I am embarrassed to say that my favorite NFL football team is the Detroit Lions. I watched them today lose to the Panthers. They are now 0 – 10 and on course to be the first team to lose every game in a single season.
Being a Lions fan draws me to a line in one of my favorite all time movies, Plains, Trains and Automobiles. Recently I keep relating to this quote in the movie by the character played by Steve Martin. He and John Candy have been stuck in this hotel together and of course John Candy is driving Steve Martin crazy.
“I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They'd say, "How can you stand it?" I'd say, "'Cause I've been with Del Griffith. I can take ANYTHING." You know what they'd say? They'd say, "I know what you mean, the shower curtain ring guy. Woah."
So, don’t complain about your sports team around me because I will just say, “I am a Detroit Lions fan.” And then you will say, “Oh, I know what you mean. The Detroit Lions Whoa.”
They play on Thanksgiving day against the undefeated Tennessee Titans. Do I smell an upset? No, that is just my 11 year old son's feet!
November 16, 2008
November 6, 2008
Keep an Eye on the Ditch
One morning, as I was about to walk into our Senior Staff meeting, I met a man asking if the YMCA "Prayer Partners" were meeting. You see "Prayer Partners" would meet once a week and it is a time when we do a devotion and list prayer requests for the week. Staff mostly attend it, but occasionally a member will stop by to make a specific prayer request. Unfortunately, this particular morning, I had scheduled a meeting at the same time as "Prayer Partners."
It didn't look like anyone was going to show up for the devotional. I diplomatically told him to come back next week and that I would make sure people showed up...."next week." I am now embarrassed to say, that I told him that I had a meeting to go into and we would not be having the prayer time today. At that point he looked at me and said, "Sir, I do not have a church, but I need somebody to pray for me. And I saw where you had this "Prayer Partners" and I thought the Y could help me!"
I felt two inches tall. How could I have made such a statement? I could feel God slapping me in the back of the head like my father used to do and saying, “Now what did you say?" I shook the man's hand and I invited him to the meeting and introduced him to our Senior Staff team, and for the next twenty minutes we heard his story.
He shared a story of a confused man searching for peace. He wanted us to teach him how to pray. He wanted us to pray for him. "You see", he said, "I believe in God, but I guess the more people praying for me, the better off I am." You could feel our Y staff embrace him with nods and smiles of encouragement. He had a slight mental disability he alluded to, but his real demon is his battle with alcohol. He wanted us to pray for his DUI trial next week. He was scared to lose his license. He rambled on and on about his car, and he threw out a few bible verses he remembered. But you could tell he was lonely and scared.
As he talked I kept kicking my self and seeing his tear filled eyes looking at me. “Sir, I don't have a church, but I need somebody to pray for me." At the very time when I could have been the "Good Samaritan", I became the priest and the Levite walking to the other side of the road. "Sir, I don't have a church, but I need somebody to pray for me." WOW! You should have seen his eyes!!!!
I have often thought about how many times I may have missed an opportunity. How many times have I told our staff and volunteers that the "YMCA is the church for many people and we have an obligation to lead them closer to Christ," and in that opportunity I came within a look into this man's eyes from letting him lie in the ditch.
Before our meeting started, we prayed for him. I hope tonight before you go to sleep you will pray for people like him and also ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities to help people out of their ditch!
It didn't look like anyone was going to show up for the devotional. I diplomatically told him to come back next week and that I would make sure people showed up...."next week." I am now embarrassed to say, that I told him that I had a meeting to go into and we would not be having the prayer time today. At that point he looked at me and said, "Sir, I do not have a church, but I need somebody to pray for me. And I saw where you had this "Prayer Partners" and I thought the Y could help me!"
I felt two inches tall. How could I have made such a statement? I could feel God slapping me in the back of the head like my father used to do and saying, “Now what did you say?" I shook the man's hand and I invited him to the meeting and introduced him to our Senior Staff team, and for the next twenty minutes we heard his story.
He shared a story of a confused man searching for peace. He wanted us to teach him how to pray. He wanted us to pray for him. "You see", he said, "I believe in God, but I guess the more people praying for me, the better off I am." You could feel our Y staff embrace him with nods and smiles of encouragement. He had a slight mental disability he alluded to, but his real demon is his battle with alcohol. He wanted us to pray for his DUI trial next week. He was scared to lose his license. He rambled on and on about his car, and he threw out a few bible verses he remembered. But you could tell he was lonely and scared.
As he talked I kept kicking my self and seeing his tear filled eyes looking at me. “Sir, I don't have a church, but I need somebody to pray for me." At the very time when I could have been the "Good Samaritan", I became the priest and the Levite walking to the other side of the road. "Sir, I don't have a church, but I need somebody to pray for me." WOW! You should have seen his eyes!!!!
I have often thought about how many times I may have missed an opportunity. How many times have I told our staff and volunteers that the "YMCA is the church for many people and we have an obligation to lead them closer to Christ," and in that opportunity I came within a look into this man's eyes from letting him lie in the ditch.
Before our meeting started, we prayed for him. I hope tonight before you go to sleep you will pray for people like him and also ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities to help people out of their ditch!
November 3, 2008
One More Day
The best thing that can happen tomorrow is that it will be over. It seems that the big winners in this election season are the printers, marketing people, TV stations, ad agencies, newspapers and the people that sell canned phone calls.
I am starting to get tired of the calls at home, the slanderous slick ads in the mail, and the partisan TV pundits. I am not getting tired of the SNL impersonations. Tina Fey gets better looking each week!!!
I am going to get up early and vote tomorrow. And I will watch the news tomorrow night trying to monitor who will be our new President, Governor, Lt Governor and County Commissioners. But no matter who wins or who loses, I will get up Wednesday morning and sit in the dentist chair.
That may be the only thing worse than the last month of this election season!
Everybody rinse and spit. And God Bless America!
I am starting to get tired of the calls at home, the slanderous slick ads in the mail, and the partisan TV pundits. I am not getting tired of the SNL impersonations. Tina Fey gets better looking each week!!!
I am going to get up early and vote tomorrow. And I will watch the news tomorrow night trying to monitor who will be our new President, Governor, Lt Governor and County Commissioners. But no matter who wins or who loses, I will get up Wednesday morning and sit in the dentist chair.
That may be the only thing worse than the last month of this election season!
Everybody rinse and spit. And God Bless America!
October 23, 2008
I Feel So Cool
I am an official member now. Spent the day talking about Gen Xers and Millenials at a Y staff retreat, and now I am an official member of FACEBOOK! It took 5 minutes to register and 27 ½ straight hours of finger blistering and eye straining to find 14 people to sign up as my friend! I have heard from people that I have not heard from in 25 years. I haven’t been able to focus for the past day and a half and now all I can do is send a message, invite a friend and scan the list for potential friends.
I even found a page or link to a group from my old neighborhood – Holly Tree. Where are Mike Selvy, David Catron, Barbie Bowen and Linda Yokum. Where are Sean DeVine, William Poole, Jeff Westhoff and Allen Cantrell. Hello all Holly Tree people. Are you out there? Wow, What if Evelyn Barber even vaguely remembers who I am and asks me to be her friend? I may just pass out! (Sorry about that. I had a flash back to being 15 years old again!)
It is kind of like a crack addiction!!!! I am Jonesing for some friends. WHOOAAAH.
One of my staff members has 1600 friends, and another has only 500. That is only 500. Well I have 14. 14 of the greatest friends that I have in the entire world. 14 people who dropped in and out of my life sometime over the last 44 years and now they have picked me. Picked me of all people to be on their list! To be their friend. To send an instant message . I am not worthy!
I feel so hip. I blog. I text. I IM on my blackberry and now I am on Facebook. If only my 14 year old daughter thought that I was cool. Maybe if she asked some of the 14 friends from my high school days to tell them how cool I was back in the day….Well maybe that is not such a good idea.
In all seriousness, this is a cool way (typed neat first but that ain’t cool) This is a cool way to connect with people. I love to regale my kids in those long lost stories where I can embellish my significance in the world. Whether it’s the story of Jayma Gilmore’s scarf, Sadie DePolo’s dance or the first date with their mother, the way I tell the story makes it sound like it should be part of a screenplay.
I know in a few days when I get April on Facebook she and I will have some secret arms race to see who can get more friends. That will be another thing that she will kick my ass in and lord over my head. And if my kids get a page then I will be pulling up the rear with them too.
Calling all Holly Tree people. Help me out please! I need some cool points! I need some friends!
I even found a page or link to a group from my old neighborhood – Holly Tree. Where are Mike Selvy, David Catron, Barbie Bowen and Linda Yokum. Where are Sean DeVine, William Poole, Jeff Westhoff and Allen Cantrell. Hello all Holly Tree people. Are you out there? Wow, What if Evelyn Barber even vaguely remembers who I am and asks me to be her friend? I may just pass out! (Sorry about that. I had a flash back to being 15 years old again!)
It is kind of like a crack addiction!!!! I am Jonesing for some friends. WHOOAAAH.
One of my staff members has 1600 friends, and another has only 500. That is only 500. Well I have 14. 14 of the greatest friends that I have in the entire world. 14 people who dropped in and out of my life sometime over the last 44 years and now they have picked me. Picked me of all people to be on their list! To be their friend. To send an instant message . I am not worthy!
I feel so hip. I blog. I text. I IM on my blackberry and now I am on Facebook. If only my 14 year old daughter thought that I was cool. Maybe if she asked some of the 14 friends from my high school days to tell them how cool I was back in the day….Well maybe that is not such a good idea.
In all seriousness, this is a cool way (typed neat first but that ain’t cool) This is a cool way to connect with people. I love to regale my kids in those long lost stories where I can embellish my significance in the world. Whether it’s the story of Jayma Gilmore’s scarf, Sadie DePolo’s dance or the first date with their mother, the way I tell the story makes it sound like it should be part of a screenplay.
I know in a few days when I get April on Facebook she and I will have some secret arms race to see who can get more friends. That will be another thing that she will kick my ass in and lord over my head. And if my kids get a page then I will be pulling up the rear with them too.
Calling all Holly Tree people. Help me out please! I need some cool points! I need some friends!
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