Big vs. Small

Congratulations to the Durham Bulls who won the Triple A championship game last night. I attended the event here in OKC with a few friends of mine. I have to admit I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the small ballpark last night. At the same time there is nothing like walking into a Major League ballpark, it can take your breathe away.

Which would you prefer? A big environment that is larger than life or the smaller setting that seems to be much more personal.

Can we have the best of both worlds?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

Be Jesus!

What does it take to be Jesus to others? Don't you think that is a good question to ask. Millions of hurting people walk the streets daily, including you and me. What is it that they need? More stuff, fame, perfect spouse, better job? I don't think so. Look around you, some of the people that are hurting most in the world seem to have all those things. What they need is someone to be Jesus in their lives! Below are a few ways we can be Christ to others, allowing him to use us to impact the lives of the people that need him the most.

Love-(Rom. 8:35-39) Love people! Loving people is never convenient, not always fun, and always takes effort on your part. But look at the example Jesus gave to us, he laid his life down because of his love for us.

Encouragement-(1 Thess.5:11) Build others up! There are plenty of things and people in this life that will tear you down. Doesn't it feel good when someone encourages you and believes in you. Encourage and believe in others.

Be Real-(John 4:1-26) When people need to hear the truth, give them the truth in love. If you practice Love and Encouragement they will respect you when you are Real with them.

Love, Encourage, and Be Real. Be Christ!

Stay in the Game!

Wow, it always seems like some key player or team member gets injured in the length of a sports season. Last year it was Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. This year we have already witnessed Heisman Trophy Winner, Sam Bradford, fall to injury. And in baseball with 4 weeks to go in the season and in a pennant race, the two key leaders for the Texas Rangers go down (Michael Young and Josh Hamilton).

These seemingly tragic blows leave their respective teams scrambling to stay focused and shifting personnel around to make things work. And in the dugout or on the sideline you see these ambassadors of the game encouraging their teammates and trying to instill any leadership they can to help the team win. All the while on the inside they only desire to be on the field, leading by example.

Question: How good is a leader that is not in the game? How much impact can they really make?

In the real world, coaches aren’t the ones keeping us out of our game. No, most of the time we pull ourselves out. Maybe it is self-perception, bad decisions, or just a bad attitude. The bottom line is you create your own playing time.

Stay on the field, your team needs you!

The Fever

As you can see I kind of like baseball. Okay, I love baseball. And as you can imagine with having two boys (6 and 9) I couldn't wait until the day they found interest in the great game. In their life time they have probably been to 5 or so Ranger games and several Triple A games. Once my oldest was even given a bat by one of the players. It was an incredibly cool moment that will mean a lot to him one day, but at the time it was more like, "can we get some ice cream now". I think I was more pumped about it than him.

But just a few weeks ago the first baseman for the Rangers, Chris Davis, was playing in OKC and we got an opportunity to go to the game. Chris was incredibly nice to our family, signing cards, a mini bat, and even a ball. Just after that the left fielder tossed a ball to us. It was a really great experience. The boys were both excited about the trip to the park.

Since that day they are wanting to collect baseball cards, playing a baseball video game and even wanting to watch ballgames with me.

They have officially caught the Fever! That gives me such a great feeling as a father.

I was talking to a great friend of mine, Brian Cromer, and he suggested I write this post after I told him this story. He also mentioned the similarities of people catching the fever of being a follower of Christ.

What made your relationship with God spark? When did you get it?

A Bit of a Rant

Let me just say this. I do not typically rant about much of anything. But I have a few things I would like to throw out there for you to think about.

Last week my wife and I were in Tulsa, OK. We don't spend a lot of time there and just to be honest it is not my favorite place to visit. As we were trying to get back to Oklahoma City we got caught up in a detour and took us on a wild goose chase. It reminded me of why it is not my favorite place to visit. Although Tulsa is the place where two of my favorite people in the world reside, Matt and Lindsay Nelson. If you are in the area and are looking for a church you should check them out @ http://citychurchtulsa.com/.

Question: Which city in America has the best roads?

Also, why is it that as humans we are so full of excuses? In a past blog I talked a lot about personal ownership. Excuses are the exact opposite.

Challenge: Take responsibility for something that may or may not have been your fault this week. This is a great way to learn personal ownership.

Remember, Jesus took personal ownership over all of your mistakes and he didn't even say "but I didn't do it, she did".

Personal Ownership

You are who you are because you are who you are! As I am typing this statement it seems very awkward. But the reality is that it is so true. So many times in life we try to blame our failures and short comings on others by pointing the finger and having someone to be angry with. One of the biggest life lessons God has taught me is personal ownership. Take ownership for your faults, weaknesses and failures.

The next time you are upset with someone, stop and consider what part you played in the situation.

Give me some feedback.

Resilience Again

As you know I am a huge baseball fan and even a bigger follower of Christ. In some of my past blogs I have written about the importance and necessity in life for resilience. That is, if you ever really want to amount to anything it is very important. Because the bottom line in life is that we are going to fail, have hard times and struggles. The measure of greatness is the ability to bounce back or be resilient.

I was proud of the Rangers tonight. Last night they took a crushing blow from a team they have proven they can beat, as a matter of fact they lost the game needing only one strike for the victory. The Red Sox made an incredible come back and stole the game from them as sometimes happens in baseball. For a moment the season seemed to be over. But after the game Michael Young (third baseman) was asked "is it hard to bounce back from a game like this?", he responds "no, it's easy". It's easy because Michael knows what it means to be resilient. That when you get knocked down the only option you have is to get back up. Tonight they showed the ability to not struggle in defeat will set you in motion for victory. And of course they were triumphant!

So next time you fall down, get up! Use that God given ability to bounce back in even the most extreme disappointment. Be Resilient!