Lift and Move

Better to say little and do a lot, then say a lot and do little.

Before we turn the page on winter allow me to relay one last cold weather story. 

One bitterly cold winter morning, when I was about eighteen and attending a Bible School located in the Adirondacks of New York; my whole dorm was awakened by a hysterical roommate. Unbeknownst to me, I was about to learn a very valuable lesson.

As fate would have it, this roommate was the sound man for our meeting hall and when he went to open the back door of the hall he couldn’t get in. To his absolute horror, he had just discovered that all the entries were blocked from the inside by heavy, stackable wooden benches. Panic began to set in because in a few hours the entire campus would need to get in to participate in classes. 

Quite frankly it was a well-designed prank for the ages. The manner in which the unknown culprits kept us out was ingenious as they piled all the benches on top of one another creating a virtual wall. Then somehow, one of them, with the size and agility of a monkey, crawled up over the last bench and closed the door.

Faced with a major dilemma one of our dorm supervisors concocted a brilliant plan. If we pulled together, putting our anger and frustration to work, we could put the meeting hall back together in less than an hour. That way we could still make breakfast and no one would be any the wiser.  His thought was that if we acted quickly setting things right the other students would never find out about it and the pranksters would lose. The lack of a reaction would be our victory.

Fortunately, we had a few monkeys in our dorm as well and they were able to get up over the wall of benches and eventually remove some layers so the rest of us could climb up and over.  Once inside, the plan worked flawlessly as we all seemed to work together not complaining, hustling, lifting and moving. In about half hour the meeting hall was restored back to normalcy, like nothing had ever happened.

To the best of my knowledge no one ever found out who pranked our school. However, there was quiet satisfaction among those of us who knew the truth in knowing tragedy had been averted.  In essence, we turned the tables, aka the benches, on the pranksters.

Since I led with a cold weather story, now I would like to share a spring related one, more befitting of the weather. While at that same school later that same year, Steve, a fellow student who hailed from the Bronx, told me an interesting lesson he had learned thanks in part to a tree stump.

As the story goes Steve was clearing some brush for a friend, which required that he push a heavily loaded wheel barrow uphill on a narrow path. However, much to his chagrin, he was running into an unavoidable problem, which was a pesky tree stump, that was smack dab in the middle of the path. Every time he would make his trek he inevitably would hit the stump which would make his load capsize causing him to get furious. Try as he might the path always lead him to the same point where he would meet disaster.

If memory serves, eventually he bit the bullet and just applied the principle of lift and move and tore the stump out.  He was done talking about the problem and the situation needed to be resolved.  Further stated, no amount of talk would fix it, only delay the process.

To close things out, here is one last story. It comes from the Bible about Jesus. In the book of Luke there is a great story about a man who is paralyzed and what his friends did to help him.

Jesus, who was known for his healing many people who had been blind, deaf, mute, demon possessed or just beyond human help for their ailment, was in town.  He was teaching inside someone’s home and people from all over the country side crowded in to hear what he had to say. Since the paralyzed man could not walk it was impossible to get their friend though the mass of people in his condition. However, these men were going to stop at nothing till they got their friend to the only one who could truly give him the help he so badly needed.

I can only imagine how many times people had tried to comfort the paralytic man by telling him how sorry they felt for him. They may have even wished they could help, but then did nothing.  His friends on the other hand were men of action. They were not going to let a crowd, a full house and a roof stop them. So, without a moment to lose, they tore off the roof and attached ropes to his mat and lowered him down through the ceiling.

Seeemingly Jesus was so taken by this act of faith and persistence that these men displayed that he promptly healed the paralyzed man. The Bible says immediately the once paralyzed man got up, picked up his mat and walked home. When the man’s friends applied the principle of lift and move Jesus obliged and granted their request of a miracle.

In life, just like in the stories above, hard work and persistence tend to pay off more times than not.  So, when it comes time to take action, you better be lifting and moving.

You get what you pay for.in life, for example: talk is cheap and hard work is its own reward.

Swavel

 

What solely matters

 

Contrary to popular belief, to look cool on the outside does nothing to enhance who you are on the inside.

Here are a few examples of incorrect thinking concerning what solely matters:

During my high school years I had plenty of issues.   However, one of the biggest was the fact that I was a nerd and didn’t like that my shoes were not the latest fashion.  I had this false hope that if, somehow, I could get the sneakers that were in style, suddenly all my troubles would go away.

So, a few days before tenth grade, I went to the local shoe barn in search of that elusive resolution to being cool.  With my dad in tow, we walked in and worked our way toward the back, ducking under several pairs of fishing boots hanging in the aisle over head, till we found the sneaker section.  It was there that I discovered a pair of Nike canvas sneakers, with a beige swoosh and a rubber front and thought I just had to have them.   Accordingly, I debated with my dad making every logical argument I could because he was dead set against them since he felt they were too much and just not his style.  Who knows why, but eventually he changed his mind and got them for me.

To this day, I can still remember sitting in the den the night before school was to begin watching TV holding my new sneakers and just feeling cooler.  Unfortunately, the next day when I got to school no one seemed to treat me any better because now I wore a pair of sneakers with a swoosh on them.  The fact remained I may have been wearing cool shoes, but I was still a nerd, just wearing cool shoes.  Who I really was had not changed, I may have felt better, but that’s about it.

Another example of thinking something you can purchase can make you better is the Michael Jordan commercial from the 1980’s.  It’s the one where a young Spike Lee, aka Mars, is constantly questioning Michael Jordan throughout the thirty minute commercial trying to uncover what makes him the best player in the universe.  He asks if it’s his socks or his baggy shorts or haircut, etc.  Constantly coming back with the line, “it’s got to be the shoes,” to which Michael says, “no Mars.”  Ironically the commercial is suggesting that if you want to be like Mike, you need these shoes.   In essence Michael was right it’s not the shoes, but there were a lot of young men back in the day, who just had to have them anyway.

 Here are a few examples of correct thinking concerning what solely matters:

A more accurate account of what solely matters in life was set by another athlete, Michael Chang, one time French open winner.  Years ago, I heard a story about him when he chose to think of another over himself.  It was during a tennis tournament when he gave a pair of his own shoes to fellow athlete who was in need of them.  To me, Chang had a depth about him that defines cool; he chose to give of himself.  Rather than just trying to look good, he was seeking to do good for others.  If memory serves it was an deed that long out lived his career.

On a more serious note, just the other day I went to the viewing of a seventeen year old boy who had just months before been healthy.  He suddenly had contracted a mysterious disease, which later turned out to be a form of a severe immunodeficiency disorder and he went to be with Jesus last week.  However, when I was at his viewing I was encouraged that his parents, whom I had grown up with, had laid a shirt in his casket which read: This body is just a rental.  This young man and his family knew what solely matters in life and death.

Just the other day this same thought was reinforced as I was listening online to a pastor by the name of Francis Chan.  As he was speaking Francis made mention of a story on a similar vein about soul matters.  He said that he had a friend, Frank Pastore, an ex major league baseball pitcher for the Reds and now a national radio host, that was speaking about how our body is not as important as our soul. To get the full effect of his friend’s words he played the live audio.

Here is what he said in paraphrased form.  Frank was talking about how that his body was temporary and that his soul is the real him.  Then, out of the blue, he made a statement that if he were to drive his motorcycle home and get hit by a car and die that his real body would not be the one dead on the highway.  Hours later what he said, in jest, literally happened when he was hit by a car on his motorcycle and weeks later died from the pending injuries. Yet, Frank Pastore spoke the truth: that was just his body, his soul was with God.

Fashion aside, in the end, what solely matters is whether your soul is right with God or not. 

Swavel

 

Everything's Cool

To discover the true character of a man, meet his son first.

On Saturday, March 16th, my wife and I along with our two daughters found ourselves just below the Mason Dixon line in a church lobby in Maryland. The event was a Casting Crowns concert.  Our purpose for being there was to represent two organizations that are associated with adoption and assist people who are interested in helping the least of these.  To put it lightly, I was out of my element and hoped to defer any tough questions to my wife who is much better at explaining when it comes to adoption details.  In the midst of my uncertainty, I met a young man named John Michael who went a long way toward easing my anxiety.

While my family and I were waiting for the doors to open John Michael introduced himself as the guy who would be overseeing us that evening.  He asked if we needed anything and mentioned he would be checking in periodically throughout the event.  Then, off the cuff, he mentioned that this dad was in the band.   However, he never clarified that his dad is Mark Hall, lead singer of the Grammy award winning band, Casting Crowns. In hindsight, he didn’t need to because his resemblance to his dad gave him away.

So, here is a young teenage guy, as tall as me with rosy red cheeks, great hair, a big smile and a walkie-talkie strapped to him like he was about to call in an air strike, taking care of business. When it comes to leading, I always felt it is best to show people what to do, rather than just tell them.  And this seemed to be the theory that John Michael subscribed to as well.  He had the booth already set up and stocked well before we got there and then afterwards helped us break it down in less than ten minutes.

Needless to say, the thing I remember most about him was the catchphrase he used when he would walk by me during the concert.  He would glance over at me and put one of his thumbs up in the air and say, everything cool?  To which I would put my thumb up and say, everything’s cool.

I am a firm believer that how children learn is more caught than taught.  Consequently when Mark Hall sent his son to represent him and the band I believe I caught a little glimpse of what God the Father did when He sent His Son, Jesus to represent Him on this earth.  Especially at Easter time it is great reminder that only through Christ and His death can we really, truly know God the Father.  Although I never did get to meet the lead singer of the band I did meet him indirectly, he sent a better example, his son.

Therefore, it is somewhat ironic that I will be sending my son, Jordan, indirectly to represent me on April 4^th at another Casting Crowns concert to do the same thing I just did a weekend or so ago. I have no qualms that he will do just fine discussing with people and sharing adoption stories about his sisters who were adopted from China. My son, and I’m bragging here, is a fine, young man.

Jordan is a young man who just turned twenty two last week and who God has taught some life lessons not all of us have entrusted to our care. You see, about thirteen years ago my son nearly died in a car accident and at the very least should have been paralyzed, but by God’s grace is neither.  He currently attends a college in Texas in his fourth year and still beats his dad every year like a drum in our March Madness bracket.

But, at this special time of the year, I am reminded so fondly of how so many years ago when I held his precious life in my hands on March 21^st, 1991.  It was a truly awesome gift that God had given to me.  To this day, I still remember how unworthy I felt as I realized that this little boy would carry my name and how I would have the privilege of spending every day with him till he was grown.  Hopefully, throughout the process, my wife and I have taught Jordan more good than bad.

Although I cannot speak for Mark Hall, as far as I’m concerned, if you really what to know me get to meet my son first.  With the embarrassing stories aside, which I’m sure Jordan has plenty of, odds are I’ll look better than I truly am

Easter is the perfect example of how to get to know the Father you must first meet Him through his Son.

Swavel

 

Nice To See

If you want to make a difference in someone’s life start by being kind over being mean.

Just the other day I saw something that was so refreshing, so nice to see, I just felt I had to share it with you. My wife was in a different room of the house when she saw a video on YouTube and told me I should watch it as well. So, when I was done brailing in the kitchen, I sauntered over to the laptop in the living room and was pleasantly surprised by something that made me smile. I think it will make you smile too.

So, before I go any further, here it is…… (instructions for video link: right click on the colored http link below, then click on open hyperlink, then click on play, sit through commercial and then click play again and enjoy)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/mitchell-marcus-special-needs-teen-basketball-game_n_2766354.html

Allow me to summarize, just in case the YouTube clip didn’t function properly.

In a world where we are constantly surrounded by negative role models this basketball video is a like a breath of fresh air. This story had it all:  a.) underdog  b.) caring coach  c.) compassionate teammates  d.) crying mom  e.) the unexpected. Alone it was a nice story, the way it ended - WOW.

When I first started watching it I began thinking “I’ve seen this kind of thing before,” and wasn’t expecting much. Man, was I wrong.

Hollywood could not have written a better script. The underdog, Mitchell Marcus, is a special needs teenager with a developmental disability, who is a senior at Coronado High School in El Paso, Texas. He happens to be the team manager, with a deep love for the game of basketball, but had never suited up to play in a game.

Then the caring coach surprises Mitchell in the last game of the season by allowing his manager to suit up. The coach, Peter Morales, was even willing to sacrifice the outcome and put Mitchell in regardless of the score. So,with about a minute and half to go, with Coronado up by ten points, coach Morales put Mitchell in and gave him his chance to score, his moment.

Despite the efforts of his compassionate teammates, going out of their way to get him the ball, each time Mitchell shot the ball it would not go into the hoop. The game seemed destined to end without Mitchell making a basket. To top it off, with less than ten seconds to go he booted the ball out of bounds. It looked like he would never get his name in the box score.

With disappointment hanging in the air, then came the crying mom moment. There seemed to be no fairytale ending in sight as Mitchell’s mom made a cameo. I thought she was going to say how much she loved her son and that it didn’t matter if he scored or not, that he was still a winner for trying his best. However, she was speaking of it as a moment she will never forget.

Then it, the unexpected, happened. Jonathan Montanez, a senior forward for rival Franklin high school, took fate into his own hands. In an unbelievable gesture of pure kindness, he called Mitchell’s name and passed him the ball. The rest is history as Mitchell finally sunk the shot and the fans rushed the court.

With one simple pass, a young man showed a whole nation that, “kindness is treating others how you want to be treated.”  And in my book that is always nice to see.

Swavel

 

My favortie cup (2nd serving)

My favorite cup (second serving)

Forgiveness, like a cup of coffee, has the unique ability to transfom what was once weary and worn into something fresh and vibrant once more.

 

   

 

 

When it comes to the subject of forgiveness, Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Tutsi (pronounced tootsie) from Rwanda,  has a story you won’t soon forget. 

Her  unbelievable story bgins on April 7^th, 1994, at the time Imamaculle was in her early twenties and  home from college on Easter break.  It was  during this day that the pesident of her native country, Rwanda,  was shot down in his plane and killed.  Consequently, the Hutu (pronounced who-two)  tribe, which is rival of Imacculee’s Tutsi tribe,  went on a torrid killing spree which is now commonly refered to as the Rwandan genocide.  The Hutus blamed the death of the president on the Tutsis’and  claimed they would kill every tribe member in order to take revenge. 

On that terrible spring day she was rushed immediately to a friendly Hutu neighbor’s house, who was a Protestant minister.  Once inside she was taken immediately to a seldom used bathroom in a remote part of the house and locked inside with seven other Tutsi women. It was their only hope to remain safe from the  Hutus who had declared war on her people calling them cockroaches, going from house to house killing everyone from her tribe that they could find. 

For ninety days, she and seven other women stayed trapped in this secret three foot by four foot bathroom, as death lurked right outside the bathroom window.   On one such occasion for two hours, her enemies came looking for her and other Tutsis inside the minister's house, even calling her by name in attempt to frighten her out.  As the Hutus looked thoughout  the house, in desperation Imacculee prayed  this, “ God if you are real don’t let them find the door of the bathroom.”  That moment her faith in God was renewed when her assailants, who once had their hand on the doorknob, never entered the bathroom and then left.

Imacullee and her seven friends would survive the holocaust, however, in those three terrifying months  a staggering one million people died.   The equivalent of three out of four of the entire Tutsi population was wiped out.  Sadly, included in the dead were all of  Immaculee’s family: her father, her mother, grandparents, and two brothers, leaving only her one brother, who was out of the country at the time of the masacare.

Needless to say, you would think that Imaculee would have every reason be bitter and full of rage at this outpouring of evil leveled on her, her family, and her people. This however is not the case .  She claims that her truning point of leaving the hate behind and seeking forgiveness instead happened during those desperate days in that little room.  Imaculee prayed the Lord’s prayer every day for ninety days.

While she was praying the Lord’s prayer over and over again she happened upon  a part she could not pray,  “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  The reason she could not pray it was because she didn’t want to pray a lie.  She realized after much thought, that the Lord’s prayer originally was a prayer that God Himself our Lord gave us.  So, she turned to the author of that great passage to help her out. 

It was then  in that tiny little bathroom that Imaculee had another epiphany. In her own words, she realized this .... "you being mad at them, you getting angry wanting to do what they are doing doesn’t change a thing."  Something just became clear in that moment, that told her , “everyone has a chance.. to …see the truth.”  In essence what Immaculle did was what Jesus said as He hung on  the cross, " Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  

If  it were not enough, Immaculee felt she needed to forgive the people who were trying to kill her.  What she choose to offer her enemies was forgiveness, not hatred.  For this expressed reason she went to prision to meet the leader of one of the gangs who had sought to take her life. After an awkward pause, they both began to cry as their eyes met and she touched his hand as she said these healing words, “I forgive you.”  Imaculee’s heart eased immediately as she saw the tension release in the man’s shoulders, who once sought to obliterate her and her people.

She concludes her book, Left to Tell…. with these words: “ the love of a single heart can make a world of difference.  I believe that we can heal Rwanda – and our world – by healing on heart at a time.”

The following are truly acts of God: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and  forgiving those who wrong you.

Swavel

 

My favorite cup (first serving)

 

Forgiveness, like a hot cup of coffee, has the unique ability to transform what was once weary and worn into something fresh and vibrant once more.

What I would like to share with you in two separate blogs, are two beautiful examples of forgiveness both centering on how we need to forgive.   If we can’t forgive, like Jesus said in the Bible, how can we expect God to forgive us?

When I think about how sometimes we must forgive regardless of the trespass, a story about Corrie ten Boom, a holocaust survivor during World War II, comes to mind. She, her sister, Betsie and her family had been imprisoned during the Nazi invasion of Holland for hiding Jews.

As the story goes Corrie was speaking on forgiveness in a church in Munich, Germany in 1947. She spoke of forgiveness as this, “When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever.”

After she had finished speaking it was then that a man whose face she could not forget approached her. He was one of the guards from Ravensbruck, the despicable concentration camp, where both Corrie and Betsie had been taken after their arrest. It was there that he and the other guards treated the sisters and many other countless Jews like animals. Many like Betsie and countless others would die there due to the harsh conditions.

Since his time as a Nazi guard, he had become a Christian and now was in search of this forgiveness that Corrie had so freely offered just moments before.  Although, he did not remember her, she remembered him. He went on to say that he knew God had forgiven him for the cruel things he did in the prison camp, but he wanted to hear from her lips that he was forgiven. Then, he put his hand out.

The following is what happened next in Corrie ten Boom’s own words….

And I stood there—I whose sins had again and again to be forgiven—and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place—could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

“For I had to do it—I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

I knew it not only as a commandment of God, but as a daily experience. Since the end of the war I had had a home in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality. Those who were able to forgive their former enemies were able also to return to the outside world and rebuild their lives, no matter what the physical scars. Those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and as horrible as that.

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion—I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. … “Help!” I prayed silently. “I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.”

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

“I forgive you, brother!” I cried, “With all my heart!”

For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely, as I did then.

Remember, you can’t drive forward in life, if you’re still looking backward in your rearview mirror.

Swavel

 

Locate the fastball

In life we should apply grace, just like a major league pitcher locates his fastball, early and often.

Over a week ago, I had the privilege of hearing and learning from ex major league pitcher, Dave Dravecky.  He was speaking at a men’s breakfast where over 1500 were in attendance and what he had to share was quite inspiring. Allow me to give you my take from the balcony, the lobby, and as a passenger in a car. These are the four tips I learned that day in baseball speak:

1- Get coached up

Dave Dravecky, a natural born southpaw, was born in Ohio on Valentines’ Day in 1956 with an inherent love for the game of baseball. As I stood in the balcony, he spoke of how this love was nurtured by his father as he grew up when the two would throw catch in the backyard. Dave went on to say as he got older that he played both baseball and basketball in high school. Then, in the mid nineteen seventies, when college beckoned he chose to attend Youngstown St. where he made the baseball team as a walk on player. He also spoke of a very valuable experience of when he started a playoff game only to get drubbed by twenty some runs by rival team Wright State. This seemed helped him to learn he had not yet arrived and needed to keep working on his craft.

After his college career, Dave had the honor of being taken in the 21^st round of the baseball draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1978. It was during the next few years in the minors and being traded to the San Diego Padres that Dave’s pitching career and life began to change.

It was then that he made mention of two men who were instrumental in helping him change and grow. One was a pitching coach, one was a fellow minor leaguer.

The first man was Eddie Watt, an ex- Baltimore Orioles pitcher from the nineteen sixties, who was his pitching coach and taught him how to better hone his craft and develop his pitches. It was then through trial and error that Dave began to improve his repertoire and eventually became major league ready.

The second man who made an impact on Dave’s life was a fellow ball player and friend, Byron Ballard, who began challenging Dave spiritually. This man’s persistence eventually led Dave and his wife, Jan, into a relationship with Jesus who changed their perspective forever.

In layman’s terms, Dave’s early life taught me it is of major importance to take instruction to heart and then apply it to your life.

2- Be ambidextrous

If you were to Google the name Dave Dravecky on your computer, you would see many significant accomplishments in his career. You would notice that he had a career ERA of 3.13 and never had a year over 4.0. in his eight year career. He also went to the World Series, was voted to an All Star game, and was the starter on opening day; all noteworthy statistics by today’s standards.

But, the biggest challenge of Dave’s career happened to him in 1988, his second year with the San Francisco Giants. It was then that Dave’s life was about to hit a speed bump. It was during this time that doctors diagnosed a lump in Dave’s left arm, his pitching arm. When they examined it closely they discovered that it was cancerous and had to be removed immediately. He and his wife faced this setback with their faith in God fully intact, ready to fight.

So, ten months later on August 10^th, 1989, after the cancerous lump had been successfully removed the resilient, left hander found himself back on the mound. . He returned with a resounding triumph as the Giants beat the Reds. However, in his next start five days later in Montreal, Canada, instead of a speed bump Dave’s life was about to hit a wall. In the sixth inning as he delivered a pitch he heard a deafening noise in his ear and felt a tremendous pain in his arm. He had broken his arm and soon discovered that the cancer had come back. The news get even worse when the doctors told him that his left arm, his pitching arm, would need to be amputated to keep the cancer from spreading.

Although the news was devastating Dave had no choice but to learn to live differently. He would have to be ambidextrous and learn to use his off hand. He could no longer play the game he loved and he went through some very tough times. Nevertheless, he stated during this difficult transition he was learning that Jesus plus nothing equals everything. His life was now speaking, not just his pitching

In layman’s terms, Dave’s struggles in his life taught me that sometimes, whether you like it or not, you must make the necessary adjustment,.

3-Appreciate your fans

Everyone wants and needs to be appreciated. This was never more apparent to me, then when before Dave began to speak that he did something rather unique to encourage himself. As I looked on from the balcony, he took out his phone and pulled up a picture of his grandson, one of his biggest little fans, with his tongue sticking out. Immediately, as he placed it on the podium, you could just see the levity it granted him.

Anyone can be nice when everything is going his or her way. Then it is easy to be pleasant and affable to fans and those who request our time or attention. However, I believe Dave’s life has spoken loudest when things were not going according to what he had hoped.

It was apparent from my view that Dravecky appreciated his fans as they stood in line for over an hour and a half to get his autograph. As I was standing in the lobby after the meeting was over, I was sitting near where Dave was signing autographs and I could overhear most of the questions. For instance, I overheard a man ask him about depression, a subject some men would have brushed off; however, Dave was very candid and honest in his personal reply holding nothing back. Having personally suffered from depression as well, his compassionate response spoke volumes to me as well.

Another way Dave showed his appreciation was by doing what Jesus had taught us to do a long time ago- love the little children.

Since, I was to be riding in the car that was transporting our guest of honor back to the Philadelphia Airport; I felt it appropriate to go along with my friend backstage to fetch Dave’s bag. When I noticed the carry-on, with a San Francisco Giant logo attached to it, I was surprised to see a baseball sitting on top of it. I discovered from my friend that this was a prized possession bestowed upon Dave from several local special needs kids in which they had signed it just for him. This was not lost on him, as he put it in a special compartment so it would not be misplaced.

In layman’s terms, he taught me that you can never be too young or too old to give or receive an encouraging word.

d- Locate the fastball

If I had to use one word to sum up Dave Dravecky’s life it would be grace-full.

The best advice often comes when you are not looking for it. As I approached Dave with his suitcase and autographed baseball, I overheard him speaking grace to a father who was last in line and wanted some advice for his lanky teenage son, who was aspiring to be a big league pitcher. What I overheard Dave say was that the boy needed to focus on locating the fastball before he could even think of being successful on any level. Dave went on to say other pitches are nice, but the ability to throw a fastball for strikes is the main secret to successful pitching.

Grace, like that aforementioned fastball, was something the ex-big leaguer had been exhibiting all day. He was really living it out when during a ten minute question and answer session in front of the group a well-meaning gentleman asked him a tricky theological question about whether we are predestined or whether we have a free will. The question left me dumbfounded, but not Dave.  He paused for a moment and then with no remorse said that grace was the best way to handle the situation and moved to the next question.

He also showed tremendous grace as he interacted with people putting his arm around young and old alike as he smiled over and over again for pictures. Then on the way down to the airport, after he must have been exhausted, I witnessed him continue to show grace to all of us who were in the car. He listened to our stories and even apologized about a situation that wasn’t his fault, when he could have been agitated.

All this from a man who was once asked by a baseball reporter after he broke his arm and knew he would probably never pitch again, “where is your God now?’ As exhibited by his life, God never left him and still is with him, as Dave continues to shows grace just like he used to locate his fastball back in the day.

In laymen's terms, Dave taught me that when it comes to life grace is more than just being nice, it's a necesity

Swavel

Somewhat Trivial

Welcome to my 2013 version of Super Bowl trivia, about last night’s big game. You know the type, the slightly off, somewhat trivial kind of questions you won’t just find just anywhere. Before we start, congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens for winning a real turn out the lights kind of game. Let’s begin:

 

1- What inspired Lamar Hunt, founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, to come up with the nameSuper Bowl?   (a) A grocery store flyer gave him the idea   (b) His daughter was playing with a super ball    (c) A conversation he had with then commissioner, Pete Rozelle   (d) Hit him out of the blue while was he was getting a haircut at the local barber shop

 

2- Before Joe Flacco led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory last night, who was the other quarterback who led Baltimore to victory in Super Bowl XXXV (35) ?   (a) Steve McNair   (b) Bo Jackson   (c) Justin Bieber   (d) Trent Dilfer

 

3- Speaking of Joes who won Super Bowl MVP’s, what product was Joe Namath famous for endorsing?  (a) Miller Lite Beer   (b) Nutri System   (c) Hanes Pantyhose   (d) Cadillac Sevilles

 

4- Jim Harbaugh, coach of the San Francisco Forty Niners, once appeared on what TV show?   (a) Saved By The Bell   (b) Magnum P.I.  (c) The A-Team   (d) The Cosby Show

 

5- Which of the following is the only true statement about ex- Washington Redskin player, Timmy Smith, in regard to him and the Super Bowl?   (a) He was the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl   (b) He played against his brother Emmitt Smith in the big game   (c) He holds the single game record for most yards rushed in the Super Bowl   (d) He was the first and only player ever to be ejected from the Super Bowl

 

6- Thurman Thomas is famous for doing what during the Super Bowl?   (a) He misplaced his helmet during the game and couldn’t find it   (b) Lost his job because of the part he played in the Janet Jackson halftime wardrobe malfunction   (c) Was the singer who forgot the words to the National anthem and was shamefully booed   (d) Missed the game winning kick in the big game and cost his team the win

 

 

7- Name the San Francisco Forty Niners’ mascot?   (a) Earthquake Earl   (b) Sourdough Sam   (c) Prospector Pete   (d) The Pillsbury Dough Boy

 

8- Name the reason Ray Lewis does his highly energetic pre-game celebration dance before every Ravens’ game as he enters the field?   (a) Too much Icy Hot in his athletic supporter   (b) He’s Ray Lewis and he can do whatever he wants to psyche himself up   (c) He always wanted to be a ballet dancer and this is a good forum for it   (d) He’s trying out for Soul Train

 

9-Which one of the following entertainers has never performed during the Super halftime show and in my opinion should next year?   (a) Phil Collins   (b) Bruce Springsteen   (c) Shania Twain   (d) Prince

 

10- Which one thing has never happened in the Super Bowl:   a) Up with People performed at halftime   (b) A man died of a heart attack in the crowd just before kickoff   (c) The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in which they played against the Cleveland Browns   (d) The lights went out in the third quarter one year causing a half hour delay

 

11- Jack Harbaugh, father of the two brothers who faced off last night in the Super Bowl, used to repeat what famous phrase to his boys when they were growing up?   a)Win one for the Gipper   b) Always preheat the oven when making brownies   c)Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing   d) Who has it better than us?- NOBODY

 

Here are the answers 1-b 2-d 3-c 4- a 5-c 6-a 7-b 8-b 9-a 10-c 11-d

The point of these somewhat trivia questions is that although I hope you found them entertaining they are of no lasting significance. Do something big today and the next year it is forgotten or relegated to a memory of a select few. However, when you do something big or little for God, He never forgets. May we remember to do the important, meaningful things God asks of us whether anyone notices or not. Then truly we can say like Jack Harbaugh used to say to his boys,Who has it better than us? - NOBODY.

Swavel

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