momentum shift
well, today was the first day of the new nfl season, and the cowboys responded with a futile effort at jacksonville. this evening i also caught most of colts/giants. i love football (not to the level of baseball of course). the thing i like least about it is watching on tv or listening on radio and having to deal with all the useless commentary. joe buck, working for fox, was in not-so-rare form earlier, going on and on about the cowboys' kicking game problems, even when they were behind by more than 3 points. it was a non-issue, and troy aikman nailed him on it.
what i dislike most about the commentary is the endless amount of clichés that these guys must keep on cheat sheets, ready to use at any moment. my least favorite cliché: the momentum shift. someone fumbles, there's a costly penalty, a touchdown in the closing seconds of the half, and all of the sudden there is a tangible shift in the game, where one team now has momentum, and the other team must try to reclaim it. it's almost as if momentum is more valuable than points!
these men are professional athletes: most of them millionaires. their contracts are not guaranteed, meaning if they are injured or the team wished to make a change they can do so at minimal financial risk. in other words, a player's momentum has very little do with a turnover or score; it is ultimately determined at the bank. guys at this level should be fired up about playing regardless of the circumstance of the game-- their future security depends on it. as i heard john madden and aikman talk about momentum shifts over and over, i began to wonder: momentum shifts may be bogus in football, but what about in the church?
in my last posting i described my "birthing anxiety" over trinity church's new saturday night praise and worship service. i was not worried or without faith about it-- there was just a great deal of unanswered questions. turns out the the first service of "all the way live" last night was a huge success! rafe's band was unbelievable, and the atmosphere was very energetic. people applauded and celebrated. it really was an amazing thing to witness, almost as if this was something folk had been waiting to experience, and they finally had their chance. everyone was still very positive today. maybe this new service will be a catalyst for a momentum change at trinity church?
could this new sense of energy and enthusiasm-- people always seem to respond to something new-- be what takes or church to the next level, from good to great? experiencing the kind of worship celebration folk had last night-- could that plant some kind of seed where they are more likely to invite people they know who do not currently have a church home? i hope the answer is yes. i say that not for the sake of the church but for those outside of the church who are still searching for God. perhaps God will use this service as a conduit for sharing the good news of Christ with more and more people.
the whole "momentum thing" in meaningless in football. i remember playing, and while i was never really that good, i played for fun, not for incredible amounts of money. the millionaires in helmets and pads could care less about momentum. they have a job to do, and there is serious money at risk. but i sensed a momentum shift at trinity church last night, in myself, as well as others. i heard it in the voices of congregants last night and again today. two women who visited said the service was answered prayer for them-- they had been waiting for something just like this. i bet many others felt that way too. and if that causes a significant momentum shift in the church, helping more and more folk come to Christ, then i'd say that's a shift in the right direction.
what i dislike most about the commentary is the endless amount of clichés that these guys must keep on cheat sheets, ready to use at any moment. my least favorite cliché: the momentum shift. someone fumbles, there's a costly penalty, a touchdown in the closing seconds of the half, and all of the sudden there is a tangible shift in the game, where one team now has momentum, and the other team must try to reclaim it. it's almost as if momentum is more valuable than points!
these men are professional athletes: most of them millionaires. their contracts are not guaranteed, meaning if they are injured or the team wished to make a change they can do so at minimal financial risk. in other words, a player's momentum has very little do with a turnover or score; it is ultimately determined at the bank. guys at this level should be fired up about playing regardless of the circumstance of the game-- their future security depends on it. as i heard john madden and aikman talk about momentum shifts over and over, i began to wonder: momentum shifts may be bogus in football, but what about in the church?
in my last posting i described my "birthing anxiety" over trinity church's new saturday night praise and worship service. i was not worried or without faith about it-- there was just a great deal of unanswered questions. turns out the the first service of "all the way live" last night was a huge success! rafe's band was unbelievable, and the atmosphere was very energetic. people applauded and celebrated. it really was an amazing thing to witness, almost as if this was something folk had been waiting to experience, and they finally had their chance. everyone was still very positive today. maybe this new service will be a catalyst for a momentum change at trinity church?
could this new sense of energy and enthusiasm-- people always seem to respond to something new-- be what takes or church to the next level, from good to great? experiencing the kind of worship celebration folk had last night-- could that plant some kind of seed where they are more likely to invite people they know who do not currently have a church home? i hope the answer is yes. i say that not for the sake of the church but for those outside of the church who are still searching for God. perhaps God will use this service as a conduit for sharing the good news of Christ with more and more people.
the whole "momentum thing" in meaningless in football. i remember playing, and while i was never really that good, i played for fun, not for incredible amounts of money. the millionaires in helmets and pads could care less about momentum. they have a job to do, and there is serious money at risk. but i sensed a momentum shift at trinity church last night, in myself, as well as others. i heard it in the voices of congregants last night and again today. two women who visited said the service was answered prayer for them-- they had been waiting for something just like this. i bet many others felt that way too. and if that causes a significant momentum shift in the church, helping more and more folk come to Christ, then i'd say that's a shift in the right direction.
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