How About Those Royals!

If you know me at all, you know that I am a KC Royals fan. It really goes back a long time. Actually to about 1969. My dad took my brother and me to so many baseball games back in that old Memorial Stadium that had housed the minor league KC Blues, the KC Monarchs of the Negro League, the KC Athletics and the KC Royals. Starting in 1969, the Royals became that mainstay MLB team in KC. The Athletics headed off to Oakland in 1968 and promptly became contenders and a quick rival of the expansion Royals who kicked it off in KC in 1969.

The Royals have been my team since then. About 45 years worth of my life. There have been some really good years through the mid-80s and then really lean years until the past couple of years.

What this team did this year though is really just plain, old baseball fun. A bunch of young players with a couple of veteran pitchers, a somewhat semi-successful manager and a fan base that had little to cheer for so many years. But it was a great combination. And the time was obviously right.

Back in the Spring, I sprung $20 for the MLB app on my phone and kept up with the Royals like I hadn't in over 20 years. That $20 investment brought a lot of enjoyment to this old KC boy. I listened to so many ballgames at night and enjoyed every minute of it.

The run through the wild card game; the division series; the conference series and the World Series was just good baseball fun. The Royals won so many games through that post-season stretch that they were not expected to win. They played some really good teams; the Athletics, the Angels, the Orioles and then the current MLB World Champion Giants. So much fun. So much good that happened in my hometown of Kansas City around these Royals.

Last week, I climbed in the car and drove to Kansas City to watch games 1 and 2 of the World Series with my dad and brother. It took me back to all those games we had watched in the old stadium and then the K starting in 1972.

I am a Royals fan but I realized even clearer last week watching those games with dad and James that it wasn't really about the baseball. It was really about the times we were together as family (mom would go back in the day and take a book or newspaper to read) and we just happened to be watching the Royals. This year the Royals helped me to remember what an amazing family and childhood I had and that I am a blessed dude for sure.

Hats off to the World Champion San Francisco Giants. You are a good team that squeaked past another good team, the Kansas City Royals.

Go Royals! (and as my brother reminded me this morning, only 113 days until the pitchers and catchers report).

Shake It Off

As that wise, old sage Taylor Swift sings in Shake It Off - 

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music

In my mindSaying, "It's gonna be alright."

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate)
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break (mmmm)
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (and fake, and fake, and fake)
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Sometimes life can jump up and kick you right in the teeth, the gut or even that great groin shot! You stand there, mouth agape, wide-eyed and out of breath, thinking, "What Just Happened!" I have experienced that a few times in my life and wondered, "What do I do now?!" Those times have been few and far between but each of those times have brought a time of decision. 

This past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at Friendship Community Church in Mt. Juliet and it was a great time of corporate worship. It is a growing church which meets in a local elementary school. The sermon was based out of Romans 5:1-5 (one of my favorite passages) and the focus was on rejoicing in the One who can be trusted in all situations.

While I think Taylor Swift is an ever improving artist (she is an excellent song writer), be careful that you do not take her philosophy in this song as words to live by. Don't get me wrong. This is a fun song and entertaining. True it is going to be alright, but that is not dependent on me. It is dependent on the One who has already made it alright.

Don't think I'm cracking on Miss Swift. She is talented but this particular song should not influence our theology like unfortunately many of us can adopt from everything but Christ Himself.

And, remember. Sometimes we can't just shake it off. No matter how hard we try, things can get to us. Turn to and trust completely Christ. He can be trusted in each and every situation. He expects and has provided the way to trust Him in all things.

No offense meant to Taylor Swift.

New Perspective on Volunteers

Confession time for me here. I have been a leader, minister, staff person for many years in local churches in MO, TX and TN. I have led 100s of training conferences for student ministry and discipleship leaders in almost every state and in 12 or 13 countries. I have encouraged leaders who were about to quit due to frustration, depression, burn out; leaders just getting started in a new venture; and others who are on the backside of their sweet spot in ministry years and people in between. But . . . this past weekend I got a fresh, new perspective on how to treat volunteers.

IRONMAN Chattanooga took place on Sunday, 9/28 with about 2600 participants and who knows how many volunteers. I would say a whole bunch, would be a pretty accurate number. Each volunteer was given a green shirt with all the appropriate IRONMAN Chattanooga and sponsors logos plastered on it and a huge VOLUNTEER written on it. Volunteers served the races in many various ways from water stops to handing out bags, catching and releasing bikes, providing sunscreen and cleaning up thousands of cups and trash. There were oh! so many different volunteer roles that people filled. I served by releasing bikes to the athletes or their family/friends at the end of the race. If an athlete was picking up their bike after the race, I ran and got their bike for them. I pointed family/friends to the appropriate spot where they would find their bike. All-in-all about 2300 bikes were racked in numerical order. The picture gives you at least one view of what that bike transition area looked like on Sunday.

During my shift 3.5 hour shift I am not certain how many bikes I personally released but conservatively the number was in the 50s at least. Some of those bikes were racked about 300 yards away so it made for some pretty good running exercise. The overwhelming part of the whole experience for me was this - Athletes, family and friends were so very appreciative of the service the volunteers were giving. I met so many nice people who were genuinely thankful for the volunteers as we served them. They verbally told us again and again how much they appreciated us serving as volunteering.

After the volunteer shift was over, Dave, Gregg and I headed to grab us some dinner. As we walked along, we congratulated finishers and without fail, they thanked us for serving. People who were there just spectating, thanked us as volunteers. It was very affirming but in reality, we volunteers had just done something that we enjoyed. We did not do it to get any kind of recognition, but it sure was fun to be thanked.

It got me to wondering . . . How come this is not the norm at most churches? Many times it seems that volunteers are seen as a commodity, a means to an end, to accomplish something that really has very little to do with them. We beg for volunteers and then seldom genuinely thank them. I walked away Sunday affirmed and convicted at the same time. I have been guilty of overlooking volunteers and not thanking them for all that they do.

Lesson learned/remembered this past Sunday at IRONMAN Chattanooga. Genuinely thank those who serve. Not really so much for what they do, but because of who they are as people.