Roll Tide 2013 - Let's get this started

Today's the day...



Let's do this!

Let the season begin...

Twas the night before Christmas....ummmm....I mean football season.

Well it IS the most wonderful time of the year! And it starts in less than 20 hours, when the the two Carolinas kick it off.

I always look forward to football season, and I can't remember one that I've been more excited about. I'm not sure it's anything special about this one, even though it is the last year of the BCS system, and it is a year where history could be made. I think it's just that I am feeling especially appreciative of all the blessings in my life right now - and college football is a biggie.

So, as we move toward kickoff, here are just a few quick thoughts:

• Alabama. The Crimson Tide is coming off back-to-back BCS titles, something that is extremely rare. Even more rare is the fact that they've won three out of four. A couple of  milestones they are reaching for: In the AP poll era (since 1936), no team has ever won three in a row. And it's not just the team, but QB A.J. McCarron: no Alabama quarterback has ever gotten four national championship rings, or three as a starter. Yes, there is a lot to shoot for, and this Bama team is loaded with talent. But they do have question marks on the offensive line, and I always say that I'd bet on "the field" against any one team, no matter how good they are. So the odds are against them, but if they do it, it'll be special.

• Ohio State. Quarterback Braxton Miller is an amazing player and he has a lot of talent around him. And let's face it, the Big Ten schedule is not exactly a minefield. So the odds are very good that they will go undefeated and play for the BCS title. But I have a feeling they'll slip up along the way. It may just be that they will have to play rival Michigan two weeks in a row. If that happens, I think they'll go down in one of them.

• Florida State. Watch out for this team. Redshirt freshman QB Jameis Winston is going to be awfully good. I watched him play in the spring game and he looked game ready. Road games are tough for freshmen and so the Clemson game will be a real challenge. But Johnny Manziel did okay in Tuscaloosa, so it can be done. Watch out for the Noles!

• Johnny Manziel. No, you know what, I'm tired of this subject. Next.

• Stanford. I really like this team to go a long way. They play the tough physical brand of football that we love here in the South, and their opponents on the left coast are not used to it. That is a tremendous advantage, and also we know that style works don't we? (The SEC has won just a few championships with it.) Don't be surprised if they are in Pasadena on January 6.

I could go on and on...I love this topic. But let's wrap it up, and look forward to kickoff. So ready.

Roll tide. 

In memory of Phil Richardson

You never know the influence you have on others. You just don't.

The year was 1987 and it was the biggest faith leap of my life. Through a series of events, I knew that God was leading me away from a teaching career but I didn't know exactly what he was leading me to. Then, at a lake party for a friend who was getting married, I was given a name and phone number. It was Phil Richardson of Alfa Insurance.

I gave Mr. Richardson a call, and over the next two weeks I interviewed with four different people at Alfa. After much prayer and thought, on July 9, 1987, I began my career as an actuary.

Mr .Richardson passed away this last Thursday morning, and we will be saying goodbye at a service tomorrow. As I look back over my career, I can't express how much this man did for me. He got the process started for me to begin my career as an actuary. His leadership created a successful company that God has used to bless me over and over. About two years into my career, he made the decision that the future of the actuarial function should be in the hands of this kid and supported me in every step of my growth. He gave me advice countless times (some would say his "advice" could be harsh - I never saw it that way) and taught me principles that I still quote today. He was a true leader and I will always be thankful.

But the thing I will remember most about Mr. Richardson was when he pulled me aside one day in the fall of 1996. I had just come back to work after facing the aftermath of a pool accident that claimed the life of my sister and left my niece horribly injured. I was crushed and it was hard to see how to face each day. Well, he took me in his office and confided about the way that he had lost his son to an accident almost 20 years earlier. And he told me that when I needed to, I needed to find a room, close the door, and just cry. I knew he spoke from experience, and it was incredibly moving.

That is the Phil Richardson I knew and will miss. He will stay with me in so many ways. Goodbye, Mr. Richardson.

In a shell

I read the craziest article just now. The statistics in it were shocking, and yet as I read the article I could see that they were sound, and revealed a blind spot for me. The stat?

20% of non-Christians in North America do not personally know any Christians.

That's right. Any. I highly recommend that if you are a Christian, you read this article...now. In fact, if you have to choose between reading it or finishing this blog post, read the article. Here's a link:

The Craziest Statistic

Considering that 80% of the population calls themselves Christian, what an astounding result! Now, the article talks about possible causes, including immigration. But when it comes down to it, the biggest reason is that so many of us Christians stay in a shell. We hang around with people just like us - like us in status, like us in income, like us in ethnic background, like us in religious beliefs. As the article points out, there is too much apathy about reaching out to those different from us, which means doing very little to befriend non-Christians. As Jeff Christopherson said in the article, "We hide in our evangelical ghetto." Or Gina Bellofato: "I don't know how many more million Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews need to come to this country before it becomes a priority."

Now, international missions is a major priority to me. If you follow this blog, you've seen post after post about how my heart reaches out to children in Africa and how I've traveled there four years in a row. Really, it's why I started this blog in the first place. And it's still true. God has called us to go spread his love and announce the Kingdom of his Son to the entire world.

But my goodness! Can we all just start by being a little more like Jesus where we live? Like Jesus, who was always being criticized for hanging out with people different from him. Like Jesus, who left the comfort zone of his father's carpentry shop to bring hope to the lost, sight to the blight, and freedom to the oppressed. He didn't have to go far - he just had to open his eyes and leave home.

Have you ever thought about the question Jesus was answering when he told the story of the good Samaritan? He had told the crowd the need to love their neighbors, and the question was, "Who is my neighbor?" And so when you see the story in the light of the question, the answer was...Samaritans. People different from you. Half-breeds who had stopped worshipping the one true God. That is who you need to love.

No, God doesn't call all of us to go overseas - either short or long term. So good news! There's plenty of Kingdom work for you to do right here. Because if only 20% of the non-Christians living all around us even know a Christian...well, there's plenty to do. And it all starts with just getting to know people - people who are different from us.

I am sooooooooooo lacking. I definitely have four fingers pointing back at me. So I pray that God would use this article to open my eyes, and see the neighbors - Samaritans if you will - who need to be loved. And then that I would love them.

20%. That's gotta change.