football

How Do You Measure-Up?

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Measuring-tape-010Success is determined through a process of standards and measurements.  In the world of sports, speed and strength are two important measurements.  At the NFL combine, athletes go through a rigorous examination of their physical skills and abilities based on the criteria below:

  • 40 SPEED: 40-yard dash time.
  • 3-CONE: 3-cone drill time.
  • SHUTTLE: 20-yard shuttle time.
  • VERTICAL: Vertical jump – measured by the differential between a player’s reach and the marked flag.
  • BROAD: Broad jump distance.
  • BENCH: Bench press – measured by the number of times a player bench presses 225pds.

A sports analogy was on Paul’s mind when he wrote of athletes who disciplined their bodies in preparation for the Isthmian Games.  Paul said, “Everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away (I Corinthians 9:25).”

Like the athletes of today, the aspiring athletes of Corinth lived a disciplined life in preparation for the sporting events.  They realized that the exemplary life of an athlete is the result of an examined life.

Standards and measurements should be as important to the Christian as they are to the athlete.  Paul said:

Examine yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it (2 Corinthians 13:35).”

The unexamined life is a nefarious life, and it can make for precarious habits.  Benjamin Franklin eschewed sloppy living, so he measured his life by asking himself two questions each day:

  • The Morning Question: What Good shall I do this Day?
  • The Evening Question: What Good have I done today?

Franklin believed these two questions are the key to an examined life that is as efficient as it is beneficent.  I encourage you to use these questions to measure your life through the remainder of this year.

The Week That Was

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159-pack13-021514-tmFriday at last! So, how has your week gone? Has it been a week of daily delights or has it been a bit different?

Was it one of those weeks where you felt like you’ve been drop-kicked through the goal post of life; bounced, like a basketball, off the hardwood floors of adversity; or, one in which the time of day never mattered because no one would give you a second of their time?

Life alone can be like that, but life aside of Jesus can be much different. Whenever you think that no one will give you a second of their time, remember that Jesus has given you His life and a promise of eternity in Heaven.

The rejection you feel from time to time—Jesus knows all about it. Remember He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and very familiar with our grief; and, for the joy of obtaining the prize that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross (Isaiah 53, Hebrews 12:2).

So, the next time you feel rejected, remember you are accepted in Jesus. To Him, you are a keeper—a “prize” that He cherishes.

And the adversity you face—you never have to go it alone because He has promised to never leave you or forsake you. The invitation is to come along side of Him, so He can ease your burden and carry your load.

You can find some comfort and reassurance in the words of Paul: “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.”

Here’s a verse or two to get you through today and to think about over the weekend: “Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge.”

Playing Second Fiddle

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Let the hype begin!  Today is Super Bowl Eve and the airwaves are full of football, football, and more football.  When football aficionados go to bed tonight, they will hang their stockings on the chimney with care in hopes that a win will soon be there.

While I am not a huge fan of either the Patriots or the Giants, I’ll probably cheer a little harder for Eli, his offensive line and the rest of the team.  I hope you noticed that I mentioned the seldom-credited offensive line.

Usually the offensive line is not mentioned unless a player jumps offside or gets called for a hold.  They are the perennial second fiddlers of the world of football.

Second fiddle can be a very important position.  A good example of this is Ernie Adams.  To be honest, today is the first time I have ever heard the name Ernie Adams.  In the story I just read, Adam’s is described as one of Bill Belichick’s closest advisors.  This second fiddler is the secret weapon of the Patriots.

As I was thinking about the important role of playing second fiddle, I found a comment by the celebrated maestro, Leonard Bernstein.  He was asked which instrument in the orchestra would be the most difficult to play.  Without hesitation, Bernstein said:  Second fiddle. I can always get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm or second French horn or second flute, now that’s a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony.

The words of President Harry Truman can be applied to the concept of playing second fiddle:  It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.

History has been full of people like Ernie Adams, we just don’t hear much about them.  They are more concerned with the melody and harmony of life than they are with the world acclaimed solos.

If it had not been for another second fiddler, the course of Christianity may have taken a different path.  Barnabas is the man of whom I speak.  He was called the son of consolation.  He was the guy who would pat you on the back and say:  You can do it.  Come on, I’ll help you get it done.

The most notable person that Barnabas helped was the Apostle Paul.  Because of his past history, Paul was shunned by most Christians.  Not so with Barnabas, he welcomed him with open arms.

The confirmation and encouragement of Barnabas empowered Paul as an individual and Christianity as a whole.  Barnabas wasn’t concerned with who was going to get the credit, he just wanted to accomplish something for the Cross.

Henri Nouwen may have captured the essence of playing second fiddle when he said:  When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.

I hope you take the time to think a thought about who it is that you can help today or some where along the way.

Chump or Champ

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He stands 6′-11″, weighs 211 pounds and wears number 7, but Billy Cundiff’s luck ran out on Sunday.  During the season he scored 84 points and was accurate 76% of the time, but his missed field goal attempt led, in part, to the Raven’s loss.

Even though Cundiff is the 4th best kicker in the NFL, he will be remembered more for the kick he missed than for the 28 he made.  Like an elephant, Cundiff will never forget, and this will weigh on him just as heavily.

Fans were outraged because Cundiff missed the kick.  At the time, few people were aware of a scorekeeper’s mishap that altered his preparation.

Cundiff, like most kickers has a well-ordered sideline sequence that prepares him for his on-field performance.  He  uses the down and distance information on the scoreboard to walk him through his routine.  On Sunday, Cundiff worked through his first-down prep and checked the scoreboard.  Then he went through his second down prep and looked at the scoreboard.

Suddenly there was confusion on the sidelines.   Coaches were shouting “field goal,” but Cundiff still thought it was 3rd down.  The scorekeeper had failed to advance the scoreboard stats,  and it indicated 3rd down when it was 4th down.  Cundiff was forced to break his routine, rush on the field, and he missed the uprights.

Cundiff illlustrates the need for a healthy routine and what happens when we break it.  A mentor of mine, Raymond Barber, told me that, You don’t lose your religion in a blowout.  You lose it in a small leak.

Small changes go unnoticed until the cumulative effect is felt.  A person can benefit from a disciplined life or suffer the consequences of neglect.

A disciplined routine prepared Samuel Grady for the 1984 Olympics where he won a gold medal in track and field.  Grady has said, All through my professional and amateur career, I worked a little harder and trained a little extra.  I was the first one at practice and the last to leave. 

Let me share a definition of discipline:  Doing the things that need to be done even when you don’t feel like doing them.  Whenever you’re doing the things that need to get done, keep the words of  Solomon in mind, Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might (Eccl. 9:10).

I hope this thought keeps you thinking.