True Fan or Poser?

Tags

Life, NFL, Sports, Superbowl, volunteering

I sat in a party last night with about 2 dozen people who could have cared less who won the SuperBowl.

At the same time I could not help but think about my good friend Rick, a die hard Steeler’s fan, and the emotional roller coaster he had to be on.  Rick is a true fan.  He doesn’t want a party during the game.  He wants to emurse himself into the game, and watch it without interuption.  Maybe an occasional text from me to give him crap during timeouts but other than that…game only.  Rick delights in every aspect of the viewing all the way down to the cleverly placed and world famous commercial spots that are the NFL SuperBowl and will be ready to discuss the next morning along with key plays from the game.

Then there are the fans, who I place separate from the true fans or fans of the sport, called Posers.

Posers are those that at the beginning of the season did not care who won or was in route to going, but decided to buy all the gear, show up at a party and act like a fool during the final game to show their love for the team.

Posers are in every sport.  They are the people who are the most avid fans during the good times and then don’t care when times get tough.

Life is full of True Fans and Posers isn’t it?

People who jump on a political bandwagon because it seams cool but when it comes down to the tough choices and holding your candidate accountable, their political badge is somewhere lost in the closet.  They no longer care.

When times get tough or there is a need for volunteerism, those that protested for certain rights or actions, are the last ones you see in line to help those in need.  In fact, usually they are no where to be found.

Then there are the Rick’s of the world.  Those who champion a cause and when it gets tough are the first in line to help provide assistance or a solution.

They don’t shy away from adversity, struggle or criticism.  They harness the adversity and put a plan into action and show what kind of person they really are.  They celebrate when times are good but let their sadness and frustration show when times are bad.

So my question to you…Are you a True Fan or a Poser in life? Who would you list as a True Fan?

New Years Resolutions

Tags

charity, Health, Mentors, Mission Trip, New Years, Resolutions, volunteering

I am not usually one that is into the whole New Year Resolution thing but maybe this year I will give it a shot.

As apparent by the attendance at my gym this morning I think there are a lot of others thinking the same thing.

So, here it goes.  My resolutions for 2009.

• Give More Away….more time, more money, more volunteerism.  I truly believe that when times are tougher, that is when it is our responsibility (as people who aren’t struggling) to give extra.  Sometimes it is the simple things that can change someone having a tough go of it.
• Focus On Health- yeah yeah yeah I know what you are thinking.  Another weight loss resolution that will fail.  No.  This is not what I am speaking of although a little loss wouldn’t be a bad thing.  I am talking about better eating, less chemicals in the house, more hiking and biking and an overall focus on living a completely healthier lifestyle.
• A Mission Trip- I have never done this but now think it is time.  I have done plenty of projects with my church but nothing oversees.  There is a great family project at an orphanage right now in Mexico that I am looking into.
• Build A Mentors Group- This is something I have wanted to do for a while and now is time.  I think we all reach a point in our careers where we need some advisers to push us further.  I am at that point.

That’s it.  So, any resolutions you have?  Tell me about it.

One 2 One

Tags

Bellevue Community Church, Habitat for Humanity, One 2 One, volunteering

I just spent the day doing an amazing project from our church called One 2 One.

We sent 500 volunteers into the community to work at Habitat for Humanity, individuals homes, cleaning up the community, and about 25 or so other projects all throughout Nashville.

My wife and I spent the day with Habitat repainting front porches from houses that were built a few years ago. We had an awesome team and really had a great time.

What I found interesting with this project, was the difference in how people viewed us in the community. I cannot speak for the other groups since we only worked at Habitat. Some families were overjoyed at the fact we were there and excited we were helping. Some families blessed us and jumped in and helped. Other familes ignored the fact we were there and/or looked at it as an entitlement. Expected us to do it.

Normally I am the type of personality that would have taken offense to the later, but in this case I just felt sorry for these people. The ones who ignored us and/or looked at us if we should be helping them.

I felt sorry for them because they could not experience the joy we had in helping. They could not feel the sense of accomplishment or fellowship our group had. They could only watch us and wonder why we were there.

Just after finishing I did have one great feeling though. The families that were happy to see us and or jumped in and helped, they get it. They will move up in the world and do great things for others. They will one day be painting porches for another family who is getting the blessing of a Habitat home. I love and admire these people and can only wish the best for them.

My question is this… How do people who expect everything for nothing make you feel? When do we as Christians say enough, and teach them by letting them fend a little for themselves?

Please realize, I am not asking this as an insult in anyway to those who are struggling. I simply want to know do we really keep supporting those who expect it and do not wish to work for it.

Thank You Habitat for Humanity…you are one top notch organization!

Volunteerism- What Is Your Definition?

Tags

Bellevue Community Church, church, earthquakes, floods, Katrina, news, small groups, volunteering

We are currently having a huge discussion at church regarding volunteerism or getting connected through service and small groups.

What I often find amazing is the disparity between the amount of time churches volunteer vs. non-churches, especially in the wake of tragedies such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes.   An interesting example is Katrina, which flocked news stations, celebrities, bands and any politician looking to get re-elected.

Now I beg you to find many if any of these people still around.  But the church is still there in heavy force.  Interesting.  Now I am in now way diminishing the work other groups did or what they achieved, but I find it an interesting test of faith how when everyone else is gone, the church is still there in tough times.

All this said, I have a question.

What is your definition of volunteerism?  How has it changed your life either as a volunteer or as a recipient?

A New Direction For My Blog

Tags

Change, Christianity, church, Faith, Hearts In Hispanola, Pete Wilson, volunteering

Well.

It has been a few months since I began writing on this blog and reality is, it has not been as rewarding as I thought it should be.

Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to post.  But I also feel that there could be more to this than me just babbling about, well, junk.

So, I am changing the direction of the site……I am going to focus on life from a “Normal” Christian’s perspective.

I say “Normal” in quotes because everyone thinks they are normal.  What I am trying to get across however is that I am normal because I live in the Real World, do Stupid Things and make Real Mistakes.

If you are curious as to why I am doing this….here is the answer.

Last week I sent a small donation to an amazing mission heartsinhispaniola.blogspot.com which began to make me take a closer look at myself.  This along with reading one of my favorite blogs www.withoutwax.tv and seeing some amazing work that Pete is doing in the Dominican Republic.

I realized from this that I am missing something in my life right now from the faith side.  I am not doubting my beliefs, but feel I need to do more.  No offense to my amazing church, but I am bored.  Completely from my own doing.

My second realization is that I need to get out and volunteer more and get involved.  There are a ton of people out there that can use a hand and I need to be one of the ones to help. 

Next I realized I need to be more of a positive influence on people.  I try and do this consistently, but it now needs to shift on being a focus. 

I finally realized that too many people view Christians as the extreme and do not know what “Normal” Christians are all about.  That is where the blog comes in.  I want to simply share with anyone who will take some time to read, what it is all about.

Christians are not about protesting funerals, judging personal choice, looking down on others or condemning people for their actions.  Christians are about living life, helping others and loving all, plain and simple.

My goal, to show you, my “Normal” perspective on anything and everything….and for those of you who know me, it will include Hockey.  I really do think Hockey was God’s personal gift to me!  OK, and 17K other fans that go to the games with me….but psst…still think it was just to me

Lets see how it goes and please let me know what you think as we go along.

Enjoy.

Does My Church Need Me?

Tags

church, friends, frustration, Life, volunteering

What do you do when you feel your church doesn’t care about your ideas or help?

I am currently struggling with this right now.  I love my church and all of our friends that attend as well as the staff.  And I need to state on the front end, I don’t think my church is doing this intentionally or even realize I am feeling this way.  I am not even sure it is their responsibility to know such.

My frustration comes in as of late because I have tried to do some new things to help our church and they have fallen on some deaf ears.  For one, I really wanted to set up a scholarship program for our youth where I would write 3, $500 scholarships per year to kids in the youth group who really exemplified positive character, great grades and went over and above to volunteer and demonstrate to other teens and kids what a role model should be.  Several emails and phone calls- no luck and no interest I guess.  I understand it is not a lot of money but I would figure someone could have used it.  I sent the money elsewhere.

Second, I have sent in requests several times to volunteer in different areas of the church.  Not a single time have I been contacted regarding this.

So my questions are this…Do I just attend on Sunday then go my way through the week?  Do I bother to try and re-introduce these things again to see if a better result comes about?

I am not a complainer so I do not wish to really be viewed as such.  I am just not sure where to go with this?  Very frustrated. 

Solutions wanted.