Forget winning, let son build his own derby car

It’s time to get down and derby again. Every year for the last 10 years we have gone through the Cub Scout rite of passage where we turn a block of wood and four plastic wheels into a racecar. I loved doing it when I was a Cub Scout and still enjoy it with my boys. It’s that idealistic time when a father and son work together on a project with the father instructing his young Scout in the proper use of knives, saws and other tools as the youngster plies his new skills to craft his masterpiece. Scratch that. Let’s get real. This a time when overly-eager and overly-protective dads plug in the power tools and shape racers with the accuracy and detail of a profession machinist. All the kid can do is watch, which is boring, so he runs off to play while dad loses himself in the whir of power tools and sawdust. Making a pinewood derby car is more science than art – at least if you want a decent chance to win. A couple weeks ago I was knee-deep in that obsession when a neighbor kid came over to play with my sons. When he asked what I was doing, I told him I was working on the pinewood derby cars. His response nailed me fast to the pole of guilt. “Oh yeah, my dad is making mine, too.” There I was, a former preacher of kid-built derby cars doing what I had done every year for a decade. It must be genetic, as my father did the same to me and my brothers. At least I made my boys sand and paint their cars. I wasn’t allowed to touch mine until the race was over. Two of my three boys have now gone through Cub Scouts without ever having made their own cars. My youngest son still has two derby seasons to go. As he will be a Webelo, I intend for him to build most of his car next year and all of it the following year. It will be the father-son bonding experience it’s intended to be. I’ll probably have the older two make their own cars as well for the Pack’s sibling race. The derby car experience has always been about the journey, not the destination. Making the cars is much more fun than watching them zip down a wooden track in less than three seconds. If you think about it, you spend many hours building a car that will only be used for about 10 seconds or so. When it comes to Scouting and pinewood derby cars, I would love to see the emphasis put back on the spirit of the competition. Each Pack gets to set its own rules, within certain parameters. I’d like to see most Scout units create a rule or racing division for cars that are mostly kid-built or made without the use of power tools. I’d like to see the emphasis for the trophies switched from the races to awards for design and craftsmanship. I think that would help teach the boys how to properly use tools and to create with their minds. I think the sense of pride and accomplishment increase the more the boy can claim ownership in his own project. Children learn better from experience. Watching dad work isn’t much of a learning experience. Working with dad, however, is an experience you will treasure the rest of your life. No doubt that everyone wants to win come race time. The winning is so much sweeter for the boys who make their own cars versus those who had theirs handed to them. Those victories really mean something. Several years ago a limited-run movie came out called “Down and Derby.” It was about a competition between dads to make the perfect derby car. While the dads go to extremes to one-up the other, the boy and other relatives discover the real winning spirit of the pinewood derby race. It’s a fun film if you can find it. I highly recommend it for all Cub Scouts and their parents. All that being said, I do have to report that my middle son Luke finished his derby career with something no one else in my family has ever had before – a first place trophy! I give all the credit to him. After all, he sanded and painted the thing all by himself!

It's not Tebowing, it's prayer

When it comes to the phenomenon that is Tim Tebow, the average person – and most definitely the media pundits – clearly do not understand him. They confuse his Christianity with the idol worship of modern athletes. When he prays, they call it “Tebowing.” It’s not Tebowing, it’s prayer. It’s one man speaking to God. It’s one man behaving the way he believes God wants him to. It’s admirable. What Tebow is doing is not striking a pose that so many associate with his success on the football field. What he is doing it taking a private moment on a public stage and thanking the one who made it all possible for him. I’ve never met Tim Tebow, and to the best of my knowledge have never seen him in person or heard him speak more than sound bites on TV. I respect him as a brother and a man of God. I am thrilled at what he has done not only for the Denver Broncos but for the NFL and society in general. I’ve been a Broncomaniac since the days of old No. 7 – the first No. 7, Craig Morton. I was born and raised less than 60 miles from Mile High Stadium. My dad had the games on TV, but I didn’t care about football until the year Morton led the Broncos to the Super Bowl. That was the first football game I ever watched, and I was hooked. Since the days after Super Bowl XXXIII, Denver has been awaiting the second coming of John Elway. We got Griese on our Bristered hands and finally called in a Plummer. Quarterbacks came and went, and ultimately Orton heard a boo. Sent packing, Kyle Orton was replaced by Tebow. It hasn’t been pretty, but the results speak for themselves. Tebow wins football games. Sure it’s not just Tebow; there is a whole team behind him. But try convincing Colts fans that their team can win without Peyton Manning. Try telling us old-time Bronco fans that Denver could win without Elway. What makes Tebow a cultural curiosity is not his unique style of play or his remarkable number of come-from-behind victories — it’s his overtly public display of his faith in Jesus Christ. That, more than anything, is what I admire and respect about the man. The fact that he is leading my favorite team doesn’t hurt, either. The NFL and all of pro sports have had numerous Christians in their ranks. The late Reggie “the Minister of Defense” White and former coach Tony Dungy and the Pittsburg Steelers’ hairy star Troy Polamalu are among some other notable Christian stars. None of them has been the lightning rod of public praise and criticism that Tebow has. Lots of athletes have bowed in prayer or pointed skyward in a gesture of thanks to God, but few if any have been as controversial at the Broncos quarterback. I don’t know why. I don’t understand why people feel that striking a pose and calling it Tebowing is a trendy sign of respect and success. If all the Tebowers out there really want to pay respect, they should actually use that pose as an honest moment of prayer. If they want to mimic his success, they should call on his God, not him. Tebow is no saint or savior. He is a man. Ultimately it does not matter what he accomplishes in football or how many games he wins or awards he receives. The only thing that will matter is how he served God and what he does to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. It’s the only thing that will make any difference when our time in this world is over. With that benchmark, I count Tebow a winner in the extreme. My love and respect for my brother in Christ will not waiver if he never wins another football game. I may become critical of him as a player, but never as a man of faith so long as he preaches and practices biblical truth. I would expect no different. If my words or actions were not in line with the Bible, I would expect someone to call me on it. Like Tebow, I’m just a man, a sinner in need of grace and redemption. Without God there is nothing. Without Jesus, I am nothing. Without the Holy Spirit, I am a shell of a man, empty of hope and meaning. Tim Tebow understands this. That is why he is so often in prayer. It’s something to emulate, not imitate. God bless you, Tim Tebow … and go Broncos! P.S. I’m all for Houston, too. Go Texans!

Put the service back into customer service

My first draft of this column was brutal. I had a really bad experience trying to buy some reading glasses from the optical department at a local big box store and I wanted to vent about it. At the same time, I had a very pleasant experience getting them from a local department store from an overworked and overwhelmed employee who had no choice but to make me wait for hours. As I wrote the column I found that way too many words were being vented toward a very pushy salesperson and not enough toward the very pleasant and very helpful one. I guess it’s human nature to want to complain. As I read and re-read the column, I realized that I wasn’t writing about the experience as much as I was about customer service. If you’ve ever been to the Chick-fil-A restaurants in Rosenberg and Greatwood you will know what I mean about the difference that customer service can make. Every time I walk into one of these stores I am greeted with “welcome to Chick-fil-A”. The multiple greetings usually come from very busy people working feverishly behind the counter. Anyone who has worked in the fast food industry can tell you that it is very hard, unrewarding and low-paying work. The people at Chick-fil-A, however, act as though as if they love what they do and that their customers are the most important people in the world. They will bring your food to your table and invariably someone will come by to check on us and offer to refill our drinks. I can’t recall a single time a fast food burger chain has provided that level of service. None of that has anything to do with my experience buying glasses, but it illustrates perfectly what I mean about the quality of customer service. The first place I went to for glasses was not very busy. I got prompt attention from the employee. That person began upselling and pushing products I did not need or want. My insurance benefits were probed as well as those of my family. I did not appreciate that violation of my records. I was very offended to be pushed toward buying a more expensive pair than what I needed. It was clear to see that this person was looking out for a big commission and did not care about the needs of the customer. The place where I got my glasses should have turned me off, but didn’t. It was at the JCPenney in Rosenberg where there was one person waiting on a line of impatient people and a ringing phone. The selection of frames was much smaller. But Regina, the salesperson, maintained her cool. She kept smiling, apologizing for the wait and treated each customer with her full attention and dignity. I found out later that Regina was a student at the University of Houston and had only been working there for two months. They were on their second day with a new computer system, and she was plagued by all the problems associated with it. On top of that, her manager abandoned her on one of the store’s busiest days of the year and left her to fend for herself. Knowing what a miserable day Regina was having, I was amazed at her poise and grace in dealing with all these hardships and that she still smiling and acting friendly toward each customer. That kind of service and dedication far outweighed the inconvenience of the long wait I had. It was worth it to me. And in the end I got what I wanted for a lot less money than the pushy person tried to get from me. All of this reinforces my belief that life is not about how we fend for ourselves but rather how we serve other people. What’s important in life is not what we get but what we give. Giving your time, talent and treasure will do more for you and those around you than taking all you can get ever will. I honestly believe Zig Ziglar when he says that you can get whatever you want out of life if you help enough other people get what they want. All the great motivational speakers and business leaders understand that living by the golden rule is the absolute best way to make a living. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you requires action first. You have to give something of yourself in order to have others do the same in return. Jesus did not say to have others do unto you before you do unto them. You’ve probably heard the saying that if you want to have a friend you must first be a friend. That is so true. Once you open yourself up to giving, the receiving naturally follows and in abundance. Later this week when I go to get my glasses, I will probably stop and have lunch at Chick-fil-A. When I return, I will know that I have done business with people who understand this principle and that my day will be better for it. And I hope your experience in reading this column has been more beneficial to you than it would have been if you had read my original gripe piece. That is my gift to you today.