For My Dad

I am usually the one who encourages Lindy to keep this website as free as possible from personal preferences, but today I am going to break my own rule.  Those of you who already sense my topic will be smiling as you read.  For those of you who do not prefer the team set on a hill, the light of the basketball world, the place that's a priceless gem;  read on.  Maybe God will stir your to change your heart.

From 8,000 miles away, I was able to wake early this morning (4:00 am) to watch one of the rare pleasures that I succumb to.  Watching Carolina play basketball does for me what smelling freshly-baked apple pie does to the soul.  It warms you with a smile strongly visible on the inside.  Something special and nostalgic stirs within you.  All the memories of your youth revisit you at the same time.  They are the memories that still find fondness in you.  You can't help but feel a connection to them.

Though tired and in the midst of an extremely busy time in the ministry, I wasn't about to miss this "One Shining Moment".  Here in the quiet confines of our Kenyan home, we viewed the culmination of something special.  I watched one of the very truths I have tried to encourage in the youth back home; discipline leads to victory.  For 4 young men who chose this path, their reward was lifted high above their heads just before midnight  (6:40 am in Kenya).  I love seeing people turn down immediate gratification to wait and gain something greater.  

Just another reason why I love UNC.  They aren't perfect, but the manner in which they carry and conduct themselves as a program, sure does give me hope that there are some who still believe in discipline and selflessness.  And that is becoming something quite foreign to our world.  

Thanks for reading and letting me philosophize through something that's very special to me.  And thanks dad, for introducing me to a team, a coach, and a way of carrying yourself in all areas of life.  God knew you'd need this to teach me when your words often feel on my deaf ears.  I got the lesson.  And it's still teaching me.