WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM: Something to Treasure

     If you hang around inside a Sociology textbook long enough, which is what I've been doing ever since I retired from college coaching and started teaching, you learn important things like how boys are dressed in blue and girls are dressed in pink when they are infants. Apparently this has a dramatic effect on the rest of their lives. I guess what with all the gender reveal stuff going on these days, people who buys gifts for baby showers know which color to buy well in advance. My wife and I didn't know the gender of our oldest son until three days before he was born, so most everything we bought and received was neutral yellow. Just saying.
     All that being said, there wasn't a whole lot of pink in my house growing up, bein's how the only two children were my brother and me. And later, God decided that my wife and I would be the parents of boys as well, three in all. Again, little to no pink.
     So when I saw a stadium full of fans on television wearing pink at a football game a few weeks ago, my first thought was that the lady fans had showed up in force on that Saturday. But alas, that was not the case. Turns out it was something even more incredible. The fans at the University of Georgia wore pink that day to honor the passing of a coach's wife who had recently died from complications related to breast cancer.
     Wow. For an entire legion of fans to be united in their respect for the passing of a football coach's wife is admirable and worthy of mention. To forego the school colors for one afternoon in order to increase awareness and draw attention to the cause of Breast Cancer research is commendable. Remember that this happened at the University of Georgia, where their Bulldogs and their red and black school colors are an institution in and of themselves.
     But there's more to the story. The Georgia fans that day were indeed sporting pink to honor a coach's wife . . . the opposing coach's wife. Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson had recently held his wife Wendy in his arms as she had spoken her last words and taken her final breaths on this Earth. The fans from Georgia were aware of it. And they cared.
     Several male students wore pink wigs and painted their chests and backs pink. They lined up and spelled out the words Remember Wendy. Thousands of others wore pink and hoisted signs and banners supporting Coach Anderson. This is one of the coolest things I have witnessed in the sporting world recently.
     Having coached at the college level for the past thirty years, I feel qualified to say that many people take sports way too seriously at times. Rivalries can get ugly not just between players but also among fans. The "win at all cost" mentality can cause excellent role model coaches who teach their players the values of character and faith to be dismissed, fired, and sent packing without so much as a thank you. "We needed to go a different direction. Our fans deserve more than we're getting. We deserve to be successful," an athletic director will often say at the press conference.
     I realize coaches need to be dismissed at times. And at the professional and college level, being able to win on a scoreboard is indeed important. But it seems at times that the whole thing is a little out of whack when all some people care about is numbers on a scoreboard. Some fans will even say they don't care about the character or values of a coach as long as he wins. Really?
     Many years ago a friend of mine who was our leader in a Promise Keepers group was having a conversation with me about the football coach at his favorite ACC school. The program was struggling a little at the time and he was commenting about the need to run the coach out of town. I had met the coach on one occasion and found him to be a tremendous individual and fine Christian role model and so I mentioned that fact. My friend responded by saying the coach's character was irrelevant- he needed to win football games. I realize he needed to win more football games. But was his character and positive influence totally irrelevant? Apparently so.
     There's nothing inherently wrong with sports. I made a living coaching a sport. I love sports. Always will. But 1 Timothy 6:19 reminds us that we should lay up treasures as a firm foundation for the future. Are we laying up treasures for future generations by prioritizing the building of sports dynasties at the expense of humanity and decency toward each other? Just saying.
     I can't speak to the overall goodness and behavior of Georgia Bulldogs fans. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of them misbehaving and engaging in obnoxious fan behavior. Luke 12:34 says that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. I don't know the condition of their hearts, but for one night at least, I could tell their hearts were in the right place. And it was something to treasure.

   
   

WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM: Frozen in Time

     I had an eventful day recently. I returned to the scene of my college education and spent a Saturday marveling at the mountains in Boone, NC- while at the same time, gasping in amazement at the progress and growth of Appalachian State University. Of course, it was many, many years ago that I attended ASU as an undergrad and participated as a member of the baseball team. One of those teams I was on won a conference championship in 1984, achieving the best winning percentage in the nation along the way.
     The members of that team were invited to return to Boone on September 7 as part of the 35th anniversary of that championship. Over half of us from the 84 team were able to attend the tailgate luncheon reunion and football game later that afternoon. One of our teammates came all the way from California to be with his teammates. Impressive.
     I witnessed many things and experienced numerous emotions that day. It seems no matter how many years separate men who have grown older, wider, and grayer, there is still a bond among teammates that lasts a lifetime. Stories of yesteryear flowed. Expressions of appreciation and yes, even love, were exchanged- along with hearty handshakes and heartfelt hugs.
     It turns out there were other folks at the game as well who I hadn't seen in a long time. At one point, while scanning the crowd, I spotted a friend from my freshman year who just happened to be looking my direction at the same moment. We immediately recognized each other and were able to visit for a few minutes in the stands despite the high pitched volume of an exciting and entertaining football game. Before parting, my friend, whom I had not seen in person since 1983, encouraged me to continue writing these devotions. "You're a great writer and your writing is inspirational. Keep it up." I can't express what it meant to me to hear that, mainly because it came from someone who I hadn't seen in 36 years- but who is a Facebook friend who apparently reads my ramblings each week.
     There was drama on the football field as well. At one point, as my teammates, our coach, and I assembled near the end zone sideline to take the field and be recognized a few minutes later, ASU scored a touchdown right in front of me- as in, 5 feet in front of me. Fortunately I had my camera phone handy and I clicked the record button just in time to film the receiver making the catch and then doing some victory push ups beside me to celebrate the feat as the crowd roared. I'm thankful I was able to capture that wonderful moment on camera, frozen in time for me to relive over and over. The video at present has received over 6000 views on Twitter. Good stuff.
     It's hard to adequately describe what it feels like to stand side by side with your former teammates as your likeness is being displayed on the giant video board while nearly 30,000 people express their appreciation for your accomplishments of so many years ago. In many ways, it almost seems like a lifetime has passed, as if it happened so long ago that you question whether or not it really did occur the way you remember it. But during those few moments on the field, time seemed to connect the passing of  35 years, and the events of then and the realities of now were beautifully interwoven together, forming a glorious moment . . . frozen in time.
     After our recognition, we weren't told exactly what to do so we stayed on the sidelines, continuing to reminisce and exchange promises to do a better job of staying in touch. One teammate shared with us his idea of a weekly devotional via a group text and two days later, he sent out the first edition.
     There's something special about teammates, especially those from a championship team. We never forget those with whom we shared the wide-eyed dreams of our youth. The ones who during our days together had the whole world in front of us before we settled down into jobs, marriages, and parenthood. Together we viewed the world as a ripe piece of fruit, just waiting to be plucked.
     The Message translation of the Bible says in Proverbs 18:24- "Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family". The NIV version states it this way: " . . . there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
     I don't know when the next reunion will be. We talked about future possibilities but to be honest, there's no way to know. I don't know how things work in Heaven, but I'm hoping for an invite to several reunions in the hereafter. Maybe those reunions will include get-togethers with family members. Maybe there will be gatherings with childhood friends, college friends, Facebook friends, teams I've coached, and people I've met on mission trips. And if God wills it to be, there will be a reunion of all my teammates. I fully intend to be present for those reunions, not because of anything I've done to deserve to be there, but because I am a sinner saved by Grace. I truly hope and pray that all the people in my life who have meant so much to me along the way will be there, too. And we'll enjoy those never ending moments together . . . frozen in time.

WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM: The Master Key

     In case you didn't know yet, I have made a major change in my life. For the last thirty years, I was a college baseball coach. That all ended this past May when I coached my last game and waved goodbye to the fans. Then I spent the summer trying to figure out what I was going to do when I grew up. (At age 55, I still can't accept the fact that I'm grown up). At any rate, I had decided- with God's prompting- the time had come for me to do something different. I just didn't know what that different thing was going to be. A few months later in late July, I was hired as a Sociology instructor at a college. They gave me the title "Professor", which I appreciate, though it makes me feel like a character on Gilligan's Island. And I think maybe I'm expected to start smoking a pipe. So sometimes I just tell people I'm an instructor, even though I have a deep respect for the title of Professor.

     Back to the college coaching thing. During my tenure as the college head baseball coach, heavy was the keychain that accompanied my person everywhere I ventured. There were numerous keys to numerous doors to which I was entrusted. I shall attempt to name a few. 

     I had a key for our field house building, which also got me into my office and anybody else's office in the entire building. That's because one fortunate soul in each building is saddled (ooops, honored) with the responsibility of being the head administrator of that particular building. This became the reality after OSHA visited a few years back and decided that every building needed a "Buck Stops Here" kinda person. And since I had been there the longest at the time, the title was bestowed upon me. 

     There were other keys. Let's see, there was one for the middle drawer of my desk, one for the custodian closet, one for the baseball stadium press box, one for the stadium concessions area, and one for the indoor batting cage. I had one that unlocked the dugout storage rooms and umpire dressing room as well. There was one for the athletic department office area in case I needed to check my mailbox or make copies after hours. I had one for the gym locker rooms until they changed the entrance to accept a card swipe, which I was able to access with my ID card.  

     I also had one that unlocked the box that contained the temperature controls for our building but somebody changed the lock and I never got another one. We froze in the winter and roasted during the summer until they computerized the thermostats and made them adjust automatically- except for the one in the locker room that didn't seem to work just right. It was always a frozen tundra in there, regardless of the season.

     But alas, all good things must come to an end. On my last day as a college baseball coach I turned in all my keys. I weighed ten pounds less as I left the administration building. And I felt a lot less important. 

     I received my new set of keys at my new job recently. I got a key to my office. Oh, and as a bonus, I got a key to get in the back entrance to the hallway in case the door to the bathroom was locked, which it normally is. Two whole keys. Am I any less important now than before when I had a whole mess of keys? Based on a recent statement I heard somewhere, I think not. The phrase was simple: "Having less keys may mean you are more important, especially if you have the master key that gets into everything". Cool, even though my new key isn't the master key. 

     The Bible talks about a door that can only be accessed by one Master's Key in Matthew 7:7-8. It is a locked door but can be opened by one simple action: knocking. The Master Key is Jesus the Christ, Son of the Father. It's the one and only key you need. And all you have to do is ask and you can gain full access to the riches of the Kingdom of God. An acceptable arrangement if you ask me. 

     So maybe having less keys is better after all. Perhaps less keys equal less stress. Which suits me just fine now that I am an instructor- ooops, professor. I will forever cherish and appreciate my time as a college baseball coach. It was incredible and fulfilling. But nowadays I have less keys and more time. And I'm content with that arrangement. That's the key.