Perspective

In February on our Landmark trip to Kenya, our team met an incredibly gifted young lady by the name of Christi Baker. I don't know Christi's whole story, but I do know she had spent some time living in a place called Kibera. Kibera is one of the largest slums on the African continent. Somewhere between 700,000 - 1,000,000 people live in one square mile. Kibera is the worst place I have ever seen in my life. (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7490163340912405232&ei=OP4iSrWqO4f8rgLSvLGyDg&q=kibera&hl=en). Christi was there with 410 Bridge putting together a choir of Kenyan orphans to visit churches in the United States. This morning I got to hear them at Southside Church in Peachtree City. They had only been in the US a couple days before coming to Southside.

When I think about their lives at home and the living conditions for most of them compared to mine, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have been born where I was. And what is it that I did that was so remarkable to earn me a birthright in the US?

If I am not mistaken, approximately five of every one hundred births in the world are in the US and chances are if you are reading this, you are one of the five. So what about you, what did you do that was so spectacular that would earn you the privelege of being born in the US?

So if it wasn't something you did, maybe you were born here because there is something God expects you to do to make life better for those less fortunate. Remeber, to whom much is given, much is expected. For more perspective, check out the Eight Dollar Hotdog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZKLan6ea0s)

Be There

So my last official duty at Landmark was speaking at Baccalaureate. I got the chance to tell one of my favorite stories. It's a little long, but I think it's worth the read.

If you are a big basketball fan, you have to love this time of year. We’re down to the NBA semifinals. And we get to see some of the greatest athletes in the world, But, before there was Lebron and Koby, before Shaq and Michael, even before Magic and Larry, there was Pete. Pete Maravich. Pistol Pete Maravich. Pete Maravich was obsessed with basketball from an early age. He never went anywhere without a basketball. When his mom would come tuck him in at night, without exception she would find Pete laying in his bed shooting his basketball up at the ceiling. He would even take his basketball to the movies and sit on the aisle and dribble his basketball. Half way through the movie he would switch sides of the theater so he could practice dribbling the ball with his other hand. And though he would have fit in well with the current NBA, his playground moves, circus shots, and hotdog passes were considered outrageous during his era.
Pete Maravich was a college star at LSU where he averaged over 44 points a game during his career and at that time there was no 3-point shot. At the time of his graduation from LSU he had set over 40 NCAA records. He was an All-American all 3 years of his college career and was the College Player of the Year in 1970.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and was the first player ever to receive a million-dollar contract. He was a 5-time NBA All-Star and led the league in scoring in 1977. He was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 1987, the first year he was eligible. In 1996, he was selected as a member of the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team which recognized the 50 greatest players of all time.

As great as his basketball career was, his personal life was a disaster. You would think that a guy with all that money and all that fame playing a game he loved would find happiness and contentment, but it wasn’t the case. Pete spent most of his life going from one thing to another trying to find peace and fulfillment. He tried women, alcohol, and drugs. He even tried becoming a vegetarian, Buddhism, and even dabbled in astrology. In the end, all these things left him empty. It wasn’t until 1982 that Pete Maravich found the peace and contentment he was looking for. In 1982, Pete Maravich accepted Christ as his personal savior. According to Pete, and I quote “Once I was a disbeliever. When I could not fill my life with basketball, I would simply substitute sex, drugs or material things to feed my internal, shell-like appearance. I was never satisfied.” Now when Pete accepted Christ, he became as passionate and outspoken about God as he once was about basketball. He never missed an opportunity to share his faith with anyone who listened.

In 1997 at the NBA All Star game, Pete was recognized, along with 49 others, as one of the 50 greatest players of all time. It was quite an event. Each player, as he was introduced, would take his spot on the court to the cheers of the fans present at the game. Guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. Shaquille O’Neal was there as was Scottie Pippen, Oscar Robinson, and Kareem Abdul Jabaar. But when it was Pete’s turn to be introduced, he was represented by his two sons, Jaeson and Josh.
You see, in 1988, Pete Maravich was visiting with James Dobson at Focus on the Family. Dr. Dobson and some of his collegues would play basketball a couple of morings a week and on that day in January, he invited Pete to come play. After about 45 minutes of playing, they took a break to get a drink. Pete and Dr. Dobson stayed on the court talking waiting for the other players to come back. Dr. Dobson asked Pete how he felt and Pete responded by saying he felt great. Those were Pete’s last words and as Dr. Dobson turned to walk away he heard a thud. He turned back to see Pete laying on the floor. At first he thought Pete was joking, because Pete was somewhat of a practical joker and he thought Pete was playing off his final comment about feeling good. As he approached Pete still expecting him to get up laughing and, he realized Pete was having a seizure. On January 5, 1988, at 40 years old, Pete Maravich died in the arms of Dr. James Dobson. Not only did we lose a great basketball player, we lost a great ambassador for Jesus Christ.

That event so shook up Dr. Dobson, that he went home that night and sat down with his son Ryan, who was 17 years old at the time, and told him exactly what I want to tell you this evening:

I want you to understand what has happened here. Pete’s death was not an
unusual tragedy that has happened to only one man and his family. We all
must face death sooner or later and in one way or another. This is the
“human condition.” It comes too early for some people and too late for
others. But no one will escape, ultimately. And, of course, it will
also happen to you and me. So without being morbid about it, I want you to
begin to prepare yourself for that time. Sooner or later, you’ll get the kind of phone call that Mrs. Maravich received today. It could occur ten or fifteen years from now, or it could come tomorrow. But when that time comes, there is one thought I want to leave with you. I don’t know if I’ll have an opportunity to give you my “last words” then, so let me express them to you right now. Freeze-frame this moment in your mind, and hold on to it for the rest of your life. My message to you is Be there! Be
there to meet your mother and me in heaven. We will be looking for you on
that resurrection morning. Don’t let anything deter you from keeping that
appointment. Because I am fifty-one years old and you are only
seventeen, as many as fifty years could pass from the time of my death to
yours. That’s a long time to remember. But you can be sure that I
will be searching for you just inside the Eastern Gate. This is the only
thing of real significance in your life. I care what you accomplish in the
years to come, and I hope you make good use of the great potential the Lord has
given to you. But above every other purpose and goal, the only thing that
really matters is that you determine to be there!

And so, I hope your college years are a great success. I hope they are everything you have dreamed they would be and more. I hope you find a vocation that you are passionate about that brings you great satisfaction and joy. I hope you find that someone special in your life, fall in love, and have a great family. I hope your life will be one of impact for Jesus Christ. But most of all, when all is said and done, I hope you’ll be there, because I will be looking for you just inside the Eastern Gate.