An Underdog Story

I have been helping a friend of mine coach a 5^th grade boy’s basketball team this year. One of the fathers told us at the beginning of the year, we would be doing a good job if this team had a winning record. Although our boys improved throughout the year, we finished the season with a very modest record of 11-9 and only a six seed in an eleven team tournament. The boys could have been very satisfied with their winning record.

Although we were the last team to get a bye, we played our first game against the number three seed, a much quicker team, and possibly the best team in the league at putting pressure on the ball. By the beginning of the second quarter, we were losing 17-2. Most eleven and twelve year olds would have lost all hope at this point. But by the end of the half the game was 24-12, still an enormous mountain to climb. Our team didn’t give up and kept playing with all their heart and with eleven seconds left in the game found themselves down by one point. Our star player dribbled the ball down the court and put up a shot from about twelve feet out. He missed! And out of nowhere, one of our players who had been struggling all season to rebound, until the second half of this game, grabbed a monster rebound and kicked it out to our point guard who threw up a prayer. The shot landed on the rim and the buzzer sounded. The ball continued to bounce around the rim before falling right through the net. The team rushed the court to tackle the shooter. The parents rushed the court. The crowd went nuts. The Grace St. Luke’s Saints had upset the three seed and won a playoff game.

Now, the boys could have been content. They had exceeded everyone’s expectations. The next game was against the two seed, and the parents and coaches were so proud of the boys. But when the game started against St. Dominic, our six seed, 12-9 team, played tough and competitive against the well-coached opponent. And every time they scored, our team found a way to get a basket. And when the game went into double overtime, our team finally began to take the game away and we walked out with a four point victory. Now, the Saints could have been content with making it to the championship game.

The championship game was against St. Francis who scored almost fifty points in a game the day before. St. Francis had beaten us twice early in the season, each time by about twenty points. They had only lost one time all season. In the back of my head, I had given up most hope and was already so proud of the team. All I was wishing for was for the team to play good basketball and I was excited that we would at least get a second place trophy. Yet at the end of the half we trailed 6-5 in an awesome defensive battle. Our boys were playing great and they kept playing tough. When we went up by four with about three minutes left, I felt we really might become the champions. They went with a box and one defense on our star player to keep him from getting the ball, but other people stepped up and we walked away with a huge 21-11 upset. What an underdog story!

There is an old Haitian proverb: “Beyond mountains there are mountains.” Although this proverb is about patience and the recognition of how difficult life can be, it also describes this past weekend’s basketball tournament. After each challenge, another challenge appears. The GSL Saints had to climb many mountains this season, especially this tournament. The ability to continue to climb after being down by 15 points at the beginning of the first playoff game will inspire me forever.

Life, and especially for me, being a Christian, is about climbing these mountains. We generally consider most people good because they follow the general rules of life or the Ten Commandments such as not killing people or stealing. But to me, being a Christian is about being that underdog. It is about climbing that mountain, only to find a mountain on the other side and continuing forward. We are called to be radical, to change the world, to struggle, to get our hands dirty. We are called to serve the poor, feed the hungry, to forgive our friends and, even harder, our enemies. We are called to do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who abuse us. I struggle to do any of these. Life is about climbing that mountain. And that one time I find it in my heart to forgive someone who wrongs me, there is someone else right there asking the same thing, and it becomes even more difficult.

The story of the Grace St. Luke’s basketball team is important because it gives us hope as an underdog. We can do what is right, even if it is an uphill battle. And just like in the playoffs, a little momentum can go a long way. If we start to be radical, serving the poor, forgiving our enemies and climbing those mountains, we can gain momentum, mountain by mountain, and change the world one person at a time.

Life Lessons from the Super Bowl

Sunday was one of my favorite days of the year. The time when people join together to stuff their faces with junk food and pancho’s cheese dip, grab their football jerseys, and gather around the TV to watch the Super Bowl and of course a bunch of awesome commercials. In the midst of all the popcorn and M&M throwing and flashes of the digital cameras, I actually walked away with what I think are 3 important lessons from this year’s Super Bowl.

Number 1 - There will always be people who doubt you. Forgot about them.

The doubts started when Manning was in college at Tennessee. He never beat Florida, UT’s biggest rival, and the year after he left, the Volunteers won a national championship. In Indianapolis, the doubt continued. When Payton started 0-3 in the playoffs, people wondered if he would ever win a playoff game. When he finally did that, people said he couldn't beat the Patriots. When he did that, the critics argued he still couldn't win the biggest game of them all.

Life is full of road blocks. For every good idea and dream that you have, there will be 10 people waiting to tell you why your idea and dreams are stupid. Don’t be discouraged when someone shoots you down. Continue to work hard and persevere though those obstacles. It would be Christmas in Chicago right now if Peyton had listened to his critics.

Number 2 - One game can make all the difference

Payton has started nearly 150 NFL games. For years everyone has talked about how Payton has been one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, who does not have a championship ring. But after those nine seasons and all the lack of respect that he has received, one game, last night’s Super Bowl victory nearly guarantees him in the Hall of Fame and ensures his legacy forever.

I find this reassuring. It comforts me to know that no matter the mistakes that I make in life, the games that I fall short in life, off the field, that we all have the opportunity to change people’s perception of who we are by making a difference when the big opportunity comes our way. Even if people expect something out of you, that you might fail or disappoint everyone, prove them wrong. It’s possible.

Number 3 - No matter what mistakes we make, we are all given a second chance.

I saw this several times in the game. Sometimes in ways I don’t quite agree with such as man arrested for illegal possession of firearms and drugs being allowed to play in the Super Bowl. Three seconds into the game, the Colts kickoff is returned for a touchdown, basically the culmination of a lot of mistakes by Indianapolis. The Colts get the ball right away, and Payton throws an interception. Huge mistake! Turnover, and it is the Bear’s ball. I suspect by this point most Colts fans are yelling at the TV, their season full of hope is coming crashing down as most of us are trying to find away to hold on to the little bit of hope left, but with all of these mistakes the Colts are making, how are they going to win the game?

We all make mistakes. Some of us make more than others, but life is full of second chances. What is important is to learn from our mistakes, and to instead of letting them hinder us, they help us. So often, when we make a mistake, it sets up a chain reaction for other mistakes and everything around us seems to come tumbling down. Instead we must realize that mistakes are a part of growing and learning and necessary for improvement. The Colts could have given up after the touchdown. They certainly could have given up after the interception, but the game was far from over and the Colts proved they could overcome a few mistakes.

"To let you be my servant too"

One of the privileges of working for the church is the opportunity to find unique ways of carrying out the church’s mission to help serve the world. While I was in college, my sister traveled to Honduras twice on church mission trips to help build a few homes and work on a local school. The experiences she had were life changing for her and her stories left me desiring to have that same sense of fulfillment from serving others. Until a year ago, I had never been to a 3^rd world country and I have been looking for ways to carry out that desire through my church wanting both youth and adults to have that same experience that impacted Ann.

It was these feelings and desires to serve the helped spur my desire to travel as a missionary and ultimately led to the planning of my pilgrimage to India. I met Milind a few years ago when he was visiting Holy Communion. He told me about a trip to India with his parishioners from New York who had fallen in love with India and even helped raise money to build a well in a small village where Christians were not allowed rights to water. The well was built on one condition: that no one be denied the right to water. I asked Milind to lead a group from my church on a trip to India envisioning this trip as a true mission trip serving people of a 3^rd world country and really doing my best to put others first. Our pilgrimage was nothing like this.

We spent our first several days in Pune, not only soaking in the vast culture of India but learning about the work of the Deep Griha society. The Deep Griha Society ran several orphanages which we visited, each one with groups of children greeting us with songs and dances they had spent several hours the week before rehearsing for our visit. At one orphanage out in the country called City of Child, the children insisted on carrying our backpacks around and wearing our Sun Glasses and hats as soon as we entered. And at each place they fed us huge meals that we struggled to finish while it was so obvious that the children and workers of the different centers had not had such a nice meal.

The second leg of our journey or so called “mission trip” brought us deep into the middle of India. After learning about the work of the Diocese of Nagpur and the Church of North India, we were led deep in the jungle hours away from cars, trucks, and city life to visit three small villages. We were running a little late but each village welcomed us with open arms. At each village friends laid flowers around our neck and the people of the village would sing us songs taught to them by the local missionaries. Each village offered us chai tea. When we finally reached the third village at 9pm, where they had been waiting for us for hours, we were welcomed with a huge drum circle, dance, tea, flowers, and a warm dinner served on Teak Leaves. At the third village a man had traveled 25km just to greet us.

As wonderful as being in India was, a place I now hold so dear to my heart, I was feeling horribly guilty. I am a young man with a car, health insurance, an Ipod, a home with a roof that usually keeps out water, and living in the most technologically advanced and wealthy nation of the world. Now, some of this planet’s poorest individuals were placing flowers around my neck, serving our group meal after meal and completely keeping me from doing what I had set out to do, to be a servant.

We are called to be serve the poor, the hungry, and the needy. “Won’t you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you, pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.” These are the words of one of my favorite songs, The Servant Song by Richard Gillard. I so often forget that although we are called to be servants, we must also let others serve us. I fill a spiritual need of others when I serve them. When I go to the soup kitchen, or help build a home for Habitat for Humanity, although I am helping to fill the needs of others, I am filling my own needs: the need to feel as if I am making this world a better place by being selfless and putting others first. What I neglected to recognize at first in India, was that these people, especially the new first generation Christians, my brothers and sisters, and equal in everyway regardless of finances and material wealth, all have that same calling to serve others. They desired to welcome strangers into their homes, to serve them with love and kindness just as we would welcome anyone into our home. And what I realized towards the end of the trip was that I was making a difference. I had traveled thousands of miles to affirm what these people were learning and studying and that Christianity was real. There are people from all over the world who may, on the outside, seem nothing alike, but are just the same as us with the same callings to serve and love one other. And by visiting them we were able to share that love with each other.

I encourage you all to go out and serve others. Go on mission trips, serve at a soup kitchen, or volunteer at an after school program. Just pray that you may also have the grace to let others serve you as well. Sometimes that is even more difficult than finding ways to serve.

Letting Go of the Old Year

When I would spend my summers working at the Boy Scout Camp, we would often squander our Saturdays by running through the high ropes course. A high ropes course is a series of obstacles that one has to tackle usually about 40 feet above the ground. One of the challenges that I always struggled with was a series of rings across a high wire. You would hold on to one ring as you shuffled across the wire, yet you could not grab the next ring without first letting go of the ring you were holding on to. As I had seen many before me do, if you reached too far without letting go of the old ring, you would not be able to grab the new ring often resulting in falling off the course.

An important part of welcoming the New Year has to do with letting go of the old year. I find it important for my own growth to release the old year by looking back at who I have become and what I plan on changing in the upcoming year. Yet, just like on the ropes course, most people struggle with letting go of the old ring which provides them stability at the moment, in order to be able to reach for the new ring. The New Year is always ushered in with the Christmas Season, a season of new life and redemption. This is important because the New Year becomes a chance for us to start all over with a clean slate.

Yet to truly release the old year and move on to the New Year it is important for us to learn from the past. I challenge all of you this year to really look back and learn and grow. Look back at what you have accomplished and how that made you feel and if you had to do everything all over, what you would do differently. Ask yourself what you are grateful for and what is missing in your life. When we begin to fully understand our previous year, we are able to let go and grab the year ahead better prepared and ready for the challenges and obstacles ahead.

Memphis Grizzles and the Advent Season

Midway through the second quarter, the Grizzles trailed by a whopping twenty-two points. They were being outplayed in every aspect of the game. The Miami Heat, even without front man, Shaquille O’Neal was shooting 68% from the field and teaching the Grizzles a lesson about the fundaments of basketball. But Memphis fans should have hope. We always find a way to stay in there and sure enough, by halftime we had clawed our way back to be down 57-48. By the middle of the 4^th Quarter, the Memphis Grizzles finally looked like they were about to play some basketball and in the final minutes of the game, after being down 22 points, Memphis took a commanding four point lead. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had almost written this game off as another loss and here we were about to win. I found myself on the edge of my couch, yelling at the TV with two of my best friends realizing exactly what I love about basketball. Rudy Gay gets fouled twice, splitting both sets of free throws and with 1.8 seconds left in the game, Memphis had a two point lead 97-95. This game is as good as over!

Memphis sends in defense expert Dahntay Jones to cover Dwayne Wade. 1.8 seconds is about enough time for one dribble and a shot, if you’re quick. Memphis has their best defensive player on Wade so I lean back in my seat and smile. I have had so many expectations for our Memphis team this year. My spirit has been marked with anticipation and longing. There is the yearning for the Grizzles to finally be delivered out of a playoff season with out a win. The ball goes into ex-Grizzly James Posey who without even looking at the basket, spins and from 26 feet and over the arms of Mike Miller, Posey throws up a prayer. The clock expired fractions of a second before the ball floated cleanly through the rim. The shot was nothing but net and another heart breaking loss for the Memphis Grizzles.

It only takes one good sports franchise to really bring a city together. The Redskins did it in DC years ago and for the last three years Memphians have been taking a little pride. But after going to the playoffs for a 3^rd straight year and failing to get a win, there has been a lot of expectation this year. Everyone has been anticipating the skills of rookies Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowery and 2^nd year newbies Hakim Warrick and Lawrence Roberts. We follow the Commercial Appeal in preparation of the season and long for nothing more than a playoff win. And now after slipping to a record of 4-12, the worst record in the NBA, the Grizzles have nothing to do but anticipate the arrival of Pau Gasol, our franchise player, to bring us out of exile in the NBA, and put us back into contention for a chance at the playoffs.

Welcome to the season of Advent. There is more to Advent then opening those fun little calendars with little chocolates behind the windows. For me, Advent is a lot like this years Grizzles basketball season. The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival”. The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus and in anticipation of his coming again. Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, and of longing. We desire to be separated from the evils of this world just as the Israelites longed to be lifted out of oppression in ancient Egypt. Advent means anticipation of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over His people and in His creation. Advent reminds us of the hope of a Messiah to rule this world in this way.

And as we are waiting, we must prepare for that coming, which brings about what I find to be the most important quality of advent. Advent is a time to reflect, in order to prepare for the coming of Christ, we must reflect on all areas of our own lives. We look at our “season” and try to find a way to improve or try to grasp the new ways that God is working through us. This Advent, I invite you all to join Grab a “Day by Day” reflection book, or read a Chicken Soup for the Soul everyday. Or maybe take one quality that you would like to change about yourself and focus on that each week.

I want to share with you an Advent Reflection by Dennis Bratcher that I really enjoy. It is truly a humbling experience to read back through the Old Testament and see how frail and imperfect all the "heroes" actually are. Abraham, the coward who cannot believe the promise. Jacob, the cheat who struggles with everybody. Joseph, the immature and arrogant teen. Moses, the impatient murderer who cannot wait for God. Gideon, the cowardly Baal-worshipper. Samson, the womanizing drunk. David, the power abusing adulterer. Solomon, the unwise wise man. Hezekiah, the reforming king who could not quite go far enough. And finally, a very young Jewish girl from a small village in a remote corner of a great empire.

It never ceases to amaze me why God could not have chosen "better" people to do His work in the world. Yet if God can use them, and reveal Himself through them in such marvelous ways, it means that He might be able to use me, inadequate, and unwise, and too often lacking in faith that I am. And it means that I need to be careful that I do not in my own self-righteousness put limits on what God can do with the most unlikely of people in the most unlikely of circumstances. I think that is part of the wonder of the Advent Season.

A Reason to be Thankful

The noise in the hallways today has been a little louder than usual. The girls of St. Mary’s seem to be thrilled about the extended Thanksgiving Break. Each time one has walked in my office I have asked them if they are excited about Thanksgiving and I inquired about their plans. Although, I am pretty positive that almost everyone is excited to be out of school, some look a little terrified of their planned excursions.

“I have to go to my grandmothers, and there is no one my age, just my cousins who are a lot older and won’t hang out with me,” said one girl. I try to cheer them up but I understand exactly how they feel. We are forced to be around family and usually several more people than we are used to having invade our personal space. Holidays all around mean more family skirmishes, a lot more stress, and a hike in everyone’s blood pressure.

There is a special lectionary reading for Thanksgiving from the gospel of Matthew. In this Jesus says, “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what your will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” This comes at Thanksgiving, when we seem to stress about so much. I am fretting dealing with the stress levels of the Burruss kitchen as my mother and father try to prepare the turkey feast. Someone is always getting in the way and upsetting everyone else, the meal never goes exactly as planned, and although the last few years have been pretty easy with just the four of us, this year we have out-of-town guests. And that always means chaos. We always have a fabulous time, but we certainly worry about our food and drink.

As Thanksgiving arrives this week I challenge us all to quit worrying and be thankful and focused during this celebration of the gifts of God. I am thankful for the chaos in the kitchen because it means that I have a family to be with. I am thankful for worrying about if the turkey is too dry or too overcooked, because it means that I have a dinner that I can share with others. I am thankful for having the family invade my personal space at my home, because it means that I have a roof over my head and a place to have family visit. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Listening to Youth

I had the privilege of being a part of a spiritual retreat this past weekend for high school students. The annual event is called Bishop’s Bash and provides a unique experience for youth where they engage in conversation with the bishop of West Tennessee. In years past, we have designated a time period for the bishop to answer questions from the youth. I was rather surprised this year when Bishop Johnson asked, if for a change, he could put the youth on the hot seat and ask them questions. He had a unique opportunity to get unsolicited advice from a quorum of youth.

Bishop Johnson has been asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury to be part of a group that will try to figure out if it is possible for dioceses to have oversight from a different primate other than the Presiding Bishop. This is a challenging topic which threatens to change the structure of the world wide Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church forever.

I was a little surprised when the bishop asked if he could ask the youth questions. I naturally assume bishops are bishops because they are more knowledgeable about the Episcopal Church than most, have very good judgment, and are called by God. Foolishly, I wouldn’t have expected a bishop to seek the advice of forty high school students on how to handle one of the most delicate problems that has faced the Episcopal Church in years.

So often, we are guilty of writing off the opinions and viewpoints of youth. Even I, who work with youth, find myself looking elsewhere for advice. I can think of only one Episcopal Church in our diocese that has youth on the vestry. Of the twenty-two dioceses in Province IV, only two let youth vote during the diocesan convention. At least two dioceses do not even let youth attend. What Bishop Johnson recognized was that youth need to be listened to. They have quite a bit invested in the church. It is not only their church right now, but the decisions that are made today shape the church of tomorrow, the church the youth are left to run. And sometimes a fresh perspective from someone a little younger is a very valuable thing. Imagine how our education system could be changed, if teachers and school boards asked not only the parents, but also the students what they were getting out of their classes and what was and wasn’t working.