Freeform Friday 21 - Apologizing to Adam Schefter

I was taking a break from blogging until the New Year. Then this morning I sent out this tweet:

@ScottHiga: Adam Schefter sounds like a tool when he says "Matthew Hasselbeck" What is he? Too professional to call the guy Matt? Just sit on it, Potsie

Adam Schefter is an NFL analyst for ESPN. I didn’t know why he was calling him Matthew; I’ve never heard him called Matthew before. Then Adam Schefter replied to me by tweeting this:

@AdamSchefter: RT @ScottHiga Schefter sounds like a tool when he says "Matthew Hasselbeck" Too professional to call the guy Matt? ... He prefers Matthew.

Then I had almost 50 people who I don’t know tell me that I’m a tool and that I got totally owned by Adam Schefter.

I couldn’t agree with them more.

I got caught up in the faceless nature of the Internet. If I knew Adam Schefter personally or if he was more to me than a face on the television screen, I wouldn’t have called him a tool and posted it on Twitter. If I knew Adam Schefter personally I would have simply asked why it is he calls him Matthew instead of Matt. I fell prey to the anonymity of the Internet, though, and responded inappropriately and poorly. I thought I was just making a joke that four of my friends would enjoy. I forgot that while Adam Schefter doesn’t know me or care what I think, he probably doesn’t like anonymous attacks any more than I do.

So I apologize to Adam Schefter, even if he never reads this or cares. Regardless of his paying attention, I was still wrong.

Some of those 50 people who responded to me might suggest that I’m only apologizing because I got caught; they would be right. Had Adam Schefter not called me out to his 380,000 followers, life would have continued and I wouldn’t have felt the need to apologize. But because he did, my action has been cast in its proper light and I can see that I was unequivocally wrong. I am sincerely sorry and I look at this as an opportunity to learn from a mistake and not make it again. That’s the nice thing about apologies, even when they fall on no ears, we can still grow from them.

Theology Thursday 26 - 700 Miles of Effort

I went on a blind date once and I had to drive about 20 miles in order to pick her up. 20 miles is about the maximum distance I’d travel to meet someone I don’t know. Had my blind date lived 25 or 30 miles away, I might have just said no; the date didn’t go that well so maybe I should have.

I don’t want to travel that far to see people I know, much less someone I don’t know. Yet every Christmas I’m reminded of how far the magi travelled in order to see Jesus. The magi were most likely from Babylon and they would have made a 700 mile journey to Bethlehem in order to see Jesus.

Seven hundred miles.

That puts me to shame.

Sometimes I don’t want to drive 10 minutes to church.

Sometimes I don’t want to wake up 15 minutes early in order to spend some time in the word.

Sometimes I don’t want to disconnect from Facebook and pray.

If I had been one of the magi (I am “Oriental”) I would have set the cap at about 40 or 50 miles. If the newly born king was 50 miles away I would have gone, but anything more than that and I would have stayed at home and done all sorts of hood rat things with my magi buddies.

We can learn something from the magi. They were so intentional about seeing Jesus; no distance was too great to keep them from worshiping the newborn Lord. Their effort begs the question: how much effort am I putting into spending time with Jesus? We don’t have to travel 700 miles to spend time with Jesus, but even today it still takes effort and intention. And if we want to really spend time with Jesus, if we want to sit at his feet and worship him just as the magi did, we have to make the effort.

Leadership Wednesday 29 - Get Serious About Fun

This week our church’s staff had its annual Christmas party. In my three Christmases on staff we’ve had a nice lunch at church and sang some songs. This year, though, we went to a local deli for lunch and then headed to the bowling alley to knock over some pins. Our senior pastor, Rob, wanted to be sure that our team was making time to just have some fun. And, as you can see in the picture below, Rob made sure that he was having fun.

It’s easy to get caught up in the task of leadership. Leadership is a serious business, or at least it should be if what we’re leading has any value. I spend a lot of time in vision and planning meetings, learning from our past mistakes to make a better future. Leadership is about creating a better future through our businesses or organizations and we need to take that task seriously.

But it’s also important to have some fun.

We need to go bowling, we need to wear silly hats, we need to laugh and have a good time. Gathering a team together, without an agenda other than having fun, goes a long way in building camaraderie. Having fun strengthens relationships, which will provide the foundation for the serious task at hand. And we’ll have a much greater chance of completing that serious task if we get serious about having fun.

How have you seen fun help your leadership and strengthen a team?

Topical Tuesday 34 - Winners Get Second Chances

Michael Vick is currently leading all players in voting for the NFL’s Pro Bowl. It’s great that Michael Vick is actually getting his second chance; he has appeared repentant and made the right choices since his release from jail. I worry, though, that Vick’s second chance wouldn’t have been so quick in coming if he wasn’t leading the Philadelphia Eagles toward the playoffs or racking up points for fantasy owners.

As a nation, I feel we can be very forgiving, especially when it comes to athletes. If athletes are repentant and seem to change, we can forgive them. The process of forgiveness can be accelerated, though, by winning. If Michael Vick wasn’t having an MVP type season I don’t know if he would be as far along in his second chance as he is. If he was still riding the bench or having a mediocre season, he might still be that “dog fighting guy” instead of that “guy who won me my fantasy league”.

Everyone deserves a second chance, but that second chance shouldn’t be based upon whether or not someone is a winner or a loser. The second chance should be based upon grace and the person’s willingness to change and embrace the new chance he or she has been given. We shouldn’t withhold grace and forgiveness based upon performance; we should freely give them to the winners and the losers, because when we do, everybody wins. (Except for my fantasy team, they’re still losers.)

Music Monday 37 - Unjust Christmas Songs

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ who described his mission as this:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Jesus came to bring peace and justice; he came to set things right. Some Christmas songs reflect this truth. O Holy Night contains this line:

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.

But there are a lot more Christmas songs that reflect injustice and even encourage us to participate in those activities.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Everyone loves the story of Rudolph. He was invented for a Montgomery Ward coloring book and has since become as traditional as Santa Claus. Very early on, through the story of Rudolph, children learn that life isn’t fair.

All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.

What games do reindeer play? I imagine all the reindeer standing out in the snow picking teams for dodge ball and poor Rudolph just standing there until the end, both captains fighting over who would have to have Red-Nose on their team.

Rudolph was singled out because of a birth defect. He was born with a red nose and there was nothing he could do about it. But, instead of hiding it or begging his parents to get him rhinoplasty, Rudolph embraced his nose and it eventually led him to greatness. Life isn’t fair but if you work hard and have an exploitable physical deformity, good things can happen.

Winter Wonderland
I really like Winter Wonderland because it’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to living in an actual winter wonderland; it was 80 in Southern California today. I also like the song more now that I’m married because I have someone with whom to conspire by the fire. There is a peculiar line in the song, though, that exemplifies the unjust nature of life, even during the Christmas season.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
And pretend that he's a circus clown.
We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman,
Until the other kiddies knock him down!

What the crap? Who are these rogue children running through this alleged wonderland knocking down snowmen? Snowmen take a lot of effort: snow has to be piled, carrots have to be acquired, buttons have to be removed from clothing. But, after all of that hard work, some punk kids from the neighborhood come and knock Mr. Snowman down. In the punk kids’ defense, clowns are creepy and deserve any abuse they get

Jesus did come to break chains, release the oppressed and set things right. That work began with his birth and continues today through his followers. Even when we celebrate his birth, though, it’s good to have reminders of what exactly he’s setting right. So every time we sing about an ostracized red-nosed reindeer or a prematurely destroyed snowman, we can thank Jesus for his birth and the way he is rebuilding and recreating this world.

What other hidden meanings can you find in your favorite Christmas carols?

Freeform Friday 20 - Preaching Lions

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader releases to movie theaters today as Hollywood continues to cash in on the popularity of fantasy epics created by The Lord of the Rings. I haven’t seen the movie yet but I probably will. I most recently read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on our honeymoon and it was one of my favorite books when I was younger. I replicated and enlarged the cover of the book onto a sandwich board to wear in our school’s book parade. I felt pretty classy having a classic on my board while all my classmates had those flash-in-the-pan Goosebumps books on theirs.

I remember reading a review for the last Narnia movie, Prince Caspian; it said that the movie was all right but that it was a little too “preachy” at certain points. I assume the reviewer meant that the parts about Lucy needing to believe in Aslan even when no one else would were too preachy. It makes sense, though, that a movie heavily marketed to Christians would be a little preachy; Christians like preachy.

Most every week Christians go to church, gather together, sing some songs and listen to a preacher. Christians get preached at all the time.

I go to church and listen to the sermon every week.

I listen to myself give a talk every Tuesday night.

I got to conferences and listen to people give messages.

Sometimes I even download sermons and listen to them throughout my day.

Christians like being preached to, even if it’s coming from an anthropomorphized lion who is analogous to God. I don’t know if The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be any good, but I am sure that it will have some preachiness to it; and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Maybe someone will see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader just to be entertained, end up being intrigued by the story of a lion who can renew and recreate, and then perhaps that intrigue will push them to want to hear some more preaching in a church on Sunday.

Leadership Wednesday 28 - Elizabeth Edwards and Legacy

Sadly, Elizabeth Edwards died yesterday. Elizabeth Edwards was the estranged wife of former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards. In her death, Elizabeth Edwards is being remembered for her commitment to social justice and her resilience in facing life’s struggles. In recent years, those struggles have included cancer and a cheating husband. Looking back across Elizabeth Edward’s life, it’s easy to see that her legacy will be different from that of her husband, John Edwards.

In 2008 I really liked John Edwards. I believed in his message of social reform and meeting the needs of the less fortunate. For once in my life I had emotionally invested in a political candidate; for the first time I had a dog in the fight. When Edwards didn’t move past the primaries I still held him in esteem as someone who cared about the things I cared about and wanted to enact some change. That all changed, though, when he confessed to having an affair while his wife battled cancer. My view of him degraded further when he confessed that he had fathered a child with his mistress, a child he had initially denied and disowned.

In this couple we have the opportunity to see how our actions will affect our legacy. Elizabeth Edwards will be remembered as an extraordinary woman, full of grace even in the midst of difficult circumstances. John Edwards, for all the good he’s accomplished and might accomplish in the future, will have a difficult time shaking his reputation as a liar and philanderer.

The scary thing is that our legacies can be defined by a single mistake. Leaders attempt to do good and make the world a better place but all of that hard work can come crashing down because of one poor decision. Moral failures hurt our ability to influence others and enact the changes that we would like to see in the world. Because of this fact, I view my life as standing on the edge of a knife; I know that any poor decision, any moral failure, could tip me over and unravel everything I’ve worked so hard to attain.

Our choices influence how we will be remembered. And even though we won’t be there to hear our own eulogies, we should want them to be good, full of reflections on the positive impacts we made in this world. Those positive impacts will be a lot easier to recognize when there aren’t any poor choices or moral failures covering them up.

What value do you see in thinking about your legacy?

Topical Tuesday 33 - Chili Cheese Fries

I spent most of the day Sunday waiting to get word from my sister that she was in labor and going to the hospital. On a day full of false alarms that call never came. As Alycia and I waited, though, she went out to get some lunch. At my request she went to The Hat and got a cheeseburger for me and we shared an order of chili cheese fries.

I know chili cheese fries are unhealthy; there is nothing redeemable about them other than their taste. But, in that moment of weakness, that’s what I wanted and that’s what we got. There are a lot of foods that are bad for me yet offer no temptation. There are other foods, though, which are bad for me and tempt me to no end. Here are some of those foods.


Chili Cheese Fries
The aforementioned chili cheese fries from The Hat are delicious. What’s not to love about French fries piled high with chili and melting cheddar cheese? The best part about The Hat’s chili cheese fries is that when the order is up, the shredded cheddar cheese isn’t melted. But by the time the fries make it to the table, the cheese has completely melted and transformed into one calorie-infested mess of tastiness.


Chick-fil-A Sauce
I don’t know how the Cathy family invented Chick-fil-A Sauce but am I glad they did. I think Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays so people can go to their places of worship and praise their deities for Chick-fil-A Sauce. It’s kind of like honey mustard but it has a smokier, BBQ-like flavor that is hard to comprehend. I think I have a better shot at understanding the expanding universe than wrapping my mind around what makes Chick-fil-A Sauce so amazing.


Coke Zero
I gave up soda for almost five years. I was drinking 20 oz. bottles of soda like children drink Frappuccinos but then quit cold turkey. For five years I basically drank nothing but water and iced tea until I visited the Coke museum; in Atlanta five years of soda sobriety came crashing down. When I first started again, I mostly drank Coke; I never had a taste for Diet Coke. Then I got introduced to Coke Zero and my world was forever changed, like when I saw Paula Abdul’s Coldhearted video and realized I liked girls. I have no idea what chemicals make Coke Zero taste so good without any calories, but I like them, even though I probably shouldn’t.

I normally eat better than chili cheese fries and Chick-fil-A sauce but sometimes I just want to be bad. We shouldn’t make poor food choices frequently, but when we do, we should make them count. Don’t waste a bad food choice on a Big Mac or Hostess apple pie; save it for a Double-Double or a piece of pecan pie.

What foods tempt you the most?

Music Monday 36 - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?

Most Christmas songs are full of holiday cheer and a festive spirit. Even though we’ve heard them time and time again, Christmas songs can inspire us to really embrace the season.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year can make us believe that Christmas actually is the most wonderful time of the year.

Let it Snow can make us think that it would be a great thing for the heavens to dump 13 feet of snow.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas can make us long to be home for Christmas, in spite of the insanity that comes from family gatherings.

As I’ve been listening to Christmas music this season, I’ve noticed that one song, which should be full of Christmas cheer and merriment, actually isn’t. A song titled Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas should be a lot merrier than it actually is. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas sounds like it’s full of cheer and merriment but it’s actually composed of brokenness and tears.

In the song we’re told to have a merry little Christmas because our troubles are a very real and present reality. These troubles which are not out of sight, these troubles which are not miles away, have been darkening the months leading up to Christmas. But now that it is Christmas, we can be merry and light while making the Yuletide gay.

The song also encourages us to reflect on the “golden days of yore” because the days we are currently living are so much worse than the olden days. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is like looking through a high school yearbook and thinking that those days were so much better. Instead of inspiring us to be present in this holiday season, it asks us to reflect on the better times of yesterday: like when Wham! was making Christmas hits or Furbies were flying off the shelves.

So be sure to have yourself a merry little Christmas because, according to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, life is hard and whatever your golden days were, they are much better than today is.

What Christmas song most inspires you for the season?

Freeform Friday 19 - Zombie Jesus

I’m planning on starting a new blog in January. The axiom is to write about what you know so my new blog will be focused on the intersection between Christianity and nerd culture. I’m very much a Christian and I’m very much a nerd. It’ll basically be Nerdy Stuff Christians Like but I think I’ll come up with a better name. In advance of launching the new blog, I thought I’d write some preview posts to give a flavor for its direction.

I have the opportunity to lead a number of small groups as well as have lots of conversations about Jesus. Given the opportunity, people like talking about Jesus and reflecting on who he is, what he did, what he’s doing and how he’s affected their lives. And while it may seem nonsensical, in a number of these small groups and conversations, the idea of Zombie Jesus gets brought up.

Zombie Jesus is based on the fact that Jesus died and rose again. Normally, when something dies and comes back to life, we think it belongs in Zombieland more than a children’s Sunday school class. When people start thinking about Zombie Jesus they’ll ask me what I think. I don’t think Jesus was a zombie; here are some reasons why.

1. Zombies Scare Me
I’m freaked out by zombies; they legitimately scare me. I really want to watch The Walking Dead because I hear it’s a great show. My fear, however, cripples me and keeps me from tuning in. So Jesus can’t be a zombie because he’s not scary. He’s the perfection of love, grace, compassion and peace; I’ve never seen a loving, gracious, compassionate and peaceful zombie.

2. Zombies Eat Brains
Imagine a world run by zombies. All the food: groceries, fast food and fine dining would be brain-centered. Zombie Soccer Mom would load her kids into their Zombie Suburban and head to Brain-fil-A and get some brain nuggets. (I definitely think Brain-fil-A would have a spleen mascot telling all the zombies to “Eet Mor Brayns”) Zombies eat brains but Jesus ate food. Part of his being fully human was his need for sustenance; we often see Jesus enjoying a meal with people, meals of fish and bread, not brains.

3. Zombies’ Greatest Threat is a Shotgun
If you’ve ever played a zombie video game, you know that the best way to kill a zombie is with a shotgun blast to the head. What makes a shotgun so effective is its ability to kill a zombie without much need for accuracy. I’ve shot a gun once before but I’ve been led to believe that I could survive a Zombiepocalypse with a little more cardio and a big shotgun. So Jesus couldn’t have been a zombie because shotguns didn’t exist in the first century.

4. Zombies are Dead
By their very nature, zombies are dead. Whether they’re labeled as “the walking dead,” “the living dead” or just “reanimated corpses” the focus is on them still being dead. Jesus is not still dead. In Luke 24 the angels ask Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary why they’re looking for the living among the dead. Jesus isn’t dead; he isn’t even among the dead. Jesus conquered death and gives the opportunity for new life.

I’m glad Jesus isn’t a zombie because if he was going to church on a weekly basis would be quite the traumatic experience. Also, I’m glad that Jesus isn’t a zombie because through his resurrected life we have the opportunity for a new and transformed life. And while I am glad that Jesus isn’t a zombie, it would be cool to see him do the Thriller dance.

Theology Thursday 25 - The Little Drummer Boy

Alycia and I were listening to Christmas music and "The Little Drummer Boy" came on. Alycia told me that she thought "The Little Drummer Boy" was the most theologically correct Christmas carol. I told her she was ridiculous because there is no record of there being a drummer boy in the stable with Joseph, Mary and Jesus. I also told her that a song with the word “ass” in it can’t be theologically sound. Then she gave me the look that makes me feel like a little kid who just got in trouble.

Alycia was right, though; "The Little Drummer Boy" is a simple song full of some of the most basic theology. The song is about a little boy who stands before the newborn Lord and plays his drum. He doesn’t have any other gifts to bring, just the desire to play his best for Jesus. And when we look at what we can bring for Jesus, that’s all he wants from us.

We’ve all been gifted and created with specific talents and abilities. God knit us together and gave us those talents; he just asks that we use them to the best of our ability for his purpose and his glory. I love the image of a timid boy worshipping Jesus by playing his little heart out. It’s a reminder that worshipping Jesus can be just a simple act of offering what we have to our Lord.

What Christmas carol inspires you to reflect on Jesus and your life with him?

Leadership Wednesday 27 - Big Fish in a Different Pond

I recently had the opportunity to visit a high school to speak at its Christian club. Even though I work with high school students and enjoy speaking to people, I was really uncomfortable. As soon as I stepped onto the campus I felt like a fish out of water, like I didn’t belong, and at any moment all the students would realize I didn’t belong and mock me accordingly. In a flash I felt like a timid, nerdy freshman again, avoiding eye contact and attempting to go unnoticed.

And while I didn’t necessarily enjoy the experience, it was a good experience.

At this point in my life I’m fairly comfortable at church and in settings related to church. Whether that’s running youth group, preaching in main service, meeting with other youth pastors or going to a conference, I feel like I belong; I am confident that I’m supposed to be there. Walking around on that high school campus, though, that confidence slipped away. I realized that in a very specific pond I feel like a big fish but there are plenty of other ponds where I’m nothing but a guppy.

It’s good for leaders to spend some time in another pond and realize that we’re probably not the fish we think we are. Staying in the same pond, I can begin to get a distorted image of myself; I can see myself as a pretty big fish. I’m not a big fish, though; I’m just a small fish who feels comfortable and knows my way around a certain pond. Hopping into another pond is like a cold splash of reality; that new pond reminds me of who I really am.

But who I really am isn’t all that bad: I’m not a guppy but I’m not a marlin either. God’s the one who has placed me in the pond where he wants me, the one where he thinks I can be most effective. Any effectiveness I have, though, isn’t going to come from trying to be a big fish in that pond; it’s going to come from relying on God to use me as he sees fit.

When have you ever jumped into a different pond and felt completely out of place?