Soccer and the church

Terri and I have been attending a lot of soccer games over the past year. Nate, our adopted college student is on the W&M men's soccer team and has been playing for the Virginia Legacy this summer. I did not grow up as part of the soccer culture. When I was a kid we had football, baseball and basketball leagues. My main soccer memories of childhood are of seeing Pele on TV.

Tony has been preaching a sermon series using the metaphor of games/sports to illustrate life lessons and I thought I would offer up some examples from soccer. I hope I am not "borrowing" his ideas for a future sermon. Who knows he might borrow from me.

1) Get up, shake the dust off and keep running
Soccer is listed as a non-contact sport, but when I watch soccer played at the college level I am amazed by the resiliency of soccer players. I have seen numerous collisions and fouls where a player is left lying on the ground, writhing in pain. Yet, it seems that after a few minutes the player is up and running again at full speed. Life is a contact sport and bad things will happen, but as people of faith we need to get up, shake the dust off, and get back in the game.

2) Etiquette matters
One thing I have admired in soccer is the way a team handles an injury on the other team. Team A has the ball and one of their players is injured by a member of Team B, but Team B has the ball. After the referee has stopped and restarted play, Team B's first move is to kick the ball to Team A's goalie. In most cases, no penalty had been called, the injury was incidental during the play so Team B is voluntarily giving the ball back to Team A. Even in the midst of a competitive match where players are working very hard to win, they recognize that their is something more important than winning. The key ideas here are sensitivity to others and a strategy of doing the right thing.

3) It may take a long time to make some progress
A typical soccer game consists of two 45-minutes halves and the teams can end up with a combined score that is countable on one hand. At the international level the sports media tracks the number of meters that a player as run during the course of a match. This stat is similar to tracking the number of pitches thrown in baseball or the number of sacks a quarterback has received in football. In short, a tremendous amount of energy can be expended in a game that might end with a 1-0 final score. A goal can happen anywhere in the game. Step away from the stands for a minute and you might miss the only goal. The key to watching soccer is to be there the whole time. If we become disengaged we might miss a key moment. The same is true in church life. Things may seem to move at a glacial pace, but we need to stay engaged. We might miss those game-changing moments in the life of our church.

4) Soccer is a team sport, so is church
Soccer involves between 7 and 11 players per side, a referee and two assistant referees. So in a normal match 25 people are involved. You can practice soccer skills as an individual but you cannot play a game by yourself. You need teammates to help you, you need opponents to challenge your skills, you need officials to keep you honest to the game. Now I am not going to speculate about who in the church serves as a referee or an opponent. The key point I want to make is that church is not a solitary activity. We need to consider ways to get more people into positions of service and leadership. It makes our job as church leaders easier, but it also gets more people where they need to be, in the game.

5) Good coaching shows
Soccer seems to be a simple game. Kick the ball into the opponents goal. Like most team sports each player has a different role. The goalie protects the goal and can touch the ball with his hands. Some players have a defensive role, some players have an offensive role. A well-coached team will have each player doing the right thing at the right time. Good coaching can overcome limited ability. Poor coaching can minimize outstanding physical ability. Good coaching is evident in the proper positioning of players and a strategic approach to the game. The same is true in church. Our staff and church leadership seek to put us in positions where we can use our individual abilities and talents to God's glory. Are you willing to learn?

6) Fans are important
The William and Mary soccer team has an important ritual as part of their post-game "cool down". They walk to the middle of the field, shoulder to shoulder, facing the stands and visibly applaud their fans. It is a way of demonstrating their appreciate for fans who have followed the game and cheered on the team. In the church we need to celebrate the folks that we encounter along the way. Simple appreciation and friendliness to our visitors will help encourage them to come again. We can never forget our fans.

7) Celebration is paramount
Because of the rarity of goals in soccer a goal is vigorously celebrated. Some players might only score one goal in their entire career. Whenever something good happens, especially if it might only happen once for that person. We must celebrate. This is why we publish birthdays in our newsletter, why we sing Happy Birthday/Anniversary on Sunday night. It is our chance to join in on something really cool that God has done in and through the life of a fellow believer.

8) A tie is OK
In some leagues, soccer can end in a tie. Each team gets a half-point for the win in the overall league standings. So, even a tie is movement toward the goal of a league championship. We have all sorts of ways of measuring our church: attendance, giving, the size of our facilities and metrics such as these can be helpful. But the key idea is the following, no matter where we are, are we moving towards the goal that God has laid out for us as Walnut Hills Baptist Church.

The hybrids have been saved!

A few weeks ago I shared our experiences relating to buying a hybrid car. With great fanfare I can announce the successful completion of my Save The Hybrids campaign. Terri and I are the owners of a fancy new hybrid car and are already enjoying the better gas mileage.

Some things we have learned in the journey of buying a new car during a period of $130/barrel oil prices.

1. Some car dealers will have better luck at getting cars sooner than others.

For example a newly built, large dealership will probably have a higher allocation than a older dealer might. Simply because the car company is paying the dealer back for their recent financial commitment to the brand. We were told by one dealer that the process was a $500 deposit plus a 30-45 day wait. In our case it was a $500 deposit and a 12-day rate. We picked one of the seven or eight options that was "on the ship" to the US.

2. Driving a hybrid does not force you to drive differently to get good mpg.

We have owned our car for less than 24 hours, have driven it 100+ miles and we averaged around 48 mpg. Terri drove the car on I-64 just like she drove her last car (a V6 Ford Escape). Our friends who own the same model say that if you take your foot off of the gas as you approach a stop light and coast, the mpg will go up. So, the point is, you are not required to adapt, but if you adapt a little, it will pay off.

3. New cars have fancy doodads in them

Our new car has a stereo system that has an integrated Bluetooth adapter. Our two-year old cell phones have Bluetooth adapters. We can connect our phones to the car and we can operate in hands-free mode. The car has a built-in mic and the sound from the phone plays thru the stereo system. It will even mute the sound if you have an incoming call. This is the same technology that makes the ear-worn Borg implants for cell phones. The first time I saw someone having a conversation on one of those I was afraid to go to close to them. You tend to avoid people talking loudly on the street when no one is around them.

4. The car will sell for the sticker price, but the dealer may sweeten the deal in other areas

Dealers will offer you a break on warranty plans and the like. If you like to buy extended warranties, this is a place you can haggle.

Thanks to all of our hybrid-evangelist friends who offered advice and test drives of their vehicles (Dave, Mary Lou, Don, and Linda). We have joined your ranks.

Garbage In Garbage Out

Garbage In Garbage Out (GIGO) is a well-used phrase in the tech industry. The basic sentiment is that in most cases the quality of the output of a system is limited by the quality of the input. For example you can write a novel using MS Word. MS Word can recognize spelling mistakes and can recognize some grammatical errors, but in general it is not going to translate your document into a world-class novel.

GIGO applies to sound systems as well. If a singer is off-key or an instrument is out of tune the sound system will simply amplify the error and make it more apparent. In a recording studio there are all sorts of magic tricks to enhance a performance beyond it's original quality, but in general the end result is a disappointment when you hear the performer live. The performer is unable to reproduce the sound you heard on the radio or the CD. For a classic example Milli Vanilli.

So, on to one of my pet peeves related to GIGO: proper microphone technique. In the church we are affected greatly by poor use of a microphone. If a microphone is given a bad input signal, it will produce poor output at the speakers. Here is a litany of things not to do:

1. "I don't need a microphone, everyone can hear me"
1. This is not true. People have different levels of hearing. Some people will hear you fine, others will not hear you at all, and even worse, some people will hear your voice but it will not be easy to understand. The A/V team is giving you a mic for both amplification and intelligibility. For example the people to your side or behind you will not hear you. Please use a mic when it is offered. As the A/V chair I get more complaints about this than anything else.
   
2. Treating the microphone as if it was a ice cream cone.
1. Some people hold a microphone in a vertical position and then talk over the top of the mic. The head of the microphone will not fall off! Microphones are designed to not pickup sound coming from the side. They are intended to pickup sounds coming directly into the top of the microphone. As a general rule you should lean the microphone towards you mouth. Instead of a ice cream cone imagine the mic is a flashlight. If the flashlight is oriented properly the light would illuminate your mouth. It should not hit the ceiling above you or the wall behind you.
2. This is one of the reasons a person's voice will sound different on a bluetooth headset than it will with a regular phone.
   
3. Holding the microphone at your waist
1. As a general rule you cannot be too close to a microphone. A mic held next to your tummy and pointing at the ceiling (or even leaning away from the speaker, yes I have video of this) will not produce good results. In general 2-3 inches from your mouth is good. If you are an American Idol singer or an operatic tenor then other mic positions are useful but in most cases 2-3" inches is about right. If the mic is too far away, we have to turn the gain up on the input channel and will probably get feedback.
4. Tapping the microphone or blowing into it
   
1. Microphones are sensitive instruments. Harsh handling can damage a microphones inner workings. It is simply much better to say "Can you hear me" if you have any doubts. We do not tap our cell phones or blow into them when the listener complains. We readjust the phones position and ask "Can you hear me now?". Treat a microphone with the same level of decency. Remember it cost more than your cell phone.

Microphones are tools. Learning how to use them properly will help everyone to more clearly hear what you are saying or singing. And that is the main point to using a microphone in the first place.

It's Aint Easy Being Green

Due to a recent accident Terri and I have been in the market for a new car. Given the rising gas prices we have been considering going "green" by buying a hybrid car. Hybrid cars are an economical approach to rising gas prices and have the advantage of reduced emissions and impact on the environment (Note: A simple Internet search will provide a variety of opinions on this).

Like many Hybrid buyers we fit into the category of economic-environmentalists. Meaning we will consider a low-emissions, gas-sipping vehicle as long as it lowers our monthly gas bills. An economic environmentalist is one of those hyphenated labels similar to fiscal-conservative or social-conservative. Conservation is a good thing. It is even better if it is economically viable. When I was a teenager our church youth group did paper drives as a fund-raiser. It was never done as a green activity.

Unfortunately I have to declare hybrid vehicles an endangered species. I have searched the inventory of every Honda and Toyota dealer in a 150-mile radius and there are very few cars for sale. We missed buying a Honda Civic hybrid by about an hour this morning. We can get on a month/month-and-a-half waiting list with a $500 deposit. There is also a very small secondary market. I did find a used Prius at Carmax in Laurel, MD. Also, don't expect a lot of room to negotiate. Most hybrids sell at the sticker price.

Every hybrid owner we have talked to raves about the gas mileage and how pleasantly surprised they have been by the durability and performance of their vehicles. These folks are HEs (hybrid-evangelists) Our experience has been similar, we have driven hybrids that drive just as well as some gas-only cars. I have refused various cross-selling options where a dealer suggests a high-mileage gas-only car simply because I am interested in hybrids.

So, since Terri and I are actively shopping for hybrid cars, I suggest that you enact a personal "Save the Hybrids" campaign. Please delay your purchase of a hybrid vehicle until we have gotten one. Afterwards we'll be glad to let you borrow ours for a test drive. Also if you have a gas-guzzling vehicle that we can "borrow" for 30-45 days, we'd be very appreciative. We'd even return it will a full tank of gas and freshly washed and detailed.

Grace and peace
Dave

Thermometer or Thermostat?

Last night I was sitting in choir practice as the lone tenor for the entire practice. Our other tenors were out and about doing various other things so it was up to me to carry the tenor line during practice. My normal strategy is to sit next to Pete. If I sing what Pete is singing I'm generally going to be OK. Otherwise it will always be an adventure. I have the ability to match what I hear singing around me but if you pointed me at a sheet of music and said "sing this note". I would probably not hit it. Fortunately John helps by occasionally singing the tenor line to get me in the proper range.

The difference between a thermometer and a thermostat is in how they react to the environment in which they are placed. A thermometer always adjusts it's reading to match the ambient temperature of the room it is placed in. Meaning it always displays "room temperature". A thermostat measures the temperature in the room and makes adjustments to the temperature to achieve a desired goal.

In the choir I am still in thermometer mode. Place me in the middle of a group of tenors and I will sing the right note. In thermostat mode the tenor line will start to sound a lot like the main melody of the piece of music (even if the tenor line is not the main melody)

Being a thermometer is not bad. Being a thermostat is not bad. I think we will shift between the two modes of operating depending on the situation.

The key idea is the following:

• If I am reacting to a situation (thermometer mode) is my reaction appropriate?
• If I am influencing a situation (thermostat mode) is my influence appropriate?

Appropriateness is context-sensitive. This is why folks generally try to evaluate their course of action is by asking themselves. "What would Jesus do?" When we look at a situation through the eyes of Jesus it often will become clear how we should be involved. To use the example of choir practice, Jesus will help us to get into the proper key and to sing in tune.

As a closing thought I think Jesus was probably an excellent tenor.