Buckeyes and People

I'm a big fan of buckeyes…not just the football Buckeyes, but actual buckeyes. This fall, my wife Connie and I have encountered many buckeye trees and we have been able to collect a few of these awesome treasures.

I had a couple of these unopened shells sitting on my desk for a while, waiting for them to open up to reveal the beautiful nut that had been growing inside. After viewing these for a few days I began to think about how similar a buckeye is to a human being.

These outer shells of a buckeye are not very attractive and they even have barbs on them which resemble a porcupine. So not only are they ugly but they can actually hurt you. However, once they open, a surprisingly attractive nut is revealed. Buckeyes actually look like they are made of a rich type of wood that is polished perfectly—very beautiful.

Many people might not look very pretty from the outside and might even hurt others at times. However, each and every person (even the unlovable one) is created by God and loved by God. This makes even the most disliked person someone worth loving. Because, just like a buckeye, under that “ugly” shell there is a beautiful creation inside. Hopefully this will remind us to be more forgiving and understanding and help us to remember to extend a bit more grace to others, even those who drive us crazy…and maybe even our spouses!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Life Is But A Mist

I have been a golf fan since my younger days and I loved to follow Jack Nicklaus. I'm not sure exactly why. It could have been because he went to Ohio State and was a Buckeye. It could have been because of his charisma or the fact that he seemed like a good guy. Nevertheless, he was my guy.

I never thought that his record for major golf championships would be broken in my lifetime. Jack has 18 championships to his credit in the four biggies played each year. When Nicklaus was playing, the next closest active player was Tom Watson at 8, so his record seemed insurmountable.

Then along came Tiger Woods who now stands at 14 championships. Up until a few weeks ago, I figured, as did the rest of the world, that he would eclipse Nicklaus' mark by a wide margin. Woods is relatively young and it seemed like a no-brainer that he would soon fly by Nicklaus.

Well, now I'm not so sure. With Tiger's troubles coming to light recently, I don't believe anyone knows what will happen with him. Shoot, he may never play again, we just don't know.

Also in the news was the sad death of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Chris Henry, 26. Apparently he was arguing with his fiancee and jumped or fell out of a moving pickup truck and was killed. What a shame.

While sad, both of these stories can be a great lesson to all of us. We don't know what tomorrow holds, only the Lord does. So, let's make today count!

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

Leading Through Failure

As many of you know I am an Ohio State football fan. I was in Columbus on Saturday when the Buckeyes were beaten by Illinois. Ohio State truly was beaten. Sure there were some mistakes by the Buckeyes and the officials, but make no mistake about it-Illinois deserved to win.

As hard as it was to take the loss for me, I know it is 100 times tougher for the players. Kirk Barton who is a senior captain had this to say:

"You just feel like a failure as a captain when you lose a game like this," said Barton, the only fifth-year senior on the team, and a co-captain. "You hope you can lead your guys out of the murky waters we were in. I take a lot of responsibility for that.

"You feel like a failure if you can't get a win on Senior Day. It takes a little bit away from your captaincy if you can't lead your team the way you need to. ... I hope you print this because I want all the young guys to remember how it feels for my Senior Day."

That is so refreshing to hear. No finger pointing, no excuses. Simply taking responsibility. Now that's leadership.