Get it Back

Getting it back. It's amazing to watch someone work at something for so long, achieve it, and then lose it.

Athletes are prime examples of this. Its hard for us to imagine just how much time and effort an athlete puts into his or her sport. From the age of 7 or younger, some have given every day to their dream. Whether its playing for the New York Yankees, standing over a 4 foot put at Augusta, or playing a cross court winner on Center Court at Wimbledon. A few, very few, find themselves actually in those positions. Zach Johnson, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, all of a sudden found himself dueling Tiger Woods on the back nine of The Masters, and won!

But I'm particularyl fascinated by, and I'm not sure I'm proud to write this, by those athletes, and other professionals actually, who achieve their dream...then lose it.

Greg Norman, twice led the Masters late- let it slip through his fingers, and never made it back to the stage again. All-Star baseball players like Chuck Knoblauch and Steve Sax, actually at one point in their careers struggled to even throw the ball from 2nd base to 1st base. What happened?

What happened to Brad Lidge? All-Star closer for the Houston Astros, who for 3 seasons straight was as dominant a closer the majors had ever seen. And then, on one night in October, against the rival St. Louis Cardinals, Lidge gave up a game winning bomb to the great Albert Pujols, that I still believe, landed in the Gulf of Mexico. Ever since then, he's lost it. What happened? Did he become less talented? Did he lose his confidence? What does that even mean as an athlete? Don't all professional athletes have confidence? They are professionals...

And then it begins. Getting it back. None of those guys just stopped playing. They all tried, and in Lidge's case, are trying to get back. Get back whatever left them.

I heard Lidge today on the Dan Patrick Show, and to his credit, he gave a very candid interview, not shying away from anything. And the remarkable thing was- he has no clue what happened. Suddenly his 98 mph fastball, now clocks out at 92. In what seemed like an instant, his devastating splitter now looks like a Tim Wakefield fastball. Doubt crept in, teamates seem more distant, and the man who used to shut 9th inning leads, now pitches in the 5th inning, down 6 runs...

I cheer for Brad Lidge. If I was old enough, I would have cheered for the Shark.

Athletes aren't the only ones who feel this though. We all experience it to some degree. Some area in our life begins to slip. Be it our health, relationships, skills. Things change and we wonder, can I ever get it back. Doubt creeps in and self-confidence erodes. There has to be hope though. There has to be someone who tells you, you can get it back.

When we lose it- often we don't even know why-
but we don't quit -
We just try to get it back.

Easter

10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

16Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

One Day Closer

Lately, I've been thinking about just how fast life flies by. Today is Thursday of Holy Week, and I feel as if I just celebrated New Years.

Sometimes this thought can be pretty depressing, but the more and more I think about it, the more my pessimism seems to become a more dimly lit model of optimism. Today is one day closer than yesterday.

One day closer to my graduation from seminary. One day closer to getting married. One day closer to seeing your child take her first steps. One day closer to the culmination of everything.

It's hard for us to imagine that. So much of our daily existence overshadows any attempt at thinking beyond today, or certainly past tomorrow. The reality however, is that you and I, this world, this universe, is one day closer to the culmination of all things. One day closer to your dream. One day closer to that perfect job, that perfect man or woman. One day closer to accomplishing something great. One day closer to Jesus being King, really.

King Jesus.

I've been listening over and over recently to U2's "One Step Closer".

One step closer to knowing.

"I'm hangin out to dry with my old clothes...
finger still red with the prick of an old rose...
well the heart that hurts is the heart that beats...
can you hear the drummer slowing?"

One Step Closer to knowing.

Constant

Some things in this world are permanent. No matter what happens, outside of an act of God, the sun will rise, the moon will orbit the earth, the ocean will turn its waves onto beaches around the world, and John Smoltz will pitch for the Altlanta Braves.

Yes, another Atlanta Braves season began with their beloved warrior of almost 20 years as their opening day starting pitcher.

You don't understand. For me, John Smoltz pitching for the Braves is a constant! It's a fact. A universal law of the universe. At 25 years of age, I don't know life without Smoltzy climbing the red hill, grabbin the rosen bag, and being absolutely nails.

40.

One more climb to the top of baseball's control panel. The ultimate quarterback...control freak, gamer, baller, hard ass- call it what you like. Smoltzy.

I'll never forget the 1991 World Series. Although the late Kirby Puckett and Jack Morris' gutsy performance would break my 10 year old heart, I took one thing away from those moments...John Smoltz is my favorite baseball player...ever.

I dunno, maybe it's his dorky pants that don't go all the way to his shoes. Perhaps its seeing him without his hat and that bald dome shining proud. Or maybe it's because when the team needed a closer in 2002, he went to the bullpen because they asked him to, and saved the most games by a reliever in a single season (55).

Maybe its about loyalty. Maybe its about winning over 200 games, or just being a great interview. For having personality and the guts to say something in the modern Tiger Woods/Michael Jordan era where endorsement deals determine what you say, and what you don't say.

You know what Smoltz endorses? Home Depot and the Atlanta Braves- thats it.

So on a beautiful sunny day in Philadelphia, John Smoltz climbed Carlton's hill, gave his famous glaring stare towards home plate, and fired strike one...again.

6 innings. 7 strikeouts. 1 win.

Here's to permenance. Here's to my "Dan Marino". Here's to showing up and doing your job day in and day out.

Smoltzy.

A living legend. A bald magician. A sports freak.

Raise your glasses to John Smoltz.