“Don’t become so enamored by the world’s agenda of success that you miss the spiritual growth and ministry appointments in your family’s everyday life. Then you’ll realize you’re not busy doing life, but busy doing ministry.” – Jack Fiscus in MORF Magazine (Issue no. 1, Fall 2011, p. 5)
*MORF Magazine is a free magazine for youth workers. You can subscribe on their site.
A prayer offered during morning worship at Cordele First United Methodist Church, September 11, 2011.
Father,
We are here this morning with thoughts and memories that we would rather not have. We are here this morning and we remember where we were ten years ago on this day. We are here this morning and we recognize that for many there are loved ones who are not.
There are no words that will ever be able to capture the feelings of sorrow, pain, loss, anger, frustration and disbelief that many of us felt as we watched our innocence stripped away. There are no words that could ever be spoken or written that could ever capture the struggle of faith that many of us endured as we tried to make sense of the wickedness and evil that exists in this world.
The danger that we faced that morning, and the danger that we face this morning is not that terrorists or war will end our lives. The danger that we faced that morning, and the danger that the we face this morning is that terrorists and war will end our faith.
The age old question of evil in the world causes us to doubt and to question your goodness and your power and your presence in our lives. But, it is in moments like these that we must focus our attention toward one point in history. A moment in time long before there were words like “terrorist” and “America” and “9/11”. That point in history, in many ways, looks very much like our day.
Two-thousand years ago, in the city of David, the Savior was born so that he might bring to an end the reign of evil, not just in the world, but in our hearts. Two-thousand years ago, on the banks of the river Jordan, the Son of God, initiated the plan of God to redeem his enemies unto himself. Two-thousand years ago, outside the city gates, the lamb of God was slain, and the veil in the temple was rent so that ALL might approach the throne of grace.
Jesus is the answer to the suffering of our world. Jesus is the answer to the sorrow of our hearts. Jesus is the answer to the doubts of our minds. Jesus is the answer to the fear of our souls. Jesus is the answer that God has given to us when our lives are loosing their bearing. Jesus is the answer.
And because Jesus is the answer we all can call upon you, God, as our father. You see all of our concerns and you ask us to come to you. And for that we give thanks.
Over the last few months, Zack (my fellow youth pastor) and I have been out and about in our community sharing time and thoughts with various squads and teams in our local schools. This has been a great time and a great experience. I have enjoyed spending time with these athletes as they prepare and play the games. I am such a fan! I love yelling, encouraging and pretty much being a kid. It’s the least serious thing I get to do.
Well today I was able to spend some time helping the county high school softball team during their batting practice. We were talking about weight transfer. This is the process of moving weight from the back leg to the front leg, while swinging the bat on plane. When done correctly it is poetry in motion.
One of the things that was said over and over by the young ladies was that they were told that they had to keep their weight back. And in an of itself that is true. You are supposed to keep your weight back…until the moment of impact. You can’t hit the ball squarely or keep your shoulders, hips, hands and head in alignment if you keep your weight back as you swing. In golf this is called the “Reverse C” position as seen below.
The weight is not moving forward through the ball, but is moving away from the point of impact. Keeping your weight on your back foot will not allow your body to work with gravity and your muscles will actually be working against themselves. Your shoulders and knees end up behind your hips instead of in line with each other. The object of the game is to smoothly transfer your weight to maximize power and efficiency AND minimize alignment issues.
Here is another set of pictures from two great power hitters–Gary Sheffield (left) and Albert Pujols (right). Even though they are not vertical like the picture of the golfer above, there is a straight line from their head to their knees as they swing and make contact with the ball. This is a power position.
Look at their back foot. Their are completely off the ground at the point of impact. This is a sign that their weight has completely shifted from the back to the front. While this is somewhat exaggerated in their individual swings it shows that your back foot is not as important in executing a powerful swing as weight transfer to the front foot is at the moment of impact. The weight transfer will actually keep your swing on plane and give you a better chance at making solid contact.
Here is another example of weight transfer from one of the greatest hitters of all time, Hank Aaron. His back leg is completely off the ground!
Here are a sequence of pictures of Albert Pujols swing. (Click on the Picture to see the sequence.) Notice how if you were to draw a line from the top of his head to the ground he actually rotates around that line as the weight transfer takes place. His head barely even moves.
I wantto provide a final thought about this idea of “Keep your weight back.” This is great advice for young ball players. It helps them to remember not to move too much or too quickly while they are learning to hit. The problem (as I see it) is that this is only half of the equation. Hitting is all about two kinds of timing. First, you time the pitch. Second, you time your weight shift. When these two events happen and meet at the moment of impact you increase your chances of solid contact and increase your chances of getting hits. You have to learn to develop both. Simply keeping your weight back will create some bad habits.
Here is one more example of what weight transfer should look like. Don Mattingly was one of the most consistent hitters during his time in the Major Leagues. He has some simple insights into this concept of weight transfer.
Have you ever had one of those experiences where you don’t know what is about to happen, and you can’t shake the feeling that it is going to be something, not just good, but indescribable? Right now, right where I am, I know–in that way of knowing that can’t be explained, but you’re confident in–that God is up to something that only he can do. I am not trying to explain it. I am not even trying to describe it. I am just waiting. Waiting for a faithful and good God to do whatever he wants to do. Waiting to see a return to an unshakable, unquenchable faith in a God that can and will do things that simply don’t make sense. I am waiting. Waiting. Waiting for a promise to be fulfilled; a hope to be renewed; a joy to be restored; a faith to be made sight in spite of the dark night of a self-centered heart.
O God, your life is what infuses every other life with meaning. Even that life that has failed to comply to your sovereign grace is brought into proper submission to your purposes. There is nothing that escapes your sight. Nothing that is beyond your insight. Nothing that can be undone due to your foresight. You are majestic, not merely because of some attribution of the human tongue. No, your very being is majesty. It is worthy of all that can be ascribed to it. And when we frail image bearers have reached the end of our ingenuity, it is in your uniqueness that our plain-ness is seen against the relief of your unchanging beauty.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, only in you will all eyes agree!
Father, may my soul and faith; joy and life; passion and prayer; sorrows and pains reach the peaceful shores of your kingdom.
Mayor Michael Nutter shared some of his thoughts as he thought about the violence that erupted in his city. It was a candid, measured address about what is causing some of the discord within and among the younger generation, those under 25 years of age.
What I appreciated the most about the mayor’s comments is that he said what many have thought. While it is a generalization of current trends in youth culture, there is an honesty to his words that resonates with what many may be thinking. Mayor Nutter said that “sense and non-sense can exist at the same time.”
While I don’t agree with everything he said, I appreciate his desire to address these issues in a straight forward way.
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There are so many things that can drive a wedge between us as God. We have to overcome the first of all enemies, the sin that so easily besets us [Hebrews 12:1]. This devious foe has been conquered through and by the blood of Jesus that was shed upon the cross on Calvary [1 Corinthians 15:50-58]. And yet on this side of God’s grace-filled application of Christ’s righteousness upon our sin-stained souls we can still fall prey to the lies of the Devil. I know that I find myself wondering, “Could it be true that You are strong enough?” My amazement at God’s ability to forgive Sin is paled only in comparison to God’s ability to withhold His righteous and rightful judgment upon me.
Will my weakness for an hour make me suffer for a lifetime?
Is there anyway to be made whole again?
If I’m healed, renewed, and find forgiveness
find the strength I’ve never had
Will my scars forever ruin all God’s plan?
NO! it won’t. God’s eternal purposes will be accomplished [Psalm 138:8, Psalm 57:2; Isaiah 55:11, Isaiah 46:10]. God is not made impotent, by my failures. He shall forever be faithful [1 Corinthians 1:9]. Not for my sake, but for His. I find this song moving every time I hear it. I have included a prayer I wrote after having listened to it.
Oh God, have mercy upon me a sinner. Father, Your love overwhelms me and yet I fight the tender strength of Your grip. Help me to see that Your love is true. That You have not withheld any of Yourself from me. It is I who have failed to rely upon and rest in You.
Father I thank You. I thank You for Your manifold blessings. I thank You for Your entrusting of Your daughter’s into my feeble care. I thank You that You have been long-suffering with me until the force of Your mercies and love have buffeted me, like waves breaking against the stubbornness of my pride. You are my great God and heavenly Father are strong enough. You are stronger than any mythological god or any evil this world can concoct. You are worthy of my praise, yes You are. You are worthy of my loyalty and devotion. You alone stand as the great and might creator and sustainer of existence itself. You are the ground of reality and not merely its dynamic force or animating agent.
Continue to work within me the work of salvation that will not be fulfilled until Your Son returns to this earth in final and ultimate victory. Your ability to withstand the tantrums of a flawed man and not feel any distress upon Your character or authority demonstrates Your amazing attributes. Father, I am in need of You. I hunger and thirst for You and I ask that You supply my needs according to Your riches and wisdom. Do not allow me to think that I know what is best for me. According to Your will, let it be unto me. Now and forever, Amen.
I have always found music to be such an interesting medium for communication. In the span of 3 to 4 minutes so much can be said. The combination of words and images, the symbols, comparisons and illusions all helping to tell a story. Then you add the musical component and you have something that will bring together the mind and the heart, sometimes in ways that can’t be explained.
I recently came across this song by Carrie Underwood that speaks to the temporary nature of life on this globe. One of the realities of life is that there will be times when we think we have it all figured out. We put off the wonder of living for the hope of life. We must never forget the unchanging truth that there will come a day of reckoning. We will be confronted with our own mortality. The sooner we face this truth the more likely we will be to make the necessary changes to look not just death, but also ourselves in the face and find that living happens right now. Life is not something that waits. It flows like raging rivers past us. Yes, there are moments to get to the banks and enjoy the sun, but don’t tarry too long or you will find time spent doing things that satisfy for a moment rather than sustain us during our entire lives, especially the difficult times.
Chorus:
“This is my temporary Home
It’s not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I’m passin’ through
This was just a stop,on the way to where I’m going
I’m not afraid because I know this was
My temporary home.”
In the words of the great southern philosopher Larry the Cable Guy: “That’s funny right there!”
