Because You Just Never Know!

Two extremely high profile traffic accidents took place in the Fresno area within the last few days.  Saturday night, a mom and her four children were headed to celebrate one of the kids birthday when they were killed after another driver apparently ran through a stop sign and struck their vehicle.  Her husband and the father of the children was in another vehicle behind them and desperately tried to save them from their vehicle that had exploded into flames.  Now this man is left to carry on without his wife and children.  Monday morning two California Patrol Officers were killed when they crashed while responding to an accident.  The victims in both collisions left behind friends and family and the officers also left behind their brothers and sisters in the law enforcement and first responder community.

I could not help but think about a few things as a result of these tragedies.  I'm sure the man who lost his family never thought he was seeing his family alive for the last time when they got into their vehicles to go celebrate.  The nature of law enforcement work makes the possibility of severe injury or death more likely, but I imagine the families of those officers fully expected them to return home following their shift.  I am guilty of taking life for granted.  I am guilty of taking my family and friends for granted.  Every time our family members walk out of the door to go to work, to go shopping or simply to walk down the street to get the mail, there is the potential that it could be the last time we see them alive.  Certainly we would do things differently if we knew that we would no longer see them again, but we live under the constant assumption that they will return every time.

So today, I dedicate this post to the memory of the victims of these tragic accidents and encourage you to join me and learn something from these horrific accidents.  Think about it next time you are about to leave the house angry at your spouse or a family member.  Think about it when you have an argument with a friend and walk away in anger.  Think about it as you pack your kids up for school in the morning and are too busy to hug and kiss them goodbye.  Think about it seriously, because you just never know when that goodbye will be the final goodbye.

 

Careful, The Kids Are Watching!

Last Friday afternoon I attended my sons wrestling match at a local elementary school.  He won his bout by forfeit and then quickly pinned a teammate in a friendly competition that allowed them to participate at the event.  The real story however, was the opposing schools coach. 

This guy was very animated throughout the competition and it quickly became clear that he had a bit of a temper.  Keep in mind that these are fourth through sixth grade kids, with parents who think they are coaches themselves, so as one of his wrestlers found himself being beaten pretty handily, he began yelling louder and louder at the kid.  One could argue that he was trying to yell over the parents and other wrestlers who were also shouting their own instructions, but what happened next was out of line.  The kid made a mistake and found himself pinned.  The coach yelled out, then spun around angrily and kicked a box that was nearby!  Everyone in the gym saw the outburst including all the kids.

It reminded me that whether we realize it or not, our actions are often seen by others.  While teachers and preachers, coaches and cops seem to have more responsibility in the public arena, in my opinion, we are all responsible for our reactions to situations and what people, especially kids see as a result.  I get that we are not perfect, but if a coach kicks a box in anger, how can we get mad at a kid for punching someone when something is done to them that they don't like?

So, next time you lose control of your temper, or are tempted to litter, cheat, steal, lie or commit some other error in judgment, remember to be careful because the kids may be watching!

Thanks for reading!  Click this link Don't Use a Hammer When A Flyswatter Will Do! to read another post about over reacting.

Stop Talking And Start Loving!

So this post is directed to anyone who considers themselves a believer in Christ.  Obviously everyone is welcome to read, but I wanted to make that point clear since this is not directed at everyone who will read this.  I'm not throwing stones, just making a point from something that I have been wrestling with myself.

We have a tendency to talk a lot about Jesus, but have harder time acting like Him.  We want to hit people with "what the Bible says", but we ourselves often fail at living what it says.  It is easy to tell someone, "Jesus loves you!", but often times we ourselves can't love that same person.

My point is quite simple today and comes in the form of a challenge.  What if starting today, for just one week, we stopped talking to people about Jesus and simply started to love people like He did?  He asked us to love our neighbors.  What if we just did that? What if we didn't just tell people about His mercy, but we actually showed mercy like he did to the woman who was caught in adultery?  What if we stopped trying to shove our verbal message down everyone's throat and simply stepped back, humbled ourselves and allow His love to reflect from us by our actions?

So I wonder, and hope you do too, what would happen if we just stopped talking and started loving?

The Lunch Opportunity Of A Lifetime!

 

 

I recently participated in a contest for the chance to have lunch with David and Derek Carr.  If you don't know who they are, David was the star quarterback at Fresno State in 2000 and 2001.  He was the number one pick in the 2002 NFL Draft and played several years in the NFL with Houston and the New York Giants.  Derek just finished his career as a quarterback at Fresno State, broke just about every possible school record and is expected to be high round draft choice in the 2014 NFL draft.

Both brothers feel a strong connection to the Fresno community and decided to have a contest where people would tweet their favorite David and Derek Carr moments for a chance to win lunch with them.  I Tweeted, “#BulldogLunch Fav moment @DCarr8 W @ Camp Randall against Wisconsin. @derekcarrqb making my sons day with this pic!"  I was referring to the time I convinced my wife to go visit her family in Wisconsin, fully aware of the fact that Fresno State would be playing a game there!  David Carr was the quarterback at the time, Fresno State won that game in spectacular fashion and we were there to see it!  The second part of my tweet referred to Ethan and I running into Derek Carr at the hotel in Las Vegas last December.  Derek was kind enough to stop and make Ethan's day by posing for a picture with him.  Well, my tweet won!!!

First of all, winning a contest to get a phone call would have been cool, but this was a private lunch!  I was extremely excited because although these two brothers have reached "celebrity status", from a distance they seemed like very normal and down to earth guys.  They seem like they have their priorities straight and really try to live a good clean life.  It is obvious that our shared faith in God has a lot to do with how they conduct themselves.  I have admired them for how they conduct themselves and am grateful, that in a world full of celebrities going wild, there are still a few guys around who my kids can emulate.

I will not share all the details, but simply put, lunch was fantastic.  I don't know if Derek remembered us from the hotel, but he sure made it seem that way when he arrived and greeted us.  I had never met David before, so we had a few minutes to reminisce about the Wisconsin game.  We spent about an hour and a half having lunch, talking, laughing, sharing stories, taking pictures and of course getting a few items signed.  These guys were so friendly, down to earth and laid back, that a casual observer may have thought that some old buddies had gathered to have lunch and would have never guessed that we didn't really know each other. 

Derek and David helped remind me of a few things during this lunch.  I was reminded the importance of surrounding yourself with good people.  From the moment we arrived, their representative Carla was gracious and accommodating.  She even brought Adriana and Austin to the main table so they could be there with Ethan and I.   I was reminded to never forget where you came from and that returning to invest in that place is important.  I was reminded that no matter what heights God allows us to climb to in life, hanging out with other people will inevitably remind us how blessed we are.  I was reminded that no matter how busy we get (and Lord knows they are both extremely busy right now) we should take time out to "serve" other people.  Trust me; the impact is even greater when you don't know them! 

So, to David and Derek Carr, Carla Cossy, Buffalo Wild Wings, Paul Ladwig and the great staff at Fresno State (and anyone else who may have participated), I simply say thank you for all you did for us!  You created an unforgettable memory that we will never forget.  I didn’t deserve to win, but you really do reap what you sow.  I don’t help other people, encourage them, try to cheer them up or whatever so I can get something back, but just to simply reflect God’s love for me.  I honestly feel like we got this lunch opportunity of a lifetime to hang around two guys who try and live their lives the same way.