Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Future of the Church, Youth and Sports: How the Church Can Impact Youth in a Culture of the Athlete
Athletics for years has offered a strategic opportunity for the Kingdom of God to make great advances in our society. And now with the loss of discipline within our culture, poor health, and the recession, the church has a kronos advantage that would allow it to exponentially advance the Kingdom and to instill biblical values into the culture at large. The Church can impact youth in a culture that exalts athletes through a unified proactive effort via consistently highlighting athletes and coaches who perpetuate biblical values, by utilizing athletics as a means of developing personal discipline, through incorporating athletic dietary habits to promote good health, and by standing in the gaps caused by the recession to expand God’s work. As a result, this platform will allow the church a comprehensive way to save the sinner and empower the believer through the power of God's Holy Spirit.
It is not a coincidence that the "Businessmen's Revival" unfolded in the wake of the 1857 market crash…Paul R. Dienstberger notes…our forefathers in earlier generations and not just church leaders had an opinion that the panic had a Divine Hand of retribution because of the idolatry of money. Samuel I. Prime, editor of the New York Observer, wrote that the panic was "a judgment." He, along with other contemporaries, found the cause in a lust for mammon accompanying the Gold Rush and the rapid industrialization of the country. Twenty years later C. L. Thompson wrote "We were becoming a people without God in the world. In His providence the greed of gain was preparing its own remedy…it must be noted that there was a vast multiplication of the Fulton Street meetings during the two month crisis. The Fulton Street meetings stared, on September 23, 1857, when Jeremiah Lanphier held his first prayer meeting in an upstairs room of the Old Dutch Reformed Church Building on Fulton Street in New York City. He prayed alone for the first half hour and then six men joined him and the numbers grew week to week until the 3rd Great Awakening was in full bloom. It ignited Revival in the U.S. and abroad. In January, 1858 excitement had spread across the nation and the press began reporting a "Businessman's Revival."
In John 3:8 Jesus, responding to Nicodemus’ queries about the Spirit, says, “8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going, so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." God is moving even though we can not tangibly see His hand; however, we can see the affects of His power influencing our world. As the church, we have to have the discernment to see that God is moving and join along in what He is doing. Henry Blackaby says, “When God reveals to you what He is doing, that is when you need to respond.” How do we respond? First we can help change the myth of the athlete. Here is a joke currently infecting social media outlets: GUESS WHICH ONE.......36 have been accused of spousal abuse, 7 have been arrested for fraud, 19 have been accused of writing bad checks, 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted businesses, 3 have done time for assault, 71 repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit, 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges, 8 have been arrested for shoplifting, 21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year…Can you guess which organization this is? NBA Or NFL? Neither, it’s the 535 members of the United States Congress.
For years the enemy has ransacked the image of the athlete; however, we can use athletics as a conduit of developing disciples, but first we must deal with the image of the athlete. From the Greeks to the present day, the influence of great athletes has been tremendous. However, today's media has enhanced sports and the people who play them dramatically. Athletes are seen all over the place, we see them in commercials, on television shows, we read about them in magazines, and we watch them on national television all of the time. Sports are some of the most watched television programs. People of all ages look up to these athletes. Sports and Sports celebrities have become major spectacles of today’s media culture. Sports celebrates have been looked upon as role models for decades, and with the technological advances in broadcast and interactive media, it appears that famous and infamous athletes are everywhere. Interestingly, a recent study found that females agreed more than males that athlete role models influence them to buy certain brands.
Even if you are indifferent to the subject one would have to concede that athletics and the influence of the athlete are here to stay. Research shows over the last two decades the growth of youth sports has reflected the popularity of professional sports in our society. Sporting events and news are available to the public twenty-four hours a day on television and radio: sports are an enormous industry. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations. An estimated twenty-five million children age six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program. These numbers increase exponentially as the age of boys and girls entering sports keeps falling. However, because of the prevailing sordid myth of the athlete most often agree with the underling implication of conventional wisdom—most athletes are trouble makers. However, the church has an opportunity to reverse the curse and deconstruct the pejorative stereo type athletes often carry. The church can begin to create its own myth by highlighting players and coaches who perpetuate biblical values. We must intentionally do this because the monolithic stance the media has fabricated for the athlete. And, by redeeming the myth we could encourage many more young people to participate in athletics.
Dworkin, Larson, and Hansen (2003) found that young people viewed extracurricular activities as an important growth experience in which psychological skills such as goal setting, time management, and emotional control were learned. One study involving urban youth shows sports involvement can have positive influences on social competence and self-esteem and may deter early marijuana use. Another study involving rural African American girls finds that sports involvement may decreases the likelihood of delinquent behaviors. Additionally, sports also offer great social and physical benefit to the society. The zeal to win and do well in sports creates strong values and attitudes in people which are also reflected in other aspects of their lives. Sports help in the development of a strong social environment which motivates people to constantly perform to the best of their abilities. As a society we are now embracing the fact that athletics has an emotional benefit; yet, we would be remised not to highlight the physical benefits of athletics. Young athletes learn both fundamental motor skills (e.g., running, jumping and hopping) and sport-specific skills (e.g., how to putt a golf ball or shoot a jump shot in basketball) that allow them to stay active [throughout their lives.] Often times because of participating in sports early in life individuals develop an appreciation of fitness, which leads to a lifelong pursuit to stay in shape. The residual benefits for playing sports are many; however, the one I would like to highlight is discipline. Sports are an excellent way to enhance self- discipline. It trains you to set goals, focus your mental and emotional energies, and become physically fit.
Participating in sports provides a situation where you learn to want to do well to accomplish goals and work hard and strive to do your best, which, in turn, teaches you to integrate the same thought processes and disciplines into your everyday life. This self-discipline is needed today especially in light of the obesity epidemic, which is ravaging our country. One of the biggest health stories of the year has been the rise in obesity among both adults and children in the U.S. We've all heard so much about the "obesity epidemic" that it's easy to think the story is being blown out of proportion. After all, people putting on a few pounds may not seem to warrant the proclamation of a national emergency. But while obesity may not be the Black Death, it is a severe public health crisis. Today in America one of 7 low-income, preschool-aged children is obese… Experts agree that as more and more obese children become obese adults, the diseases associated with obesity, such as heart disease, cancer, and especially diabetes will surge.
According to Marion Nestle, PhD, chair of the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University, the costs of these illnesses will be "astronomical." James O. Hill, PhD, agrees. Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, claims that at the rate we're going, obesity-related diabetes alone "will break the bank of our healthcare system." The prevalence of obesity in low-income two to four year-olds increased from 12.4 percent in 1998 to 14.5 percent in 2003. Through athletics the church has a practical means of teaching the biblical principle of stewardship that will lay the groundwork for solid disciples and will help curb the obesity epidemic. Athletics not only disciplines our bodies but it disciplines our souls via instructing us what to put in our bodies. Now, Sports nutrition can be a complicated topic for athletes simply seeking a balanced way to eat healthy; most athletes desire is to focus on eating a satisfying meal that will also help them achieve peak performance, but there are some basic principles in sports nutrition that are applicable to nearly every athlete.
If playing athletics simply taught you the habit of eating right to perform your best, that in itself would pay huge dividends on our cultural war on obesity. The truth is, our culture’s spiritual bankruptcy is affecting all of life. This is a fact we can tangibly see with the state of our economy. Because of our economy, Virginia high school athletics, could take a major hit if proposed budget cuts to sports programs are approved, affecting thousands of student-athletes across Fairfax County, Virginia. The cuts include a 10 percent reduction to activities and athletics -- around $1.8 million -- that would see the elimination of freshman sports, winter cheerleading and indoor track, as well as the elimination of the advisor for the drill team, a 50 percent reduction of swim and dive practice times, the consolidation of transportation services and the elimination of around 300 coaching supplements. Student-athletes may also get hit with a $100 fee per sport to participate in all Virginia High School League athletic programs. The fee is estimated to bring in an additional $900,000.
In America, there are about 25 million athletes ages 6 – 18. And, it takes about 2.5 million coaches to lead them. It is noteworthy that these 2.5 million coaches spend an average of eighty hours a season with our kids. The majority of these coaches are volunteers… Now with the recession the need is exacerbated, and the church has a prime opportunity to stand in the gap. Astonishingly, there is no one entity that runs athletics across the country. Therefore, we, as the church, have a prime opportunity to walk through this open door before the world says, “We don’t want God in our sports either.” Within Christendom, when it comes to exercise most people reference 1 Timothy 4:8 and use it as a way of devaluating exercise. 1 Timothy 4:8 reads, “ 8For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” What the NASB and KJV translates as “profiteth little” in greek is pro.j ovli,gon Which is translated “for a short time” in Js 4:14, and could be translated the same in 1 Ti 4:8. I observe a contrast between profits as short time and profits now and that which is to come.
The text is not saying that exercise has lesser value in contrast to spiritual exercise because the same adjective is used to qualify both actions. The text communicates both practices are beneficial, but the former practice will only last as long as we have these mortal bodies, and the latter practice will be beneficial throughout all eternity. [faith, hope, and love] [The scripture may suggest the latter practice will also be a habit we keep throughout all eternity as well.] Therefore, exercise has tremendous value for the believer; all believers should be in shape. Are you in shape? Athletics for years has offered a strategic opportunity for the Kingdom of God to make great advances in our culture. However, because of the loss of discipline within our culture, poor health, and the recession, the church has a tactical advantage for not only exponentially advancing the Kingdom but also for instilling biblical values into the culture at large. The Church can impact youth in a culture that exalts athletes through a unified proactive effort via consistently highlighting players and coaches who perpetuate biblical values, by utilizing athletics as a means of developing personal discipline, through incorporating athletic dietary habits to promote good health, and by standing in the gaps caused by the recession to expand God’s work. As a result, this platform will allow the church a comprehensive way to save the sinner and empower the believer through the power of God's Holy Spirit.
It is not a coincidence that the "Businessmen's Revival" unfolded in the wake of the 1857 market crash…Paul R. Dienstberger notes…our forefathers in earlier generations and not just church leaders had an opinion that the panic had a Divine Hand of retribution because of the idolatry of money. Samuel I. Prime, editor of the New York Observer, wrote that the panic was "a judgment." He, along with other contemporaries, found the cause in a lust for mammon accompanying the Gold Rush and the rapid industrialization of the country. Twenty years later C. L. Thompson wrote "We were becoming a people without God in the world. In His providence the greed of gain was preparing its own remedy…it must be noted that there was a vast multiplication of the Fulton Street meetings during the two month crisis. The Fulton Street meetings stared, on September 23, 1857, when Jeremiah Lanphier held his first prayer meeting in an upstairs room of the Old Dutch Reformed Church Building on Fulton Street in New York City. He prayed alone for the first half hour and then six men joined him and the numbers grew week to week until the 3rd Great Awakening was in full bloom. It ignited Revival in the U.S. and abroad. In January, 1858 excitement had spread across the nation and the press began reporting a "Businessman's Revival."
In John 3:8 Jesus, responding to Nicodemus’ queries about the Spirit, says, “8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going, so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." God is moving even though we can not tangibly see His hand; however, we can see the affects of His power influencing our world. As the church, we have to have the discernment to see that God is moving and join along in what He is doing. Henry Blackaby says, “When God reveals to you what He is doing, that is when you need to respond.” How do we respond? First we can help change the myth of the athlete. Here is a joke currently infecting social media outlets: GUESS WHICH ONE.......36 have been accused of spousal abuse, 7 have been arrested for fraud, 19 have been accused of writing bad checks, 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted businesses, 3 have done time for assault, 71 repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit, 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges, 8 have been arrested for shoplifting, 21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year…Can you guess which organization this is? NBA Or NFL? Neither, it’s the 535 members of the United States Congress.
For years the enemy has ransacked the image of the athlete; however, we can use athletics as a conduit of developing disciples, but first we must deal with the image of the athlete. From the Greeks to the present day, the influence of great athletes has been tremendous. However, today's media has enhanced sports and the people who play them dramatically. Athletes are seen all over the place, we see them in commercials, on television shows, we read about them in magazines, and we watch them on national television all of the time. Sports are some of the most watched television programs. People of all ages look up to these athletes. Sports and Sports celebrities have become major spectacles of today’s media culture. Sports celebrates have been looked upon as role models for decades, and with the technological advances in broadcast and interactive media, it appears that famous and infamous athletes are everywhere. Interestingly, a recent study found that females agreed more than males that athlete role models influence them to buy certain brands.
Even if you are indifferent to the subject one would have to concede that athletics and the influence of the athlete are here to stay. Research shows over the last two decades the growth of youth sports has reflected the popularity of professional sports in our society. Sporting events and news are available to the public twenty-four hours a day on television and radio: sports are an enormous industry. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations. An estimated twenty-five million children age six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program. These numbers increase exponentially as the age of boys and girls entering sports keeps falling. However, because of the prevailing sordid myth of the athlete most often agree with the underling implication of conventional wisdom—most athletes are trouble makers. However, the church has an opportunity to reverse the curse and deconstruct the pejorative stereo type athletes often carry. The church can begin to create its own myth by highlighting players and coaches who perpetuate biblical values. We must intentionally do this because the monolithic stance the media has fabricated for the athlete. And, by redeeming the myth we could encourage many more young people to participate in athletics.
Dworkin, Larson, and Hansen (2003) found that young people viewed extracurricular activities as an important growth experience in which psychological skills such as goal setting, time management, and emotional control were learned. One study involving urban youth shows sports involvement can have positive influences on social competence and self-esteem and may deter early marijuana use. Another study involving rural African American girls finds that sports involvement may decreases the likelihood of delinquent behaviors. Additionally, sports also offer great social and physical benefit to the society. The zeal to win and do well in sports creates strong values and attitudes in people which are also reflected in other aspects of their lives. Sports help in the development of a strong social environment which motivates people to constantly perform to the best of their abilities. As a society we are now embracing the fact that athletics has an emotional benefit; yet, we would be remised not to highlight the physical benefits of athletics. Young athletes learn both fundamental motor skills (e.g., running, jumping and hopping) and sport-specific skills (e.g., how to putt a golf ball or shoot a jump shot in basketball) that allow them to stay active [throughout their lives.] Often times because of participating in sports early in life individuals develop an appreciation of fitness, which leads to a lifelong pursuit to stay in shape. The residual benefits for playing sports are many; however, the one I would like to highlight is discipline. Sports are an excellent way to enhance self- discipline. It trains you to set goals, focus your mental and emotional energies, and become physically fit.
Participating in sports provides a situation where you learn to want to do well to accomplish goals and work hard and strive to do your best, which, in turn, teaches you to integrate the same thought processes and disciplines into your everyday life. This self-discipline is needed today especially in light of the obesity epidemic, which is ravaging our country. One of the biggest health stories of the year has been the rise in obesity among both adults and children in the U.S. We've all heard so much about the "obesity epidemic" that it's easy to think the story is being blown out of proportion. After all, people putting on a few pounds may not seem to warrant the proclamation of a national emergency. But while obesity may not be the Black Death, it is a severe public health crisis. Today in America one of 7 low-income, preschool-aged children is obese… Experts agree that as more and more obese children become obese adults, the diseases associated with obesity, such as heart disease, cancer, and especially diabetes will surge.
According to Marion Nestle, PhD, chair of the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University, the costs of these illnesses will be "astronomical." James O. Hill, PhD, agrees. Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, claims that at the rate we're going, obesity-related diabetes alone "will break the bank of our healthcare system." The prevalence of obesity in low-income two to four year-olds increased from 12.4 percent in 1998 to 14.5 percent in 2003. Through athletics the church has a practical means of teaching the biblical principle of stewardship that will lay the groundwork for solid disciples and will help curb the obesity epidemic. Athletics not only disciplines our bodies but it disciplines our souls via instructing us what to put in our bodies. Now, Sports nutrition can be a complicated topic for athletes simply seeking a balanced way to eat healthy; most athletes desire is to focus on eating a satisfying meal that will also help them achieve peak performance, but there are some basic principles in sports nutrition that are applicable to nearly every athlete.
If playing athletics simply taught you the habit of eating right to perform your best, that in itself would pay huge dividends on our cultural war on obesity. The truth is, our culture’s spiritual bankruptcy is affecting all of life. This is a fact we can tangibly see with the state of our economy. Because of our economy, Virginia high school athletics, could take a major hit if proposed budget cuts to sports programs are approved, affecting thousands of student-athletes across Fairfax County, Virginia. The cuts include a 10 percent reduction to activities and athletics -- around $1.8 million -- that would see the elimination of freshman sports, winter cheerleading and indoor track, as well as the elimination of the advisor for the drill team, a 50 percent reduction of swim and dive practice times, the consolidation of transportation services and the elimination of around 300 coaching supplements. Student-athletes may also get hit with a $100 fee per sport to participate in all Virginia High School League athletic programs. The fee is estimated to bring in an additional $900,000.
In America, there are about 25 million athletes ages 6 – 18. And, it takes about 2.5 million coaches to lead them. It is noteworthy that these 2.5 million coaches spend an average of eighty hours a season with our kids. The majority of these coaches are volunteers… Now with the recession the need is exacerbated, and the church has a prime opportunity to stand in the gap. Astonishingly, there is no one entity that runs athletics across the country. Therefore, we, as the church, have a prime opportunity to walk through this open door before the world says, “We don’t want God in our sports either.” Within Christendom, when it comes to exercise most people reference 1 Timothy 4:8 and use it as a way of devaluating exercise. 1 Timothy 4:8 reads, “ 8For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” What the NASB and KJV translates as “profiteth little” in greek is pro.j ovli,gon Which is translated “for a short time” in Js 4:14, and could be translated the same in 1 Ti 4:8. I observe a contrast between profits as short time and profits now and that which is to come.
The text is not saying that exercise has lesser value in contrast to spiritual exercise because the same adjective is used to qualify both actions. The text communicates both practices are beneficial, but the former practice will only last as long as we have these mortal bodies, and the latter practice will be beneficial throughout all eternity. [faith, hope, and love] [The scripture may suggest the latter practice will also be a habit we keep throughout all eternity as well.] Therefore, exercise has tremendous value for the believer; all believers should be in shape. Are you in shape? Athletics for years has offered a strategic opportunity for the Kingdom of God to make great advances in our culture. However, because of the loss of discipline within our culture, poor health, and the recession, the church has a tactical advantage for not only exponentially advancing the Kingdom but also for instilling biblical values into the culture at large. The Church can impact youth in a culture that exalts athletes through a unified proactive effort via consistently highlighting players and coaches who perpetuate biblical values, by utilizing athletics as a means of developing personal discipline, through incorporating athletic dietary habits to promote good health, and by standing in the gaps caused by the recession to expand God’s work. As a result, this platform will allow the church a comprehensive way to save the sinner and empower the believer through the power of God's Holy Spirit.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Salaries
Readers, the employment market is climbing back and your fellow subscribers are landing more and more jobs each month. While I can't include all of the positions accepted last month here at TheLadders, here's a selection of 50 of the job titles and salaries of people who found their jobs through TheLadders in the month of March:
| Title | Salary | |
| 1. | Account Director | $150K |
| 2. | Account Executive | $105K |
| 3. | Assistant to the President | $135K |
| 4. | CEO | $410K |
| 5. | CFO | $175K |
| 6. | Commercial Development Manager | $115K |
| 7. | Controller | $125K |
| 8. | COO | $110K |
| 9. | Data Manager | $105K |
| 10. | Digital Sales Manager | $120K |
| 11. | Director of Business Development | $150K |
| 12. | Director of Customer Care | $110K |
| 13. | Director of Engineering | $120K |
| 14. | Director of Engineering | $130K |
| 15. | Director of Finance | $135K |
| 16. | Director of HR and Mission Integration | $110K |
| 17. | Director of IT | $145K |
| 18. | Director of Materials | $100K |
| 19. | Director of New Product Planning | $160K |
| 20. | Director of Operations | $170K |
| 21. | Director of Operations | $125K |
| 22. | Director of Sales | $100K |
| 23. | Director of Technology | $120K |
| 24. | EDW Architect | $100K |
| 26. | Federal Sales Director | $120K |
| 27. | Implementation Manager | $103K |
| 28. | International Tax Manager | $120K |
| 29. | Lead Enterprise Architect | $140K |
| 30. | Maintenance and Facilities Manager | $124K |
| 31. | Manager of IT Security and Compliance | $118K |
| 32. | Market Development Manager | $105K |
| 33. | Operations Manager | $170K |
| 34. | Plant Manager | $125K |
| 35. | Principal Product Marketer | $115K |
| 36. | Principal Program Manager | $120K |
| 37. | Process Engineer | $100K |
| 38. | Project Manager | $128K |
| 39. | Risk Group Director | $145K |
| 40. | Senior Architect | $120K |
| 41. | Senior Logistician | $140K |
| 42. | Senior Security Sales Specialist | $110K |
| 43. | Site Controller | $120K |
| 44. | Sr. HR Manager | $150K |
| 45. | Sr. Project Manager | $120K |
| 46. | Supply Operations Project Manager | $118K |
| 47. | VP of Cardiac Services | $210K |
| 48. | VP of Operations | $165K |
| 49. | VP of Product Settings | $250K |
| 50. | VP of Talent Management | $150K |
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