Topical Tuesday 15 - Michael Vick's Second Chance

In my first Topical Tuesday post I wrote about Michael Vick deserving a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, not just Michael Vick. After signing with the Philadelphia Eagles he began that second chance and he has made the most of the opportunity by staying out of trouble. And while the difference can be seen in his life, it wasn’t until this past Sunday that Vick made a difference on the football field. Visiting his former team, Vick had his best game of the season while the Atlanta Falcons fans greeted him warmly and cheered for him loudly.

Looking back, it seemed like Vick may never get his true second chance and all the bridges he had built in Atlanta between himself and the community had been burned. It was encouraging seeing, though, so many of the fans who had turned their backs on Vick, for good reason, cheering him on, even as a player for the opposing team. Vick’s homecoming provides a perfect example of what it can mean when someone is given a second chance and they run with it.

What can you take away from Vick’s second chance?

Music Monday 15 - Christmas Songs #1

My favorite part about Christmas is the Christmas music. I already wrote a post detailing why I only listen to Christmas music at Christmas time. Now that we are in the full swing of the holiday season, I am listening to Christmas music nonstop. Whether that’s on my iPod or tuning into one of XM’s holiday stations, I am filling my life with Christmas music. For the next three Music Mondays, I’ll be looking at some of my favorite Christmas music. This week I’ll look at my favorite non-religious Christmas songs.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside
I really like “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” because it’s a nice Christmas song about some dude trying to seduce a girl. For some reason, when I was younger, I thought that people didn’t start having sex before marriage until the 80s. Obviously that isn’t true and this song is a perfect example of pre-marital sex pre-MTV. The song was written in 1944 and think it’s hilarious, especially the version with Dean Martin as he drunkenly croons, trying to convince his date to stay a little longer.

Christmas Time is Here
Vince Guaraldi’s score for A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my favorite Christmas albums ever. The song “Christmas Time is Here” stirs up so many nostalgic feelings of sitting at home with my family and watching the yearly broadcast of A Charlie Brown Christmas. I think about the whole gang dancing on the stage and Linus’ simple telling of the Christmas story. Every time I hear the song I’m transported to a simpler time when all I had to worry about was what kind of cookies to leave for Santa.

Last Christmas
A Wham Christmas song? Yes, please. Back before everyone knew George Michael was gay, he and that other guy were in Wham and they came out with “Last Christmas.” The song came out in 1984 and it’s the perfect blend of 80s synth-pop, heartache and holidays. Really, who doesn’t get excited to listen to “Last Christmas” every year and think about that girl or guy who dumped them during Christmas? I know when I got dumped 6 days before Christmas one year, Wham reminded me that, in order to be saved from tears, I needed to give my heart to someone special.

There are so many great Christmas songs that, if they weren’t associated with Christmas, would be terrible songs. But Christmas is a time of giving so we give a little grace and listen to songs that may not be the best.

What is your favorite non-religious Christmas song?

Freeform Friday 09 - Fresh Start

Sometimes in life we get stuck. Whether that’s from a broken relationship, a sin that we cannot shake or just the general malaise of a busy life, we can get stuck. Doug Fields’ book Fresh Start is about getting unstuck, about finding that fresh start and moving forward. The subtitle to Fields’ book is “God’s Invitation to a Great Life.” And while the book may offer an invitation to a great life, Fields’ latest book doesn’t offer the same greatness.

Fresh Start isn’t a bad book; it’s just not a great book. Fields offers some practical advice for those trapped in any number of ruts and what it might look like to get out of those ruts and find a fresh start. If someone feels trapped in a particular rut, one which Fields addresses, that particular chapter could be helpful. On the whole, though, Fresh Start felt like a collection of sermons turned into chapters for a book. The chapters are good for specific individuals, but the book as a whole feels like it’s trying to hit too wide of an audience to be truly effective.

There was one thought, though, which has continued to stick with me. Before the main push of the book, Fields discusses how any endeavor in spiritual formation includes both the possible and impossible. As humans, we are responsible for what is possible and then we trust in God for the impossible. We do what we can, and then trust that God will do what he does, no matter how impossible that might seem. That thought has encouraged me as I attempt to become more like Christ. It’s freeing to know that I simply need to do what I can, and then trust in God to what he will. It’s a liberating thought that can lead to a fresh start.

Theology Thursday 11 - Green Card for Heaven

I’ve decided to spend some time in Ezra lately. I’m trying to catalyze some spiritual growth in my life and I thought that looking at God’s people, and their attempts to catalyze the rebuilding of the temple, would offer me some encouragement. God doesn’t disappoint, and by the fifth verse of the first chapter he was already speaking to me.

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. –Ezra 1:5

After 70 years God’s people were finally released from their exile and free to go back home to Jerusalem. What they lamented had finally passed. What they longed for had finally come. Yet, apparently, not everyone’s hearts were moved to go back to Jerusalem. There were some who chose to remain in Babylon; they didn’t want to go back home. 70 years is a long time and maybe some of the Hebrews born in Babylon didn’t want to go back to Jerusalem; Babylon was their home and that is where they were going to stay. Perhaps they lost their true identity and forgot they were citizens of a different kingdom.

God used this passage to challenge my own life and my own citizenship. I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God; Jesus’ life, death and resurrection allowed me to get in. Yet I don’t always live as a citizen of the Kingdom; I very often find myself resembling the citizens of this world.

Being a citizen of the Kingdom doesn’t mean that I’m simply waiting to leave this place to fly away to my true home. As a citizen of the Kingdom, I should make this place, this earth more like my true home. As a citizen of the Kingdom I am called to carry its banner everywhere I go, spreading that Kingdom as far and deeply as I possibly can. When my life doesn’t reflect my true citizenship, I’m a poor ambassador. It’s my hope that my life will reflect my true citizenship so I can see, if only in part, God’s Kingdom come and his will done on earth as it is in heaven.

What does it mean for you to be a citizen of the Kingdom?

Leadership Wednesday 13 - Charlie Weiss Out-schemed by Pride

Earlier this week, Charlie Weiss was fired from his position as head coach of Notre Dame football. Weiss had been the head coach for five years and he began his tenure with two promising seasons. After those first two years, though, Weiss was unable to produce a consistently contending team, which was a disappointment to the vast number of Notre Dame fans, alumni and boosters. Weiss’ inability to produce a winner also stood in stark contrast to the overconfidence and bombast he exuded during his first press conference. During that press conference, Weiss promised that his team would never be out-schemed; he would always have a better game plan than the opposing coach and his staff. His mediocre 35-27 record would suggest otherwise.

It’s easy for leaders to puff their chests and exude overconfidence and bombast. There is a thin line between overconfidence and confidence; the line is just as thin between bombast and self-assurance. Leaders need to have a certain level of confidence and self-assurance or else no one is going to follow them. That confidence needs to be kept in check, though, or it can give way to ego and pride. It’s possible that Weiss’ confidence went unchecked and, when all was said and done, his pride and ego couldn’t translate to wins.

As leaders, how can we keep our pride in check? Here are three ways I’ve found to help keep my pride in check.

Give Praise to Others
Most efforts, whether you’re the leader or not, are team efforts. Without those teams, no matter how great of a leader you are, nothing would get accomplished. Acknowledging the importance of others is a great way to keep pride in check. Let the team members themselves know how vital they are, but also share with others how important the team is. When someone wants to praise you, deflect that praise to the team.

Gratefully Accept Praise and Move On
Sometimes in our leadership we do something worthy of praise. In those instances, when others want to praise you and there’s no team, accept the praise and move on. I get to preach at our church with some regularity and sometimes, after I preach, people come up to tell me that I did a good job. I’m very appreciative that they enjoyed the sermon and felt like they got something out of it. When someone compliments me, I genuinely thank them and then move on. The path to pride is paved with praise that we need to let go.

Honestly Critique yourself
There are people who are always willing to dole out praise and people who are always willing to offer criticism. Sometimes criticism can be constructive but other times it is worthless. We need to learn how to discern between the two, but we also need to learn how to honestly critique ourselves. We need to understand how we can be better leaders; we need to honestly examine areas of growth and address them. Along with critiquing ourselves, though, we should also take time to celebrate the growth we’ve seen.

Obviously, this isn’t a conclusive list. However we keep our pride in check, it is an important endeavor. Proverbs 16:8 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before the fall.” If we want to avoid destruction and a fall from grace, we need to avoid pride. True leadership isn’t built upon ego and pride; it’s built upon service and character. Service and character may not translate to wins either, but at least they won’t leave us with any embarrassing sound bites five years down the road.

What helps you keep your pride in check?

Topical Tuesday 14 - Tiger Needs to Take His Mulligan

Last Friday I received a text message saying that Tiger Woods had been involved in a serious car accident. Before much information got out, it seemed like Tiger Woods had been in another car accident like any other. Then more information started to get out about the accident and the story got stranger and stranger. The accident took place in Woods’ driveway, he had hit a fire hydrant, he had run into a neighbor’s tree, there was no alcohol involved and his wife broke the rear window with a golf club in order to pull him out. As the details remained unclear, speculation that the entire incident had its inception in a National Enquirer story about Woods having an affair began to surface. And now there are all sorts of other allegations coming out from other women about illicit affairs they’ve have had with Woods.

Through this entire situation, Woods hasn’t said very much. It wasn’t until 18 hours after the accident that Woods finally released a statement in which he said it was a private matter and it would remain a private matter. Even as one of the most famous people on the planet, Woods is entitled to his privacy and we don’t deserve an explanation. However, if he continues to keep quiet, all the allegations and rampant speculation will continue to grow. People would be willing to forgive Tiger and move on if they knew what they were forgiving him for.

I have been following Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite on Twitter and they are getting ready for their new venture: People of the Second Chance. From what I’ve gleaned so far, POTSC is focused on extending grace and forgiveness and giving people freedom to move on from their mistakes. Obviously Tiger Woods doesn’t need any grace and forgiveness from me and I’m not going to be the one giving him his second chance. The court of public opinion will be handing out that second chance, though, and it will more willingly give that second chance if there is honest confession and contrition. Right now, Woods’ silence is keeping him from any sort of honest confession or contrition and, without those, it’s difficult to start moving onto his second chance.

Tiger Woods is one of the world’s most popular athletes; he can do whatever he wants. I don’t think this situation is going to get any better for him, his family or his image until he addresses these allegations of infidelity. And if the allegations turn out to be true, confession and contrition will be the first steps toward the second chance that he, and everybody else, deserves. It’s never easy to admit when we’re wrong; I know it’s one of my least favorite things to do. When I have mustered enough strength to admit I was wrong, those I have wronged willingly accepted my apology and allowed me to begin living out my second chance. It’s difficult to live out that second chance, though, if we’re unwilling to admit we need it.

Why is it difficult to admit we need a second chance?