No More 'Mr. Niceguy' - 2

I have had problems posting over the last month. Excuse the delay. Please read my last blog, if you haven't already, before reading this one.

Now, back to the subject of a college football coach. I have several thoughts as to why Tommy Bowden didn't get the job done at Clemson. You may care less about the subject in mind here, but I believe some of these thoughts are applicable to any walk of life. I'm expressing these only as a matter of opinion, so take it for what it's worth in terms of validity. But this is why I think he didn't reach his potential. So here goes!

1)He got comfortable. I think anybody can come to a place in life where they are simply satisfied with their state of existence. When that happens the, desire and hunger for improvement can be found lacking. Progress becomes a thing of the past. They become fat, settled, and satisfied! That's where a lot of people live.

2)He played safe. There are so many people who try to live life without taking risk. Those are the people that will never reach the potential that God has placed within them. You will have to get out of the boat if you're ever going to walk on water. But it will be risky!

3)Maybe He was too Nice. God never called Christians to just be "nice". Now don't take me wrong. Neither did he call us to be rude, crude, mean, and obnoxious. But, I think there are times that our actions may not be perceived as "nice". Just ask the money changers in the temple if they thought Jesus was nice that day he cleaned out the courtyard(See Mark 11).

I believe Tommy Bowden is a great man! Maybe he's just too nice to be a college football coach. We need more men like him! Maybe his next gig will be much better for him. But for now, it's "So long... Mr. Niceguy."

No more 'Mr. Niceguy'

If you have read the blog before, you probably have picked up that I am a fan of the Clemson Tigers. Yesterday was a day that all tiger fans were either delighted, sad, or found themselves somewhere in between. Tommy Bowden, the head football coach for the last ten years, resigned from that position under heavy pressure from a disgruntled fan base. He has to take a severance package of only 3.5 million dollars. I don't know how he will make it on that meager income.

Maybe we should consider a food pounding for him next week?

I'm surely not trying to serve as the reporter for what is old news to most of you. But I do want to get something off of my chest concerning some of the comments and mindsets that I've observed over the last couple of weeks when it comes to people's opinion of a college football program and the fate of its coach.

First, is the thought that is out there that just because Tommy is a devout Christian, he probably can't be successful in a dog eat dog world like college football. Boy, what a slap in the face of any Christian who knows that God has called us to more than just attending a religious church service once or twice a week! That kind of thinking comes from the perception that Christians are supposed to be "soft." Milk-toast, pansy Christians. Well if you have that perception, then maybe you need to go back and study the life of Christianity's founder, Jesus Christ. You will find out that he was anything but "soft" or weak! He was a Man among Men, who had the strength to give his life for the world in an agonizing torturous death, even when he didn't have to. Tommy's Christian life had nothing to do with his inability to win a stupid football game.

Second, is the thought, even among Christians, that Tommy had his priorities out of order. He has made it clear over the last few years that he believed his calling was to help shape and form the lives of the young men that he had the privilege to coach in football. Man, what a noble concept! And for that, he has been criticized. What would happen if every Christian embraced that concept? Disciples maybe? That should be the heart-beat of every Christian! It's pathetic that Christians would find fault in a person using the platform that God has given him to influence another person with the character and virtue of his Christianty!

I do have my opinions as to some of the reasoning why this coach did not achieve the success that was necessary in this arena of our culture. I'll share those on the next blog! I think it may be of value to you even if you could care less about this whole scenario.

But for me, this is one way for me to say good-bye to "Mr. Niceguy!"

Catching Up

I would like to think that there are plenty of you that have been lost without the blog. Maybe I would be surprised? But here we are again, with time passing by so quickly that it's hard to believe it is October. I love this time of the year! The cooler weather, along with hunting and football, is wonderful.

Here's my take on a couple of things:

1)The presidential election that is coming up is a really intriguing thing. The two most mentioned names, when it comes to the candidates, are Obamah and Palin. You would think that she is the presidential nominee. The choice that you make, come the first Tuesday in November, could have long lasting effects on the moral status of the USA, considering the possibility of replacing four Chief Justices over the next four to eight years. My hope is that believers will vote according to morality rather than their pocketbooks. Do I believe that one candidate has stronger convictions than the other when it comes to morality? PLEASE!!!!!!!

2)The economy in our nation is really at a critical point. We are truly facing crisis on this front, that has not been experienced in our land in the majority of our lifetimes. This could be the best of times and the worst of times all together. We are so pampered in America. It may be best for us in the long run if we have to cut back on some of the conveniences of our time. I know it would be an awful thing to have to be without, say ... cellphones. But believe it or not, we did survive without them. I'm not in any way trying to make light of a grim outlook. It's just that we could do with a lot less than we are used to.

"Shoot! I remember when we had to walk to school, in the snow, uphill - both ways, backwards, and in the dark!"

Maybe it's not so bad after all!