Sports

Kris Jenkins wins it for Villanova at the buzzer.

Sunday marked one month since the Super Bowl, and Monday I finally emerged from under my sports rock.  Since late in the night on February 5, I gave myself a one month ban on sports talk radio and barely watched ESPN except to catch a UGA or UNC basketball game.  I needed to create some separation for myself.  I didn't want to hear about, read about or talk about the improbable comeback.  I'm happy to hear the conversation is now much more about pitchers and catchers.  It's March.  Hope springs eternal for my Braves.

I've had a rough year in sports.  It all started in Houston, but not in the Super Bowl.  It started in at the Final Four at NRG Stadium. My wife is a UNC fan, and we're pretty big Tar Heel Basketball fans.  The stars were aligning last march for the Heels' third National Championship under Roy Williams.  Preseason #1.  Regular season ACC Champs.  ACC Tournament Champs.  And they'd made it to the National Championship, and even hit an improbable 3-pointer to tie it up.  Then Kris Jenkins happened, and Villanova won the greatest NCAA tournament championship ever.

Surely it would get better in the Fall.  My Dawgs had a new coach, started the season with a resounding win in the Chick-fil-a Kickoff vs. UNC (can you say house divided?), featuring our star player's (Nick Chubb) improbable comeback from injury, and thrilling last minute win at Mizzou at the hand of our rising star, freshman QB Jacob Eason.  Against undefeated Tennessee at home, we'd played our best game of the season, trailed late and made a miracle play with 10 seconds left to seemingly secure the biggest home win in several years.  It would be a huge moment for our rookie coach and rookie QB, who had made the (almost) winning pass.  Then the unthinkable happened.

Jauan Jennings makes the game winning catch.

But the Falcons were rolling through the season.  Midway through the year I thought we looked like a Super Bowl contender.  Indeed, we were.  Matt Ryan was the best player in the league, except maybe for his teammate, Julio Jones.  The offense was unstoppable and the defense was maturing.  The playoffs became the ride of the lifetime, and at halftime of the Super Bowl, I couldn't hardly believe my eyes.  We were going to win the Super Bowl.  The loss to 'Nova stung.  The Hail Mary that derailed our season still hurt.  This would give me some momentary sports joy.  Would I get the red, black or gray Super Bowl Champion shirt?  Maybe one of each, or one short sleeve and one long sleeve.  And a hat.  And a pennant for the basement.  And you know what happened.

James White scores the game winning TD in Overtime

In the stadium where the season of my sports discontent started, it ended.  I'd seen my favorites lose the greatest NCAA championship game ever, one of the greatest SEC games ever (Two 40+ yd TD passes in 10 seconds), and the greatest Super Bowl ever (the only one to ever go to overtime.)  I needed a break.

But I can't just give up on sports.  Hope springs eternal, and there are too many lessons.  During my hiatus from sports talk, my boys' basketball seasons marched on.  My youngest was in an instructional league for Kindergarten and 1st graders.  They didn't keep score.  At that age, the kids there were super aggressive kind of took over.  Nothing wrong with that.  The kids were trying to make plays and really got after it on defense.  It was hard for some kids to even get a shot off all season.  In the last couple of games, the referee cleared a path for a few kids who hadn't been able to score all year to get some clear shots.  They were ecstatic when they'd finally made one.  They beamed the whole way back down the court.  That is what sports have really been about in my life.

Sports build confidence and character like few things I know of.  They teach us to keep fighting and working hard.  They teach discipline and effort.  They teach us to respect leaders.  They teach unselfishness.  They teach teamwork.  Few things have shaped my work life and adult life the way sports did.

They also teach dealing with disappointment.  In the movie Fever Pitch, Jimmy Fallon's character, Ben, describes his affection for his beloved Red Sox and their success this way:  "I like being part of something that's bigger than me...It's good for your soul to invest in something you can't control."  And guess what?  Much of our lives we can't control, and we have to learn to get back up and move on when we're disappointed.  Even being a real fan can be positive.  Can we learn to stick with a team or organization through highs and lows or will we be a front-runner fan?  That teaches us something about commitment and relationships.  People will disappoint us.  Will we stick with them?  And isn't success sweeter when we stuck with them for the long haul?

I love art -- music, movies, artwork.  But someone decides what they look like and how they end up.  The artists controls what they create with the skills they spent a lifetime honing.  But sports are unpredictable.  We have no idea what will happen when the game begins, and how hard you worked doesn't always mean you get the results you want, and sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes the ball bounces the wrong way, and sometimes one decision changes the course of the game, and sometimes your preparation meets the perfect opportunity, and sometimes you have to play again after being incredibly disappointed, and sometimes you celebrate a win only to realize there's another game.  Ain't that life?

And the greatest thing about it?  There's always next year, and in your life, there's always tomorrow.  After all, the Heels are looking like they could make another run, the Dawgs are about to start spring practice, and the Braves look like a young, hungry team.  Don't talk to me about NFL free agency.  I'm not ready for the NFL yet.  

I'm still not over it.

At least I'm not a Warriors or Indians fan.  

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (9.29.16)

Hey Church!

I hope you've had a 'complaint free' week...or you're at least getting better.  What an awesome word from God these past few weeks to think about what we're thinking about saying.  This Sunday, we're beginning a brand new, three-week series called "Sorry Not Sorry."  We're going to look at what repentance is all about.  That's not exactly something we talk about in everyday life, but it's crucial to a life of faith, and when we understand it, our lives will truly be changed.  Hope to see you there!

Thought for the Week
"For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law."  Romans 3:28

I saw a picture today of some of the decorated swimmers from the Rio Olympics getting to visit the White House and meet the President.  What a thrill that must be for those accomplished Olympians!  Isn't that the way our system works?  Win a medal or championship and the athletes get to meet the President.  Get elected student council president and get access to the principal.  Make the most sales and get lunch w/ the CEO.  Achievement gets us access to those higher up on the totem poll.  That's kind of the American way, and it seeps into our thinking on faith.  We 'think' that our good deeds, our works, and our accomplishments will get us before God.  He'll be so proud.  But that's not how it works.  It's not about our achievements.  We are able to stand before God because of faith in Christ.  Faith that Christ died for us.  Faith that Christ rose again.  Faith that, through grace, our sin was defeated on the cross.  Not by what we have done -- but by what Jesus has done.  And guess what, God couldn't be any more prouder of you already.  You are made in His image.  Your accomplishments don't make Him love you more because He couldn't possibly.  We certainly ought to strive for good works because they are pleasing to God, but don't buy the lie that you need to keep doing good to get on God's good side or get access to Him and His love.  That's only done by faith.

Because of Jesus,

Carter

Olympic Level Competition

Admit it.  You watch the Olympics and start thinking about training for 2020.  Or you sign up for a local 5K.  Or you at least join a bowling league.  There is something beautiful about the Olympics.  It's the competition.

Our world seems to be afraid of competition.  We don't want to declare winners and losers.  To me, competition has been one of the greatest lessons athletics taught me.  If you play sports long enough.  you're going to lose.  If you stick to it, you'll probably win some thrilling competitions.  Heartbreak and heroics.  Crushing losses and exhilarating wins.  The agony of defeat and the thrill of victory.  Competition teaches us a healthy disdain for losing.  It pushes us to do and be our best.  It drives us toward improvement.  It narrows our focus.

The reason I think competition is so healthy is that the greatest and most important competition is with ourselves.  It is easy to become complacent and lazy with ourselves.  But this isn't the path God would have for us.  God desires us to mature and be our best with each step we take on the journey.  We are in competition to take the next step in our faith, in our courage, and in our trust with Him.  

After a while, any athlete learns that the games were just games.  They don't count in real life.  Marriage, raising children, relationships, impacting our community, and our relationship with God are what really count.  The competition is to be the best version of us in the games that really count -- in life.  

One of my favorite verses is Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord."  That's the heart of competition with ourselves.  Don't short change the ones you love by being the most 'okay' person you can be.  Compete.  Be the best version of you.  There will be losses.  Dust yourself off and get to work the next day.

They will not televise your victories or competitions.  But competing with yourself to being the best you that you've ever been is far more important than any medal.  So give that mistake you made the Michael Phelps stank-eye and get to work the next day.

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (7.24.14)

What an awesome week it's been here!  KidsGames has rocked as we've welcomed about a 100 kids each night.  We've made so many new friends as about two-thirds of those children are from our community and new to Church of the Way.  It has been so much fun.  On Sunday, you'll get to see a highlight video for some of the amazing things going on this week.

We've got a big Sunday coming up.  We'll be continuing our series on where God's calling us the next 15 months as a church through "Go Beyond:  V15ION".  We'll be talking about how each of us can deeply connect to Jesus.  It's a Sunday you won't want to miss:

• There's a few surprises in this week's message, and it's going to be a lot of fun.
• Sunday morning we've got a baptism and remembrance of baptism.
• KidsGames highlight video!
• Some big, exciting news you'll want to hear.

Also, if you've got questions about Go Beyond or anything, this Sunday at 3:30 we have an "Ask the Pastor" hosted at my home.  We'd love to have you for discussion and dessert.

Thought for the Week
"The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal, with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies."  Isaiah 42:13

This week we've been talking about being a champion at KidsGames.  What does that mean to you?  Does it mean winning the most games, being the best, or accomplishing the most.  If life is all about how we measure ourselves against others, there will always be someone a little better.  And if we do reach the pinnacle and become the very best, it won't be long before we become older and a little less sharp while a new generation comes behind us to take our crown as 'the best.'  It's inevitable.  It's a losing game to see ourselves based on the merit of our accomplishments.  We can be champions because our God is THE Champion, and he created us in His image and called us by name.  Whether you have accomplished a great deal in life or very little, whether you think you measure up or have always doubted that you might not.  God is a Champion...and He is your champion.  And listen really closely -- the True Champion overcomes where you fall short.  And we all fall short sometimes.  The greatest athlete or artist has areas of their life they're not real happy about.  We've all got failures and some dirt in the corner.  We serve a God who triumphs over those shortcomings and cleans up the dirt.  I hope you'll hear this.  If you want to define your life by you ability to win, you'll be disappointed.  While there might be a season your a champion on the field, office, classroom, or whatever, there will be others where someone else gets the job or promotion, wins the game or excels past you in the area in which you thought you were the best.  Don't fall into that trap.  You aren't defined by your accomplishments.  You are defined by a Champion who has power over all the universe, and still calls you into a personal relationship with him.  Jesus loves you not because you are a champion at life but because He is a champion at love.

In His love,

Carter 

Why I Needed Snowmageddon

Later today I'll be jogging in shorts and a T-shirt.  It's hard to believe we were sledding a week ago.  As this week life has gotten back to normal for those of us in the Deep South (especially the ATL), I can't help but reflect:  I needed Snowmageddon.

• I played a lot with my boys.  We played in the snow with no regard for time or where we had to be next.  We risked life and limb for a good ride down the hill.  We decided we might have a future in the skeleton at the next Winter Olympics.  There was nowhere I could go and no meetings I had to attend.  
• We stayed up late together every night cheering on Team USA in Sochi.  We learned about new sports together and marveled at the flips, twists, speed and accuracy of the world's best.  We shared something we probably wouldn't have gotten to share in the normal routines of a school week and it's 8 o'clock bedtime.
• We didn't set an alarm for four straight days.  I can't remember the last time that's happened in this house.  We got up when the boys woke us up, which was usually plenty early.  We just lived life as it came.
• I got a lot of work done.  I wrote a huge paper I needed to write for school.  I visioned for our church and planned for future sermons and series.  No meetings and no travel means more time to reflect.
• Our dishwasher ran constantly because we cooked and ate every meal together for four straight days.  There was a lot of laughter at the table and a lot of dirty dishes.  No fast food, no hurried meals.  They became our sacred time to come in from the snow or ice or work.
• We prayed a lot.  At every meal and bedtime we thanked God for a warm, dry house.  We prayed for those that had no home or had lost power.  We prayed for those working to restore power.  We read Bible stories and thanked God for the fun we'd had that day.

Every meal was not a five-star meal.  The house was mostly a mess during the ordeal.  I wore sweatpants every day.  By Friday afternoon, we were ready to get out of the house (and did).  But, Snowmageddon gave my family a Sabbath.  In a hustle and bustle culture, those rarely happen.  They certainly don't happen enough.  This week, baseball season has kicked into high gear.  We have four boys on four different teams in four different levels.  We have at least one practice every night, most of the time two.  We will spend Spring at the ballpark.  Soon, I'll get a new reading list for my classes in May and will be engulfed in reading in the evenings instead of watching Ted Ligety or Body Miller race down a mountain with my boys.  Church life will get crazy again with meetings, strategic planning and special events.  I'll resume ministry-planning lunches and discipleship over coffee instead of chili with my family and hot cocoa after a sledding break.  My wife's alarm has blared this week as she readies the boys off to school once again.  But we had that week.  The snow provided a few days to slow down and do what God had commanded us to do -- slow down.  Stop working.  Rest.  Worship.  What if we all actually did we God told us to do and made Sabbath a normal part of our busy, busy lives.  Just a thought.