I went out to dinner just the other night with some friends. You’d think being in each other’s company with plenty to talk about was enough to keep us occupied. However, throughout the evening, it was interesting to see how often each person went to their phones to either text or scroll thru twitter, facebook or who knows what else. I’ll be honest, I texted and tweeted as well.  After every game or practice, without fail, what do the girls go to first??? Their phones. How often do you see kids without one in their hands? Ok, not just kids...people! Or without Ipods in their ears. How often have you been in a conversation with someone, and as you talk, they are on their phone??? Pet peeve of mine! We can literally be in each other’s presence, yet still not connect or truly “there.” Have you ever seen someone or started to catch up with them and they already knew details of your life because they’ve followed you on facebook? It makes us feel like we know someone without really knowing them.  A ministry leader I follow on twitter posted this to his blog the other day, and I thought I’d copy it here because he has some quality points. It definitely made me think and evaluate my own life. As great as social media and technology is, there sure is a dark side. And I’ll be honest, there are plenty of times I wish I lived...

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There are certain individuals whose character just rises above the rest; stands out; shines. Bri is one of those individuals. Bri is a 3-sport athlete. She plays volleyball, basketball and lacrosse. I was excited to have her join our lacrosse program this year, especially because she’s a goalie. When I first started in the program 5 years ago, I was the goalie coach so I have a soft spot (believe it or not!) in my heart for goalies. Unfortunately for us, Bri was feeling overwhelmed with her busy life, coming off 2 other sports seasons, plus playing travel volleyball, in addition to juggling her normal school load. Because of all this, she chose not to try out for lacrosse. I tried texting her to convince her otherwise; as did her past modified coach; as well as some of her friends. However, Bri opted not to play. Fast forward thru tryouts and as the head of the program, I’m thinking in my head, I want a back-up goalie; we NEED a back-up goalie. What if something happens to one of our goalies this year??? We’d be in trouble for sure! It happened to me 2 years ago. My goalie got injured in a game, and I had no one to replace her. It wasn’t a pretty sight. I decided to do something I’ve never done; I made a personal visit to Bri at school, pulled her out of class and asked her to reconsider, letting her know I’d work with her trave...

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Without fail, there is a certain friend that I ALWAYS get a follow up text from. Ever get one of those? You go out to dinner with someone; maybe work out together; meet up for coffee; go to a hockey game; have a game night; it could be anything. But afterwards, whether it’s that very same day or the next or even 2 days later, they follow up. They text, facebook or email you to say what a good time they had. Or they say thanks for making time for them. Or they say how good it was to finally connect. It’s the follow-up. I have a friend who is a PRO at this. I’ll be honest, I do my best to follow-up with people, whether it be with teenagers after meeting at Starbucks and chatting over coffee, or whether it’s with a good friend. I like to follow-up and say how happy I was to see them or how much fun I had; or I’ll ask about something particular that we talked about. But this PRO friend of mine, she always beats me to the punch. She’s quite amazing to be honest. I’ll be home for no less than 5 minutes, and my phone is already buzzing. There it is, a text from my friend with all her energy coming thru my phone loud and clear. She’ll do the “typical” follow-up, saying how much fun she had or how much I mean to her or something to that extent. But let me tell you, I read that follow-up, and I feel loved. I read ...

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With the arrival of spring and decent temperatures, my 3 1/2 year old nephew has his bat and ball out and ready. He’s brought it over 2 weeks in a row now and is emphatic about playing. “Let’s play baseball; let’s play baseball” is all I hear until we finally do just that: play baseball. Now for a kid his age, he’s not too bad at swinging the bat and connecting on the ball. However, though he tries, he doesn’t hit the ball with every swing. In fact, sometimes he misses 3, 4, even 5 times in a row. But does that phase him? Not one bit! The kid just picks the ball up, throws it back at me and says, “Try again.” What a concept! My nephew doesn’t hang his head in defeat. He doesn’t stomp away mumbling, “This sport is stupid.” He doesn’t burst into tears after missing the ball, or even mutter “I suck.” Nope, he just simply throws the ball back and gets ready for the next pitch. Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, once said, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” Sir Winston Churchill,one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century, once said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” Another famous somebody once said, “Success is falling 9 times and getting...

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We know the Bible tells us NOT to judge, but then you cross paths with someone different than yourself. Maybe they have some weird colors in their hair; are sporting a mohawk; or maybe they have piercings where we typically don’t see piercings. Maybe they have too many piercings in our opinion, or even too many tattoos. Quite possibly we may run into someone who walks, talks, acts or dresses differently than we may. At times we may cross paths with someone, or many someones at that, who just plain and simply annoy us. Maybe we see them as obnoxious or unruly; disrespectful or vulgar; insensitive or rude. So the Bible instructs us NOT to judge, yet if you are anything like me, I still find myself critiquing those who cross my path. And again, if you are anything like me, I cast my judgement without even knowing the person, basing it merely on what I see or experience. Such was the case with my friend Ron. When I first met this guy, I immediately found him to be annoying and judged him to be an obnoxious, vulgar, womanizer. However, my judgements were cast from across a room, as I only saw him sporadically and never personally knew him, nor talked to him. I simply judged him by what I saw from a distance, or in passing. Then he started dating my friend, and I saw a whole other dimension of Ron. I saw a caring and thoughtful guy who would go far out of his w...

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My cycling instructor at the gym I attend has become a good friend of mine. In fact, multiple people in the classes I take have become good friends. (That’s a story for another day). Not to long ago my instructor friend Kerri brought in a gift bag for the girl that spins directly behind me; we call her little Nic. I came in after little Nic had been given the gift bag, but supposedly, she was supposed to wait until she got home to open it. She didn’t. I found out after class why she was supposed to wait. By this time, little Nic had already left, as she always leaves class 15 minutes early to get to work in time. Kerri was reprimanding her boyfriend, who spins next to little Nic, for letting her open the gift bag during class. Ron (the boyfriend) was saying how little Nic had gotten emotional. Kerri responded by saying that was precisely why she wanted little Nic to wait until she got home. Now here I was, clueless, so I interjected and asked what the gift was for and why the tears. Little Nic’s dog had passed away that weekend and Kerri had purchased her a gift, knowing how upset little Nic was. I forget now what it was; maybe a frame with some doggy saying. I just know in my head that I was thinking, “She teared up over a gift in honor of her deceased dog???” Let me just add this for clarity: I’m not an animal person. As Kerri...

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I have a TERRIBLE voice, and that’s putting it nicely. The problem with my terrible voice is that it’s a LOUD, terrible voice. The problem with my LOUD, TERRIBLE voice is that I like to sing. So not only is my singing not good, but it’s LOUD singing that is not good! Now in my own defense, the Bible says to make a joyful NOISE, and I have that down! I will admit that I sometimes feel bad for the innocent people sitting near me in church. I’ve seen them looking around before, probably wondering what that dreadful noise is. I’ve definitely had people turn around and look at me during worship time. The “look” is more of a death look, a stare, even a begging stare that is trying to communicate, “Please, for the sake of my sanity; please, for the sake of my ears; please stop that noise you calling singing; please, pretty please, stop; please just stop!” I’m not really aware of my volume as I sing, but I have been told by an individual or two before that they can actually hear me on the other side of the sanctuary. No lie! So this is what we know: my voice is bad, pitiful, awful, terrible...and it’s a LOUD bad, pitiful, awful, terrible voice. However, again to my defense, I am not alone in this, at least not in the bad, pitiful, awful and terrible arena. I have paused or stopped singing plenty of times, ...

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Ever have a meeting get canceled or something ends earlier than planned and you think to yourself, “Ahhhhhh, spare time!”? You quickly fill it up of course with something else. But it certainly was extra time you didn’t plan on having. I love when that happens! Or what about when you are given extra time as a bonus or perk? My chiropractor has this Aquamed bed. It’s amazing. I lay down on it and it has water pressure that runs up and down my body, massaging my muscles. I can add or subtract from the intensity. I can even pause it at various points on my muscles so it repeatedly goes over that area. I love that Aquamed bed! The normal time for a patient to lay on the Aquamed bed is 7 minutes. However, for whatever reason, more often than not, the secretary programs it for 15-20 minutes for me. Extra bonus time! I love it! I guess you could look at today as extra time. I didn’t really think of it that way at first. It’s just Wednesday. Every week has Wednesday. It’s just a normal day of the week. However, it’s Wednesday of a leap year. It’s Wednesday, February 29th, when February usually ends on the 28th. That means it’s an extra day, providing extra time you normally wouldn’t have. In fact, it’s 24 more hours than you would normally have; or 1,440 extra minutes or 86,400 more seconds than you&...

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I got a random text the other day from a girl who needs a recommendation letter. It made me laugh because I haven’t talked to her in months. In reality, I haven’t really talked to her for over a year besides a quick “Hey” if I happen to run into her. Honestly, the thought that ran thru my head was, “Look who they come to when they need something.” This happens a lot. People come and go in our lives. I’ve had kids come to INSIDEOUT then drop off the face of the earth. But they haven’t dropped out of my heart. My commitment to them hasn’t faded just because I don’t see them weekly or speak to them regularly or because they aren’t doing what I think they should be doing. God loves us with an unconditional love, and we are to do the same with those around us. I’m actually quite honored that this girl felt she could still approach me, despite the years and distance. Not long ago I had an athlete say all sorts of crap about me. She spread some lovely rumors that were totally false, but hurtful nonetheless. Oddly enough, a couple months later when she found herself in trouble, guess who she came to? Indeed! It was me. I could have easily ignored her and let her handle her troubles on her own. But I didn’t. As she was letting the rumors fly, I had told her I was here for her if she ever needed ...

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I love how God is behind the scenes, orchestrating the details of our lives, and many times we don’t even have a clue that He’s up to something. Psalm 37:23 says, “The Lord directs the steps of the Godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” There’s so many examples I could give about this, but here’s the latest, greatest in my world. In the fall of 2007 I was asked to help coach lacrosse. I knew nothing about the sport, but the coach liked how I worked with teenagers and how teenagers responded to me. I was honored by the request, especially since I barely knew the coach. I thought it over but figured a whole new sport would be too much to take on. I was already coaching volleyball, basketball and travel basketball, plus umping softball in the spring. Let’s not forget the fact that I knew nothing about lacrosse. I said NO. Fast forward thru basketball season, and its now mid-February, 2008. My thoughts were completely on basketball sectionals and brushing up on my umping skills. I had actually forgotten about lacrosse. Yet one fateful Monday morning I was getting ready for work, and I heard the Lord speak to me, “Coach lacrosse.” It wasn’t an audible voice but came thru in my thoughts. It was so out of the blue; I knew immediately that it was God. Yet I discounted the thought because of how random it w...

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I want people to ask me about my upcoming wedding. It’s a super big deal in my life, and I love talking about it. The thing is tho, not everyone asks about it. Now I don’t expect people to ask me non-stop about this occasion, however, if we haven’t talked in awhile, then yes, I do expect them to ask. Nor do I expect someone to ask in passing. However, if we are spending an extended amount of time together, then again, yes, I expect them to ask! Scenario 1 - I’m out to dinner with some friends. I haven’t seen them in months. They didn’t ask one question about the wedding. Not one! No wedding talk was made. I left thinking, “Wow, that’s kinda weird...don’t they care?” Scenario 2 - Another dinner scene, but this time with friends we see quite often. They already know most of the wedding details. However, they had gone away for 5 days and upon their return, they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss anything. They pumped us for wedding updates and info all thru dinner. Scenario 3 - My friend had a baby. It took me a few weeks to visit her, but visit her I did. I wanted to know all about her new life as a mommy. I wanted to know how the baby sleeps, and what sort of adjustment it has been for her, the new mom. I wanted to know what her plan was for going back to work. I wanted to know about her workout schedul...

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It started back in November as I was working out. My partner and I were on a new weight lifting routine, and it was tough. We were working only 2 muscles a day; 4 sets of 25 reps, with 3-4 exercises for each muscle. Our leg workout was the most lethal of all. I could barely walk after the first leg workout day. It was a killer program we were on for 6 weeks. By week 2 of the legs, I was actually dreading going to the gym , knowing what was in store for me: hamstrings; leg extensions, curls, and presses; squats and calf raises. There were 2 specific leg exercises we alternated back and forth with that were especially difficult. I was hurting by only the 13th rep, yet still had 12 more to go, followed by another 3 sets. Counting up to 25 seemed impossible. That’s when I did “it.” I have been known to talk to myself during my workouts. “Come on Crowley,” “You can do it,” or “Push” are typical self pep-talk strategies I’ve found myself using in the past. But during this workout, the thoughts soaring thru my brain were more or less, “I don’t think I can do this...how am I going to make it?” Something needed to change if I was going to finish, so after each rep I began saying one of the following to myself: “You got this,” “You can do this” and “This is easy.&rdqu...

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I’m not much into making New Year’s resolutions, but I have made a life resolution, and that is to be intentional about growth. I want to be constantly growing. Growth comes when we challenge ourselves, learn new things, switch up the routine and get out of our comfort zones. It comes when we’re not satisfied with staying where we are. I introduced a new drill in practice a few weeks ago; the team did not like it. The reason they didn’t like the drill had everything do do with the fact that it challenged them. My team is more than content to stick with drills that they are successful at. Once I introduced one that exposed their weaknesses, it was a totally different ball game, and they wanted nothing to do with it. We tend to live our lives that way, sticking with what we are good at or with what we are accustomed to. But growth comes thru a challenge. Growth comes from that which is not always easy or even natural for us. Here’s how I am intentional about my growth: • I listen to sermons 3-5 times a week while getting ready for work. I’d rather listen to music but listening to different podcasts builds my faith and helps me grow. • I read. Leaders are readers. Reading expands my thinking and knowledge; it also stirs up my creativity. • I surround myself with people who are more experienced or better than me in...

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Classic Buffalo Bills. They started the year strong, winning their first 4 out of 5 games, giving so many of us hope. Then classic Bills mode set in, and they have now lost 7 in a row.  It doesn’t matter anymore how great they started. Sure, it was fun, but now it means nothing. They started strong and are finishing weak. Lame and pathetic also qualify as adequate descriptions. Once again, for the 12th straight year, the Bills won’t be in the playoffs. It’s quite disheartening. With coaching, I’ve seen my teams do that plenty enough. They come out strong but can’t maintain it and fizzle off before the game is over. The problem is you can’t start strong and not finish strong. Ever seen a team come from behind??? Maybe they started weak, but the other team, the team with the lead, started strong, but didn’t finish strong. It certainly makes or breaks the game. I tell my girls before every game, in every sport, “We gotta start strong, play strong and finish strong.” Ever seen this in someone’s life? They go at something with a vengeance. They tackle a hobby, a volunteer position, whatever it might be, with vigor. But they don’t finish the task that way. Many simply don’t even finish. I’ve seen plenty of people start something but never finish it, whatever “it” might be. “It&rdq...

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Working out early in the morning works best for me. It gets me out of bed. It helps me feel energized for the day. Plus, if I don’t do it before work, the day tends to yank control and “later” never comes. Tuesdays and Thursdays are easy wake-up days for me. I take a cycling class at 5:15am, and I love it; plus, a bunch of the people in the class are my friends. I not only want to take the class, but I want to see my friends! All of this motivates me to get out of bed. And if I’m not there, I know I’m gonna hear it from them. “Where were you Crowley??? Got the keys to slackerville today????” They make sure I’m in class or have a valid reason for skipping. My problem has been Mondays and Fridays. Wednesdays depended on the week because there was another early morning spin class I liked. But getting out of bed before 5am on a Monday??? Or even better: out of bed before 5am on a Friday, my day off?!?!? It wasn’t happening consistently. I’d still get to the gym, just not as early as I liked, which meant it cut into the rest of my day and plans. Not good. Enter Katie. Katie is my new Monday, Wednesday and Friday workout parter. Katie is into weights, exercise and health like I am. Katie has the same goals and work ethic that I possess. While Katie actually knows more than I do, I’m more disciplined and consisten...

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Have you ever had someone avoid you??? They see you and go the other way or immediately make it appear like they are busy or like they didn’t see you. I’m totally used to this happening to me!  I’ve seen people (usually teenagers!) in the mall or at Wegmans or somewhere out and about and have watched as they literally try to hide behind something, anything, so I wouldn’t see them! Sorry, that rack with 2 articles of clothing isn’t doing its job very well! But this happens probably more than we would like to admit. If you’re honest, you have probably done it too. I know I have. Maybe I’m in a hurry and just don’t want to deal with taking the time to stop and talk. Or maybe its someone I’m not a huge fan of for whatever reason. Ashamedly, I admit I have done my fair share of avoidance. The best is when you know they didn’t see you though because then you are let off scotch free! Now to my defense, more often than not, I’m the sort of person who calls a person out that I know. I go running up to people I see, even if they are trying to hide! That actually almost makes it better! And if they didn’t see me, but I saw them??? That’s ok! I’ll make sure they see (and hear!) me. Unfortunately the world tends to take the avoidance route more often than not. That’s why a simple little thing t...

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I am 31-years old. I’ve had good dates, bad dates and blind dates. I’ve had boyfriends (who never lasted more than 3-months), guy friends, plus the typical 3rd wheel experiences and feelings of loneliness and being left out for lack of a boyfriend. I’ve had my fair share of tears, plus my fair share of thrills and adventure. But thru the years, I have heard these 3 things over and over: I am too picky; too dominant for a guy to handle; and too busy for a serious relationship. But one thing I’ll never forget hearing was this from my dad: just be about my Heavenly Father’s business; the rest will fall into place. Now here I am, engaged to the man that is the most perfect fit for me. He came into my life at a time when I least expected it, or was even looking for it. And he is above and beyond anything I could have asked for or imagined. So here are my thoughts on my recent engagement: 1.   It has been worth the wait I have been told this so many times as well...it will be worth it.  And guess what?!?!?! It is! How do I explain it??? I don’t know. It’s the old analogy of the farmer, working and sowing, then enjoying the fruits of his labor. It’s like my teams, working hard, seemingly beyond their capabilities and limits in practice, but it pays off in the game. The same is true for us.  I mean, have you seen t...

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Mood Swings  Today I am grateful because I was able to wake up early enough to go for an early morning, in the dark, run. Today I am grateful for the politeness and smile given to me by the coffee lady @ Bruegger’s. Today I am grateful because I was able to sit in on a ministry panel at Elim Bible Institute and offer some ministry advice and encouragement. Today I am grateful because I got to see a Camp Shiloh camper and anything to do w Camp Shiloh makes me happy. Today I am grateful as I remember the HUGE rainbow I saw last night and the reminder it is to me that Jesus is faithful and true and never lets me down. Today I am grateful because the iphone is soooooo cool and fun to use, and I now own one! Today I am grateful because the sun is shining and fall is at its peak, and I sure do love fall! Today I am grateful to be sitting in my new, much larger office! Today I am grateful for the opportunity to love and serve others. Today I am grateful for the MAC guy at Best Buy who has been helping me out and teaching me all the MAC tricks (I’m packing up some candy to take to him as a thank you!). Today I am grateful for my friend who drove over an hour to sit on the ministry panel w me. Today I am grateful for my boyfriend who texts me first thing every morning to tell me he’s praying for me and for us. Today I am grateful that the candy dish o...

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I read a blog the other day that told the story of a man who performed a “30 Day Generosity Experiment.” This man found himself always saying NO and  one day just simply decided to say YES for the next 30 days, no matter the request. It changed his life. This man now tries to live his life “as a ‘YES man’ in response to the issues that grip his heart.” This particular blog by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in North Carolina went on to challenge his readers to take the “30 Day Generosity Experiment” as well. Pastor Furtick’s challenge involved making a commitment to God for the next 30 days to meet any need that crossed the reader’s path as best they could, whether it be emotional, physical, spiritual or financial. Instead of always automatically responding with a NO, he challenged his readers to say YES to the Holy Spirit promptings within one’s sphere of influence. Pastor Furtick promised that thru this, not only will other lives be changed, but your life would be changed as well. Now to be honest, I didn’t dwell too much on this blog after I was done reading. I did think about Jim Carrey’s “Yes Man” movie that came out in 2008. But I can’t say I vowed to do the experiment and take the challenge.   Fast forward to the next day, early afternoon. I was in line...

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Today is my favoritest day of the school year. And no, favoritest might not be a word, but I’m sticking with it! Today was See You at the Pole, a national (even international!) student-initiated and student-led movement that is now 21 years strong. Teenagers all across the world gathered around their school flagpole BEFORE school to PRAY for their school, friends, teachers, administration and country. Awesome! Students getting up early, going to school early and praying in direct sight of all their peers??? It’s powerful! But it’s also intimidating. It definitely takes courage. Who’s going to see me? Will they laugh and mock? Many schools have their flagpole at the main entrance. Our kids are in direct sight of the ENTIRE school as they arrive for the day. I can be intimidated even as an adult! For me, attending SYATP fills me with hope, faith, vision and excitement for the school year. There is nothing too difficult or too hard for our God. Nothing is impossible for Him, and that includes the turning around of our schools! As I stand in the circle around the flagpole with students from different denominations yet the same school, I am full of awe and excitement for what God can do thru them! It also makes me so proud of our young people that they showed up; that they care enough to come EARLY and PRAY. We had turnouts of 30, 15, 2, 8, and even just ...

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I am in my 6th year of coaching volleyball.  The first few years I coached were on my own, unassisted. Then a Varsity player asked if she could help me with my team because she needed community service hours. I’ve had Varsity players help ever since. I’m now even at the point where I have to turn girls away because too many want to participate! Thru the years, I’ve realized everyone benefits - me, the team and the Varsity athletes. Having Varsity players around helps me accomplish more in practice. I can do 2 drills at once, because the Varsity girls run one, while I run another.  They also see and hear things I don’t.  As a coach, it’s also just simply a blessing to have my former players come back and want to invest in the younger girls and spend time with me. It definitely makes me proud to see how far they’ve come since their Junior High days. My team benefits because they see what they can become in the Varsity players. It gives them something to work towards and look forward to. They have a positive role model, receive more individual attention and have someone to cheer for when we attend a Varsity game. The Varsity athletes benefit because it provides a community service opportunity, as well as gives them an opportunity to use their skills beyond their own practices and games. Their involvement provides an opport...

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Been working out this summer w a Physical Education teacher from the Greece school district. She’s been introducing me to new techniques and ideas as we lift weights together. I’m loving it! Every time we get together she passes on some new form of knowledge that she picked up from reading various fitness magazines. The woman is a plethora of knowledge, and I’m the lucky recipient! What struck me the other day tho is when she said some PE teachers are still teaching the same format and using the same knowledge they had when they were in school for physical education. We were talking about how things change and new ideas come along, and she stated that she likes to incorporate these things into her classes. I thought it was rather sad that some teachers who went to school well over a decade ago are still using the same techniques from back then, when all sorts of new knowledge, formats and ideas have been discovered.  Made me think about my own life, and how I always want to be learning. I don’t want to be the sort of person who isn’t willing to discover, learn or try new things. Nor do I want to resist change or be stuck in the past. Whether it be in my personal, coaching, church or spiritual life, I never want to assume I have arrived and know it all. There’s always something to be discovered. I’m all for learning a...

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I went to a Bob Dylan concert the other night with some friends. I really know nothing about Dylan, but outdoor concerts are always fun, as is people watching. I really didn’t know what to expect at a Dylan concert. I figured there would be a wide genre of people, tho more of the older set than my age; plus a fair share of hippies most likely. I figured the instrumental aspect of the music would be good, the air might be saturated w smells I’d prefer not to waft my way, and that people watching would be at its peak. I was right on all levels.   There was far more for the eye to behold than I could have even hoped for. One lady to the left of us never stopped hula-hooping. It even lit up when it got dark out. There were definitely plenty of people dancing, spinning and swaying to the music. I enjoyed the fashion of a rainbow-colored feather boa in the hair of one girl my age. It was quite an eclectic group that night.   And what I learned from all this???   People sure have an aspect of freedom many of us are trying to obtain when they just be who they are. Sometimes we try to be what people want us to be; or are ashamed and embarrassed of who we are; or we try to make ourselves fit into some mold because we deem that “cooler” and more acceptable; or we are caught up in people’s opinions. The hula hoop lady sure didn’t s...

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Pat was in the 2nd row of the middle section of the church. She had just had foot surgery a few days earlier, yet here she was on Sunday morning, huge leg cast, crutches and all. When worship began, she was standing, yet had to sit very soon after. Periodically she had to elevate her leg, but all she had was the back of the chair in front of her.  She propped her leg on top of that chair, but it looked pretty uncomfortable.   In steps Greg.   Greg is our head usher. Greg saw Pat and made his way over to help. I saw Pat too, but I never moved. Greg talked to Pat, then talked to the people in the row in front of her. I watched this all from my position on the right side of the church.   Greg unhooked the chair directly in front of Pat and turned it around so she could prop her leg comfortably on the seat of the chair, instead of uncomfortably on the top edge of the chair. I thought to myself, “Wow, what a great guy!”  I think we could add attentive, kind, thoughtful and sensitive to the definition of great guy.   Pat came back to church the following week. Again she was in the 2nd row of the middle section. She still had the huge leg cast and crutches. Again Greg came over, talked to the people in front of her, then moved the chair around so she could comfortably elevate her leg. And once again, I watched this all unfold from m...

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My lacrosse team had a summer league game last night. We had just enough girls to play. Just as they were taking the field, a girl randomly came up to me and asked if I needed more players, and if she could play with us. Come to find out, the random girl was named Stephanie; she is going into her freshmen year of high school; and she simply just wanted to play lacrosse. She had already played in 2 games that night and was just wandering around, looking for any team to play with. For me, she was a blessing because her addition to the team for that game gave us a much needed sub. But what impressed me most about Stephanie was her attitude and boldness.   When I went to sub Stephanie into the game, I gave her instructions, and her reply was, “Whatever you need coach. I’ll do anything you want.”  When she got on the field, the girl gave everything she had, and even played in some positions that she was less skilled in. Yet Stephanie never hesitated, nor backed down.   Before Stephanie even took the field, she was cheering her new teammates on from the sideline. When she got on the field, she never stopped. She congratulated girls for making a good play; she encouraged them when they messed up; she singled out girls by calling out the number on their pinney; she even gave the goalie a shout-out from the opposite end of the field. From start to f...

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