The Minton Special

Life was simple while I was growing up in small town Plano, Texas. At the turn of the 1950’s decade Plano had reached a population of 3,695. It was small town America and a wonderful place to grow up. Summers were lazy and easy going. As a kid the guys had Little League baseball as the only organized activity. Otherwise it was a scrub baseball game behind the old high school, swimming in the Texas shaped pool at the edge of town just on the west side of Hwy 75 known as the Central Expressway or maybe a tackle football game in the lot behind Billy Don’s house.

It would be another year before Six Flags Over Texas would open it’s gates in 1961. It was that same year, 1961, that a baseball team was formed bearing the name, Washington Senators. It would be another 10 years before they moved to Arlington as the Texas Rangers. In the fall of 1960 football would make its way to Dallas which lay 20 miles and 30 minutes south of Plano. On the old highway half the trip would still be in the country or sparsely populated areas. For 50 cents local football players could get general admission tickets to watch the games of the new NFL, Dallas Cowboys. They were so poorly attended at times you could move to a seat between the 40 and 50 yard line after halftime.

At the Minton household Sunday nights were mostly family time in front of our black and white TV. Mom would ask what we wanted to eat and most of the time we’d yell out “the Minton Special”. It was a simple meal. She’d take a plate and line the outside with half slices of bologna, salami, pickle-loaf or olive loaf, several slices of cheese and what we called “Liberace” crackers. “Liberace” crackers were a sweet club cracker that was sponsor on his TV show. In the middle would be pickles and olives and at times carrots or celery. Then we’d all sit down and enjoy an evening of “Gunsmoke” and “Cheyenne” or maybe it was “Bonanza” and “Have Gun Will Travel” while enjoying our sumptuous meal. Life was simple.

A while back when our kids came up for a visit we went to Frontier Texas. While going around with our granddaughter she wanted to punch every button and see what would light up. She had a ball and it was fun for me seeing her have so much fun doing something so simple.

Today is different, however, for most people. There’s soccer practice, baseball practice, volleyball, karate lessons, dancing lessons, cheerleader practice etc. Families are torn going this way and that and by the time they are home at night they are so tired that time is spent with the kids in one room and the parents in another. Meals are quick and fast. One eats in her room watching TV while another eats his in front of a video game. Another is busy “texting” or playing games on their I-Phone. Mom and dad plop down somewhere watching a reality show and just enjoying the peace and quiet. The fast paced world has worn everyone out.

Gone is the art of catching fireflies in jars or lying on the grass just gazing up at the stars. Gone in many families is family time where you just sit around together in the same room and enjoy just being together, eating together and laughing together. Our cell phones are rarely turned off and we constantly check our email to see if someone is trying to contact us with a life or death situation. As a result we have lost much of the togetherness that is healthy for families.

James wrote, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” We never know what God has planned for us the next day or the next. Before we know it it’s passed us by and we often live in the regrets of “I wish I had”.

Love your family while you can. Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer. Slow down. Go into the kitchen, make yourself a “Minton Special” then sit down with your family in the den, turn off your cell phones, shut down your computer, put your land line phone on silent, change the settings on your TV to eliminate the color and watch “The Wonderful World of Color” in black and white.

“Put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

A Thought on Kevin Na's 16 at Valero



Photo from pga.com

27 year old Kevin Na knocked in a four foot putt on the 9th hole of the Valero Open today. It was the last in an accumulation of 16 strokes and penalties. Not a good hole for the young man, however it was one better than Chris Gane’s 17 on the 18th hole of the 2003 Diageo Championship and two shy of John Daly’s 18 in 1998 at Bay Hill. Unfortunately, it was all caught on camera since Na was the feature player of the day.

I read several blogs, accounts and comments today about this terrible hole. I guess what really bothers me is how many people out there really seem to enjoy someone else’s struggles. Some people seemed to relish the chance to say “I could do better than that!” He’s been made fun of, second-guessed, put down and laughed at by a lot of people on the internet.

As I watched the replay I was impressed by Kevin; not his golf on this hole or his decision making, but how he handled the situation. I’ve watched other golfers curse a blue streak, break clubs and even walk off in disgust and frustration. Kevin however for the most part kept his cool. He did rush a few shots and drop his club when he hit the drive for the second time into the trees. But, I saw his integrity when he said he thought the ball came back and hit his pant leg. That one cost him an extra shot. Then as he finally got out of the trees with his 13th shot he came out smiling. He then proceeded to shoot 3 under par on the back nine.

I see nothing funny in laughing at people’s struggles. Every one of us has made embarrassing and stupid mistakes in life. We’ve all made bad decisions. We’ve all been in situations where we’d like a “do over”. We’ve all been embarrassed by something we’ve done in life. The only difference is that Kevin’s was caught on film. How would we feel if our bad days were filmed for everyone else to see?

Making fun of people when they are down is simply trying to find a way to make us look better. If we can somehow make others look bad or point out their weaknesses it somehow raises our stature.

Paul wrote to the church in Thessolonica to “encourage each other and build each other up”. Of all the articles I happen to read they all dwelt on the 16 strokes on hole number 9. Not one of them talked about how he kept his cool and came back with that 3 under par on the back nine. I hope his fellow golfers took time to place a hand on his shoulder and encourage him.

Kevin Na will probably not make the cut tomorrow, but I also doubt that he’ll ever shoot anywhere close to another 16.

Next time before we judge someone, we should look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “What if that were me? How would I want to be treated?” And then remember that little saying we have been taught all our lives, “Do unto others, what you would have them do unto you.”

A Light in the Fog



Image courtesy of /www.freefoto.com



The fog was thick as Sam slid into the driver's seat of  his car and began driving home from work. It was so thick in fact that he could only see a few feet ahead. As he crept slowly along he was able to spot the taillights of a car in front of him. “This guy is moving pretty well, I’ll just follow him until we get out of this mess.” He thought to himself. The two moved slowly down the road turning corners and making progress. Then all of a sudden the car in front came to a full quick stop. “Crash!” Sam’s car plowed into the back of the one in front.

Sam was furious. He exited his car and yelled at the guy in front. “Why did you stop all of a sudden like that?” You knew I was behind you! The man who had exited his car quietly turned to Sam and said, “I don’t know where you were going mister, but I’m in my own driveway!”

Life has many directions and turns that make it difficult. At times we get lost and look for direction from different sources. Sometimes the direction we go is the right way. Then again, there are times we make bad decisions. There are times we follow the wrong crowd.

One of the biggest decisions we make is who we are going to be around. With what type of people do we associate? Are they people of integrity and good character who will help us in life? Are they people who are lost themselves? Are they people out for the good of others or people out for only what they can get for themselves?

The tough part is that we are often in a fog. We feel we’re okay when we really can’t see what is happening around us. Then we crash and it’s not until then that we realize the mistake we’ve made. Fortunately, most of the time we can recover and get back on the right road, but often the damage has been done and is difficult to repair.

There is one light, however, that we can always depend on to lead us in the right direction; One light that will help us through the twists and turns we cannot see in the fog; One light that can bring us safely home.

That light is Jesus who simply said, “I am the light of the world”.

So next time you feel that your life is in the middle of a fog, look for the true light. If we follow him we receive the promise that “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

So now, back out of the driveway and get back on the road, but his time watch out who you''re following.

That Scary Word: Death

Legend says that Thebes was once invaded by a great monster, a Sphinx, a creature with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The Sphinx would wait for travelers to come by and then give them a riddle. “What animal is it that in the morning goes upon four feet, at noon on two and in the evening on three?” If they answered the riddle correctly they could pass, if not they would be killed. Each person who passed was faced with the fear that if he didn’t answer the riddle correctly he would die.

Death: It’s one of those words that immediately bring fear or deep concern. It’s the ultimate disaster we feel we must face. Since December 27^th of last year I’ve had to put death dates by five family members. It’s a strange thing to write that number after the dash.

People have spent large amounts of time and money to find a way to beat it or at least prolong the inevitable. “The Fountain of Youth”, has been a topic throughout history. Herodotus wrote of it thousands of years ago. Ponce de Leon supposedly searched for it. Even today there are places where the water is supposed to prolong your life.

Today we have artificial hearts, breathing machines, transplants and the like that repair our worn out parts and help to keep us alive. There are anti-aging drugs and creams. Special newly discovered berries and oils that are intended to add years to our lives.

Even those of us who are Christians struggle with death. I often tell people that we spend a lot of time praying people out of heaven, asking God to heal them when it’s really their time to be with Him. But like everyone else the fear of the unknown is there. We don’t want to think about it. We hesitate to plan for it. We surely don’t want to talk about it.

Dr. F.B. Meyer once wrote a friend, “I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but a few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered the palace. Don’t trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning.”

Death is only scary for those who do not have the answer to the riddle of life. Death only has to be feared by those who look at it as the end and not the beginning. When death is viewed as a door, a moment’s sleep or a packing up and moving to another home it’s not scary at all. It’s just another part of life.

Paul writes in Corinthians, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Oedipus in his travels came upon the Sphinx and the creature repeated his riddle. Oedipus replied, “Man, who in his childhood creeps on his hands and knees, in manhood walks erect and in old age with the aid of a staff.” The Sphinx, Death, had been cheated and defeated at least temporarily by Oedipus and the monster threw itself from the cliff and died.

To Oedipus it was temporary, but to those who fear God it Is life eternal.

PRO 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

A Work in Progress

In 1857 the London Philological Society embarked upon the task of developing a comprehensive error-free dictionary containing all the words of the English language and their meaning since 1150 A.D. Later to be known as the Oxford English Dictionary the first installment was issued on February 1^st in 1884. It was thought the dictionary would take four volumes and 10 years to complete. However, after five years the compilers were only down to the word “ant”. It would be another 44 years and a full ten volumes before the work 400,000 words and phrases would be completed. The work became the standard for knowledge of English meanings since it included the history of the words and all uses. The word “set” is the longest entry with over 60,000 words and 430 uses describing it.

By 1933 it was revised and the dictionary increased to twelve volumes. Again between 1972 and 1986 another four volume supplement was introduced. Today the dictionary is updated quarterly with over 1000 entries and revisions.

The Oxford English Dictionary is a growing document of over 60 million words and nearly a half-million main entries. It will never be finished. The memories of archaic words will still be in its pages. New words will be added and old words will be revised to reflect new meanings. It will continue to be a work in progress.

It’s much like us. When someone gives their life to Christ and decides to follow His ways it is the beginning of a work in progress. It is a work that will be revised, rewritten and renewed over and over as long as we live. The bad things, the mistakes, the faults, the things that are no longer useful will still be in our memories. But these will be replaced with the new, the fresh and the new rules on the right way to live.

Our work in progress will never be finished. We are required to look at it every day and make the changes needed. We add the good and make the bad obsolete. We’ll do this for as long as we live. We will never be finished.

We’ll that’s not really true. One day, when we have reviewed, revised and rewritten our lives over and over trying our best to make it right the Master will come, take the pen from our hand, close the book and say “Well done, my good and faithful servant”.

Then at the end He will make the final entry. At that point there will be only one word in the dictionary that has any meaning of any significance at all.

Grace.

Obstacle Man

Slower than a sleeping snail! More negative than an electron! Able to stall plans with a single doubt! Look! Over there! It's a man! It's a woman! It's "Obstacle Man!" Yes, it's "Obstacle Man!" Strange creature from within our number who comes to meetings with thoughts and ideas far more negative than sub-zero! "Obstacle Man!" Who can stunt the growth of a great idea. Stop optimism with his forceful, "It won't work". And who disguised as a sword bearer, typical in many meetings of congregations of all sizes, fights a never-ending battle for negativism, problem causing and the static way.

"Obstacle Man" is a hindrance to the growth of many great ideas. When a new idea is brought up he automatically comes across with a list of reasons why it won't work. For a congregation to grow, it must think positive. It must build up good ideas and make them work. When an obstacle comes into the picture, positive thinking causes one to figure a way around, over, under or through the problem. Don't become one who harps on the negative! Don't be the one who is always saying "It won't work." Don't be labeled as the "It cost too much" critic. Don't be the "We've never done that before" brakeman.

Instead be the one who says "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." Be the one who tells the crowd "If God is for us who can be against us?" Be the one with the "faith of a grain of mustard seed." Be the one who says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

How many reasons do you think Jesus could have come up with for not coming to the little planet and going through the suffering of the cross? Personally. I'm glad He didn't let these reasons stop Him.

Now how about you?

Image from Clker.com free clipart.

The Unwanted Hero

There are a lot of bad things that can happen in a sports arena. Most of the time they are forgotten and although may effect the outcome of the game have little impact past the game in which it happens. People get frustrated and angry, but it soon subsides. There are very few times that what happens on the playing field provokes hatred and contempt from both the visiting and home teams.

But that is exactly what happened one fall day almost a half century ago in a stadium less than half capacity. Only 23,154 fans in a stadium with seating for 56,866 were there on the last game of the season to witness what many people in the country both baseball fans and not would view as one of if not the most undesirable thing ever to be done on a baseball diamond. What happened that day, October 1, 1961 would eat at people for years to come. The commissioner of baseball did his best to dismiss it but the horror of it lingered in his mind to the point that he had to do something to diminish its impact on the sport.

To many it was Tracy Stallard's fault. He really could have prevented it and actually allowed it to happen. When it was all over the game ended with a 1-0 score. But it wasn't the score that burned people up. It was how the team won and fans from both sides wished it had never happened.

I remember it myself. It was the bottom of the fourth inning with Tracy Stallard on the mound. When it happened we held our breath and then gave out a deep groaning sigh. This couldn't happen could it? But it did. The count was 2-0 when Stallard threw a fastball. At that moment America's greatest baseball hero fell. At that moment Roger Maris parked the fastball over the outfield fence hitting his 61st home run and breaking the "Babe's" record. The great Bambino's record had fallen.

People thought it just wasn't right. If anyone was going to do it, it should have been Mantle. After all he was the true Yankee. But it wasn't his time. As Roger Maris put it "I always come across as being bitter. I'm not bitter. People were very reluctant to give me any credit. I thought hitting 60 home runs was something. But everyone shied off. Why, I don't know. Maybe I wasn't the chosen one, but I was the one who got the record."

"Maybe I wasn't the chosen one". Babe Ruth's home run record was sacred to a boy in the '50's and '60's. Roger Maris just didn't fit the type of player that everyone expected should break the record if it had to be broken. It was a sad day to many that would last for years to come. It was so "bad" for baseball that the record books showed his record as 61* since it was broken in more than the 154 games in which Ruth played. Ruth's record was intact along side Maris' due to a technicality.

It's similar to when Jesus came. Jesus is not what the world expected in a savior. He didn't come as a king. He didn't come as someone with the power to win great battles and defeat the emperor. He didn't come with "pomp and circumstance". He just wasn't what the Jewish people of the time expected. He was a disappointment. When the Messiah came he had to be a great king with a dynamic personality.

Too often we measure the greatness of a man's worth and accomplishments by what we see on the outside. God on the other hand is more concerned, not by what he can do on the outside but by who he is on the inside. That's the measuring stick that really counts. Are we men and women of God?

Roger Maris was a good guy. But he was not what America wanted. He was an unwanted hero. His accomplishments on the field are better than many of those in the Baseball Hall of Fame, though he himself is not in it as an accomplished player. The man who broke Ruth's record is left outside. The man who for 37 years sat atop the record books has been ignored.

Jesus, the son of God, who came to this earth and died on the cross too has been ignored. Whether he was who they wanted or not the fact was He's the one God sent. He was despised, rejected, spat upon and crucified. Yet "the stone that the builders rejected has become the capstone." (1 Peter 2:7) To many He was not the chosen one, but in the end He is the one who will carry us to victory.

The Ducks that Halted the Olympics

By 1926 Henry Robert "Bobby" Pearce was one of the worlds greatest scullers. At the age of 21 he had won the Australian Single Scull Championship with his eyes set on going to the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.

Johnny Weissmuller, know later for his role as Tarzan won two gold medals in swimming. The standard 400 meter track would be used for setting the standard for Olympiads to come. For the first time the Olympic Torch would be lit at the stadium to begin the games.

Previous games had their heroes including Jim Thorpe in 1912 and Erick Liddell in 1924. Later games would be followed by legends such as Babe Didrikson in 1932 and Jesse Owens who stole the show in 1936. But in the 1928 Olympics the hero award would go to a most unlikely candidate, Bobby Pearce.

It happened in the quarter final race against Frenchman Victor Savrin. Pearce was favored to win the gold medal when a most unlikely event occurred. In his words as he recounted the event,

"I had beaten a German and a Dane in earlier heats and I was racing a Frenchman when I heard wild roars from the crowd along the bank of the canal. I could see some spectators vigorously pointing to something behind me, in my path. I peeked over one shoulder and saw something I didn't like, for a family of ducks in single file was swimming slowly from shore to shore. It's funny now, but it wasn't at the time for I had to lean on my oars and wait for a clear course, and all the while my opponent was pulling away to a five length lead."

After the ducks had safely passed Pearce did what by any standard was a feat few men could accomplish. From a standstill in the middle of the race he began to row and by the end of the race had not only caught up with Savrin but passed him by a considerable amount on his way to gold medal a few days later.

There are times in life when things bring us to a complete halt. Times when we have more important issues that jump in front of us and keep us from our goals. Many times we just give up and quit. Other times we keep going but without the enthusiasm we had in the beginning.

The easy thing is to give up. The easy thing is to develop the "loser's limp". You know, you've seen it. A runner is in a race and knowing he's going to get badly beaten, pulls up, grabs the back of his thigh and hobbles to the side. People feel sorry for him and applaud him as he limps to the infield and lies down in "pain". But he's not really hurt. It was all a show. He did it to save face, to keep from being embarrassed for not fulfilling his goal to win.

Jesus said, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." Paul wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race..." That's the goal, to finish the race.

I heard the story of some people watching the Special Olympics 25 meter run. It was slow but the crowd watched as the competitors one by one crossed the finish line. Then far back there was one more. A young girl. A young woman on crutches slowly inching her way toward the finish. As the crowd watched she slowly made her way to her goal; to finish the race. She won, not because she came in first place, but simply because she accomplished what she set out to do; to cross the finish line.

One of these days we will all have to stop and wait for the ducks to cross. But we should never let that keep us from finishing with all our might the race that God has set before us.

A Boy with No Name

It was a school day and he didn’t much look forward to going. After all when you’re a young boy there are a lot more things in life that are much more interesting than spending the day listening to boring teachers and the endless hours of lessons. So when he noticed the commotion outside his house he was ready to take full advantage of the opportunity to see what was going on and skip his studies.

He grabbed the lunch his mother had prepared for him and bolted outside where the crowd had been gathering. He couldn’t see much if anything and was jostled this way and that as he followed the crowd much like a fish makes its way up through the waters.

Surely he thought he’d get a glimpse of what was going on but the crowd just kept moving and he just followed along. Every now and then he’d jump up to see ahead but the crowd had grown and he could only see the mass of people moving swiftly down the street. “There must be a thousand people here”, he thought to himself as he tried to work himself in to see what was going on.

Then as suddenly as the crowd had started it stopped. A murmured silence moved over the crowd then he heard a voice talking to them. “You, this group, you sit over here.” It was only when they all sat down that he could see that there weren’t a thousand but many times that many.

As he sat down, lunch in hand a shadow passed over him. He looked up and there hovering over him was a man he had never seen before. The ominous figure looked down at him then reached out his hand and took him by the arm and grabbed his lunch in the other. “Come with me boy”, he said and pulled the young man behind him.

Was he in trouble for skipping school? Was he not supposed to be eating here? Was he not supposed to be in this crowd? All sorts of things ran through his mind as they weaved in and out of the massive group of people. He could hear murmurs as he went by several and knew the men must be talking about him. There were babies crying but also laughter here and there. For the most part people were just sitting quietly with little conversation.

Finally, as they reached the front of the crowd, the man who had been holding his arm all the way, gently pulled him in front of him and said, “Here is a lad with five loaves and two fish”. As he said this the man he had spoken to turned and looked down at him and smiled. “But what are these among so many?” the man with the boy added. The man who had looked and smiled placed his hand upon the boys head stroking his hair and with his other hand took the lunch that had been brought forward.

It was on that day that a young lad whose name we will never know, helped Jesus feed over five thousand people. He brought the lunch and Jesus brought the miracle.

It’s unfortunate that a lot of people think that it’s the most powerful speaker or the more famous individual that makes the biggest difference in what happens. The Bible shows us the fallacy of this type thinking. The Israelites were afraid of Goliath because of his size. The Israelites chose Saul as their king because he looked like a king. One of the reasons Jesus was rejected was because he didn’t look the part. But look at who God chooses to do great works. Moses was a shepherd who tried to convince God he was a nobody and not send him. Jonah ran away from God because he didn’t like what he wanted him to do. Jesus chose fishermen, tax collectors, assassins and little know men to be his apostles. A woman named Rahab was blessed for her act of saving the Israelite spies. Timothy was a young man when he started his ministry. Paul was a persecutor of Christians.

God chooses the most unlikely people to do his works. Why is that? It’s basically because the power is not in the individual but in what God can do with what we bring to Him. Whether it’s a lunch basket with five loaves and two fish or just a couple of empty hands, with God miracles can occur.

Next time you feel you’re not worthy to do something for God stop and remember this young man with no name; This young man who was a major part of one of the greatest miracles that Jesus ever performed.

If Life Had Mulligans

The guys I play golf with have an unwritten rule. We are allowed one mulligan per nine holes played. For those that don’t know, a mulligan is simply a “do over”. You can redo any shot and the first one doesn’t count against you. We don’t play for money just for fun. Now I realize that it breaks the rules of golf and many golfers are probably appalled by the adjusting of the rules, but it eases some of the tension on a bad day. In fact there are days when someone is really struggling that mulligans are handed out even more generously.

Wouldn’t it be nice if life would be that way? How would you like it if life would allow you one mulligan every decade you lived? If this were the case then I’d be owed six mulligans. I’ve been wondering, “What would my life mulligans be.” I realized as I was going over them in my mind that I really needed more in my early years than I do now. That’s kind of like golf. We make more mistakes as we’re learning the game and fewer major blunders the better we get. Surprisingly enough many of the mulligans ended up being little things and not the major events I faced. It’s like that in golf too. It’s a lot easier to recover from a bad drive than a duffed chip shot. So what are mine? Well here they are:

0-10 This one was hard, not because of what I did, but because I can’t remember what I did for the most part. The one thing that stands out is when I said something that hurt my mother’s feelings. I apologized but I can still remember that day. It’d be nice to take it back.

11-20 it’s a shame I only get one. This was one of those times I needed several. I would however go back to my high school years and treat some people a little better. I look at kids today and feel for those who are outcast.

21-30 As soon as I finished college, I’d have made sure my wife got to finish her degree. She worked to get me through then we went on with life. I regret that.

31-40 This was a time of a big mistake of a job change that I wish I hadn’t made. It caused a lot of family struggles over the years that could have been avoided.

41-50 I’d have spent more time with my youngest son. I feel we missed out on a lot of father-son stuff because I was “too busy”.

51-60 I’d have at least started thinking retirement better. At the rate I’m going it looks like I can retire at 102.

Yes, it would be nice if life would have let me take a mulligan here or there, but it’s not like the weekend game for fun. Life is more like the pros play; no mulligans, no do overs. You play the ball where it lies. Of course every so often you get a free drop when something that is not your fault gets in the way. You also get a drop when you make a mistake, but it’s not free. You can get another chance, but it’s going to cost you a stroke. So it is with life. We suffer the consequences of our mistakes, but we still continue to get other chances. We learn from what we did wrong and in most cases our second chance turns out okay.

Then on the other hand:

That’s what’s great about being a Christian. Every time we pray and ask Christ for another chance he takes the eraser, cleans off the scorecard and says “Okay, try again.” And He’ll keep doing it until we get it right. We can’t change the past, but we’re given every chance possible to change the today.