You have got to be kidding me??

As many of you know, in my spare time, I am the head football coach of my son's Pop Warner football team. We are excited this year as we are moving up to play in the Jr. Pee Wee age/weight division. Should be a great year!

Last night me and a few of our coaches went to the yearly Pop Warner area meeting for coaches who are coaching this great game. Once again I was shocked and amazed that 75% of the meeting was telling coaches not to be jerks on the sidelines AND not to cheat because as the head Pop Warner guy said...."This year we will catch you!"

They spent the night giving examples from last year:

* Please don't take the pads out of a pair of shoulder pads so that your kids can make weight.

* Please don't cut a pad in half in their pants so that a id can make weight.

* Please do not give your kids ex-lac before the game so that they can make weight.

* Please do not start your worse kid and then 2 plays later have him fake an injury so he does not have to play the rest of the game. (He followed that one up with the fact that the "injured" kid was caught on video tape 10 minutes later playing around behind the stands.

* Please do no try to skip your "must play" players by without playing them.

(We have to have team play monitors on the sideline of the opposing team to "watch" and make sure all the kids play their "must play" requirement.)

* Please do not leave a group of players at home when you know you have a tough game so that you only have to play with the league minimum of 16. We are sure their parents don't like that fact. (this happens every year in the playoffs)

The list of examples was exhaustive and ridiculous. I sat their and thought to myself...how far have we fallen as a culture that grown men act this way so that their Pop Warner team wins. I am as competitive as anyone and I can't imagine that these things actually happen. Must make their egos feel good that their 9-12 year old kids beat someone else......gets them through another tough week at work!

Some of you are thinking...."Kenny, that is why we should start our own Christian leagues so that or kids are not subject to such idiot parents and coaches." My answer to that is...."no this is why we Team up with city leagues and get involved in it's leadership and serve there....so we can be a positive influence on not only the kids but the league themselves."

Many public/city leagues are really run well and they value all the things that we do. I know that at MARA the leadership is always making sure that the quality of sport and competition is high just as the values of sportsmanship and the like.

At our Church we don't run from the culture challenges....we Team up with groups and see if we can help make them great for us and our kids. I am so pleased that we have CSF people involved in so the different sport organizations in near where they live. The goal is to do more and really make a difference in our city!

Today's Bible Reading: John 15

Here Jesus is very clear.....He says, "I am the Vine and you are the branches." If you are truly connected to God and doing what he want you to do....then you are a good branch. However, if we purposely choose to do the opposite of what God says then we are acting alone and will accomplish nothing. We cannot bear positive fruitful lives with out being directly connected to God.

Question: When people look at our lives and the fruit we are producing......what vine(tree) do they think our branches belong to?