“The
Royals are in the World Series” was the notification that
came across my phone last Wednesday. I
was in a planning meeting for our “Financial
Sanity Class” coming up in November.
I know bad scheduling. Those in
the room were all stunned, smiling, but essentially speechless. We quickly resumed our planning, but after a
few minutes, I had to interrupt, get out of my seat and exchange high fives.
I’ve
always loved the Royals. As a child
growing up in Western Kansas, I would listen to Fred White and Denny Matthews
call the games on my little, orange-colored transistor radio long after my
parents turned out the lights. That
passion grew as baseball playoffs, like the changing colors, became an expectation of fall. I moved to the Kansas City area in 1980, just
in time to experience the Royals losing to the Phillies in the Fall
Classic. Freddy Patek, Amos Otis, George
Brett, Frank White, Dennis Leonard, Willie Wilson and Dan Quisenberry were the
mythical figures/heroes of my childhood.
And finally, as a freshman in college, I’ll never
forget driving back from Nebraska to be in Kansas City for Game 7 in 1985. No tickets, I just wanted to be there when
they won. And now almost a generation
later, 29 years to be exact, another generation of Royals’
fans
may have the opportunity to celebrate another World Series Championship.
But
this time, 29 years later, my excitement has tempered. A 40 inch high-definition television has
replaced that little transistor radio.
Those mythical figures have been replaced by “young
kids”
named
Hosmer, Moustakas, Ventura, Cain and Holland.
And my excitement has found its place among my three boys. Don’t get me wrong, I am
thrilled, but they are the ones now who are forgoing sleep, cheering for their
new heroes and experiencing a “World Series”
for
their first time. My oldest son even
drove 4 hours from college to be in KC for the Wildcard game. Unlike my college experience, he had tickets. Jealous?
By no means, okay maybe a little. But I am taking great delight in that my love
for “Boys in
Blue”
is
now entrenched in a new generation of “McDonald Men”.
What
we pass on to the next generation is one of the most important tasks of an
older generation. And while a love for a
certain team is great, there are things that carry much more value and
worth. An hour after the Royals won the
Pennant, over 100 youth and parents gathered at Holy Cross to hear Les Norman,
former Kansas City Royal and broadcaster, share his story at a KCLYC (Kansas
City Lutheran Youth Coalition) event.
His story was shaped by generations of abuse or abandonment passed on by
his father and grandfather. As a result,
his story into his adulthood was defined by low self-esteem, addiction,
depression and more. It was a “powerful”
night
for those in attendance, as youth and parents discussed the topic of abuse.
My
take-away for the evening: my actions, attitudes and values has tremendous
power to shape the trajectory, either positively or negatively, of not only the
next generation but the generations to follow.
It’s a
no-duh, but I know that at times I’m often not very
intentional at doing so. My sons are
looking to me for cues on how they will one day treat their future spouse. My daughter will see characteristics of what
she will look for in her future husband.
The way we view finances and our habits of sharing, saving and spending
will probably be reflected in their future families. The list goes on and can seem quite
overwhelming. However, I need to
remember that the most important task of a parent really hasn’t
changed from generation to generation:
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is
our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I
am commanding
you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk
about them when you
are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind
them as a sign on your
hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on
the doorposts of
your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
35 and one of them, a
lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 Jesus said
to him,“‘You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This
is the greatest and first
commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-37)
14 Above all, clothe
yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians
3:14)
If we don’t model and pass our
values on to the next generations, our culture will be more than willing to
step in and do the job. And this is not
limited to parents. Grandparents, aunts,
uncles, teachers, coaches, neighbors and faith communities have such a huge
role to play as well. It’s sort of how
God designed it to be.
Great is the
Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
One
generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.
(Psalm
145:12-13)
LET”S GO ROYALS!!
One shameless plug:
Don’t forget Holy Cross’ “Financial Sanity Class” coming on
Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings beginning November 5th and 9th. We will specifically looking at how to model
and lay a good foundation for future generation when it comes to our
finances. Look in the pulse, emails or
web-site for more information.
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Scott McDonald
Director of Discipleship and Mission
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