A Special Thanksgiving with the Chiefs

After a wonderful Thanksgiving Day in Topeka, Beth Ann and I headed to Kansas City for the Chiefs-Broncos football game. This was the first ever primetime football game on Thanksgiving. The crowd was huge and the atmosphere was electric.




Thanks to my mother and her former co-worker, Rob, we were blessed with tickets to sit in the HCA suite. They know what big Chiefs fans we are and they were able to get us a couple of tickets for this game. Along with the tickets Rob sent us field passes. This allowed us to be on the field for an hour or so before the game. We were able to watch the players warm up and stand right next to them. To be on the field was incredible. The crowd was loud and to see it from the perspective of the field was awesome. I believe it when they say that Arrowhead is the loudest outdoor stadium.


We also got to see the offices for the Chiefs. As we walked through them we saw the Superbowl trophy. I thought this was a good shot of Beth Ann.

When we got to the game to check in we received a wonderful surprise. Rob had turned in my name to be the Kickoff Captain for the game. As I beamed from ear to ear I asked what that exactly meant. I was told that I would wear a jersey, my name and picture would be on the stadium screen, that I would run onto the field after kickoff to pick up the tee and that I would be introduced to the 81,000 people. The jersey had Kickoff Captain on back and my number was 06. So as we awaited the entrance to the field I called a couple of people to tell them to watch the beginning of the game. They actually saw me on television running out onto the field pointing and waving to the crowd. It was such a rush. The first ever game on Thanksgiving night, in front of 81,000 people, on television, getting a tee signed by the Chiefs kicker and at the home of my favorite football team, I was blessed with getting to be the Kickoff Captain. It was truly an awesome experience. For a sports fan it was one of the best things that I could ever get to do.

Thanks again to mom and Rob for making this happen.

A View of Corporate America

My view on corporate America comes basically from newspapers, television news programs or the internet. My understanding is simple and basic. It seems as if most of what I read about corporate Presidents revolves around the focus on money, shady deals and self-righteous leadership. I am sure there are many great CEOs that run their companies with integrity. Unfortunately I do not know of any, until now. Because of my father-in-law and his great and long success with Mac Tools I was able to meet the President of Mac Tools, John Aden.

Mac Tools is a mult-million dollar company. The company has thousands of employees. They are an integral part of motorsports such as NHRA and NASCAR. Mr. Aden has a huge job that carries him all over the country as he steers his company. He is constantly making deals, working on product improvement, training employees and representing Mac. As we had dinner and spent some time with John you would think we would have spent a lot of time "talking business". Instead we spent time talking more important things: God, Jesus, relationships, prayer. What a blessing it was for me. To see a man leading a large company explain how praying for each of his employees is vital to the success of the company. To hear him talk about learning his leadership style from Timothy. To experience his strength of character based on his desire to learn more about God's Word and how it can applied to his life. I was impressed with his discussion of Bible studies he leads in his office and the risks he has taken in business as he makes sure that the people he comes into contact with know without a doubt that Jesus is the Lord of his life. John has passion in his voice as he talks about his family, their Bible study and prayer. John Aden makes it abundantly clear to all that he belongs to God first, loves his family, and follows God's will in his leadership at Mac Tools. His identity is not Mac Tools, it is Jesus Christ.

Like I said before, I do not know many corporate executives. I am glad I know this one. John is leading the charge with other executives across the country to live like Jesus. I wish I would hear more about Presidents like John Aden in the newspaper and on television and maybe I will because of his impact.

Mr. Aden even took time to play with my boys. He let Riley play on his laptop and tinker with Garage Band designing some music. He hugged my boys and was a great influence on them. He impressed Godly things on my family and Godly leadership on those that work with him. He gets his influence from Scripture. I pray that other people in their positions like John Aden will learn to do the same.

Jesus Painter

I was blessed to be able to hang out with Mike Lewis some over the past two days. Mike is "The Jesus Painter". He travels all over the world painting and sharing in worship with many people. Many of you may have seen him before but if you have not I encourage you church, school, or some group to bring him in. He shares from his heart and connects with people through his painting. He did two programs for us at school and touched many hearts while he was here. His website is www.jesuspainter.com.

I spent a few hours with him the night before the performances. I was so impressed with Mike. He is humble and he and his family love the Lord. He shares his love for God with anyone that he is around. We were able to share about family, cars, life, and other silly stuff. We played basketball together and goofed off a bit.

I am thankful for my time with Mike. I am thankful my kids at school were able to spend time with him. I learned that we need to make ourselves completely available to God sharing with the world what He wants us to. Mike reinforced with me to let God move me and make me what He wants me to be no matter what my talents or shortcomings might be.

I encourage you to find a way to share with Mike and his ministry.

Church

After a bit of a break I am back. I am sure both of you are glad.

More and more I realize the importance of church. The community. The worship. The sharpening. The people. I am conflicted that some couples in our class have decided to "do church" elsewhere. It seems a bit strange to not have them around. They feel that they need to experience God in a different setting. I can't argue with that. I can tell you that I will miss them and will miss the opportunity to work together at RHCC. I think we continue to take steps forward that will be challenging to our faith and tradition. I am excited about the future. I am excited about continuing to learn with those that worship together. I pray for our leadership.

I found this list from Tony Evans about church:

A good church clearly proclaims the whole counsel of God as revealed in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. A good church is a teaching church.

A good church has a system of accountability within which people are held responsible for their lifestyle and disciplined when they unrepentingly rebel against God's standards.

A good church has a comprehensive view of ministry. It applies the Scripture to every area of life and therefore has (or is seeking to develop) ministries that impact every member of the family.

A good church has a passion to win people to Christ and see them develop in the faith, and therefore it emphasizes evangelism and discipleship.

A good church supports the weak, helps the needy, and encourages the downhearted. It prioritizes ministry to those who are less fortunate.

I know after reading this list that I am at a good church, with good people, that are broken and trying, wanting to learn more, and excited about where God will lead us.

What makes your church special?