Are you serious?

2009-06-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you have heard about this but apparently a lady in California sued Captain Crunch (one of the greatest cereals of all time by the way) for false advertising because she claimed that a "reasonable person" would expect the crunch berries to be real berries. I PROMISE I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP! Crunch berries, really? Now here's the real kicker, fortunately this case was dismissed but...wait for it......she has filed an appeal. How have we got to this point in America?!

Does anyone actually remember a time when Americans had to work hard to get what they have? Now by all means I know not all Americans are lazy, but stories like this are unfortunately far too familiar. How bout this one...a man is currently sueing the A's professional baseball team because a few years ago they gave away hats to mothers on mother's day, and he didn't get one because he was not a mother. (true story y'all)

And we wonder why America is falling by the wayside while the rest of the world is moving on and gaining new innovations and strength. In our country there is too often a "sense of entitlement" to everything. Everyone wants to get theirs and what they think they deserve, but have it all handed to them. Now don't get me wrong, I love America and still think it is the greatest place to live, but who is going to step up and draw the line. What's next...I sue Dairy Queen because my extra thick milk shake was too runny. (for the love of God no one do that!)

The Will to Win

2009-05-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

OK so I am now officially in the blogging world. Today is my first blog (everyone clap) and I am pretty pumped. If you don't know who I am, it's cool because I am no one special. I am a youth pastor at Heartland Christian Center in Valparaiso, Indiana...shout out to C7!!!! I am 28, married to an amazing woman...Leslie, have one 2 year old boy...Mason, and another boy soon to be here in August! I would love to hear your comments and get know all of you. That's about all I have for now, but if you want to know anymore about me just ask.

So for the first time in a very long time I have fallen in love with the NBA playoffs. Now I'm not sure how many of you actually care or watch the NBA; I used to be one that didn't. Now don't get me wrong, I love basketball. I actually played myself in high school and in college...though the NBA never came calling. But to me when it came to the NBA there was just something about guys getting paid millions of dollars to play a game, then crying when they didn't get their bonuses, or sitting out a game because of a hang nail, that rubbed me they wrong way. For those who have followed the game for a while, the Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan era has been gone for a while. But this year, at least to me, I have seen that resurface. The rivalries are back...Kobe vs Carmelo, LeBron vs Howard, and more importantly the will to win seems to be back.

Now for the first time in a while it seems as if they are playing not just to get more money but because they have that will to win. To me that has brought the passion back to the fans and to the game. Now you're probably wondering why am I writing about this and what in the world does this have to do with me. Well I think it has a lot to do with us.

Personally I think we can look at life the same way. Some people are living life to the point where all they want to do is just get by, just make it, and just last. It's like the people in the NBA who all their goal to do is just play another season. Many people live as though all they want to do is just make it another week, month, year, or whatever. It's easy for us to think "that's stupid no one would live their life like that," yet we look around and we see people everyday just doing enough to get by in life. We do just enough to be an OK dad, or we do just enough to make our marriage last a little longer, or we do just enough to to have our Christian walk make it another week.

Then there are those who are living life to the point where they doing whatever they can to make another buck. Now don't get me wrong, I am all for ambition and trying to further yourself in the business world, but as a nation I think we have let wealth take the place of many other things that should be first. We do whatever we can to make another dollar, or to have our reputation look better, or to get the "corporate pat on the back", while at the same time we find ourselves sacrificing our morals, our character, our families, and even sometimes ourselves. But then there are those who have that WIT mentality...Whatever It Takes. Now that's more than just making money, being famous, or just getting by.

Now success in the NBA is not doing whatever it takes to get through another year of basketball, it's not doing whatever it takes to get that next big contract or sponsorship, but it is being the final team left at the end of the year that gets to hold up that Championship trophy.

What I think it means to us is doing whatever it takes to be a success in life, which I think we have mis-labeled success. See, success to me is having a marriage that lasts. Success to me is being not just a dad, but a father to your kids. Success to me is not necessarily having the "corporate pats on the back" but having the arms of your wife and kids letting you know how much they love and appreciate you. Success to me is being able to stand before God when I die and say not only did I know and accept your son Jesus Christ, but I did whatever it took to do the best with the life that you gave me. That is success!!! See we must all remember that those who die with the most toys...still die!

PMatt

The Writing On the Wall

Are you serious?

The Will to Win