matters close to previous writings and teachings.
Jesus spoke differently. Much differently.
He spoke on matters that deeply affect every aspect of how we live, what we live for, and how we interact both with one another and with God.
He said things like, “I have come to fulfill the law”.
He said things like, “you have heard. . . but now I tell you . . .”
He said things like, “whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”
He said things like, “do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”.
So while others of His day were often adding more and more and more complicated details and demands to the law, He was simplifying it. While His contemporaries were writing volumes of rules that were to be followed to the minutest detail, he was saying “Love God, love people”.
The very word ‘authority’ has its root in the word ‘author’. One who writes. One who creates.
An author is the highest expert on a book, because he is the one who wrote the book. He knows every word and syllable. Who can claim to know a book better than the author who wrote it?
Jesus was writing the book before their eyes. And unlike anyone they had ever seen or heard before, Jesus alone appeared to have the authority to do so. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus claims to have authority to cast out demons, to heal sickness, to control natural forces, and furthermore claims the ability to pass this authority on to others (see Matthew 9:6 and Matthew 10:1). If that wasn’t enough, he claims the authority to forgive sin, an authority reserved for God alone (see Mark 2:10). Not even the High Priest claimed this degree of authority for himself. This was all unheard of, and well outside the bounds of any typical teacher of the law.
And this was unacceptable.
Essentially, by claiming this authority, Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of prophecy, including Daniel’s prophecy recorded in Daniel 7:14 -
14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”
Jesus was claiming to be the promised Messiah, God incarnate, and everyone knew it.
But not everyone liked it.
I haven’t got around to blogging for a while, and I miss doing it. Once my Christmas break came to an end, so did much of my free time to do things I enjoy, like designing furniture out of old pallets, reading novels just for fun, and writing. So I decided tonight to sit down for twenty minutes and just write anything that came out and post it no matter what. Including this paragraph. You have 20 minutes - - - - GO!
There’s really something to be said for the whole process of getting thoughts down in writing, and then having the honor to share those thoughts with anyone interested. And this is so much easier to do now than at any other point in recorded history. It’s amazing really. Imagine what Socrates would have done with the audience each of us has waiting for us once we hit the “submit” button. Then again, he may have been watching videos and gotten distracted. Like many bloggers, on any given day I end up with views from all around the globe, and it still amazes me that anyone really reads this stuff. But back to the process of writing . . .
16 minutes.
Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” And honestly, he’s exactly right. Writing is about passion and determination and allowing obscure thoughts to crawl out from those crevices we hide them in during the day in order to make space for deadlines and schedules and newspaper stories and appointments and other matters. When writers try to find those thoughts, and can’t find them, we call it writer’s block. Sometimes writer’s block can stem from the mere circumstance of not having enough time to coax those thoughts out from the hiding places they get shoved into for safe keeping. And so we don’t write.
And our thoughts wither. And our hearts wither.
10 minutes.
As true to Hemingway’s suggestion, the greatest salve to writer’s block is just to sit down at a keyboard and just start typing something. Anything. It doesn’t even matter what. Even this mess. Just spew out some random nonsense about your grocery list, some Sting song lyrics if you know any like De doo doo doo De da da da just because that is what is in my head right now for some reason, a plot line you remember from McHale’s Navy and how it somehow still reminds me of my grandfather, a childhood remembrance about putting penny candy at the bottom of a slurpee on Saturday mornings, or maybe just how it is a gorgeous night, but somehow you wish it was raining instead because rain is exciting to watch and reminds you of coffee. It reminds me of my wife too and how we both like the rain and how excited we were that it rained right after our wedding even though other people might think that’s weird. It doesn’t even matter what we write. Just that we write.
Because our best words are most often those which we did not expect to write. Our best words are merely amorphous thoughts given a form and a structure and a cadence to be understood by others so they too can see, hear, feel and experience what you see, hear and feel and experience. And a camaraderie is established.
3 minutes.
Every now and then I get into the rhythm of writing, and my fingers just kind of start moving along on their own across the keyboard until the fine moment when a thought goes straight from a seldom-accessed synapse and bypasses all thought, feelings and premonition and somehow ends up on the screen in front of me. And when it happens you know it. Like the paragraph right before this one.
My kids are asking what’s for dinner, and I don’t know what to tell them without checking the menu posted on the refrigerator.
Times up.
Don't get me wrong, inaugurations are very important; they represent our freedoms, they represent the power of democratic elections, and they represent the security and order of a peaceful transfer of power. This is all good, and I’m thankful for it.
But that stuff happens every four years.
We will continue to argue about politics and politicians for the next four years, and another four years after that, and so on. What makes today significant is that today a group of women who have voluntarily left their comfortable lives of American freedom have traveled across the globe, and are showing love, kindness, respect and dignity to another group of women who have no familiarity with any of the above concepts. Today, ladies who have known the gift of freedom are sharing it with ladies who have not known freedom, ladies who have been living in slavery.
Why? Because Freedom is not truly freedom until it is multiplied.
Freedom is not about celebrating the work, but finishing the work.
Freedom cannot long exist in a vacuum. Freedom that accepts any oppression is not worthy of itself. It is negligence.
Celebrating freedom is easy, and there is no hardship in talk about making a difference. It is easy to proclaim ourselves as a city on a hill. But while we sleep tonight, true Freedom quietly steps with boldness and determination into the darkest corners of the earth and shines the unbridled light of Justice one candle at a time.
Slavery is real. It exists today and is more widespread than most of us imagine. Yet Freedom is real, and continues to be the strongest weapon wielded against injustice.
Today is also significant in that it is Martin Luther King Day. Much can be said of this man who fought with the power of love to bring about equality and freedom. Most of us know his speech from 1963. To imagine the dream he spoke of is fulfilled while millions around our globe languish in slavery is dire foolishness.
In his momentous speech he declared that, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.”
But 50 years later, the planet still is not free.
The moment continues to be urgent.
We have made progress in multiplying freedom, but we have so far to go. While we discuss the urgency of the moment, while we comfortably talk about making Justice a reality, while we witness the political process of freedom, brave soldiers have already embraced the cause and taken action.
Those soldiers, in this case, are women.
To start making a difference visit www.ijm.org
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