For those who have paid close attention, you will have noticed a strange bird on the front license plate of our vehicle. No, it isn’t a poor bird that we accidentally hit while traveling. It is a mythical bird that is very much familiar to people who hail from Kansas. It is known as the Jayhawk!
This bird is the mascot of the University of Kansas and if you have seen it it is probably because you were watching a basketball game. What you may not know is that the sport of basketball was actually invented by a man who would eventually coach the sport at KU. KU is known as a basketball school which means all of the other sports played there are irrelevant. They are irrelevant because of the lack of success accomplished by teams year after year. One classic example of irrelevance is the football program.
KU football is one of those teams that other teams enjoy playing. They enjoy it because it usually means a win against the hapless KU football team. Over the past several years, the team averaged between 1 and 2 wins per season. They are horrible!
But something radically different has happened this year. The team is undefeated with a perfect 5-0 record. This Saturday will mark the 3rd sellout crowd this season, something that hasn’t happened in a very long time. Before the season, the sportswriters around the country predicted that KU would come in last in the Big 12 conference. Today, they are in first place! Lots of people are scrambling to figure out what has happened to create such an unpredictable outcome. Many other programs, struggling to find success are studying what has happened in order of finding similar success.
When the 2nd year coach was quizzed about the situation, he surprisingly had some rather simple explanations for the turnaround. He said when he first arrived and the team played their first season, the team and the fans seemed pleased if the final score was “close”. It had gotten so bad that no expected to win, the only hope is that the score wouldn’t be a blowout. He described the attitude of “losing close” as a moral victory. This was going to have to change if there was any hope of changing the culture. In football, the object is to win the game. Every week, teams practice and compete to win! Anytime that reality changes, it’s only a matter of time until the program starts losing.
I see this “moral victory” mindset showing up at times within the Church. If we have a respectable amount of people attending and if people go through the motions of church life then things are pretty good. If we aren’t losing ground like seeing a decline in attendance or seeing the congregation struggle financially, then for some this is success.
If this attitude persists long enough, the inevitable will occur and those measures once held up as barometers of success will start to crack. New people aren’t seen and if they are they seldom come back. The financial health of the congregation moves from having adequate resources to being afraid to talk about money because we might chase away the folks we have! The mindset moves clearly away from thriving to surviving.
What changed at KU is the culture has changed. It started with the coach and has filtered down to the other coaches and the players. Now, the entire State is following KU football instead of waiting for basketball season to start. In the Church, the transformation starts with the leaders who have clearly identified what we are trying to accomplish as a congregation. It is repeatedly communicated throughout the congregation so that everyone from the youngest child to the oldest saint understands and is on board. It means getting back to the basics of the Gospel:
- why Jesus came,
- who we are in Christ,
- what are we to do until He returns,
- why has He blessed us with such great resources
- how is He challenging us to win for Him in Fulton, Itawamba County and beyond.
God is doing some really awesome things in our midst! I believe He is preparing us for even greater victories. Some of the funnest and most meaningful times in my life have been when God has mightily been working through a congregation. I have been fortunate to see it more than once and my instincts tell me I will see it again here. As we each revisit the basics related to the Church, may we each eagerly accept our role in it and get ready for perhaps the best ride of your life! Let’s get out there and win for our King!
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