Not Leaving Fantasy to Chance by Tami Cinquemani

I have three Fantasy Football teams this year, and my first team’s draft was yesterday.  It is also my most challenging league because it’s an IDP league.  Those reading this who understand what that means are groaning.  If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means that, along with individual offensive players and a team defense, you also draft and play Individual Defensive Players (IDP).  In this case, it means that I manage a 20-member team each week for this league – about twice the amount of players on each of my other leagues.

I’ve never been able to participate in the live draft for this league, and so I have left my team to chance, and the computer has automatically chosen for me.  It’s always been fun to play, but quite honestly, I knew I could do better.  During the season I’ve been able to manipulate things a bit so I actually win a game or two, but I’ve never had a hope of making it to the finals.  I have managed a mediocre team in a tough league.  In other words, I got out of my team about the same kind of effort that I put into it.

I was determined things would be different this year.  I had every intention of being available for the live draft and hand-picking a stellar team.  However, knowing that there is always a possibility that I could miss the draft, I did my homework.  Not only did I research the players, I researched strategies for drafting – specifically in an IDP league.  I made my list of the top 50 players I wanted on my team, and I took the time to create a pre-draft queue.

As it turned out, the live draft came and went before I was able to get to my computer.  I missed it again this year, but my expectations were high.  I had acted on my desire to take this seriously.  I had put the effort in.  I was intentional in my preparation.  And . . . I have a really killer team!  I still had some tweaking to do, but not the complete overhaul I faced in years past.  I am so excited!!

Ecclesiastes 9: 10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,” and Colossians 3: 23 states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart.”  I think God has created us for something greater than mediocrity.  It’s pretty clear to me that I’m not satisfied with it in my Fantasy Football teams, so why do I so often settle for it in the things in my life that really matter?

How many times do I put all the work needed into my relationships, my health, or my spiritual maturity?  Sometimes when I think about the energy necessary or the intentional effort required, it seems so much more appealing to engage the auto pilot and leave things to chance – to go with the automatic draft and think I can get by with a mediocre team in a tough league.

We were created for so much more.  In John 10:10 Christ tells us, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  Other translations of this verse use words like “satisfying,” “rich,” “fullness,” “to the full, till it overflows,” “more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” Nothing mediocre there.  

Relationships take effort.  A healthy life takes sacrifice.  Spiritual maturity takes intentionality.  If I want life that’s “full till it overflows,” I can’t leave it to chance.

Tami Cinquemani

The Power of Words by Chad Hess

On Wednesday, a 28-year-old man walked into the office of the Family Research Council and shot the building manager.  The building manager then subdued the shooter until the police arrived.  The Family Research Council is a conservative Christian organization that opposes gay marriage.  The shooter volunteered with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has labeled the Family Research Council a hate group because of their treatment of homosexuals.  While everyone agrees that the shooter is responsible for his actions, some have suggested that the Southern Poverty Law Center has some culpability for calling the Family Research Council a hate group.  

Two years ago, Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider, was killed prompting similar accusations of culpability against conservative groups who identified Tiller as a killer of babies.  There are several other examples of recent shootings that have been fueled, in part, by extremist or inflammatory rhetoric.

In the United States, the First Amendment protects our freedom of speech.  However, as precious as that freedom is, are we not accountable for the ramifications of that speech?  Extremist and inflammatory rhetoric may make for attention-grabbing headlines and sound bites, but there are very real ramifications that we often don't realize.  This is as true for politicians as it is for 5th graders.  

The bible talks a lot about the power of words.  Proverbs 12:18: "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."  James 3:12: "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!"  Proverbs 18:21: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."

Our words have great power, both for good and for evil.  Are your words building up or tearing down?  Are your words inflaming or healing?  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

Chad Hess

Irreplaceable But Not Indispensable by Andy McDonald

This week I am very fortunate to begin a three-month sabbatical (my vacation plus two months).  I thought it would be a good idea to say something about this time away and not just disappear. During this time I will be traveling some, performing our son’s wedding, catching up on reading, and doing some writing and thinking.

To be honest, it is a little scary to just drop out and refocus, reflect, renew. I remember coming back to our church after my first sabbatical nine years ago.  There were people I met who had become part of our church, but I wasn’t part of their picture of our church—they had no idea who I was! It’s amazing how fast things can change. 

And then it can be a bit scary thinking about everything going so well while I’m away that there’s no need to return!  Or, if things mess up while I’m missing from duty, what would that say about having built a strong team?

It was at this point in my thinking about the sabbatical that I recognized I was a bit too focused on me. After all, this is God’s church – not mine. 

In a blog about his sabbatical, Mark Buchanan wrote about this same kind of struggle and how he finally said to himself, “Self, you are not irreplaceable.  And self, or Spirit, or some such, answered back: No, you are irreplaceable. You’re just not indispensable.”

What a great insight.  We are all irreplaceable.  We are all divine originals.  But we aren’t indispensable.  At some point, we all go the way of those before us.  We die, and the world keeps turning.  The churches we serve, the families we support, and the organizations we organize roll on along, and others fill our shoes.  There is something comforting in knowing it all continues.

I hope you like the reality that you and I are irreplaceable.  I love originality, and every one of you are irreplaceable—that makes me smile.  And now I also smile that none of us are indispensible.  I like the reality that those things that are good and valuable, things like family, community, and church, won’t collapse or disappear because we are gone.  

When I return to the office on November 12, I believe great things will have been done in the three months I’ve been away as our great church staff will demonstrate clearly—we are all irreplaceable but none of us is indispensible!!

Andy McDonald

Being The Church by John Monday

“Danny, you’re a religious guy, right?”  By his own admission, Danny is a fairly religious guy, but the question caught him off guard.   Although they’d been acquainted for nearly a decade, to the best of Danny’s recollection, he and Rick had never had a religious conversation.  Danny had been able to help Rick and Joni purchase their "dream home.”  Could it be that, in their real estate dealings, Rick had seen in Danny an honesty, integrity, and willingness to help in a time of need? Nonetheless, that relationship had insured a monthly contact and provided an opportunity for Danny to mingle with Rick and Joni as one who had their best interest at heart. Now, any past needs paled in comparison to the need Rick was facing.

“My wife is in the hospital,” the shaky voice on the other end of the phone continued.  Rick and Joni had been married for more than twenty years and, by all accounts, were a doting couple very much in love.

“She woke me up a few days ago and told me she was scared.” That morning had started like every other. Since Rick works a late evening shift and is rarely able to get to bed before 2:00 a.m. Joni would wake up early and clean the house.  Once the morning chores were done she would put on a pot of coffee, gently wake Rick, and the two of them would enjoy the morning in the hobby room they built together.

“Then she just collapsed in my arms!” Danny was with Rick now.  Danny would spend a lot of time with Rick over the next few days and weeks.  Joni had been transferred to Florida Hospital South where they are better equipped to deal with the major brain trauma from the stroke Joni had suffered, but there was no good news.

“Will you pray for Joni, Danny?”  Danny, too, was surprised to be in this situation.  While he had enjoyed his conversations with Rick and Joni over the years, he never really thought about having an opportunity to minister to the spiritual needs of the chef at Rachel’s Night Club, the premier men’s club in Orlando.

The next day, Rick called again.  “I have to make a decision.”  Rick was sobbing now.  At 54, Joni had had a massive stroke and would not recover.  It was not anything Rick or Joni had prepared for.  They were relatively young with years of the good life still ahead; this decision was supposed to be far away.  Danny told Rick that he would come to the hospital to be with the family.

"Where can I turn?” was the heart question that Danny sensed Rick asking.  They were beginning to talk about final arrangements now.  Rick wanted to memorialize his wife but had no idea where to begin.  Danny put his arm around Rick, walked to the window of Joni’s room at Florida Hospital, and pointed to a building across the street.

“Rick, that’s my church over there, and I think they’d be happy to help.”  Twenty minutes later, Rick and Danny were at the Hospital Church making arrangements.  There was no real decision to be made or discussion to be had about whether the church would help.  The Hospital Church has chosen as its mission to “Love people into a lifelong friendship with God,” and if there was ever an opportunity to love people, this was it.

Danny and his wife, Jodie, met with Rick to prepare and later conduct a beautiful memorial service filled with the love of Christ and the memory of Joni and her love for Rick.  By the time the funeral started, it had already been a long day.  The viewing and visitation started early and ran late to accommodate the dancers and staff from both the day and evening shifts at Rachel’s.

As the memorial was being held, our church family prepared a feast for the mourners.  A young professional woman, a mother with two young daughters, a couple that joined the church just three weeks earlier, a restaurant owner - they all responded to the call to reach out in love, and they stayed until every person attending had been served in the humility of Christ.

That evening, I had dinner in my church with the original owner of our city’s leading men’s club and his self-identified “best customer.” Sitting around us were a host of dancers, friends, and bar employees who would rarely be seen in church, and they were loved. I’ve never been more proud of, or humbled by, my church.

Our church’s mission and vision simplified is to love people into a lifelong friendship with God and to do it 752 times*.  Danny and Jodie try to live it.  The young adult and the mother and her two daughters exemplified it. The new couple imparted it.  The restaurant owner served it.  Our church gets it, and I pray that the staff and patrons of Rachel’s have experienced it.

Epilogue:
“Danny what do you think really happens when you die?”  Rick has decided to move to Iowa, but the conversation continues…

John Monday

*752 just happened to be the number of “active” members in the FHC data base in 2009.  So over the next 5 years it seemed possible, with God’s guidance, and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, and Jesus presence with us, that 752 Christians could be instrumental in assisting 752 people become disciples of Jesus.  For a full explanatin of “Vision 752,” visit www.hospitalchurch.org/content/explanation-and-background-mission-and-vision.