I remember that first year (1980). The Mavs won their very first game against the Spurs, then continued on to win only 14 more the rest of that season. I remember Tina winning tickets on the radio to game 6 of the Western Conference finals against the Magic-Kareem led LA Lakers. The Mavs won that day only to suffer disappointment in game 7 as Mark Aguirre came up with a thumb injury. I witnessed a promising title contender with the talented Roy Tarpley disintegrate like the cocaine powder under his nose. I watched as the "model" franchise of the time turned into one of the worst pro sports franchises in the 90’s. As a fan during those years we were teased by annual lottery visits and disappointed just as fast by the likes of Randy White (not the HOF football player), Doug Smith, etc. We were really teased by the trio of Mashburn, Jackson, and Kidd a.k.a. the "3 J’s". Again, we were let down as the trio self destructed along with the organization.
Then, came Don and Donnie Nelson, and more importantly Mark Cuban. The Nelson’s brought in Dirk and Nash to the snickers of the league. Then they discovered Josh Howard. Don Nelson did a great job of turning this team in to a 50 win perennial playoff team, but we fell a little short. Then came the hires of all hires, The Little General! Avery Johnson swaggered in to the organization thanks to some incredible foresight by Nellie, and took the team over the hump by emphasizing defense and mental toughness! Throw in an MVP worthy season by Dirk and you have it, "DALLAS MAVERICKS, 2005-06 WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS! Ohhhh, how sweeeeet!!!!
Author: rwren
Musician, writer, reader, thinker, worshiper, leaning on the Gospel, depending on Grace, learning obedience, failing, falling, getting back up.
Married to Tina, father to Gage, covenant member of The Village Church.
Wonderdog!
Well, our home improvements are done including our replaced fence and patio covering. Our dog Dillon is especially happy about this because he no longer has to be chained in the back yard.
It’s been fun watching him run all over the yard, up and down the fence line, sniffing, hunting, barking. He is a dog full of wonder as he is experiencing a freedom that he has been without for several months. As I observe him in his newfound playground, it seems as if he is experiencing the outdoors for the first time. He truly is a wonderdog who has reclaimed his space.
His experience reminds me of times that I have been filled with wonder for God’s creation, His lavish provision, and His unconditional love and acceptance. Unfortunately for me, I have failed to experience this much of my life because I was chained up in God’s backyard. The difference is, I was the one who put the collar around my neck and fastened it to the chain.
I’ve come to realize, though not overnight, that "wonder" is very important to God. It’s the primary reason for sabbath. We might assume that sabbath is exclusive to "not working", but I believe that it is especially a time for us to "take in" God’s "labor fruits", and mostly to remove the distractions, of which there are many and not limited to our jobs. I can imagine after a week of animal naming, planting,and cultivating, that Adam and Eve enjoyed their sabbath along with God. They took the time to take in the beauty and wonder of His creation and of course God himself.
So what are those distractions that keep us from enjoying God? Of course, our jobs can be a primary obstacle, but what about our personal distractions? I know I feel a sort of insanity as thousands of things race through my mind throughout the day, things I need to do short term and long term, worries about the future, preoccupation with how others are observing their "sabbath", and the list seemingly goes on.
Don’t just think by taking a day off from work, or not mowing your yard on Sunday qualifies as sabbath observance. Also, let’s not limit sabbath to a single day. While a day devoted to sabbath is preferred, maybe it’s time we take "mini-sabbaths" more frequently. Just to get alone in silence and solitude (that means we need to shut up too), and give God the chance to speak to us without chasing every little idea and thought much the way Dillon chases every little moving creature in the backyard. By doing so, we remove the self-imposed chains that we previously thought served us well, and take a Dillon-prance into a wonder-filled and adventurous world that has always been there. You might say, in our own backyard!
Extreme Makeover
Right now, I feel like I’m on one of those home makeover shows, difference being I’m having to pay for it. Hopefully our house will improve as much as the picture above, but probably not!
Our house is now freshly painted, we have a new patio covering (shingles being added as I type). For those of you who don’t know, a mini tornado blew through my back yard a couple of years ago and uprooted my old one. Since then, we’ve had water leaking through and making our cheap carpet even cheaper. In additon, the past few days we’ve been painting bedrooms and hallways to make way for the new carpet which is being installed right now. As soon as these guys leave, I get the unenviable task of carrying all of our worldly possessions from the computer room to the rest of the house. Dang! It’s a pain to be so materialistic! The race will be on in a few hours to get the living room ready for game 4 of the Mavs-Suns. Hmm, maybe I should email Mark Cuban and see if he will foot the bill for my remodeling.
When all is complete, I’ll post some pix.
Later, rw
Grace Breaks 