What is Your Why?

You're traveling or have just met someone... "So what do you do?" Answer... I "________________" fill in the blank. Typically this entails what you do to make money. ie "I am with AT&T", "I am a golf pro", "I am VP at Bank of Brazil". Typical answers to this question. How about mixing it up next time. "I run triathlons and share the gospel every chance I get", "I shuttle my kids all over creation and then figure out the rest." Why not mix it up and get the conversation to the real stuff.
Now for a much bigger question. Instead of "what do you do?" How about... "What is your why"?
Now we're getting tougher. When you hear that question alot of people simplify it or treat is as the motivating factors of what you do. And I challenge you to take that much further. Take it to the beginning. Ask yourself about anything you DO What is your why behind it? Once you answer it ask it again. Challenge yourself.
I work for ABC Company
why
to make money
why
so I can pay bills drive a car have a roof over my head and eat
why
so I can have children
why
so I can love them and take them to swim meets and ball games and and and and
why
so they will be well rounded and grow up and get a good education
why
so they can ..............
why
OK you get the jist. Now take it to the end. I challenge you to try it. If you keep going and going and going, I challenge you to search a little deeper. There is and end, there is and answer.
What is it? Seek, Search, Look!

Sift Through the Fluff

When you get through the fluff, what is the big question. Check out the film. This followed a reading I was doing and scary how it fit. Summary of the reading below........
All will stand before God...
God- "tell me about it"(sic)
Me- well had a pretty good life, raised two successful children and put them through college.
God-"thats great But what did you do with my Son Jesus?
Me- I went to church and served on numerous committees
God-"thats great But what didi you do with my Son Jesus?"
Me- I save a bunch of money and my 401 K let me retire early.
God- "Good Job...But what did you do with my Son Jesus?"
Me- Well I did coach "church sports and helped in the school and worked in the soup kitchen on Saturdays and donated blood, I built houses for Habitat for Humanity and sent shoes over seas......
God-"man you were busy, But what did you do with my Son Jesus"

Then I run across this film, hello, coincedence, I think not.
link http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=18953d3f7aa05de00a27&sp=1

Baseball/Softball Here

True Sport at its Best See Side Bar Right Top........Oh what we can learn and applaude.
Thanks ladies for showing us the meaning of competition and sports.
Good luck to all in the coming seasons.

How Would You Handle It

Great Story...we can learn a lot from golf and golfers


Our Real Character Is Revealed When No One’s Looking
Although 43-year-old golfer J.P. Hayes has earned $7 million during his career, he struggled last year on the PGA Tour and plummeted to 176th on the money list, knocking him off the exempt list for 2009.
To earn his way back, he had to finish nationally in the top 25 of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, which takes place in three stages. He had made it through the first stage, and last month was competing in the second stage at Deerwood Country Club in McKinney, Texas.
As he was readying for his second shot on the 12th hole of the first round, his caddie accidentally tossed him a different ball than the one he’d started his round with. Hayes didn’t notice and hit it onto the green. When he marked his ball, he saw it was different. If he reported the error, it would cost him two shots, which could throw his 2009 season into jeopardy.
He didn’t hesitate to call an official over. He finished with a so-so 74. He came back the next day, however, with a 71, which would have been enough to advance him to the third stage at La Quinta, California, in December.
But that wrong ball he’d used wasn’t done with him.
That night he realized that the ball was a prototype ball that Titleist had given him to test a month before. He thought he had removed all of them from his bag. Using a non-conforming ball is an automatic disqualification. If he called an official this time, he would be ineligible to play full-time on the tour next year.
He called an official in Houston that night. “I had no choice but to take my medicine,” he told ESPN Radio. “I have some people looking down on me who would have known.”
He hopes sponsors’ exemptions and his past champions/veteran members status will get him into some lesser tournaments next year. And a lighter year will allow him to spend more time with his family. “It’s not the end of the world. It will be fine. It is fine.”
[Journal Sentinel, 11/18/08; abcnews.go.com, 11/20/08]

How Trivial is Sports

I truly believe that sports is the universal language that can be used to break down all barriers and be used as a common ground between all people. People in general, as evidenced by the Olympic Games and the relationships formed between athletes from different countries is testimony to this.

However we would be remissed and doing the public a disservice if we fail to recognize certain atrocities happening right under our noses.

Today I was enlightened, humbled, ashamed and ticked off as I heard and saw first hand the plight of the helpless victims of the region of Darfur. As I think about these people and their Genocide I cannot help but wonder why, how and what we can do?

We were asked to pray, pray, pray,pray, and get the word out. I will also say that my view of sports as we play them in America has been altered. The importance of them, ever how beneficial they are to break down barriers, has become lets just say not as important. I can say that I will never listen to or hear a complaint quite the same again.

In a nut shell we have it made......Pro athletes idolized making millions.....college athletes with scholarships and free educations.....little leagues with the best equipment parents can buy.....churches with million dollar gyms....and on and on and on. Man What Tools We Have to Make a Difference. What tools we have to use sports to break barriers and share the love and compassion of Jesus Christ with a hurting world......What tools we have to share and do something about a situation that we have said many times in the past "Never Again" ie Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and now in the present Darfur.

The next time you are upset that your team lost or you have to practice at an inconvienent time, or the gym is too cold, or the referees cost you the game, or the balls are slick, or the field is to bumpy, or or or or......Hit your knees and ask forgiveness, then pray,pray,pray for those way less fortunate.

Check out http://www.silentimages.org/ for more information and lets see what we can do.

Sports //Positive Influence or Negative ?

http://www.csosports.org/

The views below are not from CSO sports but individual thoughts. CSO is a great site to explore if you are thinking about positive sports participation.

As we begin we will be looking at the power sports has on our world and the individuals within it. The power of sports over our culture has reached an unprecedented level. Pro sport athletes are paid millions upon millions for playing kids games and we idolize them for it.
So much idolization that the pull to be like them has gone to the n-th degree. Athletes have gone to extreme levels with cheating, steroid use, filming of games, stealing signs and anything else that might give them the advantage to gain one of these coveted positions and make the "big bucks".
Will it continue?, of course it will as long as we tolerate it. What is it going to take before we wake up an remember the real reasons we are here? Who knows? Maybe kids taking steroids in the 6th or 7th grade to make the football team and one dying? again who knows? The question is not if that will happen it is when and if we will turn the other cheek as we often do. We are becoming slowly numbed to these instances and every time it is closer to being "OK" and just part of what you do to compete.
As we go we will provide an alternative take on sports and the way sports can have a real and lasting affect upon our lives in a positive manner.
Stay Tuned

What's this have to do with sports?

Really nothing. You could probably come up with something if you thought a while though.

This is just an observation of something I witnessed today. Here is the observation, I will give no thoughts although they are many.

It was a beautiful afternoon and I could not take it any longer, I had to get out. I went for a late lunch at a place where I could sit outside and enjoy God's beautiful day. As I sat there eating, reading, and enjoying, I noticed a mom (assumed) and her daughter(looked exactly alike) below in the courtyard. The daughter was about 4 or 5 yrs of age. The daughter as 4-5 yr. olds do was exploring and rambling around, climbing on the walls and putting things in the fountain. The mom was on her cell phone oblivious. This went on for about 10 minutes until the daughter finally came to the table and began rambling in her moms purse, and then she found it. An IPOD, which she, with the help of mom (never missing a beat on the phone) hooked up and the dauhgter began listening . After another 5-10 minutes..... mom finished her conversation (cell phone that is) and it was time to go.
So mom signals to daughter it is time to go. With the first step, mom begins texting... walking... texting.. walking texting...you get the drift. Off they go out of site. I thought to myself (oops said this just an observation sorry).
After about 10 more minutes I finished lunch and time to go. As I head back in..yep here come mom and daughter passing me on the way to the restaurant. Mom texting... walking... texting.. walking (get drift again). Mom in between texts... orders. I put my tray and such away and watch......Daughter (not with the help of mom who never missed a text or call) goes and gets a booster seat that she lugs to the table and sets it up herself as mom continues in the digital world.

It is now time for me to leave. As I pass, the little girl is sitting by herself as mom talks with a friend she has seen in line. Oh did I mention as mom was talking to the friend she continued to intermittently text and talk on the phone. I left extremely sad.
Just observations, I leave the thoughts up to you the only thing I ask is that the thoughts be prayerful not judgemental. I already fought that battle with myself, it is not a good feeling.

Do you wonder how God feels sometimes as we go about our "busy day" . Probably alot like the daughter who had a wonderful opportunity to spend a wonderful day with a person she loves alot and I am sure loves her, sorry couldn't help it, I just happened to observe it first hand.

Make It A Great Day
RD

Change the World

Believe it or not, most people do not wake up in the morning thinking......."what can I do today to make a difference in the world". Why not? We are part of it. I would venture to say that if you asked 100 people if they were satisfied with where they are or with the state of the world or country today, the answer would be a resounding NO.......so now what// accept it// change it// resolve that there is nothing you can do about it// Tricky questions with tricky answers. No you probably cannot do alot by yourself but add a bunch of little by yourselves and we may get somewhere a little bit at a time. What are you filling the little boxes with that make up your calendar, You know that daytimer thing that has your to dos and appointments and special days. They get filled with something. Make it count.
Here is a scary thought. If you live to be 70 you would have been alive 613,200 hours. If you give God one hour a week in prayer. You have given the Creator of the universe, the Maker of all that is, was and all that will be a whopping .6 of a percent of your calendar. Lets start with that little bit and see what happens as it grows. Whoa got heavy on a Monday but thats what hit today.
SeeYa

New Year Same NBA Dunk Contest or Was It

Did you see it, yeah the NBA dunk contest. Fewer competitors same dunks but more thought and originality. But the main thing was the winner and how he won.....with the help of his rival. Great job guys, finally showing some class and true spirit of healthy competition. Winners make a positive impact on people.