February 10th, 2013

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Chance

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

If you like westerns and read Al Lacy’s books, Chance is the name of a horse in this book. 🙂

If you like to test your “luck” and play the lottery or gamble, chance is a “friend.”  🙁

If you are a daredevil, you will take chances.  I had a friend in college who could never pass up a dare.  Recently I took a “double dog dare you” from two brothers to the stage with me.  Their mother had made one a hat that looked like dreadlocks and the other brother had one that looked like a Mohawk (although Maximus came more to mind).  You can probably already see the picture in your mind.  🙂 I wore them both and got a big hoot out of the peoples’ laughing.

But the chance I want to focus on for this post was inspired by a story I used in my sermon Sunday.  You may have heard it before.

The story is told that in 1983 John Sculley quit his post at PepsiCo to become president of Apple, a role he served for ten years.  He took a big risk (chance) leaving a very secure job with a fantastic income for one that offered no guarantees, except fulfilling the vision of the founder.  Sculley says he made his move after Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, goaded him with a question: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” 

The rest, as they say, is history.  😀

I have recently renewed my interest in John Eldredge’s book and “movement” Wild at Heart.  We are starting a men’s ministry at the church (led and dreamed about by someone other than me…yeah!) and it piqued my interest again in “men things.”  So, while working on a puzzle and then riding my bike inside (Ugh!), I have been watching Eldredge’s Boot Camp Live on DVD.  No matter what people have said about his book or theology, John’s basic theme has been that men have been passive too long and need to get their heart back for adventure, and ultimately for God.  Frankly, we aren’t going to change our world if we don’t have a passion for life.  We aren’t going to make a difference if we don’t take chances (more than gambling or games of chance).

I have said it before: I am 60 years old and I know I have a lot less years left to live than I have lived (unless God decides to fool me).  No matter how many of those  years I have left, I don’t want to go out whimpering.  I want to go out with a bang, a shout, or some form of noise.  🙂   I still believe I have something to offer and want to be a world-changer, not a sameness-hugger or a poser (as John is want to say).

Where are you at these days?