God and My Offensive Line

Tony Temple (Missouri Tigers) set a record in the Cotton Bowl for yards (284 I think) by a running back. His post game press conference hit me funny, not that there is anything wrong with that.

He started by praising his offensive line and in mid-sentence stopped and thanked God (as athletes tend to do). Did he mean it? I think he did. I appreciated his attempt. It came out like, God and my offensive line helped me break the record.

Daniel Webster said in another way in 1833:

There are many objects of great value to man which cannot be attained by unconnected individuals, but must be attained, if attained at all, by association.

You are not alone. We all need an offensive line. God has designed it that way. Say thank you to those who are on you team. Even, if you have to stop in mid-sentence to correct yourself.

Great Weekend. Crosspoint Clemson, with Ken Lewis and Jeremy Chastain followed by New Spring, Perry Noble, in the evening. Wow, God was all over both. Shopping with Abby Senesi on Saturday. She said Stein Mart weakened her. Dad has spent more years shopping with girls at this point than watching football. That is what happens when God attempts to fix a man through sending him a girl wife and girl babies.

Simple Club - Club vs. Church VI

Geiger and Rainer's book is hot. Geiger http://www.ericgeiger.com/ will be in S.C. end of March . I don't think the out-going president of the South Holston Ruritan has read the book or met the authors. Come on Mr. President. Don't you know that the book Simple Church is:

• #1 on the Church and Ministry National sales list
• 2007 Christianity Today Book Award winner
• Outreach Magazine's Best Outreach Leadership Training Resource 2007?

The members of the South Holston Ruritan Club really do not know this (as most churches). This is the fact that they have kept things simple. Simple Club. Hey, that might be my book.

Clarity (Blueprint) - A calendar year at the club is like a simple dance step. Meetings are brief and organized. Action is the name of the game at the club.

Movement - no congestion here, the process of the club is in place. It took a cool 60 seconds to distribute about 20 assignments to club members.

Alignment - there was a great sense of team at the club. Farmers, A Bluegrass superstar, a retired college professor (my father-in-law) all found unity of purpose and key roles.

Focus - the club was not complicated at all. I am not sure how often they say no, but there was a clear focus on the community.

I hope they don't decide to read Geiger and Rainer's runaway best seller. The Ruritians are who they are because it made sense. I am sure they have their tough days. Their future is an issue. But today they are making things different around them. The environment is different. One reason is they have kept it simple. Simple Club. I like the way that sounds.

Back at World Headquarters yesterday. Change is in the air. I am all for change unless it requires me to do something uncomfortable for me. So, I guess I am all for you to change. Not me. I prefer The Zone.

Google Your Church - Club vs.Church V

I googled the South Holston Ruritan Club. Keep in mind the club would not have a great web presence. No website, etc. Here are some of the top entries:

1. Clean-Up at South Holston Lake

2. Soup Supper (to raise money for college scholarships)

3. My blog (sorry, I couldn't resist the self-promo, thanks for reading)

4. River Clean Up

5. Adopt-a-Stream

I googled a few churches. I mostly got service times and locations. I searched long and hard for churches who were doing things for the community. I would not dare tell you the famous churches I googled and some pretty funny results. Mostly I found: Come support us. I am sure you lost folks are dying to find a church like ours. We are cool and contemporary. We are traditional. We have a bookstore, graveyard, bagels, and potato salad.

An attraction mentality is part of what we need to do, don't let me get carried away. Here are some QBQs: What is our local churches doing for those who are not interested in our attractiveness? What are we giving to the community? If our churches were removed from our communities who would miss them?

Adopt-a-Stream may not be an eternal project, but I saw a lot of fisherman standing in those South Holston streams over the Christmas holidays. Fishermen are eternal. I wonder if God would get their attention by a church that suddenly cared for the things they cared for. They will be in those streams this Sunday morning, no matter how great the show gets at the local church.

Great last day off yesterday. Long walk with Yvette. Football. Vols win! Vols win! Vols win! My football season officially ended at 17-14. Not a pretty picture. Saw Enchanted with the ladies. Very different. Very funny. Romance. Not sure it will make my 2008 top five though.

Club vs. Church IV - Moisture in One Eye

Okay, I give up. The South Holston Ruritan is a writer's gift that keeps on giving. If you are saying, yes, but we love and follow God, we are better than the club, your case gains momentum. If that is what we offer, then starting with me, we need to start loving and following Him into some deeper waters for 2008. Start by reading The Divine Mentor by Cordeiro.

Wait, the club does let a new church use their facilities. Some kids had been messing up the floor with healies. Refusing to let people use their community center, if they will not love their floors like Jesus does, was not a consideration. Neither did club members express concern that the new church could be taking the loyalties and energies of club members (or potential members). I don't think the boys from South Holston were smart enough to figure things out like we Southern Baptists have.

Club members did celebrate God's healing of their new president's daughter of serious illness. The club did pray and offer prayer requests. They brought fruit to the poor and widows and reported the progress of the sick. A quick vote decided they would give a financial donation to a group of doctors who gives free medical care to the poor. Barna might say (Revolution) that the South Holston Ruritan is church for a lot of the club members. Maybe not.

Happy 2008! I saw the new year in with my eyes shut. No, I was not terrified, only sleeping in front of ESPN. Poor Clemson Tigers. They let another one get away. Go Wisconsin Badgers! Yvette, Anna, Abby, and I celebrated New Year's Eve by making our own pizza, making our own Sundae, and watching The Christmas Blessing on DVD. Not a bad family movie for a tear jerking, chick flick. I think I felt slight moisture in one eye. What a girlie man!