"Quit Fighting!"

Hi, my name is Tommy and I am a scrapper. 

No, not scrapper as in "one who hauls away scrap". 

And definitely NOT as "one who does scrap booking"

By scrapper I mean: a fighter or aggressive competitor, especially one always ready or eager for a fight, argument, or contest: the best lightweight scrapper in boxing; a rugged political scrapper.

As a scrapper, I don't know how to quit; it is hard-wired in me.

In hockey I love the corners and will "fight" the biggest guy if necessary to try to take away the puck. I say "try" because I am not always successful. 

I have been a scrapper from time to time and arm wrestled with leadership; especially when I see a potential problem with a direction that they are going or with incompetence.

I have been a scrapper with Cathy in an attempt to fix a problem, rather than following her suggestion to forgive and let it go. Oftentimes she responds with; "Or we could simply laugh it off and move on."

I have been a scrapper with issues of injustice and whenever I see the scales tipped unfairly.

And, sadly, I have especially have been a scrapper with the Lord. And, even though Jacob did that in the Bible (see Genesis 32), for me, that's not a good thing. Jacob may have felt it was necessary to get the blessing from the Lord by wrestling with Him; for me it stirs up a bad side of being a scrapper.

The truth is, Jacob wasn’t wrestling with the Lord as much as the Lord was wrestling with Jacob. The Lord saw Jacob's need and came down to meet with him. The Lord was breaking Jacob, changing him, transforming him. 

Smith Wigglesworth (referring to Jacob) wrote: “Jacob knew that no one could deliver him but God. And there alone, lean in soul and impoverished in spirit, he met with God. Oh, how we need to get alone with God, to be broken, to be changed, to be transformed! And when we do meet with Him, He interposes, and all care and strife are brought to an end.”  

The Lord is calling me to set aside my agenda and to allow Him to be the Lord of ALL of each and EVERY situation of my life.

He is working on my character and wants me to resist my flesh and to die to MY agenda.

I need to get alone with the Lord; not fight Him, and receive the revelation of His infinite grace and of His wonderful purpose and plans for my life.

He wants me to believe and trust and rest and know that He the Lord is in control, and that He sees it all.

He wants me to stop and to smell every flower and chew every morsel of food; and embrace every life; and know that it will all be alright.

He wants me to give it all to Him and for me to quit fighting Him.

He wants me to get to the point where I have no fight left.

"No Fight Left"
It's hard to tell if my eyes are open

When all I see is dark

And it's easy, it's easy to lose my step

To lose my step

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

And I used to dream of a life so lovely

There'd be no room for tears

Now letting go, yeah

Letting go is the hardest part

It's the hardest part

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

Ohhh...

There is no place I can go

Where you don't already know

How to reach right down and pull me out

I need you, I need you, I need you

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all...

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all, yeah

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all, yeah

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

Songwriters: JJ Heller / Dave Heller

Happy Hockey

Two weeks ago, I was sitting poolside in Sunny Florida basking in 85-degree weather.

This past week, the temperatures in Minnesota dropped and snow coated the ground. In fact, on one day the snow was actually deep enough that I had to use both a brush to sweep of our vehicles and a shovel to clean our sidewalks.

And all across social media I saw posts complaining about the snow and cold temperatures as though something strange was happening.

I realize that for some people who live in the northern region of the USA, this is not a happy time of the year. It is the season when leaves, temperatures, and snow fall and all reminders that this region is a very lush and green place to live are gone (for at least for the next five months or so).

But for me, I am HAPPY and excited because that means that outdoor hockey season in Minnesota is a few weeks away. Soon all across this great state outdoor rinks in parks, lakes, and ponds will be filled with hockey games of all levels of age and experience.

This year marks my fifty first year of playing ice hockey. And for most of those fifty-one years, hockey has been one of my “happy places”.

I have many other happy places such as spending time with the Lord, my wife, children, grandchildren, friends, my workshop, at/on any body of water; as well as being outdoors simply enjoying God’s creation.

So where is your “happy place”? If it is hot, sunny weather and you live in Minnesota it will be subjective. If it is with people who always make you happy; again, it will be subjective.

It may surprise you that the word ‘blessed’ in the Bible means “happy”. We see it in Matthew 5 when Jesus gives His famous “Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5-7). “Blessed are…”

We find it in Psalm 1:1 which says; “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”

BOTH the Hebrew and the Greek word used in those passages means ‘happy’.

In fact, those of us who KNOW Him are SUPPOSED to be HAPPY! We are told in the Bible; “Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!” (Psalm 144:15b)

In other words, our happiness is not based on our circumstances or activities, but rather, based on whether or not we are in the center of God’s will for our lives because it’s in the center of God’s will that we will be happy.

And, it is in this place that not only are we happy in our happy place(s), but our lives become a testimony to our friends and all those around us.

When they see you glowing and happy in spite of the circumstances, it speaks to them; it causes them to think; “Why is this person happy? Why is their response to life different from mine?”

 

When you walk in His will and follow His direction, you shine with His light, His joy; His happiness.

And it is a powerful testimony because no matter what is going on around you, others will see the abundant life that Jesus came to bring each one of us who call upon His name (John 101:10).

Be happy my friend as you take steps to be and remain in the center of the LORD's will for your life. Allow your happiness in Him to emanate from your life to others.

KNEEding Rest

If you know me at all, you know that I like hockey. I love both watching and playing. When I am at a rink, if I am unable to be on the ice playing, then I want to sit (literally) on the edge of my seat with my nose against the glass.

OK; Truth be told: I LOVE hockey!

And, because I am a ‘rub-dirt-on-it’ kind of person, I don’t like to let injuries keep me out of the game. One year I broke the pinky on my left hand and a cast was put on me that went up to my elbow. Instead of sitting out the game, I had a teammate lace up my skates so that I could be a referee because they were one short.

So, the idea of not playing when I have the time and have a game available isn’t something I am going to do; even if I am injured. This is especially true when it is the end of January and the outdoor ice here in Minnesota starts to melt in mid-February; which is only two weeks away…that adds up to only a few more games outdoors!

And yet, this past Saturday morning that was exactly what I knew that I needed to do.

For the past month or so, my right knee has been giving me some trouble. It doesn’t affect me DURING the game partially because my compression garments, shin pads, and hockey socks wrap around in a way that seems to stabilize my legs and knees.

But AFTER the game, a few hours later, my right knee begins to ache and swells up. The pain and swelling usually lasts from Saturday night through Friday morning; with pain levels going from a “10” (out of ten) on Saturday night to a “3 or 4” by Friday morning. 

This cycle of pain through the week affects me a lot when I am even doing simple things like walking up and down stairs and when I drive; which usually brings pain levels back to “10”! My favorite part is the popping or cracking noises, and frequently locks up.

It also stops me from crawling on the living room floor to give horsey rides to my grandchildren. “Not today; grandpa is hurt…”

My remedy for the pain has been a combination of Ibuprofen, Lidocaine, Biofreeze, and ice…applying and repeating throughout the week. 

By Friday evening I have some idea whether I am going to play or not. But, I wait until Saturday morning to make my final decision. And, for the past month, my love for hockey has trumped my body’s need for healing.

My knee felt good by this Friday and my pain level was better than last Saturday, so I was cleared for takeoff. A fresh sheet and teammates awaited my arrival. And yet I didn’t go.

This Saturday my body won.

I know that sometimes you need to rub some dirt in and keep moving, and for that part that is in my fiber I am grateful; it has kept me employed and kept me in the game (both hockey and in life).

Moms understand this and know that they need to respond to a baby’s cry even if they have had no sleep (and if their man has slept right through the crying). They are always on call no matter how they feel.

I say that my body won, but the truth is that it was a scripture that came to me that gave me wisdom to sit out this week’s game even though I could have pressed through and played.

The LORD speaking through the Prophet Isaiah said:

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
But you would not” (Isaiah 30:15 NKJV)

I realize that my knee isn’t what the LORD was talking about in that passage, nevertheless, the LORD communicated to me that I needed to rest to find my strength; there was something else beyond this game.

I immediately thought of the fact that even though my outdoor season would be ending in a few weeks, my spring season will be starting in five weeks. I needed to see the bigger picture that if I would simply sit out one game, then I could get stronger to play my ten games (March thru May).

My combination of Ibuprofen, Lidocaine, Biofreeze, and ice…applying and repeating throughout the week, was a temporary fix for what my body really needed; REST!

In fact, my attempts to get healed were undermining what God was trying to do. Pressing through was making things worse in the long run. The swelling and the pain were trying to prevent further damage to my knee and were trying to communicate that I need to stop trying to be strong; I needed REST!

I needed to rest my knee for other reasons as well, like being available to help carry things for others or being on the floor with my grandchildren.

Do you realize that sometimes our short-sighted goals or efforts prevent us from getting what we really need? In fact, we can undermine what God is trying to do for us by trying to take shortcuts.

I love how Eugene Peterson translated Isaiah 30:15 (MSG):

“Your salvation requires you to turn back to Me

and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on Me—

The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do.”

If you find yourself today in a similar state of mind (or body) and you are trying to push through in your own strength, my exhortation to you is to STOP…and REST!

Jesus longs for you to call out to Him today.

He is waiting for you to respond to His mercy and grace that has already been extended to you through Jesus Christ. And you can; today. And it can make all the difference in the world as you look for hope in your present world. Let Him bring you REST.

Need further help? Someone is waiting to talk with you. Call either: 1-888-NEED HIM or 1-877-2GRAHAM (1-877-247-2426).

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Scripture taken from The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Thoughts on Hockey and Life -Re-Posted

With the start of the 2016-2017 NHL season this past week, my thoughts turned to hockey. At age 58 my love for hockey has only increased... so I decided to re-post an old blog I wrote on March 2, 2009.

"Thoughts On Hockey And Life"

I love to play hockey! I’ve been playing hockey since 1967 when my older brother Chuck instilled in me a passion for the game at the pond across the street from our house. As a kid I couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving when the pond would freeze and we were able to shovel out a couple of rinks to skate on. With no guards on our skates, we thought that it was “cool” that we could make sparks on the asphalt thinking that we were sharpening our skates in the process.

I remember collecting Christmas trees from around the neighborhood to burn at night (at the rinks) so that we could see... to play one more game. Growing up on the pond set a course that would become a love and a passion for a sport that I enjoy no matter whether I am playing or watching; inside or out. I still get shivers as I walk into an indoor arena and catch a whiff of the ice, but there still is nothing like the feel of skating on a pond or outdoor rink.

This past winter I found myself enjoying playing hockey more than I ever have. Each game that I played on a local outdoor rink drew out a desire to play “one-more-game”. Something inside me reminded me of the days I was a little kid on the neighborhood pond.

Jack Falla*, said it best; “Never been unhappy on the rink”

 Part of the reason for this revived passion of this past season has to do with realizing that at 50 ½ years old, I’m no spring chicken! I realize that these days will soon be over…Of course I thought that I would have to hang up the skates when I was injured and wasn't able to play for around 10 years.

Part of the reason comes from realizing that soon the warm weather will turn the rinks into water that only distantly reflect images of sticks lifted high in triumph as pucks were sneaked through as goal tenders were caught off guard.

There is a quote from Pond Hockey Movie** that goes something like this: “Every shift brings me closer to the last one…you don’t know how many more you have left”

I realize the same is true for my time here on the earth. The Apostle Paul said: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11 (NKJV)

Each day is a precious gift from God. We don’t know how many days we have left; or how long this old earth can keep going on. There are no guarantees that tomorrow will come. None of us with all of our perfect theology are able to predict when Christ will return.

Jesus said; “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32 (NKJV). Today is the day of salvation; today is the day to come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior! Today is the day to go out and be used by God.

Today is the day to enjoy those around us. Get out there! Enjoy life! Today is the day to be grateful for all that God has bestowed on us.

 "Keep your stick on the ice." – (Red Green) and keep going forward.

Remember; “Every shift brings me closer to the last one…you don’t know how many more you have left” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Jack Falla was the BU journalism lecturer widely considered one of the best hockey writers in the business. Jack died September 2008 **

Check out the Pond Hockey Movie http://pondhockeymovie.com Pond Hockey Movie is a movie from Northland Films documenting the outdoor hockey experience and the role of sports in our modern society. For generations, rink rats have grown up on outdoor ice—where the ice is gritty and so is the play. Now, there are climate-controlled arenas in every town, and that’s where the kids go to practice year-round. Through interviews with hockey legends like Neal Broten and Wayne Gretzky and the on-ice action of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, Pond Hockey examines this changing culture in search of the true meaning of sport.