Ohio Sports Update

If you are a huge sports fan and live in Ohio, chances are you are only truly interested in the Cavs at this point. I don't blame you! It seems to be the one successful team we have left in NE Ohio. But if you are a true fan, you are a supporter of the Browns, Cavs, Indians, and Buckeyes. I want to give a quick update for each of these teams.

1. Browns - It looks certain that we will secure either the 1st of 2nd pick for the 2010 NFL Draft. It is sad to say, but that seems to be the best thing going for us at this point. If ever there was a time to be positive though, it will be these last 4 games for the Browns. Not only do they face the struggling Steelers this week, but they also face the Chiefs and Raiders in 2 of our last 3. My only rant for this week (and it is definately premature) would be to make sure we give Mangini (if he is not fired) less control over the draft this next year. We have so many pressing needs. We need a much better plan for this year's draft!

2. Indians - It looks like it will be a quiet offseason for the Indians. The Tribe will use 2010 to develop major league experience for the young players/prospects. If you are huge Indians fan like me, it will take some time to get over the fact that ownership refuses to spend money. My one piece of advice, when you do get over that fact, is to sit back, relax, and enjoy a season of development. Although we won't win many games, it will be a great chance to evaluate the job that Shapiro is doing. Has he been making good trades that not just shed payroll, but give us future major league starters? You have to believe that if the players we received for Sabathia, Martinez, and Lee trades do not pan out, then Shapiro's time in Cleveland should be up. Be on the lookout for names like Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana, Trevor Crowe, Matt LaPorta, and Justin Masterson. If you can, look for cheap tickets and just enjoy the ballpark atmosphere!

3. Buckeyes - There is not much going on in Buckeye football right now. Our Rose Bowl bid was locked up weeks ago and all they have is 20-some odd days left of practice until they play in Pasadena. I will focus on men's basketball. The Buckeyes took a huge hit when Evan Turner broke two vertebraes in his back this weekend. He is scheduled to be out up to 8 weeks. It will be a test for the rest of the Buckeyes as they head into their Big Ten schedule. William Buford will have to step up his game over the next 8 weeks. There are still two positives that come out of this. One, the Buckeyes should still make the Big Dance. Two, maybe this will open the door for Evan Turner to stick around Columbus for his senior season. Can you imagine the Buckeyes with Turner, Diebler, Lighty, Buford, and a recruiting class that is undoubtely in the top 3 in the nation?

4. Cavs - There is only one question to ask: Is Shaq working out so far? Some say yes, some say no. My answer would be that it hasn't given us a signifcant boost to make us significantly better than last season.

That is your Ohio sports update.

Assasin of the Headless Sprinting Chicken

Over the past month, all of the new staff members from church have been going through a Catalyst book study. So far, we have read about engaging in culture, the importance of community, and living a healthy lifestyle. I have read a lot of things that have caused me to re-evaluate my ministry and personal life.

Today, I read an article by Mike Foster (founder of XXX church). In the article, he talks about seven deadly assassins that can reak havic on your life. There are things like sex, money, egos, and emotional baggage, but the one they focus on is something they call the "Assassin of the Headless Sprinting Chicken". It is the idea of the leader who is constantly juggling too many plates and trying to do too many things at the workplace. The leader who is insistent on always putting in the long hours and pushing harder. We work ourselves to death because we find value and worth in the things we do and accomplish. I know I can relate to this, as I am sure we all can! The problem is that if we continue down this path, we are on the road to being "slain by the Assassin of the Headless Sprinting Chicken". We work ourselves so hard that we become burnt out or worse yet we compromise our relationships with the people who are most important to us.

Here are a few tips Mike gives:
1. Manage life in seasons - It is ok to go through seasons where the afterburners are on full force. Work hard, but also rest hard.
2. Stop Trying to Prove Yourself - Do you work yourself to death because failure is just not an option? Are you leading an out-of-control life so that you never have to feel embarrassed, weak, or lower than others in your workplace? Your value is not determined by the amount of hours you work. We aren't asked to be workaholics.
3. Take a technology break - If you don't think you have a problem with being glued to your cell phone, email, facebook, or twitter, try turning it off for 48 hours.

Is it worth compromising your marriage or ripping off your kids just because you have to juggle every plate and become all things to all people? Is it worth compromising your time with God just because there are too many other tasks going on to take time for Him? What are your willing to give up just to prove yourself to someone or are you willing to just stop trying to prove yourself and accept that you have worth value beyond the number of hours you can spend behind a desk? Try slowing down every once in a while. I know we all need it!

NPCC Sports Ministry Update

What has been going on in sports ministry lately? That is a good question. Just like most of the ministries at NPCC, there has been a lot going on.

Last Saturday, we just kicked off our first weekend of games for Armor Basketball. For those of you who don't know what Armor Basketball is, it is our NPCC original youth basketball league for kids in 1st - 6th grade. This season, we have implemented a lot of new pieces to this program. The most exciting piece for the kids is the introductions. Before each game (every Saturday morning), each child gets the chance to experience an NBA-like introduction. We shut off all the lights in the auditorium, turn on some LED lights, crank up the fog machine, blow-up the inflatable tunnel, turn up the music, and announce each player and coach that will be playing that hour. Additionally, each child has a ProPresenter slide that is displayed on the back wall as they run out. For most kids, this is a new and unique experience that they are extremely excited about. Along with introductions, we have also added a concession stand, provided more gear in the player packages, and are currently working on putting together a day of special entertainment to cap off the season. I have a great group of volunteers that are coaching, running all technical equipment, refereeing, and overseeing other important areas.

We are also preparing to launch another co-ed volleyball league and men's basketball league at the beginning of 2010. These are great opportunities to get involved at NPCC and invite a friend. We strive to provide top-quality sports programs for this area.

Be on the look-out for information regarding these two upcoming adult leagues...

Pictures will be posted soon so that you can see what introductions look like for Armor Basketball...

Cleveland Browns Update

I recently received a request to update my blog and give my thoughts on the Browns draft and training camp. With training camp just getting under way, it is hard to make any conclusions on progress and decisions that have been made. The biggest piece of news that everyone is waiting on is whether Brady or Derek will be the starting QB to start the season. If Derek Anderson is named the starter, my best guess is that he will get about 4-5 games to prove himself. If the Browns start 1-4 or worse, Brady Quinn will most definately have the starting job from that point forward. If Quinn is named the starter, I believe he will hold the starting position for the entire season (barring any injury). Anderson might get a start in game 6 or 7 if the same circumstance arises (1-4 start). In my opinion, it doesn't really matter to me. I would just like to see us win a few more games this year.

As for the draft, now I will rant!! If any of you have read my Cleveland Browns update since before the draft, you would have seen my suggestions. I think the Browns did a superb job in finiding a suitor to take their #5 pick. They made the right decision to trade back and get some additional picks. The #5 spot was not going to help them fill their needs. From that point forward, I believe the Browns did well below average in the draft. We continued to trade back to pick #21 and stretched on picking a Center, Alex Mack, at that spot. Then, with pick #36 we stretched again and picked Brian Robiskie. I am an Ohio State fan, but no one in their right mind would say that Robiskie was worthy of being picked ahead of Rey Mauluga. Then, with pick #50 we turn around and pick another WR. I believe there were much better options. First, I would have obviously picked Mauluga with pick #36. Then, when Everette Brown was still available at #43, just 7 picks ahead of the Browns, I would have swapped our #50 and a couple of additional picks ot move up and get him (Everette Brown, DE, Florida St.). In the first round, I would have been much happier if we would have addressed a more severe need. Although not phenomonal, I believe that our offensive line was one of our stronger points last season. Defense, Running Back, and wide receiver should have been our main focus. Thus, either Jeremy Maclin or "Beanie Wells" in the first round and Mauluga and Brown in the second round would have made the Cleveland Browns draft winners! Instead, we made 3 consecutive picks in which the guys we picked would not have gone for another 10 picks after us. Not a great draft for the Browns!

Excellence

Wow! It has been a very long time since my last blog. I apologize to all my very loyal readers out there (none haha). I guess that is why it has been such a long time, I don't really have any readers to ask, "Why are you not blogging?" Hopefully, I can do a better job at staying on top of this.

Yesterday, I had the chance to go out to lunch with Kevin West. We got on the topic of striving towards excellence in our ministries. As I thought through our discussion, I began thinking about how closely striving for excellence in our ministries can relate to real life.

Often times, we come to the realization that we can't be perfect, so, we simply take a lax approach and form the mindset of "I will just give it my best shot." Is this good enough? In our lives, we might only get one chance in front of people to make an impact and portray ourselves in Christ's light. That one shot will either never get you respect again from someone or it will bring them back again. Do we want to just "give it our best shot" or do we want to truly strive for excellence every time? Yes, there are going to be failures. But if we are constantly trying to stay "on top of our game", more often than not, we are going to get people coming back to check out why our attitude, outlook on life, or personality is different than most people. They will come back wondering why we offered grace to that waitor or cashier. They will come back wondering why we chose to not yell at the referee when it was obviously a terrible call, or wondering why we failed at a task and embarrassed our ourselves but had thick enough skin to laugh at our failure. They will come back wondering why our attitude is so uplifting even when we've lost our jobs or our checking accounts have just run dry. If in every facet of our lives we are striving for excellence, we have an awesome opportunity to get a 2nd opportunity to impact someone and then a 3rd opportunity. Once we have showed them so many times that there is something different about us, they can begin accepting our failures every now and then. If we don't strive for excellence and we fail on that first impression, there will never be a second opportunity.

No matter what we do in our lives, Christ calls us to strive for excellence.
1 Timothy 4:12,15-16

Cleveland Browns Update

I am a Cleveland sports fan. Although it would sometimes seem hard to admit, I have always been a fan of the local teams, through thick and thin. I love the Browns, Cavs, Indians, and Buckeyes. Out of all of these teams, it seems hardest to get excited each season for the Browns. They are always capable of letting you down. Through it all, I continue to hope that they can turn things around every year.

So far, this offseason seems to be a disappointment for the Browns. The only major move they have made in free agency is trading away Kellen Winslow for a second round draft pick. Let's take a second to explore the positives and negatives of this deal. First, Winslow has been a constant problem with his injury issues and his attitude. Second, we did pick up a mid-2nd round selection. Third, if Martin Rucker, the tight-end drafted last year out of Missouri, is as good as the Browns organization has been raving about, he should be able to step into Winslow's shoes in the next couple seasons. The major negative is that we lost the only guy who has proven he could hang onto the ball. Unless Braylon starts holding onto all those passes that hit him in the hands, I'm not sure who our young quarterbacks are going to be able to throw the ball to.

Additionally, the Browns have major holes to fill on both sides of the ball. In my mind, the biggest problem is on the offensive side. We have a pretty good line, but Jamal Lewis is possibly the slowest RB in the NFL. He is now over-the-hill for an NFL player and the Browns seriously need to address this issue immediately. Second, with Donte' Stallworth constantly hurt and now facing legal issues, we don't have a 2nd wide reciever (Joe Jurevicious released). Thus, on offense, it would be nice to get a running back, wide receiver, and offensive lineman. On defense, we have had trouble defending the pass. We can blame our corners, but the fact of the matter is we have no pressure on the quarterback. We need to find a quality OLB or DE to get to the quarterback. Thus, on defense we could use an upgrade at OLB or DE and CB.

Right now, we have 3 picks in the Top 50 in this years draft. My advice to the Browns would be to trade out of the 5 spot. Try to find someone who wants Michael Crabtree before the Raiders get to him and trade out of that spot for their 1st-rounder and an additional 2nd rounder. Having four picks in the first 2 rounds would help the Browns more than keeping the #5 and stretching on a DE/OLB at that position. Just my thoughts for now.

Losing Sight

If you were at NewPointe on Sunday, you know Dwight just started talking about "Making Room". One of the points he made struck me and as I continue to think about it, it is disappointing. In one of the bulleted points, Dwight talked about our tendency to ignore the outside because the inside is full.

Volunteer recruiting has and will always be one of my biggest struggles. It is something I am constantly trying to work on and get better at. As I thought about this point from Sunday, I realized that in the few months that I have been here at NewPointe, I have tended to ignore the outside and focus on the inside at times. Instead of constantly searching for new people that can get involved with a certain aspect of sports ministry, I tend to look at it and determine we are full. Instead, I need to be constantly investing in new people and trying to plug people in to sports here at NewPointe. We have a great opportunity to reach people with something that is important, sports, and I want to surround myself with as many people as possible.

Just something that struck me from the message on Sunday.

Cavaliers Update

It has been a while since I've posted on my blog. Since I began blogging, all of them have been pretty serious, either relating to family or a book study. In an attempt to blog more often, I figured I would give updates of my favorite sports teams every once in a while.

As some of you may know, the trade deadline for the NBA is today. Just like last year, the Cavs are looking to be active in the trade market to improve their depth and give them a better chance of making a run at the NBA Finals. It is no secret that the Celtics are going to be tough to get past in the playoffs. Thus, the Cavs are looking to make upgrades.

So far, the Cavs have been linked to Marcus Camby (Clippers), Antawn Jamison (Wizards), Richard Jefferson (Bucks), and even Amar'e Stoudemire (Suns). Although some of you fans may not like it, it looks as if Wally Szczerbiak is always the name linked to the trades. His huge contract works well for big contract trades (NBA rules) and his contract will also be coming off the books after this season. Most NBA teams who are looking to deal stars are hoping to free up salary cap space and cut payroll for this season and season's to come. Thus, if the Cavs do make a deal, it is likely Wally will no longer be a part of the Cavaliers.

In my opinion, the Cavaliers best two options are Antawn Jamison or pull off a huge deal for Amar'e (which seems unlikely). The upside of both of these trades is that Jamison will be a huge upgrade offensively off the bench. Jamison is an all-star who can fill it up when needed. Obviously, everyone knows that Amar'e is a superstar. Not only would this make our offense even more prolific with Mo, LBJ, and Amar'e, but a trade like this could help keep LeBron in Cleveland after the 2010 offseason. Those are just my thoughts for now!