Heads or Tails?

          It was December 23, 1962 and my dad and I had just watched the Dallas Texans and Houston Oilers come to a 17-17 stalemate at the end of four quarters of the AFC championship game. Houston had been down 17-0 at the half and came back with 10 fourth quarter points to tie. There was a very strong wind in Jeppesen Stadium making it difficult to kick and pass. In the overtime, Texans Coach Stram told Abner Haynes if they won the toss to choose to defend the goal facing the clock. The Texans won the toss and Haynes said, “We’ll kick to the clock.” By rule once he said “we’ll kick” the other team got to choose the goal to defend. As a result the Texans had to kickoff into a strong wind. Fortunately for Haynes the first overtime ended 0-0 and the Texans won in the second overtime 3-0.

          In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959 in Clear Lake, Iowa Buddy Holly prepared to take off to the next town on his tour. The “Big Bopper”, J.P. Richardson had the flu and convinced Wayon Jennings to give up his seat on the plane. The other seat was to go to either 17 year old Ritchie Valens or guitarist, Tommy Allsup. Ritchie Valens won the toss. The first he had ever won he is quoted as saying. Shortly after takeoff at 12:55 a.m. the plane crashed killing the pilot and all three Rock ‘n’ Roll stars.

          In 1969 Penny Chenery and Ogden Phipps both wanted a colt that was sired by the prominent racehorse, Gold Ruler. Two mares had been sent to breed, Hasty Matelda and Somethingroyal. Phipps and stable owner “Bull” Hancock set up the agreement that there would be a coin toss between Phipps and Chenery and the winner would get the pick of the foal in 1969 and the loser the first in 1970.  Phipps won the toss and selected the filly from Hasty Matelda. The following year Hasty Matelda was replaced with Cicada who did not conceive so Chenery would have to wait for her colt to be born from Somethingroyal. When it was born the stable secretary had submitted five names for the horse that the Jockey Club turned down. They finally accepted a name Elizabeth Ham came up with for Penny Chenery’s new colt. They named him Secretariat.

          Because of a coin toss, Portland, Oregon is Portland and not Boston. The two owners of the land from the east wanted to name it after their hometowns, Portland, Maine and Boston Massachusetts. Because of a coin toss Orville Wright was the first to make a manned flight. Wilber won the toss but crashed the plane so the next try was the successful one by Orville.

          Decisions by chance can be good ones when they work out well, but at the same time can end up in disappointment or disaster just as easily. It’s always risky to make decisions based on nothing but luck and chance.

          Good decision making is made when people are prepared properly. It takes studying an issue, looking at it from all sides and carefully weighing the pros and cons to make a well informed decision. In the church it not only takes these, but it takes study of God’s Word and especially a time of prayer for wisdom and understanding.

          A lot of decisions have been made in churches that have been hasty and done without thinking it through. Church plants have failed. People have been ill prepared. Churches have gotten into financial and legal troubles many times by its leaders meaning well but not seeking the wisdom that God can give. We often say we are going to have a time of prayer, but I wonder how many people take the opportunity to pray every day. How many sit down and spend time in study and honestly seek God’s advice?

          Decisions made by church leaders and members are some of the most important decisions we will ever make. They deal with things beyond the earthly things we decide every day. They deal with the spiritual lives of people. They deal with the growth of the church. Many are decisions that will affect years to come. Many are decisions that can alter lives, affecting families, marriages, children and most of all spiritual relationships.

          It would be nice to have a coin toss to help make a decision at times. It would be nice not to have to go through hours and days of discussion and debate. It would be nice to tell a family or husband or wife, heads you do this or tails you do that. It would be easy, but of course irresponsible, not knowing the outcome.

          As leaders, let us take time every day to pray to God for wisdom to make the right choices and decisions. Let us be the example by seeking God’s call for us through study of his Word. I do believe that through prayer and trust in God’s ability to lead us that the future of the church will always be on the right track. His track.

________________________

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

James 1:5-6

Joy of Giving

One of my favorite little stories is about a little boy named, Tim. Tim was not popular at school, often made fun of and constantly teased. His mother knew that he was picked on and as any mother would, felt sorry for him and his situation.

One Valentine’s Day the kids decorated boxes and were to bring Valentines to school the next day to put in the boxes. Tim was excited as he and his mother went to the store to pick out the cards. Tim’s mother kept wondering, but hoping that Tim would get some cards in his box. It was hard to bear the thought that he may just be left out.

When they arrived home, Tim looked over each card, picking the ones he wanted to give to each person and then very carefully signed the cards, placed them in the envelopes and wrote the student’s name on the outside in his large crooked letters.  When done he neatly stacked all the cards on the table by his bed in order not to forget them the next morning. It was hard going to bed due to the excitement he was feeling.

The next morning as his mother watched him leave the house and head to the bus stop her heart was heavy with concern. Would he be bringing home Valentines or would the kids treat him in the same uncaring manner. She told herself she’d make some brownies and have them ready when he came hope to cheer him up if things didn’t go well.

She waited impatiently for the bus to return that afternoon. As the bus made its stop she saw Tim getting off the bus and as he walked to the door she saw his head down and shaking back and forth. As he moved closer she heard him say softly, “not a one.” Her heart sank and tears began to form. Then as Tim stepped in the door, he raised his head, looked at his mom, smiled and said, “Not a one. I didn’t forget a single one.”

It makes me realize that the happiness and excitement we receive in life comes mostly, not from what we receive, but through what we give. Paul points this out in Acts 20:35 when he remembers something that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. I’m glad Paul remembered that, since it is not in the Gospel accounts. But whenever he said it, it made an impression on him. Jesus was constantly tell people to love one another, to help each other and to give freely of ourselves.

Why? Maybe it’s because when we give from the heart it is also giving back to ourselves. We feel joy when we make someone happy. We feel excited when they are excited. We shed tears with their good fortune and grateful when they are blessed.

Kindling the excitement of giving is what brings joy to an individual and to a church. Always being concerned about “What am I going to get out of it” harbors selfishness and dissension. A truly happy congregation, I believe is one whose heart is constantly praying for others, reaching out to those in need and more concerned about others than themselves. Most of all when we give it not only fills our hearts but more importantly it pleases God.

____________________

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16

Do You Really Love God?

As I was studying for my Sundown lesson this week I came across a story told by C. W. Bradley. If you come to Sundown you’ll probably hear it again, but I thought I’d share it this week in my Thursday Thoughts.

As he tells it there was once a young lady who purchased a book and began reading it. In a short time in disgust she threw the book aside saying, “This is the most uninteresting book I’ve ever seen.” A few months later she fell in love with a young man, they dated and were finally engaged. He was a writer and one night as they were talking, he casually mentioned the name of the first book he wrote. It happened to be the very one she had tossed aside. That evening, when she returned home, she rushed to the attic and fumbled through several boxes until she found the book. In the early morning hours as she finished the final page, she made the comment to herself, “This is the most interesting book I have ever read!” So what happened to change her viewpoint? The answer is simple, she was in love with the author.

When asked about the greatest commandment, in response Jesus gave two to the inquisitor. The first was to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. Jesus then quickly adds that a second commandment is coupled with this one, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He then points out that everything hinges on the single concept of love for God and man.

So now to the question, “Do you really love God?” “Do you think that those we as leaders lead love God? Before you answer give it some thought. I did as I was studying for this lesson. How much we love God hinges heavily on how we love one another. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know you are one of my disciples, if you love one another.”

As leaders are we doing a good job in teaching us to love one another? We will answer “yes” of course. We teach people to take meals to the sick. We teach them to visit the hospitals. We teach people to visit shut-ins. The list can go on, but these are just acts of kindness. Paul wrote that if we speak in tongues of men or angels, if we have great faith or give all we possess to the poor, they are just empty acts if we don’t have love.

When people are talked about behind their backs, is that love? When people criticize what others are doing or not doing, is that love? When we are envious of other’s successes, is that love? When we allow ministers to be criticized without stepping in, is that love? When we allow elders to be complained about over decisions, is that love? Do we hold grudges or ill will? Do we look for faults? Do we allow things like this? Do we do it ourselves? If so that’s not love. In the case where we do this we are actually telling God we don’t love Him. As John wrote, “whoever does not love, does not know God, for God is love.” He adds “whoever does not love their brother or sister who they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

When people truly love the Author, we will change the way people look at each other. Realizing that God showed his love by giving his son, nothing stood in the way of God’s love for people, even when they were in the midst of sin. In the same way if we teach people to love God, we first must teach them to love each other.  When you love someone the faults and blemishes may not vanish, but will be unnoticeable or diminished, because love covers them up.

A church that becomes known as a bickering congregation or one that if full of turmoil is telling the world they are only “clanging gongs and banging cymbals”.  If someone walks into an elder’s meeting they should feel the love in the room. If someone walks into a church office they should feel the love in the room. If someone walks into a minister’s meeting they should feel the love. When someone walks through the foyer or into a class they should feel the love in the air. When someone hears the conversations of members in the foyer, over a meal, at school or at their office they should feel the love.

In short the place to start loving God is teaching everyone to love each other in word and deed. As we fulfill the second commandment we will at the same time be fulfilling the first. Fulfilling the greatest commandment can only be done in reverse order.

Now, again the question, “Do you really love God?” The question cannot be answered by anyone with words. It can only be answered by loving one another, the Jesus way.

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”Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. “

1 John 4:11-12

 

Why?

In the Christmas story “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” there is a scene where the Grinch has packed up everything in the house, except where the Whos were sleeping I guess, and stuffed it all up the chimney. He takes the Christmas tree and starts to shove it up the chimney when in walks Cindy Lou Who, who had gotten out of bed for a cup of cold water. “She stared at the Grinch (who was dressed like Santa Claus) and said Santy Claus, ‘Why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?’ The Grinch gave her a completely illogical reason, “There’s a light on this tree that won’t light on one side.” Of course the real reason was “the Grinch hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season. But please don’t ask why, no one quite knows the reason.”

She didn’t scream and yell that there was a burglar in the house. She didn’t run to wake mom and dad Who. She didn’t just stand there and watch, wondering what in the world Santa Claus was up to.  She stood there watching this act which she really didn’t understand and asked the simple question, “Why?”

It is the failure to ask that one question, “Why?”, and listen to the answer that keeps many areas of disagreement from ever being truly brought out in the open and solved. Maybe we don’t want to know, “Why?”, because it is contrary to what we think. Maybe the person doesn’t really know, “Why?”, but that come out unless we ask. Sure the answer may be completely illogical. It may make no sense to us at all. But at least by asking it gives a starting point to work out issues that cause tension.

We all have reasons why we like or dislike someone or something. It may or may not have a basis. The reason may not exist for everyone else or may even be totally illogical, but until we ask the question and try and see the other side of how people think then it is impossible for any group to come together. We don’t have to agree or like the same thing to work together, but it is essential that we understand what those standing beside us are feeling in order to best utilize talent and minimize controversy.

I’m a big Dallas Cowboy fan. I have been since I was able to get 50 cent tickets as a Junior High football player to go watch them in the Cotton Bowl. I like Romo. Why? Because he is a good quarterback and is blamed for things for which he has no control many times. I don’t care much for Jerry Jones’ way of managing the team. I don’t know him so I can’t say if I like him or not. I don’t like the Philadelphia Eagles! Why? Should you even have to ask?

A few years ago there was a lady in my Bible class that hated the Cowboys and loved the Eagles. We would kid each other the weeks that they played each other. We strongly disagreed. The main reason we got along though and were able to be open about it was because we knew why each other felt the way we did. Why? She grew up in the Philadelphia area as an Eagle fan. She had a good reason, as much as I disagreed with her, but just knowing why made all the difference in the relationship.

It’s important for unity and a good working environment to be less confrontational and more relational. The way to accomplish that is to move away from arguing about differences and moving toward trying to understand the “Why?” Maybe the reason is valid to them, but not to you. Maybe the reason is skewed by false information. Maybe the reason brings something to light that has been ignored, but the only way to know the reason a person feels the way they do is to ask them, “Why?”, then sit back and listen attentively.

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“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

Image is copyrighted and my no be used for commercial purposes. Image from Wikia.com.

 

The Match

You’re in a dark room. You take a match and strike it. You can hold the match on the end and watch as it slowly burns down to almost the tips of your fingers and then, as it nears the end, blow it out. At that point the match is blackened and useless never to be used again to bring light. It is tossed away ground under foot and the room again is in the dark.

You’re in a dark room. You take a match and strike it. You place the flame of the match and light a candle. The match burns down, becomes useless and no longer brings light, and is thrown away, but the light remains because the match has shared its flame with the candle.

You’re in a room lit by the candle in your hand.  The person next to you has a candle, but it is dark. You tilt your candle toward theirs and the wick of their candle takes life, but yours remains bright even having shared a part of its flame with your neighbor’s candle.

With the light of the two candles you notice that the room is full of people with unlit candles. You and your neighbor light other candles and in turn others share their light. However, each time the light is shared it never takes from the candle who shared, but only adds to the light in the room.

You’re in a candle lit room. The light is so bright the room in well lit. You look on the floor and there lies one burned out match. Then you realize that, that one match, although it lit only one candle spread its light to all the others who had been in the dark.

We live in a world with many people who are holding an unlit candle. Maybe they are mourning the death of a loved one. Maybe their marriage is struggling. Maybe their job is on the line. Maybe they’re lonely. Maybe they’re just depressed. But mostly their day is just like being in a dark room.

We stand with a candle lit by the match on the floor. We have light and feel good. So we reach over and give a word of encouragement to the person next to us and that one little word, that simple phrase or that one act of kindness ignites their candle. From there the encouragement spreads to someone else when he says “I know what you’re going though”. And it continues from person to person.

Encouragement is a simple thing to give. I helped a lady recently with a doctor appointment. “I just love my church” she said. I had lit her candle. She told her parents and they expressed how much this church meant to them. She had lit their candle. I held the hand of the son of a member who was dying from AIDS. She was in tears and thanked me many times over. Her candle had been lit with someone caring.

We each hold in our hands a match. It is the match of encouragement. We can let it burn down or light a candle that brings light enough to be shared throughout the room. The choice is up to us.

_______________

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

Matthew 5:15

I Dreamed a Dream

In 2009 Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent Show. At the time she was a 47 year old housewife from a small group of villages in the United Kingdom. She stepped on stage, in a plain dress and looking much more like someone who might be cooking a pan of cookies than someone getting ready to sing.

Susan was asked about her dreams. She said it was to be a professional singer much like another popular singer in Britain. When asked why she had never pursued the opportunity she told them this was the first time she really had the opportunity.  As the camera scanned the crowd, you could see eyes roll and comments mouthed to neighbors. No one took the 47 year old middle aged woman seriously. The song she had chosen to sing was “I Dreamed a Dream” form Les Miserables.  The music began and before the first line of the song were finished rolling from her voice the audience was in loud applause and the judges sat, mouths wide opened, dumbfounded at Susan’s beautiful singing ability.

Here’s the link if you would like to see the performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcQ9A-5noM

As I watched the video it crossed my mind how leaders are always talking among themselves about their dreams for the kingdom. We meet about it, discuss it, write about it and share it with each other over and over. We at times even ask members to dream. However, how often do we really ask those who sit in the pews, “What is your dream for this church?”  How often do we sit and discuss with the lay people what they want to see the church becoming? When they do tell the leaders their dreams, do leaders take the time to listen seriously?

It’s unfortunate, but many times impressions of other’s ability or what they have to say is overshadowed by some outward characteristic. If Susan Boyle had been a pretty mid 20 year old woman the judges and crowd would not have had any reservations about her dream. There would not have been eyes rolling, mouths opened or whisperings to their neighbors. Likewise “in church” it is many times the case that the more popular, more outgoing and sometimes even physical appearance that gets the most attention and is listened to more intently.

I remember in the book of Samuel how people were surprised when David was chosen king. He didn’t look like a king! He was nothing like Saul in stature. In fact he probably smelled from being around the sheep and was “in the band instead of being on the playing field”.  Yet he is the one God chose and told the people 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

I think it’s important to listen to the dreams of the members as well as leaders. To listen intently at their passions. People will rise to serve their passions for the Lord. Sure, their dream or passion may not be mine, but that doesn’t make it less important or less meaningful.

Good leaders encourage people to dream. They encourage people to find ways to fulfill their dream if at all possible. Our goal is to build up in the hearts of God’s children the desire to serve whether it be as an individual or a group. Leaders should be careful not to “throw water” on the desires and dreams of others, lest they put out the flames within their hearts for good, but rather be ready to fan the embers that glow and help them become raging fire in their hearts for the Lord.

"I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Jeremiah 20:9

What's in a Name

Have you ever walked through a cemetery and read the markers? I got to wondering the other day about how we use names in so many different ways. As my thoughts wandered I came up with a list of 10 of the most well known people in the country. Almost everyone has heard of them and refer to them often. Here's my list and what they are known for..

Most Progressive – Jones

              Keeping up with the Joneses

Most Overworked – Juan Valdez

               Handpicks all the coffee beans

Most Traveled – Kilroy

               Kilroy was here

Most Popular – Frank

               Let me be Frank

Worst handyman- Jerry

               He Jerry rigged it to make it work

Most Victimized – Peter

Most Owed –Paul

               People are always robbing Peter to pay Paul

Most Respected Witness – Bob

               I swear to tell the truth, so help me Bob

Most Forgiving – Ollie

               Ollie, Ollie Oxen Free It’s safe to come out in hide and seek

Most Skeptical – Thomas

               He’s a doubting Thomas

Okay, so this may be a little whimsical but I listed them to ask some questions. When people say your name and you are not around what reference do they put with it? How are you known to others? How do you "come across" to both friend and foe?

Would you be known as:

Worst Complainer - He is always complaining

or

Biggest Liar - You can't believe a word he says

or

Loudest know it all - He is always bragging

or

Most Helpful - Always there for people

or

Greatest Friend - He'll never abandon you

Believe it or not people label us by how we talk and act. This is where they get their impression of who we are down deep.

What comes to mind when I mention names such as George Washington, Hitler, Charles Manson, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Mitt Romney or Barak Obama? We already have opinions on these men by our view of what we have seen or know about them.

So now, when people say your name what do they add to describe who you are? If it's not favorable, it's never too late to change the way people view who you are.

In the Shadow of the Greats

Driving northeast from Waco, Texas at approximately the 30 mile marker you will come to the town of Hubbard, Texas, population 1,586 according to the 2000 census. It was there on April 4, 1888 that one of the greatest baseball players of all time was born. He became known as “the Grey Eagle”.

To baseball purists the names of Ruth, Wagner, Williams, Gehrig, Cobb, Musial, Aaron and Mantle ring out as some of baseball’s greatest in history. But there is one player that falls among the greats who played in their shadows, one the average baseball fan probably never heard of yet to the baseball purists deserves every bit to be listed when the  names of the greats are on the roll call. His name was Tristram (Tris, Spoke, the Grey Eagle) Speaker.

As a kid he fell off a horse and broke his right arm so severely that he had to learn how to be left handed. In high school while playing football he injured his left arm to the point that doctors were considering amputating it. They didn’t. He recovered and moved on to become one of baseball’s greatest center fielders.

Tris played up close so that no balls would fall in front of him. He was so fast he could run and catch balls that were hit over his head. He even had a few unassisted double plays as a centerfielder catching a low fly ball and beating the runner back to second to tag him out. His position was known as “where triples go to die”.

His lifetime batting average was .345, sixth on the on the all time hitting average list. He holds the outfield record for assists. He still holds the major league record for doubles, 792. He is fifth is career hits, sixth in career triples and eighth in career runs. He is one of only two men to have 50 doubles and 50 stolen bases in a season. He hit over .380 five times. In over 10,000 times at bat he had less than 300 strikeouts. The most he ever struck out was 25 times in a season.

When it comes to the church some of the greatest workers are those in the shadows of others. In the Bible we read mostly of Peter and Paul as they spread the church, but there were the others who also gave their lives for the spreading of the good news, some we know, while others names have faded from the minds of men centuries ago. Yet many of these unknowns were just as instrumental in spreading the gospel as those who were well known.

Today we often forget that most of the Lord’s work is done by the unknowns. Everyone knows who the preachers and ministers are. They know the leaders that make the decisions. On the other hand few know that sister Ann takes food to the shut-ins or that brother Bob visits the hospitals every Tuesday. They are the quiet servants. They are the ones who serve because they love the Lord without pay or acknowledgement. Every church has them, all we have to do is open our eyes and look. As the decades pass the names of preachers and leaders will be on church history lists and reunion plaques, but the names of the silent servants will be forgotten as buildings are rebuilt and memories of old hallways fade away.

But to God they will never be forgotten. These silent servants are the ones that God loves so much because they give not for praise or money, but out of their love for Him, much like the widow in Mark 12:42 “But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on."

May we never forget those who serve in the shadows.

Low Man on the Totem Pole

Totem Poles have been around for well over 100 years. You won’t see too many around Abilene since Mesquite Tree trunks aren’t the ideal trunks for a 30 foot tall sculpture. Totem poles were not worshipped but designed mostly to depict tribal history or folklore. Many times native Indians would feel connection to one of the animal symbols as if his spirit was intertwined with that particular animal.

Over the years “low man on the totem pole” has been a figure of speech we use to say we are low in the hierarchy of where we work, live, play or worship. In reality a totem pole has no real hierarchy. The truth of the matter is the importance is how it’s made.

Many totem poles were supervised by a master carver with apprentice carvers to help. On a thirty foot totem pole the most important part is the bottom 10 feet. That’s the part that the people see the closest. That’s the part that has to look its best. At 30 feet you can’t see the flaws, but within that first 10 feet it’s all visible. That’s why that part is done by the master carver. That’s the most important part of the pole.

Psalm 8 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

When times are tough and you feel unimportant, when you feel unappreciated, when you feel nobody cares and you feel burdened down by life.

Remember one thing:

You were made by the Master Carver a little lower on the totem pole a place of great “glory and honor”.

The Blame Game

I’m a big Dallas Cowboy fan. I have been since Eddie LaBaron was quarterback and as a Jr. High football player I could get end zone tickets for 50 cents each at the Cotton Bowl. At halftime we’d move on over to the 30 yard line since Dallas didn’t always draw big crowds in 1960. I was a fan before they became “America’s Team” in 1978. I’m still a fan after the defense blew another one last night against the “Giants”.

Most fans like the game but they know little about the strategy or can look at a game in its entirety to see why a team wins or loses. Unfortunately even “football savvy” analyst who are ex-ballplayers don’t help with their bias commentaries.

Dallas lost the last two weeks with a chance to win or tie on the last play of the game. One, the coach “iced” his own kicker before a crucial field goal. The last one the opposing coach called a timeout that allowed the defense to adjust some things and block a kick. Many “fans” say that lost the game for the Cowboys. But in actuality they were only the last thing that cost the game. A game is 60 minutes long with approximately 30 different activities happening at the same time on the field at the same time; a dropped touchdown pass, overthrowing a receiver, a penalty that negates a long gain or big loss, a missed block that kept a first down from happening. These are all events that can “cost” a team the game, however they are really not noticed much unless they are one of the last events on the field.  

However, the biggest game in the contest is the “Blame Game”. Everyone wants to find someone to blame for the loss; the kicker, the quarterback, the defense, the offensive line, the coach. Coaches who never set foot on the field are fired because the players can’t get it together. Players are criticized by the media, officials are raked over the coals and owners are told what to do by people looking for someone to blame. After all, we have to blame someone when things go wrong, don’t we?!

Unfortunately, Christians and churches are like that. When attendance is down we look for someone to blame. When contributions are low we look for someone to blame for their lack of giving. When things don’t go right we look for someone to blame.

In most cases the thing that we base our blame on is usually the most current event happening. In reality the problems may have been brewing for a long time. They are issues that have built up over time. The last event is the one that just took it over the edge.

So who do we blame when things go wrong? Who do we point fingers at to point out their faults? Who do we put up on the pedestal of shame?

Maybe the answer is not in who we blame but in how we approach things. Jesus once stooped down and wrote in the sand next to a woman who had been brought to him for being an adulteress. He spoke the words, “let he who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.” In another place James asks the question about why should be concerned about the speck in our brothers eye when we have an entire plank in our own.

Everybody has a job to do and sometimes we make mistakes. Some of these mistakes will cost us dearly, while others will be of little consequence. So first if we are involved we should look at ourselves and see what may have done by “me” to contribute to the problem. If we have problems then let’s fix them. Second if we can’t do anything about it fill people with encouragement instead of blame and humiliation.

Most of all let’s just quit looking for a scapegoat and get on with the task at hand not waiting until the final play of the game to try and pull out from all our mistakes. That might just be too late.