Tag Archives: RG3

Quit Changing Stuff Around, Dagnabbit!

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I've said this many times before on this blog: pastors don't like change either. We like implementing change. But, we don't like change implemented on us. No one does. Change is … different. Even if it is for the better, it takes time to adjust; to mourn and move on; to accept.

People who say, “I love change” are only telling you half the truth. Yes, they love change – but like I said, only when they're the one making the changes. It's easy and fun when you're changing policies and things around. It's much easier if you're the dumper than the dumpee in a relationship.

Those people who claim to “love change” are the same ones who threaten to boycott Facebook every time Facebook implements a change.

Now, about a week ago Madden 13 came out. Here's a (sad) fact: I've bought every single Madden game since it came out I think in like 90, 91. And before that was the Joe Montana football games, as well as Tecmo Bowl.

I really, really, really debated if I wanted to get Madden this year. I mean, did I need another distraction in my life? Did I need something else that will enable me to procrastinate? After a week of discernment, the answer was, “YES.”

Now, I quit playing Madden online. It's too much of a hassle planning to play with people I know, because most of them live in Hawaii, and the time zone difference makes it hard to coordinate. Many online are not gracious losers (or winners for that matter). I don't need my PS3 inbox to be flooded with trash talk of the 4th grade level.

So, my heart and joy in Madden lied within the Franchise mode. I loved it. I loved tweaking things around – like the roster. Making trades. Drafting. Cutting. Signing free agents. I also, always, loved creating myself and putting me on the Redskins roster. Sometimes as a Quarterback, sometimes as a receiver. I don't make a super me – where all my attributes and skills are at a 99 rating (the maximum). But I take an above average player and copy their attributes (say, take a Jay Cutler and copy his ratings for me). Or, I'd take Tom Brady's ratings and use them for me as a quarterback. But to offset that unfairness, I trade away my top players on offense for rookies of the same position.

And while I'm doing all this mundane stuff on the franchise mode, my mind wanders off thinking about upcoming meetings, recent interactions, the previous meetings, and other church business.

So, I was looking forward to diving into the franchise mode again. I also found out that I can actually upload my face on to my EAsports account and have it downloaded into Madden and actually “be” in the game. “Hot dog!” I thought. This was, indeed, going to be awesome. So I immediately went online and logged onto my EAsports account and started creating away.

Here's the result:

Alright. That works for me, I thought. And started creating myself only to disturbingly discover that the franchise mode that I knew and loved was no longer an option. Instead was this thing called “Connected Career” mode.

I can't used my updated roster for my franchise. If I want to use me, I have to basically go through the Superstar mode from previous Madden.

I sat there, stunned. And annoyed. I didn't know what to do. I never liked the career/superstar mode. I liked my franchise mode. You can't edit players anymore on the “franchise” mode (I have a thing with numbers. If I trade for Troy Polamalu, I need, NEED, him to be #43 on the Redskins as well. If someone already on the Redskins is 43, in previous Maddens, you can edit their numbers. In 13? Not so much). And I kept thinking, what was the point of this? Why did they do this? Why did they get rid of the franchise mode?

And, of course, I'm stuck with the game. Once opened, you can only exchange for the same title. So I have to learn to adapt and find ways to play Madden. And, dangit, after dropping $64 on Madden, I will learn to love it.

Now, there are changes that need to be made within our church.

Then, there are changes that I want to make – just because it suits my leadership and personality better.

But the Madden 13 was a rude awakening about implementing change, whether out of necessity or for sanity's sake. Here I am, googling on why EA would make such a change, without any luck. Many are also complaining and petitioning EA to figure out ways to add in a patch for people to download to restore the franchise mode as we love it- which if possible, would be cool and appreciated.

I was affirmed in my belief, nobody really likes change. We all love implementing change.

Change also needs to be communicated. We need to let people know what is changing, why it's changing and what is staying the same.

And, sometimes, it takes time. Other times, it needs time. A lot of us pastors see something and we want to make a change right here, right now. We can end up being dismissive of things: “You guys do it that way? Really? No. We're doing it this way from now.” It helps to know why things were done a certain way before uprooting everything. Communication is vital. In our discussions, we can also learn that the change we were so desperate to make, isn't really necessary and that we, as pastors, are the only ones to benefit from the change we want to make.

We all know that change is inevitable in our lives.

In churches, we can't stay the same forever, which is why many UMC's are struggling to survive– they've been the same church since the '70's. Only God is (and should be) the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Church traditions, if not careful, can only contain yesterdays and we can inadvertently box God in our yesterdays and make God seem outdated and irrelevant to our lives today.

At the same time, changes doesn't have to be completely painful. We, as leaders, can do a lot to make the transitions smoother, or at least informative and help them see what is happening, what is changing, why it's happening and what will remain the same.

I would've appreciated to hear why EA sports did away with the franchise mode as I knew it. Would I've agree with it? Maybe. Maybe not. But it's better than having it sprung on me the way it was.

I also hope, that, as pastor of St. Mark, I remember all the words I just typed and help the congregation move along with the changes we need to make to be the church God wants us to be, instead of forcing changes upon them without knowledge or discussion.

Well. It looks like I'll just have to coach RGIII to lead the way and hope to rack up coaching awards and prestige in the coaching mode of Connected Careers.

 

No One Likes Change

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I used to wear hats all the time in high school and college. I had a vast pool of hats that I could choose from, usually of the sports teams that I supported.

My collection of hats now have dwindled to one. Most of the hats got lost in various places- movie theaters, planes, subway, beach. The last hat that I held onto for years was a Superman hat that is in the twilight of its life. It’s more than falling apart. It looks dirty and just raunchy, but I refuse to wash it. (It would wash away all the character the hat accrued during our tenure together). But I couldn’t ignore the fact that this hat needed to be retired and that I needed to go hunt for a new hat.

I haven’t had to buy a new hat since, I don’t know, 5 years? So I went hat shopping, only to find that I couldn’t find any hat that spoke to me. And, when did hats become so expensive? Were they always that expensive and that I didn’t care when I was younger? And I’m very peculiar with my hats. One, I don’t like the adjustable hats, I need to get fitted or the flex fitted, one size fits all, type of hats. Second, the thing that really put a wrench in this hat search was the bill of the hat.

When I was in school, the first thing we did when we bought baseball caps was to roll the hell out of the bill so that it’ll curve. And I mean roll the hell out of it. Some of my friends would roll it up, and put a rubberband around the rolled up bill and leave it over night. I remember constantly having to adjust the bill so that it’ll remain curvey.

But today’s hats? The style is to wear it with a straight bill. And bill of the hats are flimsy and couldn’t handle the abuse that we would give it as teenagers. And frankly, I think I’d look ridiculous trying to rock a hat with straight bills with the label still on them.

I knew I hit a new stage in my life when I was standing in Lids (a hat store) and held a New Era hat in my hand and said to my wife, “Back in my days, the hats were much better and had more character.”

After months (and I mean months) of searching, I finally settled on a hat with a thick bill that I could curve. Some of you may ask, “Why not just stop wearing baseball caps anymore, now that you’re over 30?” Well, to you I say, “Go away, you’re not my mom.”

That was a very long and unnecessary intro to what I really wanted to write about: change. We pastors and leaders seem to love change. That may be due to the fact that part of our job description is to vision for the future. And we see this plan that God has for the church and we’re excited and we know that this is where God is leading us. But we’re met with resistence from our church members, and a lot of times, we get frustrated and think that these stiff-necked people hate change and would rather “die.”

But here’s the thing. When I said that we pastors love change, that’s half true. We love implementing change. We’re not immune to hating change. We’re just as resistant to change. It’s human nature. We just don’t realize it, because we spend most of our time fighting to implement and bring change.

I mean, for me the style of hats changed. I don’t like it.

For many, we hate the changes that Facebook makes. We cry bloody murder when Facebook changes its layout. I still hear people griping about timeline. “Why change something that was working?” “Facebook changed again? Argh! Why? I hate the new format!” “I never said I wanted timeline!”

Sure, there are some that adapt easier to change, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they like change.

My point is, when we try to “change” the culture of our local church, it takes time, prayer and grace. In change, everyone loses something and they need time to mourn that change. Change is a form of loss. Even if change is necessary and required, nevertheless, it’s a form a change.

We can’t just come into a church as its newest family member and say, “This is changing now!” and get rid of a sacred cow that, in the big picture, has no right or purpose of being there. Then be shocked and angry that so many people are resisting this absolutely necessary change.

We need to bring people on this journey of change from the beginning. Yes, I know that God has placed in our hearts a vision for this ministry. But we have to remember that this vision is for the entire church, and not just us leaders.

Maybe we don’t really take into account the fear that comes with change. Uncertainty, fear, and anxiety are Change’s best of friends. Like many of you, I felt that anxiety and uncertainty when I graduated from high school. I couldn’t really mess around no more. I was legally an adult. I felt anxious and uncertain when I graduated from college, because now I had to grow up. I felt even more anxiety, worry and uncertainty when I graduated from gradute school, because now I really had to grow up. I’ve felt all sorts of anxiety when I was getting married, because you know, now I really, really, really had to grow up. I’ve felt uncertainty when I had to move churches. I’ve felt anxious when I turned 30, because, now I had to be grown up. I’m in my 30′s for Pete’s sake. No more excuses. No more laughing a pre-pubescent jokes. I’m mean, I’m no longer in my 20′s. And I’m sure the anxiety and uncertainty will hit me again when God blesses us with a baby. (I mean, that’s it, right? I have to really, really grow up when that happens…)

Fear comes with change. We can’t ignore that. The best of leaders aren’t the ones that forcefully drags people to the place where the leader already is standing. No, I think, the best of leaders start on that journey together with the people, from the beginning, standing in the front serving as a visionary and guide when she needs to be. Or standing in the back of the pack and being the encourager and giving them a graceful push when he needs to. Or walking side-by-side with the people. The leader doesn’t always have to stand in the front of the pack.

We need to soothe the fears that come with change. Let them know what is changing, what isn’t changing, why it’s changing. And we owe them that because the vision that God has is for the entire congregation, and not just for the implementer. We also need to give them space to let the change sink in, to mourn the loss if you will.

I can’t speak from personal experience. But this is what I’ve gathered from listening to stories of those who’ve gone before me, from books about vision and leadership, and from my time as a Lewis Fellows.

I don’t know much, but what I do know is that change is difficult for everyone. And I hope that knowledge will help me be more empathetic when the time calls for me to be the implementer of change.

In the mean time, I’ll always prefer my hats fitted and with a curved bill. And, I’m less ashamed to rock my Redskins hat today, because we have a new hope in the form Robert Griffin the Third.