Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Lebron James: "A Second is a Long Time"

I'm continuing to enjoy my Kindle subscription to the NY Times.  Here were the articles of interest to me this morning.  Feel free to comment below!

Cavs Win at Buzzer - What would a Saturday morning be without the Sports section of the paper.  Truth be known, I'm not that partial to pro basketball.  But I have to admit there is something I love about LeBron, a player who could play anywhere for any amount of money... and he chooses Cleveland.  In their last minute loss two days ago LeBron took responsibility, even though he scored 49 points.  Last night with only one second to make the shot James flicked his wrist, dropping a three-pointer to beat the Magic 96-95.  Beyond the joy of the Cavs win, why would I include this in today's favorite list?  Here's Lebron James quote afterward:  "For me, a second is a long time.  For others, it's very short."  Here's my question for you.  How much will you value every moment of your day today?

The Big Pulpit - This article provided some insights into the ministry of Rev. A. R. Bernard, a Brooklyn megachurch.  A couple quotes from the article grabbed my attention.  "... the Christian Cultural Center, the nondenominational church he founded nearly 30 years ago with 20 folding chairs that has swelled into the city's largest, with 31,600 members."  What grabbed my attention?  I can identify with the 20 folding chairs.  Ha!  There was one other aspect of the article that brought chagrin.  The writer of the article makes the point that every pastor is selling "the same product... a relationship with God."  Rev. Bernard's comment: "We all get our meat from the same warehouse. Lamb is lamb.  Beef is beef. It's how we prepare it."  Now I know how easy it is to have words twisted, but would I even want to think about my congregant's relationship with God as "a product?"  Would I ever want to think about the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world as "Lamb is lamb?"

Getting Past Superstar Management with Aaron Rodgers

I'm watching the Green Bay Packers - Cincinnati Bengals preseason football game.  At the end of the first quarter Aaron Rodgers just threw a touchdown pass completing what looks to be a great first start for Rodgers.  Great for Rodgers - brilliant for the Packers front office.

As a "front office leader" myself, I can really identify with the Packers.  Nick Dettmann of the News Dispatch said it well today, "This whole saga was mishandled by everyone involved, Favre and the Packers. However, the more I thought about it, there was just no good way to handle this situation. This was unique."

The questions for those of us who put together and manage teams is this:  "What do you do with a superstar?  What happens when the team is known more for the personality of the star than it is known for the team?  And what do you do when the superstar wants to retire, then doesn't, then wants to quit, then doesn't, then wants to play, then doesn't?"

The last time I checked, football was a team sport.  And the Packers... with QB Brett Favre... went 13-3 last year.  They had a great year, but most of what everybody heard about was that Brett Favre had a great year.  What about the other 21 players?  I don't mean to take anything away from Brett.  He's been a fantastic player.  I've really enjoyed watching him play.  And though I don't think it will happen, I hope he does well with the Jets (or the Vikings... or the fill in the blank team of the week).  My point is that the Packers had to manage for the benefit of the team and for the future.  They had to avoid getting sucked into the vortex of the superstar.  They made the tough decision of leadership - deciding who will be playing for the next several years, despite the inevitable criticism and second guessing of Monday morning quarterbacks.