When running through the phases isnt enough

Structure and process are important. There can be no denying that without form, or some kind of pattern, sport, business, church and life in general can degenerate into a collection of unrelated events or stilted movement. Process is important to ensure there is continuity and to take the focus off living for events or the spectacular and a continuous need to hit a high. Sometimes, we just have to keep on  with life. In sport, keeping the score board ticking along is important. In rugby for example, running patiently through the phases is key to making progress and securing possession. However, there are times when pressing "refresh" or introducing a shift or a change is essential to being a winner.

I was listening to a commentary from a rugby match recently and the summariser said "that's 35 phases, they have worked through, they simply can't break through this resolute defence". That set me thinking "either the defence was strong", or perhaps "the other side were totally bereft of ideas or didn't have players with the ability to see beyond a one dimensional model of play. Doing the same thing can be strength sapping and safe at the same time - you see, there is no risk attached to process.

Some of the most exciting games of rugby I have seen have been those in which an individual player or a team totally disrupt a standard pattern of play. They can see gaps that others cant see. They have a speed of thought and spatial awareness that can spot open spaces behind defenders. They have the perception to realise the norm isn't working and something else is needed. The line between success and failure is determined by the risks we are prepared to take on the field and sometimes in life.

Broken play is messy. There are risks attached to chipping a ball over someones head into space and trying to run through. There is the possibility that a forward getting into a line of slick passing backs could totally miss-time a pass and give away an interception. But its exciting. Especially when the alternative is 35 phases of grind and lateral movement. Lets not be too harsh on players with their heads down, engaged in their personal battles with their opposite numbers. After all, when you're in the thick of the action, it can be difficult to see the bigger picture, particularly if you are personally under pressure.

The bible records an incredible moment, when the man's man Jesus invites his friend Peter to climb over the side of the boat, defy convention, his own fears and the natural order of things and step onto water. Whatever your belief system, I guess like me you'd accept its a pretty spectacular or radical thing to ask a man to do. But then, that's what the man's man did and still does. He challenges the notion that simply running through the phases is enough. God knows, life can be pretty mundane and he equally knows how we respond to it. The challenge he offers us is to see it from a different perspective. To maybe take a risk on something different - after all, isn't that what faith is - taking a risk, a step into the unknown or unfamiliar?

If running through the phases isn't getting you anywhere near scoring the try or making that touch-down, or hitting that home run, you've been striving for or aiming at - how about you try stepping out over the side of the boat, take a risk, do something different - the neat thing about what Jesus asked Peter to do, was: it was no more than he was doing himself - that's what I like about the man's man. Are you happy running through the phases? What do you need to do differently? Listen for his voice above the sound of the wind and the waves, he may just be asking you to step out of the boat....

11 things playing the advantage gives you

Lets face it, being a referee can't be easy. Everyone has an opinion about every decision you make or about the ones they think you miss. Learning the law is one thing, applying and interpreting it is another level.

One area that allows a referee some discretion is - the law of "advantage". Summing it up, a referee can allow play to continue after an offence has occurred, if, in his opinion, he thinks you would be disadvantaged by stopping the game. In rugby, there is no time limit, the referee is the sole judge of when any advantage has expired or, if in his view, no advantage is gained, he can stop the game and reset by awarding a penalty.

As a player, the advantage rule is great. At the very least, you know that the referee will stop the game if you can't make the most of the scope you've been given and award a penalty. At the other end of the scale, you're free to carry on unimpeded to perhaps try something you may not have taken a risk on, without the advantage.

I started to think about this in a playing context and also in a life context.

The bible has some really useful advice, when it tells us that the "man's man" Jesus Christ came to bring liberation - that is freedom from containment, freedom to find the true expression of life that was always intended for us to express. The advice is very simple and yet so often, we complicate it with stop start thinking - here it is: "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free".

Putting it simply, God has called "advantage", He wants us to carry on playing it out, without hinderance or being impeded. So many people think that God wants to keep whistle blowing - stop, starting, "you cant do this, you cant do that" - nothing could be further from the truth. He has signalled "advantage" and its game on!

Here are my 11 things that playing the advantage gives you. Read them first in the context of the game. When the referee signals advantage, he has made his intention clear; from that point, until he decides otherwise, he is looking out for you and for your benefit. Then, read them again, but this time, think about "the" highest authority looking out for your benefit...

When you know the referee has signalled advantage:

• you can attempt something riskier or more creative
• you can be more expansive in your play
• you're not contained by the offence that's been committed against you
• you are in control of the next phase of play, even if the current one breaks down
• you don't have to resort to retaliation - that's been covered by a higher authority
• someone has seen you were mistreated but can see the potential for you to keep going
• you can keep going so long as the route is clear to do so or at least until this phase stops
• you're not wasting your time or energy complaining about what has happened to you
• you're making progress under direct authority that is on your side
• where there's space to play, you can just keep going
• the opportunity to complete what you were attempting is still on

Go on read them again. The next match you watch when the referee signals or shouts "advantage", remind yourself that if we chose to listen, God is calling "advantage" over our lives. Our challenge is to hear the call and play on to fully realise the opportunity he is signalling.

"Step up, there are questions to be answered"

In the Northern Hemisphere the primary International rugby competition is the 6 Nations Championship, contested by England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy. With the 2011 Rugby World Cup fresh in the memory, many players will feel they have points to prove, or scores to settle. Those newly called up to the squads will have the expectation of making a lasting impression for all of the right reasons and to secure match day selection. But when it comes down to it, what does it take?

I have been reading the views of a former player and respected rugby commentator who recalls that "passion" is a given, but its not enough to win a test match. I guess if you can't feel a surge of pride when you pull on the colors of your country, when can you? What else does it take? Well, each position has 3 or 4 key roles and if every man plays his part and does it better than his opposite number, the team will win. There's a certain logic to that view. The article continued that if you were playing the opposition in a club match, you wouldn't fear them, so why fear them when they pull on an international jersey? Again, there is logic to that - a player doesn't automatically get better because he is wearing a different shirt - a little more passion perhaps, but fitter, stronger, technically and tactically more astute?

What makes a person step up to the mark when the test comes. Who can answer the questions asked by unforgiving and unrelenting opposition? The difference is the ability to hold things together when the pressure comes - under the scrutiny of thousands in a stadium and millions of armchair experts watching by TV. In a media driven world, there is nowhere to hide. The game changers will be those who can hold their nerve at crucial times. Those who do what they have always done; in training when no one is watching, routinely week in week out - they will have an answer.

Life throws up challenges everyday, it can feel unrelenting sometimes cant it? There are times when we feel like bolting or running, but ultimately there is nowhere to hide; we have to find answers.

The bible has a revealing insight into the nature of God and his relationship with man. It records an account of a man called Job. He faced trial after trial. His world had been devastated by personal tragedy. He was experiencing stress, anxiety and loss. In some ways, he is unique. Yet he is "every man" - for who doesn't face trials and tests, we want solutions, we seek calm, space, time to think. We have well meaning people, who try to advise and make things more confusing - just like Job. 

Isn't that the moment you'd expect an intervening act from a "loving", "caring" God. Instead, just like in the tough, physical test arena, God asks searching questions. In fact he said to Job "man up, I've got some questions to ask you, that you must answer" - True love isn't built on sentiment or platitude and just as in a game, passion alone wont see us through. True love is a conscious choice, a decision. It's a resolve that may be shaped by circumstances, but ultimately isn't defined by them. Sure, there is passion, there is emotion. But the question to Job was aimed at helping him see who he really was; regardless of circumstance. Then to see God with him in his circumstance and beyond, as part of a much bigger picture. If we can discover relationship that reaches beyond sentiment, that brings out the best in us and to whose cause we can add our strength - then we are on the way to becoming "game changers".

In the physical, emotional and mental pressure of the test arena, those who know who they are, what they are capable of and who have a sense of being a part of something bigger than their own ego, will make a difference. What questions are you being asked? Where are you finding your answers? Faith, reaches out to a God who asks us to reach beyond ourselves. For me, the challenge is to pull the shirt on and go live out the difference. Are you up for it?

You've got to be grounded before you can fly

You would have thought kicking a ball would be straightforward. Right? But in the sport of rugby, there are several different techniques and rules that apply to kicking a ball.

One of the techniques is the drop kick. It is used to start and restart play and can be used to score points, by kicking the ball through the uprights of the goal posts. For those familiar with rugby, who can forget the moment when Johnny Wilkinson produced the match winning "drop goal" for England to beat Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final.

What is so odd about a drop kick? There is one fundamental difference that marks a drop kick from any other kick from hand. That is, it must be released from hand and strike the ground before it is kicked. In other words, a player has to release the ball, let it ground, before it can be struck into flight.

There is an element of risk in a drop kick. The nature of the kick lends itself to people mis-striking the ball, sending it scudding along the ground. The shape of the ball is probably the biggest difficulty to overcome. With its odd elliptical shape, unless it is grounded properly in the drop - so it comes back slightly towards the kicker - it is more than likely to skew off the kicker's boot in a grotesque hook shot or the kicker will do an "air kick" - the latter is my own speciality, as the ball bobbles off to one side just as my foot is about to boot it into flight.

Unless a ball is grounded properly, its flight wont be true.

The pressure of the occasion can get to players too and the position on the field has to be just right for a skilled player to "drop a goal". Commentators describe a player as being "in the pocket" - in just enough space, within distance, not under too much pressure from the opposition and with enough time to send the ball into flight. But unless you make an attempt, you wont score the points.

In life, its often the case that we want to go flying off toward some goal that we've been set or have set ourselves. We want to force the pace and want a result now, without having to take time.
At other times, we simply have too tight a grip on some things and we wont let them go, to fly toward the target.

Its not easy to let go or to release something or perhaps more significantly someone to fly toward their goal. Releasing our children to the next phase of their life can be difficult for us. It's true in business or in ministry too. If something is our "baby" so to speak, letting go can be hard. But as with the drop kick, we often have to release something to let it fly. But we still have a part to play.

For a kick to have a true flight, it must be grounded correctly - as we have seen. How we prepare and ground something is really important. Foundational principles are so critical to making it in life, sport, business or ministry. What we ourselves are grounded in or how we have been grounded will determine how or even if we will get off the ground and head toward a goal.

The great thinker, writer and communicator Paul the Apostle had some very good advice about being properly grounded. He wrote, in fact he made it a prayer (an intentional, thoughtful, expression or request to God on the behalf of those he was writing to) saying: "I pray that you would be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ" - the man's man. In other words, if you can get an appreciation of the fact that you are really valued as an individual, by Christ who loves you, regardless of your state or status, then you can find a real grounding that will be like a springboard to flight.

God doesn't want to control us, he wants us to be grounded, so that as he releases us to life, our flight can be true and on target for all that life has and we have to offer to life. Who knows, as in the sport, if our flight as a person is based on being properly grounded, we may just be in line to be a game changer - if we don't try we will never fly and if we don't fly, we will live and only die, without realising our potential in life, sport, business or ministry.

Committing to the Tackle

Tackling is a central element in all team sports. The tackle is the cornerstone of defending and gives the tackler the opportunity to regain possession. Rugby is no exception. As a full contact sport, a tackle is made by physically hauling to the ground an opposition player in possession of the ball. It requires courage, commitment and confidence. You can track a player across a pitch, you can chase him, but to stop his progress, retake the ball or prevent a scoring opportunity, you have to make the tackle.

Without tackling, mediocrity can look invincible - that is, a poor side can win, if good team fails to commit to the tackle. I remember one game I played in the day after one of the players birthday. Half of the team were hung-over and those of us who were committed to the game simply couldn't cover for all of the missed tackles across the field. No one wants to play in a game that is mediocre. No one wants to see a half-hearted effort from a team they know can perform at a much higher standard.

We see it in sport and complain, "come on tackle!", yet in life, we allow things to get past us. Building strong relationships takes courage, commitment and confidence. But too often, I wonder if we let things slip through - a poor attitude, a dumb, barbed comment or we let things slip through lack of attention or perhaps more frequently, we let familiarity rob us of the very best. Defending what we value in our relationships should be foundational to our game plan.

The bible has some interesting advice, when it comes to tackling important tasks. The man's man Jesus was confronted with a group of people who said "we will follow you, but we've got a couple of things to sort out first" - his response seemed harsh at first - "anyone who puts their hand to the plow and then looks back, isn't fit for service" - in other words if you are going to commit to the tackle, don't make out you're going for it, then pull out at the moment of commitment. Looking back whilst plowing, creates a furrow that isn't true. Pulling back from committing to relational strength is like letting mediocrity score a try without attempting to make the tackle.

With a new year, we frequently make resolutions to change something or improve in some area. I have a challenge. Let us as men commit to 3 things:

i) commit to the cause of the man's man Jesus Christ
ii) commit to building strength in all of the relationships that really matter (as husbands, fathers, brothers, mentors, coaches, friends)
iii) defending those we truly value, by committing to making the tackle (not letting comments through, not being  lazy or familiar with those closest to us)

When you commit yourself to making the tackle, you take a risk. You risk the other player off-loading or making a pass that releases the ball and you put yourself on the line physically. Yet with courage and confidence that match commitment, we can make the necessary tackles that create impregnable defences

Come on lets challenge mediocrity in 2012 and build strength in our close relationships, families, friendships, businesses and teams.

Festive Fixtures

Going to watch any sport over the Christmas and New Year period is an experience not to be missed. There is a different kind of atmosphere in the ground.

Rugby is well known for the friendliness and banter among opposing fans - with no crowd segregation required, in fact quite the opposite is true. On many occasions I have shaken hands with total strangers at the end of a game, where we have cheered our own, applauded the skills of our opponents, debated the finer points of refereeing decisions (for both sides) and laughed at funny incidents and the wise cracks of fellow fans. But at the Festive games, this goes to another level - with Santa Claus hats, festive singing, mince pies being passed out by people who you've never seen before, seasonal greetings mixed with another kind of spirit and "hellos" and "handshakes", like you've not seen the people sitting next to you for a decade - when in fact they were there at the last home game!!

The players get involved, laughing  and joking, even the match officials seem to be less stuffy. At one festive game, in front of a very large crowd, a rather "stout" referee, jogged up to an incident flagged as a "late tackle" on one of our players, and in a very loud voice, for the benefit of the crowd, said "that tackle was so late, even I got there before you"...to even louder jeers and shouts from the crowd ..."keep off the mince pies ref"...

But against this backdrop, not quite overshadowed by the festivities, there is a game to be played out. The matches over the holiday period, surrounded by the fun and banter, are often pivotal to the remainder of the season and can, in the mud, snow, rain and wind, be defining moments for individual players - some with international selection on their mind.

As a man of faith, these games remind me of another defining moment, which today is often and rightly surrounded by fun, family and all that a major festival has on offer - the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas is a celebration. Its a celebration in many ways like the crowd scenes at a festive match. Goodwill breaks out. People who hardly speak, take the time to talk to each other, people share food and banter. But in the same way, now almost overshadowed by the festivity, let us not forget, a crucial game was being played out too, with destiny at its center.

As with festive fixtures, against the background of a crowd filled with festive cheer, the birth of the man's man Jesus, was a defining moment. For Christmas, marks the potential for a turning point in the affairs of every man, wherever his life's journey has taken him so far. What is being played out, is God's game plan for humanity, with Jesus Christ as the key play maker. His birth, life and subsequent death and resurrection, make it possible for anyone to experience the kind of feeling we get at Christmas, throughout the whole year - that understanding that there is a peace, a sense of well being and goodwill toward others and perhaps, the most important aspect, the appreciation that what has been, can be laid aside, forgiven and a man can make new start.

In the same way that a match, an encounter over the festive period can shape the rest of the season for a team, an encounter with the man's man, the Christ of Christmas, can be a defining moment, changing the rest of the "season" for us as individuals.

So, against the background of the festive period, lets spare a thought for the players out on the pitch, recognizing, its game on! Then, pausing, spare a thought for the key player in the humble scene from Bethlehem and recognize that for us too, it can be - game on!

Strength through Resistance

It was always there. It was like a Medieval stocks mounted on a sledge built from railway sleepers. It sat menacingly in the corner of the muddy training field. The scrummage machine. They say what doesn't kill you, makes you strong. Right. This "machine" was designed for players to practice driving forward in scrums and rucks. Its rough wooden frame and weight made you feel like an ox in a stall.

The heavy machine, usually with the rest of the team and frequently the coaching staff, standing on the sledge part, was the ultimate in resistance training. The forwards had to bind together as a unit and attempt to drive the sledge and its occupants forward.

It wasn't just the physical pain inflcited by the machine.The jibes from the lightweights standing on the machine also strengthend our resolove to ram into the beast and push them off the park.Without realising it at the time, we were building both physical and mental strength. We hated that machine.

But, oh the difference on match days. As a team, we became known for our driving play in mauls, rucks and particularly in the scrum, where we would frequently drive other teams off the ball. The pain of the resitance work, paid back with interest when it really mattered.

Eight men locking arms, binding themselves together, each knowing the other seven would not hold back when it came to the physical exertion required, created a momentum that proved in so many instances to be the difference between winning and losing. The physical and mental strength carried over into other areas of the game too, as you knew someone would always be at your shoulder in support.

The opposition would put up stiff resistance, but we would notch up the effort and usually we prevailed. If we fell short, we returned to the beast of the training field for more resistance training.

Life has a nack of throwing up barriers to our progress or circumstances that seem designed to knock us of track. Sure, bashing away continuously at totally the wrong thing is pointless and requires the mindset to reassess. But there are times in life when we need to recognise some circumstances for what they are - resistance. Discovering that our dreams, aspirations, intimate relationships or the bond of friendships are worth more than the circumstances we face, creates the opportuity for us to either quit or press through the hardships or difficulties we see.

The bible records the sound advice given by the great thinker, writer and practical man of faith, Paul, to his young friend and co-worker Timothy: "keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, discharge all your duties" - don't allow the circumstances you face to de-rail you, press through the resistance and you will be able to complete or accomplish what you set out to achieve.

Resistance can be painful, but pressing through that barrier can lead to the breakthrough that we have been seeking. I've also discovered that when I'm with people of like mind, we can create momentum. Thats true in sport, in business and in our closest relationships. Strength, likemindedness and endurance are a powerful combination.

Our resistance training was painful, but ultimately it built the strength and resolve that overcame the opposition and against which resistance was futile. What are we facing today?