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!

Manage Yourself

I don't do this very often, but I thought it may be good to go back and pull some notes from the sermon this past Sunday. I have been in a series dealing with each persons struggle to become all that God intends for them to become. You can pick up the scripture basis from chapters 3 & 4 in the Gospel of Luke. I believe it is critical for a person to manage the life that they are given if they are going to reach their full potential. I'm sure that I picked all of these up from some of my reading, or listening to a sermon on my ipod. So hopefully this will help you Manage Yourself.

1)Manage your Emotions. Feelings will fool you. Stop allowing your emotions to dictate your life!

2)Manage your Time. Try to maintain some semblance of a schedule. You have 10,080 minutes in every week. Use them efficiently!

3)Manage your Priorities. Your priorities will determine how you spend your resources. Evaluate!

4)Manage your Energy. Make sure you are not spending your energy on things that are not a priority. You are not the Energizer Bunny!

5)Manage your Thinking. Don't allow clutter in your thought processes. Think on the good things!

6)Manage your Words. The power of death and life is bound up in your words. Be careful of what you say!

7)Manage your Personal Life. Take care of proper relationships. Value the people God has given you!

Managing your life is a full-time job. But if you will work at it, the progress you make will serve as a great reward. So get to it - "Mr. Manager!"

44...

I had a birthday last week. I turned 44. I guess I fall into the middle-age category for sure now. I've never had a birthday bother me like this one. There's just something about those two 4's standing together that makes me feel like I'm supposed to be really "grown-up" now. I have maintained that I would love to always be a kid at heart. The reality is that as I think about 44, I recognize once again how fast life is passing by. You can't help but think about where you are in life, and all that you hope to still accomplish. I know it's not like I'm about to 'kick the bucket' or anything, but I do think about how near I am to receiving my invitation to be a part of AARP. Good Grief! Can you say midlife crisis?
My kids are growing up, my hair is getting grayer, and the letters are printed with poor quality in most everything I try to read(I am sure it is not a need for reading glasses; it is the poor job of printing nowadays.). Lots of things change as you move through life.
With the changes comes different challenges. Getting older is not nearly as bad as some people try to make it sound. Think about it. Baby sitters are not always required for me to have some time with my wonderful wife. With the gray, God seems to send more wisdom. And the bad printing thing, it just makes me more aware of our need to improve on the quality of American Made products(DON'T laugh at my denial). No, with age comes some of the finer things in life, and I hope to experience as many of those things as possible. 44 feels better already!

I'm Back!!!

I'm Back!! To all the regular readers, sorry for the absence. To all of you who show up periodically, Hello again. To all the newcomers, where have you been?
I hope all of you have had a great summer. As always our summer was pretty hectic with different events, mission trips, baseball, and everything else. Our family had a great vacation at Myrtle Beach. We are finally far enough along that we know how to go and relax. Maybe that has a lot to do with the kids being older, and not being so demanding. We usually take a couple of weeks to simply do nothing except play in the sand, swim, and my specialty, eat! It's a great time to recuperate from the grind of real life.
But with the end of the summer comes a return to the norm of a routine of daily living. That's something that really becomes more of a longing as the new school year begins. I'm not one that just wants to get the kids back in school so they will be "out of our hair," but it does allow for us to operate on more of a regular schedule.
Hopefully you are in a place that you are geared up and ready to roll into the last third of the year. You know as well as I do that we will be singing Christmas carols before we know it. So set your course for the next few months. Get ready to move forward into the opportunities of the coming days. Make sure you are not settling into a rut, but a progressive routine. We'll finish 2008 out with a bang together! Let's Go!

Hot as Hell?

I overheard a guy make the comment that I'm sure you've probably heard at some time or another; "Man, it is hot as hell!" - Really? You Think?
Probably not!
I know that summertime in the south can be right uncomfortable, but I think he may have been exaggerating a little. Or, he just might have been using the phrase as a 'form of speech,' but, it brings me to a point. What do people think about hell? Do they even believe that such a place exist? I don't mean to break out a "fire and brimstone" on you here, but I hope you will consider the thought. According to the Bible, these things have to be embraced as truth.

1)Hell is a real place. It was prepared for the Devil and his fallen comrades, not for man.
2)Hell is a place of eternal torment. Enough said!
3)Hell is a place of separation. Separation from God and all who you've ever known!
4)Hell is a place that you don't want to go! You can tell me to go there as much as you like! I'm not going!!!!

If you don't believe what the Bible says about this awful place, then you might as well mark the whole book up as a lie. But what it says is true! And just as true as what it says about hell, is the truth about heaven. That's the place you want to be! The only way to go, is to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and is the only way to heaven. Just ask him to forgive you and he'll welcome you in!
Otherwise you better hope what the guy said is true, and that it really is " ...hot as hell..." now. But, I'm afraid he was probably off a few thousand degrees!