Recently I attended a Cowboys game and was given the opportunity to walk the sidelines before the game. As you can imagine, there were many sights and sounds to take in as the players warmed up, threw the football around and went through their normal rituals of getting ready to play a game they have loved most of their lives.
But there was one particular sight that grabbed my attention. One of the Cowboy’s coaches had gathered three of his players into a circle and they prayed together before heading into the locker room one last time before the game started.
Through the many years of professional sports, players and coaches have publicly shared their faith in ways that feel comfortable to them so this was not a new sight to behold. Many players kneel in a short prayer before a game while others point the index finger to the sky and look upwards after making a great play.
Since high school, through college and now in the professional ranks, Tim Tebow has gotten on one knee and said a quiet prayer before playing. Now what he does is described as “Tebowing”. Some say it with respect to him and his faith while others seem to make it a mockery. Why is this?
It seems to me that if Tim Tebow had not been so bold in his Christian faith, not as vocal about his missions trips to serve others, and if he hadn’t been as much of a strong leader, this all would not be the talk of sports radio or headlines in national sports newspapers.
You and I can debate all day on whether Tebow should be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but I would hope that whether you agree or not with his Christian faith you will acknowledge it is nice to hear about a young professional athlete who lets their character, leadership and integrity “ooze” out of them. As a friend of mine once said, character is what “oozes” out of you. Or, in other words, what you “do” is better than what you “say.”
Every day we see young men and women student-athletes do some amazing athletic feats. We also see these same teens and young adults walk the walk of faith. If anything is learned from “Tebowing” it should be that it’s ok to be bold for what you believe in. Bowing to God is better than bowing to peer pressure.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Been Offended Lately?
Word got back to me recently that a parent of one of the middle school students who attended our FCA Weekend of Champions retreat has forbidden her to attend anything religious in the future. Your question to me might be, what happened? Well, I don't know the student or parent's name or any specifics but this I do know - We encourage the student-athletes who attend our FCA camps and retreats to live out their faith and be bold with their convictions. At the same time, every parent has a right to lead their child in whatever direction they want, whether that is to God or away from God. God has given each of us a free-will. Kind of like the religious freedom we have in America.
But this got me to thinking back on the two weekends my staff and volunteers spent at the camp with 840 middle school students, 35 high school "All Stars", 90 coaches and 185 college athletes. On Sunday mornings, the last session of the camp, students are given the opportunity to share with their peers what they received over the weekend. We call it "open mic," where 75 or more students stand in front of hundreds and share their story of how God impacted their lives in just three days.
These 6th, 7th and 8th graders come from all walks of life: rich, poor, middle class, great parents, indifferent parents, bad parents, hurting and happy. They talk about struggling with things at that age that I wasn't confronted with until young adulthood. The temptations of drugs, alcohol, pre-marital sex are not new to any generation but, quite frankly, they seem to be running rampant these days. Children's lives are being destroyed and, unfortunately, it seems that some parents are too busy to take time to find out what incredible challenges these kids are facing.
Think about this. Several times during the weekend, these children would sit down in small groups with their counselor and talk about life, talk about spiritual issues, talk about deep wounds. They would also hear about how God has given life to their peers, helping them through the daily reading of His word and quiet times of prayer. Each middle schooler had an opportunity to discover or re-discover love from a heavenly perspective and leave there with the joy and peace that they might possibly have never had before.
Imagine going back home with a bubbly new perspective on life and sharing with a parent who is possibly struggling to keep their heads above water how great God is, encouraging them to believe that all is going to be okay. One young 8th grader went home and told his mom he wanted to go on a mission trip this summer. One child went back to school and took his Bible with him. One kid decided that suicide was not the answer while another one discovered there really is a God.
At the end of the day, no matter how you personally feel about God and Biblical spirituality, wouldn't you rather hear about 6th, 7th and 8th graders discovering peace in their lives and wanting to help others? There may be some who reject the idea, but I propose that we accept and encourage this type of "offensive" behavior in hopes of making the world a better place for the future.
But this got me to thinking back on the two weekends my staff and volunteers spent at the camp with 840 middle school students, 35 high school "All Stars", 90 coaches and 185 college athletes. On Sunday mornings, the last session of the camp, students are given the opportunity to share with their peers what they received over the weekend. We call it "open mic," where 75 or more students stand in front of hundreds and share their story of how God impacted their lives in just three days.
These 6th, 7th and 8th graders come from all walks of life: rich, poor, middle class, great parents, indifferent parents, bad parents, hurting and happy. They talk about struggling with things at that age that I wasn't confronted with until young adulthood. The temptations of drugs, alcohol, pre-marital sex are not new to any generation but, quite frankly, they seem to be running rampant these days. Children's lives are being destroyed and, unfortunately, it seems that some parents are too busy to take time to find out what incredible challenges these kids are facing.
Think about this. Several times during the weekend, these children would sit down in small groups with their counselor and talk about life, talk about spiritual issues, talk about deep wounds. They would also hear about how God has given life to their peers, helping them through the daily reading of His word and quiet times of prayer. Each middle schooler had an opportunity to discover or re-discover love from a heavenly perspective and leave there with the joy and peace that they might possibly have never had before.
Imagine going back home with a bubbly new perspective on life and sharing with a parent who is possibly struggling to keep their heads above water how great God is, encouraging them to believe that all is going to be okay. One young 8th grader went home and told his mom he wanted to go on a mission trip this summer. One child went back to school and took his Bible with him. One kid decided that suicide was not the answer while another one discovered there really is a God.
At the end of the day, no matter how you personally feel about God and Biblical spirituality, wouldn't you rather hear about 6th, 7th and 8th graders discovering peace in their lives and wanting to help others? There may be some who reject the idea, but I propose that we accept and encourage this type of "offensive" behavior in hopes of making the world a better place for the future.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Another lesson learned
Recently I had coffee with a former Dallas Cowboy. We first met at a breakfast event kicking off the Tom Landry Open golf tournament. He shared a story of how Coach Landry influenced his life as a player.
The setting was RFK Stadium in D.C. It was near the end of the game and the Redskins were about to kick a field goal. Coach Ditka, who as an assistant coach at the time, told my Dallas Cowboy friend to stop the kick no matter what. To him that meant do whatever he had to do and it resulted in a cheap shot on the kicker.
After the play, it got ugly with tempers flaring and a few punches thrown. He, however, came out unscathed and started walking to the bench. The look,though,that Coach Landry gave him was one he didn't ever want to see again.
The next morning he received a call from Coach Landry's assistant. "Coach wants you in his office ASAP." This Dallas Cowboy knew he was in trouble. Coach Landry proceeded to tell him that he had been drafted because of athletic skills, not his cheap shots on players. If he were to ever do it again, he would be "looking for another team to play on." He said there was just a split second where he wanted to blame it on Coach Ditka but he knew that would be the wrong response. The lesson learned has been with him the rest of his life.
There have been times I have tried to pass the blame onto others and discovered, as I'm sure you know, that it never pans out the way you think it will. Today, be the man, the woman, the husband, wife, son or daughter, brother or sister you know you should be. And, if you have done wrong, don't blame someone else. Take it to Christ first then boldly change your actions. And be grateful for the opportunity for a "do-over".
The setting was RFK Stadium in D.C. It was near the end of the game and the Redskins were about to kick a field goal. Coach Ditka, who as an assistant coach at the time, told my Dallas Cowboy friend to stop the kick no matter what. To him that meant do whatever he had to do and it resulted in a cheap shot on the kicker.
After the play, it got ugly with tempers flaring and a few punches thrown. He, however, came out unscathed and started walking to the bench. The look,though,that Coach Landry gave him was one he didn't ever want to see again.
The next morning he received a call from Coach Landry's assistant. "Coach wants you in his office ASAP." This Dallas Cowboy knew he was in trouble. Coach Landry proceeded to tell him that he had been drafted because of athletic skills, not his cheap shots on players. If he were to ever do it again, he would be "looking for another team to play on." He said there was just a split second where he wanted to blame it on Coach Ditka but he knew that would be the wrong response. The lesson learned has been with him the rest of his life.
There have been times I have tried to pass the blame onto others and discovered, as I'm sure you know, that it never pans out the way you think it will. Today, be the man, the woman, the husband, wife, son or daughter, brother or sister you know you should be. And, if you have done wrong, don't blame someone else. Take it to Christ first then boldly change your actions. And be grateful for the opportunity for a "do-over".
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