Meeting the Colorado Avalanche Mascot

Just hanging out with the mascot of the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche! Bernie's his name, and making kids happy seems to come easy. Both younger fans and adults too. My youngest son took one of his nephews to the game thanks to some tickets gifted to him at the last minute. What a fun night for both of them!

 

Enough!

Stop the bullying! Just Stop. Please. All kinds of bullying. On line and in person. I'm sick of it, aren't you? In all its forms. Isn't it amazing, for example, what people will say on face book that they would never say in person? That's one reason I left it.

Look at the news, but look beyond as well. It's not just Harvey Weinstein and sexual abusers like him. Bullying takes many forms as well. It happens in schools, offices, playgrounds, boardrooms, churches, locker rooms, on the highways, and in the White House. Some bullies are straight up aggressive like our current president, and some are passive aggressive, shaming people instead of using intimidation. Like our previous one president. When bullies group together, it's even worse. Just take a close look at your favorite political action group. Or sports team. Or executive board. Take a very close look. See what I mean?

Now look even closer. Some bullies are like you, and some are like me. Every size, shape, color, philosophy and persuasion. Open bigots to liberal-minded folks. It's the human condition to not only prefer ourselves above others but to make sure that we self-promote - and to make sure our desires and preferences are satisfied. 

Physical and verbal intimidation are only two forms of this kind of abuse. Sexual intimidation another. Ridicule, innuendo, and being snarky are other forms of abuse and bullying. Abuse of power from the boardroom to the bedroom and everywhere in between. The list goes on and on because sin runs deep within us. More than we admit, more than we realize, and more than I acknowledge within me. God have mercy on us all.

(Think about this- the most powerful person to ever grace the earth was its humblest resident. You know who I'm talking about.)

Winning At Life

Tim Tebow may not have a career in the Major Leagues coming his way anytime soon, but it doesn't matter. In a world where too many sports heroes are world class jerks if not felons, Tebow stands out as being a winner in the game of life. Way more important for this world and the next. Go Tim!

(Photograph from Jason Vinlove, USA Today.)

Tom Brady: From Deflated to Elated

What a great and inspiring tale of not giving up! Super Bowl LI belonged to the Atlanta Falcons in the first half- and it didn't look like the New England Patriots had a chance. Even Tom Brady seemed deflated. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) And then, it happened one step at a time. A tale of perseverance that paid off handsomely.

This morning, I ran across this challenging piece of Scripture, a command from God in the book of Jeremiah, and I thought of all of them:

Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

                                                            Jeremiah 9:23-24

Oh, Lord, let our hearts cry out to you! Let my heart be changed! To only boast of knowing you, but in a way that shows your greatness and our true humility. The gift of intimacy with you, the One True God is better than all the knowledge of what the world tells me is important. It's better than being strong and healthy with a perfect body. It's worth more than all the stocks, bonds, wealth and power found in corporate America and beyond.

Oh, Lord. let me love you more than anyone or anything! You alone, Oh God, deserve our praise! The eternal lasts beyond the temporary awards and accolades of this world. And Lord, let me persevere in the things you have called me to, not sacrificing the blessing of your call in exchange for the comforts and pleasures of the world.

HUVR is here!

First the Segway, now the HUVR. Watching Back to the Future II, everyone wanted one- that is, if they couldn't have the DeLorean! Christopher Lloyd delivers the ultimate sporting device. Maybe they will get Michael J Fox to demonstrate it when it goes public. But for now, Tony Hawk will have to do...




Too bad it's a hoax, isn't it??? One day...

A Man Exposed

It's the middle of the night, and I'm a naked man sitting. Not literally, but I feel stripped bare before God wondering about my life. No, do not misunderstand. It's not like that. No midnight confession necessary to cleanse my soul or ease any pain. It's just a stark reminder that ultimately, my life boils down to a few very simple things in the middle of being a bundle of complexities. I am the sum of many parts. Sometimes, I am singularly focused to the point of being an easy target for those who love me- and those who dislike, even hate me. And yet, I survive and persevere. Blessing, curses, and indifference. Commitment, betrayal, success and failure. All parts of life, my included.

Often, I do not even know myself, and I am thankful that God himself understands this man He made. Nothing escapes Him, terrifying and comforting me at once. Whether its a season of being the boy inside or the man who knows his priorities, time continues to pass while I am refined and redefined. I'm alone yet never really alone. My wife and my God stand beside me. My children surround with lives and families of their own, priorities and responsibilities molding them and directing their lives.

Friends known and friends unknown yet. Those to come from future travels and those who have made major impacts on my life. Thankfulness and sorrow. Life, death, and muddling through. Things I'll always be, and things I'll never be. The contradictions of life and love, and time running out. And time washing away, eternity waiting. 

Unexpected

He was always so cool, so together, so settled. Therefore, I was so surprised I do not even know what to say. When you think someone has it all together and you find out, they may not, it's just a shock. I walked up to the front doors of my gym to find this note. One of my trainers had passed away. He was fairly young, much younger than I. Never expected this. What happened?

The letter on the door was one of those notes, kind of the "we regret to inform you type" that doesn't really tell you anything. Understandable. Respectful. Brief and to the point. But, I couldn't help but think about him. The shock of death and all. How one minute, someone's there and then gone, not to be seen on this earth ever again.

Years ago, the big question was "If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?" The variations included discussion on heaven or hell and why, who is Jesus, his sacrifice for our sins, and how our answer impacts our eternity. The stuff of philosophy classes and Sunday School class debates. In some circles, it was considered impolite, but I always thought that was just a nice way of acting as if the inevitable would never happen. Avoidance of life's most important question.

We all die. Sometimes it happens when we are ready, sometimes not. But we are all eternal beings, so life on earth is not the end, but it is only the beginning of a new existance. I would have liked to known his answer to the question, but now I'll never get the chance. But I can ask you. "Where will you go when you die? Why?" I'd love to hear your answers...

Male Ambiguity 2

Although last week's humorous post on Male Ambiguity pointed to something really funny about us men, the truth is there are many reasons for us to be confused about what it means to be a man. And that is no laughing matter! Most men, me included, spend a good amount of time trying to discover just what it means to be male in our world, and with that, why it seems so important to us to make an impact while we are here on earth.

Why does this process take longer than it should? Let me throw out a few thoughts for your consideration:

We are robbed by valid images of manhood and the transition to manhood by absentee man and unavailable fathers. Here's some examples- Abusive or silent or emotionally detached dads, broken homes caused by divorce or single mother homes, men consumed by career, etc. All these contribute to young boys being left to fend for themselves as they mature.

There is also a deterioration of extended family. In many cultures, extended family by necessity must live together. Or they live or work close by. In the United States, we are a much more mobile society, one where it is common to move to support a career change or advancement. It's probably now less common to stay rooted in one place! Therefore, there is a lack of real relationships with uncles, grandfathers, older brothers and other men to build networks of friendship and support.

Even under the best circumstances, we men also have to deal with unhealthy and unrealistic views of what constitutes a man! Distorted ideas of "real men" from the media (in both Reel and in Real life) leave us in a state of confusion. It seems the media presents only three acceptable scenarios for us to model ourselves after when in fact, there is much diversity in our roles and function and personality from a Biblical standpoint.

The media scenarios seem to be found in Option One- nontraditional families: gang life, prison life, or teen family “groupings” where mature adult men are not present. Option Two is the "Bumbling Dad". This one has been around for awhile. From Ozzie Nelson is the 1960s on to the terrific Tim Allen (the voice of Buzz Lightyear) as the well meaning father of “Home Improvement", men are presented as absorbed by sports and cars and alcohol, oblivious to other aspects of life. Currently, the American television show "Two and a Half Men" with Charlie Sheen throws in a curve: a trio of men from one family bond together as they try to figure out life without women.

Lastly, Option Three is the Superstar Man. The media and the public love these athletes, rock stars, and movie and reality television stars. Their exploits have become fodder for watercooler discussion and sell many newspapers and magazines, but unfortunately they are for the most part, poor role models for the real world most of us inhabit.

All said, absentee men and media misrepresentation of what constitutes a man makes things tough. It gets worse. The process is complicated even more by our lack of cultural traditions- ie. Ceremony and Task Completion. This leaves young men in an entirely different place than our ancestors of old. Could this be why gang initiation powerfully draws our young men?

Let me toss you a few questions to consider:
• When Did You Realize You Were A Man?
• What Steps Seemed Most Significant in your Quest for Manhood?
• And maybe most importantly, Who Told You That You Were A Man?

Ponder the answers to these questions and watch for additional posts on this subject matter. For the sake of your future and for those of you with children, for their sake, let's together consider who we are and where we are headed. We will impact our world. The question is "How will we impact our world?"

Bulls and Beasts

Two bits of news yesterday that made me stop and think:

In Madrid, Spain, a bull in the ring actually jumped over the grandstands into the crowd, injuring many.

The other? LaGarrette Blount, a football player known for his unrestrained temper, once again lost his cool, punching another player.

What's disturbing about this? LaGarrette's coach writes the episode off as "It's football, it's training camp." Making excuses for poor sportmanship. This is another bit of proof that we as a people have fallen into a trap. We reward talent instead of character, making heroes out of those who have no such reason to be seen as one.
The bull in Madrid was doing what bulls so. I guess LaGarrette was too, as man is sinful at his core. But I ask, when we will stop the craziness of elevating those who do wrong just because they are great talents? And who really needs to be trained correctly here?

Playing for Purpose

From the always excellent blog, CrossTraining:

"I Speak Soccer

Our last CoreTraining session with the team included the viewing of the soccer documentary “I Speak Soccer” (http://www.ispeaksoccer.com) and a discussion about the themes and issues raised by this look at the world’s game. Our journey went from Brazil to Thailand to Africa and interesting to all was a common theme that seemed to arise in that there is a token sense of spirituality that accompanies the “most beautiful game.”

For the Brazilians, there was much language which included “God” – how thankful they were to God for the game, the passion to play, the ability to play, etc. – and one almost felt invited into a family and welcomed even as a stranger into a home. For the Thai people, the expression was very different – as if the social, religious, and cultural values prevented certain formations of community and friendship – the “language” of football (soccer) felt more distant and cold with the Thai people than the warm, smiling Brazilians. In Nigeria, soccer and faith were again more tied together as soccer was a hopeful way out of the poverty, desperation, and suffering of the people.

If you have ever traveled across the borders of your own country or even the invisible boundaries that separate us culturally and ethnically within our cities, you know that there is a growing shift in the communities of the world. While technology claims to bring us closer together there is seemingly more that separates and divides and it is harder and harder to find common language and common ground... "

Go here for the rest.