Are You a Plugger?

Like most of you, I have my long-time favorites on the cartoon pages of the newspaper: Blondie, Shoe, Family Circus, and the "Love is..." single frame.



Another of my favorites is Pluggers. On several occasions, the Plugger really hits close to home. A few weeks ago, the plugger was eating his ice cream straight out of the container. The caption read, "A plugger thinks a single serving container is a half gallon."



Lolly reminded me of that Friday night when I chose to finish of the Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla by just adding my chocolate syrup to the ice cream that was left in the container.



Well, the plugger hit way (or should I say "weigh") too close to home with this one:




I still have my old jersey... and the number is 53... and I don't know how in the world it fit over those shoulder pads.

Rant No More

I have a rant button. Certain topics trigger a script that seems to emerge automatically.

I have decided - with some helpful insight and feedback from Laura - that these rants just aren't very pretty.

Some of you know these scripts. In fact, you could quote me verbatim.

(As a matter of fact, you probably do imitations of me when you are with your brother and sisters. And your asking yourself right now: "How did he know that?")

So, I have made a mid-year (perhaps a mid-life resolution):

I will no longer rant when these topics come up.

I realize that for some of you my going public is a "throw down" challenge. You plan to see how strong my commitment is.

Others are asking: "I wonder what those buttons are?"

Well, here they are. (This is not a rant; it's just a list of the things that used to push my button and why):

Ronald Reagan: Over-rated; rhetoric did not match with reality. (Now before you rant at me for having ranted about Reagan, please read Sleepwalking Through History by Haynes Johnson and James David Barber's classic, The Presidential Character. And by the way... I voted for him twice.)


Kareem Abdul Jabar: "Kareem asked Coach Jerry West how many minutes he would be playing in today's playoff game, so he would know how to pace himself." I thought there was only one pace when you were in the game. My bad.


Jerry Jones: Fired Tom Landry on the golf course; winning more important than character.


Chop Blocking: When the offensive line averages 300+ and they run 4.8 40's, you don't need to chop anybody. Just drive them out of there!


OK. I may waver some on that last one when the high school football season starts up. My son-in-law will be coaching the offensive line this fall. He has promised me that they will not chop-block.

Don't push my button!

Father's Day Feast

I actually thought it was Thanksgiving Day.

Laura spent the entire day cooking up a FEAST for Father's Day.

Prepare yourself before you read this next paragraph - it will make you hungry.

The main course was Chicken Fried Steak, complete with cream gravy and mashed potatoes. This was complimented by her special recipe baked beans, green bean casserole, fresh corn, Chinese cole slaw, and Sister Schubert's rolls. My mother supplemented the feast with her deviled eggs and red fruit jello (Gramma's signature dishes). And of course for dessert we had my favorite - Blackberry Cobbler. The growing season for blackberries is short, so there's a strategic window of time when you can get fresh blackberries for the cobbler. Fortunately, the strategic window falls around Father's Day.

The food feast was only part of it. All of the kids and grandchildren were here. My mother was here and our neighbor, Pat, joined the fun. We lingered over the food, we lingered over the conversation. It was a wonderful time.

As I have reflected over the day, I realize - again - how blessed I am.

It really was Thanksgiving Day.

Visioneering, Part 2

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” (Helen Keller)

In my previous posts on Visioneering, I have discussed the consequences of not having a vision. One of the consequences of not having a vision is that people are “unrestrained” (Proverbs 29:18, NASB).

In The Message version of the Bible, it reads like this:

“Without vision the people we lead will be confused, scattered, unfocused, and easily distracted. Without vision alignment, people may be busy doing things, but they are easily pulled off center and will quickly wear themselves out.”

In Chazown, Craig Grosechel, says:

“Without a consistent and compelling vision – constant orientation by fixed landmarks – people drift.”

I spend a lot of time with people that are a little further behind me on the road of life. I like to find out where they came from. I like to spend time understanding where they are. But, I really like to talk about where there going. It's amazing to me that so many of these people have no sense of where they're going. They are drifting through their days, working hard, but often with no sense of direction. They are scattered, unfocused, and easily distracted.

When I encounter this, I am reminded of Andy Stanley’s comment: “everybody ends up somewhere…some people end up there on purpose.”

He has expanded on this thought in his most recent book, The Principle of the Path:

“Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination. And your attention, determines your direction.”

What do you pay attention to? That will determine your direction.

So how can you focus your attention? Create a vision for your life.

Where do you want to end up? What do you want people to say about you at your funeral? What do you want your legacy to be? As Stephen Covey said years ago, “Begin with the end in mind.”

Let your vision be the focus of your attention so that your attention will determine your direction because your direction determines your destination.

LEAD-DAR

I am turning my LEAD-DAR on.

As I walk through this season of my life, I am drawn even stronger to the idea of developing the next generation of leaders. I want to invest myself in those who have potential to exert tremendous influence for Christ’s sake in the various arenas in which they act: Home, Work, Community, and Church.

So I am on the look out for younger men who want to make a difference and who are seeking to have someone a little further down the road of life share with them the insights he has developed over half a century of living (wow, that makes me sound really old!).

So, I have activated my LEAD-DAR. I am on the lookout for leaders who want to grow and for potential leaders that I can invest in.

My LEAD-DAR is programmed to look for men who display the FACTS of Leader Potential.

FAITHFUL: Have they been faithful with the responsibilities and assignments they have been given in the past?

AVAILABLE: Are they willing to make the time to meet with me?

COMMITTED: Are they committed to doing the self-work required to develop their strengths and to overcome their limitations? Are they committed to taking the time this investment in them will require?

TEACHABLE: Are the humble enough to allow themselves to admit that they haven’t learned it all yet? Do they have a teachable spirit?

SERVANT: Are they willing to set themselves aside and see their primary role in every arena (Marriage, Parent, Employee, Church Member, and Citizen) is to put others’ needs ahead of their own and to serve others.


Are you on my LEAD-DAR Screen?

Always Trust Your Cape

I am really out of touch these days. I rarely watch the news. I only read the paper once a week - on Sundays. Last Sunday there were several articles that caught my eye:

• An Austin College Professor was named the Texas State Historian;
• the man who was the coach at Odessa Permian when Friday Night Lights was written has returned to Permian as the head coach;
• Texas beat TCU in the first game of the super-regional series by playing “small ball” - setting an NCAA record for sacrifice bunts in a game: 7.

I actually read those articles. It took me two cups of coffee to make it through the paper. (Those are super-sized cups that are probably the equivalent of 4 regular cups. But, when you take 3 Benadryl at night, the fog is very thick in the morning.)

But the article that really grabbed my attention was the one on Wacky Warning labels. This one in particular caught my eye:

On a Halloween Batman costume: "This cape does not give the wearer the ability to fly."

This warning label was obviously attached to an inferior cape. Certainly not the kind of Cape that Guy Clark describes in his song, The Cape:

Eight years old with flour sack cape tied all around his neck He climbed up on the garage , figurin’ what the heck He screwed his courage up so tight the whole thing come unwound He got a runnin’ start and bless his heart He headed for the ground

He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith

Spread your arms and hold you breath

always trust your cape

All grown up with a flour sack cape tied all around his dream He’s full of piss and vinegar, he’s bustin’ at the seams He licked his finger and checked the wind - It’s gonna be do or die He wasn’t scared of nothin’, Boys - He was pretty sure he could fly

He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith

Spread your arms and hold you breath

Always trust your cape

Old and grey with a flour sack cape tied all around his head He’s still jumpin’ off the garage and will be till he’s dead All these years the people said: "He’s actin’ like a kid."He did not know he could not fly, So he did

He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith

Spread your arms and hold you breath Always trust your cape