Steady Focus

Pat Summitt was the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee until her health caused her to retire. She passed away recently and will always be considered one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport. Pat was known for her remarkable commitment and her ability to get the best for and from her athletes.

I was listening to an old interview with her recently and she commented on her coaching philosophy with her teams. She said that offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships. Her point was that you can have an off night shooting the basketball, but should never have an off night on defense or rebounding. Unlike a shooting rhythm, the other two actions are predicated mainly on hard work and discipline. Success in those two areas didn’t come down to luck, but was centered on focus, energy, and intensity.

That mindset doesn’t just apply to basketball. While I don’t necessary need to play defense and rebound in my day-to-day life (at least not in the literal sense) I can take that same mentality with my commitment level. I know there will be days when I’m not at the top of my game. It’s in those moments that true grit will be rewarded as I pour my efforts into consistent energy and selfless teamwork. When I recognize things are not as smooth as they might sometimes be, I can still give my focus, energy, and intensity to those around me.

Consistency in effort is a defining mark of character.

The Whole Thing

What would it be like if you were publicly judged each day by your performance in areas of your life? How would you react to online stories of your successes, failures, and mediocre moments?

I've seen that happening with one of my current favorite New York Mets players, David Wright. Last year it was discovered that he has a back issue which he will have to battle for the rest of his career. It has obviously caused some limitations with his game and he is having to work diligently to continue to be able to play. As a professional athlete playing in New York City, he is obviously subject to a high level of scrutiny. Even so, I found it interesting to see the headlines for the first two games of this new season.

After a less than stellar performance in the opening game of the season, writers were penning articles about how the game has passed him by and that there weren't many adjustments he was going to make. One of the articles even suggested this was as good as he was going to get and Mets fans needed to prepare for this to continue. Two days later after a much better showing, journalists were writing about his ability to still play and how his talent will carry him forward. I found it rather humorous how his career demise was only separated from a potential Hall of Fame career path by one game.

It's difficult when we are characterized by only one day in our life. The truth is that neither our best day nor our worst day really define who we are. We are the sum of all our good and bad days and they add up to a something that is a more accurate representation of who we truly are than just one moment. I'm just grateful every day of my life isn't dissected in the court of public opinion.

Know Who You Are

No matter how hard you might work to control details, life will never move exactly as you planned. There will be unforeseen circumstances, emergencies, uncertainty, and interruptions to derail us (almost sounds like a typical Monday, doesn't it?) Any amount of life experience will affirm this truth. What we have to determine is our personal response when this inevitability occurs.

Coping skills and adaptability are admirable qualities that help in these uneven times and can certainly guide us down the right path. These can be learned to a certain extent and should be strengthened as much as possible if we expect to be overcomers. I think the longest lasting success is found in something much simpler and more foundational: our identity.

If I am clear about who I am (son of the King, husband, father, friend, pastor) I won't allow these other events to pull me away from that. In fact, it's by reminding myself of the importance of who I am trying to become that helps me fight selfishness, anger, and stupidity. There's no guarantee I will always remember this, but hopefully I can see the value in maintaining the integrity of my character instead of responding flippantly to current circumstances. Don't let life's fluctuating events decide who you will be, but let your identity decide how you will respond.

The Right Gift

I find myself praying for many of the same things on a regular basis. I obviously ask God to protect my family and to keep us focused on Him as we grow together. I pray for my extended family as well and for their physical and spiritual well-being. I talk to God about our church, the staff I get to serve with, and the community we all live in together. There are always specific people on my prayer list as well--especially those God brings across my path during the week.

As a leader, I am also always praying for wisdom, clarity, strength, and intentional focus. I see these as key personal areas and know God is the best source of these in my life. I don't think these are bad things to pray about, but it hit me this week that I should be focused on something more. Maybe the better thing for me to pray for is my character. I can ask for gifts from God, but if I don't have the right heart or level of integrity to match the rest won't matter much.

I know I have to make the right decisions to stay on that straight path, but a prayer focus asking for God's strength and help certainly can't hurt.

The Measure of My Success

Henry Singleton was the founder of Teledyne and a strong leader with a charismatic personality. His persistent will and passion elevated his company to one of the fastest growing in America and created many admirers of his business acumen. In 1978, Forbes magazine featured his leadership and summed it up with a powerfully revealing phrase: "Singleton will win no awards for his humility, but who can avoid standing in awe of his impressive record?"

While this may have brought him financial gain and admiration from his colleagues, it isn't something I want said about me. I certainly want to see success and to be able to influence people positively, but I don't want to sacrifice humility to make it happen. I may be making this more black and white than it needs to be, but it seems I need to decide if I want my success to be measured by my solely by my accomplishments or by my character.

When you think about it in those terms it doesn't seem like a difficult decision.

(Un)predictable

There is a part of me that doesn't want to be predictable. I want to be able to change my rhythm even though I have routines and certain habits that will lead those around me to know certain things about me. I like being able to surprise people based on the circumstances of a particular situation. I hope it's a sign of personal growth even though I will readily admit part of it is attributed to my stubborn nature that will make changes when I feel I am too predictable.

In spite of this, there are certain areas where I want to be positively consistent. I want there to be things about me which can be projected based on the core of who I am.

• Integrity of my character
• Love for family
• Love of God
• Dependability 
• Wisdom
• Steadfastness of spirit
• Model of generosity
• Lifestyle of grace & mercy

I don't mind changing things up now and then, but there are certain parts of my life in which I want to maintain a more predictable focus. I believe we need to determine what those solid pieces of our foundation will be and work to make them a consistent part of who we are.

Deflated Character

The current sports headline dominating the news is over the allegedly deflated footballs used by the New England Patriots in last weekend's AFC championship game. It seems to be all that the sports world is talking about as they try to determine who is at fault and whether or not the Patriots bent the rules for their own gain. Blame is flying around and journalism experts are picking apart the evidence to figure out what is going to happen next.

I understand something like this is going to make some noise, but the final score in the game was 45-7. I seriously doubt the amount of air in the footballs made a significant difference. It's fairly obvious the Patriots were the best team on the field regardless of any supposed attempts to create a competitive advantage.

This really isn't about the footballs though, but about the character of those involved. It speaks more to the integrity of a group of people and their willingness to abandon principle for the sake of success. Choosing to cheat in a small way isn't different from cheating on a larger scale. They both reveal flaws of character and a desire to cast aside integrity for personal benefit.

Man of Integrity

It takes a great deal of courage to take a stand in the face of adversity. While we may find like-minded people willing to unite with us, there still has to be a certain level of individual strength. People of integrity possess a sense of what is right and aren't willing to tolerate the suppression or perversion of those values. They are willing to take action even when they aren't surrounded by supporters. This is the true mark of character-to peacefully call attention to inequity and injustice while seeking solutions that elevate people without diminishing others.

 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who refused to accept the status quo, but instead gave himself unselfishly for what was right. His legacy of action will continue to be an inspiration to men and women regardless of race or social class. I am grateful for his vision of unity, peace, and restoration, and pray that we will continue to strive together in pursuit of his dream. Change is possible if we will stand for what is right regardless of whether anyone else will stand with us.

May we walk in the footsteps of Dr. King as we seek a better community. Pursuing that dream of unity will reveal our character and honor the memory of the man who helped lead the charge of change.

Sticker Shock

"I can't afford that." 

Have you ever used that phrase? It's most often used in a financial sense as we weigh out the cost of an item in comparison to our available funds. We decide that a car is too costly for our budget, a restaurant too fancy for our wallets, or a trip too expensive for the rest of our checkbook. Hopefully we are wise enough to recognize that this is out of our reach instead of going into debt. If we ignore the actual cost in pursuit of immediate gratification we end paying a higher price than we ever anticipated. 

I've got to know that there are other decisions that I can't afford to make either. There are people depending on me and trusting that I will make the right choice. If I forget my priorities and chase after temporary satisfaction, I will end up paying a higher (and very unpleasant price) for my actions. 

If more men would keep this principle in mind, we would see relationships being protected and Christ being honored instead of generations being enslaved to the emotional debt of sinful behaviors. 

Don't Slip!

I was running the steps next to our campus church on Saturday and meditating on two verses I had recently committed to memory. A portion of it says, "The law of God is in his heart and his feet do not slip." I was thinking about the idea of my feet slipping while I was concentrating to make sure that didn't happen when running up and down the stairs.

With winter's chill in the air, I was recalling our ice storms of this year and how I wouldn't find myself running steps if that happened again. In fact, it would be incredibly foolish of me to attempt to run the steps if they were covered in ice. I would hope I would have enough sense to stay off of them if they posed that much of a danger to me.

I hope that would apply in other areas of danger as well. If I want to maintain sure footing on my chosen pathway I need to avoid treacherous areas that might cause me to fall. I need to avoid looking at certain things, participating in certain conversations, and perhaps even having relationships with certain people. I hope that God has been active enough in my life and character development that I would recognize the potential of falling and choose to stay away from those areas. It's a much wiser move to stay in areas of firm footing so that I am not falling of the right pathway.

Stepping Up

What do you do when you see a need? Are you willing to step into action even if it completely changes your life? What would happen if men stepped up to lead in sacrificial ways that changed the destiny of another person? You might be the radical solution to another person's problem and see your life and theirs changed forever.

Downhill Run

I was part of mission teams to the Traverse City area of Michigan for several years as we helped lead a week of camp up north. The last few crews that I led up there were able to travel a day early and spend some time sight-seeing at Sleeping Bear Dunes. It's a phenomenal park that has a 450 foot sand dune leading down the shore of Lake Michigan. While we never went down the dune we did enjoy watching other people run down to the shore. The descent can be accomplished in a matter of minutes, but the return to the top can take an hour or more. It's obviously much easier to run down the sand hill than it is to trudge upwards.

It's the same with some of the decisions that we make in our lives. We choose to run after things that may not always be wise for us (relationships, addictions, possessions, short-term gratification) without considering how difficult it will be to recover from our choices. The descent into our decisions doesn't always take long, but returning to a place of health will certainly be a lengthier process. This doesn't discount the immediate grace that God extends to us. It is, however, a powerful reminder of the earthly consequences for poor decision making and the difficult task that awaits us as we seek to rebuild our character.

Keep Swinging

"My motto was always to keep swinging… In a slump... 

the only thing to do was keep swinging."

Hank Aaron

When you don't know what to do, keep doing what is right. When things don't seem to be going your way, keep doing what is right. When your pace of life is uncertain, keep doing what is right. When we are struggling to maintain our focus, keep doing what is right. When we are completely at a loss in our relationships, we need to keep doing what is right. 

The measure of the character of a person is in their ability to consistently do what is right even in difficult circumstances. Our steadfast commitment will help us endure through trying times.

NSFW

The four letters "NSFW (not safe for work) indicate an online item isn't acceptable to view while on the job. Attaching those four letters to a link, picture, or video is intended to provide a warning. If you see it, you should either wait until you get home to view it or at least be very careful not to get caught. I guess the premise is that something may not be tolerated on the job, but is completely fine at home. 

The bigger question for me is whether it should matter where you view it or not. I'm not suggesting that the work place should become a place of extreme tolerance. I'm making the argument that if something isn't "appropriate" for work it shouldn't be acceptable anywhere. It's a reflection of our character and what we are willing to call right and wrong instead of our present location. If we feel the need to hide something we are looking at should it be allowed to enter our mind at all? If the material is so objectionable that it may cause disruption at our job shouldn't we avoid it entirely? 

NSFW shouldn't stop us from looking at something. Our desire to have a certain level of character should have already made that decision for us.

Who Are You?

Have you forgotten who you are and who you want to be? 

We react so quickly to circumstances, emotions, temptations, and other people's choices that we often forget who we're supposed to be. It's the path of sin we have chosen that blinds our eyes to who we truly are as men and women of God. It's why marriages break apart, why we are unreasonably short-tempered with our children, and why people make seemingly small choices that end up with large, negative consequences.

To prevent this we need daily reminders of who we are supposed to be in Jesus Christ. Our journey with Him isn't confined to a few moments while we choose to live hedonistically the rest of the week. When we acknowledge our Father and admit that we are sons & daughters of the King, we will start to live like it and won't allow temporary pleasures to cause us to forget who we are striving to be.

We need to be reminded about our true identity so that we make lifestyle choices that reflect who we are striving to be. If we don't stay focused on these reminders our character will be unstable and unrecognizable.

Defining Our Character

I was having breakfast with my girls the other morning and posed a tough question. I asked them who they wanted to be. I wasn't trying to discover the career they intended to pursue, but wanted them to give some though to their character.

While we have a calling in life that is part of who we are it is our character that truly defines us. When we have some concept of a future "us" it helps to shape the decisions we are making today. Keeping that vision consistently in front of us will hopefully help us make the right choices along the way.

Replicate It

Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character. Coach John Wooden

For those that don't know who John Wooden was, he was the coach at UCLA and won 10 national
championships in a 12 year period. This is an unparalleled run of success that reveals the power of positive coaching, effective recruiting, and teamwork.

Coach Wooden's quote isn't just about winning championships though. I think it is also about our ability to replicate positive actions and successful endeavors. Many people have talent that can create a win one time, but it takes a different level of character to create sustained positive momentum. It reflects our ability to work hard, be strong in the face of adversity, and work positively with the team around us.

Real Passion

I've told many people who have offered their condolences for my Uncle Bob's passing that he is just fine, but I am grateful for their prayers for our family. We are the ones that will need continued prayer in the days ahead as we continue to miss him. I've told many people about his steadfast dedication to God and his great desire to share as much as possible. This wasn't just a show for him either, but was something firmly ingrained in his spirit. There were two stories that I heard on Friday that confirmed his character and the depth of his commitment.

A woman who attended church with him and was a good friend shared that she had visited him in the hospital in his last hours. My uncle Bob had prayed for her family on many occasions and specifically for her brother. As she got up to leave the hospital room my uncle pulled his oxygen mask away to stop her and asked how her brother was doing. In his moments of difficult breathing and nearing the end of his life, he was still concerned for other people.

I also heard the story of his interaction with his hospice nurse. She was going over the details of the palliative care and what he could expect as his body continued to slowly shut down. At one point he reached out to touch her hand and again took extra energy and breath to ask her about her own relationship with Jesus. He wanted to make sure that she had heard the good news of Christ even in his last moments.

I'm not sharing these stories to brag about my uncle (well, maybe a little) but to point out what it means to be deeply passionate and committed. Even when his own health was failing he made sure to take the time to care for other people. His personal circumstances didn't change who he was at heart.

Can the same be said about us? What are we deeply passionate about? Are we willing to maintain the commitment to living that out even when our own circumstances are poor? This intense consistency marks the difference between temporary focus and real passion.

Defining Moments

I have heard some people say that they don't want to be defined by one moment in their lives. Unfortunately, I don't believe that we can deny the truth of that principle. We will be defined by the moments in our lives that are filled with joy and success as well as those described by sorrow and failure. It is up to each of us, however, to decide what that definition will be. It is in the choices we make after these events that our true definition is shaped.

Will we allow these sentinel events to condemn us for the future or be the impetus to change our course for the better?

What's Left?

Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job 2:8-9  

Job is an iconic man of suffering from the Bible. He was blessed with livestock, children, a large home, possessions, good health, and his wife. In one quick afternoon he lost all of it except for his loving wife. Even though I have tended to be a little harsh in my assessment of her, I need to remember that she had suffered great loss as well. She and Job were now at the point where everything that had once been important to them both was gone. Mrs. Job speaks out of frustration when she wonders why her husband is clinging to his integrity.

The thought occurred to me this morning: maybe he's hanging on to his integrity because it's all that he has left. Isn't that true for all of us though? We might surround ourselves with other things and even inflate our own ego with possessions, talent, and influence. If all of those things are stripped away however, there should be something that is stable and unchanging. When everything else is removed our character should still stand strong. It's in these desperate moments when we find out if our integrity has the value we think it does.

When all of our "stuff" is gone-who are we? If we can't answer that with confident authority we might need to start working on reshaping our character.