The golden "golden goal"

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.

Wayne Gretzky

So the Winter Olympics are over. It took me a wee while to get into them this time around, but I was captivated by the middle of the last week. Vancouver seems to have put on a great show.

Of course the pinnacle was Sunday night’s hockey final (with insincere apologies to any American readers). It was a fantastic match, with USA equalising with only 24.4 seconds left. Canada came back in overtime, to score the sudden death winner.

So Canada end up with more gold medals than any other nation at these Olympics. In fact they won more gold medals than any nation has ever won at a Winter Olympics.

Inevitably I think that there are a few things that we can learn from the match.

❑        Firstly, the Canadian victory was a real team effort. The superstar of Canadian hockey - Sidney Crosby - didn’t shine brightly on the night, or indeed throughout the tournament. For me Rick Nash was the man of the match. But the point is that the superstars on your team can’t win it alone. (I should note that Crosby scored the winning goal - almost inevitably!)

❑        Secondly, I love the drama of pulling the goal-tender with 90 seconds to go. It’s a lesson in concentrating resources where they are most needed. Aye, it is risky, but it also carries the hope of reward - which did materialise in this case.

❑        Thirdly, I admire the tenacity of the Americans. They pushed right to the end, never giving up hope.

❑        Finally, I was hugely impressed by the resilience of the Canadians. To come back out after the bitter blow of the late equaliser required courage and composure. We can all learn to bounceback from setbacks. If you don’t try, you won’t succeed - hence the quotation from “The Great One” at the start of this entry.

Lessons from rugby - snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

Another dismal result for Scotland on Saturday - it really brings out the optimist in me!  Well, there's always the next match to look forward to (against Italy - 27 February).

So rather than focus on the negative aspects, are there any lessons that we can learn from the match?

I think there are a few things:

We played with more adventure (at least in the first half) than when we played France.  Things only started to unravel when we played more defensively, absorbing pressure and losing momentum.

LESSON - loss of momentum is a killer.

Our overall play improved - better execution of moves; better tackling and breakdown activity; played as if they knew each other (at times against France they looked like strangers meeting for the first time!).  But... they didn't finish it off.

LESSON - starting well is good, but ultimately fruitless if you don't finish well.

We finished the game with 13 men - the referee invited two Scots to watch the end of the match from the comfort of the bench/changing room.

LESSON - discipline and concentration on the objective are essential.

At the very end of the match, Scotland could have kicked the ball into touch and the match would have finished as a draw.  They didn't, Wales scored, we lost.  Bizarrely I totally agree with this decision.  Scotland set out to play a more expansive game; played to win; played - I hope - as they intend to play from now on, with a sense of adventure.

LESSON - stick to your principles - especially if they are the basis for future growth.

We suffered several notable injuries - most notably Thom Evans' neck injury which later required surgery.

MOST IMPORTANT LESSON OF ALL - be grateful for good health.

Pacing yourself

So the French gubbed us on Sunday - they played well, we didn't.  But rather dwell on the aspects of defeat, I want to reflect on the French approach to the game, and one player in particular.

The French had clearly decided to rely on power rather than flair, pace and panache - no criticism there.  They fielded a team of big lumps, and they executed their tactics with aplomb (mainly).  They destroyed the Scottish scrum throughout the match, pushing it all over the park, buckling it as they saw fit.  They picked some monsters in their back line as well, including the 18-stone centre Mathieu Bastareaud - he was 4 stones heavier than his opposite number.  I know how that feels (I was only 9 stones when I played most of my (limited) rugby, so I was always outmuscled and thrown about like a ragdoll.)  But I digress...

I don't want to talk about Bastareaud - I might get nightmares!  I want to talk about Aurélien Rougerie.  He's a wee fellow - just 16 stones, and 6 feet 4 inches - who plays at winger (which was my position!)  Anyway, Rougerie had a remarkable game, his tackle count was unblemished, and unimpressive:

Tackles missed - 0

Tackles made  - 2

Minutes played - 4

Aye, he lasted 4 minutes.  Within the first minute or so, he flung himself into a tackle at full tilt - he was clearly committed to executing the tactics of the power game.  It was a shuddering tackle, which sent his opponent backwards to the turf.  But Rougerie came off worst by injuring himself.  He got back into the game, but clearly hadn't recovered properly.  Then he hurtled into another tackle - this time he didn't recover and had to be replaced.

What do we learn from this?

Well, experience should have taught Rougerie something!

But in any endeavour, while it's important to start well, it's also important to pace yourself so that you can finish well.  Sustaining our effort may mean holding back a bit at the outset, but it's a discipline that's worth learning.

I hope Rougerie recovers from his injury quickly - and that he maybe takes some time to reflect on this experience.

Tuesdays with Morrie

You know you’ve read a good book, when you reach the end of it and you know that it hasn’t finished with you.

That’s what I wrote in my journal, when I finished reading ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom.  It was definitely the best book that I read last year.

I read it on the train to London at the start of our holiday in July, and as I was reading it I had in mind two older men who have had a significant influence in my life.

It’s an autobiographical account of a man re-establishing his relationship with his former college professor – when he realises that the professor is terminally ill.

It’s a book about learning what is important in life :

And which are the important questions?

“As I see it, they have to do with love, responsibility, spirituality, awareness.  And if I were healthy today, those would still be my issues.  They should have been all along.”

Two days after I finished reading it, we received a phone call to tell us that my Dad was in hospital, and as the days and weeks passed I realised that the real poignancy of this book for me was about my relationship with the old man that I was closest to.  I really feel that I was able to change as a result of reading Tuesdays with Morrie – which I can’t say about many other books.

I learned to draw close to my Dad in the short period that remained of his life, to have conversations with him that I would otherwise have shied away form, to get involved in his personal care, to enjoy just sitting in silence with him, and I think that it helped me to deal with his death when it came.

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”

Funnily enough, I feel that this book still hasn’t finished with me.  It’s a book that I will read again, but not just yet.

Have any books affected you in a similar way?

I CAN stand the rain

I don’t get it!!! I make an appointment with God – similar time every morning (a wee bit later when I’m on holiday), and sometimes he doesn’t show up.

Take this morning for instance. I was there raring to go – nothing. Then the rain started to fall, heavy rain, very heavy rain. After a while I realised that God had stood me up, so I went for a shower and breakfast. I was listening to the news as I munched on my muesli and the travel report came on. Not good! Not good at all! Major roads closed because of flooding.

This was really inconvenient. The Restless family had planned to go out for the day. Dolly D was getting up early to make sure that she was ready on time. But with roads closed and major traffic delays we had to abort the mission.

So instead we went about various tasks and activities around the house. I was doing a bit of organising in the study and I picked up a book (as you do). I flicked it open randomly at this page:

My real dwelling
Has no pillars
And no roof either
So rain cannot soak it
And wind cannot blow it down!

It’s by a Japanese poet called Ikkyu (in an anthology called Soul Food). Somehow it seemed to be appropriate for the day.

Later in the day I was dealing with e-mail, when the monthly newsletter arrived from Tearfund. The first story was headlined “Pray for rain”… it kind of stopped me in my tracks. It was about the drought being experienced in East Africa (you can read about it here).

Maybe, I’d made a mistake about the time of my appointment with God.

I think I learned a valuable lesson or two today. And it gives me an excuse to include (again) to Ann Peebles' wonderful version of “I Can’t Stand the Rain”.

Coaching the coach

I was really inspired by a course that I attended this week. It was without doubt the best course that I have attended for many years. The topic was “Coaching in Leadership”, and was facilitated by a guy called Joe Lafferty.

His style and the topic appealed to me in equal measure. I guess that the coaching approach fits naturally with my approach – although there are still lots of things to learn and develop.

During the practical exercise, the facilitators had to join the small work groups to make the number work, and Joe joined the group that I was in. Being a bit slow on the uptake, I let my colleague go first, then I realised that this meant that I would be playing the role of coach for the coach. (Must learn to think ahead a bit more!) Actually it went fairly well, and Joe was complimentary about my efforts.

During these exercises we were dealing with real issues for each of us. While I’m not going to break the confidentiality agreement, using the coaching approach with Joe’s problem triggered some thoughts for me. There will be developments in the near future – check back over the next couple of days for more info.

I asked for wonder

“I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And You gave it to me.”

These are the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel. I’ve been coming across his stuff quite a bit recently – in a book I’ve been reading about the Sabbath (more of that later), and also over at Living Wittily.

Today his words seem to be particularly appropriate – I’ve been considering and reflecting about the way that I observe and respond to the world around me. In recent weeks, I’ve been noticing things more keenly, and responding to them in different ways – photos, daft drawings, bits of poetry, and even some painting!

I’ve commented on aspects of this in some of my recent blogs – it’s like a kind of re-awakening of things that have lain dormant for a long time. Fish Wife was commenting on it the other day, with reference to some of my activities when I was at university – over twenty years ago.

Tonight, I started to read an anthology of Heschel’s material and I came across the quotation below, and it seemed to fit with what I was thinking and feeling. I am aware that much of this is of no interest to anyone except me – so call me self-indulgent – but it helps to write it down!

“We can never sneer at the stars, mock the dawn or scoff at the totality of being. Supreme grandeur evokes unhesitating, unflinching awe. Away from the immense, cloistered in our own concepts, we may scorn and revile everything. But standing between earth and sky, we are silenced by the sight.”

Competence, confidence and comfort zones

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours asked me to do something. Uncharacteristically I said “Yes”, almost without a thought. My normal approach would have been to buy some time to think it through, then I would have said “No”.

The request was to do a wee drama sketch in Perth Concert Hall at a Christmas celebration involving 6 churches.

Generally speaking I’m quite a confident person – but not in this case. It’s over 20 years since I’ve done any sort of drama, and in that time my memory has deteriorated (a lot).

So why did I agree to do it? I genuinely don’t know. I am not competent in this area, I’m certainly not confident, and I’m so far out of my comfort zone that I’ll get jet lag on the way back! I’ve been feeling pretty nervous for about a fortnight!

Anyway, the celebration was tonight – and it seemed to go well. I didn’t fluff any lines (that I’m aware of); and people were very kind in their reactions afterwards. Truth to tell, I really enjoyed it. The attendance was amazing - over 1200 packed into the Concert Hall, with 400 people turned away because it was full. (Only negative note for me - Fish Wife and Dolly D were among the 400, and not becasue they turned up late!)

Our only rehearsal in the venue was cut short, but most of my nerves seemed to vanish as I donned the costume. (I was the archangel Raphael in white boiler suit and hard hat!)

I was really encouraged by the young woman who was performing opposite me. Her role (and her own character) was based on infectious enthusiasm, which seemed to rub off on me.

Would I do it again? Well I wouldn’t say ‘No’ straightaway!

What have I learned?

- Firstly, I can remember things (although it’s not easy).
- Secondly, maybe I need to push out of my comfort zone occasionally.
- Thirdly, it was a useful reminder to me about how it feels to be a bit out of your depth.
- Fourthly, there are things that the middle-aged can learn from the young.
- Lastly, maybe I’m too old to learn some new tricks.

Through the eyes of others

During advent I’ve stumbled a couple of things that have made me stop and wonder how Advent (and by extension Christianity) must look from different perspectives.

First of all was the paperless advent calendar, which I love and am finding very helpful as a way of thinking through Advent (double entendre intended!). I particularly liked day 4.

I also came across the art work of He Qi – a Chinese Christian artist. I find these images simple, striking and challenging.

My conclusion? We have become anaesthetised by our cultural assumptions – at this time, particularly in relation to Advent and the Christmas story. Our imagery tends to revolve around children’s nativity plays rather than thought through and engaging our imaginations.

Years ago I read and quoted regularly from a wonderful wee book that I was given – “The Gospel in Art by the Peasants of Solentiname”. Solentiname is a fishing village in Nicaragua, and the book is based on a series of Bible study discussions involving the villagers. They see the gospel story from a completely different perspective, probably more in keeping with Mary and Joseph than with me.

Maybe we need to look at things from a different cultural perspective to be able to make sense of how to engage with our own culture.

“In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”
Bertrand Russell

Marriage Course

Over the past few weeks the Fishwife and I have been attending “The Marriage Course”. It was developed by Holy Trinity Brompton, and is along similar lines to the Alpha Course – filmed talkie bits on DVD, with slots for each couple to have private discussion about the topic. It was really good – at times a bit challenging, often funny and certainly plenty to think about.

The course was wonderfully hosted by the Hideous one and his much better half. Each week we started with a meal and then watched DVD etc. The format worked well, and it helped us get to know the other couples who were attending. By the way, the Neil Armstrong story is worth waiting for - even if it isn't true!

I would definitely recommend it for anyone. You don’t need to be having problems to benefit from the course. You don’t need to be recently married (we’ve been married for 19 years) to learn something and to benefit from it.

Only one things puzzles me – why was the DVD presented by Jan Leeming and Oz Clarke? (And another thing – why does Tony Blair do the voice on the Alpha Course?)

Funny (strange) wee book

The subtitle of this book is ‘Discovering what happens when you stop’, so I figured that it might help with my thinking about life’s rhythms and the dimension of Sabbath. And I liked the cover (shallow but true!).

I started to read it while sitting in Starbucks having a double espresso at the Metro Centre (for those not familiar with it - this is a monolithic shopping mall in north east England). The fishwife and Dolly D were shopping, and I was doing my own thing – not very patiently.

Anyway as I read the first chapter, I started to relax. In fact, I started to stop! Some of the comments seemed to be aimed directly at me:

"I have allowed busyness to invade my life so much that it gets harder and harder to be in touch with that other part of me which thrives on the creativity of indolent wastefulness."

"There was a restless impatience within me."

So with my mood lifted, I tucked the book away and carried on ambling around the shops, and watching what people were doing, having a chat with the shop assistant in the cookery shop etc etc. A good start.

However, the next few chapters were disappointing. They were an encouragement to become a Christian. No problem with that, except that there was no indication about this on the cover notes. It seemed a bit disingenuous. However, I persevered and things improved.

Modern life is crowded and cacophonous. Everywhere you turn there are more people shouting at you, demanding attention and wanting to consume your time. Drastic action is needed. So chuck out the instant coffee. It’s not just that it tastes horrible; I want back the time it robbed me of. The superficial attraction of its speed didn’t save me time; it just encouraged me to cram more in. What people need in their lives are things to slow them down. Labour-creating devices and time-wasting strategies are what I’m after. They will generate opportunities for stillness and reflection.

I particularly agree with the bit about the coffee! But more than that the essential message of the book is that we need to slow down, to take the time that we need to enjoy life AND to get in touch with our creative side and our Creator.

I’ll chuck in some more quotations over the next few entries.

Learning about glory

Shortly after reading His Girl Friday’s blog on reading, writing and arithmetic, I read this:

“Education that fills us with facts but often does not allow us to experience what is around is a poor education indeed and leads many to be bored with so-called learning. We need to keep glory and wonder in our lives as well as bare facts … life without glory is just meaningless and trivial.”

This is from a book that I’m reading just now called Mirror Images by David Adam.

As this week has seen some of the most beautiful sunrises that I can remember (and I do tend to because I drive straight towards them on the way to work), I’ve been thinking about the need for more glory in my life. More wonder, more music, more fun and less ‘bare facts’. I’ve probably been making progress in this dimension for a while now, but it’s always good to be reminded.

I find that playing around with my new camera helps, and I’ve started to juggle again when I get ‘a bit frustrated’ at work.

Multi-dimensional life is definitely recommended – something about ‘that they may have life and have it to the full’ (John 10:10).

10 two-letter words

The golfer Ben Hogan is attributed with this quotation - comprising 10 two-letter words:

"If it is to be, it is up to me."

So how does this relate to church vision?

Well, at housegroup on Tuesday night we were looking at the big question 'How far are we the church that God has called us to be in 2007?' During the discussion one of our group asked if we should really be answering a different question - 'How far are we the Christians that God has called us to be in 2007?'

This got me thinking. I don't think that Hogan's saying is the way to address the vision thing, but I do think that it brings me back to a point where I need to be reflective and consider my role in developing and shaping this thing called church.

Also in the absence of an agreed vision, I see it as part of my duty to think big thoughts, to express what I think God is saying to us - and then to listen to what others have to say. To be honest, the first two tasks are relatively straightforward - I struggle a bit with the listening part.

So I need to improve on this. I've found something that might help me on the way. It's a 'habitude' - I found it on Magpie Girl's blog. The idea being to make an effort over a period of time to transform a habit or an attitude - I like that! So here goes ...

Older than me (just) ...

... and still true today!

As every generation has had to disenthrall itself from an inheritance of truisms and stereotypes, so in our own time we must move on from the reassuring repetition of stale phrases to a new, difficult, but essential confrontation with reality.
- John F Kennedy, June 1962

Endlessly restless

I noticed an advert on TV last night - for a SMART car. (I don't seem to notice adverts as much as I used to - wonder why?)

Anway, SMART are using the tag-line "open your mind". Their website home page displays the question "Are you open to new ideas?" And the advert last night includes the following sequence:

"Isn't it easier to stop asking questions?

Yes. But we won't.

Because we care."

I may be wide of the mark - but is there a theme here?

"Questioning takes you to a deeper level of knowing"

Jim Canterucci

So why do so many people walk through life with their minds in neutral? Doesn't feel right to me - know what I mean?

Plus ca change …plus c’est la meme chose?

I’ve just finished reading “The Guns of August” by Barbara Tuchman, recounting the early days of the First World War. It was written in 1962 (when I was born). I bought it after seeing the film “Thirteen Days” – about JFK and the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. What’s the connection? Well, President Kennedy had read Tuchman’s book when it was published. (Leaders and learning – but I won’t go on about it today.) He drew parallels between the lessons from the book and the Cuban missile crisis. It was a new situation, with new technology, yet his advisers (especially the military) trotted out the same old advice. No learning there then!

Which got me wondering – when do we need to recognise that circumstances have changed so that the ‘same old’ solutions won’t work? Tuchman tells us that the French military staff refused to believe that the Germans would invade through Belgium because they “believed the arguments against such a maneuver more telling than the evidence for it”. Why let evidence get in the way of your prejudices?

Some of the problems faced by the French were attributed to the leaders: “general officers … performed the functions of corporals, not commanders.”

Finally, reflecting at the end of her book on the whole war she writes:

“Men could not sustain a war of such magnitude and pain without hope – the hope that its very enormity would ensure that it could never happen again … Nothing less could give dignity or sense to monstrous offensives in which thousands and hundreds of thousands were killed to gain ten yards and exchange one wet-bottomed trench for another.”


"History is the sum total of the things that could have been avoided."
Konrad Adenauer

Iraq, anyone?

The automobile university

“The well-educated person of today is adequately prepared for a future that no longer exists. It’s only those who keep learning that will be able to survive and thrive in the changing world of today.”
Zig Zigler

I heard this while driving to a work meeting yesterday. Zigler went on to talk about the automobile university. This got me thinking – how do we fill the time when we’re travelling, especially during the daily commute to and from work. I spend about two hours a day doing this. The journey rarely feels like a chore. Living in Perthshire, Scotland the fantastic, ever-changing scenery can be very stimulating.

Over the years I’ve used the journey to over-indulge in radio news, listen to music, brush up on my French. Of late, I’ve been captivated by podcasts – sermons, theological discussion, management stuff.

I’ve been astonished by the volume and range of material that’s available, and have had to learn to be very selective! The trouble nowadays is remembering to tune into the news occasionally.

What’s the point of all of this? (Does there have to be one?) As well as my recurring theme of relentless learning, the point is that in an information rich age, we need to learn to be discerning, to sift the dross and to spend time digesting and reflecting on the good stuff.

As Paul said:

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12:2

Incurable learners

"The best leaders I know are incurable learners."

-Bill Hybels

I came across this thought recently, as I entered the world of podcasts (more of that in another posting). It reminded me of some stuff that I read shortly after I started my quill and papyrus journal. I had just started a postgraduate diploma looking at public service leadership,and was looking at a variety of material around reflection and growth, and found this:

“… leaders must be learners. Not occasional, part time learners but determined and relentless learners.”

- Andrew Price

But learning in a complex world with masses of information available is not straightforward. we need to be able to sift to get rid of the inconsequential garbage and reflect on the more significant stuff that remains. Reflection involves a variety of activities - again scope for future postings - including making connections and seeing things BIG. I think that these issues apply in many (all?) settings that we find ourselves in. There's lots more to flow from this.

In the meantime any thoughts would be appreciated - if there's anyone out there in cyberspace.