Second Wind

If you’ve even been involved in any athletic event then you know the sheer excitement that the anticipation brings. You’ve stretched, warmed up, your adrenaline is pumping, your heart is racing, and you’re ready to go! The whistle blows, the gun goes off, the kickoff has taken place; the competition commences, the “game” has started…it’s action time. You’re doing fine matching up with your opponent running to and fro as the sweat beads up and trickles down your body. You’re moving, you’re panting, and the all of a sudden you feel “it”…the brick wall! You feel as if you’re running in mud, your lungs feel as if they’re going to explode as they try to pump oxygen. Your reflexes are not as sharp, and you don’t feel that you can finish. Your opponent (whether a person or the event itself) seems much bigger than before. You feel as if you’ve hit a brick wall and there’s no getting around (or over) it.

In the midst of your exhausted plight you begin to think “This is it.” or “I’m done.”, but at that point something peculiar happens. You begin to feel a slow rejuvenation in your body. All of a sudden you’re able to breath a bit easier, see clearer, your legs seem lighter, and you have a sense of clarity. You’re not sure of what just happened, but you are sure that you can finish. You experienced what many call a “second wind”. It’s been defined as “an ease of breathing after internal exhaustion” or “renewed energy or strength to continue an undertaking”. Technically it’s the body using less oxygen and more lactic acid to burn as fuel. Whatever the case, the end result is that, because of this “second wind”, you’re able to continue on in the pursuit.

Likewise, I’ve also come to realize that in life itself I’ve hit “brick walls” that I didn’t think I’d overcome. At the current time the wall looked SO MUCH BIGGER than it really was because I’d run out of energy to face it. And when I’d hit a place called “rock bottom” I was certain it was the end for me. As a matter of fact I was content with that reality and begin to live as if it was the end, but at that point something peculiar happens. All of a sudden I begin to look at the wall from a different perspective and it wasn’t so big after all. As I stood up I begin to breath a little easier. As I thought about my circumstances I begin to have more clarity. As I begin to run ahead I realized I’d regained my strength. I saw that there was hope beyond the wall. This wall that I once thought was a towering feat was nothing more than a speed bump for me to step over all because I got my “second wind”.

Choices

On last week I had the privilege of speaking to a gymnasium full of junior high students to kick of their career day. As I considered what to speak about days prior I settled on a subject all too familiar to me: The Power of Choice. At first I thought I had run out of topics to address and that these kids would blow me off and begin to text each other, but quite the opposite happened. As I arrived at the school I spoke to the teacher who invited me. She informed me of some recent issues that had occurred at the school including fighting (or shall I say brawling), drugs and other vices…to name a few. She told me that the kids really needed to understand the “power of their choices”. How about that! When I was introduced I begin with something witty to loosen the crowd up and then delved into the topic at hand. I want to share the highlights of what I told the students about choices.

1. Your Choices Have Power – Whether we accept it or not choice our life is not lived in minutes, hours, days, or years but rather in the peaks and valleys of the choices we make. Good or bad, right or wrong, wise or stupid, your choices will make or break you and others. Regardless of what you believe in, your power to choose lies solely in your hands at the end of the day and is affected by everything around you, seen and unseen.
2. Your Choices Have Consequences – With every choice you make there is always a consequence attached to it. A choice to eat healthy carries with it the possible consequences of giving you a longer and healthy life, whereas the choice to eat unhealthy carries with it the possible consequences of heart disease and a shorter life. If you think about where you are right now in life it is, in large part, due to the sum total of your choices thus far. Choices and consequences are inextricably linked and depending on your choices the outcome will either be bright or dim.
3. Your Choices Affect Others – What you choose will positively or negatively affect those around you. As a father I’ve learned that what I choose to say and do in front of my son will help or hinder him as he matures. As a matter of fact whatever I choose to do or say in his absence can have just as much of an effect on him. For some of us our lives has been tremendously impacted by the decisions of others (divorce, lack of positive role model, abuse/neglect, etc.) and even the choices we make today. Our choices speak louder to others more than anything else in our life and will make a difference in their life one way or another.

I know these points may seem relatively simple but it’s usually the simplest that proves to be the hardest. The coolest aspect of having the power to choose is regardless of how many bad or unwise decisions you’ve made you have the ability to start making better choices today (in a later blog I’ll offer a guide to making good choices…remind me!). There’s an old saying that goes “All will grow old, but few will grow up” (let that sink in.) The choices you make will prove the difference.

Are We There Yet?

This morning, against my current natural tendency, I visited a local church in my community that I’d passed by previously and also had been recommended by someone I know. Upon turning into the parking lot I saw a section marked “Visitors Parking”. As I parked in my premium spot near the door I walked to an entrance and was quickly greeted by two middle-aged Caucasian ladies. As I figured my way out to the place where people were I was again greeted, this time along with an handshake, by a older Caucasian guy who praised God that I was visiting with them on today. He passed me off to another middle-aged Caucasian lady who directed me to a seat (or shall I say a row where I navigated to a seat) where I sat next to a (take a wild guess) middle-aged Caucasian lady and a young Caucasian couple.

The music was being led by a African-American man and a choir full of (you guessed it) Caucasians of all ages who sung songs ranging from black southern gospel to contemporary Christian and sung them well. The Lead Pastor (as they’re called now) came up 30 minutes later and talked about forgiveness based on the recent hit Christian movie about marriage, Fireproof. He used a good balance, in my opinion, of comic relief and scriptural wisdom on how to seek and receive forgiveness.

All in all, it was a good service and I really enjoyed it on many levels, but as I was sitting through the service a thought hit me: Is the church really intentional about diversity or is it more of an approach of “whoever shows up will be our makeup?” Hopefully by now you’ve figured out this was a church made up majorly of Caucasians. Now, whether it has been a direct goal of this church or not, it had been the most diverse of any I’d been to in a while (and we’re talking MAYBE 7-10% of “other” racial makeup). Intentional? I have no idea. Attempt to attract diversity? Seems so. Potential to do more? Absolutely! But it beckons the question: Are We There Yet?

Is the church ever going to get past the racial lines that keep (as the cliche goes) Sunday mornings the most segregated time of the week? As someone who has experience in church leadership I’ve come to realize that it is not solely the responsibility of the people to attempt to diversify the church, but rather the initial responsibility of the leadership of the church to do so. And let me say this; adding one person of a different race to the church staff is not racial diversity nor is changing up the music to feature “other” types of Christian music though it is a step in the right direction. It starts with the heart of the leaders being broken in a way that they realize that it doesn’t look, feel, or reveal what God’s Kingdom should or will resemble. We’ve become so “me-istic” in our approach to church that we expect only to be around those who look and act like “me/us”. I understand it. It’s comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective for the church to stay as as is…but it’s also prideful. Call me crazy but maybe God is trying to “nudge” America by giving us, not a black, but a bi-racial President. It could be that diversity isn’t such a bad idea after all, and maybe the church can take a play out of the pages of the political world…who knows?

Regardless, it has to start somewhere. Above all else I give love and credit to the church I visited today for just that, starting somewhere. I hope it will not stop there for them just as much as I hope that it will “start somewhere” for others, but this is just one man’s opinion. Talk to me…

Is It Just Me?

I’m not sure what exactly is going on but there seems to be a certain “energy” in the air. Over the past month I’ve dialogued with various people with varied backgrounds and one thing has become evident: folks are really becoming disconnected from the church. Now let me be clear, I haven’t just spoken to heathens (like myself) but also dedicated, bible-carrying, every Sunday morning church-going people who are actually involved. Regardless of the denomination and size, for whatever reason, these people are simply going just to go. That scares me! Okay, maybe I can understand that mindset when it comes to going to a job (monetary incentive) that you despise, but when it comes to church we should look forward to coming together to connect with each other and more importantly with God. But that’s not the case. Many of us every Sunday begrudgingly put on our Sunday clothes and in a zombie fashion we navigate our way to a certain building, find us a nice quiet spot to sit, and…are just there. Now, to their credit, many pastors are delivering a solid sermon/talk and most choirs (or whatever you may be accustomed to) are singing the latest and greatest songs, but even in the midst of that something is still missing. Maybe that which is missing is a need to get involved, or a need to stop screwing up so much, or even a need to get past selfish pursuits of feeling that church is “only for us”. I’m not totally sure what it may be but what I know (and have heard from many others) is that there is a major disconnect when it comes to this thing we call church. I have my theories of why this may be, but I’ll pause for now. Feel free to share your thoughts.

Do The I-Shuffle

Okay it’s simple. Grab your IPod, IPhone, or launch your ITunes. Select Shuffle Mode and send in the name and artist of the first song that plays. Just for fun let’s see if there will be any matches. Once you’re done you’ve done the I-Shuffle!