The Forge of Adversity

A few nights ago most of America witnessed an unforgettable moment in the history of baseball. Derek Jeter was at the plate for what would be his last at bat of his professional baseball career and smashed a walk-off game winning RBI single. It didn’t matter that the Yankees were already eliminated from the playoffs. He gave his fans what they came to see; ultimate achievement in the face of adversity.

The last thing you want to do is finish playing or doing anything and wish you would have worked harder. (Derek Jeter)

Moments like these don’t just happen because of some mystical alignment of a constellation or childish superstition. They happen because the person has spent a lifetime training and preparing for such a defining challenge. Adversity is often the forge of character, hope, and faith.

Two of the most important questions that we can ask ourselves and our students are:

1. Where are you now?
2. Where do you want to go?

As we process the answers to these questions, we also need to take a more introspective look; is what I am currently doing helping me move closer to my goal; if not, what am I willing to change in order to move?

Life is all about change in the face of adversity. Failure to change is often a failure to grow and learn. Change is the result of an inward glance at our soul in light of our perception of life’s current circumstances; it is our perception of reality that defines our perception of truth. But our perceptions are not always true.

A true and righteous learning experience is sometimes adversarial in that it forces us to examine our greatest fear – that we may be wrong. Unless we walk through the fiery furnace of life with a tenacious spirit we will remain stuck in our fear and become stagnant in our faith.

If we fail to take this personal journey and face the giants in our own lives, how can we hope to see our students make the shifts necessary to prepare them for their future? May we step into the batter's box with a quiet confidence and swing with purpose and intention so that we leave the next generation an example of unwavering faith in the ultimate truth of the reality of a living and vibrant God.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Stand strong, my human friends...

Missing the Mark

Let me begin by saying that this posting comes from a question posed to me by a friend and colleague. Knowing that Donna and I enjoy archery, he asked that if the word “sin” is defined in archery terms as “missing the mark,” what meaning could I extrapolate from this interpretation. This may not have been the exact conversation, but it is what I took away from the brief chat. So, here are my thoughts…

I found the following while doing a search for the Greek and Hebrew words for “sin”:

Thayer's Greek Lexicon - STRONGS NT 266: ἁμαρτία

 ἁμαρτία, (ας, ἡ (from 2 aorist ἁμαρτεῖν, as ἀποτυχία from ἀποτύχειν), a failing to hit the mark (see ἁμαρτάνω. In Greek writings (from Aeschylus and Thucydides down). 1st, an error of the understanding (cf. Ackermann, Das Christl. im Plato, p. 59 Anm. 3 (English translation (S. R. Asbury, 1861), p. 57 n. 99)). 2nd, a bad action, evil deed. In the N. T. always in an ethical sense…

The key things that stand out in this definition are: failing to hit the mark; an error of the understanding; a bad action, evil deed; always in an ethical sense. I am sure there are many other words and concepts used in Scripture to describe and define “sin,” but for the purposes of answering the question, I am only going to address it from “missing the mark.”

The ultimate goal in 3D archery (which is the one I am most familiar with) is to hit a small 12-point circle within in the 10-point ring. The 10-point ring is about 6” in diameter and the 12-point circle is about the size of a .50 piece. In some competitions, that small circle is worth 14 points. It is located outside of the 10-point circle. If you miss it, you get 5 points – high risk vs high reward.

The serious shooter will invest a great deal of time and money trying to master the ring. Archers shoot from a variety of distances; some target distances are known and some are unknown. The terrain changes from flat and level, to uphill or downhill. The position of the targets challenges the archer’s ability to adapt to varying light conditions. Everything is done to test the skills and abilities of the archer to focus on a small circle that represents a kill shot.

What? Did you think that archery was an antiseptic and clean sport? Archery represents one of the oldest forms of survival; kill so that you can eat; kill or be killed.

To master archery, one must first master themselves.

Muscle strength and control, matching arrow length and weight to bow draw length and draw weight, tuning the bow properly, maintaining proper anchor position, breathing technique, balance and form, focused and clear mind, and a slow and steady arrow release without thinking about releasing the arrow, and did I mention the cardinal rule of remaining relaxed?

In some tournaments the target is made of metal. The center area is left open. The goal is to shoot an arrow through the open area. Arrows that miss and hit the metal target are destroyed on impact. Thanks, I’ll stick with the 3D foam targets!

When I fail and miss the target in archery, I lose points and once in a while I lose an arrow. I miss the goal of making a perfect score of 200. If I’m good enough to hit a few 12-point circles, I have the potential to make up for a few bad shots, or possibly score even more than 200 points.

When I fail and miss the mark in life, I lose in a different way. I cause pain and suffering to myself and others, and I hurt the heart of God. It is far more costly than a few points and broken arrows. My selfish pride causes my spirit to fragment and splinter upon the anvil of God’s truth when I miss His purpose and plan.

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Ephesians to think about how they lived their lives in the following quote from Ephesians 4:17-24:

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

May our aim be true and our focus centered on Christ: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13, 14)

Blessings, my human friends.

P. S. Thank you, Scott! “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Are We Losing Our Humanity

While perusing a recent leadership article, I stumbled across a quote from Simon Sinek’s new book Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t. I enjoyed reading First Ask Why so I’ll probably read this one in the near future. The quote reads:

It seems to stir controversy when I talk about the fact that no matter how great social media is, it is not as effective for building strong bonds of trust as real human contact is… It is also the reason a video conference can never replace a business trip. Trust is not formed through a screen; it is formed across a table. It takes a handshake to bind humans … and no technology can replace that. There is no such thing as virtual trust” (p. 111).

As much as technology has advanced the methodology of human connectedness it has also created a sterile and antiseptic environment devoid of the human touch. We miss being physically present in the same room, hearing the same sounds, smelling the Starbucks coffee on the desk, and absorbing the visual stimuli of our surroundings. We have traded it for a digital replica that fails in comparison to the real thing of human-to-human contact.

The virtual classroom has a place in the ever-changing educational environment, but it will never replace the face-to-face encounter between student and teacher. That kind of human interaction is powerful and filled with life-changing opportunities.

Teachers stand in the gap between the student and their future. Who can accurately predict the complex nature of the world that they will inherit – or will it be a world that they help create?

Our role as educators is to disciple and prepare them for the future. May we never replace the human touch for a digital touch screen. Stay connected with your students so that you may, in some way, touch their souls for the Kingdom. It is only the touch of the Master’s hand that can truly transform and shape their character.

We are plan "A" and there is no plan "B".

Stay in touch, my human friend.

Praying Next To Jesus

Frank Macchia is a colleague from many years ago. We worked together at a Christian University in Florida. I enjoyed hearing him speak in Chapel services back in the day and I enjoy reading his posts on Facebook. He recently posted some thoughts about the Lord's Prayer that I found provoking:

Look at the Lord's Prayer and ask the question of what it means to pray next to Jesus. You share in his relationship with God, having the audacity to address God as he did. You realize that it's impossible to ever pray alone, even in your darkest hour, even if no one else is there. You pray and reach for outlandish things like the reign of God on earth. You naively trust in God for this day's bread and not obsess over the future. You pray for grace only from a prior commitment to channel grace to others. Prayer becomes a gift rather than a tool of manipulation. Praying next to Jesus is downright revolutionary. I wonder what would happen if we all decided to pray in this way, all of the time. You think this is what Jesus had in mind?

When it seems I am at the end of my ability and my strength is gone, I pray. When there is nothing else I can do, I pray. When I run out of words to say, I need to listen.

It’s not wrong to exhaust our knowledge and understanding before we pray. It’s not wrong to wrestle with an issue before turning to God for an answer. We never truly understand something until we sit in the question and struggle to comprehend the meaning and value of an experience.

God is not worried about our doubts and questions. He invites them. Confrontation with the Divine ultimately leads to understanding, and understanding leads us to the wisdom revealed in the quiet presence of His Spirit.

It is in this place that we can humbly pray…

Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen (Matthew 6:9-13)

This is the prayer of the penitent; the prayer of the humble; the prayer of the righteous. It is a prayer of complete trust that recognizes the sovereignty of God.

Find a quiet place and pray with Jesus. You never pray alone.

The weakness of our humanity is showing, but it's OK.

Blessings, my human friends...