What is your blue towel?

Today I read a story written by Peter King of Sports Illustrated. He wrote the story some months back about Tim Tebow, a quarterback who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round, and what their coach Josh McDaniels and his staff were doing to prepare Tebow for the NFL. Now let me state right up front I am a Chargers fan. I also realize that some of you reading this can’t stand the Broncos, Tim Tebow or even Josh McDaniels for that matter. If at all humanly possible, put those emotions on hold and try to read the article from a spiritual perspective. The theme of this article is how the Broncos are trying to change Tebow’s throwing mechanics. Now at first this may seem ridiculous, because Tebow was wildly successful as a college quarterback. He even won the Heisman Trophy. So why on earth would Coach McDaniels want to change a person like that’s throwing mechanics?

To make him even more effective. And not simply being able to throw better, or even feel comfortable doing so, but so that it comes naturally.

So too in your and my spiritual lives. There are things that need to be reconstructed so that we can be more effective spiritually. Even some things that we think we are already doing successfully. One of the techniques used by the coaching staff was continuous repetition. That makes sense. Do right thing over and over until it comes naturally. Interestingly, it also involved using a blue towel. They had Tebow tuck a blue towel under his right arm while he threw with his left. Holding that towel with his arm forced the rest of his body to remain in the correct position.

Here is my question to you today. What is your blue towel? What small thing can you do in your spiritual life that will help the rest of you remain in the correct position? For some it is taking time to pray each day. Or reading the Bible. Or helping a person in need. The list could be endless. Remember, the goal is to make you more spiritually effective and the key is repetition.

Here is the link to the story.
Peter King's SI Reconstruction of Tebow Article

What is your blue towel?

Today I read a story written by Peter King of Sports Illustrated. He wrote the story some months back about Tim Tebow, a quarterback who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round, and what their coach Josh McDaniels and his staff were doing to prepare Tebow for the NFL. Now let me state right up front I am a Chargers fan. I also realize that some of you reading this can’t stand the Broncos, Tim Tebow or even Josh McDaniels for that matter. If at all humanly possible, put those emotions on hold and try to read the article from a spiritual perspective. The theme of this article is how the Broncos are trying to change Tebow’s throwing mechanics. Now at first this may seem ridiculous, because Tebow was wildly successful as a college quarterback. He even won the Heisman Trophy. So why on earth would Coach McDaniels want to change a person like that’s throwing mechanics?

To make him even more effective. And not simply being able to throw better, or even feel comfortable doing so, but so that it comes naturally.

So too in your and my spiritual lives. There are things that need to be reconstructed so that we can be more effective spiritually. Even some things that we think we are already doing successfully. One of the techniques used by the coaching staff was continuous repetition. That makes sense. Do right thing over and over until it comes naturally. Interestingly, it also involved using a blue towel. They had Tebow tuck a blue towel under his right arm while he threw with his left. Holding that towel with his arm forced the rest of his body to remain in the correct position.

Here is my question to you today. What is your blue towel? What small thing can you do in your spiritual life that will help the rest of you remain in the correct position? For some it is taking time to pray each day. Or reading the Bible. Or helping a person in need. The list could be endless. Remember, the goal is to make you more spiritually effective and the key is repetition.

Here is the link to the story.
Peter King's SI Reconstruction of Tebow Article

Jail

This has been a wild week for the Wade household for a number of reasons. It started when we were leaving church on Sunday. I got call from the nurse at the assisted living place my 89 year old father is staying at. She said he was not doing well and should go to the emergency room at the hospital. We rushed over and sure enough he was not doing well. He ended up having a severe urinary tract infection and being dehydrated. This is common in elderly people and equally common for this combination to result in the person being very confused, which my father was. The first night at the hospital he was convinced he was in jail and was demanding to see the judge. On one level you have to laugh to keep from crying, but it is a gut wrenching thing to see a loved one in that condition. On another level I got very frustrated because I could not convince him he was in a hospital. My dad is a very stubborn man and at one point I asked him, "What will it take to convince you that you are in a hospital?" He shot back with, "What will it take to convince you that I am not?" My wife Glenda, who was there in the room watching this exchange.....well you can ask her what her perspective was watching this was. :)

When we got home I was stressed. Usually when I am stressed I go for a run but it was to late to do that. What to do? I went out to the man cave (my garage). I have a 37 year old car I recently got that has not been running for about 10 years. It needs a lot of work. The steering does not work but the parts needing repair are covered with a thick layer of oil and dirt. One way of getting that dirt off is taking a single edge razor blade and scraping it off by hand. So I got under the car and started scraping. But before I did I put on a CD of the Psalms that I have. So there I was, late at night, lying under an old car on a hard concrete floor, scraping decades old oily dirt off with a razor blade. Believe it or not, that was therapeutic for me.

However, what really de stressed me was listening to the Psalms. A big chunk of the Psalms were written by King David, and he doesn't mince words. Many of the Psalms are directed straight to God and if he is upset, he tells God he is upset. If he feels like God has forgotten him, he tells him so. If he is mad that someone wronged him.....well you get the picture. Listening to those Psalms really ministered to me that night.

And that is why I am telling you this story. If you are going through it and have not been in the Psalms recently, let me encourage you to go there. As you read or listen through them, I predict you will find one you can really relate to. There really is something for everyone there. And if you do this, and you find a good one, let me know.

By the way, my dad is better and is back at his normal residence.
He still didn't like being in jail though.

Jail

This has been a wild week for the Wade household for a number of reasons. It started when we were leaving church on Sunday. I got call from the nurse at the assisted living place my 89 year old father is staying at. She said he was not doing well and should go to the emergency room at the hospital. We rushed over and sure enough he was not doing well. He ended up having a severe urinary tract infection and being dehydrated. This is common in elderly people and equally common for this combination to result in the person being very confused, which my father was. The first night at the hospital he was convinced he was in jail and was demanding to see the judge. On one level you have to laugh to keep from crying, but it is a gut wrenching thing to see a loved one in that condition. On another level I got very frustrated because I could not convince him he was in a hospital. My dad is a very stubborn man and at one point I asked him, "What will it take to convince you that you are in a hospital?" He shot back with, "What will it take to convince you that I am not?" My wife Glenda, who was there in the room watching this exchange.....well you can ask her what her perspective was watching this was. :)

When we got home I was stressed. Usually when I am stressed I go for a run but it was to late to do that. What to do? I went out to the man cave (my garage). I have a 37 year old car I recently got that has not been running for about 10 years. It needs a lot of work. The steering does not work but the parts needing repair are covered with a thick layer of oil and dirt. One way of getting that dirt off is taking a single edge razor blade and scraping it off by hand. So I got under the car and started scraping. But before I did I put on a CD of the Psalms that I have. So there I was, late at night, lying under an old car on a hard concrete floor, scraping decades old oily dirt off with a razor blade. Believe it or not, that was therapeutic for me.

However, what really de stressed me was listening to the Psalms. A big chunk of the Psalms were written by King David, and he doesn't mince words. Many of the Psalms are directed straight to God and if he is upset, he tells God he is upset. If he feels like God has forgotten him, he tells him so. If he is mad that someone wronged him.....well you get the picture. Listening to those Psalms really ministered to me that night.

And that is why I am telling you this story. If you are going through it and have not been in the Psalms recently, let me encourage you to go there. As you read or listen through them, I predict you will find one you can really relate to. There really is something for everyone there. And if you do this, and you find a good one, let me know.

By the way, my dad is better and is back at his normal residence.
He still didn't like being in jail though.