You can be more than you are... 

but not more than you see!

How often we hear ourselves say, I can't do that, I can't reach that high, I can't continue, and I can't win! And yet if the truth would be known the only thing that restricts your ability to reach to the level of success that you want or the victory that you would like to achieve, is your ability to see the end from the beginning.

Vince Lombardi once said,
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”

 Oh, I know what your thinking... Chappy is going off on some brain game to psych us into a great mindset that we can use this coming football season. But if that is your thinking your level of success is already established for you before you try. My desire writing today is to shake us out of the mindset of being a good football team. In the same way, I want to shake us out of the mindset of being a good person, a good parent, a good friend,  and move us into the world of the great!

Now I'm not describing a momentary change. I'm not describing a single decision that instantly changes the course of our lives and takes us from the place of safety to the place of victory? But rather an internal change, a paradigm shift that creates a new beginning in our core that will grow and change everything. (eventually)

Jim Collins the author of Good to Great says it this way.

"In each of these dramatic, remarkable, good-to-great corporate transformations, we found the same thing: There was no miracle moment. Instead, a down-to-earth, pragmatic, committed-to-excellence process—a framework—kept each company, its leaders, and its people on track for the long haul. In each case, it was the triumph of the Flywheel Effect over the Doom Loop, the victory of steadfast discipline over the quick fix. And the real kicker: The comparison companies in our study—firms with virtually identical opportunities during the pivotal years—did buy into the change myths described above—and failed to make the leap from good to great."

Real change is when we choose to own the change individually. When we each look deep into our lives and see the personal transformation that must occur that will facilitate our lives.

Jim Collins continues...

"Picture an egg. Day after day, it sits there. No one pays attention to it. No one notices it. Certainly no one takes a picture of it or puts it on the cover of a celebrity-focused business magazine. Then one day, the shell cracks and out jumps a chicken. 

All of a sudden, the major magazines and newspapers jump on the story: “Stunning Turnaround at Egg!” and “The Chick Who Led the Breakthrough at Egg!” From the outside, the story always reads like an overnight sensation—as if the egg had suddenly and radically altered itself into a chicken.
Now picture the egg from the chicken's point of view. 

While the outside world was ignoring this seemingly dormant egg, the chicken within was evolving, growing, developing—changing. From the chicken’s point of view, the moment of breakthrough, of cracking the egg, was simply one more step in a long chain of steps that had led to that moment. Granted, it was a big step—but it was hardly the radical transformation that it looked like from the outside."

Vince Lombardi said,

“You never win a game unless you beat the guy in front of you. The score on the board doesn’t mean a thing. That’s for the fans. You’ve got to win the war with the man in front of you. You’ve got to get your man.”

But as the Chaplain of the Wildcats and as a Pastor at WECA I would like us all to consider that the man in front of you is only clearly seen when we are standing in front of a mirror. Our greatest adversary is not some lineman on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage neither is it some person or situation that stands in opposition to your plans or endeavors but it is rather that individual who stares back at you when your brushing your teeth. He is the real challenge, he is the one who wants to settle, wants to just be good, get by, rest.

“If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.”
Vince Lombardi

So guys (everyone) as we set out into the season with the intention to win it all, take the time to tackle the man in the mirror. Don't let him allow you to settle for a life that would just make you good. Don't allow him to create an attitude that would give you an out. But rather tackle him, take him and hold him down until you have the character and the belief that you won't settle for good.

I'm with you guys until the final whistle... with you until we sing "that song" after the final down.

 Chappy (@wecadave)

THE BIBLE IS SCARY... AND I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT ANYMORE!

Recently we were blessed with an intense three week study on the book of Revelation. Three wise gentlemen who have studied the words of Christ as revealed to John for the largest component of their lives taught, shared and answered questions. 

After listening to three excellent explanations about the book, it's complexity and exciting stories, the listeners were confronted with a couple of clear thoughts. 

[1] Christ is the LORD and He is in charge, right to the very end of the age. 
[2] The book of revelation has a depth that is not easily plumbed on a glance or a mere scan. It is instead a book that must be unpacked with thoughtful and careful study and discussion. 
[3] The words of the book without thoughtful and careful discussion can be TOTALLY FRIGHTENING! 

It is with this last thought that I reflect on today. Here is the question... 

If a subject material is frightening to the listener because they do not yet have the understanding with which to decipher the truth through the complexity, should there be an obligation on the teacher not to teach in the hope that they would not offend or frighten the listener? 

Is the reaction of the listener the responsibility of the teacher, or spoken plainly, if the material is scary should the material not be spoken of at all?

This problem surfaced this week as a person who attended Sunday night's discussion on the last three chapters of revelation was so scared that they were going to be judged by God that they left the evening service feeling disconnected from the faith family and from the faith that they thought they knew. 

The faith that they thought they knew was a faith that God had promised to save their family if they only lived lives hard and pure enough to be accepted but God. A faith of works, hoping that the Lord would accept their efforts and therefore there family would in turn also be accepted. 

Now we know that the hell fire and brimstone messages of the previous century probably are not as readily accepted by the do not offend at any cost crowd of the North America today, but the message Sunday night was miles from the hell fire messages of yesteryear. It was many things but what I believe scared this sister was the message on the BEMA seat judgment or the judgment of the saints. 

That is the teaching that the saints of God upon welcome to heaven will be judged according to the opportunities achieved and lost.  

You know how it goes...a robe of white... a crown of gold... a harp... a home... a mansion fair.  

So what do you think? Should the crowds sensitivities determine the content of the messages from the pulpit or should if determine only the delivery. 

I would love to hear from you...
...is there a place for the bible to be scary?