Last weekend I ran on the field after a Clemson football game.
You didn’t see it on the news. I wasn’t streaking or trying to tackle one of the players. It’s actually part of the tradition at Death Valley for students and fans to be able to run onto the field and celebrate with the home team after every victory.
We joined arms with the sweaty players who had just busted their tails for 4 quarters to secure a Tigers victory and sang the alma mater alongside them. We even got a selfie with Coach Dabo in the background. It was a fabulous end to a perfect day of tailgating and college football.
Now, I grew up a Tennessee fan and I never thought I’d see myself pulling for another shade of orange on Saturdays. But my wife’s family’s affection for Clemson is pretty infectious. The way the team treats it’s fans is a big part of that. Continue reading →
It must be one of the greatest feelings in the world to hear your name called to compete on “The Price Is Right”.
I can only imagine the elation running through a contestant’s body when the announcer tells them to “Come on down!” After waiting and waiting they get to be one of the lucky handful of people who actually get to play the game.
Of course, most of us will never get the chance to be on a game show. We’ll never get the chance to celebrate when an announcer calls our name.
In fact a lot of us spend our days the same way in the audience of life, waiting around for God to call our name. We watch us our fellow contestants have all the fun and hope our turn will come. If only God would call us.
Here’s the thing though: the simple fact that you’re alive means that He’s already called your name. He’s yelling it at the top of his lungs, calling you from out of the crowd and onto the playing field.
If you’re alive, then you’re in the game. You’ve still got a chance to win.
So stand up. Cheer. Get excited. Go crazy. Make your way out of the audience and onto the stage.
Sure there are a lot of great things to look forward to in 2015. A new Avengers movie. Stephen Colbert taking over The Late Show. Hoverboards.
But for the most part, thinking about the future freaks me out.
Because I know along with all the exciting stuff, the future brings with it the possibility of more terror attacks. More infectious disease outbreaks. More depressing news.
What happens when the commercial you’ve produced to promote your graham cracker company ignites a firestorm over gay marriage?
You turn hate into love.
Earlier this year Honey Maid released a commercial called “This Is Wholesome”. It depicted a number of modern families enjoying their products including an interracial family and a child with two dads.
Of course, as everything does on the internet these days, this simple commercial caused some extremists to lose their minds spouting off hateful tweets and emails about the company’s lack of morals.
It’s incredible. The things we work so hard on to share with the world can sometimes be completely rejected. What we planned to be beautiful and inspiring often becomes ugly and falls on deaf ears.
So what do you do when the gift you offer to the world gets rejected?
For 40 years, those 7 words have been uttered from studio 8H in Rockefeller Center announcing the most exciting 90 minutes of television comedy every week.
The most important of those 7 words is the first one – Live.
“Saturday Night Live”, despite what you may think, airs LIVE. It does not air on tape delay. It does not air 3 months after it was recorded. New episodes air live at 11:30 pm Eastern Standard Time Saturday nights.
There’s no getting around this. If the sketches aren’t ready or the actors aren’t prepared the show cannot be postponed. There’s a contract with the network and with the viewers. The show must go on no matter what. Continue reading →
This dog has figured out a way to say no to his owners. The dog knows what he doesn’t want.
The dog hates being put in his kennel. After being dragged into it against his better wishes too many times, the dog stands his ground.
This dog says no to what sucks the life out of him. We should do the same.
A dog is meant to be free. Dogs are made to run and jump and explore, not be confined to a kennel or a cage.
What were you made to do? Are there things that are stopping you from being who God made you to be? Why not take a lesson from this dog and Say No?
This weekend is your weekend. Instead of getting bogged down by busyness, try saying no this weekend.
Say no the projects, the activities, the relationships which suck the life out of you. Do something you’ve been meaning to do, been wanting to do, been dying to do but haven’t made the time for it.
Here’s my challenge to you this weekend: Say no to at least one opportunity that comes your way. Whether it’s an invitation to hang out, or a call in to cover someone’s shift at work, just say no.
Saying no doesn’t make you a bad person. You need to rest. You need time to do what gives you life.
When God created the world, He took a day off. He took time to rest. How quick we are to forget this!
We think we need to work to feel worth. We think a day off is a day wasted. But your soul needs to recharge. You need to fill up before you can pour yourself out.
Whatever it is that fills you up, do more of that.
Rest looks different for everyone. For some people it’s staying in bed and bingewatching the first season of “Scandal”. For others it’s getting in the backyard and gardening. For others it might be scouring record stores in downtown Athens.
Take a day of rest. Say no to the things of life that make you feel caged in.
Everyone talks about the transition from Saturday night to Sunday morning being a daunting one. But what about Sunday morning to Monday morning?
On Sunday morning you sing of hope. On Sunday you’re surrounded by fellow believers. On Sunday your tank is recharged.
On Monday morning it can all fall apart. On Monday inbox is full of problems that just can’t wait. On Monday everything that drags you down about your job is right back in front of you. On Monday the weight of commerce brings you back down to earth.
A bit dramatic? Maybe. But for some of us it’s not that far off. Maybe to keep you with a Sunday attitude you need some Monday Morning Music.
Here’s a favorite tune of mine to get my mind right for Monday morning. It’s a song from The Avett Brothers called “Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise”. Don’t let the long title scare you off.
As the lyric goes:
Where nothing is owed, deserved, or expected,
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected,
If you’re loved by someone you’re never rejected,
Decide what to be, and go be it.
Whether you’re starting a new job or walking into a familiar one, make the decision this Monday to be who you were on Sunday. Be the person God already sees you as.
God sees you not as who you are, but you are becoming. He sees past your flaws. God sees you as His beloved child.
When you’re loved by Him, what does the rejection of the world matter? Instead, you are free to reject what the world offers you as a satisfactory way of life. You can release your dreams from the cage and be free to follow them.
As you start off this week it’s time to make a decision. Who will you be? Who do you want to be?
You can change your path. You can be the type of person who influences your entire office and paves a road full of promise leading back to the Creator.
Let’s do it together. Let’s keep Sunday alive on Monday.
I’d love to know – what are you facing down this Monday? How can we support each other as we do the work of a new week?
Last weekend I ran on the field after a Clemson football game.
POP GOD 