It's Just What We Do...

In his closing remarks in a speech he gave at the Harrow School in 1941, Winston Churchill said:

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

Over the weekend I got the privilege of spending time with our youngest son, Noah. His seventh grade basketball team played in their season ending tournament with area TAPPS JH teams. The Faith team went into the tourney as the number one seed and found themselves on the ropes in their semi-final game against Arlington Grace Prep.

I kept the book, which is usually good for me because it keeps my mouth from opening too much. It's not foolproof, but most everyone knows the best way to keep me from coaching is to give me so much to do during the game that I have little time to say much of anything.

The JH Lions' entered the 4th quarter down by 13 points, 29-16 and had been listless defensively and inept offensively. However, one thing I've learned watching this group compete over the last four years is this: they are relentless.

I'm not suggesting our JH'ers had Grace Prep where they wanted them, but in a span of three minutes they had erased the lead and tied things up at 31 with just over a minute to go. Early in the 4th, I was texting Cory, (who was in Midland with our oldest, Zachariah, as the JV and Varsity played out West.) about how we would probably be going home a bit early due to the result.

The JH Lions started pressing in the 4th and forced several turnovers and converted them into easy buckets, mixed in with a couple of big 3's. The tenacity with which they played those last six minutes was an absolute joy to watch. Not only did I see determination and grit upon the eyes of those young men, I also noticed joy as they whittled the lead down to nothing. The players on the bench rising in a crescendo of cheers, the parents cheering them on with guarded optimism and our two coaches spurring them on during the 15-2 run over a three and half minute span.

I saw joy.

That picture of Noah up top captures the essence of Noah in competition. It also captures the mindset of this team. Every one of the players on the basketball team played on the football team in the fall. The football team finished the season 9-0 and methodically dismantled teams with will, execution and passion.

They just love to compete. They have found joy in giving everything they are capable of giving. There may have been tears after the game if they had lost, but I think they would have also known they played like they had practiced; they played to their potential, perfectly for six glorious minutes.

They have created for themselves a culture where it is acceptable and expected to give their best. It is an anomaly and an anathema to them to see mediocre effort from each other. It is out of place and something doesn't mesh with them if someone isn't on the floor after loose balls, taking charges or getting a bloody nose in practice.

It's just what they do now...in seventh grade. Am I making a big deal about a bunch of JH boys? No, I'm making a big deal about young men learning about determination and exhibiting enough courage to see a task through to the very end. You think that might bear fruit for us and our culture somewhere in the future? Better yet, are the lessons they're learning right now going to help them to meet challenges with confidence and trust that God is indeed working all things out for their good?

This is why I love sports. Sure, there is a downside to all of this if perspective is lost. If we make sports all about the end without having the end in mind, it's pretty futile.

So, I saw joy manifest when the game ended, and yes, there was relief as well. They did what they were supposed to do and they did it in a way that put a stamp on their season.

A recognizable signature. It's just what we do, they think to themselves.

It wasn't a surprise for any parent who has watched this team play. I would say the common reaction was "it was just a matter of time" or "aha, there's the team I know!"

The championship game was anti-climatic. Any hope the other team had to catch this team in the let down phase of joy and excitement was soon put to rest. The JH Lions slowly and systematically pulled away and finished the season with a 35-20 victory. The game was representative of the way they've played since August (football). Together, with passion, skill and joy.

7th Grade District League and Tournament Champions

The Exegesis of Success

Our team has now covered the two cornerstones of John Wooden's Pyramid of Success in our discipleship time on Wednesdays.

Industriousness and Enthusiasm

Wooden defined success as "peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable"

No, not this kind of peace of mind where absence of conflict and competition define peace. I'm talking about a peace of mind which is the best pillow at night. I don't think we can rest easy when we know we haven't given our best. We will always be restless when we haven't worked to our potential.

I find it interesting we can't find rest because we can't find peace. Where can peace be found?
I think Colossians 3:23 and Ecclesiastes 9:10 give us a good picture of where to find peace. Granted, we know that Paul told us about spiritual and mental peace here: Philippians 4:7

I've got to put my heart into what I'm doing. Cory used to tell me early in our marriage, "Don't give me your best and then pull it back. I know when you give me your best, you've got it in you."

I think there are three reasons why people don't give their best:

1. Their best won't be 'good enough' and therefore they will have failed at giving their best and be hesitant to give their best again for fear of their best not being good enough the next time.
2. If they give their best, people will expect it again and the pressure or obligation to be 'on' is too much. Therefore, it is much easier to be 'average' and surprise people every once in awhile.
3. They are not sure where their best is going to lead them. Maybe to greatness or maybe it's a setup to a colossal failure. Note this exchange from an episode of Seinfeld:

GEORGE: What if the pilot gets picked up and it becomes a series?
DANA: That'd be wonderful George, you'll be rich and successful.
GEORGE: Yeah, that's exactly what I'm worried about. God would never let me be successful. He'd kill me first. He'd never let me be happy.
DANA: I thought you didn't believe in God?
GEORGE: I do for the bad things.

The reality is most people are quite content with having low expectations for themselves. The problem is most people define success as a destination, when in fact it has nothing to do with arriving anywhere.

You've heard it's all about the journey? Well, it's true. The vehicle in which you're using along the journey is important. The arrival is important, but how one gets there is more important.

I'm going to use a sports analogy from the world of basketball to illustrate this.
Kids in the elementary grades shoot basketballs with poor form quite often. However, some of the shots do go in the basket and there isn't a kid in the world that would stop and ask, "Did I use the correct fundamentals on that shot?"

No, they will simply be excited the ball went through the hoop. But somebody will be sucking the joy out of that basket and letting the kid know something or somethings were not right in the shot. (Uh, that would be me, thank you)

Of course, the result was positive but the way or process was not fundamentally sound, therefore it should not be repeated. What happens when the young pupil executes perfect fundamentals and the shot doesn't go? Praise it, reinforce it and do it with enthusiasm. I'm not advocating "make everyone feel good about throwing up bricks".

I'm advocating praising your son, daughter, player or spouse when they did the right thing but didn't get the desired result. We are a culture that looks at the bottom line = results.

I am questioning that premise...vigorously. If we look only for results we are going to get what CS Lewis predicted many years ago (and which has, sadly, come to pass in public education) about demanding results without establishing process:

"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and then bid the geldings to be fruitful."

I cannot ask Zach and Noah to fix the flat if I haven't shown them where to find the jack and the spare tire.
I cannot ask Zach and Noah to be godly men without first living it myself, stumbles and all, and then walking and talking along the road with them.

How are you defining success? Is it process oriented or result oriented?

Regret

The person who has the most regret is the person who cheated themselves, their family, co-workers, friends and teammates along shared paths. Although hardly noticeable, if at all, by others and, perhaps even shrugged off by others as "life" happening, it is a blinding and paralyzing light you are sure others can see exposing you in front of them.

Yet, that light is just for you.

They can't see it...yet. Oh, you'll be found out, in time and God forbid, in a shameful way. In the meantime, regret screams at you in the confines of your own soul, taking up residence as if it belonged there your whole life.

But sin, in any form, chips away at the masterpiece that is you. You cannot live with the man you are not called to be and you cannot live with the man you are now; when who you are now is not in line with God's vision for you.

You can avoid regret by surrendering the areas you try to hide from others and God. Tashard Lewis spoke to his teammates before a game when he played football at Georgia Tech in which he called for everyone to give all they had or don't give anything at all. He wasn't willing to leave anything 'in the dark'.

Giving less than your best creates tension in your mind and conviction in your spirit. The spirit belongs to God and he gives freedom (2 Timothy 1:7) . A life in tension is a life in turmoil. A life in turmoil necessitates having multiple ways to cope and multiple 'faces' to maintain in order to 'keep up appearances'. You begin to wonder what man is really you.

"Am I the cheater of time and effort or am I that man I was when I was giving my best?".

There is an old saying the Postema's are fond of reciting. 

There are two kinds of pain: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Which will you choose?

What is easier to live with when all is said and done? The difference is in degree and in duration. C.S. Lewis says this about discipline and temptation:

A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is... A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.

What is better for you?

Having fought, resisted and overcome your 'humanness' or simply giving in and doing what you've always done and give it the old "that which I do not want to do, I do and that which I don't want to do, I do" line? Yes, it's a great fall back for Christians, if you're into that sort of thing, living with the pain of regret.

I don't want to give in.
Everything I have or nothing at all.

Going to fight til I can't fight no more; lie down and bleed awhile. Get back up, fight some more.
 

TCU Coaches Clinic

My favorite coaching staff (TCU) held their annual coaching clinic today. This weekend is the THSBCA convention and a few universities across the state try to cash in on the insatiable quest for more knowledge (and food) by the baseball fraternity here in Texas.

Any coach worth his gray hair should continue to grow professionally through these types of gatherings. In attendance were up and coming coaches hurriedly jotting down notes and feeling a bit overwhelmed by  coaches who looked like they knew what they were doing as they confidently walked to each station.

Yet, each coach has in the back of his mind thoughts about what it would be like to coach D1 (or at the proverbial 'next level'), thoughts of comparison (which either brings affirmation or discouragement), thoughts wondering what other coaches think about them (if they think about them at all), and some may think about their accomplishments only they and a handful of players remember.

This morning, Coach Roye and I were trying to remember who beat TCU last year in the College WS. That could be an indictment on a number of things, our memory most of all. Be that as it may, it is all fleeting. We won state in '08 and my ring sits in our computer hutch behind old Journey CD's. Yup, it's that important. Comparison is the thief of joy and there is always someone to whom you can compare to your position in life vocationally/professionally and wonder if you've missed the mark.

Cory asked me tonight, "So, what resonated with you?"

I thought that was a good question (she asks good questions; often thought provoking at the most inopportune times according to my time table. Good none the less!) At any rate, "What resonated with me", I responded, "was Coach Schloss explaining his 'extreme hustle mentality' and that he tells his players, 'If I have to coach your effort and attitude, you are going to be out of this program'".

He's right. We shouldn't have to coach effort and attitude. It's been said that examples aren't taught, they are caught.
It's either a part of who you are or it's not. Your effort and attitude is a by product of the daily choices you have made. We are creatures of habit. Our habits give others a good view of who we are, day in, day out.

So, what do you coach and teach, better yet, how you livin'?

Waiting for Spring...

 People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball.  I'll tell you what I do.  I stare out the window and wait for spring.  ~Rogers Hornsby

When Zach was first starting to play baseball, he would lay out his uniform the night before his games on the weekends. He was meticulous in how he laid it out and how he wore it. The shirt tail had to be in just right with not too much shirt hanging over the belt. The pants needed to be up, but not too high at the waist (because Dad wears them way too high)

He wore his school uniform the same way early in his 'career'. He didn't like anyone messing with his polo once it was tucked into his pants. If the shirt tail worked its way up toward freedom, Zach was not comfortable. He was developing some tendencies at an early age. He still is the first one up on school days and he still gets prepared for the next day by laying out his clothes and bag the night before.

The quote by Hornsby reminds me of the waiting we have to do when looking forward to something.
What are you looking forward to with great hope?
Romans 5:5

CS Lewis on Himself

To Arthur, October 29, 1930, p 942: "My moral history of late has been deplorable. More and more clearly one sees how much of one's philosophy and religion is mere talk: the boldest hope is that concealed somewhere within it there is some seed however small of the real thing."

Perspective

I think I've watch "Back to the Future" more than twenty times in my life. In one of the final scenes, Marty has a request for his parents, who have just sealed the deal with a kiss and dance. Thanks to his marvelous pickin' on his Les Paul.

Oh... one other thing. If you guys ever have kids and one of them when he's eight years old accidentally sets fire to the living room rug... go easy on him.

Marty has gained some perspective since going Back in Time and realizes maybe the carpet going up in flames isn't as important as it seemed in the big picture. He understood that mistake didn't define who he was or who he was going to be.

God has a pretty decent vantage point in that he sees the time line of human history from beginning to end. He sees my life from beginning and to end. More disconcerting than that, he sees my next egregious sin; my next foul tone taken with my wife; my next inexplicable exasperating words to my sons. Yet, in that, he still grants me redemption, not only in and at the Cross, but also in redemptive acts.

I fully know the work has been done and I can add nothing to it. Yet, I cannot help but see God's gracious hand when he gives me opportunities to get outside my self to bless and serve someone else, after I know God can't possibly be forgiven for that again. When that happens, I just say, "Thanks, Lord" and know it is nothing I do on my own.

He provided birds to Elijah, he provides me with someone needing jumper cables.

Andy, with jumper cables

It's almost as if God is giving me the opportunity to feel as if I've redeemed myself with an act. I know that doesn't square with theology; I'm not implying that. What I am implying is God, in his infinite mercy, understands and knows me so well, that he knows I need to feel or work out my redemption, as well as intellectually assenting to the theology of redemption.

So, he gives me opportunities to square his redemptive work with my own Andy-ism.

"Hey, God, it's me again. Yep, I've done it again. Say, could you see fit to allow me to run across someone with a flat or something? Thanks again"

Anyway, back to perspective. If you could go back in time, what would you change? Decisions, for sure!
What if you could go ahead in time? There is no doubt, when you came back, you would have perspective.

Ah, those errors? Coach VanderKamp didn't scold me and berate me. He spit in his hand and shook my hand. Told me it'll happen again, so keep playing. Stay strong.

The righteous man falls seven times, but he gets up again - Prov 24:16

Son, that error you made when you were ten? I should have known better. It was nothing to get worked up over and make the van ride home so miserable you didn't want to play the next day. Yeah, that's not perspective.

That's what God is whispering to me today...perspective.

A Stealth Introduction

The 2011 Baseball season is nearly upon Grapevine Faith Christian. Monday, Jan 17 at high noon, the '11 version of the Lion team will emerge and begin its arduous trek to...who knows where?

I think if you asked each player or parent, they will have expectations; parents find out their expectations don't always match that of the son playing. Certainly some goals in mind as well. Already, one of our seniors, Peter Ashton, has made it clear that the team has decided they would like to win state.I didn't picture that from this group, but I like the mentality. We can't control much in this life as we are often reminded, most recently with the Steinmann family.

This is a group that doesn't assume they will win it; but they do work as if they would like to win it. That doesn't guarantee winning, but as we have been saying since September (and God since forever)

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty - Proverbs 14:23

I like the way this team is beginning to own their season and place expectations on themselves. Several players have aspirations to continue to play baseball beyond high school. That in itself brings a whole different level of work and expectations. The tension between individual accomplishments and team success can be tough to navigate.

Baseball is interesting like that.

"I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball." - Pete Rose

When I played, I was constantly presented two realities: how the team did and how I did. They are hopelessly linked; the team must have success in order for me to really enjoy the rest: my stats. However, there were times (and this is what must be constantly and relentlessly pursued and pushed back) my performance was comforting, in spite of the team losing. Although I was easily the biggest pouter after a loss, I was even more inconsolable if the loss coincided with a poor individual performance from me.

The game is difficult and even more so is the challenge of dealing with the difficulties. The ebb and flow of emotions in a game where emotions can betray a player has perplexed and haunted me. Results matter and there isn't anything a player can do except smile and move on when he smokes a line drive and it ends up harmlessly in the glove of an opposing player.

I've coached the same way I played (and that isn't always gold star stuff) with intensity, tenacity and an intolerable distaste for losing. I am acutely aware of my weaknesses in those areas and have spent some time in the Mudville mines, not to mention God's dugout as a result of my elementary dealings with adversity.

I have foolishly forgotten my own failures playing the game I love. As a junior in high school, I committed three errors in the same inning at shortstop...and yes, my team lost in the bi-district playoffs as a result. I do tell that story every year, to remind me and our players it actually did happen to us, too.

When I was coaching my oldest son, Zach, on a team a couple of friends and I put together, Lynn Vanlandingham asked me, "Did you ever strike out when you played?".
That was a punch in the gut and I suddenly realized I had been coaching a 10 year old as if they were in their second year in the big leagues and should have known better.

Sometimes players will get stuck in moments; coaches are no different. I have observed countless coaches and players over the years and the one thing that never ceases to hold my attention is reactions to failure.

I love watching the 'non-reaction' good coaches execute when adversity strikes. In my own estimation, I fall into the 50th percentile on that scale of "visible body language" when adversity comes. I have a permanent wrinkle on the brow of my forehead from adversity.

Some players break bats over their leg, some throw their glove into the dugout before reaching it in disgust after leaving the game, some argue with the umpire until being tossed. However, there are other players  who have a plan to control only what they can control and it starts with:

attitude and effort

Baseball, in case you haven't noticed, is a game of failure. A 70% failure rate at the plate gets a player into the Hall of Fame. Players who have made the HOF have spent the good portion of their life failing in performance, but excelling in forgetting about the failure. Where have we heard this before? Oh yeah, Paul said,

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. Phil 3:14 (The Message)

What separates players who play for a long time and those who do not is not only skill, perseverance and work ethic; it is the ability to deal with adversity in such a way that it doesn't consume the player and destroy confidence.

"Every season has its peaks and valleys. What you have to try to do is eliminate the Grand Canyon." - Andy Van Slyke

 I've noticed in the last few years I have lost a small portion of my focus on the process, which was (and is) so important to me and got stuck in the 'moments of failure'. I have a resolution this year to make it about what I really believe. How we respond to adversity is more important and meaningful than what takes place on the diamond. Our players will be the next generation of leaders; husbands and fathers who will deal with their share of adversity.

As sure as sparks fly upward, man is born for trouble - Job

We talk a lot with our sons about having a planned response to adversity. We just had fun tonight saying, "Thank you, Mr. Umpire, for giving me the opportunity experience this unfavorable circumstance!" while talking them through the proper responses to a foul they didn't think they committed. It's been said the apple doesn't fall far from the tree (circa 1750) and in this case (and a plethora of others) it is all too true.

It's one thing to observe "palms in the air" and parents vehemently protesting a call and feigning shock in my spirit; it's altogether disheartening to have the Spirit of God illuminate it in a Nathan / David moment "That man is you!".

We can't forget we are what we repeatedly do. That is, all at once, humbling and shameful.

My commitment for this season (and beyond) is to pursue relentlessly, a thankful and appreciative spirit of coaching. A 'kinder, gentler' Coach Postema, if you will. I teach and coach that way in PE all the time and have for years. It's time for that man to be a part of the team this year.

What will this team accomplish this year? I'm not sure, but I am looking forward to the season.

Blessings