Monday Memo

by Steve May

When I coached T-Ball we didn’t keep score. Not officially, at least — though at the end of the game the coaches could usually give you the final numbers. The closest we came to it was limiting the number of runs allowed: each inning both teams batted until they made three outs or scored seven times. Most of our games seemed to end in a 35-35 tie.

The idea was to give young players an opportunity to learn the basics of the game without the pressure of competition. I think it’s a pretty good policy to put in place while five and six year olds are becoming familiar with the fundamentals. But there comes a time when we’re ready to start keeping score and to start collecting stats. It’s how we chart progress, and it’s pretty much the point of the game.

It’s the same in business and in life. We need to make a habit of keeping score in certain areas — keeping track of where we are and where we are going in order to get where we want to be.

Charles Coonradt said, “You have to measure what you want more of.” This is why we keep an eye on the scoreboard during the game, it’s why we check our bank balances during the month, and it’s why — if we’re smart — we evaluate our progress in the less tangible areas of life.

No one stumbles into holiness accidentally. No one just gets lucky — not long term anyway — with a happy family and a perfect marriage. And no church experiences sustained growth (numerical and spiritual) without a concerted effort to measure progress and chart results.

Paul told us to run our race in such a way as to win the prize. He’s not talking about competing with others, he’s talking about competing with ourselves: being the best that we be for the sake of the gospel. For this reason, Paul states, “I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.” (1 Corinthians 9:26)

In order to get where you want to be, you have to learn to keep score. This means measuring the time you spend with your family, the time you spend in the Word, and the results you’re achieving personally and professionally. You measure what you want more of. Decide what it is, and run the race in such a way as to win the prize. — SM

I read an interesting story in the Tampa Bay paper recently. It’s about Andy Law, a young man living in Hudson, Florida.

One morning, as Andy was reading the daily news over coffee, he came across a story that shocked him. Joseph Prudente, a sixty-six year old man in nearby Beacon Woods had gone to jail for the crime of having a brown lawn. No kidding. A brown lawn. 

Joseph had received notices from the local homeowners association that his grass wasn’t green enough for community standards. Facing health problems and struggling financially, Joseph overlooked the notices. He can barely make his mortgage payment; lawn care is a luxury beyond his means. So the homeowner’s association did what was in their power: they filed a court order against him and had him arrested — without the option of posting bail.

Here’s where Andy comes in. He has troubles of his own. His business is failing, he’s on the verge of losing his own house, and he’s considering bankruptcy. But as he read Joseph Prudente’s story, Andy decided that something must be done. 

He began calling friends to help out. Soon the Prudente’s yard was full of working volunteers. During the day, others dropped off gifts. Another man came to repair the sprinkler. Andy borrowed some lawn equipment and convinced a nursery to donate sod. By sundown, their work was done: the yard was covered with new green grass, trimmed with red mulch, flowers, and the sprinkler was working again. 

At this time, the Tampa Bay paper reports, there was a sudden, thick downpour. Jennifer Prudente, Joseph’s wife, stood in the rain with her arms open wide. “Our luck is changing,” she said.

The next day Joseph was released from jail. Though he still faces fines and court costs, he is a free man today … as long his grass stays the right shade of green. (And I bet you thought your neighbors were picky.)

From my perspective, this story is more about Andy than it is about Joseph. Yes, it’s outrageous that you can go to jail in America for having brown grass, and I realize there are those who will see only this aspect of the story.

More impressive, however, is the fact that one young man, also down on his luck, put his own problems on the back burner long enough to make a difference in someone else’s life. This is an example of Paul’s words in Philippians being put into practice: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

I’m wondering which of my worries I can put aside today, and how I can use my time and resources to change someone else’s life.

Solomon said, “The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.” (Proverbs 16:26)

We are all driven by one appetite or another, one hunger or another. Which one is driving you today? The hunger to provide for your family? The hunger to succeed? The hunger for recognition?

Or the hunger to make a difference in eternity? The hunger to please God? The hunger to change lives?

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Let this be the hunger that drives you today: The hunger to do good, the hunger to be good.

Lyndon B. Johnson said, “There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few we can solve by ourselves.”

We see this in Nehemiah, each person doing his or her part to build the wall around the city of Jerusalem: “From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall.” (Nehemiah 4:16-17)

Our tendency is to tackle our problems on our own, but this is the least effective strategy. We need to make a habit of enlisting others to help us face our challenges. Nehemiah made sure that his workers had someone watching their backs; we need the same.