just between us...

top story on sports center this morning? mark buehrle, a pitcher for the chicago white sox who pitched a no hitter last night. what a cool thing to watch...

for those of you who don't know what a no hitter is, here's the brief in matt beres terms...the pitches that go across the plate never get a guy on base. they can be strike outs, fly balls, or grounders that get a man out on first. (sorry if this isn't the correct, technical definition)

so, i sat down this morning and watched the story and heard all about mark buehrle and his perfect game. honestly, he did a great job. great pitching. but, to me what really shone was how the team backed him up. the highlight reel showed that the entire team had a part in this amazing game.

amazing play: a batter was up and hit what looked like a home run. enter, dwayne wise. dwayne went right for the ball and jumped the wall for the out. amazing play.

you know, as i turned on the tv i thought mark buehrle was THE MAN. but, as i watched the story more closely i realized that this victory involved more than just mark. in fact, the entire team played an amazing defensive game. everyone did their part to catch the flys. get runners out. and scurry for the grounders.

in life one person usually gets the headline stories. whoever is spearheading the project, being the point person, or leading the efforts. but, look closely, because usually there is a team of people behind the scenes helping the leader do what he needs to do. sometimes guys like dewayne wise get recognized and sometimes they don't. either way it was an amazing play.

if you're on a team - remember to make your leader shine. make your buehrle shine. help others see his efforts and leadership.
if you're a leader - don't forget that there is a team of people helping you do what you need to do. in fact, there may be a dewayne wise backing you up.

one of my favorite stories of the bible is "the prodigal son." we all know and love the story because something in us is moved by the unconditional love of the father. for years i have identified with the younger son and have been compelled by the father's unwavering and consistent love for his son.

people have been talking about this book called "the prodigal god" by tim keller. i love the story. really appreciate keller's verbal communication. so, i picked up a copy at amazon.com. (they aren't paying me to say that - believe me...)

started reading it tonight and made it through the introduction and first chapter. meaty.

so, here's what i'm sayin...(really what keller's sayin...)

first, i was intrigued by the title of the book. "the prodigal god" naturally, your mind starts thinking about god leaving us and coming back or god rejecting our relationship with him. keller enlightens the word prodigal to mean, "profuse or wasteful expenditure; recklessly spendthrift." in essence, our god is prodigal in his grace for us.

second, it's unfair for us to call the story the prodigal son. really, there are three characters in the story and if you look at the audience he's speaking to people who identify with the older brother instead of the younger brother.

i don't know if this makes sense to anyone, but the book is already awesome. it's causing me to think...

who do you identify with in this story?
the younger brother or the older brother?

i think i can see myself in both brothers at different periods in my life.

just something to think about...

how do we view the relationships in our life? do we view them more as contracts or covenants?

in relationships you can live by a contract - which says, "you do this for me, i do that for you."
or you can live by a covenant - which says, "i am committed to you no matter what."

it's easy to live by contracts with people. we can make up check lists in our heads and check off the boxes that meet expectations. when expectations aren't met we feel validated for your reactions and frustrations. when the list is consistently unmet we walk away from the relationship all together. the relationship is entirely focused on self and selfish needs.

a covenant relationship is much harder. covenant relationships are based on commitments. a relationship based on covenant makes the choice to love even when it's hard. when the other person isn't reacting the way we'd like - we don't give up. when things change or we feel like the relationship is unsettling, we plow through and show love anyways. we give the other person space to do what they need to do and become who they need to become. the relationship isn't about us at all.

think about the relationships in your life.
contract relationships come and go. they are easy to form. they hold value - yes, but based on what?
covenant relationships are hard to come by. they might feel uneasy at times, but you both know you're committed to the other person's good.

don't take the easy way out. do work in the relationships god has put in your life.