Like many people in the Good Shepherd community, I am reading a chapter a day in the book of Proverbs during the month of January. Out loud.

So today being January 27th, I was naturally in Proverbs 27. And 27:21 made me do a double take while also interrupting my previous plans for today's post:

I've loved this prayer ever since I first saw it in preparing for the Top Secret series. In fact, I was so fond of it that we handed it out at the conclusion of the Secret Dreams service the other Sunday.

The prayer comes from John Piper, a well-known and strongly Calvinist pastor out of Minnesota. It's one of those prayers that makes me wish I had the facility with language to have penned it first.

But it's also deeply true.

There have been those rare occasions in my life -- and probably in yours as well -- when people have thanked me for the influence I have had on them. And that influence and impact is so much greater than my character, skill, or ability.

That's how you know it's God.

I'll be praying this prayer this week. Will you join me?

Years ago, I had a District Superintendent (which is like a pastor to the pastors in Methodism) who taught a group of us: "Any time you want to get the last word in . . . don't."



That's hard isn't it? Especially if you are a know-it-all like me! My natural tendency is to win that argument, to answer with sarcasm, to finish with the verbal upperhand.



But like most things, my natural tendency leads to trouble.



So through the years I have taken my District Superintendent's teaching to heart.



And the great thing is that I have had a number of relationships restored in part because I didn't say all that I wanted to say when those relationships were breaking.



Do you have some "last words" you want to get in today? Don't.

So it's Wimbledon this week. It's hard to be at work when there's grass court tennis going on.

Back in the day, grass courts suited my game better than any other surface. Grass courts tennis rewards hard serves and aggressive play, both of which were my strengths. Grass courts don't favor people who can play consistently and run forever . . . but I never could do either of those anyway.

Well, I remember a match in the National 18-And-Under Grass Court Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (I know its weird, but there really was a grass court tennis club in the middle of Tuscaloosa, Alabama) in 1979. In the Round of 16, I had a match point on a highly ranked player -- meaning that if I won one more point I'd be in the final eight. On match point, I played a bit defensively, he came to the net, and my attempt to pass him hit the tape and fell back over on my side. An inch or two higher and I would have won.

My chance was gone. My opponent came back and won the match and in fact advanced all the way to the finals. I could have been playing for a national championship!

What if? What if my shot had been an inch higher? What if I'd won? What if I'd been the one in the finals instead of him? What if, what if, what if?

Some leaders spend a lot of time on the "what ifs"? What if I'd made a different decision? What if I was in a different place?

Good leaders, however, move from what if to now what? We can analyze our mistakes so much that we fail to take action to correct them. I'm more of a "what if-fer."

I'm going to start moving to the now what.

Because I'd like to give those grass courts another chance.