Coaching 1

Coaches get a lot of criticism in the world, both good and bad. Think back to the Harbowl where all the media attention, that Ray Lewis wasn't sapping up (that guy would have worn a meat dress to get more camera time if Gaga was stealing the spotlight) , was directly on the two coaches who would be going head to head on sports biggest stage.

One failed, one won, most of the credit whether succeed or fail is given to the coach. I always found this interesting as the coaches aren't on the field actively participating in the game. They are puppeteering their teams allowing the athletes to do what they do best, perform.

I have been teaching English now for 3 out of 4 quarters, I have learned that the thing the makes the biggest difference in whether or not students learn is me. I am coaching them.

The interesting thing about coaching is that everyone is one or learns from one at some point. I coach my students, I get coached by my colleagues and my administration, my administration gets coached by the district, the district by experts, etc. Everyone is a coach or is coached at some point in their lives.

It begs the question, what and who are you coaching, as well as who is coaching you and in what way?

The people by which we surround ourselves have an immediate impact on the people in which we become.

Who is it you are impacting and who are you allowing to impact you?

God has indeed taken care of me in the sense that I have always had a strong community around me. My family and friends are people that indeed coached me throughout my life, they have allowed me to coach them as well. It is a huge responsibility and undertaking to speak truth into the life of another, but as a coach that is what you are doing; constantly teaching, constantly critiquing, constantly correcting with truth and knowledge.

If that is indeed the case, who is it that you are allowing that much say into your life? Truth is, whether you like it or not, someone is indeed coaching you.

Hard Relationships

This is the type of person I want in my corner when things get hard and I need someone to carry me:

1. They need to love Jesus

2. They need to love you

3.  They have to be brave enough to call you out

4. They have to be willing to get in trouble with you

5. They have to be committed

What'd I miss?

Baseball is Life

I can remember when I was seven years old I went to a Giants and Dodgers game, I was as close to hell as I ever hope to get, Dodger Stadium.  In that game in 1992 a pitcher named Kevin Gross did the unthinkable to my Giants, he threw what is known in the biz as a no-no.  I was the only person in the stadium crying tears of anger and sadness as I walked out with my Dad who was wearing a Dodgers hat.

That same year on my way home from visiting my aunt and uncle in San Mateo I cried as news broke that the Giants were going to be moved to Tampa Bay.  They ended up staying.

A year later I was at Candlestick park sitting in terrible seats when chants began to ring out, first it was "BEAT LA" then an inning later it turned to, "DODGERS SUCK."

When I was ten I went to a game for my neighbors birthday, I got to run the bases at 3COM park at Candlestick Point.

In 2000 I went with my Dad sat 13 rows behind home plate and watched the fifth game ever played at AT&T Park as Barry Bonds faced off against Randy Johnson.

My Dad slipped into a coma that night he never woke from hours after Bonds broke the all time home run record of 755, he ended with 762.

I took Sarah on our first date to watch the Giants get beat by the Twins.

I took Cooper to his first game at four weeks, and Micah to his first at five weeks, it happened to be game three of the NLCS where Matt Cain shut down the Philadelphia Phillies.

I watched the Giants win their first World Series in 56 year with four generations of fans, the youngest being less than two months old and the oldest being in their 70's.

I watch baseball because I love the game.  I love situations, I love the grass, I love that the game that was invented over 150 years ago has remained largely unchanged, I love that no matter what happens in life, baseball will be there.  The history is rich, the stories have been written since the 1880's.

There is just enough time in baseball to see tragedy and triumph coming at you like a freight train.
There is enough time in life to have no clue what is going to happen.

Baseball, like any other hobby or sport that people love to revel in and waste time on, is great for enriching your life, but terrible for turning it into your life.  There was a successful t-shirt that said, "Baseball is life" I had one, I wore it with me blue and white striped denim shorts in the early 90's.  That shirt is not only wrong, it's sad.

Life is bigger than that, it is more important than that.  We've been entrusted to pass on a message that is better than tracking a team.  What have you dedicated your life to?

Confrontation Sucks

I hate confrontation.  Not like the kind where Maximus kills Caesar in the final scene of Gladiator, that type of conflict is awesome.  I don't like real conflict.  Real conflict like you see a brother or sister in Christ that needs to be loved back to where God wants them and the only way to do that is by speaking truth into their life, real, nasty, hard to swallow, truth.  These conversations are terrible, no one looks forward to them, but in order to continue growing in faith you have to have hard conversations, you have to do hard things.

Growing up I didn't like to stir the pot, I was often referred to as the voice of reason because I never wanted to rock the boat I never wanted to do anything that was going to get me in trouble, no matter how big the explosion was or how many pieces it blew up into.  I like being safe, I liked being comfortable.  Throughout these least two years I have come to terms with the idea that if you want to be a good man, husband, disciple, and friend you have to have hard conversations.  You have to have conversations that make you uneasy because these conversations are what help people grow, they help us grow.

I am glad I have a group of friends that is more than willing to nail me to the wall if I am acting in a way that is unrepresentative of the body of Christ.  I am glad I have friends who will look me in the eye and tell me I am wrong.  I am glad I have friends that will walk next to me and at times carry me towards righteousness when I have no more strength and a loss of will.

Hard conversations suck.

Confrontation sucks.

You know why people hate lifting weights?  (Other than the fact that it is boring and repetitive (just so I don't offend any really strong people, I lift weights and is may main source of exercise, so back up or I will flex my tricep in your general direction)).  People hate lifting weights because you are literally tearing your muscles in order for them to repair themselves and make the bigger and stronger.  Last time I checked tearing my muscle wasn't on my short list of things that reminded my of puppies and clouds made of cotton candy.

It's the same thing with confrontation.  It sucks, it is literally you telling someone you deeply care about about blind spots in their life. I can't guarantee it will make them a better person, but I can guarantee you will become a stronger version of yourself if you have hard conversations.

This is Enough

Yesterday, Sarah and I noticed a sizable leak coming from the toilet in our master bedroom, it proceeded in the wall and into a storage closet in our bedroom.  We we lifted things off the floor in the closest they were wet and moldy.  It was a disaster, and by was I mean is, we are sleeping in the guest bedroom until it gets fixed.  On the bright side it is kind of cute watching Cooper and Micah walk around in little toddler sized gas masks.

We have been renting this house for the past few months waiting until we are qualified to buy another home to do just that.  The original intention was to buy the house we are renting, truth be told, between the leaking sewage incident and the fact that I don't think us and the owners are going to get to a price we are both happy with we have been looking elsewhere.  I mean, Sarah has been searching online, but when you are looking in a small town like Kingsburg for a home, you will probably drive by a new home for sale before you see it online.  Needless to say, we are on the hunt and have a beaut in our sights.

I won't tell you where it is because I don't want you to stalk me, actually you can stalk me, just don't put an offer in on the house we want.

It never seizes to amaze me how God reminds you that he is in control, and in ways that a lot of times frustrate teh heck out of me.  After seeing and drooling over the home we saw, Sarah came home and listened to a sermon by Brad Bell.  She felt convicted about giving something more attention than her relationship with God, I merely told her to stop listening to Brad.  She remained adamant though and has forced us to slow down and count the blessing God has given us already.

I have been thinking about the phrase, "This is enough."

As in, "God, this is enough.  You have blessed me immensely and now you are just showing off.  I have two healthy kids, a job, a wife with a job, a car that runs smoothly (most days) and an incredible base of friends and family.  This is enough.

And every time I get anxious and worry about financials or try to tell other buyers that their are ghosts in the house, I remember that this is enough.

What blessing do you have that you forget about?  Maybe they are staring you in the face and you are looking right passed them.  How about the ability to have a kid?  What about having a job, even if you hate it?  What about having enough money to food on the table every night?  What blessings are you forgetting about?

As you recount them, remember, "This is enough."

Focus

I spoke at Immanuel High School's Chapel today.  It got me thinking about the message that i deliver on a regular basis and whether or not what I say on stage changes depending on the way I want to be perceived.  When I got to IHS and speak I am at a venue of about 300 people where 99 percent of the students profess a love of Christ.  Awesome, that being said, I want to make sure that I am both challenging and light hearted, which should probably be my goal for every talk, however, when I go to speak at special venues I try to put my best foot forward, there is something about a strange place with hundreds of people that stirs me to try and be better than I am.  

I work harder on my talk I cross reference more, I practice before I deliver it, etc.  

My question is this, why not put forth that effort all the time?

How much better could I represent the gospel by developing the abilities that God has given me and honing them to a place of excellence?  On Sunday Nights am I pouring over scripture to see the entirety of the meaning God has for us?  Am I practicing my delivery before I get on stage? Or am I letting myself be stagnant and settling for mediocre?  

The pursuit of excellence starts with movement in one direction, towards a goal, a fixed point.  We need to start that pursuit.

We have all been there, realizing our potential is sitting with us on the coach watching "The Wizard" and dreaming about owning the Nintendo 'PowerGlove' because, "It is bad!"

Lets move our potential off the coach and start to channel it into the things we want to do, the things God has gifted us with the ability to do.  Let's (Wo)Man up.

No Nalgenes or Camelbacks

When I was in college I had no clue what route my life was going to take, probably like a lot of other college age students.  I was going to the classes that people were telling me to go to, I was taking tests I was supposed to take and doing assignments I had been assigned (for the most part).  When I got married, working part time at The Buckle wasn't going to get Sarah and I financially secure very quickly but at least it was a job and we were generating some income but were by no means able to start planning for the future.  

Then in the same week I got three phone calls, three phone calls from three different churches looking for a Youth Pastor to head up their ministry.  I began to follow up on the phone calls and I decided to take a job in beautiful Selma, California at Selma First Baptist Church, it was probably Pastor Craig's charm and quiet demeanor that sold me on the place. 

I was ecstatic, I had my first real job, I was getting paid a salary not a wage based on how many clothes I could force people to buy (did you hear Buckle has a layaway plan too? You can give us your money today but won't get the product until you can afford it later on. The Buckle credit card is a great option also, buy as much as you want now and worry about the payments later; when you still can't afford the ridiculously over priced, over winged, and over dragoned Ed Hardy and Affliction clothing).

I was a big boy, I felt like Buddy the Elf, "It's Santa! I know him!"

It wasn't until having a few different conversations recently that I realized how quiet some people can be about what it is they do, whether it is a youth pastor shying away form telling strangers his title for fear of being treated differently or a CEO not wanting others to think he is too rich or not in touch with other people.  

I think it goes back to wanting to stay relate-able to our fellow man, not wanting to make others feel uncomfortable or less fortunate or pitied or whatever.

It makes me think about how at times I think about how cool it would be to do another type of ministry, moving to San Francisco to help fight poverty alongside college aged students, or having some type of really cool surf ministry or starting an adventure rec company that takes people on adventures where the only thing they can take is a canteen (No Nalgenes or Camelbacks permitted, just canteens) and their faith in the Lord.

It makes me think about how I feel insignificant in my role as a Youth Pastor sometimes, how I am not doing enough things or being as relevant or as crazy as some of the other functioning ministries out there.  But then I remember some scripture in 1 Corinthians 12 that tells me I have a specific function, I am where I am for a reason I have no reason to be ashamed of who I am or what I have been called to.

If everyone moved to the city to battle poverty, the kids who grow up on farms will be left with no one to lead them.  If everyone ran a surf ministry, the people who are terrified of dark water would be left behind (Hey, it's scary, you can't see what is down there and a crazy huge fish could eat you whole,  it's possible, ask Jonah).

I guess what I am saying is, be content with what you do and who you are in the Lord.  God has put us where we are for a reason, be there and be stoked for the opportunity to serve.

Do you feel like the place you are at gets stale sometimes or do you dream of something bigger?  What is it?  Leave a comment and start the conversation.