Now What?

I am working on my yearly post to reflect on Coach Bryant on Jan. 26.. but I couldn't help but notice how quickly the National Championship win started to fade away at ESPN into basketball and NFL news.....

Before long. it will be all in the past.

THE THRILL IS GONE..... OH, O...WHAT IS WRONG?

Ernie Conwell works for the NFL Players Association. His resume is impressive, to say the least...  while training as a potential Olympic Athlete in track and field, Ernie found a love for football. He is an impressive guy- 6'5 255 with athletic agility, leadership, and heart!

He was a college standout for the University of Washington and achieved great accomplishments as a pro. He was drafted by the Rams in 1996, won a Super Bowl after a horrific knee injury, named a captain for the New Orleans Saints- An All-Pro selection in 2001.

I had the privilege to have Ernie coach with me in Nashville and loved hearing him speak to men about his miraculous journey back from the knee injury and what it felt like to compete in the NFL.

But you could hear a pin drop when he explained the saddest reality of all......

Right after his Super Bowl win - the pinnacle of a sport achievement- a lifetime pursuit that organizations invest millions to get, and individual's pour blood, sweat, and tears to grasp...

In the locker room...right after winning.... after hugs and laughter...

a lot of grown men sat there with empty stares on their faces... now what?

This isn't to minimize the lasting memories or value of the accomplishment. It is a recognition of all human existence... the thrill is momentary and often less than satisfying.

It isn't just in big things... it is in almost every aspect of life.

 I always thought it was appropriate that Pip experienced all the shock of seeing his world collapse in the classic novel, “Great Expectations”.

“All the truths of my position came flashing on me; and its disappointments, dangers, disgraces, consequences of all kinds, rushed in in such a multitude that I was borne down by them and had to struggle for every breath I drew.” 

But it was the subtle letdowns that he noticed first:

My (new) clothes were rather a disappointment, of course. Probably every new and eagerly expected garment ever put on since clothes came in, fell a trifle short of the wearer's expectation.

I think there is a part of us that has been trained to desire the finest and fastest. A lifetime of commercials and movies has given us (especially the western world) a high standard of status. Every item, destination, and activity has that certain level that we refer to as "The cadillac of..."

What does THE BIBLE say about this?  Quite a lot actually....

We catch a piece of this in Proverbs. The largest contributor to theses aphorisms is purported to be Solomon- a royal indulger himself of wine and women. Here are some thoughts in Proverbs 23:

1 When you sit to dine with a ruler,

   note well what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat

   if you are given to gluttony.

3 Do not crave his delicacies,

   for that food is deceptive.

 4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

   do not trust your own cleverness.

5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,

   for they will surely sprout wings

   and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

If you read a lot of biographies you will find that many times the wealthiest and most famous in the world are often the most miserable. They get to the top and find it all and realize that they still haven't found what they are looking for.

There are countless tales of these. One of the saddest is the last words of Guy De Maupassant-famous french writer in the 19th century. His talent, handsome appearance, wit, and charm led to his accumulation of great wealth and status. A famous womanizer- he entertained and dined in the most luxurious ports on the mediterranean- travelling on expensive yachts and enjoying the best that life could offer. 

On New Years day of his 41st year of life- Maupassant was already ravaged by his lifestyle. Experiencing the attack of syphilis and distraught by his loneliness he cried out in chilling starkness, "I HAVE COVETED EVERYTHING AND TAKEN PLEASURE IN NOTHING!"

The next day he tried to commit suicide by slashing his own throat, was committed to an asylum and died in depression a year and a half later.

WHY?

Things of this world lose their luster because they are not supposed to be ULTIMATE THINGS......

The Bible gives us a clue to how we are to live and one of the keys is to be careful and not fall into a lust to live extravagantly- we need to learn discipline and godly contentment. This is such a tough deal- it is such a subtle slide. Enjoying the 'good' life and 'longing' for the good life are small gaps. Having good things and NEEDING good things is just a silent slip.

My constant message is that is is not a sin to have wealth or to enjoy success- no one needs to feel guilty- we just need to be grateful.

So we have these YEARNINGS and DEEP THIRSTS- love, significance, companionship, security, meaning.... and we sometimes go to the wrong fountain to fill those thirsts: Fortune, Fame, Power, Pleasure- only to find us more thirsty and more addicted.

The key is to find the LIVING WATER- your thirst is for an answer to your fatherlessness- the only Being to fill that hole of eternity in your heart is God Himself. That is why we are told to seek God and all these other things will take care of themselves. (All kind of verses here: Matt 6:33, John 4, Jeremiah 2:13)

Finally, I think all of us struggle here- it is so easy to substitute for God- our hearts do, as Calvin said, constantly manufacture idols. So do I never put on a tux, or eat on fine china, or sip tea on the beach in a luxury resort? Heavens NO- enjoy God by enjoying all of His blessings- but allow the Holy Spirit and His word to wrestle and purge the dark side of the longings.

THE LIFE OF CONTENTMENT

Here are a few tips to help: If we do these things, it helps us to keep a proper perspective on all things in this life.

1) Honor and serve those who have less things materially. Not for show or guilt removal, pray for a heart to see them as worthy and important. It is not hard, most of the blue collar-common folk I rub shoulders with are by far more admirable individuals as a rule. In the previous chapter we read -

 2 Rich and poor have this in common: 
   The LORD is the Maker of them all.

2) Cry out to God for the balance between contentment and complacency. The Bible teaches a tight tension- we are NOT to be apathetic and lazy but at the same time we are not to wear ourselves out for riches. What drives us? Why? Where is God's will in our pursuits? These are deep, life long questions.

3) TITHE- I know of no greater way to slay the dragon called greed than to give. God does not need my money- He has provided the command to give of my first fruits for my benefit and a healthy heart. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. I Timothy 6:10 Tithing includes talent and time as well!

4) THANKFULNESS- When you get to do lush things- play on a golf course- fish in the gulf- drive a fancy car- OR if you encounter great achievement...PRAISE GOD and be thankful- hold it all with an open hand and ask how you can bless others as well. I have been a huge recipient of wealthy believers who have decided to bless me- I have done things and experienced things that a man of my lot could never afford.... And the whole time my heart just leaps with joy and praise to God and I pray for blessings on the giver.

Consider the testimony of the apostle Paul here in Philippians 4:

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

5) RELATIONSHIPS- it is always WHO not WHAT. What makes team success so beautiful is who we take the journey with. I found it interesting to hear O.J. Howard's response to the question.."What do you remember MOST about the game?" and he said "Celebrating with my brothers"- Yes, that is important!

MADE FOR ANOTHER WORLD

We don't have to section everything in a box.... When Alabama won Monday night... I enjoyed this as a fan WITH GOD... and He is still the ultimate whether my team wins or loses.

It is OK to celebrate... but no joy is this life can fill the thirst we have for Jesus Christ....

“The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

And what I love the most about Ernie Conwell is that he understands this... so he gets the best of it all.... achievement, success, and godly contentment....

May we all do the same!

Trends and Thoughts Regarding Football

Each year I tend to do a trend and note blog. If you look back over the past few years, I have been on target.

It has been strange and interesting not coaching football this year. Part of being away from the day to day grind has given me a chance to do a lot of watching and personal evaluation.

I took notes all year long on things I observed- most of them little tiny details that I would normally not see.

I thought I would share these for some of my coaching friends- things to think about as the game continues to change/ grow.

CURRENT TRENDS:

COMPLEXITY
All teams do it all now. Multiple fronts/multiple coverages/multiple formations/ multiple personnel packages/ multiple plays/ multiple concepts. I think the winning teams find a great way to simplify... complex but not complicated. I think it has gotten down to concepts on both sides. Teams with great systems and language do have an advantage.

I think of the checkers now now as:  "BOX numbers- 1 on 1 match-ups- 3 over 2 alignments  and the APEX position".

'PACE' and 'CHECK'
Just about all teams are using some type of pace principles-
The count and check look is also a big part of football

RPO- 'RUN PASS OPTION"
I'm expecting a rule change on these, but the run pass plays now are really popular, especially with athletic QB's.

SIGNAL THEFT
All the college guys I talk to say that some teams are getting eaten alive by not protecting their signals- the other team knows what they are calling. Defensive coaches are most susceptible.


All of these trends are putting a premium on MANY athletic defenders. If you don't have a lot of fast defenders in this modern style of football- you will get worn down and lit up. It is not easy to play defense anymore...

but a great defense still beats a great offense.....

NOTES:

KICKING SITUATIONS:

- KICK-OFF AFTER A PENALTY- I have seen way too many kick-offs this season where the kicking team is kicking with a 15 yard gift and they just bang it out of the end zone. Surely there has to be some consideration/system where you can alter the kick... squib/sky/directional to try and pin the offense deep. I personally don't like the onside kick here- too easy to lose field position. But I do think there needs to be some thought on disrupting the return and make the other team execute that situation.

-FAKE ONSIDE- I have been talking about this one for a few years now. When you score late and have the other team EXPECTING an onside kick. If you have timeouts- you can show onside kick by formation- make the other team go hands team and then squib a deep corner kick- have a great chance to pin the other team deep and get the ball back with outstanding field position.

-USING THE WIND- Using either multiple kickers or a specialist- have your kick-off guy learn how to kick line drives and sky kicks and take advantage of wind. A high kick into a still wind will fall straight down and you might have a chance to get that one.

-PACE SCRIMMAGE KICKS- I think it is good to have fast punts and field goal teams - especially when the ball is on your hash. A fast sub of 11 and kick cause the defense to burn a timeout- end up with 12 on the field- prevent them from subbing a special return or block team..

-HIGH SCHOOL KICKING- 
Consider using FG punting in bad weather situations. It is a great way to angle a kick out of bounds in bad weather.
-practice free kick after a fair catch rule
-Don't be afraid to punt on 3rd down in bad weather or 3rd down and super long. If you have shown it a few times... line up in punt on 3rd and fake it... then you can punt on 4th down.

Use reverses and fake reverses on kick returns - put 2 men deep and practice how to time up reverses.

Finally, assign specific things for your assistant coaches to look at during kicking game situations

GAME SITUATIONS- Practice and Teach
CODE THE CLOCK- I think we need to spend more time teaching how game clock matters and things we can all do to save time or bleed time. Come up with a CODE.
SOLD OUT SIDELINE - I want to see players engaged/alert/ and participating from the sideline. Echoing calls- watching- encouraging- serving
LINEMEN MOVING- Have your linemen work on slants/stunts/twists more than straight up techniques- use skill guys to help work one on one techniques-
CONDITION WITH THINKING AND EXECUTION- Don't just run sprints- rehearse mental and skill when tired

CULTURAL IMPACT ON PLAYERS?
I think we need to spend more time asking players what they are thinking.....
What is their favorite 3rd and long? What play do we call that they do not like?
What drills do they hate? How can we help them focus and prepare?
Things to consider.....

Entitlement/Leisure……….are players softer or different?

Mobile…….. summer /time limited- weekend

One Sport Emphasis...Impacts numbers

Opinions- ESPN/Talk Radio……. messaging

Showcase….selfishness/team values

Winning Edges- Things We CAN control

Conditioning and Fitness- including nutrition/flexibility/rest/ inflammation management

Intensity in competition

Schemes- balance of big toolbox, but not confused

Relationships- more coach/player time

know your job- do your job- everyone matters

Playing as a team

Outside Voices----- Locker room talk- Who Do We Listen to?

Where does our pressure come from?

DEVELOPING FOOTBALL IQ

I think we need to consider how we teach players about teams and competition....

One thing I have considered is teaching the 'Mindset of The Week'

Here Are the Categories:

Games Where You are Favored by a Lot

Games Where You are Favored

Games that are a toss up

Games Where You are a big underdog

In Pre-season Camp, I think we should spend time on HOW GAMES GO:

Types of Games- Do WE HAVE A PLAN?

Early momentum or early difficulty

Sloppy Slugfest

Mistakes-

Up easy

Down by more than 1 score

Down by a lot

Defensive showcase

Offensive showcase

weather impacted

crowd noise

Injury shake-up

Big Hole but digging out

Overtime

Pressure Packed

Situations a Lot of teams don’t handle well:

4th and short- be careful on defense

practice pinning teams inside the 10 or 5

2 min drill/ 4 min

red zone mindset vs spread- bend but don’t break

resting players is an art

Have you ever considered how many factors work against the dynamics needed for team success? These factors are external AND internal.

And, the foundational principles required for team success are found primarily in traditional values that are being lost in our secular society.

THE GOLD STANDARD:

Let me begin by saying that there is no such thing as a perfect team and I have NEVER watched a perfect football game. It's funny how mistakes that can cost you from winning are often made in games you win- it's just that a team overcame those mistakes.

But the reality of never achieving perfection is no excuse from an intentional and passionate pursuit of perfection.

A Championship Team:

Is made up of individuals who are pursuing an ideal of a TEAM- where group success will be valued higher than individual success. But group success is enhanced by individuals giving their individual energy and talents with everything they have.

The Problem with Resolutions and Goals

As a Christian, I am always impressed with God's gift and allotment of time. It is so interesting.... we live in a linear world at this time...one day we will be non-linear and I am convinced that we don't understand either one.

Why are resolutions and goal setting processes so unsatisfying? Because we live under a curse- time is running out and our mortal lives are is a steady rate of natural decay. 

As soon as we make some progress in one area, we look around and find so many other areas that have suffered.

This does not mean that we don't set goals or put in plan a process for improvement.... to do nothing is WORSE. But I have a system that I follow that has helped me find a good pace and perspective of these actions.

STEP #1 - WRITE A LIFE PLAN

Daniel Harkavy is a pro. He and his ‘coaches’ make a lot of money going into companies and helping them improve in areas of business and profitability.But Harvaky and his group (www.becomingacoachingleader.com) WILL NOT move into business planning UNTIL the client writes a ‘Life Plan’.

 Harvaky writes: “Most people initially discount the ‘life planning’ part of our coaching process…they say to us ‘We don’t want any of that fluffy (life planning) stuff’… but since ‘life planning is non-negotiable with us (they have to do it). Most of the time they end up telling us how glad they are that they went through the process. Immediately after completing their LIFE PLAN, they consistently tell us that they have already received their money’s worth… (pg. 58).

So why is the big plan so important, and why do groups like Harkavy’s choose this approach over ‘goal-setting’?

Because goal setting is endless. It creates frustration when we fall short. It creates momentary exhilaration when we achieve them- but always has a ‘let down’ afterward. And it can create a life where we set goals for simply ‘achieving a goal’ but the goal may not be a wise course of action for our time or priorities.

I find this in almost every instance. When we won the football state championship in 1998- the quest began for the next one- we did it again in ‘99, but it seemed less enjoyable and then we did not do it again until 2003…… were all of those other teams unsuccessful?

Hal Higdon has an entire section in his book, “Marathon- The Ultimate Training Guide” devoted to ‘Post-marathon Blues”.“We focus our lives on this one event for 5 months- and then its done” reflects a Melbourne Beach, Florida runner “Now what?”

NOTHING WRONG WITH GOALS- But instead...think about “Achievement” and “Success”

As a football coach, around 2005 or so, I began to try and differentiate the difference between ‘success’ and ‘achievement’. This was spurred on by a conversation I had with Coach David Cutcliffe.To me ‘Success’ is when you live and conduct your affairs in line with your ultimate call or mission.‘Achievement’ is the accomplishment of achieving short and long term goals. 

Example: For a football team, I define achievement as : 7 win regular season- playoff qualification- region championship- perfect regular season- advancement in the playoffs- making the championship game- winning the state title- ALL NOBLE AND FUN ACHIEVEMENTS. And you may or may not hit some or all of those.

But SUCCESS were things like: Did we become a team? Did we learn to fight? Did we learn to love our brothers? Did we learn to sacrifice? Did we play with class and character? Did we learn to persevere? Did we learn how to finish? Did we learn how to improve every week? Did our leaders lead? Did our team follow coaching and leadership? These provide a way to be successful EVERY SEASON.

If these are true: You can have achievement WITHOUT SUCCESS and you can SUCCEED without achievement. And if I had to choose… I choose ‘success’ but usually, they go hand in hand.

This is why goals WITHIN the context of a life plan makes more sense. If the ‘Mission’ is in clear view- the goals serve to be a tool of support and the exhilaration comes in the stream of walking in your ultimate purpose!

ONE MORE STEP ACROSS THE LINE……

In ‘Ages of Faith’, Alex de Tocqueville wrote, “the final aim of life is placed beyond life”.

For a Christian believer, the life plan HAS to have the finish line past the mortal end.

The PLAN or MISSION keeps you on task…. without an ULTIMATE AIM, you are likely to be living reactive…less proactive… frequently distracted… doubling back… or in Bible language – children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.(Ephesians 4:14 ESV)

I love the definition Harvaky uses about a LIFE PLAN:

‘In essence, Life Planning is nothing but a process of accumulating net worth in THE MOST IMPORTANT ACCOUNTS OF YOUR LIFE!”

Harvaky Life Plan Process:

• Identifying IMPORTANT accounts (spouse, family, spiritual life, health, service, career, fun, vacation, charity, dreams, community, finance, development, etc)

• Writing Action Steps to fulfill a ‘vision’ for these accounts

• Prioritizing time/goals/decisions in light of ALL the important accounts

• Write/ Review/ Adjust/ Share/ Teach your plan

 in 2014, I developed an entire devotional series around developing a mission statement and learning about the call of God on our lives.

(Sorry, it goes in reverse order- you have to scroll to the bottom to get day 1 and work up the list: You can access it here:   MY AIM)

All of this has caused be to change how I do resolutions....

Instead of making a new year's resolution, I take a year to do monthly 'house keeping' around my life mission statement.

My calendar is based primarily around the energy I need for a successful school year....

My year always goes something like this:

In January - I take some time to pray through my year- evaluating the year before and thinking about future desires. I usually take a THEME for me as a point of emphasis. 

February is a FAST of some kind= 28 days to do without. One year it was social media- last year it was caffeine- what am I addicted to? What types of things are idols in my life.

March is either Momentum march or mediocre March and I have to get in the first few weeks to see how I am doing...... it basically is 'hang on until Spring Break'!

April is very important- It is the real beginning of my year. It is 'the cruelest month'- it is a tough eating and exercise plan and very regimented- but it is a good time to do it because of the nicer weather... nature helps here.

May is 'mission statement'- this is where I re-visit- God's primary calling, His secondary calling, changes in my life purpose statement...

JUNE/JULY- Energy and joy- I love summers- the longer days- key planing

August- "ALL IN" - PEDAL TO THE METAL

September/October- Priorities/Prayer- execution. A commitment to quality.

November- ‘No Gain November’… this is when I usually do the worst on eating. My main goal is to weigh the same or less on Nov 1 and Dec. 1. This year I did awesome- but December was a bust.....

December- Reflection, Rest (Christmas Break), and Evaluation. The most critical part of evaluation is going back over the goals in specific areas- spiritual, financial, family, home improvement, physical, and professional.

SPIRITUAL PURSUITS

Never leave out spiritual disciplines....

I have a blog devoted to 1 year of devotions if you want some encouragement and publish devotionals through April on Amazon.com

https://jayopsisdevos.wordpress.com/

Have I Possessed the Greatest Gift Ever Given?- Things to Ponder on Christmas

DON'T FEAR THAT QUESTION!

I wanted to search out this morning one of these MANY gifts. I want to thank God for giving me the gift of 'saving faith'- a gift I would not have were it not for Him.

Here is a starter question. How do I know I have saving faith? And the answer is strange. Part of the initial evidence is that I dare even ask the question. I believe a big key in sorting out true faith is that a true believer wrestles with whether or not he has it in the first place. If you aren't willing to put it on the table for inspection, you might be face to face with reality of knowing it is not there.

So ask God to give you Holy Spirit eyes and place what faith you think you have, as weak and small as you think it may be- and do some comparison and investigation.

PRE-ANALYSIS AGREEMENT:

Before you enter this exercise- you need to make a declaration: "I am going to use God's Inspired Word as my only rule of faith." If any part of this analysis is conjecture based on my feelings or flawed logic, I pray that may be put away. This is not what I think, or how I feel- what does God's Word say? I will not be quoting exhaustive Scripture in this blog post (but I should)- but my hope is that it reflects the entire scope of Biblical counsel.

ANALYSIS A: COMPARISON TO FALSE FAITH

I need to run through my list of faiths that are not true, Biblical saving faith. I need to be willing to look at my heart/mind/will/emotions/experience/memory/word/deed and see if I fall into some of these categories.

1) COMPARTMENTALIZED FAITH: This is a big one. We live in a highly post everything culture where we shish-kabob our lives according to our fancies and whims. We have to understand that a multi-cultural, relativistic American society does corrupt our understanding of 'saving faith'. Add to that American roots of rugged individualism and powerful autonomy and we have a recipe for what the Bible labels "holding to a form of godliness, but denying the power within (2 Timothy 3:5)".

No- we have to fight this one. Saving faith is taken as a whole. As Paul Helseth powerfully defended  in his book,Right Reason and the Princeton Mind, "They (Princeton Reformers) recognized that the operation of the intellect involves the 'whole soul'- mind,will, and emotions-rather than the rational faculty alone, and as a consequence they insisted the ability to reason 'rightly' i.e., the ability to see revealed truth more or less for what it objectively is, namely glorious- presupposes the regenerating activity of the Holy Spirit on the 'whole soul' of a moral agent."

How we compartmentalize faith:  I tend to do it by making it merely a mental exercise. I can get fooled into believing if I learn more facts, I am increasing in saving faith. So my compartment is AN EDUCATIONAL FAITH- but others can trend into non-attached FORMS as well. I believe there is EMOTIONAL FAITH, getting revved up for Jesus and worked into a frenzy. There is a DO GOOD faith- where maybe the service or mission trip is the feel good event of the summer.

No- we need to guard ourselves from staying detached in these things. Saving faith connects all of the areas. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Shema, Deut. 6:5)".

2) LOGO FAITH: One of the icons of our 'post-everything' culture is the sloganeering of causes. Sometimes called the "Disneyfication of America" sociologists have written in mass about how mass communication technology has created a 'world of simulation' where high culture and low culture are combined and any sort of grand narrative is lost. I have always thought that Grant Lyon's book, Jesus in Disneyland: Religion in Postmodern Times, captured this idea very poignantly.

The overarching image that Lyon's attaches to is a Harvest Day Crusade day that was hosted by Disneyland in Anaheim, CA in 2000. This Christian festival seemed innocuous enough. One of the event organizers had a great quote: "We saw Disneyland as an opportunity to bring God's kingdom to the Magic Kingdom. We felt that, as they opened the door to us to share Christ, we wouldn't turn down the opportunity just because other things take place there. Jesus is the example for this."

I am not being critical of this at all. Christ needs to be going EVERYWHERE. But the symbolic image of Christian marketing in the Mecca of consumer marketing could not be ignored by Lyons.

"A bizarre sounding collaboration...an ancient, premodern religion is found... interacting with the epitome of post modern culture- the artificial, simulated, virtual, fantasy world of Disney."

I need to be careful here- there were huge parts of Lyon's book that were instructive and thought provoking. I do think the biggest flaw of Lyon's approach is confusing the visible and invisible Church.

The bigger point here is what the Disney culture influence has done to 'virtualize and simulate' faith by transforming it into slogans and fancy logos. Spy magazine defined it this way: "Disneyfication is the act of assuming, through the process of assimilation, the traits and characteristics more familiarly associated with a theme park....than with real life." 

So what does this mean? Here is how Disney has impacted church ministry and caused some to hold to a faith more characterized with logos and slogans than saving faith.

Theming: Everything relates to an overall 'theme'. The problem is that the theme is always a sanitized  and organized abstraction and not reality. In themes, everything fits. But we all know that real life carries conundrums and problems.

Merchandizing and Consumption: It doesn't take long to realize that the theme can sell. I still get shudders sometimes when I walk through Christian bookstores. What are we selling? Why are we selling? I am not against selling books and books have ministered to me in so many amazing ways- but the packaging and theming should make us wary of what is missing.

Prescriptive Empathy: This is a tough one to define. Disney employees are taught to smile and interact in such a way that park attendees think they are having fun and not working. A logo faith teaches us all the proper terms of endearment- but it is an act. I say, "I will pray for you"... do I actually do it?

Self-adulation: The toughest consequence of a logo faith is that I buy into the ultimate consumer mindset- all of this is for ME and my pleasure.

So here are my questions about LOGO faith. Do I just recite the Jesus answers? Have I learned all the themes, present a clean put together life of faith, but in the end.... there is little or no connection to the Holy God of the Universe. Do I measure my growth in how I feel? Do I evaluate worship based on what I get?

3) INSTITUTIONAL FAITH: It is hard to seperate a LOGO faith from an INSTITUTIONAL faith because they are bred in the same petri-dish. An institutional faith is where I have allowed my daily work in a Christian environment to substitute for personal, saving faith. Do I read my Bible? Yes, in faculty devotions, writing blogs, teaching Sunday School, preparing lessons. Do I pray? Yes, weekly prayer meetings. Staff meetings. Opening and closing events. Do I worship? Yes. We have a chapel every week.

This is one I have to fight. And when I leave the institution for vacation or the weekend. Does my faith follow me? Do I have a personal prayer life, Bible study, or worship? Do I share my faith?

4) BIBLE BELT FAITH: Oh boy! Another tough impostor!  This is one where we are all good people and acknowledge the good Lord. We attend church and don't rob banks. We give money and sing Amazing grace. But there is no real spiritual recognition of our depravity. There is no real hatred of sin. There is no felt desperation of the reality of hell. God is warm and furry, a cosmic Santa Claus ready to dish out good gifts but absent in times of distress. It will all just work out, let it be.

There are other types of false faith: religion, liberalism, status, in fact all idols are held to by a type of 'faith'.

ANALYSIS B: PRACTICES TO EXPLORE SAVING FAITH:

A SIMPLE GOSPEL:

I JOHN 5:11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1) SIMPLE TRUST: It is so important to remember that faith has an object- faith is not a work. The power of our faith is not faith- the power of our faith is the power in what our faith is in. In Matthew 17 Jesus says:

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I have always applied this as it is not the amount of faith applied- but the source. A great comfort in your fight of faith is a quiet voice that says, 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus- just to take Him at His word."

2) FITFUL FIGHTING: Jacob wrestled with God until daybreak. We must be willing to engage Him the same way. God, I will not let you go until you show me. I think He enjoys that. A willingness to wrestle is actually evidence of the Spirit.

3) DEEP ROOTED DOCTRINE: If you want to dissect whether you have a saving faith versus a merely speculative one- you have to be willing to dive into the roots of God's Word. If you haven't done so in a while- you may need to freshen up on Romans or find balance in I John. You may need to let Jesus's commands in the gospels hurt and heal.

Again, I turn to Helseth here:

The Princeton theologians approached the task of theology not as arrogant rationalists would have done, but as Biblically faithful Christians have always done. Indeed, they sought to discern the difference between truth and error not by appealing to magisterial conclusions of the rational faculty alone, but by hearing the text with 'right reason', which for them was a biblically informed kind of theological aesthetic that presupposes the work of the Spirit on the whole soul of the believing theologian.

Finally, saving faith is a gift that we receive by saving faith.

Heb 12:12 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Want to be blessed this Christmas?

Here you are, presented once again with the Christ in the manger. Even as Christmases past have slipped by..... here is that offer once again.

You and I have messed it up again and again- over and over- falling short of all that God intends us to be. 

Even as you feel your pride wanting to justify and excuse away- even as you feel the deadness of rejecting it- please review these beautiful doctrines of salvation by God's grace.

Reach out to Him right now- Your sins have been cancelled and removed. Do you trust that?

Simply trust. "God I cannot do this. You have to do this. I am a rebel and you have not been my King. Is it too late to come home?" You know the answer.

Fight for it. There are those who will tell you you are too bad. You think in your heart you are too good. Don't let it go. Capture the childlike magic of new birth! Don't let Him go!

Dig Deep. Spend time this holiday break searching the Scriptures.

Thank God for the gift of saving faith.

Tell someone else what you have done.

It will be the best gift they get this year as well!

John 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me,