Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest-ranking diplomat to represent a nation. The ambassador lives in a foreign land but is not a citizen of that foreign land.  Instead, his/her purpose in living in the foreign country is to represent his home nation and advance its interests in the foreign country. Ambassadors are the face of the country they represent.

The responsibilities of an ambassador are many and challenging. They must positively represent their home country, be a good negotiator, and be comfortable in difficult situations. If they are rude and unpleasant, they make a negative impression on the country they represent.  An ambassador must not be concerned about personal desires or views but faithfully represent the person or country that sent them. Being chosen as an ambassador is a significant mark of trust and integrity.

Officials can also be viewed as ambassadors of the game in which they officiate. Much like ambassadors who represent a country, officials have challenging jobs, must positively represent the game, handle difficult situations in a calm manner, and communicate effectively with crewmates, coaches, players, and administrators. Officials should not be concerned with self, but with what is right for the game and benefits the crew.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

God calls His believers to be His ambassadors on earth by serving others, loving others, and teaching others. Christ followers are ambassadors by daily bringing God the glory, and not self.

      --Foreign ambassadors uphold the country’s interest they represent.

     --Christian ambassadors serve, love, and teach God’s plans and purpose.

     --Officials are ambassadors by being great representatives of the game, not self.

To be a great ambassador as an Official means to faithfully represent your sport every day, have passion for the work, seek the well-being of all involved, communicate effectively, and have pride in what you do!

 https://www.todayintheword.org/daily-devotional/unwrapped/called-to-be-ambassadors/

 https://todaydevotional.com/devotions/ambassadors-1

 https://www.touchinglives.org/devotionals/ambassadors

 https://maglife.org/be-a-faithful-ambassador/

Encourage

 

The following verse is a great reminder that a little encouragement goes a long way. 

 

“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/ecclesiastes/passage/?q=ecclesiastes+4:9-12)

 

This time of year brings added stress to officials, coaches, players, administrators and fans. Teams are fighting for the postseason and coaches are fighting for jobs. Officials are balancing end-of-year work responsibilities while working towards finishing the year strong as a crew. Also, at this time of the year, we experience an increase in family interactions which brings its own set of challenges. In the middle of stress, how do we encourage?

 

At some point, each of us has been on the receiving end of encouragement. Encouragement takes many forms--a few cheerful words, a short uplifting note, or maybe just the steadying comfort of someone’s presence. How do you feel when you receive these gifts of encouragement? Encouragement usually makes it easier to handle each day's pressure knowing you had someone else by our side. 

 

As we enter this week’s games, pressure continues to mount for teams to win and for officials to administer games appropriately. Embrace Mark Twain’s words…."[t]he best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." Let’s be the “two” in Ecclesiastes 4:9 where we are the ones others can count on to support them when they fall because we are an encourager.

 

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

Credit to Ryan Wingers

Emotions(less)

During the 1970s, psychologist Paul Eckman identified six basic emotions he suggested were universally experienced by all humans: (1) happiness, (2) sadness, (3) disgust, (4) fear, (5) surprise, and (6) anger. He later expanded his list of basic emotions to include pride, shame, embarrassment, and excitement. In 2017, another study of emotions suggested many more basic emotions than previously studied. In a study published in “Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences”, researchers identified 27 different categories of emotions.  Instead of being distinct, researchers found people often experience many emotions intertwined resulting in a wide variety of feelings and emotions.

Daily, emotions influence how we interact with others while impacting the decisions we make. By understanding and recognizing different types of emotions, we can gain better understanding of how our own emotions are expressed and the impact on our behavior. Recognizing emotions involves attending to what your body is doing (tightened muscles, stomach pain, sweats, sensory changes). Then, we can identify what the emotion is….sadness, anxiety, fear, depression, etc. Keep in mind that it is impossible to have an emotion without a thought first.  For example, if you are told to ‘feel angry,’ nothing would happen.  However, if you were asked to think back to a time when a person cut you off in traffic, that likely would produce a feeling of anger!  Identifying our thoughts is the best way to understand the emotions that follow.

 

As officials, we are surrounded by various emotions, including our own.  Coaches, players, administrators and fans all bring a wide range of emotions--excitement, anger, sadness, and happiness to name a few. Officials also experience a range of emotions from excitement to nervousness to anger. However, as officials, we are called to control our emotions and to limit the outward appearance of them. So, in a stadium filled with emotions, how do we control our own emotions?

Cornerstone Christian Counseling in Colorado Springs, CO explained five steps to achieving control of our emotions: (https://christiancounselingco.com/controlling-your-emotions/)

Step 1:  Understand that we all have emotions, because God created us that way.

Jesus showed emotions: disappointment, anger, grief, weeping, joy, peace, pain.

Step 2: Make a conscious effort to take charge of your emotions.  Unlike the animal kingdom, which responds based on fear (fight or flight), we should respond based on rational thought DESPITE how we feel.  

Step 3: Acknowledge negative emotions will happen (ex: anger, anxiety, sadness, jealousy, guilt). Remember, these are JUST emotions.  There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ to these emotions. Jesus experienced negative feelings yet DID NOT SIN. “Be angry and do not sin.” Eph. 4:26

Step 4: Once you recognize the feeling(s), it is time to make a choice on how to respond. This is where ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ can be placed.  For example, ANGER is a feeling, but there are healthy and unhealthy ways to respond.  

Step 5: Remember that no one is perfect.  But, we do have a responsibility to handle our emotions in productive, mature ways.

 

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

 

https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-types-of-emotions-4163976

Speak Out

According to Britannica, the “bystander effect” is the inhibiting influence of the presence of others on a person’s willingness to help someone in need. In other words, the bystander effect is when an individual is less likely to help when others are around.

Whether you are a first year official or a long-standing veteran, we’ve all been in situations where we wished someone, including you and me, would have stepped up to help the crew fix a clock error, penalty enforcement mistake, or any other issue. What does it take to step up? First let’s look at two quotes to get our minds around getting past the “bystander effect”:

 

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”—Benjamin Franklin

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” – Plato

 

Be it on the field, at work, or at home, there can be various reasons we choose not to help even though we think, or know, we should.

·        We assume a more veteran official or senior co-worker will say something.

·        Fear that others will think we are out of line to speak up.

·        If wrong, we worry about what others will think.

 

Regardless of the reason, it’s easy in hindsight to see if someone had just stepped up to ask a question or bring forward new information, unnecessary errors on the field, conflicts with family, or headaches with a project could have been prevented. Even more frustrating is when we are back in the locker room, or after it’s too late to make changes, someone decides to tell the group they thought something was wrong? We know there are times to speak up and times to be silent.

 

What is needed to break the bystander effect? Discernment…discernment to know the difference between having something to say and having to say something.

 

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ. (Philippians 1:9-10)

Paul was speaking to the church of Phillipi to continue to grow in love for God thru knowledge and discernment.  Specifically, discernment helps us see beyond the surface; it helps us avoid being deceived and harmful situations. Discernment strengthens our ability to become gatekeepers—knowing what to let in and knowing when to speak out.

Spend an ounce of prevention to bring a pound of cure.

Devotion from Ryan Wingers (ACC Football Official)

Distractions

What is the #1 way to increase focus?  Remove distractions. So what are these distractions that compete for our attention? Well, that depends on the task in which we are trying to direct our focus. If I’m trying to get rest, my bed is not a distraction but watching TV or scrolling through social media are ones. Not all distractions are bad. Spending time with family or spouse, reading a book, job responsibilities, and household chores are not within themselves distractions. However, depending on the context of what needs to be focused on, they might be distractions. For example, if I have a project at work that needs to be completed, taking 30 minutes to finish reading a book is a distraction.

As an official, what distracts us? Off the field, we have job responsibilities, family to take care of, health issues, and travel issues. On the field, irate fans, upset coaches, people on the sideline, weather, the previous play, and other officials can and do distract us resulting in us losing focus.

John “Gucci” Foley, former Blue Angel pilot, challenges us to decrease our distractions by doing two things:

·         Concentrate into a single point of focus: this is where habits are formed (“unconscious competence”)

·         Adopt a “Glad to be Here” mindset: with a mindset of gratitude and gratefulness, focus is multiplied

Click on the following link for the more details by Foley on this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXQNPKHarE

When life happens--frustration, anxiety, anger, multiple priorities--we get distracted. In Philippians 4: 8-9, Paul and Timothy addressed the church of Philippi and encouraged them to stay focused.  “8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” When we place focus in the right place, God provides peace, joy, and strength. All the busyness and responsibilities of life want to shake and distract us, but God says to “fix” our eyes on Him to not be shaken—to stay focused!

Feed your focus. Starve your distractions.

https://thecove.org/blog/where-is-your-focus/#:~:text=The%20Lord%20says%20that%20we,praise%2C%20think%20on%20these%20things.

Proper Gear

 

A pastor took a retreat to Alaska, and at the camp where he was staying the weather was cold and rainy every day. The pastor asked the camp director how do people deal with the gloomy, rainy weather day in and day out. The director responded, “Pastor, we don’t have bad weather, we only have bad gear.” The point the director expressed was that we can’t control the weather, but we can control our preparation and response to it.

As an official, do we bring the proper gear each game?

§  Mentally: Review prior game evaluation and make adjustments as needed and necessary both individually and as a crew. Study rules and mechanics to improve each week.

§  Physically: Keep ourselves in good physical shape with rest, recovery and continued exercise as needed. If we feel sick, do we get the appropriate help from doctors and take the medicine we need?

§  Emotionally: Removing negative thoughts, listening to music and podcasts, watching a movie or another form of relaxation, and deep breathing help to calm us the days leading up to a game. During the game, our pre-snap routine, support from other officials, forgetting the last play, and calm-breathing help to keep our emotions in balance.

§  Spiritually:  Study the Bible, listen to a sermon, read a devotion, and spend time in prayer are some of the ways to be spiritually in tune with God and properly prepared.

2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV):  Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

Paul was challenging and teaching Timothy to focus his ministry on communicating God's truth. In this verse, Paul gave Timothy specific instructions:

o   Timothy was to be ready to preach and teach “in season”—when it was convenient. These times are when Timothy (and us) should be most prepared.

o   Timothy was also to be ready when preaching and teaching was not convenient ("out of season"). The out of season times are when Timothy found speaking God’s Word was awkward, difficult to understand, or when people resisted it.

o   Timothy was to also to lead by providing correction when he or others were wrong or not living by God’s instructions and being a positive influence.

o   Timothy was to do his preaching and instruction with patience and love—not thru resistance and anger.

With the right gear, we are able to respond to “weather” with tact, discretion, and wisdom. 

What does 2 Timothy 4:2 mean? | BibleRef.com

Ownership

Used as a verb, the word “ownership” is defined as proactive in solving problems, taking responsibility for outcomes, and learning from mistakes and success. The level of ownership a person partakes can typically be categorized as follows:

·         Category 1: Reports and/or vocalizes a problem but that’s the extent.

·         Category 2: Reports and/or vocalizes a problem and offers potential solutions or ideas.

·         Category 3: Reports and/or vocalizes a problem after taking action to solve the problem to the best of their ability.

·         Category 4: Leads proactively to prevent or limit problems from occurring.

What category of ownership do you exhibit in your everyday life with relationships and work? In officiating, what category of ownership do you take with your assignments and with your crew? In crew meetings, do you actively participate by seeking information and offering solutions? During pregame warm-ups, do you check the boundaries to make sure objects are clear? During the game, do you check the down box each down to make sure it is in the right position and down? After the game, do you offer information on a foul that would have been useful during the game? After reviewing the evaluation, what ownership do you take? Do you reach categories 3 and 4 to proactively realize the problem, take action to resolve, and then implement processes to improve going forward?

Wayne Gretsky, one of the greatest professional hockey players, had this philosophy as it pertains to ownership: “Most players skate to where the puck is. I skate to where it is going to be.” The point is Gretsky didn’t just skate towards the problem. He recognized and identified what was needed (the puck) and anticipated what was needed to be done (where the puck was going).

When life is not going our way, we often seek to place blame on someone or something and usually not ourselves. In the Bible, Job’s wife blamed God for the hardships that fell on them and even tried to convince her husband to curse God (Job 2:9--Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!”). Job lost all his property, his children died, and he suffered physically. But Job was faithful and continued to praise God through all the trials. Because of Job’s steadfastness and ownership, God restored Job to an even greater extent than before all his troubles and hardship.

“And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10, ESV)

God expects us to take ownership for our actions instead of refusing to take responsibility and blaming others for our problems or mistakes. Extreme ownership is not pawning off blame and troubles on others but identifying potential problems and striving to resolve them before they manifest.

So, what does a person with “category 4” ownership look like: personally accountable, trustworthy, upholds his or her word, reliable, learns from mistakes, proactively looks for resolutions, and sacrifices for the good of others.

“Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have.” – Pat Summitt, college basketball player and head coach for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols

Are We Glad?

 John “Gucci” Foley, former lead pilot for the Blue Angels, has a tag line he uses at the end of his messages—“Glad to Be Here”.  Foley explains this saying reminds him to give joyful effort and to be generous. Think about that--how often are we joyful in our efforts? In good times, joy is easy. In bad times, having a spirit of joy is tough.

Most people become officials as a way to continue to be part of the game. As I started my journey in officiating, I recall the joy (and nervousness) of being part of the game and being part of a group of officials. However, for various reasons, the joy can fade and often, quickly.  Why? Fans, coaches, studying, learning, and applying the rules appropriately, family issues can result in stress and unhappiness. How do we continue to be “Glad”?

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 ESV)

This Psalm was thought to be written after David defeated the Philistines and was now King of Israel. Before becoming king, David faced many challenges from hiding for his life from King Saul to killing a giant. Now, David could rejoice because of God’s provision—he was King.  Psalm 118 was written for the special occasion of David becoming king. Even through the difficult days and times David faced before becoming King, it was time to reflect and rejoice.

Are we expected to rejoice in everything? In officiating, what if we make a wrong call, have a bad evaluation, or get sick or injured and can’t work?  Where’s the joy in that?  When times are tough, focus from a perspective of what God has provided. Remember the things that make us happy in life and officiating—our family, being part of the game, working with others.  Know what brings joy and focus on that when times are tough. Don’t be too hard on ourselves for not rejoicing when we face challenges. But, when we are able to rejoice and be glad, we can celebrate like David did when he became king.

Brave men and women rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.

Glad to Be Here

Listen Fully

Recently, our crew watched video concerning listening by John “Gucci” Foley, speaker and motivator for elite teams.  He explained 4 ways we listen:

1)      Don’t listen

2)      Listen to Respond

3)      Listen to Understand

4)      Listen to Appreciate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWW-Vk5d-74

As Foley pointed out in his video, we want to stay away from the first two—not listening and listening to respond in order to get to the two higher levels—listen to understand and listen to appreciate. Listening to understand is really trying to feel what someone is telling you. Foley further explained that listening to appreciate takes listening to understand and bottles it with appreciating and recognizing fully what someone is telling you.

Specifically, in officiating, ask yourself where do I land with these 4 ways to listen? In crew meetings, are we distracted and not listening or are we fully engaged to understand and appreciate what our crewmates are saying and how they feel? When coaches speak to us, are we thinking of how to respond only? When players give us information about potentially being fouled, do we ignore and not listen or do we understand and appreciate?

To achieve the level of listening to appreciate and understand, we need to emulate James 1:19: “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters, you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” 

• Be quick to listen: Listen to understand and appreciate, not just to respond.  
• Be slow to speak: Don’t speak right away; think about your response and do it with respect. 
• Be slow to anger: Control your emotions; in doing so, we have a greater chance to earn the respect of those speaking to us.

In summary, James 1: 19 provides a framework for listening. Hear the heart and perspective of a person speaking without judging or making assumptions. The key ingredient for listening is a spirit of humility. What does listening with humility look like in officiating? When coaches, players, and/or fans are yelling at and refusing to hear our input, we must choose to listen first.

In his FCA devotional, Richard Isaiah-FCA Division Vice President, used the old adage that “God gave us two ears and one mouth; therefore, we should listen twice as much as we talk.” This saying makes the point that we should strive to hear from others before they hear from us. Proverbs 18:2 provides insight of those who desire to speak more than to listen: “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”

Consider this prayer when striving to listen to appreciate:

“Father, as I seek to grow and learn from others, give me a heart that desires to learn, ears to listen, and bridle my tongue to speak as You lead me to speak so that I don’t become angry without cause. Thank You, Father, for always listening to me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” Richard Isaiah

https://fcaresources.com/devotional/hope-and-healing-principle-listening

Cruise Ship vs Battleship Mentality

As a passenger on a cruise ship, the mindset is “serve me.” Cruise ships exist to provide pleasure and entertainment. When reviewing a good cruise ship, here are questions to evaluate:

1. Is the service good?                                        4. Are my needs met promptly?
2. Do I like the music and entertainment?          5. Am I comfortable?
3. Am I well fed?                       

If you look again at those questions, notice the focus is on self. Another type of ship--a battleship--is designed to serve the nation it represents, not self . Here are questions for those serving on a battleship to consider:

1. Is the ship on a clear and noble mission?
2. Is the ship able to endure storms?
3. Does the crew have proper training and experience and are equipped to succeed?
4. Does the crew cooperate with the captain, leaders, and crew members?
5. Are the crew members taught to be disciplined and vigilant?
6. Are crew members at their posts (i.e. are responsibilities understood)?
7. Does the ship have adequate first aid and medical help?
8. Is the crew properly able to distinguish lesser threats from greater ones?

Those on a battleship say, “We’re preparing for war,” but those on a cruise ship say, “We’re on vacation.” Team members on a battleship think, “It’s all about the mission and the crew,” while passengers on a cruise ship think, “It’s all about me.” The battleship mentality is, “I am part of the crew,” while the cruise ship mindset is, “I must be served by the crew.”

As an officiating crew, our mindset has to be that of a battleship not a cruise ship. We prepare for battle (i.e. physical requirements of a game, tough penalty enforcements, communication with coaches and players), not focusing on self. We serve the crew, not self. We take care of our responsibilities to serve the crew, not just our own individual needs. Listed below are specific ways we can emulate those going to battle:

·         Be dedicated--prepare individually but with the crew in mind (video review, rules study)

·         Be durable—don’t be easily discouraged (bounce back from a tough evaluation)

·         Be focused—don’t be easily distracted (don’t allow coaches/fans’ opinions influence our next call)

·         Be delightful---think crew vs self in all decisions (clean your locker, straighten the conference room)

The cruise ship mindset is one of ease. The battleship mindset is one of urgency. Just as soldiers are diligent at their post, vigilant as watchmen, loyal to their cause, fight to win, and steadfast at all times, officiating crews should mirror those same traits to be ready for each game.

Psalm 18:39 ESV: For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. In this verse, King David acknowledges God as the source of his abilities and success and reflects how God's strength helped him win battles against powerful enemies. David credits God with rewarding his obedience by making him a successful military leader. God provides the strength needed for victory.

A cruise ship coddles and pampers. A battleship stands and delivers.

Credits:

https://blog.adw.org/2018/05/church-cruise-ship-battleship/

https://www.idisciple.org/articles/christianity-is-a-battleship-not-a-cruise-ship/