The Coach's Corner

The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

-       Frederick Buechner

In his book, The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns authentically relates his journey from being a CEO who was living the good life to a servant leader who is living the good news.  Stearns became the President of Parker Brothers at the early age of 33 and leveraged that opportunity to serve as the CEO of Lenox.  Through his journey, he realized there was something missing – both in his own life and in the lives of many followers of Jesus Christ.  Stearns kept hearing the calling of God in his life, but he did not want to answer the “phone” because of the radical shift that would take place in his life.  He passionately shares how his initial concerns turned into compassion as he became the servant leader of World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to tackling the causes of poverty and injustice around the world.  His authentic style helps us become aware of our own struggles in choosing a path of “success” or significance.

Stearns explains, “The whole gospel involves more than preaching; it also means caring about the whole person and finding ways to meet that individual’s needs.”  This book will challenge you to think about the world in a very different way, open your eyes to the needs of people around the world, and challenge you with a call to action.

By reading the story of Richard Stearns, you will also learn how God has been preparing you every step of the way for this moment – the moment you hear his voice and accept His calling to be available and faithful.

To purchase this resource click here:

The Focus of Federer

“Learn from the past, prepare for the future, perform in the moment!” (Mike Van Hoozer, Moments: Making Your Life Count For What Matters Most)

He bounced up and down a few times to stay loose. Maybe, also to shake the memory of the last few moments from his head. He had lost the first set and was on the verge of losing the second one, which would put him in a tremendous valley on a day that should have been one of the biggest mountaintop moments in his life. His opponent needed just one more point to seal his fate. A point that would never come.

Down 6-2 in the tiebreaker of the second set on the grand stage of Wimbledon, Roger Federer scored six straight points to win the second set and dramatically change the momentum of the match. He won a second tiebreaker against his opponent Andy Roddick in the third set to go up 2-1 in a match that went all five sets. (Technically, it went the length of seven sets, since there is not a tiebreaker in the fifth set. They just kept playing until someone won by 2, which Roger eventually did: 16-14.

How did Roger Federer, now the winner of 15 Grand Slam tennis titles surpassing Pete Sampras’ record, win this match? Was it his physical talent that allowed him to overcome an obstacle of 6 points in the second set tiebreaker? 50 aces surely helped his cause, but I think there was something more. Something hidden within that revealed itself during the tiebreak game in the second set that spoke volumes of the greatness of Roger Federer: FOCUS.

Down 6-2, Federer redirected his focus to the task at hand. He didn’t think about the past lamenting how he had dug this hole. He also did not worry about the future with questions of What if? He performed and played in the moment. Shot to shot, point to point. This focus allowed him to get back into the match one point at a time, which is really the best way an athlete should play. Last time I checked, there is no 6-point shot in tennis.

©Getty Images / P. Gilham

As he focused on and won each point, he began to regain the momentum and put the pressure back on his opponent. In tennis, momentum can be won or lost in a point, and this factor certainly came true in the finals at Wimbledon. Many games were still to be played including an “overtime“ fifth set, but I think a defining moment happened during the second set.

How can we learn from the focus of Roger Federer? I think there are at least 3 things/principles that we can put into practice in our lives that will help us gain or regain momentum:

1. Focus on the moment – Think about what is at stake, who else is involved, and how you can make a difference. Physically, you can only live in the present. Mentally, your mind can live 3 tenses at a time (past, present, and future). Replace the haunting thoughts of the past or the frantic fears of the future with authentic facts and truth about what you can do in this moment to make a positive difference.
2. Engage in the moment – Bring all of your talents, energy, creativity, and leadership to the moment. Don’t be intimidated by the possibility of failure. Consider the joy of making a contribution in the current moment.
3. Perform in the moment – Play shot to shot, point to point. You can’t live a month in a minute. Execute moment by moment on your plans, dreams, and calling, and expect to see the impact.

For more information about these and other principles that will help you perform in the moment in all of your roles in life, check out Mike Van Hoozer's book: Moments: Making Your Life Count For What Matters Most.

For more information on hiring Mike to speak to your organization, click here.

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