Today we heard the sad news (at least to Buckeye fans) that Jim Tressel had resigned as head football coach of The Ohio State Buckeyes. I have been rolling around thoughts in my head today of how I might respond in this space. As I was contemplating this, I went back to review my post on this topic on March 10th of this year. I was a bit surprised to see that, from my perspective, everything from that post still applies today and there is much that any leader can learn from this. As a result, I thought I’d re-post it here:

Many of you have probably heard this week that Jim Tressel, Ohio State’s football coach, has been found to have violated NCAA rules last spring. He had knowledge that some of his players had sold some of their memorabilia and he did not report that to the NCAA. On Tuesday night, Tressel appeared at a press conference and shared that he was looking out for the safety of his players and thought he was doing what was right at the time. He did also admit that he violated these rules. I could go on about how this seems like it’s being blown way out of proportion, but I won’t do that (or did I just do that?).

Reaction around the sports world has been very tough toward Tressel. Many are calling him a big hypocrite because of the way he has written about leading by example and the importance of his faith (in his two books The Winners Manual and Life Promises for Success: Promises from God on Achieving Your Best).

I have to admit, from my perspective, that of a life-long Buckeye, I am disappointed. However, I am not without hope. I may be foolish, but I am thinking there could be more information that we don’t know yet…information linked to the ongoing federal investigation which kept Jim Tressel from reporting this in the spring. Time will tell and the truth will come out…it always does.

I have heard it said that a smart man learns from his own mistakes while a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Clearly in this situation, some mistakes have been made. Here are several things that we can learn from this:

1. As a leader, it is imperative that we do what is right at all times–even if it seems like a little thing. (Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1)

2. We all can fall quickly and easily (see David in the Bible), especially if we feel like “that could never happen to me.” As leaders, we must be on guard at all times. (Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud. Proverbs 18:12a)

3. When we do make a mistake it is best to own up to it and face the consequences. Whether Jim Tressel can tell us everything or not (because of the investigation) we don’t know. However, one thing is clear–this does not look good and has tarnished his reputation as well as that of the school. (Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16a)

4. We can only have faith in God and not in men. Men will always let us down if given enough time. I, along with many others, thought Jim Tressel was above reproach. I still believe he is a very good man; however, we ALL make mistakes. (“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. Mark 11:22)

Last Friday was my monthly retreat day and it was awesome as usual. This is an intentional day I use to worship and seek God and it has become my favorite day of each month.

On Friday I noticed a cute chipmunk out the window of the retreat center I go to. If you look closely, you can see him in the above picture on the sidewalk (sorry my phone camera doesn’t have a zoom). What caught my attention about him was the way he went about his business. One moment he would be eating like any good chipmunk, then he would stop to listen (sometimes even standing up on his hind legs to do so). Then he would go back to eating or he would adjust course and stoop down in the grass as if he had just gotten important directives from the chipmunk command center.

This was a good reminder to me of the way we should all be going about our business. While taking a retreat is a good thing (after all, Jesus did it often), it is not necessary to do so to hear from God. Just like this chipmunk, we can be going about our business and we can be seeking God and listening for His instructions at the same time.

The key is in learning to discern what is God’s voice and what is not. Jesus gives us a key in doing this in John 10:1-5…

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

The sheep know their shepherd’s voice because he is not a stranger. This is as true with sheep as it is with us. Unfortunately, there is no shortcut. Regardless of your job, your gender or your giftedness, the key to learning to recognize your Shepherd’s voice is to spend intentional time with Him. Are you willing to do so?

I just got through cutting our lawn. Normally this is not newsworthy, so why am I telling you about it? Well, I just mowed it Friday evening, only four days ago. Yet I returned this afternoon from a short trip to a lawn that looked more like a jungle. I couldn’t believe how much it had grown. I guess constant rain and warm temperatures will do that.

Because it was so thick and long, I needed to stop to empty the bag much more than normal. In addition, the grass was getting clogged in the chute which was leaving grass clumps all over the lawn. I found myself grumbling about why the darned grass was growing so fast. Then I realized that I was one of the reasons. You see, rain and warm weather aren’t the only contributing factors to rapid growth, fertilizer also helps. And, I have faithfully fertilized. Why? Because I like a green, thick lawn…which is exactly what I have right now. Yet, I was complaining. I guess I just didn’t want to pay the price for this type of lawn and put in the hard work that is necessary to have it…at least not tonight.

This is very similar to our walk with God. Most of us want an intimate, loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. We want peace. We want joy. We want guidance and protection. Yet, many of us, especially those of us who are really busy,  are not willing to pay the price of intimacy…time. That’s right, it takes time to get to know God–there is no shortcut.

All God wants is your heart. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to Him. That’s right, His first and greatest commandment to us is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength–above all else, this is numero uno to Him. So how do we do this–how do we get to know HIm and love Him? He doesn’t give us a formula for getting this done, but He does promise us this, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 29:13-14a). So will you pay the price and spend time with Him, seeking Him with all your heart?  If you do, you WILL find Him, that’s a promise!

A while back, my family and I were driving to Florida for vacation when my lovely bride pointed out the sign painted on the back of a truck. As we passed it I read what it said, “Our most valuable asset sits 63 feet ahead” (referring to the guy driving the truck). Isn’t that awesome? In this age of Corporate America where greed seems to rule, this was very refreshing to see. By the way, in case you’re interested, the name of the trucking company is Crete Carrier.

Seeing this truck, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a mentor of mine about two years ago. I was really struggling with stress and I was not getting everything done that I wanted to. As a result I was putting a lot of pressure on myself.

I called this friend and mentor, someone who is well ahead of me in his spiritual walk and asked, “Al, you have so many more demands on your schedule than I do (he owns several companies and is traveling all over the world working on some Great Commission endeavors). How do you deal with not getting all your stuff done each day?”

Al chuckled and said, “Jim, God dealt with me on that long ago. I love progress and I love getting stuff done. However, what God showed me was that people and relationships are more important.  So, what I began to do is, whenever an employee comes in my office—which happens frequently—I do my best to lay aside whatever I’m working on and focus on them, even if I’m in the middle of something important. I figured that God is bringing this person into my life at this moment for a reason—either for them to speak into my life or for me to speak into theirs. So when I am in one of these conversations, I make it a point to let my employee end the conversation. In other words, I give them the time they need.”

Wow.  I was stunned.  I thought to myself how often I don’t do this in my own life, especially with my own family—“I can’t talk now, I’ve got something really important to get done!”

Al continued, “The way I look at it, if I honor God in this conversation, He’ll take care of what needs to get done on my task list.”

Double wow. I realized that, perhaps, my biggest problem was my lack of faith. I oftentimes have more faith in myself to get stuff done than I do in my Heavenly Father. This causes me to sometimes put my tasks ahead of people. Ouch.

This is especially hard for me to take since one of my primary purposes is the help people to grow into who God desires them to be. Relationships should be of primary importance to me. Yet, I don’t always treat them that way. Yikes.

Relationships are most important. That is something I need to be reminded of often, even though I’m in the business I’m in. Just a reminder that I’m a work in progress. As Joyce Meyer says, “I’m not where I need to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be!”

I heard Carrie Underwood’s Jesus Take the Wheel on the radio the other day. I really like that song, but for some reason I found myself chuckling as I thought about this version…

I was with my son at his martial arts class last week and I overheard the instructor talking with one of his students who was stuck in a rut. He didn’t seem to be getting any better and was bored…he had hit a plateau. The instructor shared with him that this is very common and happens to everyone. Is it frustrating? Absolutely. But it is also a very good thing he explained. He said that he learned that whenever he had hit the plateau in his own training, he began to get excited. He said that he knew his next big jump, or improvement, would come out of this plateau. He learned to be bored until he got better.

Great words that apply to each of us even if we’re not a Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Sometimes we can get bored and in a rut in life which might lead us to take action and many times the wrong action. For example, if we come to a place where we feel like we aren’t growing like we used to, we might consider dropping out of our Bible study or skipping church on Sunday. We might even opt to stop praying or spending time reading God’s Word. Each of these examples would be actions taken with faulty data…or at least faulty interpretation of data.

When we feel like we aren’t growing like we used to, we are really experiencing a plateau. Again, a frustrating place–but it doesn’t have to be. The truth is that great things are happening in this plateau. God is at work behind the scenes and something great is about to happen…if we stay focused on God.

So I encourage you in your plateaus, and in all areas of your life, to not let your feelings dictate your actions. Persevere, have faith and remain steadfast. God is working on your behalf!

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33

A friend and I have been talking quite a bit lately about the story in Matthew 14 where Jesus fed the five thousand with nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fish. We’ve been discussing that the food that they had on hand was the “seed” and that Jesus multiplied it into something that was way beyond the disciples’ comprehension.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, Dean, our pastor, delivered an incredible message on this very topic yesterday. One of his main points was that God always multiplies our small participation to bring about big solutions. He does this when we let go and let Him take the reigns.

One of the things I like about this is that Jesus can do this for any of us. We don’t need to have a PHD in theological studies. We don’t need any sort of formal education at all. We just need to love Him and trust Him and ask Him to help.

The other thing that comes to mind in this story is that Jesus is asking us to use whatever we have in our hands, no matter how small. It is so easy to get caught up in the good things others are doing and think that we could never do that. But that’s not what Jesus is asking from us. He wants you and me to simply be faithful in turning the seed He’s given us (what’s in our hands) over to Him to multiply it.

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus told of a master who entrusted three servants with differing amounts of talents, or money. He asked each of them to put it to work and earn a return on it while he was away. Two of them were faithful and doubled their money–one turned five talents into ten and the other two talents into four. They both received the same exact words of praise, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Not one word is different to each of the two faithful servants. This is not an accident. Jesus is only asking you to do what He has given you to do. In your eyes it may not be as grand as what He’s asked someone else to do, but in His eyes it is very significant. And, if you are faithful to turn it over to Him to multiply it, you, too, might hear those same words.

So, take stock of your seed or what is in your hands. Then set your heart on turning it over to Jesus for His use and ask Him to multiply it!

Check out my first video Blog! What hurts more, the pain of hard work or the pain of regret?

The above picture was taken recently in my office. My daughter Kristin brought over her puppy (our grand-dog named Tysen), for us to take care of for a couple days. Since I was the only one around, he was my assistant for the day. As you can see, he was not very productive.

This picture brought to mind scams I have seen in which you are promised to make money while you sleep. In thinking about that a verse came to mind that has had a great impact on me, Psalm 127:1-2:

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—
for while they sleep he provides for.

You see, I have been quick to think that good things that happen to me are because of my effort and skill. I have had a tendency to not thank God for the fruit of my labor as if He had nothing to do with it. This verse is quick to show me that if God isn’t in it, no matter how hard I try, success will escape me. In fact, this goes so far as to say that those who trust in the Lord will find rest…and He will actually provide for them while they sleep!

I understand that this isn’t telling us not to work hard because the Bible is very clear in telling us we are to work with all our heart. But this sort of talk really tests my faith. However, I am learning that, unlike the scams, this is actually true. Even if we don’t get all our stuff done, if we are seeking Him, we can rest in Him and He will take care of the rest. So maybe Tysen was being more productive than I thought!

My wife, Connie, is currently reading Experiencing the Father’s Love by Os Hillman. As a result, she and I have been talking a lot lately about the lies that many of us believe. Some of them are that we are no good, that we are unlovable, we are unattractive and fat, etc… Based on my wife’s feedback and the feedback from other women (and some of the comments from our pastor yesterday), it seems like women may struggle with this more than men. Studies have shown that the majority of women feel they are not worth anything.

This may affect women more than men, but I happen to know a lot of men who wrestle with this as well, me being one of them. I have also seen that this is not position-dependent…it affects business people, factory workers, construction personnel, professional people, those who work at home and leaders of all shapes and sizes. We are all susceptible.

1 Peter 5:8 says that our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. One way he attempts to do this is by implanting lies into our head and heart…like the ones listed above. He does this because his only goal is to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). If we believe these lies, we are helping him to fulfill his mission.

However, there is good news. In the second half of that verse, Jesus said this, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10b). In other words, Jesus trumps our enemy and his lies. Jesus came to give us life to the full. Whenever you are tempted to listen and believe the lies, consider these truths:

• You were created in the image of God. To believe you are worthless is an insult to God. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
• You are a child of God, the King of kings. This makes you royalty! How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1)
• God was the One who made you…and He doesn’t make mistakes! For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:13-16)