Practice...Yes, I Said Practice!

Over the past few weeks we lovers of sports have been bombarded with the images of Tim Tebow and his escalation to super stardom. Tim Tebow's performance as a Denver Bronco has been impressive to say the least. In short order, he has become one of the most polarizing sports figures in recent history. A lot of this is due to his open display of faith and his love for Jesus Christ. But most of it has been regarding his on field play during the last nine games. During the first three quarters Tebow has played poor enough to be ranked the worst starting Quarterback in the NFL, but in the fourth quarter he has been inspired. He has led his team to a 7-2 record since he took over behind center. He has helped his team rally to become a contender in the AFC West, which is amazing for a 2nd tier NFL team.

When the season began he was the 4th string Quarterback coming out of camp. They say his performance in practice is less than NFL like. Some analysts have said "He is a competitive force of Nature....he just wins". They say the 4th quarter is "Tebow Time". Others have said "He's not a practice player, he never has been..." WHAT! He's not a practice player? Hold on, as a youth soccer coach I believe the use of statements like this are completely irresponsible. There are millions of youth players around the world that we have been "preaching to" that practice is where you work hard, preparation is the key to performance, and effort can overcome talent. Tim Tebow is a role model for our youth in regards to his mental toughness, faith driven existence, and his ability to not listen to naysayers. But lets not get this twisted, poor practice for almost all others means poor performance during games. Maximum effort during practice is a requirement, not a recommendation. Preparation fuels the competitive spirit, it sharpens the blade. So before we endorse this message and sell the image to our children, think of the message we are sending. Poor practice breeds poor performance!

Oh, by the way just in case you have the idea this is all about sports...this attitude spills over to every thing we do in Life, School, Work, Relationships, Athletics, and most importantly Faith! Best wishes Tim Tebow...keep following the Lord!

Is this the message we want our youth to hear? I'm just saying...

A Time to Fly

Funny how when we were teenagers we did our best to display our individuality.  We were 70's and 80's children, we were evolving from our Levi's to our Jordache.  Hair, big hair, became the norm and MTV offered us plenty of visuals to motivate our minds and influence our wardrobe.  We were every bit "Wild and Loose", just like Morris Day and The Time said, when we weren't around our parents.  But our parents gave us the room we needed to do that.

Now as parents we work to keep our children safe...and to us that often means close to us and under our wing.  We choreograph their every step hoping that they never fall.  If they do we swoop down and catch them before they crash.  Sometimes that is the right thing to do but often times it keeps them from soaring.  My mother was more than happy to allow me to fly and had no problem with letting me crash.  She even let me fly solo in the dark.  She knew I could do it, but she just needed me to ask for the opportunity.  I remember when I made my first test flight.  I went to Magic Johnson/ Dr Tucker's Basketball Camp in East Lansing, Michigan.  I was 16 years old and my cousin Herb was 17 years old.  My Uncle prepped us for weeks on what he expected.  He had decided to give us the truck and allow us to drive ourselves.  We knew the way back and forth like it was the back of our hand.  We knew where we would stop for fuel and exactly what time we were to check in during the trip.  We were different, responsible, and trustworthy.  We were raised in Christian households and we could play ball.  The best thing was that this trip was the 1st of three summers I went to East Lansing during my time in High School.  I became a better basketball player but more importantly I became a better young man.

Today my son boarded a plane headed for Australia for 15 days and no matter how much I tell myself that he is still a kid.  I know that he is a few short years from "stepping out of the nest and flying".  This trip is just a test flight and I know that he will be back to refuel and receive maintenance.  When he returns we'll go over what he saw during his reconnaissance mission and we'll share stories of the bogies (unidentified aircraft) he encountered.  This mission will allow him to use all of the training we have been working on for the last 13 years.  As parents, my wife and I know that he will have some failures and setbacks from this sortie, but all in all this should be a successful mission.  He has been brought up "in the training and instruction of the Lord"  (Ephesians 6:4)

Happy Flying and have a successful mission son!