Worth Celebrating

“You who are strong have an obligation to help those less fortunate." ~ Romans 15:1

Warrick Dunn retired from the NFL more than 11 years ago.  Even though he’s 22^nd on the NFL’s all-time rushing list (O.J. is 21^st), you probably don’t remember him for being the speedy, shifty all-purpose back for the Bucs and Falcons for 12 seasons.

Raised by a single Mom in Baton Rouge, Dunn was the oldest of six children.  On January 7^th, 1993, Corporal Betty Smothers, a 14-year veteran, was in uniform and driving a marked patrol car escorting a businesswoman to make a night deposit.  As they sat in her patrol car, 3 black suspects approached and opened fire, fatally wounding Officer Smothers and injuring the manager.

Warrick knows firsthand, the pain suffered by slain officers, their families and victims.  But he didn’t have time to riot, loot, complain or seek revenge.  He did the only thing he could – he stepped up to raise his siblings just two days after his 18th birthday.

Using his mother’s life insurance policy, the heavily-recruited high school athlete purchased a modest home for his younger siblings.  Although he considered walking away from football, he got needed help from family and friends to help raise his brothers and sisters.  Ultimately, Warrick fulfilled Betty’s dream and played football for the FSU Seminoles before joining the NFL as a first round draft choice.

He vowed, if he ever had the means, to not only take care of his own family, but as many families in need as he could.  And he delivered on that promise … many times over.

During his inaugural season with the Bucs, Warrick founded Homes for the Holidays (HFTH) to honor his late mother’s dream of home ownership.  The program partners with local community organizations to reduce the burden on new, single parent homeowners by fully furnishing their new house, providing down payment assistance, and stocking their pantries.

Its success inspired Warrick to expand into three additional programs: Count on Your Future, Sculpt, and Hearts for Community Service Scholarships, all housed today under the Warrick Dunn Charities umbrella.

Together, the four programs “strengthen and transform communities by combating poverty, hunger, and improving the quality of lives for families academically, socially, and economically.”

Additionally, he co-founded the Athletes for Hope with fellow athletes Mario Lemieux and Lance Armstrong among others.  He also helped raise $5 million to help Hurricane Katrina victims.

Warrick Dunn is an outstanding role model for young athletes.  With so many stories about big stars running their mouths or getting in trouble with the law, it’s refreshing to hear about a man who would literally give the shirt off his back to complete strangers.

Good player, wonderful father, great human!

Almighty Father, there are so many hurting and needy people. We lift them up to You and ask that You would bless them, help them, heal them.  May Your peace fill their hearts and may joy shine!  Use us to help them in any way we can.  Amen

Let Time Go Lightly

“Young people, make the most of your youth; follow the impulses of your heart." ~ Ecclesiastes 11:9

Floating, tumbling, soaring … through a crystal blue sky, images of Emily’s childhood flashed past her like a time-traveling machine in reverse.  Here’s where she can relive those memories again as if they’ve just happened.

Innocence.  Love.  Happiness.  Everything new; nothing boring or repetitive.

There she is, sitting on Mommy’s lap, alongside the old fireplace they once enjoyed.  Emily’s path was lit by new beginnings; worlds that she’d yet to experience.  As years ticked by, memories were born, but the best were still of her youth.

There she is at three (or as she said “fwee”).  With tanned legs curled under her, dusted with sand like flour on bread, she sits close to the lapping waves building a sandcastle on the beach.

Time flew by as those baby soft hands changed into stronger ones.  She’s now on the back-porch building a home of Lincoln Logs; dreaming of her future masterwork, complete with a puppy room, milkshake maker, and a popcorn machine.

Later, the pig-tailed child with hands bearing the quest for travel, is riding her bike around the block with Scott, her beagle in tow.  She always made the most of the extra hours of June solstice.

Moving on, her long, thin fingers, are suddenly beaded with sweat, as she tensely grasps the pen she holds while taking her first school exam.  Days later she closes her eyes, savoring the moment, but never releasing her grip on the excellent test result.

Years later, newly-manicured fingers firmly clutch the car’s steering wheel.  She relishes the roaring winds whistling through her long blond hair.

Suddenly she woke, every thought in high definition, feeling a bump as someone gently tried getting her attention.  The dreamlike feelings she’d experienced earlier were replaced by the sweet, angelic voice that had been placed on her chest.  Looking at the cherubic face of her newborn daughter, she realized that, God had given her a second chance to relive her childhood again!

How time flies, she thought.  We all enter this life with a set of dreams, hopes and aspirations.  We’re eager to grow up to achieve these dreams and take on the world.  But maybe sometimes in our haste, we forget to enjoy the journey.  We can get so caught up in achieving our goals, we fail to recognize how quickly time moves on.

Perhaps childhood is one of the best examples of doing what we love and doing what makes us smile from within.  It’s those joyful memories that sustain us, that carry us through the challenging times and remind us that our loving is important and worthwhile.

So, go lightly down your chosen path and remember to sing out loud.

Loving God, we move so fast and sometimes see so little in our daily travels.  Create in us a desire to pause and pursue moments of introspection.  Help us to see in a deeper way, to become more aware of what speaks to us in beauty and truth.  Amen

Just a Regular Guy

“The generous will themselves be blessed." ~ Proverbs 22:9

Prior to the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans’ Lower 9^th Ward boasted over 15,000 people.  There were stores, homes and traffic.  Katrina changed all that!

Years after the storm, much of New Orleans returned to normal - more than 50% of the city's wards regained their pre-storm populations.

That wasn’t the case for the Lower Ninth where entire blocks remained dotted with overgrown lots and abandoned businesses.  Desperation plagued the mostly African-American district.

The closest grocery store (Walmart) took 3 city bus transfers.

So, Ninth Ward resident Burnell Cotlon decided to change that.  Using money saved while working at fast food restaurants and dollar stores, he bought a formerly-flooded building at Caffin and North Galvez Streets.  And in 2014 he opened the Lower Ninth Ward’s first grocery store since the storm.

Grateful customers returned quickly - single moms, families, kids.  “I love my customers; they’re like family,” Cotlon began.

“Then COVID struck another blow to our community.  At least, with a hurricane, we had a chance to evacuate.”

The resulting quarantines hurt Ninth Ward resident particularly hard - a large percentage work in the hotel and seafood industries.  When everything shut down, little money circulated.

But rather than retreat, the former U.S. Army vet ramped up his service to the neighborhood.

As the owner of the only grocery store within a 5-mile radius, Burnell expanded his service to customers hit by massive layoffs.  Not only can you buy fresh produce and other items at Burnell’s bustling Market today, but you can also do your laundry, search the internet, grab some takeout food, get a haircut and even get legal papers notarized.

And for those who can’t pay in full, (and that’s more than a few) – he allows them to buy food on credit and ‘donating’ food to those most in need.

His personal ledger looks bleak.  “It hurts, because it caused me to get a little bit behind on my own bills,” he admitted.  “But I found my purpose.  My purpose is service.  I live here; these are my neighbors who’re hurting.  So, I just do what I can.  I couldn’t turn my back, because there's nowhere else for them to go.”

“If we can get through Katrina, we can get through anything.  We're going to be OK.  I’m just a ‘regular’ guy.  My goal in life is to support the Lower 9th Ward until it stands on par with the rest of New Orleans.”

A regular guy … with deep faith … and supersized dreams.  All of the rich food, music, and vibrant colors of New Orleans seem so much better off knowing its story of resilience, hope and apostles like Burnell Cotlon whose actions preach more loudly than his lips.

Lord, as I face my fears, when I’m feeling helpless, remind me of who YOU are, and who I am in You.  You are strong and courageous, so I can “take courage,” knowing You are with me, You are for me, and You will empower me.  Amen

True Grit

“Don’t look back.  Lengthen your stride and press toward the goal." ~ Philippians 3:13-14

The 1972 Munich Olympics are perhaps best remembered by the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches by Palestinian terrorists.  Mark Spitz won a record-setting seven gold swimming medals.  Yet the unsung hero of the Munich Games was another American swimmer - Steve Genter.  Never heard of him?  Read on.

Young Steve’s Olympic dream began at age ten.  Rigorously practicing every single day for seven years, he qualified first in the 200-meter freestyle qualifying event and became the odds-on favorite to win the gold medal in Munich.

Less than a week before Olympic competition was to begin, Genter suffered a partly collapsed lung.  Surgeons opened his chest, repaired his lung and stitched him back together.  Pain boiled through his lung like boiling water; more intense than he could have ever imagined.

Doctors warned Steve that his dream was over; the pain would be too great to swim in the finals without medication; Olympics rules banned all painkillers.  Even Mark Spitz begged him to withdraw (the event was the second most worrisome final of Spitz's seven).

Yet, Genter soldiered through the pain, nausea and sleeplessness which dominated every thought.  When his name was called, he stepped proudly onto the starting block; his surgeon at poolside.

When the gun sounded, he flew from the platform, adrenaline pumping with every ounce of concentration.  In a dead heat with Spitz, an awkward flip turn at 100 meters tore his stitches loose!  Fifty meters later there was blood in the pool.

Despite losing 24 ounces of blood during final lap, Genter lead with 25 meters to go.  But he was spent.  Spitz raced past him capturing gold by less than 1/10 of a second.  Genter won the silver medal.

Two days later his team won the 4x200 meter relay and Genter collected a gold medal.  He added a bronze later in the Games before returning home in Spitz’s shadow.

What happens to you when things go wrong?  Are you ready to quit or compete through the pain?  Do you surrender to circumstances or do you “Genter” through them?

When we strive for excellence and follow God's unique plan for our lives, we always win.  God's emphasis is not on overcoming or outsmarting our competitors but on the development of our own vision, passion, and perseverance.  The race is not against other contenders but against ourselves.  Success is not measured by the margin of victory over our rivals, but how we did compared to how well we could have done.

Our emphasis, therefore, must be on performing to the measure of our personal capabilities, on exercising discernment, discipline, and dedication in achieving the goals we believe God has set for us in our personal sphere of influence.

Lord, those who put their trust in You will never be disappointed.  Help me to keep trusting in Your great love for me even in the darkest, most painful times when I don’t understand Your plan.  Amen

The REAL Family Von Trapp

“As mothers console their children, so I will console you." ~ Isaiah 66:13

Like many true stories filtered through Hollywood’s overly sentimental lens, the screen version of The Sound of Music differs significantly from the actual tale of the von Trapp family.  Let’s start at the very beginning!

The actual Maria Kutschera was orphaned a toddler and sent to live with an abusive uncle.  She didn’t discover religion until college where she joined a convent in Salzburg.  Maria described herself as “the worst novitiate you could imagine!”

Captain von Trapp was arguably the more interesting and famous of the two characters.  As perhaps Austrian most decorated naval officer in WWI, he sank 13 ships and captured another – the most victories by any Austrian U-boat submarine commander.

Unlike the cold-hearted patriarch portrayed in the movie, he was actually a gentle, affectionate parent who encouraged musical activities with his family.  Though dutiful to his core, Georg was ambivalent about the carnage created by his sub and imperial rationalizations for war.

After the war, he lost the two loves of his life: his beloved wife Agathe (to scarlet fever) and the navy (land-locked after the war, Austria no longer needed one).  He settled in Salzburg with his seven children.

In 1926, he hired Maria from the nearby abbey as a tutor for his bedridden daughter.  She quickly endeared herself to the children ... and later to him.  Twenty-five years her senior, they married a year later.  “Maria, with her emotionally stunted upbringing, was the one who needed thawing.”

Like many families, the von Trapps lost their fortune after the Great Depression of the 1930s.  Forced to raise money, they took in boarders, including Father Franz Wasner, who immediately recognized their musical talent.  The priest (not Heir Detweiler), crafted the von Trapps into professional singers, saying mass for them daily as they travelled the world.

When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, Georg and Maria realized they were in great peril against a regime they detested.  Georg declined a naval command and a request for them to sing at Hitler's birthday party.  Fearing retribution, the family of twelve, traveled by train to Italy; (not Switzerland), under the guise of a concert tour from which they never returned.

One of the most disappointing parts of the film was its sanitization of the family’s faith.  Maria and the Trapp Family were all about living a Catholic Faith.  The family’s repertoire was largely religious choral music and folk songs.

From Italy, they came to America penniless and needing to learn English.  The family built, mostly on their own, a large home in rural Vermont, and a lodge for visitors to stay and hear their concerts.  They continued touring worldwide as the Trapp Family Choir, and some, including Maria, became Catholic missionaries to Papua New Guinea.

“Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!”

Father, thank you for my family. Thank you for the laughter, the learning, the tears, and the triumphs that fill our homes. Teach us; root us in your Word.  May we glorify you in our victories!  Amen

A Forgiving People

“Practice whatever you’ve learned or heard from me, or seen in Me." ~ Philippians 4:9

The simple, rural life she knew shattered on Oct. 2, 2006, when her oldest son, Charlie Roberts, stormed into a one-room Amish schoolhouse carrying three guns and a childhood grudge.  He ordered the boys and adults to leave before barricading the doors and opening fire on a dozen little girls between the ages of 6 and 13.

Five died; others were badly injured.  Then the 32-year-old husband and father of three young kids took his own life.

Terri Roberts heard the sirens and heard helicopters.  Soon her husband Chuck’s sunken eyes revealed the unthinkable, the unimaginable.  Their son Charlie had been the executioner.

Terri crawled into a fetal position, feeling as if her insides were ripped apart.  Chuck, a retired cop, wept into a towel; his mind laid waste by the brutality of the tragedy.

Amish parents waited in a nearby barn for news about which of their daughters had survived.

Minds stuttering for their emotions to catch up, they shared stories, consoled each other, and prayed for their community.  Feelings of anger, hostility, or retaliation were completely absent.

Nearby, a knock at the door came softly; then silence.  Chuck cringed.  Had they come to avenge their son’s murderous rampage?  He rose in the weakened state of a man both frightened and grief-stricken.

Henry, an Amish neighbor with full grey beard sans mustache, glared back at him though the peephole.  When Chuck opened the door, a dozen or so Amish men also stepped into view.

“We come in peace Roberts,” Henry explained in a gentle voice.  "We love you and don't hold anything against you or your son.”  Henry stepped forward and massaged Chuck’s defeated shoulders.  "We are a forgiving people!"

The Amish didn’t see them as enemies.  They saw them as parents who were grieving the loss of their child, too.  Later they would donate money to the killer's widow and children.

Terri Roberts wrote a book, “Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting,” about the touching relationship she developed with the Amish community in the aftermath.

Once a week until her death in 2017, Terri spent time with a 13-year-old victim named Rosanna who sat in a wheelchair and ate through a tube after being shot in the head.  She bathed and talked to her, brushed her hair, read books and sang hymns.  Chuck began a second career driving families to places farther away than their horses and buggies could carry them.

For most people, a decision to forgive comes, if ever, at the end of a long emotional journey that may stretch over years.  The Amish invert the process.  Their religious tradition predisposes them to forgive even before an injustice occurs, believing that God's long arm of justice removes the need for human intervention.

God, we pray for those who suffer injustice and those who suffer senseless violence.  Only the miracle of peace will bring about healing. Use us however You will to bring about Your peace in this broken world.  In Jesus.  ~ Amish Prayer

"My Country 'Tis of Thee"

“Blessed is the nation whose god is the Lord." ~ Psalm 33:12

I’ll admit, I didn’t deserve to be born in America.  I don’t deserve this place any more than I merit any other of God’s graces.  His Kingdom is my final loyalty, but under that banner it’s OK to be thankful that others paid a high price to preserve our land with its freedoms and its cultural proclivities.  Nevertheless, America still has a way to go.

When I think of America’s Independence celebration, I’m reminded of several patriots who fervently believed in, and help define, the American dream: George Washington, Susan B. Anthony, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr.  Each was an outcast, but rose to the pinnacle of political and social influence to shape our nation and the world.

Perhaps the most unlikely of those heroes is Rev. King.  Unlike Gen. Washington, he embraced nonviolent protest, but mobilized a citizens’ volunteer army to achieve revolutionary goals.  He didn’t have to fight against gender discrimination like Anthony, yet he led a crusade to challenge profound prejudice.  And unlike Lincoln, he didn’t hold public office, but he too laid down his life for the ideals he believed.

King differed from many of today’s social justice activists in four obvious ways.  1) He was a minster of the Gospel who loved and preached Jesus Christ as his Savior.  In his ‘American Dream’ sermon, he preached, “God is love!  His Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.”

2)  He loved America and its founding principles.  “When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.”  (‘I Have A Dream’ speech, July 4, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial)

3) He expressed love toward his adversaries.  Jesus didn’t say ‘Like your enemies.’  ‘Like’ is too sentimental a word ... but Jesus recognized that love is far greater.” (Loving Your Enemies)

4) He constantly talked about unity and equality for all peoples, rather that division.  In his ‘Letter from the Birmingham Jail’ he wrote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere.”

His God-inspired words still ring true today.

My heart’s burdened by events and attitudes unfolding around us lately.  We’re not united; we’re divided by political and social ideologies.  People’s rights seem to be valued over peoples’ lives.  It breaks God’s heart too.

America is imperfect.  But we should find hope that we have a great future home in heaven.  But for now, America is our homeland.  We have both the opportunity and freedom to continue making her better.

In His unending grace, God chose broken people to complete His mission.  Why believe that He can’t use a broken nation to do the same?

Father, please help heal our nation.  We’re in the middle of a great battle; one that can only be won on our knees.  Draw us close, Lord.  Deliver us from its darkness, that we might be a light to others.  Amen