Did you hear about the 14 year old who after winning the junior Wisconsin PGA tournament, disqualified himself and returned his medal because he mistakenly had one too many golf clubs in his bag?
“I knew right away I couldn’t live with myself if I kept this medal, so it was pretty instantaneous,” Zach Nash said during a phone interview on his first day of high school.
Then there’s the story of professional golfer J.P. Hayes who unwittingly used a golf ball that was not approved by the United States Golf Association during a PGA Tour qualifying tournament in Kingwood, Texas. It was a prototype and somehow managed to get in his golf bag.
Here’s the kicker, no one would have known that he used an unapproved golf ball but once he discovered it, he told the officials and was disqualified. He was playing for a full-time spot on the PGA Tour.
What made both the 14 year-old teenager and 43 year-old make these choices?Integrity.
Would you or I have made the same decisions? I hope so. But everyday people across the world choose to make wrong decisions that either come back to haunt them or hurt someone else, in some cases those they love.
One of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Key Values is Integrity. We strive to demonstrate Christ-likeness, privately and publicly. What does that really mean? We encourage coaches to treat student-athletes with respect, to teach them the difference between right and wrong decisions. We encourage student-athletes to be leaders on and off the field of play, to show character in all situations.
Somewhere along the journey of 14 year old Zach’s life, someone instilled in him the joy of being honest, to be a student athlete of integrity. We all have someone who looks up to us, watches us and wants to be like us. If your values are not what they should be maybe it is time to do a “gut check” and ask yourself what changes need to happen to bring joy back in your life.
We all make mistakes, but it is those who admit and learn from their mistakes that make a lasting impact on others.
I like what the late Coach John Wooden said, “Sports do not build Character…they reveal it.”
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Spiritual studies triumph over NFL for ex-Cowboy Duke Preston
(Duke is on the Greater Dallas FCA staff. Thought you might want to read his story)
By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
There is a light rain falling as Duke Preston stands near the front door of Turpin Library on the Dallas Theological Seminary campus just outside downtown Dallas.
Quietly, students walk to and from classes unaware that this giant of a man – 6-5, 320 pounds – played for the Cowboys. A Study of Theology 101 class starts in about an hour.
"The cool thing is that people don't really care," Preston said.
Almost exactly a year ago, Preston, a center, sat inside the Cowboys' Valley Ranch facility as players, one by one, were told their dreams of making an NFL roster were through. He was one of the lucky 53 told to keep his playbook, but he never played in a game last year.
In June, Preston turned 28. He and his wife, Lisa, had a daughter, Maya, three months ago. The Cowboys offered him about $1 million to re-sign in 2010, including a $200,000 signing bonus. The team kept the option of returning open and waited until June to rescind its offer.
The pull of God was stronger than the pull of football, so Preston, who had off-season ankle surgery, decided to walk away.
"A lot of people kind of don't get it, and I know it's a tough thing to understand," Preston said. "It doesn't make sense, but in my mind and knowing what I feel and the process of things that happened to lead me to that decision, I couldn't speak to anything but God being a part of it. It's been hard to explain to people, but it's the truth. I feel it, and you have to stay true to that."
A new calling
Preston grew up in a football family. His father, Ray, played nine seasons for San Diego as a linebacker. He remembers running through the house, cutting around a corner and diving into a pile of footballs for a pretend fumble, lifting the ball to the sky as the fans roared loudly in his mind. He was a star at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego and went on to be a three-year starter at Illinois.
Buffalo drafted him in the fourth round in 2005, and he started 20 games in four seasons. He joined the Cowboys on Aug. 27, 2009, two days after he was cut by Green Bay.
"You work your whole life for it, and [the] thing was for me, when I got there, it didn't feel like I thought it would feel," Preston said. "Not in a bad way or a negative way, but for some reason I thought making the NFL would be the end all be all."
The calling did not hit him all at once. Little things made him question whether he wanted to continue to play.
He never planned to return to school, but his mother told him about Dallas Theological Seminary's reputation.
He never planned to live anywhere but San Diego when his playing career was through, but he now calls Frisco home.
Not playing last year but staying on the roster did not make sense to him.
Talking helps
Preston realized he was not alone while listening to Dr. Tony Evans, the senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, speak at weekly Bible study meetings at Valley Ranch. Evans discussed only now beginning to understand the bible after 15 years of college and 30 years of ministry.
Talking with Jon Kitna and other devout players on the team helped Preston forge a closer relationship with God.
"I asked him the pertinent questions about why he thought this was the route he wanted to take," said Evans, whose son, Jonathan, went to training camp with the Cowboys a few years ago. "His answers were basic and simple but solid: He feels compelled by God to do this, so therefore I would never discourage anyone who says God is compelling them to do something."
Preston said the discussions regarding religion among the Cowboys last year also pushed him in this direction.
"There were some bus rides down to Arlington, and the guys are talking God, Christian faith, is there a God?" Preston said. "I couldn't help but see things happening in front of my face. A lot of people have this conception that the NFL is full of guys who have it figured out, but we don't. Four out of five players end in divorce, bankrupt, unemployed or addicted when they're done. ... Even in NFL locker rooms there are guys searching and looking to make sense of it."
He still talks with Kitna, Stephen McGee, John Phillips and Kevin Ogletree, among others. When Kitna learned of Preston's decision to walk away, he was not surprised.
"People that aren't necessarily walking with the spirit don't understand the things of the spirit," Kitna said. "As a Christian, we are to be peculiar people. It should look weird. It should look different. I understand why people would be like that, but the great thing when you're walking with the Lord is there's no better place to be."
Not that the pangs to play have gone away completely. Preston has not been able to watch even preseason games. "It's like seeing an ex-girlfriend too soon," he said.
No comeback
Two teams, Oakland and Denver, have talked with his agent, Craig Domann, in recent months about possibly coming back to play.
Both times Domann gave the same answer: No thanks.
"This was my first August to myself," Preston said. "I looked around and was like, 'Man, this is the real world.' "
In addition to the nine hours of class, he's working 30 hours a week for the Dallas Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Film work has been replaced by homework and papers. Instead of getting ready to play Washington, he's learning about the history of Christian education and Bible exposition. Instead of lifting weights, he's preparing talks for local schools.
After making the decision, Preston wrote Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones a letter. He explained why he was retiring, how much he appreciated the chance last year and the hope of one day working with the players as a spiritual adviser.
"One thing I learned in the NFL and living my life as a Christian and following God is hold your plans lightly," Preston said. "You never know when He will show how powerful He can be."
By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
There is a light rain falling as Duke Preston stands near the front door of Turpin Library on the Dallas Theological Seminary campus just outside downtown Dallas.
Quietly, students walk to and from classes unaware that this giant of a man – 6-5, 320 pounds – played for the Cowboys. A Study of Theology 101 class starts in about an hour.
"The cool thing is that people don't really care," Preston said.
Almost exactly a year ago, Preston, a center, sat inside the Cowboys' Valley Ranch facility as players, one by one, were told their dreams of making an NFL roster were through. He was one of the lucky 53 told to keep his playbook, but he never played in a game last year.
In June, Preston turned 28. He and his wife, Lisa, had a daughter, Maya, three months ago. The Cowboys offered him about $1 million to re-sign in 2010, including a $200,000 signing bonus. The team kept the option of returning open and waited until June to rescind its offer.
The pull of God was stronger than the pull of football, so Preston, who had off-season ankle surgery, decided to walk away.
"A lot of people kind of don't get it, and I know it's a tough thing to understand," Preston said. "It doesn't make sense, but in my mind and knowing what I feel and the process of things that happened to lead me to that decision, I couldn't speak to anything but God being a part of it. It's been hard to explain to people, but it's the truth. I feel it, and you have to stay true to that."
A new calling
Preston grew up in a football family. His father, Ray, played nine seasons for San Diego as a linebacker. He remembers running through the house, cutting around a corner and diving into a pile of footballs for a pretend fumble, lifting the ball to the sky as the fans roared loudly in his mind. He was a star at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego and went on to be a three-year starter at Illinois.
Buffalo drafted him in the fourth round in 2005, and he started 20 games in four seasons. He joined the Cowboys on Aug. 27, 2009, two days after he was cut by Green Bay.
"You work your whole life for it, and [the] thing was for me, when I got there, it didn't feel like I thought it would feel," Preston said. "Not in a bad way or a negative way, but for some reason I thought making the NFL would be the end all be all."
The calling did not hit him all at once. Little things made him question whether he wanted to continue to play.
He never planned to return to school, but his mother told him about Dallas Theological Seminary's reputation.
He never planned to live anywhere but San Diego when his playing career was through, but he now calls Frisco home.
Not playing last year but staying on the roster did not make sense to him.
Talking helps
Preston realized he was not alone while listening to Dr. Tony Evans, the senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, speak at weekly Bible study meetings at Valley Ranch. Evans discussed only now beginning to understand the bible after 15 years of college and 30 years of ministry.
Talking with Jon Kitna and other devout players on the team helped Preston forge a closer relationship with God.
"I asked him the pertinent questions about why he thought this was the route he wanted to take," said Evans, whose son, Jonathan, went to training camp with the Cowboys a few years ago. "His answers were basic and simple but solid: He feels compelled by God to do this, so therefore I would never discourage anyone who says God is compelling them to do something."
Preston said the discussions regarding religion among the Cowboys last year also pushed him in this direction.
"There were some bus rides down to Arlington, and the guys are talking God, Christian faith, is there a God?" Preston said. "I couldn't help but see things happening in front of my face. A lot of people have this conception that the NFL is full of guys who have it figured out, but we don't. Four out of five players end in divorce, bankrupt, unemployed or addicted when they're done. ... Even in NFL locker rooms there are guys searching and looking to make sense of it."
He still talks with Kitna, Stephen McGee, John Phillips and Kevin Ogletree, among others. When Kitna learned of Preston's decision to walk away, he was not surprised.
"People that aren't necessarily walking with the spirit don't understand the things of the spirit," Kitna said. "As a Christian, we are to be peculiar people. It should look weird. It should look different. I understand why people would be like that, but the great thing when you're walking with the Lord is there's no better place to be."
Not that the pangs to play have gone away completely. Preston has not been able to watch even preseason games. "It's like seeing an ex-girlfriend too soon," he said.
No comeback
Two teams, Oakland and Denver, have talked with his agent, Craig Domann, in recent months about possibly coming back to play.
Both times Domann gave the same answer: No thanks.
"This was my first August to myself," Preston said. "I looked around and was like, 'Man, this is the real world.' "
In addition to the nine hours of class, he's working 30 hours a week for the Dallas Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Film work has been replaced by homework and papers. Instead of getting ready to play Washington, he's learning about the history of Christian education and Bible exposition. Instead of lifting weights, he's preparing talks for local schools.
After making the decision, Preston wrote Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones a letter. He explained why he was retiring, how much he appreciated the chance last year and the hope of one day working with the players as a spiritual adviser.
"One thing I learned in the NFL and living my life as a Christian and following God is hold your plans lightly," Preston said. "You never know when He will show how powerful He can be."
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
What you can learn at a baseball game
Last Friday night I was able to persuade my wonderful wife to attend the Texas Rangers game. It was last minute (thanks Barry for the tickets) and it was HOT. My wife HATES the Texas heat so for her to be willing to drop everything, sit in the 100 plus heat so that I could watch my Rangers play is a testimony of a GREAT wife. Now she did bring her tiny battery-operated fan but did a great job of not embarrassing me.
We couldn't have picked a better game. It was the first game of a 3 game home stand against the Red Sox. It went into the 11th inning with the Rangers winning with a Nellie Cruz home run making it 10-9. The Rangers were losing at one point in the game 8-2.
Couple of things that stood out to me:
1. Winning brings fans to the ballpark. The Rangers are at the top of their division and unless there is a complete meltdown, they will be in the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Also they are the only MLB team that has yet to win a postseason series; their three playoff appearances (1996, 1998, and 1999) all resulted in losses to the New York Yankees. It was a near sold out game and people love winners.
2. There were way too many Red Sox fans in the crowd. Where is this Texas pride everyone talks about? Just goes to show that when a team has that many losing seasons, fans tend to waiver in their allegiance. When they stood and cheered, it actually made me a bit tense. How dare they do that at a Rangers home game! Who let them in anyway? But then, when my team made a great play, I was standing, cheering and actually looking around to see the pitiful look on the Sox fan's face. I guess I deep down inside wanted them to suffer (at least for a few seconds).
3. Josh Hamilton is that good. He made a catch at the top of the center field fence that saved at least one run and, if not successful, probably would have set the Rangers back enough that they wouldn't be able to overcome. If you want to read more about Josh's great story of how he got to where he is today visit this link.
4. My wife is a hoot! Now don't tell her I am writing this but just as we sat down in our seats she was spying out the vendor for some water. She sees him, takes a $20 bill and comes back with what could have been perceived as a bottle of gold. Remember she gets hot easily and being in this summer heat is not her favorite thing. But she is a trooper for me and satisfied with her bottle of water. Now here is the fun part.
As she is drinking her water she sees another vendor who has a badge on his shirt saying water is $3.50. She looks at me and says "That can't be. I just paid the other guy $4.50 for my water." Several water vendors pass by and sure enough they are selling water for $3.50. She can't believe she was taken advantage of like that. As the evening goes on I start thinking about it and I get frustrated. "How dare he rip us off $1." I'm even conjuring up thoughts of mentioning this to management on the way out.
Then all of a sudden it hit me. I gave her a $20 bill, she kept 50 cents and gave me $16 in change. I pull it out of my pocket, count it in front of her and we both laugh and once again acknowledge that she is not and probably never will be good at math!
We couldn't have picked a better game. It was the first game of a 3 game home stand against the Red Sox. It went into the 11th inning with the Rangers winning with a Nellie Cruz home run making it 10-9. The Rangers were losing at one point in the game 8-2.
Couple of things that stood out to me:
1. Winning brings fans to the ballpark. The Rangers are at the top of their division and unless there is a complete meltdown, they will be in the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Also they are the only MLB team that has yet to win a postseason series; their three playoff appearances (1996, 1998, and 1999) all resulted in losses to the New York Yankees. It was a near sold out game and people love winners.
2. There were way too many Red Sox fans in the crowd. Where is this Texas pride everyone talks about? Just goes to show that when a team has that many losing seasons, fans tend to waiver in their allegiance. When they stood and cheered, it actually made me a bit tense. How dare they do that at a Rangers home game! Who let them in anyway? But then, when my team made a great play, I was standing, cheering and actually looking around to see the pitiful look on the Sox fan's face. I guess I deep down inside wanted them to suffer (at least for a few seconds).
3. Josh Hamilton is that good. He made a catch at the top of the center field fence that saved at least one run and, if not successful, probably would have set the Rangers back enough that they wouldn't be able to overcome. If you want to read more about Josh's great story of how he got to where he is today visit this link.
4. My wife is a hoot! Now don't tell her I am writing this but just as we sat down in our seats she was spying out the vendor for some water. She sees him, takes a $20 bill and comes back with what could have been perceived as a bottle of gold. Remember she gets hot easily and being in this summer heat is not her favorite thing. But she is a trooper for me and satisfied with her bottle of water. Now here is the fun part.
As she is drinking her water she sees another vendor who has a badge on his shirt saying water is $3.50. She looks at me and says "That can't be. I just paid the other guy $4.50 for my water." Several water vendors pass by and sure enough they are selling water for $3.50. She can't believe she was taken advantage of like that. As the evening goes on I start thinking about it and I get frustrated. "How dare he rip us off $1." I'm even conjuring up thoughts of mentioning this to management on the way out.
Then all of a sudden it hit me. I gave her a $20 bill, she kept 50 cents and gave me $16 in change. I pull it out of my pocket, count it in front of her and we both laugh and once again acknowledge that she is not and probably never will be good at math!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Influence..alive and well
What happens when a football coach goes beyond the "call of duty" and helps a young man turn his whole world around? Recently I heard the testimony of a young football coach in the Dallas area.
Up until his early teens he thought his life was pretty normal. His parents were his stability until they divorced and his world fell apart. With no spiritual guidance from either parent he stumbled, went after whatever made him feel good and was miserable inside no matter what he tried. He was on a self-destructive path. At one point his path led him to being stabbed at a local bar and even that didn't change his ways because that was all he knew.
He was pretty good at sports and made his way to a small college to play football. It was there that a coach decided to not only challenge him to be a better athlete but he made a point to share Christ with him. Even though he was not interested in "being preached to", the young man soon saw that his coach cared about him beyond the playing field. He was concerned about his spiritual condition. And this college age football player allowed God's word to change his life.
Now fast forward 15 or so years and this young athlete is now a coach himself. While volunteering with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as a huddle coach, he is introduced to a young football player we'll call "Jacob".
Jacob had recently moved to the area from New Orleans. His childhood was nothing but normal. His father kicked him out on the streets when he was in middle school and he went to live with a cousin who was involved in drugs. Jacob also started selling drugs and eventually wound up in Dallas living with an aunt and uncle who pretty much made it clear they were providing room and board and that was it.
No love was given to Jacob who, over the span of a couple of years, lost his cousin and grandmother to drug gangs. Jacob grew up with no one showing him love and was hugely "messed up".
About a year or so ago, someone invited Jacob to the FCA huddle group that our young coach was a part of. There, Jacob heard about Jesus for the first time. He grew up with Buddhism and had no idea who Jesus was. Eventually, Jacob was drawn to the Bible and with limited knowlege asked Christ into his heart. However, his commitment level was immature and he wavered in his Christian walk.
Last year his coach invited him to an FCA sports camp where he made a serious commitment to Christ and the Christian lifestyle. He surrendered everything to Christ and asked God to use him however He saw fit. Jacob started a Bible study for his football team and is beginning to make a huge impact on campus.
I don't know what Jacob's demeanor or personality was like prior to hearing him share his testimony but, today, you can see life and peace radiating from him.
Here's my point to this long story. Years ago a coach decided to teach a young college football player more than just football. He shared the truth about God's love. That young player eventually accepted Christ and years later, as a coach himself, he influenced another young boy, someone who didn't know what love was, to turn to the God who IS love. on earth. Now this young high school player is passing that love on to his friends and who knows what will happen next.
Be encouraged that you can make a difference. Pass love along. It is worth it.
Up until his early teens he thought his life was pretty normal. His parents were his stability until they divorced and his world fell apart. With no spiritual guidance from either parent he stumbled, went after whatever made him feel good and was miserable inside no matter what he tried. He was on a self-destructive path. At one point his path led him to being stabbed at a local bar and even that didn't change his ways because that was all he knew.
He was pretty good at sports and made his way to a small college to play football. It was there that a coach decided to not only challenge him to be a better athlete but he made a point to share Christ with him. Even though he was not interested in "being preached to", the young man soon saw that his coach cared about him beyond the playing field. He was concerned about his spiritual condition. And this college age football player allowed God's word to change his life.
Now fast forward 15 or so years and this young athlete is now a coach himself. While volunteering with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as a huddle coach, he is introduced to a young football player we'll call "Jacob".
Jacob had recently moved to the area from New Orleans. His childhood was nothing but normal. His father kicked him out on the streets when he was in middle school and he went to live with a cousin who was involved in drugs. Jacob also started selling drugs and eventually wound up in Dallas living with an aunt and uncle who pretty much made it clear they were providing room and board and that was it.
No love was given to Jacob who, over the span of a couple of years, lost his cousin and grandmother to drug gangs. Jacob grew up with no one showing him love and was hugely "messed up".
About a year or so ago, someone invited Jacob to the FCA huddle group that our young coach was a part of. There, Jacob heard about Jesus for the first time. He grew up with Buddhism and had no idea who Jesus was. Eventually, Jacob was drawn to the Bible and with limited knowlege asked Christ into his heart. However, his commitment level was immature and he wavered in his Christian walk.
Last year his coach invited him to an FCA sports camp where he made a serious commitment to Christ and the Christian lifestyle. He surrendered everything to Christ and asked God to use him however He saw fit. Jacob started a Bible study for his football team and is beginning to make a huge impact on campus.
I don't know what Jacob's demeanor or personality was like prior to hearing him share his testimony but, today, you can see life and peace radiating from him.
Here's my point to this long story. Years ago a coach decided to teach a young college football player more than just football. He shared the truth about God's love. That young player eventually accepted Christ and years later, as a coach himself, he influenced another young boy, someone who didn't know what love was, to turn to the God who IS love. on earth. Now this young high school player is passing that love on to his friends and who knows what will happen next.
Be encouraged that you can make a difference. Pass love along. It is worth it.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
All for a way over priced cupcake!
Here is the visual for you. My wife loves cupcakes (and so do I but maybe not as much as she does) and she heard about
a place in Dallas called Sprinkles of Beverly Hills (now open in Dallas). We decided to drive from our home which is about 25 miles east of their location to see what all the commotion was about. It is a very hot Saturday and we decided to take her car which is a bit older and has no tinting on the windows. She doesn't drive it a lot so the gas tank is never full or half-full for that matter. Actually it usually has less than a quarter of a tank which helps make this story interesting.
When we arrive there is an unbelievable amount of people in line to get a "cupcake". Normally I would have taken one look at the line and said, "we are outta here". But we had made the journey, she wanted to try the precious cupcake (and I guess so did I) and here we stood. Now I don't know about you but I don't spend a lot of time researching the cost of a single cupcake. Here we stand and my wife turns to me and says the price of one cupcake. Once again, do I turn in run or be the sweet supporting husband and open my wallet? Yes, I am the sweet supporting husband (and yes I want a cupcake).
After scouring all the many options, we make our purchase and jump in the car to head back 25 miles to home with our two, yes I said two Sprinkles of Beverly Hills (now open in Dallas) cupcakes. Besides the fact that we only bought two cupcakes, now here is where the fun begins. Remember the above mentioned car? Picture it being very hot, my wife holding a precious box of two expensive cupcakes (yes this is the actual photo) and realizing after getting on the interstate with a slight log jam of vehicles, realizing the gas tank was on empty. This car takes a long time for the AC to cool so here we are burning up, on empty, on the freeway, no gas station in sight and my wife anxiously holding the two precious cupcakes (which we were saving for later after dinner) up to the air vent to keep them from melting. First of all she hates the Dallas heat, she loves her cupcakes and yes is very concerned they will melt because we are stranded on the hot asphalt of a Dallas freeway with no gas.
Well here is the end to our cupcake adventure. We find a gas station just in time, the AC finally cools, the log jam clears and we make it back to the house with cupcakes intact! Yes, I save the day!
Now what about the cupcakes you ask? Those cupcakes...............were okay. Were they the most incredulous, unbelievable tasting cupcakes I had ever eaten? No. But were they tasty? Yes. Here is my point. Were they as great as the hype? Not in my opinion. But someone, the media, the co-worker, the marketer said "you have to try a Sprinkles cupcake". We did and would I do it again? You know drive across town, in the heat, almost stuck on the interstate with no gas, pay twice the price for a cupcake than what they were really worth? Yes! And why you say? It was all worth it to see my wife sit down with her Sprinkles cupcake and coffee in my favorite chair and see the satisfaction on her face as she ate the long awaited "you've got to try the Sprinkles cupcake".
Besides, I wouldn't have this fun story to tell you about and after all, isn't it the fun, silly adventures in life that make it all worth while?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
David, Goliath and Golf
David and Goliath. A familiar and popular story from the Bible that many people, including myself, turn to when facing the "giants" of life.
When I picture the mighty giant Goliath looking down at little David, standing there with what appeared to be nothing more than a sling and a prayer, I have to admit it didn't look good. But Goliath wasn't counting on Almighty God stepping in to give David the victory over his opponent.
It really is quite a lesson in faith. When we face battles in our own lives; when we feel small or weak or completely overwhelmed, we can be sure that our Heavenly Father will help us overcome the giants that stand in our way. A truth, as it turns out, that is not lost on PGA player Zach Johnson.
You can read more about Zach and his David and Goliath story here:
Mastering the Game
When I picture the mighty giant Goliath looking down at little David, standing there with what appeared to be nothing more than a sling and a prayer, I have to admit it didn't look good. But Goliath wasn't counting on Almighty God stepping in to give David the victory over his opponent.
It really is quite a lesson in faith. When we face battles in our own lives; when we feel small or weak or completely overwhelmed, we can be sure that our Heavenly Father will help us overcome the giants that stand in our way. A truth, as it turns out, that is not lost on PGA player Zach Johnson.
You can read more about Zach and his David and Goliath story here:
Mastering the Game
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Salt Burgers Are Not For Me
Recently I purchased a burger at one of my favorite fast food restaurants. You know how the story goes....go to the drive-thru, get home and realize the food is bad or they forgot something you paid for. This time, to my frustration, the hamburger meat was over salted. Not just a little bit. Every bite seemed to get worse. My last bite (half-way through the burger) it was so bad I had to throw it out.
After I got through my "rant" I got to thinking about Mark 9:50,"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." To me a person that has "salt in themselves" is one that being enjoy being around, someone who cares about others before themselves, someone who brings out the best in others.
I can eat food with little or no salt but extreme salt makes me throw it out. It is hard to take salt out of food but you can always add it. This got me thinking. Can it be possible where someone can be too "salty"?
Have you been around someone who literally turns you off, makes you want run out of the room because they are so into themselves, always talking about their lives, their needs......literally sucking the air out of the room? Next time you are having a meaningful conversation with someone, ask them questions about their world, find out what their needs are before you engage them in your world. You won't be too salty and you will have just the right salt in yourselves and will be bring peace to those around you.
And, before you drive away from the "drive-thru", check your bag and take a bite of your food. It will save you a lot of frustration later.
After I got through my "rant" I got to thinking about Mark 9:50,"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." To me a person that has "salt in themselves" is one that being enjoy being around, someone who cares about others before themselves, someone who brings out the best in others.
I can eat food with little or no salt but extreme salt makes me throw it out. It is hard to take salt out of food but you can always add it. This got me thinking. Can it be possible where someone can be too "salty"?
Have you been around someone who literally turns you off, makes you want run out of the room because they are so into themselves, always talking about their lives, their needs......literally sucking the air out of the room? Next time you are having a meaningful conversation with someone, ask them questions about their world, find out what their needs are before you engage them in your world. You won't be too salty and you will have just the right salt in yourselves and will be bring peace to those around you.
And, before you drive away from the "drive-thru", check your bag and take a bite of your food. It will save you a lot of frustration later.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Do-Over
I love sports....especially watching football, then playing golf. I was not a great football player during jr. high and high school mainly because I was not driven to be the best and my size (short and very thin) afforded me plenty of excuses.
But something happened my freshman year in college as I grew taller, gained more confidence and became a decent receiver in "flag football". I realize flag football is a long way from the real thing but that little bit of confidence made me wish I could get a "do-over" and go back to high school and get serious about football. It also gave me more boldness in my life that impacted me for years to come.
I guess we all wish we had at least one "do-over" in life. But, no matter what your current situation, you have this moment in time to make the right decision. As you continue making right choices you gain confidence and with confidence you start believing anything is possible.
I like what a former boss of mine (Dave South) sent to me: "Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional."
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