Rearview Mirror

• Great mothers day service at NorthStar…really wet outside but a ton of energy inside!   Our “Wonder Years” series tied in great with the message “Put Others First”
• I was so blessed to have had an incredible mom growing up and now to have a wife who is an amazing mom to our kids!!  My life has been so blessed!
• Life is getting pretty crazy around our house with the school year wrapping up!  It is a bit surreal actually….planning graduation parties, senior dinners etc…..Hard to believe that I have one that is old enough to be going through this!  Seems like yesterday that he was just starting kindergarten.
• The Allatoona baseball team which got in the playoffs as the #3 seed out of our region is now in the Elite 8 of the state playoffs.  We have seen a walkoff win in the bottom of the 7th with a HR – we saw a win in the 11th inning over the #9 ranked team in America which secured a sweep of them!  It has been a blast to be a part of and watch!!  A magical run to this point….great way for Casey to wrap up his senior year season!
• As usual, I look back over the past few months, which have been some of the craziest of my life, and I see the faithfulness of God!  

Life always makes more sense looking back in the rearview mirror than it does from the front windshield!

How to handle the bench – part 3

There are times that you are overlooked…rightly or wrongly by others.  The question is not what they do – the question is what do you do and how do you handle it?  Joseph had a great ability to make good choices during tough times.  He knew….

If you get bitter you will never be in a spot to get better!

Our frustration in our place leads to bitterness and bitterness eventually turns to anger.  If we find ourselves in that spot, we will most likely miss our chance to shine when it comes. Joseph was ready to help these guys with their dream (Gen 40) even though he was forgotten for a while he was eventually remembered.

Don’t miss your shot because you are sulking and upset about your place.  Keep on giving your best and know that God’s plan is bigger than where you find yourself!

How to handle the bench – part 2

There are times that you are overlooked…rightly or wrongly by others.  The question is not what they do – the question is what do you do and how do you handle it?  Joseph had a great ability to make good choices during tough times.  He knew….

Life is bigger than where I find myself currently

He knew God had a plan that was bigger than his circumstances.  He knew his circumstances did not define who he was.  If what we do defines who we are – we will struggle.  If who we are is bigger…..we keep going and keep fighting!  We may not like it and may not want to stay there – but while we are there, we know God has us there for a reason and hopefully for a season.

How to handle the bench – part 1

There are times in life that we find ourselves in the spot that Joseph found himself in.  We are in a place that we don’t deserve or sure feel we don’t deserve and we are “off the radar”.  The coach does not notice us, the boss is passing us over….what do we do during those times?  Let’s do what Joseph did…..

Give your best no matter the spot you are in

Joseph was still open to listening to others and heard the plight of the cupbearer & baker.  He used his gift of interpreting dreams to help them.  Sometimes we feel that if we are stuck in a tough spot, we can hold back until our time in the “spotlight” comes…then we will use our giftedness again.  We see Joseph here in the darkness using his “best” to help someone else!  Incredible!

I don’t know where you are today in life – but are you still giving your best daily even if no one else is there to notice?

How to handle being on the bench in life – overview

This week in our athletes bible study we once again continued in our study of the life of Joseph.  Now in prison, for a crime he did not commit, Joseph finds himself in a place to help two guys who are also there.  They need their dream interpreted and Joseph, having this skill in his tool bag, is ready for the task.  Since these men are from a prominent place, he ask only that they remember him when they get back.  (Gen 40:1-22).  One of these guys lost his life, which led to him being unable to pass on the news but the other one was right back at the top and he…….forgot.  Joseph once again had to wait on his time to shine…….

What do we do during those times?  How do we handle being overlooked?

We have to figure it out because there are times it happens in sports and it sure happens in life!

This week we will take a look at a few thoughts that may help us handle it a little better!!!!

How to handle tough situations….part 5

Joseph found himself in more hot water that he did not cause…in fact he had done everything right. Potiphar’s wife is now accusing him and he is banished to prison (Gen 39:21-23) What do great leaders & athletes do when faced with these things?

Your tough times are not about you…they are about you one day helping others get through their situation.

Rick Warren nailed it in his best selling book The Purpose Driven Life when he started chapter 1 by saying “it’s not about you”.  Why is that important to remember when we are middle of a tough time?  It is good to remind ourselves that our lives count and are used to help others…our tough times are never wasted!

I think of the toughest things I have walked through in life and on the field and it feels so good to be able to share my experiences both good and bad to help others know that they can get through their tough time!  When you & I can reach the place that life is not about us, we become better teammates, leaders, friends & people!

God will get you what you are going through to help someone coming behind you to get through what they are going through!!  So don’t live in isolation, share your journey with someone!!!

Making the most of tough situations….part 4

Joseph found himself in more hot water that he did not cause…in fact he had done everything right. Potiphar’s wife is now accusing him and he is banished to prison (Gen 39:21-23) What do great leaders & athletes do when faced with these things?

Expect that in the toughest times of your life, God will do His greatest work!  Why is that…we are most ready to learn when we find ourselves in a “slump”.  When times are good, we feel like we have everything under control but when we hit the skids, we tend to look around & learn the most.   God uses these situations to teach us lessons that we will struggle to learn any other way and in any other place.

I know you want out of where you are at when it is tough (I know that is how I am) but while you are there turn your questions from WHY am I here to WHAT is it I need to learn?  That change of perspective will help your attitude to stay in check!!

How are you doing?

How to handle tough situations….part 3

Joseph found himself in more hot water that he did not cause…in fact he had done everything right. Potiphar’s wife is now accusing him and he is banished to prison (Gen 39:21-23) What do great leaders & athletes do when faced with these things?

Remember that all of your past experiences are preparing you for what you are now facing.  God has an amazing way of weaving the events & stories of our lives to get us through our next steps!  Just as a quarterback on a field uses his experiences from practice, the film room and prior games……we go back into memory bank of God’s faithfulness before in seeing us through.  Maybe we look back at one of our experiences or we recall stories of His faithfulness from scripture…or what He has done for someone else….either way – He uses our past to see us through our present.  The great bible teacher & pastor Ron Dunn used to say, “He never waste time and He never waste our experiences”.

I was meeting with a group of coaches recently and we were talking about journaling.  Most guys struggle when it comes to writing things down.  Why is it helpful….in the tough times, the dark times, we have something to remind us off how He came through before and maybe even lessons we learned while going through something.  If we don’t write it down, what do we do….we tend to forget it!

No matter what you are facing today, you have been prepped and prepared from your past.  Your today’s struggle is getting you ready to get through another one later.  Just keep walking – your story isn’t finished!!

How to handle tough situations….part 2

Joseph found himself in more hot water that he did not cause…in fact he had done everything right. Potiphar’s wife is now accusing him and he is banished to prison (Gen 39:21-23) What do great leaders & athletes do when faced with these things?

I think the one thing we all struggle with during these times is the feeling of alone and being the only one facing the tough time.  Tough situations have a way of isolating us like nothing else can.  Here is the great divide for athletes & leaders….if someone has no relationship with Christ, these times can be truly devastating.  Whether it is sitting in a high rise office downtown and looking out over the city or sitting in a locker pondering what has happened – for someone that has no faith, these times can some of the darkest they will ever face.  For a athlete/leader who knows Christ, these are times that are reminded God is with them no matter what their circumstances may say!

This is huge…..all through the struggles of Joseph, we see scripture saying “and God was with Joseph”.  Did he know it, not sure, it never says….but I have to think by the way he made decisions that he had an confidence that no matter where he found himself (pit, palace or prison) that God was there and in control of his life.

Do you want to make it through tough times…..do you KNOW that God is with you?  Do you have that relationship?  If you do..no matter how tough the situation is, there is an inner peace that God will see you through.  If you do not….it is like being on shifting sand..nothing feels firm!

If you do not have that peace…love to tell you how!

Making the most of tough situations

Joseph found himself in more hot water that he did not cause…in fact he had done everything right. Potiphar’s wife is now accusing him and he is banished to prison (Gen 39:21-23) What do great leaders & athletes do when faced with these things?
Over the next few days – we will break these down day by day….
1. Know in advance, tough situations are a part of life. Some of these situations you will cause, some will be caused by others and others are out of everyone’s control. Game planning in advance your response to these challenges is huge. We never get the luxury in life of getting notice of tough times coming….so prepare for them! Don’t let yourself get bitter…feel picked on…feel forgotten….dive in to it and keep making wise decisions while in the tough situation. Many times when we are caught off guard, our decisions become reactionary and are sometimes not good one’s!

Great teams prepare for every conceivable scenario. The goal is that when the challenge presents itself on the field in the heat of the moment, you have already rehearsed how to come through. Great leaders play out scenarios and determine in advance how to handle things!

No matter how great you are at you do, tough times are coming! Will they cause you to get…frustrated, angry, shut down…or to get better? Just like Joseph, you hold the keys to how you handle!