A Senior Moment

It's that time of year when I annually read about Ohio State football seniors who cannot believe that this is their final season as a Buckeye. Dane Sanzenbacher, a Buckeye senior from Toledo, said this about his career, "I just shake my head thinking about it. Those four years have absolutely flown by - good times, tough times - it all seems to go by so fast." (Click here to read entire story)

I can totally relate to what Sanzenbacher is saying. I distinctly remember my first two years at The University of Toledo. I used to dread basketball practice each day and it felt like my career would never come to an end (This may sound odd, but it wasn't a lot of fun most days...in fact it felt like a tough job much of the time). In spite of my feelings, before I knew it, I was a senior.

Now I look back and it has been over 25 years since I suited up, yet it seems like yesterday...although my body begs to differ!

This is a great reminder to me of how precious and how short life is...it truly is but a mist. So Carpe Diem!

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:14

A Gathering of Freakishly Tall People

This past weekend I attended a reunion of basketball players who played for Coach Bob Nichols at The University of Toledo.

I have to tell you that it was a great night. Lots of fun reminiscing and recounting stories, catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in years and just being with people I care about. A fun time!

About midway through the evening, I looked around me. Over to my side was Coach Nichols, the coach with the most wins in Mid American Conference history. He was an icon to me when I was growing up. I always thought he was the smartest basketball coach in the game (I still think that about him).

All around me were great athletes and phenomenal basketball players (plus a lot of really tall people!). Many were members of the 1,000 point club at UT, many led their teams to conference championships and several even played in the NBA. And then there was me.

Even though it has been well over 20 years since I played, I was amazed that I was a part of this group. Really. I don’t see myself as good enough to have competed at the same level with these guys.

Yes, I started my last two years at UT, but I was what you would call a role player. My job was to play good defense and grab rebounds. I certainly didn't have the talent that most had who were in attendance.

It was just another reminder to me of how blessed I am!

Unity

Robbie (my son) and I attended the University of Toledo vs. UMass basketball game last night in the newly renovated Savage Arena. All I can say is "Wow!"

Wow, because of the game, won by UT on a tip in as the final buzzer sounded.

Wow, because of the neat pre-game ceremony in which my former coach had the court dedicated in his name. It will now be called "Bob Nichols Court."

And wow, because of the incredible new facility. Savage Arena is a beautiful venue and it is something that all of Toledo can be proud of. It has to be one of the nicest arenas in the Midwest. And it all took about 9 months to complete.

That is amazing. As I was sitting there last night taking it all in, I was struck by how quickly all of this was completed. There were many involved in this project from donors to volunteers to contractors. There could not have been any dissension in the ranks for a project of this magnitude to be completed in such a short time.

I was reminded of the great power of unity.

"I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:23

Servant Leadership

This is a sad day for University of Toledo athletics, at least it is for me. Tom Amstutz, UT's football coach announced yesterday that he will be stepping down as UT's coach.

I am sad because Tom is a good man. His heart is as big as Texas and he truly cares for his players. However, his teams have struggled over the past several years, so in the business of football, a coach typically cannot survive that.

In the Toledo Blade this morning I found an interesting quote which sums up why I believe Coach Amstutz was such a good leader. Aaron Opelt, the Rockets Junior quarterback had this to say about his coach, "He looks after us. We're number one. He doesn't think about himself, ever. It's always about us."

As a leader, wouldn't you want that said of you?

Isn't that also what we can say about Jesus?..."He looks after us. We're number one. He doesn't think about himself, ever. It's always about us."

"Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Matthew 20:26b-28

Integrity

If you live in my community you have heard a lot about Extreme Makeover Home Edition finishing a home in Toledo. This was an incredible project to help a family in need. Tim Schlachter, the owner of Buckeye Real Estate Group headed up this project. Tim is a friend of mine and when he told me that they would need to tear down the existing house, clear away the debris, dig the new basement, pour the foundation, then build a new 4,500+ square foot house, that job seemed overwhelming. tThe fact that they needed to do it in 106 hours seemed downright impossible. That is pressure. But Tim is a man of integrity and I know he had confidence in his crew and in the process.

Well, they did it! Everything went according to plan and the Frisch family got to see their new home yesterday.

The other day, I drove by the old Savage Hall on the University of Toledo's campus. This is where I once played basketball while at UT. Savage Hall is undergoing a major renovation which began as soon as last season ended (the construction inside is pictured above). The new Savage Arena is to be completed by the start of the 2008 basketball season.

Think about that pressure. If the contractor doesn't get this done, what happens to the games that are scheduled? Would UT forfeit? Would they need to find an alternate site and would they be able to?

The contractor who won that bid had to be very sure of their plans. They also need to have integrity and do exactly as they say they are going to do.

It's kind of sad that those two words, "integrity" and "contractor" don't seem to go well together. I have had many contractors at our house who did not do as they said they would or did not start when they said they would. I have often joked that that is the first class taken in contractor school--how to break commitments.

This doesn't describe you, does it?

Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned. James 5:12

A Little Dirt

When I was playing basketball at the University of Toledo, my coach, Bob Nichols would constantly talk to us about the importance of overcoming adversity. He would tell us that adversity will come, that is guaranteed; but the key was how we handled it.

Most of the time I wouldn't pay much attention to him. I was in college and I thought I had life all figured out. As I have grown older and hopefully a little wiser I now understand that what Coach Nichols was talking about was absolutely correct.

I was reminded of this when I received this in an email from David Jeremiah:

A little girl walking in a garden saw a particularly beautiful flower and promptly picked it because she felt it was too pretty to be in the dirt. She then took the flower home and rinsed the dirt off with water. Shortly thereafter, the flower wilted and died. When the owner of that garden saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, "You have destroyed my finest plant!" "I'm sorry, but I didn't like it in all that dirt," said the girl. The gardener responded by saying, "I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be a beautiful flower."

Sometimes we become like that little girl, fixated on the dirt of our life instead of seeing the beauty and growth that will emerge in time. But once we have experienced seeing the hand of God in our life, we have assurance that we can trust Him in His sovereignty. So, if it feels like nothing good will ever come out of what you are going through, be patient and steadfast, knowing that God "plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Coach

Saturday night I was privileged to be a part of something pretty cool. My college coach at University of Toledo, Bob Nichols, was honored at halftime of the Rockets' game with Western Michigan. A large group of his former players got to be on the court with him as a banner with his name was unveiled from the rafters of Savage Hall.

This is something that was way overdue. Coach Nichols has more wins by far (376) than any other coach in Mid American Conference history. He was also known throughout the conference as being a man of integrity and running a very clean program.

At the conclusion of the game, they held a ceremony where several people spoke and praised coach. Coach Nichols then addressed the crowd and said to the many players that were in attendance, "I was proud of you when you were playing and practicing, I'm more proud of you today. Thanks for your support."

He went on to tell the crowd that he had some great players but that they have become even better people and that is why he is so proud.

I think every one of his players can say that Coach Nichols helped to shape them into the men they are today. I know he taught me many things such as perseverance, overcoming adversity and leadership with integrity.

I would venture a guess that during the heat of battle, when we were preparing for a big game or when we were doing off-season conditioning, Coach Nichols probably wasn't thinking too much about what we would be doing with our lives 25 years from now. But, because he led our team the way he did, because he sowed into our lives, he has made a difference in the lives of many men.

Each of us have moments in our day when it seems like drudgery - like what we're doing doesn't really matter. I encourage you to think of Coach Nichols during these times and know that what you do and how you do it can make a difference in the life of someone you come in contact with.