Get a Room

A Coach's Primary Role: Influence

Several men on our church staff are little league coaches. So are a lot of other guys at LifePoint. I am proud of all of them. Many of them do not even have kids themselves in the game yet they give and give and give to these kids.

Of course they teach them a lot more than just football (or baseball, basketball, soccer - you fill in the blank). A lot of it is about influence. Encouraging a kid to do his best, reach his potential, building character, etc. Sometimes even sharing Christ with them. Basically being salt and light to these young players.

100 years ago I played football for the mighty Cleveland (Tennessee) High School Blue Raiders. (I just know you've heard of them!) I was a wide receiver. I keep up with them whenever I get to Cleveland to visit Mom.

A little history: when I played for CHS we had a 32 game winning streak. (I got a head concussion the game we had it broken!) I also played in a state championship game. We lost, but we got there. CHS also got back to state finals game - and won it THREE YEARS IN A ROW in the 90's. So we're not talking about a so-so program here.

The Blue Raiders have a new coach this year. His name is E.K. Slaughter. (Not a bad name for a head coach, huh? SLAUGHTER!) Haven't met Coach Slaughter but he made me proud of him and my alma mater this week with a quote in Cleveland's newspaper.

There was a two-page spread of quotes from all the high school team's coaches just as the season was beginning. Many were saying "We're gonna win the state championship this year" and stuff like that.

Here was E.K. Slaughter's quote:

"What you do is go to school and play football. Who you are is eventually going to be a husband and father, a family man. Our No.1 goal is to create better fathers and husbands."

WOW! Not a bad start for the new coach.

I am pulling for you this season, Coach Slaughter. But whether you win a single game or not, your players are going to have a good season with you and that kind of philosophy influencing them.

 

No Air but a Nice Trip to Denver

Just an update on our trip last weekend. Denver has almost no air. Hard to breathe throughout the trip. What should I have expected going to a city known as "The Mile High City"?

And yet, it was a most productive engagement as we got the chance to share our passion for encouraging parents through presenting our book The Parent Adventure to a group of English speaking Christian book distributors. What a literally global opportunity.

    

We did get to see the Rockies play. And guess who they played? The Atlanta Braves - my fav team! Actually we saw 6+ innings of it. The tarp came on and the rain came down.

                                        

                             

A beautiful light show provided by the Lord Himself in the form of 2 hours of constant lightning - WOW! Widespread lightning like I've never seen. A lot like the Lord - beautiful, and a little scary.

Probably the coolest part of the whole trip though was lunch Friday with two other guys very much in my position. Selma and I sat down at the conference hotel to eat when a couple of conferees needed a seat. It was divine appointment for sure. As we got to know them we soon found out that they wore "similar hats" as mine. They were pastors and did a great deal of pastoral counseling.

As we discussed principles and approaches, issues and affect this all had on our own marriages and families, it was a cool thing.

Here's the kicker: one was from Africa and the other was from Southeast Asia. Three ministers, three cultures, three continents ... all the same issues. Fascinating in that wherever you go, people have the same needs.

Thanks for your prayers about the trip. I made some interesting new friends from a long way away, saw the Braves beat the Rockies, and learned some pooignant lessons like the fact that people also need the Lord - wherever they live.

                                  

A Truly 'Amazing Race'

I'm a race horse fan for three races a year. The first just happened a few days ago and it was a dooozy! The Kentucky Derby has been run for around 135 years now and the winner on May 2 - Mine That Bird - was the second longest odds in its history. Get this - FIFTY TO ONE!

There was a horse in the Derby this year that was purchased for over $3 million. Mine That Bird was bought for $9600. WOW! This horse's claim to fame was that in a race in New Mexico (it was not a certified race by those who sanction races - it was not that big of a race in New Mexico), Mine That Bird finished FOURTH.

I could go on and on but you get the amazing picture.

The reason I like the three races is that as a kid May only held two major sporting events: the Derby and the Indy 500. The Derby is the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. The second is The Preakness in Baltimore held next Saturday. The third is The Belmont Stakes run in New York 3 weeks later. The winner of all three is winner of the fabled Triple Crown.

We haven't had a triple crown winner since 1978.

And Selma and I saw that triple crown winner run, in person, at The Kentucky Derby in 1978. (Our 32-year old marriage was not yet two then!)  His name was Affirmed and he was a special horse for sure. I was just about to graduate from seminary in Louisville and we decided to go to this spectacle at Churchill Downs. (Selma has followed me to so many sporting events through the years. God bless her. Her own crown in heaven will need to have many, many stars in it!) The only place we could afford to go was to the infield and to get a view from the fence we had to get there early.

About 9 hours early.

Anyway, we got there, staked our "fence claim" and settled in for as more "life education" as I had in two years of seminary. It was like we were at a rock festival, so they tell me. Music everywhere, frisbees, and oh yes, quite a few mint juleps. We didn't partake, but as I said, we saw a lot that day.

And Affirmed, Selma's horse, beat my horse, Alydar. In fact, they finished one-two in all three triple crown races - the only time that's ever happened. What a rivalry.

So many times through the years we have hoped to see a new triple crown winner crowned, but alas, it hasn't happened yet. And it probably won't this year, but we can hope. It would be just like Mine That Bird, however, to make that happen.

After all, he has clearly established that he is quite capable of beating long odds.

The day after this year's Derby, May 3, Pat, our pastor, spoke at our church, LifePoint, on how Gideon and his army of 300 slew 1000's. Those odds make Mine That Bird look like a heavy favorite! Please take a moment to listen to this message found at our LifePoint website. It is not boring. Rather, it is a unique story from God's Word with a typical Pat Hood application. (He is adamant about making whatever he says relevant to his audience.)

Take a look. I don't know about in horse-racing, but sometimes long odds make for a clear statement from the Lord that He is in control. It was true for Gideon and it could be true for you, too. Check out the message, you'll see.

And let's all pull for Mine That Bird in the Preakness this Saturday!

Sports Past, Sports Coming, and Past Sports Coming

So it's Monday night and I'm licking my wounds from another Super Bowl loss. Great game, no question but another heart break for me. It's been a while since I've pulled for the right (winning) Super Bowl team.

And I am also licking my wounds from the Lady Vols' loss tonight at #2 Oklahoma. (It sure seems I've gotta lot of wounds lately.)They were supposed to win for Pat Summitt's 1000th career win. We'll just have to get it from Georgia Thursday.

Finally, I am about to watch the end of the Australian Open tennis championships. They were played Sunday morning our time about 2AM, so I recorded them. Watched about 2 1/2 sets yesterday afternoon. At lunch Monday I watched enough to see it go into the 5th set. Another classic Federer/Nadal battle. Amazingly no one has told me how this match has ended. Natalie was kind enough not to tell me during our Monday night phone date even though she knew the outcome. (Thanks, Fred!)

If you are not familiar with this match up, it truly is one of the great rivalries in sport -today or any day. Call me a passivist, but what I like is that each one respects the other. They speak highly of each other and neither is full of himself. Yes, it is possible to have a fierce rivalry without all the hype and trash talk.

I challenge you to get involved in this rivalry of Roger Federer of Switzerland and Raphael Nadal of Spain. You won't be dissappointed. Incredible tennis done in breath-takingly good taste. Just so you'll know who I'm for: GO FED MAN! ! ! !

Catching Up Just a Bit

Hey there. Been a while. Been a lot of miles since we talked. And lots more to go, Lord willing. Here's what's gone on lately, with elaboration to follow in subsequent posts:

* Went on a fabluous marriage enrichment cruise to Alaska! (Hey, somebody's gotta do it!) Thanks to Pat for suggesting this wonderful idea. I'll speak more about it later, but just know (and I'm actually serious about this part) that a cruise is an excellent format for a marriage enrichment event. Selma and I were able to counsel with several of the couples who went. The cruise gave us session time each day with group. We also had time to counsel with another couple. Plus there was lots of time for us alone. Praise God for an awesome group and for an incredible trip to an incredibly beautiful part of His creation.

Look for info this fall about another one - perhaps south of here, for next summer. We want you on that one with us!

* Finally got over the motion sickness from the trip around Tuesday! It was a 7-day cruise. (Don't think we'll do one that long again!) Got off the ship in Seattle on Friday morning. Major hangover, but then, I have my own special brand of motion sickness anyway. Glad the hangover's over.

* Couldn't believe Big Brown did NOT win the triple crown. What's with that? Selma actually saw the last triple crown winner - Affirmed - run at the Kentucky Derby. (Don't tell them at the seminary in Louisville or they might try take away my degree!) That was 1978. We were just kids then.  

* Sad to hear that Jim McKay died. The voice of ABC's Wide World of Sports was my hero growing up. He was a class reporter. I remember watching in a dorm at Florida State in 1972 when he announced that the Israelis were "all gone" - killed by terrorists. Sports will miss Jim.

* And another huge loss - Tim Russert. Coming home from the cruise, we came off the plane in Minneapolis and looked at the airport TV's to hear of his death. I almost lost it right there. Tim was my favorite political commentator. I've taped and watched everything I could about him these past few days.

* Immediate prayer needs, please ...

-- Mom. She's in the hospital. Pray that those who care for her will do a good job. And that we have wisdom on how to handle her housing situation afterwards.

-- Thursday and Friday - Selma and I are shooting the rest of The Parent Adventure. It goes with the book we are writing. It will be a long day of shooting many different scenes, each introducing the viewer to the next session's content. We are not professional actors by any means and it can be intimidating trying to remember your lines n front of a crew of 10-12 people who are professionals.

Long blog. Pardon any typos. Sorry. As my daughter Jennifer used to say when she'd talk and talk, then stop just long enough to take a breath, "I've just got a lot to say." Will try not to wait as long to catch up next time!

Thoughts on a Braves Baseball Book

Hey There,

Back from a brief hiatus (if that's a word).

Wanted to share with you a new book I'm beginning. It's called Built to Win, by John Schuerholz. John is the General Manager for the Atlanta Braves since around 1991. That's the first year they won their division in almost 20 years - and they won it every year until last year. A record that is unheard of - in any sport. So John "might" have some knowledge about baseball.

And it is also a book on leadership - and decision-making. It's gotta be. He's the most successful GM the sport world has ever known.

The only other baseball team that has been anywhere near as consistently successful as the Braves has been the New York Yankees. The big differences is that the Yankees would go out and pay whatever for whoever had the best season the year before. Not so with the Braves. On a relative shoestring budget, they had to work hard to keep within financial restraints to move old players out while aquiring new ones. They did this so well they were on top for 15 seasons.

Anyway, I'll let you know if it's good.

Still working on Walking Across the Room. It's good but I'm taking my time through it. ANYONE ELSE READ IT? Please let men know what you thought.