Reflections from the
Home Team October 5, 2017
Jackie Robinson truly had it right… “A life is not important
except in the impact it has on other’s lives.” May I respectfully add, “Except
in the POSITIVE impact it has on other’s lives.”
Greetings
from Cedar Falls,
Once again, special
thanks to all those on my “Home Team” for
the love, support and encouragement offered during the challenging times of my cancer
journey. The many encouraging thoughts shared over the years since my journey
began has continued to fill my “emotional bank” on those days when it can feel
like that account is running a deficit… Please feel free to continue to share
your love, support and encouragement with
others who may be facing similar
challenges! Remember, It’s not the team with the best players that win… It’s
the players with the best team that wins! I’m so fortunate to have a “Home Team” that rocks❣❣
So
many times, we tell ourselves how “little power” we have when faced with life’s
challenges. No matter who you are, or what the challenge you may be facing,
each of us has the power to positively impact not only ourselves, but also the
people we come into contact with each day. Just think about how many people you come in contact with
over the course of a day and how a simple positive interaction could help them
get through a difficult situation in their life. Sometimes that interaction can
be as simple as a kind word, or a smile, or just simply by listening. Each of
us has within us an awesome power to change the world -- one positive interaction
at a time.
As I
reflect on the events of the past few months in our Country, I am truly disheartened
by what I see… As I have witnessed the divisions that currently exist in our
Country, along with the tragic, senseless acts of violence such as just
displayed in Las Vegas, I’m deeply troubled by the hurtful comments being made and
directed at others with whom we may disagree… so many disparaging comments being
directed toward individuals and groups on both sides of a discussion. I see
them on T.V., hear them on the radio and read them in social media every day,
and without question, they continue to push us more and more into the “great
divide”.
My
wife Tricia and I had the privilege of attending Hope Lutheran Church
(Johnston/Grimes) last weekend. We
traveled to Des Moines to listen to our daughter Sarah sing at the service. Pastor
Mike Housholder delivered a powerful message that really struck home with us by
offering a positive approach to this dilemma.
In a
nutshell, here are the major points…
Pastor
Mike began by sharing a clip from the 1970’s classic sitcom “All in the
Family”. “Archie Bunker”, representing a
sometimes bigoted, old school character and his son-in-law “Meathead” who certainly
had different ideas than Archie while owning a few problems of his own. It was
that tension that often drove the comedy in the show. In the clip, Archie secretly
takes his grandson to a local church to baptize him without the child’s
parent’s knowledge. Despite his “rough exterior” and “surface issues”, Archie was
acting out of love, wanting his grandson to be saved through baptism. Pastor
Mike used the clip to show how complex we all can be, while understanding that
we are ALL sinners.
Pastor
then went on to share the true story of Coach Tandy Gerelds, a High School
football coach in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1970’s. The story was made into a
movie titled Woodlawn, which I highly
recommend. Coach Gerelds had a goal, and that was to win football games. If you
recall history, in1973, Birmingham was a terribly divided city, divided along
racial lines. With the implementation of bussing, his team now became
integrated with mixed races for the first time.
With that forced integration, came much conflict and chaos between
members on the team, the school and the community. One young man from Birmingham attended a
Billy Graham “revival” in the Cotton Bowl that year and wanted to bring back
what he had taken away from the revival and share it with the team to help heal
the conflict and chaos. Coach Gerelds, not a religious man by any means,
offered him 5 minutes with the team. Actually, he spent more than five minutes
with the team, talking and praying together with them, bringing them together
in the “UNITY” of Christ. There was a “spiritual thing” going on there… The
team began eating together, hanging out together, and slowly but surely, things
began to get better. The players at
Woodlawn then began sharing with their archrival, and to this day, the largest
crowd ever at an Alabama high school football game (42,000 people, 20,000 of
whom couldn’t get in because of lack of space) came together to watch the
rivals play each other.
Pastor
Mike went on to say that if we truly know and understand our history, when we
as a nation have been deeply divided in the past, (e.g. abolition of slavery,
women’s right to vote, the civil rights movement) change has always begun with
a revival. Only a revival can heal us in
order that we may cross the divide that exists between us. Having a sense that God cares about each of us,
even those with whom we disagree, can allow His Grace to come through us and
can help set us free from being so divided!
We
can certainly take a lesson from how Jesus handled these types of situations. He
didn’t post things on Facebook or other social media dismissing people he
disagreed with… He didn’t tear their character down… He quietly took the
sinners aside, shoeing them away from those who were accusing them and told
them to go and sin no more. After all,
the “ground is level” at the foot of the cross! Jesus offered them love and
support, not only showing them a better way, but He also modeled it Himself! We
are all complex, we are all sinners, and we simply can’t wait for “perfection”
to begin the process of revival… Let’s allow the “light of positivity” to shine
through to all those “complex” folks around us, as we start a revival of our
own in 2017!
I
have included a link to Pastor Mike’s entire sermon below, and would encourage
you to take a bit of quiet time just for yourself to view Pastor Mike’s entire message
offering hope, positivity and a solution to what is currently dividing us in
our Country.
Pastor Mike Housholder’s message; October 1,
2017
https://vimeopro.com/hopeonline/here-we-stand-a-10-week-confirmation-refresher/video/236604555
Jackie
Robinson truly had it right… “A life is not important except in the impact it
has on other’s lives.” May I respectfully add, “Except in the POSITIVE impact it has on other’s lives.”
It is
so important for us to keep our eyes on what truly matters - -
to love our families, our communities and each other to the best of
our ability. As we share our “stories” and our faith without fear or delay,
let’s make our lives and comments focus on the positive as we work together to
impact those who may be struggling. Some days get hard. We feel exhausted.
Worn. Tired of fighting. About ready to give up. Feeling like we can’t go on.
Struggling through defeat. And then, we may wonder if we’ve been left on our
own... We’re not alone. Not ever. God won’t let us go! His Word is filled with
reminders that He fights for us each and every day.
We’re
all in this "life thing" together and it's good to keep a focus on
helping each other get through it each day. Give an encouraging word, smile at
someone, write a note, pray for another person and let them know that you’re
praying, anything, just to remind them that you’re helping hold them up,
and that you’re with them.
I
just couldn’t finish my reflection without sharing that the recent experiences
I’ve had sharing my story with individuals and groups has been a wonderful
opportunity to help spread the message of positivity and connectedness. It has
truly been a blessing for me to listen to others thoughts and perspectives as
they confront life’s challenges while moving forward with their own personal
journeys.
Wishing everyone the
many blessings God has in store for each of us,
In Christ’s Love and
Comfort…
Dave
Reflections from the
Home Team… Go the Distance was written to help
spread a message
of positivity while also sharing the importance of remaining connected when
facing not only cancer, but any other of life’s challenges that may come our
way. The book’s purpose is to help offer compassion, hope, and strength for
others who may be facing similar battles while also offering encouragement and
positivity to readers who may find them selves or a loved one in a catastrophic
health situation, or for that matter, any challenging situation that life may
toss your way… The thoughts shared in the book can help train your mind to see
the “positive” in every situation.
The author has shared his personal thoughts and experiences so
that others may face difficult times by filling their minds and spirits with
the positive thoughts and energy shared in the book. Baseball metaphors,
competitive spirit, a touch of humor, and thanking
God for each and every day of life provide common themes throughout. Each reflection entry ends with an encouraging
attitude, a spiritual insight and a step to consider which help provide some
essential “fundamentals” to consider when facing life’s difficulties and
challenges.
Please find the author’s
“story” below as shared in an interview with Ron Steele:
https://vimeo.com/studio5mudd/review/234574788/d29f5d0794
To
learn more about the book and how to obtain a signed, personalized copy, or to
find “buy the book” locations, please click on the book’s web site below. The
website also contains updated posts from the “Reflections from the Home Team
Blog” in which the author shares thoughts and reflections as his
journey continues.
Amazon reviews of Reflections from the Home Team… Go the
Distance can be found at the link below:
