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!

Family

The skit in Sunday's service got me thinking about my family. Isn't family great? I have been blessed with an awesome family. Not just great parents and siblings, but awesome aunts, uncles, and cousins. Every holiday, my entire family gets together. We all gather in one household to celebrate together. There are about 30 people - ranging in age from 20 months to 82 years old- coming together. A family get together like that can usually spell chaos and disaster. Maybe to outsiders, it looks like a bunch of chaos, but there is nothing in this world I love more than gathering with my family. My parents and my aunt & uncle have done a phenomonel job of creating a family centered on God, laughter, and definately the importance of good food.

During this Christmas season, I wanted to take a chance and blog about the blessing family has been in my life. Without such a tight-knit family, adversity would be much tougher to get through, but it has never failed that when adversity comes, that everyone in my family is ready to support each other. Over the past 4 years, we have faced a lot of adversity with dad. Going through the process of Alzheimer's has not been easy on anyone. Without family, things would have been nearly impossible. With family, we have gotten through. With the passing of dad in August, family has gathered around mom to support her. God has blessed me with a family that is amazing! We certainly aren't perfect, but in each of my family members I can see a servant's heart. What a blessing!

If nothing else, it is on account of mom, dad, Aunt Charlene, and Uncle Larry that God's heart shows through. Mom has always been the tough one in our family. She has always held it all together and always stressed the importance of getting through things together. Thank you mom! Without your strength and values, our family would not have grown into what it is today. I am truly thankful to God for blessing me with such an awesome family and nothing like the Christmas season can remind me of this more.

Failure

Failure can be a scary thing. Too often in life, we live in the shadow of failure, whether that is the fear of failure or the allowance of letting failure define us as a person. Isn't this all too true in the sporting world? We've based all of our practice and time around succeeding. We've become accustomed to success. When one obstacle is thrown in our way, we tend to question our value on the field, court, or whatever sports venue it is. A key fumble, a couple of missed free throws, or a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the game devastate us. A person story of my own life:

My final minutes on the basketball court in my competitive career were filled with disappointment. As a DII college basketball player, I had experienced a lot of success on the basketball court. One of my final goals was to go to the National Tournament. In the conference championship, we were winning by a single point with less than 10 seconds left in the game. I had just secured a rebound a was fouled. During my senior season, I was an 85% free throw shooter. If I made both of these free throws, the worst that could happen is the other team could make a desperation 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. I stepped to the line and missed both free throws. The other team raced to the other end and hit a shot with 0.6 second remaining. We lost the game by 1 point. The defeat was crushing to me. It made me question my basketball career. This failure was poised to mare my memories. I could have let this event define me as a basketball player. In looking back, it took some time to realize that no single event could define me.

Whether it is sports, a job, your family, or anything else that holds significance in your life, there will be many obstacles that are thrown in your way. There will be failures along the way that cause you to question yourself. There will be failures that seem like they define you as a person. "Failure is an event- it's not personal." It is the same with God. There are days when I have failed miserable in my walk with Christ. There are times when I seem at the bottom of the rollercoaster and wonder how I can love God the way I am supposed to. We must develop persistence. There is no single event that will change the way God feels about us. You only fail when you quit! We only fail when we quit trying to grow closer. There will be obstacles and failures in our lives, but Coach Tressel states, "Every obstacle presents an opportunity."

Your life and your walk with Christ is not defined by one event. If you ever get the feeling that you're defined by one failure, don't believe it for a second!

Attitude

"An athlete with a good attitude is coachable. He welcomes criticism, constantly seeks to learn, and avoids criticizing his coach or teammates."
-#7 on list for Having a Proper Attitude

Coach Tressel devotes an entire section, and even bases a large part of the Ohio State University football program, to having a proper attitude. There is no substitute in life for gratitude, humility, and enthusiasm. At the heart of these characteristics is the desire to put the team and the goal first.

How often in life are we "coachable"? Do we welcome criticism, seek to learn, and avoid the pitfall of blaming and criticising others? I am guilty of failing at all three of these often. When I feel stressed or something in life just hasn't gone my way, I am the last person who wants to hear criticism. It is in my human nature to put the blame on other circumstances or even on someone else. I don't feel like being willing to learn from my mistakes. Sometimes, I even buy into the lie that I already have the right answers and I can fix the problem myself. When I succumb to any of these, I am putting myself ahead of the "goal" and ahead of the people around me. Attitude is a virus. Whether it is my team, my family, my department, or anything else I lead, my attitude is infectious. A team that constantly throws blame at each other and is unwilling to learn from each other is doomed for failure. When we model an attitude of humility, one that allows us to say that we are at fault and we are in need of teaching from someone who is more knowledgable, that attitude begins to spread and we are headed towards growth (both individually and as a community/team/family/department). In Proverbs it is written, "Humility precedes honor." God calls us to practice an attitude of humility.

Do I have the humility to be coachable?