Every city has one or two highways and byways that always seem to form a commuters worst nightmare at each rush hour. Helicopters fly over random cities across the country and give local media outlets hour-by-hour instructions of the current traffic situation. If you are unfortunate enough to be stuck in this inconvenience, you have several options. You can get frustrated, which most drivers eventually do. You can turn to the local sports radio station to catch up on current sporting drama. Or, you can take a look around you and observe your fellow commuting ‘humans”.
During one of these rush hour moments I began to survey the vehicles around me. I began to notice that 90% were on their mobile devices whether it was a smart phone, tablet, or my personal favorite….a woman using her laptop key pad while talking on her Iphone. I promise you this was not a Farmer’s Insurance commercial. The thought came to mind, “These people are Auto-Pilot!”.
Seriously!
If we were to survey all of the drivers that I observed on my commute, 70% of them could not recall very detailed aspects of their drive. Simple feedback such as red lights, how many ‘close calls’ they experienced while driving, and emergency vehicles seemingly escape even the experienced driver’s brain.
A few months ago I was catching up on the statewide news on http://www.al.com when I began to notice just how much information was published in regards to logistics and transportation. This raised a question that is not answered easily:
“Are we really living our lives………. or is life passing us by!”
I am far from alone is asking this question. In fact, Jim Stone Ph.D wrote an excellent article in March of 2016
I had my own personal ‘wake-up call’ this past August. On a normal, average Saturday I had just left a promotional function at a business in Birmingham, AL. As I left I was excited to finally have an interested buyer for golf clubs I had listed for a week. I was making the drive to meet the buyer when……EVERYTHING STOPPED! After a technical failure in the vehicle I was driving, I lost the ability to stop. In a moment of fear for myself and other drivers, I instantly turned the automobile off the road. After the 6 feet tall drop-off, I met a very large tree trunk. I am unsure of the speed at which I was traveling but I do know one thing….
TREES DON’T MOVE!
During my 5-week stay at The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital I was lucky to have some of the best medical professionals perform over 11 procedures. After the dust settled I had a broken Femur, Tibula, Fibula, 6 fractured ribs, and a cracked vertebrae. This injuries forced me to do something I haven’t done in years.
I was forced me to Slow down and take a strong look at where I was in life and where I am going!
In the heat of the moment we realize who is going to be there for us. In the moments after the first responders arrived I was giving phone numbers to witnesses in order to notify family. Not having any way to know where I was being transported, my cousin Kari and her husband Robert were able to track my down to UAB. I will never forget lying on the table in the trauma room waiting for the doctors to come back. I looked up and my Aunt Janice and Uncle Gary came into my room. As a side note, Gary and Janice received the emergency call and Gary didn’t even put his shoes on! Gary ended up buying a pair of shoes at some store in Birmingham. (Talk about a great promo for Alabama Media Group). We spoke for a few moments and I knew life would be changing rapidly. I was taken back to surgery and I remember thinking, “Everything is going to be OK!” The following photo was my reality for 5+ weeks.
As the holiday season approaches, we will have countless commitments including family dinners, work functions, and the occasional school Christmas concert. We will all forget to silence our phones and battle what emails to prioritize after Christmas break ends. Before we realize it, those crucial family moments will have passed and we will be back in front of our steering wheels driving those highways and byways at yet another rush hour. Maybe, just maybe, we can find a few special moments to set aside for those that matter the most. Trust me…….
Everywhere you go…….everybody is staring at their cell phones. Grocery store, GYM, SCHOOL, WORK, cell phones everywhere….And if you watch closely you will see the funniest thing in culture today:
The “is anyone watching me before I take a selfie” glance…..
And all of you know exactly what I am talking about….most of the well advanced selfie takers can scope the immediate area out for a few seconds nonchalantly before even opening your Instagram….or even your camera app!
And then comes the checklist:
“is my hair right?”….
“is anything in my teeth?”…..
“is there anything inappropriate in the background?”……
“is this something for facebook or Instagram?”…….
oh, and the ever important…..
“Who should not be able to see this?”
Once the “run of the mill” selfie (with or without others) has been taken…..the byline is added. You know, something witty and funny to “tie-in” the selfie to something worthwhile and memorable. Something that screams, “Look at my life!”…”Look at my gains!”….or “I’m not where I want to be!”
Some are educational….
Some are promotional….
Some are just plain delusional….
And most are just “for fun”…..
Any way you look at it…..its a way of showing the world the portion of your life that you want to project!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when it hit me! When I was growing up, I didn’t have a cell phone. Heck, I didn’t have a laptop. Honestly, we didn’t get a desktop computer until my stepdad figured out that it would help our business….And I was in college…(maybe that was a good thing)!
I didn’t get my first cell phone until I was a freshman in college! Yes, you read that right….a FRESHMAN in COLLEGE (and that was because my gf at the time pressured me into it)! No facebook either….no Instagram, no Linkedin, no SnapChat….and wait for it guys….NO TINDER! …it was tough….you actually had to talk to people!
It was a very different time…
And here is the point. On my wall growing up? Pictures of things, places, and people.
I had a picture of Peyton Manning in Tennessee Orange.
I had a picture of Billy Graham from a Revival I attended at The Georgia Dome.
I had signed pictures of Michael Jordan (the GOAT),
Deion Sanders (in a Braves Uniform),
And I had a picture of two campuses hanging up in my closet:
The University of Alabama….my alma mater dear!
And The University of Tennessee…..still a fan!
Can you see it? I had reminders of my goals around me! When I woke up….Billy Graham and Michael Jordan reminded me of the process. The campuses in Tuscaloosa and Knoxville reminded me that only a select few will be granted that opportunity. And the others, reminded me of the importance to “Be Different”. What I was doing….was reminding myself of the importance of the small, everyday decisions that affected …..
THE HUNT!!!!!!!
True competitors! True Kill Shot Takers (someone who doesn’t back down from a Mike Linebacker in A-gap on 4th and inches on the goal line)! True Gamers! They all understand and are ADDICTED to the HUNT! Plain and simple! If you were to ask Kyle Nagel at Buffalo, Pat Dill at Duquesne, Keith Byars at Purdue, Michael Reives at Averett, and any of my guys at Alabama…they would tell you that I want and seek players that are addicted to “The Hunt” in life, football, and the weight room!!
This is Michael Reives in his HUNT! Leading the pack!!!
I look for guys with pictures of crazy, impossible dreams on their walls! I recruit kids who have legends on their walls….not because they are worshiping them…but because they want to BEAT THEM!!! They are addicting to….THE HUNT…..you know….King Leonidas type stuff….
The 5am workouts in the snow…
running hills in a storm in upstate New York….
running at 430am in a cemetery……
studying chemistry for an hours and then watching film for an hour at 1 am….
watching clips of 11 personel over a 5 year period …to be prepared…
turning down a party….because leg day is tomorrow…
being different….
being one-of-a-kind….
being hungry…
being a kill shot taker!
And being 100% Addicted to “The Hunt”!!!!
Have you ever asked yourself what it would take to make you want to skip the band party on Friday night? Have you asked yourself what in your life….are you so passionate about that you would put everything else on hold….just to learn more!? What is it?
I guarantee that when you answer that question….you will miraculously find that you only have pictures of your goal in your mind…theres no room for selfies…only your process in that goal and the path of the HUNT! If you ever want to see focus.. If you really want to see what dedication to the hunt really looks like in reality……watch a video of a lion hunting in the wild. Nothing else matters in pursuit of that goal!! NOTHING!
-JM….You may have to move to Montana to take a coaching job!
-You may have to drive to Kansas without AC in June for an interview.
-You may even have to leave your safety net of home, friends, local church, or neighborhood poker group to find your Goal!
Is there any dream or goal that you say you want THAT BAD?!
I would place a video of a lion hunting right here… “I would”…but we all know that certain “sweater vest” people would say that is inappropriate! Those people are not “kill shot” takers when their opportunity comes to pursue their goal! They have never been in a HUNT! And in turn, I don’t want them anywhere near my team!
ARE WE DIALED IN YET!?
Speaking of those “sweater vest” people. Don’t you pity them?! So easily offended and concerned for everyones lifestyle choices…. I often wonder what the heck they think biblical stories were like. Our culture is so hyper-sensitive but we tell and re-tell the stories of David and Goliath…..Jonathan and his armor bearer….and the crucifixion with pretty little coloring books and study guides. Let’s get this straight:
Those stories were brutal and graphic! Those people involved were KILL SHOT Takers! And there wasn’t a sweater vest for another thousand years! And mean, seriously! Read this story…
1 CHRONICLES 11:22
22And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant manf of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubitsg tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.24These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men. 25He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
Did you see it!? A FREAKIN’ LION! HE KILLED IT…IN A PIT…ON A SNOWY DAY! I am willing to bet that Benaiah was the type of guy you would want standing beside you in a battle……a bar fight even!
Benaiah was the type of guy that didn’t spend hours wondering how to appease the hipster crowd while not offending the older audience. One that would skip the drama at the fraternity party……the gossip in the teacher’s lounge? He was addicted to the HUNT! He saw his moment and was ALL IN! And the best part of all, sports fans….God had his back during it all!
Sweater Vest That!
Ive made my mind up! I want to be surrounded by driven, motivated, focused, HUNTERS! People that will sacrifice for what they want and dream of…..
So, as we wrap this weeks message up…let me ask you a few personal questions…
-What do you have posted on your bedroom wall?
-What dreams ands goals would you skip the party for?!
-What will it take for you to become like Benaiah Son of Jehoiada and be a true HUNTER?!
-When you become that LION that is dormant inside you…are you going to care when people whisper behind your back? ( they are gonna!)
-When you awaken your LION……are you going to seize the moment….or are you going to put a sweater vest on…sit in the lobby of the church or school…and talk about how other people should be living?
Dont be that person…..Be a HUNTER…Be a Kill Shot taker!
So…..why don’t Lions take selfies….they are too busy focusing on their GOAL!
GO TO THE PIT AND FACE YOUR LION!!!
I want all of you to know…I know each and every one of you have a genuine LION inside of you…deep down in places that you don’t talk about with others. My goal as a coach has always been to …..whisper at first….then wake the LION up with a bull horn at 430am!
This will be the heaviest power clean you have ever attempted.
You can feel your stomach trying to kick up everything it has….
Two of the teammates in your group have their heads in the garbage can.
The hip-hop is so loud you can barely think.
Your strength coach slaps you on the back and yells something that you are sure you have to be from South Alabama or New Orleans to understand….
Your mind is fighting itself…”You got this!….You got this….if I can just get the first phase up….maybe I can get under it…..maybe I need another minute…..this is a lot of weight…..what if I can’t……I should quit while I’m ahead.”
Then your 4/27 moment pops into your head….you know you have to finish..You scream at the top of your lungs and power clean 275 for the first time…….
You graduated from a small college in southern Virginia last year and you are on your 12th job interview.
You didn’t expect it to be this hard! You know you are called to coach!
Your Mom gives you a pep talk and tells you that, “This is the one!”
Before you walk into the Athletic Directors office….you turn your phone on silent and say a little prayer….you don’t want it to even vibrate when you are convincing this woman that you are the answer she is looking for.
You try to genuinely smile as the Athletic Director informs you that the position has changed and she is updating it on FootballScoop….”NO MONETARY COMPENSATION WILL BE PROVIDED!”
As you walk out of the school……a cold sweat breaks out over your body……
….What are you going to do now?!…….
You catch yourself glancing up toward the sky, “Come on God, can I just get a chance!”
Then, your 4/27 moment pops into your head…you remember your loud, obnoxious coach from Alabama screaming “Your backs going to be against the wall alot in life….FIGHT DANGIT!” ..you go to Starbucks and apply for 5 more jobs. You can’t let the sweater vests win…
We all have an experience…. a moment in time that has changed us! Something that made us look at life….or death…..differently! It could be an endless variety of things that alters our brain chemistry and the receptors that contribute to our decision making and emotions. Priorities change IMMEDIATELY! Words such as heart, compassion, pain, sorrow, love, and life take on new meaning.
I’ve had several moments in my life that still affect me today.
I’ve seen family members take their last breath…….
I was nearly killed by a wave on the North Shore of Hawaii………
I’ve been in bar fights…as a bartender and security….that I should not have made it out of……..
I’ve seen tornadoes and hurricanes…their power…their destruction…..
This is a story of one such day:
One day…….an April day, Birmingham media…and ABC 3340’s James Spann in particular….had been actively reporting an EPIC tornadic event was in store for the Deep South. I had carefully watched the weather patterns and after speaking with life-long friend Michael Haynes (Meterologist Jackson, MS)…..we both felt the conditions were going to be ripe. I asked him specifically what areas would be affected. I sensed an ever-slight voice change and he told me to stay where I was…….(this was unlike Michael…and when it comes to weather….or my safety…he is going to be right)!
The morning air was sappy…..an general unease was in the air! The sky held a green tint. And the first thing I remember seeing was a neighbors dog acting erractic and running back into their house. I was on my way to the brand new World’s Gym where I had been asked to coach a workout for high school seniors and college freshman…..you know….”Get their minds right!”……..then…..
…………..the first WARNING came across the radio….CULLMAN..then, Winston County! Pickens, Fayette, Walker……..Franklin, Marion, Lawrence, Elmore, Choctaw, Marengo! And the Warnings didn’t stop! It felt like the sirens kept sounding…..
The day starting to fly by. I was with two friends NW of town….when the news came across the airwaves……
“TORNADO EMERGENCY FOR TUSCALOOSA COUNTY!”
I am not going to describe the storm…what we saw….or many of the people we met that day…it’s just not appropriate. But this is the footage from ABC33/40 out of Birmingham.
At the 7:28 mark you can hear James Spann say, “All you can do is pray for those people!”
This was the first thing my eyes saw after the tornado passed over the interstate that is midly appropriate to view.
It happened so fast! For what seemed like an eternity…all we could do was look around and take in the scene! For hours all we did was try to find our friends. There was no cell service so all we could do was run…jog… walk… and pray!
I’ll never forget running into Cameon Shiflet and she told us her cell phone was working! I was able to call my uncle and let him know I was alive.
The sights, sounds, and smells of that day are burned into my memory.
Standing on a small hill…..as a woman screamed and cried….I remember saying,
“How are we ever going to recover?!”….
“How do we even start to get to work!”……
“This is our city!”…….
…and finally, “This is a glimpse of what hell is …the gnashing of teeth and tearing of clothes….hell….and we have to dig ourselves out of it!”
That moment was a low. My roommate, our friend, and I shed tears…wiped them away…and shed some more!
Then, something happened. Small things to most…. HUGE things to the city!
-The city came together.
-The Auburn Football team pulled up…..
-Tennessee……
-representatives from Oklahoma…
-freakin’ Charlie Sheen for crying out loud…..
People came……..millions of water bottles were sent……..food…supplies…..
-Nurses….Doctors….medical personnel from across the nation.
-the sounds of chainsaws started…and didn’t stop for weeks!
-…..one pair stood out to me….two friends that owned a landscape company from…of all places…NEW ORLEANS AND BATON ROUGE, LA! They said, “They know what it feels like to have to start over.” (Katrina) They stayed and worked with us for 4 days…4 DAYS!!!!!
People from all over the country poured into Tuscaloosa and the State of Alabama to help! I remember seeing “Sons of Thunder Men’s Ministry” and Church of the Highlands shirts EVERYWHERE!
People working…..Ministering…laying hands on people.
Everyone, each year when April 27,2011 comes around, I take a few minutes that morning to remember those lives that were affected!
I think about Carson Tinker.
I think about the families that couldn’t contact their children…their loved ones… for days.
I think about everyone I saw that day….
I remember how for a few hours….with the dust and disaster……nothing else mattered but each other.
Race, religion, college football allegiance….none of it mattered.
We were family.
We were hurting.
This is Tuscaloosa!
We are fighters!
At some point in life you will be at “Rock Bottom”! It will hurt……You will wonder how you will ever survive. The medical report could be devastating! Your spouse may want a divorce. You and your wife have tried to have children for years. A friend or fellow church member may have slandered you. Your family may refuse to talk to each other….
Stages and seasons of life will come and go along with the challenges they bring. Anything can happen! But here is something to remember:
You will make it through it! And you will look back on that moment for the rest of your life! It will be burned into your memory….in such a way…that from time to time you will hear the sounds of the moment…the smells….the way the light hit the trees..the emotions on the faces of those around you.
Today, before you forget…..grab a post-it note and write your 4/27 moment on it. Next, place that post-it in your wallet. Use it as a reminder of where you have been in life!!!!
Most of you have heard this story….in detail….from me after a 5am lift…in the low-light conditions of a Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, New Berlin, NYC, and Danville morning. I asked you to write your 4/27 moments down….I still have them.
This picture means so much to me! It was taken in Danville, Va on a Spring Morning after a lift! When I took this picture and I realized the storm will always end…..
Always remember…We ARE FIGHTERS! THEY CANNOT MAKE US QUIT!
THATS OUR M.O.!
Whats your 4/27?
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
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