Patience

Most of us would agree that patience is a difficult thing. We've been raised in a culture of microwaves, instant pudding and thirty minute sitcoms. None of those things build into us the desire to wait for anything.

I once had a professor tell me that two of the worst enemies of our culture were the remote and the sitcom. The first means you never have to finish anything. You can flip from show to show without ever having to see a resolution. The second teaches us that life's problems can be resolved in about 22 minutes (by the time you take out the commercials) no matter how difficult they may seem.

Nevertheless, you read Galatians 5:22 and right smack dab in the middle of all these tremendous qualities is that word...patience. Much has been written about patience. Leonard Tolstoy said, "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." And Benjamin Franklin wrote, "He that can have patience can have what he will." The trick to patience is...time. It has to be worked out over time, developed over time, trained into the soul over time. But our tendency is to force it, to try harder to will it to happen. It just doesn't work that way. Maybe the surfers could teach us a thing or two about it.

I'm told that surfing, if you don't know what you are doing (this would absolutely apply to me which is why you won't catch me on one of those things), can be extremely dangerous. The problem is that when a large wave takes a novice surfer under, instincts tell you fight to get back to the surface. The key, however, is to go limp and let the currents bring you to the surface. In other words, there are times to act and there are times to wait, be patient and allow the answers to your problems to surface. The result of the latter is a life lived in balance waiting on God's timing for each and every situation. Patience is a virtue...and it comes to those who are willing to wait.

A good talking to

I had more than one of those in my life...these "good talking tos". They usually followed some event where I had been up to no good or made some crazy decision. Then, some teacher, coach, friend or one of my parents would sit me down and have these life altering conversations. They would always say, "You'll be a better person for what I am about to share with you." I'm thankful for them now but I sure didn't relish them at the time. They scared me to death. Just thinking about them now makes me shiver a little.

So, can you imagine the feeling Job must have had when his occurred? That's right, Job, from the Bible. I read this yesterday in my quiet time and, as I skimmed over the words, felt that same little shiver in my spine. This is God speaking...

Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer me. Job 38:3

Yikes! Talk about intimidating. But I need that...you need that...these "good talking tos" from God. They are done because He loves us. Now, I know from experience with my kids, when you are in the middle of one of these you can have a couple of reactions. The first--cross your arms, close your ears and stare off into space. Lessons are missed. Life stays the same. You wind up losing all that you could have gained from the conversation.

The second--the much better approach--open your ears and, more important, your heart. God is speaking and it is always worth listening to. Pull yourself aside today and pray, "God, you need to talk. I need to listen." You'll be a better person for doing it.

Under the category of "Are you kidding me?"

Like many of you, I have heard the news that Florida super-star, Tim Tebow, and his mom, Pam, have been tabbed to do a commercial on Super Bowl night. The thirty second spot has been approved by CBS for showing. It's purpose is to tell Tebow's story (his mom was encouraged to abort him due to personal illness. Obviously, she said no and Tim is a perfectly healthy and talented adult) and to celebrate the family. Two very worthy causes, right?

In the words of ESPN's Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend."

It seems that the anti-life people are at it again. Groups like the National Organization for Women (the real name should be the National Organization for Women Who Are Alive because they were fortunate to make the abortion cut) are up in arms because CBS has decided to show such a "controversial" ad. They can't believe that CBS would show something like this.

Can I just ask some pretty obvious questions:

• Why isn't NOW complaining about the "controversial" showing of this Sunday night's Grammy Awards on CBS? You know we can't all agree on who the winners should be. More important, you know they won't make it thirty minutes into this lengthy celebration before someone will drop an "F-bomb", make inappropriate jokes for the family viewing hour, or mock the holiness of the God that over 80% of Americans profess to believe. But this isn't worth talking about.
• Why doesn't NOW, since they don't want to be controversial, voluntarily remove themselves from EVERY major network's evening news? Lord knows they get far more air-time talking about their agenda than the pro-life people get talking about preserving babies. I guess anti-life sentiment gets better reviews.
• While we are eliminating controversy, why don't we block the President's State of the Union address? His approval rating is almost 30% below the support that the pro-life movement receives in our country. Surely something so controversial can't be aired for Americans to see.

No, here's the real truth. NOW (and their partners) know that the story of Tim Tebow is a direct blow to the baloney that comes from their "death agenda." On Super Bowl night, a young man who, if it were left to the choice people, would be dead by now, will stand up in front of an entire nation. His message will be that life is infinitely more important than convenience (which is what the anti-death movement is really all about). Thank God for Tim's story. It is the story of millions of other babies who were never given a chance, never given a voice. And it is a story that is well worth hearing, regardless of the radical, anti-life organizations that would want you to believe otherwise.

Flannelgraphs and fairy tales

I was reminded of a sweet memory as we talked in our small group last night (thanks Chrissy). For those of you who grew up in church, you'll remember the old flannel graphs--Biblical images with flannel backing used to teach kids in Sunday School classes. I remember Sunday after Sunday watching my teachers relay the stories of the Old Testament to me through this (unusual) visual aid. They also used teaching pictures and other means of illustration to keep my very active young mind focused on the story.

Last night our discussion revolved around how much those teachings (for those of us who grew up in church) have effected our understanding of the Biblical narratives. For instance, we all recalled a picture from children's Bibles that showed the slippery serpent from the Garden of Eden. He was portrayed dangling from the Tree that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from. So, for most of us, the word "serpent" and those pictures have had an impact on how we remembered the stories. But the Bible is clear that the serpent didn't slither on the ground at that point and never indicated that he was hanging from that particular tree. It's just something someone interpreted somewhere along the way.

My point? That's why it is so important that we pick up the Bible--frequently--and read these stories for ourselves. Don't take my word for it...nor anyone else's for that matter. Let the Bible teach you what God wants you to know about Himself, His plan for humanity, and His great love for you. Get it straight from the mind of God.

I hope you all are reading the Word...whether its through our 90 day challenge or just your personal time with God every day. Regardless, you've got to put the Scriptures in your life if they are ever going to have an impact. Then, maybe, when you're done, you can use that knowledge to start updating some of those old flannel graphs that are still hanging around.

A classic from a classy guy...from all my Bama friends

I just got an email from my brother down in Columbus. While this wasn't the focus of his e-mail, this forward he had received caught my attention. I thought it was good enough to share with you. Don't know if it's true or not, but the message is true enough. I edited it for length.

At a Touchdown Club meeting many years before his death, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant told the following story:

I had just been named the head coach at Alabama and was off in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player and I was havin' trouble finding the place. Getting hungry I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said "Restaurant."

I pull up, go in and every head in the place turns to stare. Seems I'm the only white fella in the place. But the food smelled good so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar. A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, "What do you need?" I told him I needed lunch. He says, "You probably won't like it here, today we're having chitlins, collared greens and black eyed peas with cornbread. I'll bet you don't even know what chitlins (small intestines of hogs prepared as food in the deep South) are, do you?" I looked him in the eye and said, "I'm from Arkansas , I've probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I'm in the right place." They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, "You ain't from around here then?"

I explain I'm the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I'm here to find whatever that boy's name was. He says, "Yeah I've heard of him, he's supposed to be pretty good." And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.

As I'm paying to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one. He told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay.

The big man asked if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I'd been there. I was so new that I didn't have any yet. It really wasn't that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I'd get him one.

I met the kid I was lookin' for later that afternoon and, I don't remember his name, but do remember I didn't think much of him. I had wasted a day, or so I thought.

When I got back to Tuscaloosa that night, I took that napkin and put it under my keys so I wouldn't forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day, we found a picture and I wrote on it, "Thanks for the best lunch I've ever had."

Now, let's go a whole buncha years down the road. Now, we have black players at Alabama and I'm back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman. I don't remember the name but he's got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he's got his heart set on Auburn too. So I leave empty handed and go on see some others while I'm down there.

Two days later, I'm in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings. It's this kid who just turned me down. He says, "Coach, do you still want me at Alabama ?" I said, "Yes I sure do." He says okay he'll come. And I say, "Well son, what changed your mind?" And he said, "When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn't going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn't playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y'all met." Well, I didn't know his granddad from Adam's house cat so I asked him who his granddaddy was. He said, "You probably don't remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he's had hung in that place ever since. That picture's his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him."

"My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and to Grandpa, that's everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I'm going to."

I was floored. But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right. It don't cost nuthin' to be nice. It don't cost nuthin' to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breakin' your word to someone.

When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he's still running that place, but it looks a lot better now. He didn't have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that woulda made Dreamland proud and I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures; and don't think I didn't leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football.

I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they are out on the road. If you remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn't cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable.

~ Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant ~

Well said, Coach. It's a lesson that all of us should keep in mind as we are "on the road" in our lives. The rewards are limitless.