On the way into work last week I heard an interview with current University of Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino. And as hard as it is to admit as a Kentucky Wildcat fan some of what he said made sense and got me to thinking. So at risk of someone coming and asking for my Big Blue fan card, here I go.
When asked about one of his players turning pro, against his advice, Coach Pitino said:
“It’s the strangest thing, and as a parent I can tell you this. And dealing with other parents who have had children, the one thing is, you’ll take a father, a Jerry West, an Oscar Robertson, you’ll sometime meet people of that stature, who’ll say to me, coach will you do me a favor. Can you speak to my son, and give him a little guidance;he’s not listening to me. Well you’re Jerry West; you’re Oscar Robertson, not just singling those two out, and there have been others, ‘If they’re not going to listen to you, why are they going to listen to me’. It’s the same way in the game of life. I was always trying to get my oldest in shape when he was young, I’d say why don’twe do this or why don’t we do that, no dad I’m not going to do it, then all of a sudden,he met Short Brown our strength coach or Rock Oliver, and he said oh, I’m definitely going to do it. I said, I’ve been trying to get you to do it for years Michael and youwouldn’t listen to me. And he said oh no, but the strength coach told me to do it.So it’s often it happens in this game of life, who people listen to isn’t necessarily the person with the most wisdom, but the person that is somebody different in their life.”
And that is the phrase that hit home: “who people listen to isn’t necessarily the person with the most wisdom, but the person that is somebody different in their life”. So it got me to thinking about the somebodies different in my life. And maybe that has more to do with the fact that two of them passed away this past month than with what Coach Pitino said.
One of them I never met. Dana Key was the lead singer and guitarist for the Christian Band DeGarmo & Key. Their rich lyrics that were spiritually challenging and their musical style that spoke my heart language provided for me endless hours of soul searching as to what I was to be as a Christian young man. Their call to not be a “Casual Christian” and a myriad of other songs challenged me in my faith and drew me to scripture.
The other was Jabe Cravens. Jabe and his wife Alohanawere youth sponsors at Little Flock. He was a man’s man, a pipe fitter by trade that couldn’t wear a long sleeve shirt because his arms were too big for the sleeves. Two of their three sons, Butch and Mike were older than me, their youngest Todd was younger. Jabe had a zest for life, which showed every day. From the softball field to youth events to just hanging out at their house, he loved life and he loved us students. The sheer number of us that showed up for his funeral some 30 years later reminded me of the influence he had on an entire generation of teens.
As a youth minister, I have had the chance to be the somebody different in the lives of students. As a parent I have had the privilege of seeing other adults be the somebody different in the lives of my kids. I have watched my dad, who has been scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 20 for over 40 years be that somebody different in the lives of countless young men. The church and our communities are full of teenagers that need somebody different to speak into their lives.
Let us do our part as a church to facilitate putting men and women of integrity in the lives of our students, men and women who maybe can be that “somebody different” in their lives.
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