I continue to be a sporadic blogger but this is amazing article on Clemson coach Dabo Swinney encouraged me to write. The article is a must read –
and not just for Clemson fans (though it sure makes me proud to be one) - just click here: Dabo Swinney.
Some of what Dabo said really got me
thinking:
Clemson had fallen into an accepting mindset, with non-existent facilities, non-competitive
salaries to keep talented assistant coaches, and a generally defeatist attitude about its spot in
the football pecking order. The place seemed somewhat satisfied to just have a
big orange party every Saturday and watch the guys touch the rock and run down
the hill.
"For whatever reason, I think Clemson lost their way,
lost their swag if you will," Swinney said. "And really kind of lost
their commitment. This place was not committed facility-wise. And I don't
personally think they were committed resource-wise on a national level…. I'm
not really interested in this conference. I'm interested in being the best. I'm
interested in competing with everyone out there…. That's my mentality."
The Dabo sensation has not gone unnoticed within the
program. Longtime staffers speak of his unapologetic sense of drive. Coaches
marvel at his endless positivity; "he's a glass-half-full guy," said
defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who was lured from Oklahoma. And the
players say the place thinks like a champion now, which makes the players
realize everything is possible.
"I think it's a certain mindset, a certain attitude,
that for awhile wasn't here," said quarterback Tajh Boyd. "But I
think this program, the type of players we are recruiting here, the kind of
coaches that we have here, are changing that culture."
Dabo said it had to occur from the inside out, and it
had to include bricks and mortar.
As a Clemson alum and fan I both
hate (that we fell into an “accepting mindset”) and love the direction we are
heading.
It also makes me recognize how easy
it is for churches to fall into an “accepting mindset.” Sometimes churches adopt their own version of
a “defeatist attitude” and make too many excuses about why they can’t be
successful – not in competing with other churches (though we do way too much of
that) but in fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commandment and Great Commission.
It requires an investment of
resources – including bricks and mortar (and LED screens and online media) –
and it requires a mindset and attitude that is committed to winning.
In his first letter to the church in
Corinth, Paul wrote about what that sort of winning attitude looks like:
I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order
to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists,
loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take
on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world
and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about
every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a
God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to
talk about it; I wanted to be in
on it!
You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race.
Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it
for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold
eternally.
I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the
finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m
staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping,
telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.
I Corinthians 9: 19 – 27 (MSG)
Whenever we begin to accept what we
can’t do – or make excuses for what we can’t do – or believe that others can
but we can’t – we are adopting a defeatist mentality and falling short of
believing what Jesus promised when He told us we would do even greater things
than these.
For church a staff I believe there
are warning signs of an accepting mindset and defeatist attitude. :
We accept “good enough” rather than
pursuing the very best
We accept worn, torn and stained as
just the way things are
We accept clutter, mess and disorder
as normal
We accept budget constraints as an
excuse of why we can’t
We accept showing up late and leaving
early
We accept a lack of preparation and “just wing it”
We accept too many mistakes (and I
am sure there are typos in this post that I need to find - point them out and I will fix them)
We accept “I don’t have time”
instead of “making time" for what’s important
We accept “I can’t” instead of
finding a solution to how “we can.”
We are never going to be perfect –
and heaven help us if we ever think we are – but when a church falls into an
accepting mindset and a defeatist attitude eventually it loses sight of its
purpose to introduce people to Jesus and His way of life. The church
become somewhat satisfied to just have a big party every Sunday and watch the
guys upfront as we all head downhill.
The article on Dabo concludes:
"I grew up in a world where I
was told, ‘you can't, you can't, you can't, you can't," Swinney said.
"And I had every reason not to believe that I could be successful.
"And that's what happens in
this world," he continues. "They buy the lie. They buy the lie that
the devil's trying to sell them. And I don't buy that lie. And I never have and
never will."
Not for him. Not for his mom. Not for Clemson.
And not for me and not for Mountaintop!
