The Voltron Force- 30 years Ago- Part 2- Walk-offs Rock the Campus

Lee Clements and Charlie Eddy in front of Bryant Hall A.K.A. as the U.S.S. Perkins

We registered our team with the University Intramural System in Aug of 1985 under the name 'Walk-offs" which caused a fun buzz at Bryant Hall.

One of our first challenges was TIME.

On top of our required studies, Lee, Chris Lombardo, Charlie Eddy, and I were student dorm assistants at Bryant Hall. Coach Perkins decided to pick up the responsibilities there and, for the most part,we were good at getting it all done.

Recruiting Weekends were all day affairs

Things we did well: put out the mail, checked off meals as players and guests came through, did curfew check with the dorm director (a novel of stories there), put out 10 PM snacks, and we worked long hours during football camps.

Lee and Lombardo on Gameday

We were especially good on recruiting weekends on Gamedays. We put out tables and chairs in the courtyard. We set up the annex for the Bama Bells and guests. We cut up the barbecue. We transported the recruits and families to the game. We served cokes and hotdogs DURING the game. We took some of the recruits back and, occasionally, to the airport and we cleaned up that evening.

There is one thing, however, that we were MAJOR failures at. And I admit this to my shame.

We were awful at putting out and taking up the U.S. and Alabama state flags. Coach Perkins installed the HUGE flagpoles off the front of the dorm. They were so big that we renamed Bryant Hall..... to the U.S.S. Perkins.

We HATED flag duty... mainly because the flags we so large and the ropes weren't installed right...so most of the time the flags were wrapped around the poles so bad that the building looked bad.

Getting the flags unwrapped...especially if they were soaked from rain.. was a major pain. And often...it was just a give up until better winds came and unwound the mess.

At the beginning of the flag raising and lowering process, we were SO CAREFUL to honor the Stars and Stripes. We looked up the regulations and even tried to fold it in the triangle.... but that didn't last... sorry to say we missed some days, left the flags up (but they weren't spotlighted at the time), had no clue if there were half mast requests....a lot of the time we lowered them and literally flung them in the closet on the way to study hall.... it was a fail....

All of this to point out- WE HAD NO TIME TO PULL TOGETHER A FOOTBALL TEAM.

So, what I did next had profound implications for my later years as a coach.

I developed an offensive system that looks like the spread schemes that are used today. I wrote the system on notecards and had it where just about anyone could show up for a game and play without any practice.

And that is one unique factor of the Walk-off's and Voltron Force.... never had a practice. We just showed up at game time.... figured out who was there that day and proceeded to dominate.

THE WALK-OFF SYSTEM

The rules allowed for 3 offensive linemen and everyone was eligible to receive a pass except the center. The only blocking that could be done was a shield block (basically just getting in the way of a rusher).

My playcard system helped us stay organized

The system was about 5 plays that had a pass option regardless of the coverage. It had a built in blitz beater as both up-backs would fast release to the flats if the team used their 1 blitz per series option.

I always had a single cut route on the backside for any man to man defense and then a twins combination to the field to work against a zone.

In two years, the only times we were stopped was a receiver not being able to beat man to man (rare) or a GREAT  disciplined zone where they broke hard on the ball.

Years later (too late for me), I learned the need to use eyes and pump fakes (shoulder hunches) to give space against the zone.

The last advantage of the Voltron system was my ability to take a deep drop and run around until the receivers broke open- I called this 'doing the Flutie' based on what Doug Flutie did at Boston College.

One interesting note about the system.... we had a game that we could not attend and two former starting Alabama football players (and we think it was Joey Jones) took my play cards and totally rocked that game.

The defense was totally run by Clements, Colbert, and Lombardo and they killed it.

Final note about my playcards- Throughout my coaching years, I always carried with me a 'playbook' to team camps for help in 7 on 7's when I was coaching players I had never been with before. I used these at University of Tennessee camp with Tim Couch and Chris Leak. I used them at Ole Miss and a lot of other camps. We were always very successful with my simple notecard plays with throws to make against any defense. Coach Cutcliffe was good about complimenting my readiness to organize an offense quickly.

EARLY CONTROVERSY - The Machine is Real

Anyone familiar with Alabama knows the power of the greek influence, referred to for generations as 'the machine'. As an athlete, I was never in opposition to any machine endeavor and enjoyed watching the independent vs. machine bickering... especially in the realm of politics.

What I didn't realize, is that the machine had control over intramural athletics!

After a few weeks of competition, I began to note when and where games were being scheduled.

The greek teams were on the newest and nicest fields, were most convenient for spectators, and had the most efficient officials.

I soon understood that we were in an 'independent' league playing in a cowfield and using officials who knew little or nothing about football.

So we went undefeated through the regular season without a close game.

"Independent' Official

One funny story involved a team called the "Dawg Pound" who had a middle linebacker who ran his mouth at me the entire game.

"You guys think you're something. I  ain't impressed."

I was always pretty good about keeping my mouth shut. We would score about every 3 or 4 plays.

"I'm bringing some stuff at you QB, how you going to handle it?"

I hit Thom Whitley off of his blitz for a gain of about 30.

Finally, one of his own players went over and blocked him to the ground!

"Shut the #*#&* up man- you're an idiot!"

The official threw a penalty flag and ejected the guy who hit the loud mouth.

Then he marched the penalty off against us!

'Wait a minute I said... he was on their team!"

"Oh sorry."

He put the ball back and walked over to me.

"So how do I penalize that?" He was asking me!

I said, "If I were you, I'd eject the loud mouth, let the other guy back in because he was doing us a favor."

And he did !

MACHINE WINS

So- we won the independent league easily that season and that set-up the campus championship game against the greek league champion.

The game was moved to a Sunday and we showed up to a crazy crowd. These frat guys had brought a good crowd.  This was going to be fun!

One thing I haven't mentioned is that the championship team got to represent the University of Alabama in Mobile in the regional championship. It eventually went to a national championship.

And we played a great game and beat the Greek champion. We were excited about moving on to the region.

That was...... until we got the phone call for the next game.... a championship game against the Law School team... scheduled at the last minute,

What?

That is right... we played the next Tuesday against the Legal Eagles- with former Mt Brook Qb Lee Gresham as the signal caller. They looked sharp and were very athletic... a much cleaner looking group of young men!

They beat us by two Td's and the university was spared from having the "rag tag" Walk-offs move on to other games.

I recently e-mailed Lee Gresham to confirm this TRUE story and here was his reply:

See how he stuck that knife even deeper!

In part 3- we will see how the excitement of that remarkable season in 1985 paved the way for the birth of the Voltron Force and the cult attraction it became.......

The Voltron Force- 30 years Ago- Part 1- Roots of the Movement

This year marks the 30th anniversary season of the Voltron Force- one of deadliest and most controversial flag football teams in the Universtiy of Alabama's storied history.

Lee Clements, a few teammates, and I have recently finished an exhaustive research process to preserve the memory and legacy of two seasons that rattled the foundations of institutional process and control.

I don't know if time will allow us to thoroughly explore all of the providential circumstances that led to the formation of the cultural icon. But no one could have predicted the powerful attraction that some say threatened to weaken the actual Alabama football team in 1985 and 1986.

We believe it is safe now to tell the TRUE story of this group of dedicated athletes and competitors.

Part of the roots of this team go back to when a small but insane group of walk-on football players pushed the envelope of scout teams in the early days of Ray Perkins coaching era at Alabama.

In the fall of 1983- Lee Clements, Chris Lombardo, Ricky Colbert, Mike O'Toole, Scott Connell, and I began to explore ways to have 'fun' as scout team defensive backs.

The year before was not much fun - as I spent Coach Bryant's last season as the scout team QB. In those days, it was live tackling to the ground during team time. I have written on previous occasions that running scout team wishbone plays against Emmanuel King, Eddie Lowe, Tommy Wilcox and company wasn't the easiest gig in town.

But Coach Ray Perkins came in with a passing offense that sent me to defense and from the punished to the punishers.

THE TARGET

I don't know who started the 'ritual'- but the scout team defensive backs that spring decided to create what became known as the daily 'target'. Before every full pad practice, there was a brief vote on WHO would be the target on that particular day.

Then, a delegate from the crew would go into the varsity dressing room and 'post' on the chalkboard who was the (un)lucky winning receiver for that day.

That person was put on proper notice that if we had a chance to put the wood on them... there was going to be no hold back at all.

We justified our system by picking the guy who needed toughening up.

If a starting receiver had loafed or had a bad game the week before... we just made him the target of a weekly practice to 'increase' the intensity of his effort.

It was widely known that Jesse Bendross HATED being the target- which caused him to win a lot of votes. If we put a target with a number 88 in the middle of it... he would stop getting dressed, storm into the scout team dressing room and plead his case.

No one would pay him any attention and finally, someone would blurt out, "Get out of here, Jesse" along with, "I hope Walter doesn't hang you out to dry on that crossing route."

There was one receiver who was never voted the target.... Joey Jones.

We were afraid of him and no one minded admitting that.

(The next Spring, I was moved to receiver and was targeted a few times... which does prove that 'your sin will surely find you out")

But the Fall of 83 was interesting.... Lee and I decided to try a few things to pick up practice....

Coach Perkins had used white helmets for some of the games and we decided to use them for the scout team when we played Tennessee. We grabbed as many orange T decals that we could find and decorated the helmets.... then we went and hid in the bushes around the outside of the practice field.

When the varsity came out- they were looking around to see where the scouts were.

We planned when to come out..... right before team stretching and we tore out from the bushes wearing Tenn Orange and screaming like a bunch of banshees.....

The varsity guys got a good chuckle out of it and we had a fast, fun practice- but it didn't help as we lost  34-41 at Legion field.

We did the same thing for the Auburn game... Lee and I drove to Birmingham to buy the decals from Hibbett's Sporting goods.... same result ... lost 20-23.

I moved to Wide Receiver the next Spring... after that, Coach Perkins offered for Lee and I to work for the athletic department as student dorm assistants in Bryant Hall, but it meant our official football days were over.

Well, we thought they were over.....

That next fall, 1985- we realized we had a lot of former Alabama players who were still wanting to compete... so we organized a team we called 'The Walk-offs' and entered the world of Intramural flag football. That team was the pre-cursor of the Voltron Force in 1986.

In Part two....

We will explore the Walk-offs inaugural season and how it  took  the league by storm and challenged the university intramural system to its limit.

I'm sure these stories will go viral soon.........

Winning

With college kickoff weekend just in our sight, I thought I would spend a time on a topic we think we know a lot about, but usually, haven't taken the time to study it or analyze it.

What is winning?

Coaches of all sports at all times have given inspirational speeches and spent seasons or years teaching about it.

One of the first things to understand about winning is that it is in a context..... winning is always in a context of competition where there is also a chance to lose.

The intensity of the competition elevates the enjoyment of winning and increases the pain of losing.

Winning and losing can actually become a trend in a person's life. Winners don't win all the time- but they contain certain attributes that allow them to experience it more often.

Losing can become a habit as well. Losers may win on occasion, but generally, their composition is such that winning is sheer luck and losing is almost an expectation.

I have a 6 domain approach that outlines winning in any context- sport, life, business, or relationships.


Winning the Investment

The harder you work the harder it is to lose. I find that a sacrificial and personal investment in a cause or desire will allow for the greatest chance of success.

My guess is that we know this enough to pay lip service to it.

The will to win is conditioned by the will to prepare to win. And the best yardstick of future success is 'what are you doing right now?". What you do today will shape who you are in the future.

I will mention one other thing... there is a rare breed of a champion who is willing and able to invest with the same intensity while on top as they do in their climb to the top.

Most people scratch and claw until they achieve their quest... then they lay down in satisfaction and soak it in. And there is a healthy way to do that.

But I admire and give great props to those who still dig hard every day even after they have reaped great success!

Winning the Intelligence

There are some winners who understand that work is one thing... but SMART work is even better.

Every time you compete..you learn. A winner takes a loss and studies it to the point that it will be harder for that circumstance to ever happen again.

A winner MUST be a learner. A winner needs to thirst after wisdom and knowledge.

A winning coach must always be open to evaluation and correction.

Losers are afraid of information... they protect themselves from it....

They are afraid of being exposed for a lack of knowledge.

But their fear of showing a deficit prohibits them from learning.


Winning the Messaging

Winners are constantly sending a message...it is a body language... it is a narrative. Winners know how to send that message deep inside themselves as well.

By the way... there is no more POWERFUL message than BIBLE verses.

It is what Jesus used in the wilderness of temptation.

If you have never tried it- I encourage you to plant God's Holy Word DEEP in your heart. And I promise, you will win the messaging...

on the inside AND on the outside!


Winning the Unity

A winner is never alone and a winner understands that success is a 'we' and not a 'me'. Even great champions of individual sports know how to build a team. AND. nothing is more powerful than a unified TEAM.

When I was coaching football... that was my one desire... could I somehow press and request and push and teach... that this whole deal was bigger than any one person.

The common denominator of all of the state championship teams that I was blessed to be a part of was BONDS OF BROTHERHOOD... and it wasn't just players. Players loved and trusted players... loved and trusted coaches... loved and trusted support personnel... loved and trusted parents... loved and trusted administration... who loved and trusted  parents... who loved and trusted ...

well you get it.

Some of you, I bet, believe that this is just talk and not true....

I feel sad if you have never experienced it... the power of UNITY

It doesn't mean perfection..It doesn't mean total agreement....

but it is love and trust...

hard to achieve.

But when it happens, LOOK OUT- that group will NEVER lose..no matter what the score may say otherwise!

Winning the Battlefield

The battlefield is the reality of the competition. It is no longer prep and planning- it is fight in a flurry and adjust as the conditions change. It is a disciplined fight. It is incredible intensity at the point of attack while still having eyes to study the flow and the flanks.

Winning is 'being' not 'doing'

This last domain is almost a summary of all of the others. A winner doesn't win as much as that person IS a winner. That is their very blood flows with positive expectations and an unbending hope.

BOTTOM LINE:

This weekend.. there will be a lot of intense competitions between very talented and well coached teams.

When time expires, there will be a 'winner' and a 'loser'.

But true winners will not be marked by that declaration....

if they won- GREAT- but let's keep moving forard

if they lose- HURT- but then a rugged determination to correct and conquer next time.

True losers will not be confirmed either.

if they win... they begin to bask in the glow and do nothing to get better

if they lose... they employ defense mechanisms and speak sour grapes..

they will blame... and blaspheme....

and deep inside they will long for something that they know they will never be......

When you go to bed tonight- thank the Lord.... and tell Him you want to WIN

And when you wake up tomorrow- thank Him again- and tie your shoes tight and walk tall like a winner.

Tell yourself.... I am NEVER going to give in and keep fighting.

Victory is just around the bend.

A Story and A Journey

Note: Every testimony is unique. Some are dramatic and some are the sweet blossom of good seed and soil. Some come to faith in a moment and some are led on a path of years. 



This is my story.

Do you remember having your eyes opened to the gospel- the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ?

My parents were good to get me in church a lot growing up. Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Bible sword drills all began the process.

I remember, Jack Rutledge, father of Alabama QB Jeff, putting his arm around me and quietly asking me to give my heart to Jesus. I tensed up and was unwilling… little did I know that those faithful seeds were going to root in time…. ( I was excited to tell him years later of my conversion).

My first 'experience' with God was at the age of 8 when I was baptized at Ruhama Baptist Church in Birmingham. It was during a revival and I felt like I was ‘supposed’ to go down the aisle. I remember a Pastor meeting with my mother and me. During this meeting, he showed me a Good News Bible and pointed to a picture of a shepherd and sheep. I just shook my head “yes”. I really did not know what I was doing.. no understanding at all!

The baptismal ceremony was performed in freezing cold water because the water heater was broken. It took my breath away as I went under. In later years I laughed that this was a little humor from the Lord about my “cold” baptism.

I tried to be a good boy for about 2 weeks but eventually regressed to being the same ole me.

All of these were important experiences with God… but it wasn’t the ‘eye opening’ experience that precedes conversion. I do, however, vividly remember that initial time of understanding….

It was in 8th grade, I remember a Sunday School teacher explaining the gospel in a way that I actually understood it. My sin was real and Jesus’ sacrifice made complete sense in bridging the separation I had with God.

Even though the good news had been presented maybe hundreds of times before that.. I did not understand.. it did not ‘click’. But that day.. it made so much sense..I was in sin… Jesus was the substitute for sin… but it created a PROBLEM!

I vividly remember thinking “I’ve already been baptized, so I can’t tell anyone that I’m not a real Christian” And I lived in conflict off and on for a long time. I knew I wasn’t living for God and I believed that I was going to hell. It disturbed me whenever I thought about it.

I was playing a video game in the mall and a little girl came up with a gospel tract. I treated her very rudely, but inside I still felt condemned.

Another time a girl I knew well told me that I couldn’t be a Christian because of my behavior. I told her that I had been baptized. She said that baptized or not, I lived like I was going to hell. Deep in my heart, I knew she was right.

Getting to high school actually provided escape from these thoughts and found that I was hardening to the idea that I was not a believer. Sports were a great diversion and offered some reward as an idol. I received recognition and relationships and I experienced a lot of success.

My realization about eternity abruptly came back up in the summer before my junior year. An acquaintance of mine was tragically killed while robbing a convenience store. He was with a group who was doing it just for the thrill. I was heartbroken and our school was in despair!

I remember receiving this news from my mom as I was coming home from Sunday School. I don’t know why I went to church that day and remember nothing from the visit.

All of the students were grief stricken and I was confronted once again with the idea of death.

We had a student gathering at a home and I was very impressed by the message. It was my first experience with Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. A minister, Tom Caradine, gave a clear gospel presentation along with Biblical answers for grief and loss. I was stirred immensely.

After the meeting, a college student who had been an athletic role model for me, Benny Parks, found me and shared a gospel tract with me. The tract had a drawing of two lives (see below) and I knew that my life was not being directed by Christ.

The above image was me… and I wasn’t happy with my life at al!

This is what I desired… and it led me to a desire to get it right with God!

I went home and re-read the tract and knew it was time to make a choice. I got on my knees and prayed that God would forgive me and take me back. At the time, I thought I was re-dedicating my life to Christ. I now know from thinking through Scripture that this was my actual conversion.

Right after that prayer, I got up and went to sleep..no smoke or fireworks. But when I woke up the next morning..I remembered and I knew something was different.

Some immediate changes took place. I told my mom and a few friends that I had re-dedicated my life with Christ. This was a big step for me. I also began to read the Bible with great interest. I read the whole New Testament in about 2 days and the words seemed to burn in my soul. I have not had that sensation since, but it was a really cool moment.

I had a friend of mine make a poster for me to put in my football locker. I wanted coaches and teammates to know that I had made a change.

I also had a real sensation of peace with God. My anxiety about eternal destruction was completely gone. I have had this peace for so long now, that I have almost forgotten what the stress of condemnation was like.

All of this took place 36 years ago! 

Looking back in the light of Scripture like Romans and others, I now see that prayer night of my Junior year as being my conversion. And though there were times I did not live like a believer after that, I know that that was the moment of repentance and faith. I have failed Him many times... but He has never failed me!

In all of those years since, I have had the joy and agony of what it means to walk with God. I have had times of power and purity and I have had seasons of sin and sorrow.

In a long trail behind me are people who I shined a beautiful and loving light for Christ and there are others who might be convinced I am the devil.

I will say this.... it is one decision I have never regretted... and having Jesus in charge is a blessings. His plan for my life is much better that I could have ever done alone.

When I post these things....my all-too-human  motive is always in question.

But my heart aches in these moments with a prayer.....

What is keeping you from Jesus?

Some men think they are too good for Jesus. "I have everything I need... I don't really need Him... I'm not a bad person... I haven't robbed a bank or killed someone."

Most men think they are too bad for Jesus. "If you only knew what I have done!"

Are you afraid of what people may think?

Are you too stubborn to let the air out of your pride?

Drop all of your pretense and bow your head... right now...

And simply ask .....

My greatest prayer I have ever prayed is "God, please help me!"

And Your loving Heavenly Father RUNS to those kind of heart prayers.

And for a few days... just spend some time with Him.

Read the Bible.... I recommend Philippians and I John for those who feel new or weak in the faith.

Find a Bible believing friend and ask them to meet with you once a week.

Find a Bible believing church and start attending on Sunday mornings.

All of those recommendations are not to get you religious... they are places to get to know Jesus.

The One who died... so you may live.

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 John 5:11-15 ESV)

"Ricky Bobby Lied" and other Rio Reactions

Every four years we get a nice break from the dripping and grinding issues of life to find a convenient distraction of interest, emotions, and nationalistic zeal.

I have always enjoyed the Olympics and always tear up at the underdog win and celebrate the excitement of elite competition.

Sure... a cynic can pick on it... politics, agendas, doping, ratings..... but why waste this only once every 4 years treat?

So, whether this post will have any readers or not... this is meant for me to remember....

RICKY BOBBY LIED.... The Olympics gives us a great reminder that to compete and win a medal is special. Most of the time a silver or bronze medal is received with JOY and it should be. All of the athletes go for the gold.... Sorry, Ricky Bobby....being second or third is not last. It is a special accomplishment.

JESUS ABOVE RIO

Cristo Redentor, Christ the Redeemer, could not be ignored as NBC displayed captivating cut ins and aerial shots throughout the Olympics.  I couldn't help but think of the powerful image and message and tweeted about it on the last day

My final Rio thoughts-as the world strained for gold- as we rejoiced and cried- Jesus's arms remained open through it all. Who will believe?

BILES, LEDECKY, AND PHELPS

Wow- what a display of champions... each with a wonderful story. The human drama of trial and achievement.

Human frailty and the razor-thin winning edge makes each competition full of meaning and suspense!

I could go on and on about the amazing victories.

I mean, the medal count itself shows how an entire novel of pain and ecstasy.

46 GOLD

37 SILVER

38 BRONZE





BOLT- The Greatest Athlete Ever?

I mean, what can you say.... 3 straight Olympics and 9 Gold Medals! Truly the longest dominant streak by any power athlete in history.

NIKE HAD ALL THE GOLD...

 I don't know if you noticed or not..but almost every great runner of every country were all wearing the same shoe.

I did see a few others.... on the ones coming up the rear......







THE MOST INSANE MOMENT IN OLYMPIC HISTORY

So I hate to end this blog of Olympic memories with the biggest head scratcher of all.

A man won the women's 800. He/She dominated.

What in the world are we doing? How is this fair to the women in the race?

Russia ought to take note for the 2020 games in Tokyo... no need to do performance enhancing drugs... just make all of your men to become women.. and you will own the medal count without worrying about the IOC pee cup.

If this truly makes sense... why have women's events at all? Let's just have the gender neutral games and see what Pat can do.

Have Fruit? 'Abiding' in the Vine

The theme verse for BCS this year is ''Walking the Spirit'. Here are some thoughts on living a more 'fruitful' life:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.“

John 15:1-8

Have you ever hit that point where your sense of God’s presence seems stale or distant? Does the weariness of the world and the contrary winds of culture make you want to chunk it all away?

Are you finding that you aren’t praying or sharing Jesus with others?

We always want to be very careful…. I have always found 2 Timothy 3:1-7 to be scary

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

And if we are honest… any anecdotal survey of CHURCH culture has numerous examples of this.

What Jesus describes in John 15 is an analogy of WHERE the source of power flows from and what our daily purpose should be.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

The source of power is the Triune God- the Creator of the Universe- the Almighty. And there is a purpose for His kingdom…’bear more fruit”.

What fruit are we talking about? There is both internal and external fruit that should, over time, flow out of the life of a Christian.

Internal Fruit:

We mentioned yesterday the internal fruit of the Holy Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

(Galatians 5:22-25 ESV)

External Fruit:

I believe an excellent argument could be shown that Scripture expects fruitful produce in life among His people based on God given talent and opportunity. These follow in the form of children, good works, multiplying disciples, adding to the church, service, and a productive life of excellence which glorifies God.

FRUIT IS NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR  JUSTIFICATION BUT IS A RESULT OF JUSTIFICATION

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

THE DAILY WALK WITH JESUS

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

What does it mean to abide in Jesus? Abiding is found in time, place, frequency, intensity, and duration.

TIME: This is a relationship that grows roots and shoots over a long period of time. ‘Hours for the world and mere minutes for Christ” is not a way to develop this abiding principle.

PLACE: God is everywhere and dwells within every believer- but I also believe ‘abiding’ incorporates a place where you get away and spend focused time with God. The gospels frequently mention about Jesus withdrawing to a desolate place, usually on a mountain and spending time in prayer. The best times of abiding in my life have been times where I had a designated time and place to get away from all distractions and contemplating deep thoughts and prayers to God.

FREQUENCY: “Abiding” also grows as we have these experiences with regular repetition.

INTENSITY: Abiding with Christ is not a 5 minute ‘Jesus Calling’ quick scan. It is not a checklist duty of the day. We need to bring our ‘A’ game to the meeting.

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?  (Psalm 42:1-2 ESV)

DURATION: Is there a set time? Absolutely not! And if I am honest, I will have periods of ‘routine’.. it is better to do it that no do it… but I encourage you to consider every now and then spending bigger segments of time abiding in the Lord, meditating on His Word, on your knees, praising Him with zeal!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LOSE CONTACT?

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

YIKES…These images! But have you ever noticed what happens when you remove a stick from a fire? It burns out. So do we, when we cease to abide, we burn out in a sad pile of human inability.

And we all experience this….

Look at the earlier statement:

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

When you get to those dark times or dry times- you are experiencing one of 2 things:

Either you are a true believer and you are being pruned for more effective gospel impact

or

You were never a part of Jesus in the first place.

Part of the answer is- are you miserable apart from Jesus or is it no big deal? Do you miss Him?

THE BEAUTIFUL PROMISE ATTACHED TO ABIDING:

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

When you spend time with Jesus and learn to rest in Him, be with Him, abide in Him- you find your heart being tuned to His desires and will. And you begin to pray according to His heart and will, and He responds with beautiful expressions of love and grace.

And is there ANYTHING more attractive than a man or women so in love with the Lord that their lives spread sweetness and encouragement, peace and strength, service and contentment to many around them?

I am convinced if we took the time and effort to abide in the true vine… we would see global expansion of the gospel like no other time in history.

Do you believe this?

A Two Front Battle and One Way Out

Like most of the country, I was burdened by the accumulation of tragic events this week that seemed to build into an avalanche of pain and despair. Between racial unrest, violence, and all too common terror attacks, we seem to be limping in distress.

And often when I write, I have this cynical voice in my head that mocks me as I type each letter.."Oh, and who are you to add to the noise?!"

But I feel the burden to share...  not that I am anyone special to do so... but I do have a conviction of truth.

America always has been called 'An Experiment'. Indeed, from the very beginning... the early pronouncements in the Declaration of Independence and the earliest drafts of our Constitution, men were persuaded to build a nation around the ideals of liberty.

As I have written over and over, and will say again and again until my last heart beat.. HOWEVER, as precious as liberty is... it was NEVER intended to be the ULTIMATE virtue.

Unfettered liberty only results in chaos. It is like having our busy Hwy 280 without traffic lights, directional streets, driving rules, and road markings. Can you imagine what rush hour traffic would look like if every car could drive in ANY WAY they pleased.

Freedom must always fit within a form or construct that allows for it to remain beneficial. In a generic way, that has always been the rule of law. We have freedom, but our freedom can be restrained by the boundaries of law.

But there is a higher authority than law or liberty- there HAS to be. There has to be, ultimately, an authority that defines law, liberty, charity, and prosperity. The framers of our country knew this and their assent to it is written in ALL of our founding documents.

AN EFFECTIVE TWO FRONT BATTLE

The CHURCH- battles a false theology like sharia with proclamations of gospel truth. It must always authenticate word with actions.

This is what is meant by Paul:

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.(2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ESV)

It is important though to also recognize the way the STATE battles the actions of evil:

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:3-4 ESV) 

Working together, these are two powerful and effective bulwarks against any evil perpetrated on humanity.

Sadly, though- both entities seem to be lacking the passion, plan, or will to fight at the level best.


THERE HAS TO BE AN ASSENT TO ONE CODE OF ULTIMATE VALUE

I tweeted why we are losing the battle vs fundamental Islamic terrorism recently:

WHY SECULARISM FAILS......

When the Supreme Court outlawed the 10 Commandments and Prayer in the 1960's, it was an attempt to wrestle with what the framers intended regarding the 'establishment clause' within the first amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

The mistake, I believe,  is that what the framers were intending was not to have the government select or establish an official denomination of the Christian church. It was not to publicly wipe away  Christian values...it was to protect them. There was already a Judeo-Christian assent to the importance of Theism (or Deism) in society and especially the moral code of the 10 commandments.

Ironically, the government actually violated the establishment clause in their actions. It replaced one religion for another. It removed Theism and established another religion, in its place: Secularism.

In America, we do have an official religion- and that is Secular Humanism and any other religious ideal was relegated to a private use only status.

Fruit of our Choices....

In the late 1980's, I was finishing up and education major at the University of Alabama when I first began to be concerned that the traditional and major constructs of our union were being unleashed from their moorings.

I was in a large lecture hall where we were in a discussion about a 'values free' or 'values neutral' approach to the classroom. Most in attendance were in wholehearted agreement that this was the way to go. We were being instructed by our professors that content had to be stripped away from any personal values to not hinder or offend others in their personal beliefs.

I was one of a few dissenting voices regarding concern that, though this sounded reasonable, the effect over time could be dangerous.

One of the professors became agitated at my polite disagreement.

She challenged me...

"Well then, if you think values need to be included in the curriculum, whose values do we chose?"

I responded, 'We have the tradition of being a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles and on those I believe it is reasonable to promote those as American values." 

You would have thought I had advocated killing baby seals or blowing kilo-tons of carbon dioxide into the ozone!

An entire room jeered, mocked, and responded in several minutes of intense rebuttal.

Most of these were comments about Supreme Court decisions, the history of Christian atrocities, the arrogance of Christians, the hypocrisy of the Church., etc.

It felt like, even back then, that we were losing the cultural debate.

But my appeal and plea has not changed.... the history of Israel has proven to be a parallel prophecy of what happens to any nation who refuses to acknowledge God as sovereign.

Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:11-13 ESV)

"REPENT' MEANS CHANGE- WE HAVE TO CHANGE

I want to declare one more time why it is important for us to have a national repentance, beginning with the church herself, if we are to see ANY hope of escaping the narrative of most nations.

And most people, when I write these things, really do not understand what that even looks like. It is not a hard thing to do and also it is impossible at the same time. And the craziest thing is this... there is no need to fear the virtues and values of Christianity. In fact, they are the grandest and highest ideals that humans can aspire to. Have they been used improperly in the past to dark and horrible ends? YES! But in all of those cases, those who press toward the truth of those values were able to subdue and correct those atrocities. There is a built in 'self-correction' of this value system.

Jesus never taught violence on any human being. Christianity is the true religion of peace. When the church has opposed this they are being disobedient to the Founder. When other faith traditions carry out violence, they are not in disobedience.

WHY EVEN AN ATHEIST SHOULD CONSENT TO A RETURN TO  JUDEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES

When Thomas Paine sent a copy of his book, The Age of Reason, to Ben Franklin. Franklin wrote him back and said, "Do NOT publish this book. If men be bad with religion think how much worse they will be without it."

Nietzsche understood this as well. In his parable, The Madman:

What did we do when we loosened this earth from its sun? Whither does it now move? Whither do we move? Away from all suns? Do we not dash on unceasingly? backwards, sideways, forwards, in all directions? Is there still an above and below? Do we not stray, as through infinite nothingness? Does not empty space breathe upon us? Has it not become colder? Does not night come on continually, darker and darker? Shall we not have to light lanterns in the morning? Do we not hear the noise of the grave-diggers who are burying God? Do we not smell the divine putrefaction: -- for even Gods putrefy? God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him! How shall we console ourselves, the most murderous of all murderers? The holiest and the mightiest that the world has hitherto possessed, has bled to death under our knife,-- who will wipe the blood from us? With what water could we cleanse ourselves? What lustrums, what sacred games shall we have to devise? Is not the magnitude of this deed too great for us? 

I believe we can trace ALL of our societal ills to a national refusal to submit or acknowledge the importance of the moral laws of God.

Steve Turner captured our current chaos in chilling detail:

Here is the creed for the modern thinker. We believe in Marx, Freud and Darwin. We believe everything is okay, as long as you don’t hurt anyone to the best of your definition of hurt and to your best definition of knowledge. We believe in sex before, during and after marriage. We believe in the therapy of sin. We believe that adultery is fun. We believe that sodomy is okay. We believe that taboos are taboo. We believe that everything is getting better despite evidence to the contrary. The evidence must be investigated and you can prove anything with evidence. We believe there is something in horoscopes, UFO’s, and bent spoons. Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammad and ourselves. He was a good moral teacher, although we think basically his good morals were really bad. We believe that all religions are the basically the same, at least the ones we read were. They all believe in love and goodness. They only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God and salvation. We believe that after death comes nothing because when you ask the dead what happens they say nothing. If death is not the end, and if the dead have lied, then it’s compulsively heaven for all except perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Chingis Khan. We believe in Masters and Johnson. What is selected is average, what’s average is normal, and what’s normal is good. We believe in total disarmament. We believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed. Americans should beat their guns into tractors and the Russians would be sure to follow. We believe that man is essentially good-it’s only his behavior that lets him down. This is the fault of society; society’s the fault of condition; and conditions are the fault of society. We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him and reality will adapt accordingly; the universe will readjust and history will alter. We believe that there is no absolute truth, except the truth that there is no absolute truth. We believe in the rejection of creeds and the flowering of individual thought.
If Chance be the Father of all flesh, disaster is His rainbow in the sky. And when you hear: “State of Emergency,” “Sniper Kills Ten,” “Troops on Rampage,” “Youths go Looting,” “Bomb Blasts School,” it is but the sound man worshiping his maker.

Modern Thinker's Creed

Steve Turner, English journalist 

WHY THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR

This would never happen- and I'm sure it would receive charges of 'Theocracy" .... but the following responses would begin a national cure for national ills.



REPENTANCE BY THE STATE

We, the duly appointed representatives of all the people of these United States, declare today that we have violated the moral code of God and declare a return of our constitution under the sovereign protection and provision of our Creator.

In dong so, none of our American liberties are removed from us, they are enhanced. The benefits of the moral law of God include love, hope, forgiveness, service, temperance, equality, honesty, and honor.

However, we also recognize that there are restraints against evil and a recognition that men follow a natural course of moral inability. The moral law of God requires a collective commitment to restrain evil including murder, violence, immorality, theft, discrimination, dishonesty, and greed. These will be restrained through a just application of law and with a national intent to teach and correct our behavior, not out of anger... but out of love.

The model for our national discourse will be the humble and loving example of Jesus Christ, a friend to sinners and the savior of the world.

His greatest encouragement to all U.S. citizens is "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and is an application of His command to "love your neighbor as yourself".

We have behaved selfishly out of personal agendas- please, Lord of heaven grant us the eyes to see the needs of others and to serve.


REPENTANCE BY THE CHURCH

The Presbyterian Church in America has posted a powerful statement regarding our response to God in light of Biblical truth and the gospel of Christ.

Turn to God. In the OT, God commands people to turn or return to Him, and so be saved (e.g., Isa. 6:10; Jer. 18:8). In the NT, Christ preached that people should turn to God, and Paul summarized his account of his preaching with that phrase: “that they [everyone] should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20; cf. Acts 26:18). Thus, as Paul said earlier, he preached “testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). To repent means to turn. And the turning that we are called to do in order to be saved is fundamentally a turning to God. James could refer to the Gentiles who “turn to God” (Acts 15:19). To “turn to,” in this sense in the Bible, is to orient your life toward someone. As God’s people—those who are being saved—we are to play the part of the Prodigal Son who, though conscious of sin, guilt, and folly, flees to the Father (Luke 15:20). Paul at Lystra calls the people to turn to the living God (Acts 14:15). Paul refers to the Galatian Christians as those who had come to “know God” (Gal. 4:9); this is what we do in repentance: we repent to, we turn to God,and henceforth know Him as the God who forgives our sins and accepts us for Christ’s sake. 

Turn away from sin. Turning to God necessarily implies our turning away from sin. The whole Bible—OT and NT—clearly teaches that to repent is to “acknowledge [God’s] name and turn from [our] sins” (1 Kings 8:35; cf. 2 Chron. 7:14; Jer. 36:3; Ezek. 14:6; 18:30; Acts 3:19; 8:22; 26:18; Rev. 2:21-22; 9:20-21; 16:11). We cannot start to pursue God and sin at the same time. First John makes it clear that our basic way of life will either be oriented toward God and his light, or toward the darkness of sin. Christians in this life still sin, but against our deepest desires and better judgment; our lives are not guided and directed by sin as before. We are no longer enslaved to sin. Though we still struggle with it (Gal. 5:17), God has given us the gift of repentance (Acts 11:18), and we have been freed from sin’s dominating power.

Believe and trust. Put another way, our response is to believe and trust God’s promises in Christ, and to commit ourselves to Christ, the living Lord, as his disciples. Among Jesus’ first words in Mark’s Gospel are “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The obedience that typifies God’s people, beginning with repentance, is to result from the faith and trust we have in Him and His Word (e.g., Josh. 22:16; Acts 27:25). Thus sins are sometimes called “breaking faith with God” (e.g., Ezra 10:2, 10). Having faith in Christ, which seals our union with Him through the Holy Spirit, is the means by which God accounts Christ’s righteousness as our own (Rom. 3:21-26; 5:17-21; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9). Paul could refer to “salvation through faith in Christ” (2 Tim. 3:15). Frequently this initial repentance and faith can be simply expressed to God Himself in prayer.

Grow in godliness and battle for holiness. Such saving faith is something that we exercise, but even so it is a gift from God. Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). At the same time, Paul explained that Christians know an internal battle: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal. 5:17). God’s gift of salvation has been given to Christians, but the evidence of that salvation is lived out in the continual work of God’s Spirit. We can deceive ourselves, and so Paul encourages his readers to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5). Peter encourages Christians to grow in godliness and so become more confident of their election (2 Peter 1). We don’t create our own salvation by our actions, but we reflect and express it and so grow in our certainty of it. Because we Christians are liable to deceive ourselves, we should give ourselves to the study of God’s Word to be instructed and encouraged in our salvation, and to learn what is inconsistent with it. Jesus’ descriptions of His followers (see Matthew 5-7), or Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit’s work in us (see Gal. 5:22-23), act as spiritual maps that help us locate ourselves to see if we are on the path of salvation.

source: http://www.pcaac.org/ The Administrative Committee of the PCA 

If there was a church and state repentance... there would be freedom and tolerance like we do not have right now.

As unlikely as this will EVER be... does this cause you to FEAR? I would say no- even to those who do not believe.

PUSHBACK:

There would be many offended... but the goal is not to eliminate offense, the goal is to press toward the highest ideals that allow patience and tolerance in the midst of disagreement. The churches would have to lead the way in showing that those of opposing religious tenants and value systems should be loved and protected. Only Christianity allows for such.

WAITING ON HIS RETURN

As unlikely as a national repentance and revival seems, it is still Ok for me to pray and press for such an event.

And I am OK with whatever the Lord allows... and eagerly await His return.

Some non-believers have suggested that this focus on the world to come has made Christians lax in improving this current world.

I have to disagree with that sentiment.

This is how C.S. Lewis said it:

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. 

I will never give in to despair .... God Bless America, Land that I love!