Take Your Best Shot

 

Take Your Best Shot

We are in off season basketball mode. We practice each day but for a shorter time than in the season and working mainly on offensive skills! This is from August 22, 2006.

My middle school basketball team has a practice period built into our schedule. Only two young ladies trying out for the squad have played in a junior high game so we are very inexperienced. Contrary to what you hear coaches say, we concentrate almost exclusively on offensive skills which are more difficult to master than defensive techniques. Today, we began working on shooting. We (Christian Chevis, my student assistant, and me) break shooting down into easy-to-learn repetitive steps. We get in a stance. We shoot an imaginary ball concentrating on follow through. We lay on our backs and mimic our shooting stroke, again without the ball, and rewind each shot like a video tape. We use mirror form drill where the girls have a partner critique their form on an imaginary shot. In fact, we do fine... until we add the ball. Once we begin actually shooting, technique takes a back seat to result and we forget everything we have so diligently worked on. We instantly revert to bad habits. The kids judge themselves in shooting by only one criterion- whether the ball goes through the basket. If it does, they consider it a good shot regardless of their form. A high school coach in Tennessee did something that was very smart. When teaching shooting to his players in spring practice, he would place a lid on the rim, making it impossible for the ball to go through the cylinder. In doing so, he hoped to eliminate the players worrying about they perceived to be success, i.e., making the shot. I wish it were that easy.

Life imitates the shooting of a basketball. It's not hard in theory but in the practical stage, the skill breaks down quickly. It's easy to say what we would do in a situation until we are actually in the real-life arena. It's like adding the ball. Nobody knows if you make or miss your practice attempts without the basketball. I tell the kids to visualize each imaginary shot swishing through the nets. Mental success is easy; practical success is not. Life, particularly the Christian life, is not lived in a vacuum. It's easy to memorize Jesus' teaching in the Sermon On The Mount but we find it excruciatingly difficult to actually fulfill his commands when we put the Bible down and leave the sterile environment of our homes. I can teach thirteen year old girls how to shoot but shooting in a setting that matters, a game, is up to them. I can devour the scriptures in the comfort of my apartment but it does no one else any good until I put it to use outside my door. Will my girls learn to shoot? The jury is out. Half of them are also in my eighth grade Bible class studying the gospel of Luke. The more important question then becomes, will they learn how to live? My prayer is that they do. That's how we should judge coaches and teachers.

Applicable quote of the day:
"We're shooting 100%: 60 % from the field and 40% from the free-throw line."
Norm Stewart/ University of Missouri Basketball Coach

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

One Soul

 

One Soul

This entry, from January 28, 2014, is about one of my favorite hymns!
Yesterday, we had our first hymn of the year as a memory verse in all five of my classes. It's one of my favorites, Lead Me To Some Soul Today by Will H. Houghton. The grades were excellent. I think the students like the idea of hymns because of the rhyme scheme and the more predictability of the words and sentiments. I'm not sure any had ever heard it before, which is a shame because the tune by Wendell Loveless, is easy to sing and has beautiful harmony. The hymn goes like this:

Lead me to some soul today,
O teach me, Lord, just what to say;
Friends of mine are lost in sin,
And cannot find their way.
Few there are who seem to care,
And few there are who pray;
Melt my heart, and fill my life,
Give me one soul today.

We talked about being surrounded by people who are lost or at least suffering through horrible circumstances not of their own making; I used examples from youngsters who have sat in my classes and played on my teams. I told them how my mom, dad, and I almost lost my younger brother, Scott, in a blizzard out in western Nebraska on a snow blinded state highway. I also related that while I sing the hymn with them, it's hard for me in good conscience to make that petition as my daily task is the souls in front of me in class and standing with me in a basketball huddle. We cannot isolate ourselves as believers. The lost need a light to find their way and Jesus told us that we are the light of the world. Proverbs 11:30 teaches that, 'the one who is wise saves lives.' We could stand an outbreak of wisdom.

Applicable quote of the day:
''The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.''
Gilbert K. Chesterton

To listen to Lead Me To Some Soul Today, copy and paste the link below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd1GcJdvAuM

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Flesh And Blood

Flesh And Blood

In our Sunday morning services, we often have visitors to whom the Lord's Supper may be baffling. This is from May 2, 2010.

In my Sophomore Gospels classes recently, we read the passage from John 6 in which Jesus lost many followers when He referred to the time that they would eat His flesh and drink His blood. The statement offended a number of His disciples and His own men told Jesus that this teaching was a difficult one. I tell the kids that my interpretation is that Jesus was referring to the institution of the Lord's Supper, or communion, which He would share with them during His final Passover. On the surface, Jesus' proclamation to the crowds would have been shocking; eating flesh and drinking blood is repulsive in almost every society, even to ours.

Last week in class, I was trying to make a point about what culture teaches the citizens of each society. I told the kids I was going to sing a song and wanted them to join in. Without any other preparation, I broke into my rendition of the theme song from The Addams Family. You know,
''Da da da da SNAP SNAP. Da da da da SNAP SNAP. Da da da da, da da da da, da da da da SNAP SNAP."
All the American youngsters joined in, laughing, and all the kids from other countries looked at us like we were crazy. To cement the idea, I started singing the theme song from C.O.P.S.:
''Bad boys, bad boys. What cha gonna do, what cha gonna do when they come for you?"
Identical response; all the teenagers from the United States began laughing and singing with me while all our guests from around the world looked on in bewilderment. I know they didn't understand but I'm also pretty sure they won't soon forget the illustration.

We learn by absorbing things in our various cultures to which we are constantly exposed. American Christians are so used to the taking of communion with its symbolism reflecting on Jesus that we may overlook its startling nature to those who have not been raised on a steady dose of Christianity. Even before I became a baptized believer, I knew what the Lord's Supper was; my dad was a preacher and we sometimes as kids played communion with crackers and toothpaste lids. But the shock value certainly was not lost on those who first heard the Master put this coming memorial into words shortly after He fed the five thousand. I would guess some of us still, like I did as a boy, play communion by neglecting its sacredness as we remember the Savior. Some of those who saw Jesus break the bread with His hands also saw His flesh torn by nails less than twenty-four hours later. I bet it never became routine for them.

Applicable quote of the Day:
“Culture is a little like dropping an Alka-Seltzer into a glass- you don't see it, but somehow it does something.”
Hans Magnus Enzensberger

God bless,
Steve

Luke 18:1

The Mirror

 

The Mirror

When we speak in class  of Jesus being tempted by Satan, we talk about what is tempting to us and how that might be embarrassing if made known. This piece, from July 15, 2009, is about taking a long hard look at ourselves.

As I've spent four days with Scott and Karen, I have increasingly noticed things that belonged to our folks; a living room chair, Dad's jewelry box where he kept his cuff links, a pitcher of blown glass. Something I did not see was a picture that hung in our parents' home for years, a print of Norman Rockwell's Girl At The Mirror, which always reminded me of my Aunt Jerry as a little girl. Karen told me Scott had bought it for Mom and Dad and that she thought the painting went to Meagan. It's one of my favorite works of art. Rockwell had a way of making the commonplace thought-provoking and reflective. The child in the piece is comparing herself to the starlet she sees in the magazine, obviously with trepidation. Most of us can relate to her anxiety. Physically and intellectually, socially and financially, we easily find others we deem to be our superiors. The Apostle Paul used the illustration of the mirror as he addressed spiritual issues. In 1st Corinthians 13:2, he wrote,
"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 
When I take a long, hard look at my spiritual image, I feel like the girl who can't measure up. But Paul insists that what we know now is just a part of the picture, a fuzzy perception that won't come into focus on this side of eternity. That's reassuring for me- I may have a photogenic side after all!

Applicable quote of the day:

"Rockwell's art mirrors our world - or at least an ideal, slightly lost version of that world . . . . Mom and apple pie are very good institutions, and so was Rockwell's America - despite the presumed shortcomings of its seeming simplifications. Rockwell was really a very fine artist. He captured in ways no one else has how America was, and how a large part of it wants to be."

Robert Stern

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Forgetting Mister Rogers And Rock Of Ages

 

Forgetting Mister Rogers And Rock Of Ages

Two great ones remembered tonight from February 13, 2018!
One source I use to supplement my teaching of the scriptures is a series of lessons by Philip Yancey called The Jesus I Never Knew. Based on his book of the same name, Yancey, a journalist by trade, uses clips from movies to illustrate parts of the life of Jesus. Last Thursday, I used a section in which three vastly different portrayals of the Savior from cinema were presented and had the students describe what they witnessed on our screen. During the course of the year, we see many men playing Jesus in the videos we use on an almost daily basis. The overwhelming majority of the actors who are depicting the perfect Son of God are taller, more handsome, and dressed in cleaner clothes than those surrounding them- the Yancey clips from much older movies weren't what we were used to watching. But what surprised me wasn't the clips themselves- I've been using them for years. In setting up the first movie segment, from Cecil B. DeMille's King Of Kings, Yancey describes a very gentle Jesus as shown in this silent film as, "Mr. Rogers  with a beard..." After the short piece, out of curiosity, I asked one of my classes how many of them knew Mr. Rogers. Out of twenty-three, the total was ....... ZERO. The response was perhaps skewed by the presence of seven international students but, come on; not one American  has ever heard of Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood? One young man did relate that he knew of Eddie Murphy's parody on SNL called Mister Robinson's Neighborhood but that was as close as we got. Talk about cultural illiteracy- it's an issue!

I am not quite sure what to make of the erasing of the children's television icon but I guess it has to do with generational drift. Three years ago, I wrote a blog about my students having no clue of the identity of Bob Dylan as we watched a clip of We Are The World, the fund raiser to help feed the hungry in Ethiopia, set in roughly the same time as Mister Rogers. I know, I had no idea of some of the stars my dad spoke of when I was in high school but the advent of the Internet would seem to help galvanize at least a few more memories. As we spoke, I next asked if any of them knew the hymn, Rock Of Ages. The answer again was negative. Hoe could kids, most of them raised with some sort of Christian background, not know Rock Of Ages? You know, cleft for me? Augustus Toplady's song, first published in 1775, almost simultaneous with the American Revolution, stood the test of time for more than two centuries. Maybe the language is outdated- lots of thees and no kid knows the definition of riven. Maybe the tune is difficult- I'm no music expert but the melody is instantly recognizable. Maybe the theme is gut wrenching- our utter hopelessness without the Savior's sacrifice is irrevocable. I just feel a certain sadness when valuable parts of our culture, but more importantly, our faith, fade into obscurity like the names engraved on gravestones in overgrown cemeteries. What's worth keeping and what needs forgetting? Each generation makes its own choices. I just wish this humble man who was Fred Rogers and the soul searching hymn that was Rock Of Ages could have survived one or two more generations in the ancestry of our civilization. We would be the richer.

To listen to a beautiful rendition of Rock Of Ages, click or copy/paste the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7gt_cSxjw

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

Not the labour of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die!

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgement throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

Applicable quote of the day:
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive
generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation."
Fred Rogers

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Neil Young And My Apartment

 

Neil Young And My Apartment

Our basketball season concluded three weeks ago so I have a little room to breathe. I sometimes get overwhelmed and neglect being a good housekeeper. Some things have not changed in my life as this entry from October 27, 2005 illustrates. It was one of my very first blogs.

Any Neil Young fans out there? The rocker is still at it, in his fifth decade of writing and performing music. In 1972, Young offended a number of people with a song he composed called A Man Needs A Maid from his Harvest album. Allegedly describing his love affair with an actress, he struck some nerves with the following lines:
"I was thinking maybe I'd get a maid.
Find a place nearby for her to stay.
Just someone to clean my house, fix my meals, and go away."
Neil's apologists insist he meant no disrespect to the fairer gender. Many of his defenders are women so that's good enough for me. I wasn't offended so my opinion counts little. It wasn't my favorite song on the album, anyway.

Why the Neil Young reference? It has to do with my living quarters. My dad says I am a minimalist- I get by without alot of stuff. There was a time when I only had one fork; I either lost it or threw it away. Have you tried to eat salad with a spoon? Some people from school intervened with a set of Wal-Mart cutlery, greatly expanding my dining capability. My good friends, Sandy and Thom Besso, decided my life would be better with some China so they gave me a very nice table setting for eight: plates, cups, bowls, platters, etc. (Sandy did make the provision that I had to cook dinner for some lovely lady but she put no timetable on the agreement.) When I moved to Houston, it took two years to get my pictures and plaques out of the boxes and on the wall. My furniture consists of one bed, one couch, one desk, one table, several chairs, and a television. Sounds like it should be easy to keep the place spotless. Obviously, you don't know me very well.

My brother Dave was here over the weekend. Dave comes to Houston each October to put on a tennis clinic for our kids at Westbury Christian. I started straightening up weeks ago. I detest housekeeping. I'm not dirty- I'm messy and there is a difference. I hate to dust and vacuum but I don't let my apartment get filthy. I can live with an acceptable level of chaos. As always , it took hours to scrub the joint. Finally, right before I left to pick Dave up at Hobby Airport, I finished. The toilet and bathtubs were sanitized, the dishes were washed and put away, the dust had been removed from the ceiling fan, the bed had been made with new sheets, and the air was filled with the scintillating combination fragrance of Febreze and Carpet Fresh. I was so proud- I should have been in Better Homes and Gardens. That was Friday. Dave left Sunday morning and today is Thursday. I was going to do better this time. It occurred to me that I enjoy a spotless apartment. I made myself a promise that I would keep the place neat after he went home and I did.... for a day. Then, the inevitable happened. A T-shirt was left on the floor. The cap was left off the shaving cream and toothpaste was not wiped up from the sink. One bowl on the coffee table became three. Coffee cups litter the living room. The dishes are piling up in the kitchen. Before I know it, I'm right back where I started- 11222 Braesridge Apartments, # 3329 in total disarray.

I had good intentions and I started off strong. It's like the rest of my life. I want to make changes and I do great- for awhile. Then, just like my apartment, the messiness returns. I get discouraged and I tend to concede defeat. Consistency of effort is so hard to maintain in some areas. I am religious in staying on my weight lifting schedule but not in keeping up with my checkbook balance. I never miss worship service but my prayer life is erratic. I'm never late about turning in lesson plans but my goal to be semi-fluent in Spanish by next summer has fallen by the wayside. I'm like that Neil Young song. I need someone to keep order in my existence. I do have someone. His name is Jesus. He does what I can't. He picks me up when I fall on my face. He loves me in spite of my flaws and unkempt house. He tells me to always pray and not give up. He understands me. He know my life follows the same ebb and flow of my apartment's cleanliness. He straightens up the shambles of my heart and lets me feel I am presentable again. Some men may need a maid but all men need a Savior. By the grace of God, I have one. Does that mean I will reform my ways and keep my bachelor pad in a perpetual state of perfection? Not quite- but at least I can live with myself. Jesus told his apostles he was going to prepare a home for them. I am looking forward to those new accommodations-I'll be able to throw my vacuum cleaner away! It's just a matter of time.


Applicable quote of the day:
"I just wrote one song at a time. Kinda like an alcoholic. One day at a time."
Neil Young

Copy and paste the link below to hear Neil Young sing A Man Needs A Maid:
http://youtu.be/bORW_YEmHwY


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Bube's Afternoon

 

Bube's Afternoon

What we do is always noticed by others. This is from January 23, 2014.
We played our last game of the season this afternoon and we won 38-30. It was a tough day for me- my last time coaching my five eighth graders in a game, even though we will still practice during first period until the end of the school year. I'm going to miss my eighth graders. Natalia, Elizabeth, and Sarena were new to us this year. Madison completed her second tour of duty with me and it was Jenna's third. We started all five of the eighth graders even though only two of them normally are on the court at the tip. I was surprised that we came out flat but that's girls for you. We had an emotional pre-game talk in which both myself and our Head of School, Greg Glenn, told all twelve of the players how proud we are of them and for them. At half time, we honored the 8th graders with a ceremony and since one of the girl's folks had been held up, I was the stand in escort. I've never been a dad before. Do I have to pay for her wedding in ten years???

A strange thing happened midway through the second half- the game came to a complete stand-still. One of our kids- I forget who- took a shot from the right side and it wedged between the rim and the backboard. The rule states that under those circumstances, a jump ball is called and the alternate arrow is in effect to determine possession. That was simple enough but there was another issue. How do we get the ball down? Neither of the referees were physically capable and none of the dads appeared to have any ups in their legs. I was dressed up and not stretched so that's my excuse. The normal protocol would be to throw another basketball to dislodge it but at half time, we lock all the basketballs up in the locker room. To send someone to retrieve another basketball might have taken two minutes and the game needed to continue. That's when I saw Bube. Bube Mokolo is a senior in our boys' basketball program. He was in the bleachers at the far end of the gym. I called to him and he ran to the other end, launched his 6'4" frame off the floor, and knocked the ball loose, earning himself a nice round of applause from fans of both teams. The game resumed and like I mentioned, we won and our season is history.

Bube's moment, it was a simple thing. He didn't come to our game expecting anything memorable to happen- he just likes basketball. And when he was called upon, he delivered. That's the way life works, isn't it? We never know when we'll be needed by a friend or a coach or a stranger. I think it's our Christian duty to be on call for the world, to do small necessary tasks within our capabilities and time constraints. Availability is not listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit but it makes a nice companion to the list. Helpful people are at a premium in a world of breakneck living and increased isolation. So, always have your kicks ready to save a basketball in distress. Oh, and Bube wasn't finished for the evening. After all the players and parents and officials had gone home to beat the incoming storm, I watched Bube assist our Athletic Director, Morris Gurnell, move the bleachers which are only partly mechanical back to their resting place against the wall. Then he rolled up the carpet that serves as a walkway in front of those bleachers. I'd say he had a very serviceable day. This would be a better world if more of us opened our eyes and simply followed Bube's example. It's breathtakingly simple.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Leadership is about being a servant first."
Allen West

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1