The Truth According To JVG

I did something last night I haven't done all year- I watched an NBA game. The hometown Houston Rockets are having an incredible season and they were playing in prime time versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, the squad anchored by the incomparable Lebron James. To my delight, ABC had their best announcers working the contest; Mike Breen, former NBA All Star Mark Jackson, and my favorite ex-coach, Jeff Van Gundy. In the past, I would frequently hear Van Gundy on the radio in Houston when he coached the Rockets for a number of years. To say he is entertaining is an understatement but I find him entertaining and at times profound, not a usual combination. If there was any commentator I would pay to listen to, it would be JVG as he is commonly referred to. There is no nearby second. (Well, I do get a kick out of Charles Barkley.)

Last night's game wasn't close. At one time, the Rockets, playing on the Cavalier's floor, held a thirty-seven point lead on the defending Eastern Conference champions. All three announcers, plus halftime analysts Chauncey Billups and Jalen Rose, lamented the Cavs' lack of effort and intensity, especially on the defensive end. It was mentioned that the Cleveland team had recently held several player meetings, reportedly with much finger pointing, to address the issues confronting the Cavaliers and their woes. But it seems to the outside world to have produced no tangible results yet. It was here that Jeff Van Gundy made a statement that summed up the Cavalier's losing situation perfectly:
"The only truth is action."
If I could write every day this year and come up with one sentence mildly comparable to his, I would be happy. I guess I just picked the right night to listen!

While I love the simplistic brilliance of JVG's statement, I know its accuracy extends far beyond the universe of  the NBA and nationally televised games. If you teach, you know how easy it is for students to pledge to a new and more profitable approach to their studies which leads to better grades and higher class rank and hopefully, college admittance with scholarship funds attached. I'm convinced most are sincere in their vows......... but it's so hard to do. Athletes, like the Cavaliers, swear they are on the same page and will turn the corner but I can tell you as a coach that is one hard corner to navigate. Pages and corners often come in multiples with groups.

A common theme in the scripture is the disgrace of having our righteous words not match our deeds. In Matthew 15:8. Jesus quotes Isaiah 29 where the prophet quotes the Lord, saying, "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.''' Jesus taught that His family members are those who, "hear God's word AND put it into practice." When teaching the crowds as well as His disciples, Jesus warns them to obey the teaching of the Pharisee but not to do what they do. I'm not sure if they quoted the actions speak louder than words proverb back in ancient Jerusalem but it certainly applied to so many spiritual teachings. Most of the hypocrisy the Savior referenced seems intentional. I like to think my hypocrisy is of the less intentional nature but it doesn't matter. Resolutions and promises are just empty words without the action to make them a reality. JVG is right- truth is proved by the actions which match the vows taken. Maybe the Cavaliers will turn it around; you can't count out a team with King James! Still, the value of an NBA title can't compare with a heavenly crown, the crown that can be ours without the ability to consistently hit a jump shot. But we'll never receive that eternal reward if our lives contradict our public pronouncements. And the world will know.

Applicable quote of the day:

Players with high character get better. Players with a serious approach get better. The fools never get better.
Jeff Van Gundy

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com