A Team of Outcasts

My Dad began coaching little league football in the early 1970's with the Guilford College Steelers in Greensboro, NC.  The Steelers were a "county" team who played in the powerful Greensboro city league, and in the early years they were doormats.  Dad transformed them into consistent winners at the 8-10 year old level, and I always enjoyed helping him.  As their success increased so did the number of kids coming out to play.  There was a limit (35, I think) of how many players a team could carry.  And to make sure all of those players got to play the city instituted a great program.  Regular games were on weeknights, and all of your players were eligible for those.  Then on Saturday mornings there was another game- but your top 15 players could not participate!  So Saturday morning was the game for the back-ups.  On a powerhouse team like the Steelers, that Saturday morning team was very good.

One particular season (the year escapes me) we had over 50 kids come out to play for the Steelers.  Dad would not cut anyone, and he wanted everyone to play, so he came to me with an idea.  Would I be willing to coach a third team- one that didn't even dress on weeknights, but that played as a second Steeler team on Saturday mornings?  This would be a team full of kids who had not played organized football before; full of the smallest kids and the slowest kids and even some who didn't know their left from their right.  In short, it was going to be a bad team- a team of outcasts.  But it seemed like a challenge to me (not being a very bright young man!) so I said yes.  Not wanting to call it the "C Team" or the third string, we settled on The White Team, because they would wear the white jerseys abandoned by the "real" Steelers a few years earlier. They are pictured at the top, and yes- that is a very young me standing with them!

The White Team practiced separately from the other players, and slowly a team began to come together.  Our guys practiced very hard each and every day- but we also had lots of fun.  We would run trick plays every day just to break things up.  When the starting defense needed to hit some people, I would play quarterback for a make-shift offense, and they could hit me all they wanted to.  It was all about helping them believe in each other. No one had to tell them they were outcasts. The hand-me-down jerseys said it all too well.  The team progressed, and played well in our first game- but lost 7-6.  No could believe we had been that close, but still, everyone feared for us- game two would be against Lewis Center.

Lewis Center was the power program in Greensboro city football.  They annually played for the city championship at a least one age level, and they had been doing this for years.  The general assumption was that their Saturday morning team could make the playoffs in the regular league!  And The White Team was about to take them on.  My Dad was worried that we would be beaten so badly that it would humiliate the kids.  I secretly worried the same thing.  But we showed up anyway- and the game was amazing.  They drove the ball down the field, and we stopped them inside the 10.  This pattern repeated itself all game long.  We never came close to scoring, but we kept fighting.  The game ended in a scoreless tie, which, of course, was a major victory for us.  My Dad often said over the years, as he was winning city championships with the Steelers, that The White Team performance that Saturday morning was the greatest game he ever saw a Steeler team play.  And I wouldn't argue...

My experiences with that team were full of great lessons that I carried with me into my years in student ministry.  I learned the value of mixing working hard with playing hard.  I learned that building bonds between myself and the students I worked with could lead to results that seemed miraculous.  But the big lesson was this- a team (or a group) can be so much greater than the sum of its' parts if you simply believe in each other.  Over the years my groups didn't always have the most "popular" students, or the most jocks, or the most "beautiful" people. We had out share of outcasts.  But we usually had amazing youth groups full of people who loved each other and who were seeking Jesus.  We understood that Jesus has a thing for outcasts, and that gave us power greater than any popularity or skill set.  And just like with The White Team, some of the individuals drew on their experiences to become stars later on.  Many of those students are still out there playing, raising families, seeking God and "shining their lights" for others.  I thank God for them everyday.

I am  seriously considering trying to get the team back together and challenge my Tampa Bay Bucs...I think we could take 'em!

Because of Jesus,

Today's Play List

I was listening to my I-pod earlier this morning, and these were the first 10 songs that came up in shuffle mode.  I am not sure why I thought this might be interesting to anyone, except just to say I do love a wide variety of music. So here you go!

1. Overjoyed-  Matchbox 20
2. Faith of a Little Seed- Big Tent Revival
3. Don't Look Back in Anger-  Oasis
4. Elma Turl- Mike Cross
5. I Will Wait- Mumford & Sons
6. Winds of Change- The Beach Boys
7. Love Song for a Savior- Jars of Clay
8. Super Skier- The Chad Mitchell Trio
9. Boat Drinks- Jimmy Buffett 
10. Kicks- Paul Revere & the Raiders

That's what I'm listening to.  What's on your play list?  Have a blessed day!

A Gift For Youth Workers

This post first appeared October 23, 2010.

In the early 1980's David Bills introduced me to a magazine called The Wittenburg Door.  The name was a parody of the famous door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg that the great theologian Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to in 1517.  I immediately fell in love with the magazine, which was edited in those early days by Mike Yaconelli.  The publication was billed as "Christian satire," which made it a kind of MAD Magazine for the church.  It poked fun at the church and many of the people in it, pointing out our tendency to take ourselves far too seriously.  Each month they gave out the Green Weenie Award to the person who was found to be most embarrassing to the church.  The issue pictured here (from 1985) was one of my favorites.  In it they defended Tony Campolo from charges of heresy coming from church leaders- primarily because Tony chose to take literally the words of Jesus instead of their words.  It was a great read- if you could find it.

You see, The Wittenburg Door was not only published by youth workers in those early years, it also functioned just like us.  It was printed on plain paper- nothing glossy about it.  And you never knew when it was coming.  I subscribed for a number of years, and you could expect the January/February issue around June.  Later on it was sold and became a real magazine known only as The Door.  The "Wittenburg" has now been returned to the title, although I confess I haven't read an issue in many years now. 

The Wittenburg Door was considered a subversive rag by many church leaders back in the day- which was one of the reasons I loved it so much.  You almost felt like it should be mailed in a plain brown wrapper so no one would know you received it.  But it was treasured by many youth pastors- especially the ones who were a part of the Youth Specialties family.  The National Youth Workers Convention used to include a Wittenburg Door Banquet each year, with speakers and a talent show.  In 1987 (click here for details) I performed and had a a blast.  Upon returning home, I wrote a song parody of the Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show classic The Cover of the Rolling Stone, written by Shel Silverstein.  I intended to sing it at the next banquet- but never had a chance.  The banquets were dropped from the NYWC schedule. 

So today I reveal to you the words of this never before sung or seen tale of youth ministry.  Aside from changing one outdated reference, it's the same song I wrote in 1987.  It's meant to be tongue-in-cheek; being on the cover would more likely have gotten you fired than made you rich.  For everyone who has ever given of themselves in ministry with students, this song is for you!  Sing along!

Well we're big-time youth workers, tryin' to serve our LORD
And we're oh so very sincere
We sing about Jesus and we teach about truth
For three thousand dollars a year
We work with Bobbys and Jills who give us all kinds of thrills
But we're not sure what it's all for...
'Cause we won't get no richer 'til we see our picture
On the cover of The Wittenburg Door

{Refrain}
Wittenburg Door
Wanna see my picture on the cover
Door
Have to hide the copies from my mother
Door
Wanna see my smilin' face
On the cover of The Wittenburg Door

I've got some great volunteers who are up in their years
But they do everything they can
I've got a poor old gray-haired lady
Drivin' our worn-out van
Now it's all designed so God can blow kid's minds
And to strengthen their spiritual core
And they'll know who to go to when they see my photo
On the cover of The Wittenburg Door

{Refrain}

We got a lot of little teenage blue-eyed groupies
Who don't do a thing we say
We got a Purpose Driven guru
He's teachin' us a better way
We got hundreds of youth who come to us for the truth
Yeah they're breakin' down our doors
But I'll go out of style if they don't see my smile
On the cover of The Wittenburg Door

{Refrain}

Because of Jesus,

I Am a Pacifist

"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart."  - St. Francis of Assisi

"I never want America to forget that Jesus Christ was the first non-violent revolutionary..."  - Stephen Stills

In the hours, days and weeks following the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut my Twitter feed has erupted with both pro and con arguments on the subject of gun control.  I do not claim to have any true insight into the politics of this issue, and I do not intend to make this post about the 2nd amendment, the NRA, or the statistics that establish USAmerica as the world leader in gun violence.  But I do have something to say.  I am a pacifist (a believer in non-violence and peacemaking) because I believe that is what Jesus calls me to be.  For me, it is a matter of faith, not politics. Today I would like to tell why I believe pacifism to be the way of the Prince of Peace.  (The sound you hear may be my 2300 Twitter followers clicking "unfollow" all at once...)

I believe that if we call ourselves followers of Jesus then we must be willing to heed all of his teachings, not just the ones that are convenient in this day and age. He even goes so far as to warn us that when we follow him, we may lose lose everything- because "to find your life you must lose it." It is difficult to love our enemies, yet we are called to do just that. It is hard to turn the other cheek or walk the second mile instead of seeking revenge or "justice," yet that is the path we are called to follow.  In the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) Jesus gives us a quick list of life-attitudes that will make us blessed.  Included are things like mercy, meekness and peace making- all of which seem so out-of-step with our society.  When Jesus was attacked at the time of his arrest and Peter came to his defense, Jesus rebuked him and told Peter to put away the sword- to my mind disarming me as well.  Everything Jesus taught us encourages us to respond to others with God's love, no matter the situation.  I believe that scripture declares human life to be sacred, and that there should not be exceptions to that- that pro-life should REALLY mean that God values every life, both the sinner and saint.  I believe that the ways of  Jesus are the ways of non-violence.  You may not, and I do not claim to have cornered the market on knowledge of what Jesus thought.  But as I said before, I find pacifism to be a matter of faith.  Psalm 23 reminds us to "fear no evil for God is with us."  Yet we insist on fearing and trying to protect ourselves rather than trusting in God.  To paraphrase the great Tom Lehrer, "the LORD's our shepherd says the Psalm, but just in case...I better buy a gun!"  I know that without grace and the love of God whose name is Jesus that I am condemned to death by my own sin.  I owe him my life and my salvation. How can I not trust Him to protect me when I need protecting, even as He did Daniel, Rack, Shack and Benny?  It is a matter of faith.

Over the years this stance has often made others question how I would actually respond when faced with violence against myself or my family. I have good friends, people I love and respect, who cannot imagine not fighting tooth and nail to protect their families if the need arose. They find my beliefs to be hard to understand...or downright ludicrous.  Surely if I had a way to defend my family, I would.  How could I say that I would respond to such a situation with non-violence?

The scenario that is often presented is this-  intruders invade my home and threaten my family. They have a gun, and I have mine.  How could I know I would not kill them to save myself and my family?   And the fact is that situation requires me to answer I don't know. How could I?  Under those circumstances, under all of that tension, it is possible I might just shoot first. I hate to admit it, but it is the truth.

But such scenarios are missing the point for a true pacifist.  There is only one way I can stick to my beliefs and practice non-violence in such situations.  I must simply never have a weapon.  And so I don't.  You may think this makes me weak.  And you know what? You are right.  I am weak, in so many ways.  That is why I must lean on the strength of the One who has already saved me from this world.  If someone wants to do harm to me or my family, they will have to deal with Jesus, and we will be with Jesus- no matter the outcome.  What more protection do I need? 

Let me finish by making one thing clear- I am NOT anti-gun.  I have many friends who are responsible gun owners, hunters and target shooters.  But I am anti-violence, and there are far too many gun deaths in our country. Something needs to change. I do not have the answer for our nation.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.  And for us, that means no guns. It means trusting God as we "walk through the valley of the shadow of death."  It means having faith.  I welcome your feedback and your questions.

Because of Jesus,

I Won't Back Down

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s I did a series of sermons based around some the great rock songs of the era.  I used Billy Joel's I Go To Extremes and We Didn't Start the Fire, as well as Don Henley's The Heart of the Matter- among others. But my favorite "sermon song" of the period was Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down.  

While I don't claim to know how TP feels about Jesus, or about faith in general, I do know that this is an incredibly spiritual song.  Or at least it is to me.  Check out the opening lyrics:

Well I won't back down, no I won't back down

You could stand me up at the gates of hell

But I won't back down

Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around

And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down

Gonna stand my ground and I won't back down

That is the kind of faith I have always prayed for- the kind that stands firm in the face of adversity. The chorus reminds us that while it is possible to stand our ground, "there ain't no easy way out."  And if you listen closely the second verse speaks even more clearly as to how we have such faith.  Again, read carefully...

Well I know what's right, I got just one light

In a world that keeps on pushing me around

But I'll stand my ground, and I won't back down

In a world that asks us to deny Jesus every day, do we realize that we too have just ONE LIGHT?  We may get shoved.  We may be persecuted.  We may feel totally out of step with society.  Our friends may find us to be a little strange.  No one ever said following Jesus was easy.  But it can be done.  We must look the world straight in the eye and repeat after TP- I won't back down.  

Just a word about he video.  Not only does it feature TP, but also Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison of The Beatles, as well as Jeff Lynne, the former lead singer of ELO.  Enjoy. 

Because of Jesus,

The Grace Spot

In my 28 years as a youth pastor I remember countless times when I wished I knew someone who was totally disconnected from my church whom I could talk to about the issues and challenges of ministry.  Someone who could listen without prejudice.  Someone whom I could really vent to- maybe even yell at a bit.  Someone who would pray for me, my ministry, my family, my programs and my events on a daily basis.  Someone who could offer me encouragement when I was faced with tough times and difficult decisions.  I far too often didn't have that person in my life.  And that's not a good thing...

God has laid it on my heart to remain in ministry with the students and adults who have been such a huge part of my life for so long.  He is calling me to make myself available to be that person in the lives of the "friends in faith" I have been making on Twitter over the past few years.  If my experience and encouragement can be of a support to you, then please feel free to call on me.  If there are things that I can pray about on your behalf, just let me know. I want to be here to serve you in the name of Jesus.  There will be no condemnation or judgement.  This is The Grace Spot- a place where all are welcome to come for mercy, love and forgiveness.  Feel free to e-mail me at Youthguy07@aol.com or to contact me through Twitter.  In the past 6 years I have been shown grace and forgiveness is more ways than it is possible to count.  It's time to pay God's love forward in anyway possible.  God bless!

Because of Jesus,

The Creeping Evil of Starbucks

Yesterday was a tragic day for those who treasure the wonder of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  The Main Street Bakery, long a fixture on Main Street USA, closed it's doors for the final time.  This thriving business which produced so many of the wonderful smells associated with that great walk down Main Street is a victim of corporate synergy and greed.  The Main Street Bakery is being replaced with a Starbucks.  It's the end of Walt Disney World as we know it...

I am not a Starbucks fan, but then again I am not much of a coffee drinker.  I am not opposed to progress, nor am I someone who always thinks the past was better than the future.  But I do have major problems with this particular change. They are putting Starbucks all over WDW, and to be honest putting them anywhere else in the parks doesn't bother me too much.  Main Street USA is one of the signature locations in all of WDW.  When you walk in through the tunnel and reach the MK, you are transported back to a much simpler era of American history.  The quaint barber shop, complete with barber shop quartet.  The old movie theater. The candy store.  And the incredible treats and aromas of the bakery.  Main Street sets the mood for the entire park with its theme and it ambiance. And now the bakery is gone, to be replaced by a Starbucks.  Starbucks may be a fixture in our modern world, but it is totally and completely out of place on Main Street. We are promised they will continue to serve some of he goodies from the bakery, but that is really beside the point.  I never ate there very often anyway.  The point is that there will be a Starbucks on Main Street USA, and that is just not right. It doesn't fit.  And I am very unhappy. Giant corporations are now doing to the wonderful make-believe world of Disney what they have already done to our real world- displacing small businesses and mom & pop shops with their one size fits all monopolies.  It just feels wrong.

As I lamented this occasion yesterday, I was reminded that this is not the first time Starbucks has done this to me.  In the 1990s I took youth groups to New York City nearly every year, and we stayed at the Milford Plaza Hotel on 45th and 8th.  Up half a block and across 45th was a little place called Oh-La-La (see picture). They had muffins, bagels and scones, as well as a variety of coffees.  But none of that really mattered, for Oh-La-La had the best hot chocolate in the history of the world!  Every morning I would arise before the group and go get a large hot chocolate. And every morning I would go back with the group and get another one!  It was simply amazing. So imagine my dismay in 2003 when I arrived in NYC only to discover that Oh-La-La has become a Starbucks.  I was devastated. I went in once- just to ask if perhaps Oh-La-La had moved, but it had simply been bought out.  The creeping evil of Starbucks had invaded the Broadway district. And now it has come to Walt Disney World...

My problem is not really with Starbucks.  It is that we are losing far too many people, places and things in our world that are unique. That have their own personalities and offer something different.  And in my humble opinion, we need to hold on to the uniqueness. A walk down Main Street USA is supposed to be a stroll through early 20th century America.  I am just not sure how I can maintain that illusion with a grande skinny mocha non-fat latte from 21st century Seattle.  I am sure I (and millions of others) will adjust. I am just not certain that I want to.  For today, just let me be a grumpy old man.