The Thankful ONE

Appreciation - recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.

Considering that definition, how do we “appreciate” someone or something?  We can say “thank you”, send cards, give gifts, serve others, and/or appropriate physical touch such as hugs.  The reality is we often don’t SHOW appreciation.  We may think it, but we don’t express it.

In the Bible, the book of Luke shares the story of 10 Lepers who were healed by Jesus.  Leprosy was a terrible skin disease and people who had leprosy were outcasts even to their own families.  In Luke 15: 11-15, Luke explains that as Jesus entered Jerusalem, 10 Lepers asked Jesus “to have mercy of us”—they asked for healing.  Jesus healed the men and the Bible says they “went away cleansed.”  Remember, 10 Lepers were healed.  In Luke 15: 15, the verse states “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.” Only one man came back and expressed his appreciation to Jesus.  Most likely, the other 9 men were very thankful they were healed, but only one came back to show it.

As officials, we have unlimited opportunities to express and show appreciation and thankfulness.  Think about all of the people that we come in contact with during a weekend of a game— crewmates, flight attendants, hotel staff, stadium security, coaches, players, administrators just to name a few.   How do we show appreciation to these people?  Say “thank you’, serve others by cleaning the locker room and leaving hotel room as clean as possible, check on crewmates to make sure travel is going as planned, etc.  The key is to express it, live it and not just think it.

We will be remembered every where we go.  Let’s be remembered as being thankful and appreciative!

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.  John F. Kennedy

 

Clarity

Clarity is the quality of being clear and easy to understand.

What leads to misunderstanding? Our facial expressions, body language, what we say, what we do or don’t do.  Even with the best intention, we can lack clarity or understanding when we communicate.  What is the result?  Frustration, guilt, irritation, agitation, or harsh words. 

We can’t always control situations or pre-plan the challenges we face, but we can prepare to attain clarity of mind. What is mental clarity?  Although it has different meanings to different people, in simple words, clarity of mind is cleaning our mind of clutter of uncontrolled thoughts. It’s the process of removing mental noise or unwanted thoughts to develop a clear, positive, and organized mind.

Five actions to obtain mental clarity:

1.       Clear the clutter.  Our minds process everything that crosses our field of vision. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

2.       Focus on what matters.  This is an important step to “clear to clutter”.

3.       Limit distractions.  The world is filled with voices and opinions. 

4.       Find quiet, peaceful moments.  Pray for clarity and insight.  (2 Timothy 2:7)

5.       Practice our faith.  Surrender to God, but do the work; God helps those who help themselves. (Philippians 4: 8-9)

1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV): For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

 

2 Timothy 2:7 (NIV):  Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

In officiating, what can clutter our minds?  Examples are travel issues, administrative obligations before the game, fans and crowd noise and boos, and fouls I or other crewmates call (or don’t call). In each of these situations, how do we obtain clarity?  With travel issues, prepare in advance to know how to adjust travel plans; for our pregame responsibilities, complete them as soon as possible to clear that from our minds; with fans and crowd noise, allow the noise to energize our focus; for fouls, move on to the next play with our pre-snap responsibilities. Refer to #5 above--just as we need to put our faith into practice, obtaining clarity in officiating takes practice and work.

When our judgment is clouded and we cannot see things clearly, our decision making is not sound. Clarity is attained when we are no longer confused by the options or choices—we know the path to take. When confusion sets in, God’s Word provides light for our path showing us which road to take. 

Psalm 119: 105--Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Clarity will come when we seek God because He is the One who knows what is confusing us. It’s okay to ask God to give us clarity in any situation. 

Clarity is the moment we see with our eyes closed. (Stephanie Banks)

Remain Calm

 Two questions to focus on this week:

1)      Can we keep calm and handle strife?  Strife is defined as bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension.  As officials, hopefully, we don’t face physical strife.  However, we certainly face verbal strife.  To navigate conflict and to calm the situation, we need to possess two attributes:  patience and understanding.  We need patience to listen, and we need understanding to determine how to best diffuse the situation.

A touchy, hot-tempered man picks a fight, but the calm, patient man knows how to silence strife.  Proverbs 15: 18

2)      Can we calm our tongue under pressure?  When we face pressures of any kind, one of the first things we lose is control of our tongue; basically, we become careless with the words we speak. Under stress and pressure, we feel angry, impatient and on edge. On the field, are we able to control what we say when facing the pressure from coaches or that unusual play situation that must be discussed among crew members? To remain calm under pressure and to control what we say, we need to develop an understanding heart of others.

The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.  Proverbs 17:27

An understanding heart allows us to slow down, control our emotions, and have compassion for those people applying the pressure.

There’s no use arguing with a fool, for his ranting and raving prevent you from making a case and settling the argument in a calm way.  Proverbs 29:9

This verse explains that sometimes arguing is just not useful.  Mainly because the person who you are arguing with is not in the right mindset to receive your response calmly.

We will face conflicts in life. We will experience pressure and adversity on the field. Remember, seek patience and understanding and control our tongue.

“By staying calm, you increase your resistance against any kind of storms.”

Good for the Heart

What does it take to be thankful?  In a world that focuses on negative, an attitude of thankfulness requires us to be intentional.

On a recent flight, Pastor Lane Skoglund-Anderson, Campus Pastor for the Avinity Assisted Living, sat next to a psychologist who specializes in thankfulness.  The psychologist explained that being intentionally thankful changes the patterns in the brain leading to health benefits.  Specifically, being thankful is good for our heart.  To improve your health, the psychologist suggested to think of three different things each morning to be thankful for and journal them.  Ironically, Pastor Lane previously had heart surgery and his doctor gave him one word of advice after the surgery: “When you wake up each day, think of three things you can be grateful for.  It is good for your heart.”

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2:   Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

The pattern of this world is to look for the worst in people and to be quick to criticize people who do not think or look like us.  As officials, we are surrounded by negativity from coaches, players, fans, and tv/radio broadcast announcers.  Even when we are evaluated as officials, evaluators tend to focus on what we should have done—the negative.  We can get consumed both mentally and physically with negativity.  We must be intentionally thankful.

As officials, listed below are three things for which we can be thankful:

·         Thankful for family that supports us.

·         Thankful for opportunities to have positive interactions with people we encounter.

·         Thankful for the physical, mental, and emotional ability to officiate.

Ask yourself, what additional things are you thankful for as an official?

As Paul instructed, let’s not be conformed to the pattern of the world.  Let our minds be renewed daily with an attitude of thankfulness to help us positively impact the world around us.

“A thankful attitude will contribute to a youthful spirit”

Credit to Pastor Lane Skoglund-Anderson

https://avinityseniorliving.org/Blog/The-Renewed-Mind?gclid=CjwKCAiApvebBhAvEiwAe7mHSJIVUa9qHBG_QfpcSvtZKWc7kErVyRkP6JzCALkkDc61bUNWv3imcRoCeIQQAvD_BwE

Line of Smoke

 

We have all seen the line of smoke a plane leaves behind high in the sky.  Really, though, what is often mistaken as smoke is actually contrails--clouds formed when water vapor condenses and freezes around small particles in an aircraft’s exhaust. This is similar to seeing your breath when you breathe warm air on a cold day.

Altitude, temperature, humidity, and engine type determine if a contrail is formed.  Some aspects of contrails are shared:

·         All curtails are made up of the same materials and formed in the exact same manner but exist for different lengths of time. Some are short-lived, some lasts for hours as a straight line, and others last for hours and spread to be several miles wide.

·         Curtails cannot be hidden even though they are high in the sky.

·         Curtails show direction. It’s easy to spot where the plane has been and where it is headed.

How does this relate to officiating?  Let’s examine the aspects of officiating compared to those of contrails:

·         Officials have similar make-up.  Sure, we are different, but we all have common aspects such as uniform, rule books, mechanics.  But we all have different periods of influence in officiating—some short-lived while others have others a long-standing.  At a game site, we may make contact with one person, one time.  At the same time, we can be on a crew with an official for numerous years.

·         Once we put the uniform on, we can’t hide.  Are we confident in our ability to officiate the game in front of us?  Do we positively influence those people we come in contact with?

·         Direction—are we heading in the right direction as an official and/or as a crew?  What things do we continue to do and/or what are the things we need to change to improve?

Think about the trail we leave behind as officials. Even if it is short-lived, is our influence a positive one?  If it is long-standing, how well are we using our influence and resources to improve and positively impact the people and game around us?  In Matthew 28: 16-20, Jesus demanded His Disciples to go and influence the world:

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” - Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)

Be a positive influence on those around us, especially our crewmates.  When someone looks at the trail we leave behind, will it be looked at as positive or negative?

"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Credit:  https://fcaresources.com/devotional/contrails

Competitive Greatness

John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach, was known for the phrase “competitive greatness”—striving to be the best we can.  Coach Wooden was not looking for the best, but for the best of each individual player.  Coach Wooden defined Competitive Greatness as “real love for hard battle, knowing it offers the opportunity to be at our best when our best is required.”

In his FCA Resources Devotion “Be the Best”, Dan Britton shared three concepts of competitive greatness:

1.       Be Prepared! Many have heard the story that Coach Wooden would spend 30 minutes teaching his players how to put on socks. Why?  Coach Wooden explained “I derived great satisfaction from identifying and perfecting those ‘trivial’ and often troublesome details, because I knew . . . that each one brought UCLA a bit closer to our goal: competitive greatness.”

2.       Be Disciplined! Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. Similar, Competitive Greatness is achieved by working hard when no one is watching.  

3.    Be Focused! Competitive Greatness seeks clear vision without being distracted by all things vying for your attention.

As officials, we should strive to be the best we can.  Sure, we look to other officials for advice and guidance, but we must as individual officials strive for Competitive Greatness.  Are we prepared before the season, during the season, and each game?  Are we disciplined to improve our officiating even if no one knows how or what we are doing to prepare?  Are we able to maintain our focus for the entire season—week-by-week and play-by-play.

"Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength." –Ephesians 6:10

Where does our best come from?  In Ephesians 6:10, Paul calls us to be faithful to Christ, entrusting in His power for all our needs in life.  Our strength comes from the Lord because of His “vast” strength.  As sinful humans, we operate in weakness.  But God demonstrates His power where human strength is lacking.

At the beginning of this football season, our first devotion was “Do What We Do”.  Most “things” officials do to prepare for games are unseen.  The “things” we do to be our best would probably be seen as trivial by those outside officiating. For example, is it really that important to take a weekly quiz, clean my shoes, or watch training videos?

Martin Luther wrote about things that seem trivial….“The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays—not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors. The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”

 ****Having a passion to prepare will help us face the battle without fear.****

Just the Right Amount

One of the biggest fears of coaches is a big win.  Why would any coach fear a big win?  The answer—Overconfidence.  Often, teams that play great one game have a “let down” the next game.  Why?  Players lose their edge--practice and play with less urgency.  A team with confidence is good, but overconfidence invites vulnerability.

Confidence is the feeling of having little doubt about yourself and your abilities, or a feeling of trust in someone or something.  Overconfidence is excessively or unjustifiably confident.

In officiating, confidence is one of the keys to successfully performing our responsibilities before, during and after a game.  Confidence doesn’t come by chance.  How do officials build confidence in ourselves and as crews:

Ø  rules study

Ø  video review

Ø  pregame meetings

Ø  post game review

Ø  analysis of grader comments

Our confidence happens by consistently preparing for each week’s assignment. Just as a team loses it edge when it plays a great game, officials can become overconfident (lose our edge) when we successfully officiate a game--when we avoid the training tape.

In our spiritual lives, God warns us of becoming overconfident. When we appear to be our strongest, we become the most vulnerable and tend to let down our guard, relying on our own strength instead of on Christ.  What are ways to guard against Spiritual letdown:

·         Reading and studying the Bible

·         Talking to God in prayer

·         Admit our need for His grace/forgiveness on a daily basis.

Luke 9: 23:  Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Jesus wants His followers to get “geared up” consistently. The key word in these verses to help us gain and maintain confidence is “daily”.  If we take a day or two off, if we don’t focus on a play and become overconfident, we become vulnerable to mistakes. Always seek God’s grace and strength to keep from falling, or falling too far, regardless of what has occurred in the past.

Never be afraid to fail. Failure is just a stepping stone to progress. Never be overconfident because it will hinder your progress. – Tony Jaa

Credit:  https://fcaresources.com/devotional/danger-overconfidence

Clearing Hurdles

The 100-meter hurdle race is set up with 13 meters from starting line to first hurdle; each hurdle is set at a distance of 8.5 meters apart for a total of 10 hurdles. The home stretch from the last hurdle to the finish line is 10.5 meters long.

Steve Baron, Referee Big 12, shared with our crew that the football season is like a 100-meter hurdle race, and each week of the season is another hurdle. Officials/crews come out of the blocks and gain speed in the first third of the race or season. We establish a rhythm and hit our stride in the middle third and push hard to finish strong in the final third. In any race, the start is important. But, just as critical is how we handle each hurdle. For officials, our hurdles are a game, a call, our health, or any situation that could harm us from clearing the hurdle and heading to the next one. Most weeks, we clear these hurdles with no issues. But, when we stumble or even fall over a hurdle or two, do we keep moving or just give up?

At this point in the season, we are transitioning to the last third of our 100-meter race. So far, we have cleared several hurdles and are now heading to the last hurdles and the home stretch. This is the time to push hard, to lean in, and to finish strong! We can’t lose focus on the hurdles ahead, being careful to take one hurdle at a time and bringing all our momentum and all that we've learned from the previous weeks and applying it to our next assignment. Worry about next week, next week; the focus is this week’s game, or the imminent hurdle, right in front of us.

With your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall.  (Psalm 18:29)

 

In this verse, the psalmist recognizes that when facing “hurdles,” we need help. The key word in this verse is ‘my’ – it’s with my God. Our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus helps to lead and guide our thoughts and decisions.  Extend this concept to our officiating crews.  We can clear hurdles and scale walls with “my crew.”  When crews lean on each other, they gain greater strength together as opposed to just relying on each one’s individual abilities.

“When you are prepared for the threats, challenges, obstacles, you become better equipped to handle the hurdles.”
― Carlos Wallace

Let’s clear our hurdles better than these athletes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXPBRw53CA8

Let’s be smooth like the winner of this race:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeKjh9wUzwY

 

Calming Insults

Why do coaches, commentators, and fans spew insults at officials?  For coaches, maybe it’s a way of making them feel better about a situation or even to get an official to do or act in a way that favors their team.  For commentators, it attracts attention to their broadcast and social media which increases ratings.  For fans, well, they are just fanatics and obviously biased to their team!

The Bible’s Old and New Testaments provides direction on how to handle those who discredit or defame you.  Let’s look at some of the verses that speak to how to handle insults:

Psalm 37: 11: The meek will inherit the land.

Proverbs 12:16:  Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

Matthew 5:5:  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:39:  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

These verses instruct us on how to handle insults:

Be meek:  be humble, patient, and quiet in nature, especially when provoked by others

Be forgiving: don’t seek revenge or return evil for evil

Be prudent: make wise and sensible decisions

In addition to insults, officiating can also be full of irritations, such as travel issues, players not being properly equipped or dressed, coaches complaining or whining about fouls, fans shouting their displeasure, and even fellow crewmates and officials not being prepared or focused.  If we are foolish, we will respond to these irritations immediately and with regret.  But if we are meek, forgiving, and prudent in our response, the bothersome situations will be better handled leading to a peaceful outcome.

When I look back on my knee-jerk reactions now, I realize I should have just taken a breath.  Fred Durst

Start Again and Again and Again

Life is filled with series of breakthroughs –a sudden or important development or an instance of achieving success.  As officials, our breakthroughs come in the form of getting our first start at the college level, being assigned a certain game or post-season assignment, and or moving up to the next level we are seeking.  But when considering the games we officiate weekly, each play should be viewed as a breakthrough—a process of successfully finishing the play and being ready to start the next one.

What is the result of our breakthroughs in officiating? —wisdom, knowledge, and perspective.  Simply put---we learn.  Sometimes the lessons learned are easy and other times they are hard.  If not careful, we can allow the hard lessons to become obstacles. Examples include incorrect calls, wrong mechanics, and poor communication.  So how do we overcome these obstacles?  Start again! But realize that we can also allow success to become an obstacle that needs a breakthrough.  Obstacles from success include complacency, pride, over-confidence, etc.  How do we move on from success? Start again!

The reality is obstacles do not go away.  We never enter the land of “no obstacles.”  So, keeping ourselves moving forward –starting again – each play, each game is critical to our breakthroughs. 

Exodus 14: 15  And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

The Lord led Moses and the Israelites out of their desperate situation in Egypt. During their escape, they were at the Red Sea and had the enemy coming straight for them.  What was the obstacle they saw in their way?  The wideness and deepness of the Red Sea.  Moses prayed to God who answered, “move forward”.  How did they move forward?  Moses obeyed God by putting his staff in the Red Sea resulting in God parting the water, allowing Moses and the Israelites to cross the sea and enter the land God promised, all while the enemy was swallowed by the sea.

What is often seen as an obstacle in our way is actually our breakthrough.  We must keep moving-starting again, and again, and again.

March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path.   Kahlil Gibran