I just finished a weekend full of World AIDS Day activities...and after them I penned a quick note I've copied below to some of my former and current students...may we continue to be broken as seek to bring healing to God's people...
I was at Willow Creek's service Sunday morning watching footage from Malawi that was so similar to what we've experienced in Zambia, and to my chagrin, tears started to stream down my face...Trey was giving me this weird look and I tried to stop them, but to be honest, with very little success...
And as I sighed I also realized at that moment that my inability to not cry when I see or hear stories about the need and what God is doing in Africa comes from the fact that simply my heart has been broken, been changed, been forever made softer and more compassionate and more compelled to do something extraordinary because of the journey I have been on with so many others these past six years...
Last night as I finished some stuff around the house, I prayed for all of my students who have been on Project Lead or been to Zambia with me...I prayed specifically that God would continue to stir in their hearts something that is so compelling, so overwhelming, so life-giving, that you would not be able to escape it...I'm convinced more than ever that there must be something that shatters our heart and our very lives in order to have a vision that is God-sized and able to bring Kingdom change and impact in remarkable ways...
So I guess what I'm saying, is seek that out...whatever and wherever that might be...and continue to feed that frustration, fan that flame, and take risks for that cause...because ulitmately, I'd rather be weeping over God's most precious possession in life, His people, rather than sleeping or daydreaming on Sunday morning and every other day of the week, wouldn't you??
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
HOW SOCCER CONNECTS THE WORLD
In January of 2006, while flying to Zambia with my soccer team of current and former players, I read a fascinating book called How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer.
It was a brilliant read as it showed how soccer has provided a framework for how much of the world thinks and expresses itself through its passion and participation in this game that all the world loves...(OK, except in this place almost all of us call home)
I grew up playing soccer from an early age all the way thru my senior year in college...in many ways, lots of the people who were central in shaping my life and offered me the most significant relationships are the ones who I have stood with on a grass field (dirt or turf in some cases) and tried to kick a ball into a seemingly too small goal...
After college, I moved quickly away from playing and into the coaching ranks...I helped coach a few club teams and assisted a couple high school teams before settling into a long term coaching role at Wheaton Academy in the western suburbs of Chicago...I spent a dozen years coaching high school soccer and we competed against some of the best players and teams in the state of Illinois and the USA...I invested literally thousands and thousands of hours into practices, scouting, scheming, game management, and off-season workouts as we together as a program enjoyed the opportunity of falling in love with the magic of the game that so many others around the globe loved right along with us...I coached many outstanding players and we were a respected and successful team that found ourselves often scoring more goals than our opponents, even those who were sometimes bigger than us...and I am currently transitioning into coaching my own kids as they begin to play soccer for the first time...
And yet, for me, soccer was never really just about the goals and the final score...it was and always will be about the bonds that are created between those who play and embrace the game...I've always loved getting to know people, and networking is actually one of my strongest professional strengths as a high school teacher/administrator...and as I stepped away from my coaching position last February and moved onto a life without the excitement and frustration of matches every fall, I have had many moments to reflect on the remarkable way that soccer has connected me to students, reporters, coaches, mentors, fans, parents, and new friends from other cultures and places around the globe and in my own community...
You see, for me, soccer doesn't always perfectly explain my world...I've had too many unexplainable injuries and unjust results and amazing surprises and wacky experiences to use soccer as a vehicle to always make sense of my life...but the one thing that soccer has always done and continues to do is to connect me to the world in ways and at levels that continue to bless and blow me away...
Here's a few of the clearest examples of these connections that this beautiful game has provided for my life...
*Last summer, I was struggling big time over not being able to coach anymore when some of my former players called and said we are getting a bunch of guys to come back for an alumni game at next year's team's summer camp...and they said, you are playing with us against them...many guys that I loved and who were some of my most outstanding players came back and put on an offensive clinic that night as I stood on the sidelines for one more game...at the beginning of the second half, they called me out onto the field and a few college studs set me up to score a goal after being on the field for just a few minutes...I ran directly off the field (not wanting to continue to risk getting injured while trying to play at a high level) and back to my coach's seat with a huge smile on my face as I looked out at the group of guys laughing and whooping it up after seeing their old coach put one in the back of the net...that laughter and joy communicated something much deeper, as we celebrated the bond between coach and player that is truly a unique one...
*Two of my closest friends in the world are soccer players, guys who grew up playing the game in Brazil and the western suburbs of Chicago...neither of them are my contemporaries, but rather former students who were in my youth ministry and classroom...I've had the incredible privilege of watching them play, coaching them on the field, and seeing them excel at the collegiate level all while serving as a mentor in their lives of sorts...and then they got into coaching and we can commiserate over the struggle of having our teams do what we think they are capable of doing...but to be honest, our friendships extend way beyond the soccer pitch and go deep into the worlds of leadership, faith, global needs, family, and living with impact and purpose in this generation...and when you look at something that drew us together and continues to be a bond that is not broken, the game of soccer created a venue for truly becoming brothers and life friends that means everything to me and to them...
*For the last half decade, much of my life has been focused on responding to the global AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa...I have led a student response in my high school that has served to provide education, medicines and treatments, AIDS testing, food security, housing, clean water, school supplies, Bibles, church ministry centers, and economic opportunity to a community in Zambia where AIDS has devastated families and the lives of children...and we have also given out hundreds and hundreds of soccer balls, jerseys, boots, shin guards, socks, and hand pumps to a host of soccer players in Africa...these gifts were given by dozens of Chicago-area teams and clubs before being delivered by my students and players...bringing together folks from one of the richest places and one of the poorest spots on the planet can be a rather daunting task...but soccer connected us immediately...the Zambian crowd rushed onto the field after their team scored against us, but also cheered our school name after we won a tense penalty kick shootout before a crowd of thousands in a rural Zambian village...the Kakolo Village community loves the game of football and so do many players from Wheaton Academy...and even now we look forward to going back "home" to play on a field built with tremendous African skill and care that was dedicated to this former coach who fell in love with the Zambian people and counts meeting their needs and playting soccer with them one of his greatest joys and privileges this side of heaven...
*Even last weekend, I found myself in the very town I have lived in for the last 12 years meeting people not like me once again...they spoke a different language, made different amounts of money, shopped at different stores, and lived in a different world despite being in the same mid-sized community as me...and as I played indoor soccer in a wrestling room at a local middle school with a bunch of kids and a few other adults on a cold Friday night, all of a sudden I was more a part of West Chicago than I had ever been before in many ways and knew more people in our city than previously...the beautiful game had once again connected people who needed to and should have met before, but never had...
You see, for me, I am passionate about caring for and connecting to people above all else in this life...I want them to know and experience the love of a God who created them and designed His people to be in community with Him and one another...and as I look back on almost 40 years of my life, I am amazed at how soccer has connected me to people of all types and in all places in our world...whether it is with my two kids I love so much, some of my closest friends, the students I see in the hallways every day, fellow West Chicago residents, or the beautiful people of Africa...I can't imagine seeking to chase my calling in life without the game played by more people than any other on this planet somehow allowing me to go places I'd never go without it pushing me there...
I can't wait to see the connections it will provide in the next 40 years...because from where I sit I see clearly how soccer connects the world...
It was a brilliant read as it showed how soccer has provided a framework for how much of the world thinks and expresses itself through its passion and participation in this game that all the world loves...(OK, except in this place almost all of us call home)
I grew up playing soccer from an early age all the way thru my senior year in college...in many ways, lots of the people who were central in shaping my life and offered me the most significant relationships are the ones who I have stood with on a grass field (dirt or turf in some cases) and tried to kick a ball into a seemingly too small goal...
After college, I moved quickly away from playing and into the coaching ranks...I helped coach a few club teams and assisted a couple high school teams before settling into a long term coaching role at Wheaton Academy in the western suburbs of Chicago...I spent a dozen years coaching high school soccer and we competed against some of the best players and teams in the state of Illinois and the USA...I invested literally thousands and thousands of hours into practices, scouting, scheming, game management, and off-season workouts as we together as a program enjoyed the opportunity of falling in love with the magic of the game that so many others around the globe loved right along with us...I coached many outstanding players and we were a respected and successful team that found ourselves often scoring more goals than our opponents, even those who were sometimes bigger than us...and I am currently transitioning into coaching my own kids as they begin to play soccer for the first time...
And yet, for me, soccer was never really just about the goals and the final score...it was and always will be about the bonds that are created between those who play and embrace the game...I've always loved getting to know people, and networking is actually one of my strongest professional strengths as a high school teacher/administrator...and as I stepped away from my coaching position last February and moved onto a life without the excitement and frustration of matches every fall, I have had many moments to reflect on the remarkable way that soccer has connected me to students, reporters, coaches, mentors, fans, parents, and new friends from other cultures and places around the globe and in my own community...
You see, for me, soccer doesn't always perfectly explain my world...I've had too many unexplainable injuries and unjust results and amazing surprises and wacky experiences to use soccer as a vehicle to always make sense of my life...but the one thing that soccer has always done and continues to do is to connect me to the world in ways and at levels that continue to bless and blow me away...
Here's a few of the clearest examples of these connections that this beautiful game has provided for my life...
*Last summer, I was struggling big time over not being able to coach anymore when some of my former players called and said we are getting a bunch of guys to come back for an alumni game at next year's team's summer camp...and they said, you are playing with us against them...many guys that I loved and who were some of my most outstanding players came back and put on an offensive clinic that night as I stood on the sidelines for one more game...at the beginning of the second half, they called me out onto the field and a few college studs set me up to score a goal after being on the field for just a few minutes...I ran directly off the field (not wanting to continue to risk getting injured while trying to play at a high level) and back to my coach's seat with a huge smile on my face as I looked out at the group of guys laughing and whooping it up after seeing their old coach put one in the back of the net...that laughter and joy communicated something much deeper, as we celebrated the bond between coach and player that is truly a unique one...
*Two of my closest friends in the world are soccer players, guys who grew up playing the game in Brazil and the western suburbs of Chicago...neither of them are my contemporaries, but rather former students who were in my youth ministry and classroom...I've had the incredible privilege of watching them play, coaching them on the field, and seeing them excel at the collegiate level all while serving as a mentor in their lives of sorts...and then they got into coaching and we can commiserate over the struggle of having our teams do what we think they are capable of doing...but to be honest, our friendships extend way beyond the soccer pitch and go deep into the worlds of leadership, faith, global needs, family, and living with impact and purpose in this generation...and when you look at something that drew us together and continues to be a bond that is not broken, the game of soccer created a venue for truly becoming brothers and life friends that means everything to me and to them...
*For the last half decade, much of my life has been focused on responding to the global AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa...I have led a student response in my high school that has served to provide education, medicines and treatments, AIDS testing, food security, housing, clean water, school supplies, Bibles, church ministry centers, and economic opportunity to a community in Zambia where AIDS has devastated families and the lives of children...and we have also given out hundreds and hundreds of soccer balls, jerseys, boots, shin guards, socks, and hand pumps to a host of soccer players in Africa...these gifts were given by dozens of Chicago-area teams and clubs before being delivered by my students and players...bringing together folks from one of the richest places and one of the poorest spots on the planet can be a rather daunting task...but soccer connected us immediately...the Zambian crowd rushed onto the field after their team scored against us, but also cheered our school name after we won a tense penalty kick shootout before a crowd of thousands in a rural Zambian village...the Kakolo Village community loves the game of football and so do many players from Wheaton Academy...and even now we look forward to going back "home" to play on a field built with tremendous African skill and care that was dedicated to this former coach who fell in love with the Zambian people and counts meeting their needs and playting soccer with them one of his greatest joys and privileges this side of heaven...
*Even last weekend, I found myself in the very town I have lived in for the last 12 years meeting people not like me once again...they spoke a different language, made different amounts of money, shopped at different stores, and lived in a different world despite being in the same mid-sized community as me...and as I played indoor soccer in a wrestling room at a local middle school with a bunch of kids and a few other adults on a cold Friday night, all of a sudden I was more a part of West Chicago than I had ever been before in many ways and knew more people in our city than previously...the beautiful game had once again connected people who needed to and should have met before, but never had...
You see, for me, I am passionate about caring for and connecting to people above all else in this life...I want them to know and experience the love of a God who created them and designed His people to be in community with Him and one another...and as I look back on almost 40 years of my life, I am amazed at how soccer has connected me to people of all types and in all places in our world...whether it is with my two kids I love so much, some of my closest friends, the students I see in the hallways every day, fellow West Chicago residents, or the beautiful people of Africa...I can't imagine seeking to chase my calling in life without the game played by more people than any other on this planet somehow allowing me to go places I'd never go without it pushing me there...
I can't wait to see the connections it will provide in the next 40 years...because from where I sit I see clearly how soccer connects the world...
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A Quote from Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World by Bob Roberts Jr.
I told someone that all pastors should have a poster of Bono in their office and in their foyer! Read the lyrics to his songs. Listen to his story. Look what he's doing in Africa. The church has never been a place for him. Until the church is a place where people like Bono can engage, we're missing out.
It's a sad state when we celebrate theology that is lined up to the letter, but a life that does little. Give me a person who knows little theology but wants to learn as he or she goes. A person who wants to live it, a person who wants to make a difference in society—and that person will change the world
It's a sad state when we celebrate theology that is lined up to the letter, but a life that does little. Give me a person who knows little theology but wants to learn as he or she goes. A person who wants to live it, a person who wants to make a difference in society—and that person will change the world
Monday, November 12, 2007
Incubator of Spiritual Leaders
I ran across this quote the other day...and it still reflects God's calling on my life and the privilege I get in my work each day at Wheaton Academy...how I long to continue to grow more effective in truly fostering an enviroment that is the right place for leaders to be chosen, equipped, and then launched into every nation and arena and community of God's people...
A Quote from...The Leadership Baton: An Intentional Strategy for Developing Leaders in Your Church
The church has a God-given capacity to engage in whole-life leadership development. It can develop godly character in its leaders, help them forge a strong theological worldview, and build strong relational and leadership skills. The local church is by design the most effective incubator of spiritual leaders on the planet.
The answer to the shortage of church leaders around the world has been there since Pentecost. The answer is this: restoring the church to the center of leadership training—which has been God's strategy all along. When the church is actively fulfilling its mission of raising up leaders for the harvest, nothing can stop it.
A Quote from...The Leadership Baton: An Intentional Strategy for Developing Leaders in Your Church
The church has a God-given capacity to engage in whole-life leadership development. It can develop godly character in its leaders, help them forge a strong theological worldview, and build strong relational and leadership skills. The local church is by design the most effective incubator of spiritual leaders on the planet.
The answer to the shortage of church leaders around the world has been there since Pentecost. The answer is this: restoring the church to the center of leadership training—which has been God's strategy all along. When the church is actively fulfilling its mission of raising up leaders for the harvest, nothing can stop it.
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