During the first two months of my sabbatical I have been so blessed by the generosity of God's people. We have stayed in the most gorgeous of places -- beautiful lakes and majestic mountains. The homes that have opened up to us have been tenderly cared for, creatively furnished, and generously offered to us a homes away from home.
I sort of feel some of what Jesus felt. He hung out around lakes and on mountains. The homes he stayed in were not his own. One of the oft neglected aspects of Jesus' ministry was how generous people opened their homes to him and provided the funding for sustenance and ministry. God's work and generous people go hand in hand.
All this got me to do some thinking about generosity so here are a few worth blogging:
1) Generous people are such a blessing to others. We have been overwhelmed at how generous people have been such a blessing to us. There has got to be some kind of boomerang effect that brings added blessing back to them for being such a blessing. Generous people bless and are blessed!
2) The people who have been so generous to us are people who have been blessed with much. But I don't think generosity has much to do with how much stuff you have. I have known people who didn't have a whole lot and who were very generous with their little. I have also known people who had a lot but who were not very generous with their much. I suspect the generous people with much were generous with their little -- when they only had a little. People who wait until they are rich to be generous are never generous even when they are rich!
3) I once heard a wealthy businessman talk about the responsibility he felt for being generous. The verse that motivated him was: To whom much has been given -- much will be required! The people who have opened their homes to me have arguably been given much. Their generosity reflects the heart of their generous Heavenly Father and their commitment to be good stewards of His blessings.
4) I think generous people are happy people. In every case, the people who have helped us have found such joy in helping us. The fact that we have enjoyed ourselves only adds to their joy. It's a pretty cool deal!
5) Thank God for generous friends and may someone think of each of us with fondness as being their generous friend!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Colorado Fit
My daughter and her boyfriend took me mountain biking near Nederland the other day. She promised she would pick the easiest trail. Unfortunately, the easiest trail was rated moderate. Turns out that I am definitely not a moderate. Shortly into the trail, we hit a major climb. No way I could ride a bike up this climb. I barely could push the bike up this climb. By the time I reached the top, my lungs were burning and I was gasping for air. I do a lot of gasping for air when I am in Colorado.
Tammy was telling me about a recent trip to Crested Butte. CB is a mountain biking paradise. When it comes to physical fitness and mountain biking, Tammy informed me that there are people who are not physically fit and then there are those who are fit -- then there are those who are Colorado fit -- and then there are those who are Crested Butte fit! Colorado fit means that you are physically fit and don't have to gasp for air all the time in the mountains. Crested Butte fit means that body fat is a rumor!
So evidently there are stages or levels of physical fitness. People who think they are fit may not be Colorado fit and even Colorado fit has to work at being CB fit!
So, that got me thinking about another kind of fitness. What levels of spiritual fitness are you in these days? Fit or not fit? Colorado fit or CB fit? There is a spiritual fitness needed to serve... to lead... When people sign up for a missions trip we engage in a form of spiritual fitness training. In many ways, this training is simply an intentional use of disciplines that ought to be part of our daily spiritual lives. People who are Colorado fit or CB fit do things and don't do things that allow them to mountain bike up climbs that guys like me are not prepared to tackle. Same goes with spiritual fitness!
The realtiy about life is that we don't always get to pick the trail we are going to hike or bike. Circumstances come at us and we are either prepared to climb or we are not prepared. We are either spiritually fit to handle the trials and tempations or we are not. Life trials are way more important than bike trails. When it comes to mountain biking, it's no big deal that I am not Colorado fit or CB fit. But when it comes to my life and the trials life brings, my spiritual fitness matters a great deal. Invest whatever you have to invest to take your spiritual fitness to a higher level.
Tammy was telling me about a recent trip to Crested Butte. CB is a mountain biking paradise. When it comes to physical fitness and mountain biking, Tammy informed me that there are people who are not physically fit and then there are those who are fit -- then there are those who are Colorado fit -- and then there are those who are Crested Butte fit! Colorado fit means that you are physically fit and don't have to gasp for air all the time in the mountains. Crested Butte fit means that body fat is a rumor!
So evidently there are stages or levels of physical fitness. People who think they are fit may not be Colorado fit and even Colorado fit has to work at being CB fit!
So, that got me thinking about another kind of fitness. What levels of spiritual fitness are you in these days? Fit or not fit? Colorado fit or CB fit? There is a spiritual fitness needed to serve... to lead... When people sign up for a missions trip we engage in a form of spiritual fitness training. In many ways, this training is simply an intentional use of disciplines that ought to be part of our daily spiritual lives. People who are Colorado fit or CB fit do things and don't do things that allow them to mountain bike up climbs that guys like me are not prepared to tackle. Same goes with spiritual fitness!
The realtiy about life is that we don't always get to pick the trail we are going to hike or bike. Circumstances come at us and we are either prepared to climb or we are not prepared. We are either spiritually fit to handle the trials and tempations or we are not. Life trials are way more important than bike trails. When it comes to mountain biking, it's no big deal that I am not Colorado fit or CB fit. But when it comes to my life and the trials life brings, my spiritual fitness matters a great deal. Invest whatever you have to invest to take your spiritual fitness to a higher level.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Estes Park Hike Reflections
Yesterday afternoon I headed up to Estes Park to spend the afternoon with my friend Michael Dascoli. Michael served on our pastoral team for 7 years and we remain good friends. Neither of us just like to sit around and talk so we decided we would hike and talk. Mike suggested we head up to Gem Lake, about 1.9 mile hike. In between gasps for air, we had a great conversation. We are both excited about our work and God has blessed our families. He just returned from a week with Jack Hayford so he was pretty pumped!
1.9 miles is not a very long hike -- but it's 1.9 miles up a mountain at over 10,000 feet. I sitll don't know why they can't pump a little more oxygen up here. Fortunately, coming down is much easier than going up. Along the way we stopped and just allowed our souls to soak in some gorgeous vistas. Maybe I've been in Dallas too long but the mountains have a way of rejuvenating my soul. I just love those "Wow! Yea, God!" moments of worship!
Both Mike and I are people people so we met some interesting people along the trail. This kid had an IWU hat on. I told him I graduated from IWU. He said, "Oh, yeah, you have a Titans Baseball shirt on." Only my Titans Baseball shirt is from my son's select baseball team in Dallas. His IWU hat was from Illinois Wesleyan University, so there are two IWU's in the world. He just graduated from high school and lives in Normal, Illinois, which is next door to Bloomington, IL, where ILWU is. So he is staying home for college. If I lived in Normal I think I would want to get as far away from home as possible. I didn't say that because the boy's parents were standing right there.
Then we met a guy from St. Louis. We talked about how you don't see these sights in St. Louis or Dallas. "But hey, you have a big arch!" I said. He was coming down from the top so I asked him if the view at the top was better than the arch? He only said it was different. Then I remembered that St. Louis is in Missouri and isn't Missouri the "Show Me" State? Evidently it's hard to impress a guy who has a big arch in his city! Can't figure out if that's normal or not!
Then we saw something really interesting. This squirrel had this huge fat mushroom in his mouth. The mushroom was at least as big as the squirrel. He was trying to climb this tree with the big mushroom in his mouth. But the mushroom was so big that he kept falling down. I didn't know squirrels ate mushrooms. The mushroom was probably poisonous too. Or maybe squirrels do something else with mushrooms. (I have been hanging out in this mountain where there are a lot of hippies!) But for whatever reason, this squirrel was sure excited about the mushroom. But try as he might, he couldn't get the mushroom up the tree. Finally, we had to get back so Mike could go to a dinner meeting. I still don't know what the squirrel did with the mushroom. Life is hard when you finally get your teeth into something you really want but you can't get it up your tree! Maybe the squirrel out to stick to nuts! But then that would be so --- normal!
My beloved is flying up to Colorado this morning. There is an upside to normal -- can't wait to be together again. I get to share some of my abnormality with her! You see, there is nothing normal about life up here in Nederland!
1.9 miles is not a very long hike -- but it's 1.9 miles up a mountain at over 10,000 feet. I sitll don't know why they can't pump a little more oxygen up here. Fortunately, coming down is much easier than going up. Along the way we stopped and just allowed our souls to soak in some gorgeous vistas. Maybe I've been in Dallas too long but the mountains have a way of rejuvenating my soul. I just love those "Wow! Yea, God!" moments of worship!
Both Mike and I are people people so we met some interesting people along the trail. This kid had an IWU hat on. I told him I graduated from IWU. He said, "Oh, yeah, you have a Titans Baseball shirt on." Only my Titans Baseball shirt is from my son's select baseball team in Dallas. His IWU hat was from Illinois Wesleyan University, so there are two IWU's in the world. He just graduated from high school and lives in Normal, Illinois, which is next door to Bloomington, IL, where ILWU is. So he is staying home for college. If I lived in Normal I think I would want to get as far away from home as possible. I didn't say that because the boy's parents were standing right there.
Then we met a guy from St. Louis. We talked about how you don't see these sights in St. Louis or Dallas. "But hey, you have a big arch!" I said. He was coming down from the top so I asked him if the view at the top was better than the arch? He only said it was different. Then I remembered that St. Louis is in Missouri and isn't Missouri the "Show Me" State? Evidently it's hard to impress a guy who has a big arch in his city! Can't figure out if that's normal or not!
Then we saw something really interesting. This squirrel had this huge fat mushroom in his mouth. The mushroom was at least as big as the squirrel. He was trying to climb this tree with the big mushroom in his mouth. But the mushroom was so big that he kept falling down. I didn't know squirrels ate mushrooms. The mushroom was probably poisonous too. Or maybe squirrels do something else with mushrooms. (I have been hanging out in this mountain where there are a lot of hippies!) But for whatever reason, this squirrel was sure excited about the mushroom. But try as he might, he couldn't get the mushroom up the tree. Finally, we had to get back so Mike could go to a dinner meeting. I still don't know what the squirrel did with the mushroom. Life is hard when you finally get your teeth into something you really want but you can't get it up your tree! Maybe the squirrel out to stick to nuts! But then that would be so --- normal!
My beloved is flying up to Colorado this morning. There is an upside to normal -- can't wait to be together again. I get to share some of my abnormality with her! You see, there is nothing normal about life up here in Nederland!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Props
I had this thought in church today. I guess you can call it church -- in fact, you might call it church on the rock. Behind this mountain house where i'm hanging out is this large mound of rocks. When the weather permits, I have been climbing to the top of these rocks to do some thinking and praying. The view up there is spectacular. So being Sunday, I thought I would have church up on the rocks. Too bad I didn't have any old Larry Lea tapes -- it's easier to pray for an hour when you are sitting on the rocks looking out over the Rockies, time sort of stands still -- or maybe flies -- either way, time is irrelevant! Unless of course you have a tee time but there are no golf courses up here!
Anyhow I took my new ipod touch and asked Chris Tomlin to lead worship. I took my Bible and engaged in one of the helpful things I do with Scripture. I prayed through Romans 8 again. I want very much for God to develop in me a Romans 8 spirit. The only way to do that is to keep praying through Romans 8. So that was my church today: Chris led worship -- Paul preached -- I took the offering! Cheap congregation!!!
And I had this thought: Paul says that if our minds are not being influenced by the Holy Spirit then they are being influenced by something else that is probably not as holy! I got to thinking how we all tend to prop ourselves up with stuff. You can tell I've been alone alot and been thinking about stuff. One of the ways you can tell if you are propping yourself up with something is if you do too much of it. Some people drink too much. Some people think too much about food or their body shape... I'm confessing other people's sins here. I do too much of some stuff but these aren't my issues. It is alot easier to preach about other people's issues than it is your own! So I got to thinking about the things I do too much of to prop myself up.
If I had more time in this blog, I'd tell you what they are, but I'm already too long and I need to get to my point! Can you tell I miss preaching??? The point is that it would be nice if we didn't need to prop ourselves up but the reality is we are all pretty broken and that's why we need props. God knows we are broken and need to prop ourselves up so that's why Jesus came and that's why the Spirit came and that's why there is a Bible and that's whey there is the church. It's a LifeLine thing! If you prop your life up with the wrong stuff, you are eventually going to fall. Thank God for props that are truly life-giving.
Paul put it better than I can: "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace..."
So, think about this: What are your props? How can you be more influenced by the Spirit so you can be more alive and more at peace?
Anyhow I took my new ipod touch and asked Chris Tomlin to lead worship. I took my Bible and engaged in one of the helpful things I do with Scripture. I prayed through Romans 8 again. I want very much for God to develop in me a Romans 8 spirit. The only way to do that is to keep praying through Romans 8. So that was my church today: Chris led worship -- Paul preached -- I took the offering! Cheap congregation!!!
And I had this thought: Paul says that if our minds are not being influenced by the Holy Spirit then they are being influenced by something else that is probably not as holy! I got to thinking how we all tend to prop ourselves up with stuff. You can tell I've been alone alot and been thinking about stuff. One of the ways you can tell if you are propping yourself up with something is if you do too much of it. Some people drink too much. Some people think too much about food or their body shape... I'm confessing other people's sins here. I do too much of some stuff but these aren't my issues. It is alot easier to preach about other people's issues than it is your own! So I got to thinking about the things I do too much of to prop myself up.
If I had more time in this blog, I'd tell you what they are, but I'm already too long and I need to get to my point! Can you tell I miss preaching??? The point is that it would be nice if we didn't need to prop ourselves up but the reality is we are all pretty broken and that's why we need props. God knows we are broken and need to prop ourselves up so that's why Jesus came and that's why the Spirit came and that's why there is a Bible and that's whey there is the church. It's a LifeLine thing! If you prop your life up with the wrong stuff, you are eventually going to fall. Thank God for props that are truly life-giving.
Paul put it better than I can: "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace..."
So, think about this: What are your props? How can you be more influenced by the Spirit so you can be more alive and more at peace?
Saturday, July 10, 2010
I'm Becoming a Ned-Head
I have been hanging out high in the Colorado Rockies at a friend's place just outside Nederland. If you ever get the chance to visit Nederland, do it. Here are my Top 10 Reasons Why:
#1: The drive up Boulder Canyon is drop dead gorgeous. This 18 mile drive on CO Hwy 119 is right up there with Monterey Peninsula's 17 mile drive -- only no golf courses! Instead you get rushing water, rock climbing cliffs, pine trees and breath-taking beauty around every turn.
#2: Ned-Heads -- that's what the locals are called -- have a definite hippie sub-culture. I don't think hippies are into golf because there is not a golf course anywhere near here!
#3: My daughter spent some time in Nepal so I told her about Kathmandu Plaza in Nederland. She is coming up next weekend to check out the authenticity of the authentic Nepali/Indian buffet. Next door is an authentic Nepali gift shop -- though I suspect everything is made in China! Next door is a place that dispenses authentic medical marijuana to people -- I don't think you even have to be sick!!! See #2!
#4: The town is known for an interesting festival held every March. Back in the 90's one of the locals kept his cryonically frozen grandfather in a shed in his back yard. Made national news. You can pick up a really weird T-shirt celebrating this really weird event that the Ned-Heads call the "Frozen Dead Guy" Festival.
#5: I think I saw the Frozen Dead Guy walking around town the other day!
#6: You gotta love a town whose 4th of July parade is so small that it goes around the turnaround twice!
#7: Nederland is the home of the Carousel of Happiness -- a 100 year old refurbished carousel that is kind of cute but promises more than it delivers!
#8: Tell Branden that Infusion Music needs a Nederland studio to match the home of Caribou Recording Studio, which has produced tunes for Elton John, John Lennon, Crosby, Stills Nash and Young and Dan Fogelberg. Maybe that was John Lennon I saw walking around town the other day! Imagine...
#9: So the other day I couldn't stand it anymore and I went down to Boulder and found a golf course. When I left Boulder it was 85 degrees. When I arrived back in Nederland it was 65 degrees. I thought I would include this to make all my sweaty friends in Texas jealous!
#10: This is a great place to write a book. Ned-Heads keep to themselves. I hear they are friendly but if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of people, you can hide out here forever!
Book Update: For those of you who may be interested, I'm working on Chapter 8 of a 10 chapter book. My editor said he scanned the first 3 chapters and promises to read them and call me by next Friday. If he can find me, that is. By then I might be an official Ned-Head and just hide out here for the rest of my life!!!
If this place only had a golf course....
#1: The drive up Boulder Canyon is drop dead gorgeous. This 18 mile drive on CO Hwy 119 is right up there with Monterey Peninsula's 17 mile drive -- only no golf courses! Instead you get rushing water, rock climbing cliffs, pine trees and breath-taking beauty around every turn.
#2: Ned-Heads -- that's what the locals are called -- have a definite hippie sub-culture. I don't think hippies are into golf because there is not a golf course anywhere near here!
#3: My daughter spent some time in Nepal so I told her about Kathmandu Plaza in Nederland. She is coming up next weekend to check out the authenticity of the authentic Nepali/Indian buffet. Next door is an authentic Nepali gift shop -- though I suspect everything is made in China! Next door is a place that dispenses authentic medical marijuana to people -- I don't think you even have to be sick!!! See #2!
#4: The town is known for an interesting festival held every March. Back in the 90's one of the locals kept his cryonically frozen grandfather in a shed in his back yard. Made national news. You can pick up a really weird T-shirt celebrating this really weird event that the Ned-Heads call the "Frozen Dead Guy" Festival.
#5: I think I saw the Frozen Dead Guy walking around town the other day!
#6: You gotta love a town whose 4th of July parade is so small that it goes around the turnaround twice!
#7: Nederland is the home of the Carousel of Happiness -- a 100 year old refurbished carousel that is kind of cute but promises more than it delivers!
#8: Tell Branden that Infusion Music needs a Nederland studio to match the home of Caribou Recording Studio, which has produced tunes for Elton John, John Lennon, Crosby, Stills Nash and Young and Dan Fogelberg. Maybe that was John Lennon I saw walking around town the other day! Imagine...
#9: So the other day I couldn't stand it anymore and I went down to Boulder and found a golf course. When I left Boulder it was 85 degrees. When I arrived back in Nederland it was 65 degrees. I thought I would include this to make all my sweaty friends in Texas jealous!
#10: This is a great place to write a book. Ned-Heads keep to themselves. I hear they are friendly but if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of people, you can hide out here forever!
Book Update: For those of you who may be interested, I'm working on Chapter 8 of a 10 chapter book. My editor said he scanned the first 3 chapters and promises to read them and call me by next Friday. If he can find me, that is. By then I might be an official Ned-Head and just hide out here for the rest of my life!!!
If this place only had a golf course....
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
I Survived the Royal Gorge
Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July. I got to spend mine with my daughter Tammy who lives in Colorado Springs, CO. Tammy's real job is a rocket scientist but one of her many passions is being a river guide. She and her boyfriend really wanted to take me down the Arkansas and through the Royal Gorge. Our rafting trip was divided into two sections: we joined 8 other rafts from Ft. Carson traveling the section from Pinnacle to Parkdale. Then in the afternoon, Dan and Tammy joined one of their river guide friends named Jade in taking us throught he dangerous rapids of the Royal Gorge.
So i'm thinking the morning is going to be a breeze. But on the second rapids of the upper section -- disaster struck! Three Rocks is aptly named. Tammy had our raft on a perfect line to navigate through Three Rocks. But the raft in front of us somehow drifted out of the rapids and the spacing between rafts was all messed up. Undaunted, the intern guide in the raft in front of us manuevered his raft back into the rapids but forgot to look behind him. River guides tend to keep their eyes looking forward! As the other raft moved closer to our raft, I'm thinking this is not going to end well. Sure enough the intern's raft bumped into our raft and pushed into the second rock of Three Rocks called Flip Rock. Flip Rock is also aptly named. If you hit this rock, your raft usually gets flipped. We flipped! One of my goals on this rafting trip was NOT to fall out of the boat. I didn't fall out of the boat -- I was still in the boat but now the raft was on top of me. There is an air pocket under the raft but now I'm in the water in the middle of a rapids, bouncing off rocks. I decided that staying under the boat was not a good idea and popped up downstream where I grabbed the chicken line of another raft.
The guy in the other raft asked if I wanted to come aboard. Dumb question! I'd rather be anywhere than bouncing off rocks in the water. The good thing about rapids is that when you are through the rapids there is usually a smooth section of the river and we all safely made it through the rapids -- recovered our raft and oars and proceeded through the upper section without incident, as Tammy guided us with precision and a safe distance from interns in rafts!
As we were eating lunch, I'm thinking so much for the easy section. The rapids in the Gorge are way bigger and come close together. You really have to be on your game. Tammy's boyfriend Dan is the more experienced guide so he took over. His first words were: "if you have any hesitancy about doing this now is the time to back out. No harm -- no foul!" I'd like to say that there was no way I would even consider this offer but after the way the morning started, I'm thinking about whether this is such a good idea. But hey, my daughter gets her adventuresome spirit from somewhere and I may never get the chance to do this again. So I took the front row seat in the raft.
Wow! What a ride! What a rush! Big waves -- big water -- big rocks -- big cliffs -- big adventure! Dan guided us masterfully through the dangerous waters and the best news of all -- I DIDN'T FALL OUT OF THE RAFT!!! Though I must confess that there were moments when I thought, "This is CRAZY! Get me out of here!"
Thanks Tammy & Dan for a great ride! Hopefully we will have some video soon!
So i'm thinking the morning is going to be a breeze. But on the second rapids of the upper section -- disaster struck! Three Rocks is aptly named. Tammy had our raft on a perfect line to navigate through Three Rocks. But the raft in front of us somehow drifted out of the rapids and the spacing between rafts was all messed up. Undaunted, the intern guide in the raft in front of us manuevered his raft back into the rapids but forgot to look behind him. River guides tend to keep their eyes looking forward! As the other raft moved closer to our raft, I'm thinking this is not going to end well. Sure enough the intern's raft bumped into our raft and pushed into the second rock of Three Rocks called Flip Rock. Flip Rock is also aptly named. If you hit this rock, your raft usually gets flipped. We flipped! One of my goals on this rafting trip was NOT to fall out of the boat. I didn't fall out of the boat -- I was still in the boat but now the raft was on top of me. There is an air pocket under the raft but now I'm in the water in the middle of a rapids, bouncing off rocks. I decided that staying under the boat was not a good idea and popped up downstream where I grabbed the chicken line of another raft.
The guy in the other raft asked if I wanted to come aboard. Dumb question! I'd rather be anywhere than bouncing off rocks in the water. The good thing about rapids is that when you are through the rapids there is usually a smooth section of the river and we all safely made it through the rapids -- recovered our raft and oars and proceeded through the upper section without incident, as Tammy guided us with precision and a safe distance from interns in rafts!
As we were eating lunch, I'm thinking so much for the easy section. The rapids in the Gorge are way bigger and come close together. You really have to be on your game. Tammy's boyfriend Dan is the more experienced guide so he took over. His first words were: "if you have any hesitancy about doing this now is the time to back out. No harm -- no foul!" I'd like to say that there was no way I would even consider this offer but after the way the morning started, I'm thinking about whether this is such a good idea. But hey, my daughter gets her adventuresome spirit from somewhere and I may never get the chance to do this again. So I took the front row seat in the raft.
Wow! What a ride! What a rush! Big waves -- big water -- big rocks -- big cliffs -- big adventure! Dan guided us masterfully through the dangerous waters and the best news of all -- I DIDN'T FALL OUT OF THE RAFT!!! Though I must confess that there were moments when I thought, "This is CRAZY! Get me out of here!"
Thanks Tammy & Dan for a great ride! Hopefully we will have some video soon!
We Are Family But I Rooted For the Rangers
On the Rangers last homestand, the Pittsburgh Pirates came to town in inter-league play. I want to thank my friend Mike who made sure I got some good seats for one of the games. I wore my vintage 1979 "We Are Family" Gold Pirates cap and rooted for the Rangers. Sounds schizophrenic and I'm sure some of the people around me were wondering. The reason I root for the Rangers is because I'm a Rangers fan too. The sad state of my hometeam is such that today's Pirates are a minor league shadow of the '79 Pirates, the last team from Pittsburgh to win the World Series. There are some fascinating leadership lessons when you look at what has happened to my Pirates.
First, talent matters! Discovering and developing talent matters more! Knowing how to build a championship team matters most! The 1979 Pirates were not the most talented team in baseball that year. But their talent reached championship levels because an old manager and a humble star created a family. The old manager was Chuck Tanner and the humble star was Willie "Pops" Stargell, who learned how to lead from one of the all-time baseball greats, Roberto Clemente. The Pirates adopted Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" as a theme song and slugged and sang their way to a World Series championship.
Talent + Character + Chemistry are simply hard to beat! Today's Pirates struggle with all three. Go Rangers!
First, talent matters! Discovering and developing talent matters more! Knowing how to build a championship team matters most! The 1979 Pirates were not the most talented team in baseball that year. But their talent reached championship levels because an old manager and a humble star created a family. The old manager was Chuck Tanner and the humble star was Willie "Pops" Stargell, who learned how to lead from one of the all-time baseball greats, Roberto Clemente. The Pirates adopted Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" as a theme song and slugged and sang their way to a World Series championship.
Talent + Character + Chemistry are simply hard to beat! Today's Pirates struggle with all three. Go Rangers!
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