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Otto Endures

Jim Otto, who wore the number ''OO'' for the Raiders pro football team, was arguably the greatest center to ever play the game. According to player/coach/commentator John Madden, "If someone came from another planet and wanted to know what a football player looked like, you'd show him a poster of Jim Otto." That's how well respected his is in the world of pro football. For those who don't know football, the offensive center mans the middle of the bone-crunching action, on one play protecting the quarterback from 300 pound defensive linemen and on the next play drilling through them to pave the way for a run. His dedication, intelligence and leadership helped transform the Raiders into one of the most successful football franchises ever. He was selected to an incredible 12 Pro Bowls and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But what amazes me about Jim Otto is not so much his talent, but his willingness to play hurt. You see, the center gets hit every play, and Otto took quite a beating. His freshman year in college, he had surgery on both knees, but rebuilt his knees and played both offense and defense the next year. In his 15 years with the Raiders, he broke his nose 10 times and endured 9 knee surgeries. He played with a hip pointer injury, broken fingers, broken ribs, a broken jaw, neck stingers (stretched or pinched nerves), numerous concussions, kicked-in teeth, one eye swollen shut and even double pneumonia in Super Bowl II. With all those injuries, how many games did he miss? None. That's right. He never missed a game, playing 210 consecutive games. In 1972, he tore five ligaments in his knee during a preseason game. He could have gone on injured reserve. Instead, he played so well that he made the pro bowl! Why did he keep playing even while he was hurt? The answer's pretty simple. You see, Jim Otto loved football. He grew up in poverty. One summer he lived with his family in a chicken coop until they moved into a house with two other families. Not being very good at academics, football was Jim's ticket to college and out of poverty. In his own words, "football saved me." And no matter what the price, he'd always be grateful. Although he's had a total of 37 football related surgeries; even though in his retirement he lives with two artificial knees and two artificial shoulders, enduring continuous pain, he holds no bitterness toward the sport and says he'd do it all again. Why? Because Jim Otto loves football. What does this have to do with the Christian life? Some people give up spiritually after so many failures. After Otto signed up with the Raiders, the newly formed team lost 19 straight games. Nineteen straight failures. How humiliating. But he didn't quit. Nor did he give up because of the suffering. One thing that helped Jim Otto was that he knew football was a rough sport and that his body would be beaten. Speaking of his painful retirement, he says, ''I don't blame anybody. Every time you put on a helmet, you know ...you were going to get hurt. We knew the score.'' Since Otto knew up front that his body would suffer, he wasn't thrown off course when it happened. According to Otto, "I proudly wore the scars of a gladiator - a raspberry on the cheek, a chipped tooth, and surgical stitches that crossed my mangled legs like railroad tracks. To me, these wounds represented trophies of the battle. (p. 7, Otto) In the same way, Jesus warned his disciples that they would be persecuted (John 16:1-4). Peter told us not to be surprised by suffering for the faith (I Peter 4:12,13). The more we understand that serving Christ is often a difficult road that invites persecution, the less we're prone to leave the faith when the heat is on. Written by Steve Miller, Copyright 2002. Sources: 1. (Newsday, Special Report: Life After Football (1-14-97, pp. A64) 2. index.htmlindex.html..\index.html..\index.html ; 3. http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/100/78.html ; 4. http://sports.insidebayarea.com/top50.asp?story=Leigh_Steinberg 5. http://sports.insidebayarea.com/top50.asp?story=Joe_Otto 6. Double-O was football's limping gladiator By Dave Newhouse 7. OTTO PLAYED IN PAIN THAT WON'T QUIT, By Bob Kravitz, The Coffin Corner, Volume X, 1988, From The Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 23, 1984 8. Booklist review 9. The Pain of Glory, by Jim Otto and Dave Newhouse, Sports Publishing, Inc., 2000.

Heroes Hang On

A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer. -- Norwegian proverb

Overcoming Difficulties For Success

For every difficulty that supposedly stops a person from succeeding there are thousands who have had it a lot worse and have succeeded anyway. So can you. --Brian Tracy

"Semper Fi" and the Marines

God never compared the Christian life to a tea party. He did compare it to warfare. "Put on the full armor of God..." (Ephesians 6:13) "...extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one." (Ephesians 6:16) If you entered the ministry thinking it would be a tea party, your expectations were soon shattered by reality. Ministry is warfare. In that light, there's so much we can learn from the military. The Marines are one of the U.S. military's super tough special operations units. If you look closely at their emblem, you'll see an eagle holding a banner, which reads "Semper Fi." It's an abbreviation of the Latin phrase Semper Fidelis, which means "Always Faithful." Where did it come from? According to Leatherneck: Magazine of the Marines, after the Beirut bombing in 1983, General Paul X. Kelley visited a wounded Marine in the hospital. The young man shook the General's hand and scribbled the words "Semper Fi" on a piece of paper. The general became emotional and said, "Lord, where do we get such men?" The official Marine Corp site explains that Semper Fi describes their commitment to each other, their organization, and their country. After Marines pulled off their recent (during the war with Iraq) daring rescue of 7 American soldiers from behind enemy lines, two of them accompanied the former POW's to safety in Kuwait. The Marines could have requested some rest and relaxation, hoping to hang out in Kuwait and bask in their glory. After all, they'd already risked their lives. Instead, The next morning, the two Marines requested to be flown back to the battlefield as soon as possible. One explained, "We have to get to our unit. There is still fighting. We can't miss that." Youth ministry's tough. Expectations of churches are unreasonable. We're underpaid and under appreciated. We knock ourselves out to prepare a life-changing talk and get a "ho hum" response. Get over it. A war is raging. Get back to your unit. There are new battles to fight. Give your comrades high fives and repeat to your last breath, semper fi - always faithful. Endure till the end. Ministry is war.

Coach Belichick Overcomes Failure

Failure: The Pathway to Success How One Football Coach Handled Failure This story of Bill Belichick, the super-successful head coach of the New England Patriots, should encourage all who of us who struggle with failure. Bill the Failure The Cleveland Browns' head coach was one unpopular guy. In five years he'd produced only one winning season. As if losing games wasn't bad enough, he traded Cleveland's favorite quarterback. The press crucified him. At games, fans would chant, "Bill must go! Bill must go!" Bumper stickers called him an idiot. It got so bad that his children couldn't ride the bus to school because of other students' cruel comments. He received so many death threats that the police had to stake out his home. He endured for four long years. But in the end, he probably did well to escape Cleveland with his life. From One Failure to Another After such a horror story in Cleveland, you might wonder why anyone would risk repeating it. But Bill loved football. At age nine he was already scouting teams with his dad and studying film of teams. His dad didn't push him into coaching. It was his passion. In school and at home he incessantly talked football, studied football and dreamed up plays. And getting older didn't put out his fire for the game. So he refused to give up. When things got tough, he just worked harder. But it takes more than football knowledge to be a head coach. Maybe Bill didn't have what it takes to motivate players, deal with the public, and chat with the press. So everyone, including Bill, must have worried that his next head coaching job might be a repeat of the last. But he took the chance by accepting the invitation to lead the New England Patriots. The first year looked like another failure - a dismal 5 wins and 11 losses, the same record as his last season in Cleveland. On Top of the World But he still refused to give up. Rather than believe the crowds and the press in Cleveland, rather than listen to the detractors who doubted him in New England, he kept on working. He learned from his failures. And behind the scenes, he was building a coaching staff and a team for the future. Not a team built around a couple of flashy superstars, but a team of dedicated players who worked as a team, thought as a team and got credit as a team. And it worked. Today, Bill Belichick is universally acknowledged as a brilliant strategist - one of the top coaches to ever coach pro football. His Patriots are one of only two teams to have ever won three Super Bowls in four years. Two of his Super Bowl defensive game plans are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His Patriots dominate the world of professional football, having won five straight division titles (six overall). As I write, they stand undefeated in their regular season - a feat equaled by only one other team in pro football history. Now they've won the playoffs and are on the way to yet another Super Bowl. But it could have never happen had he thrown in the towel after five humiliating years in Cleveland and a horrid first year in New England. So if you watch the Super Bowl this Sunday, you'll see coach Bill Belichick standing on the sidelines. No matter who ultimately wins, remember the criticism he had to overcome to get to the Super Bowl and be encouraged to hang in there, no matter what you're going through. Reflections Have you ever failed? Do certain subjects or skills or sports elude your grasp? Don't give up! When people put you down, remember how the newspapers, radio and TV commentators put down Belichick. When they laugh at you, remember the bumper stickers that read, "Belichick is an idiot!" When you go through weeks and months of failure, remember his years of failure. I suppose you could say that the road to success is often paved with failures. Biblical Principles 1. Hang in there when things get tough. (I Corinthians 15:58) 2. Stand your ground, in spite of the pressure. (Daniel 3:13-18) 3. No matter how bad things get, God can bring victory. (Philippians 4:13) Discussion 1. In what ways did Bill Belichick fail? 2. In what ways did people reject him? 3. How would you have felt if you were rejected in the same way? 4. What do you think kept him going? 5. How have you faced rejection? 6. How do you know when to quit and when to keep going? 7. How can we overcome failure? 8. How can our faith help us to overcome failure? End Notes [Copyright December, 2007 by Steve Miller and Legacy Educational Resources ( www.character-education.info and www.youth-ministry.info ). Facts from The Education of a Coach, by David Halberstam (New York: Hyperion, 2005) and Wikipedia on Bill Bellichick.]

Tom Brady on Commitment and Initiative

Tom Brady: On Commitment and Initiative Or, Playing Fourth String, Getting Third-Rate Treatment But Going the Second Mile with First-Rate Effort (Teacher Hint: Go to www.youtube.com and type in "Tom Brady" to find some cool clips of Brady in action. I really liked one with music in the background entitled "Tom Brady: My Hero". Play a bit before you speak to remind your students how awesome a player he is. Or, you might want to start with the first of a video, and show the rest after the story.) Brady Today Tom Brady makes it look so easy. Moments before lightning fast defensive tackles and 300 pound linemen close in to take his head off, Brady steps back to avoid one collision, to the side to avoid another, patiently waiting for his receivers to complete their patterns. Now. He throws. Completes. Touchdown, New England. It happens so often that he's widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks ever. At age 30, he's led his team to three Super Bowls, received two Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards, been invited to four Pro Bowls, and holds the NFL record for the most regular season touchdown passes. No wonder he's been named "Sportsman of the Year" by both Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. (1) It may look easy and natural for him today, but those skills didn't come naturally. It took supreme commitment to growing and learning, often under difficult circumstances. The High School Brady Tommy entered high school built like a beanpole - a slow-footed beanpole. Not very impressive in a game that emphasizes size and speed. But he was super-competitive and wanted to excel. So he did more than attend regular practices. He went the extra mile by attending quarterback camps in Arizona and the University of Southern California. He even spent personal time with a throwing guru who ran a school for quarterbacks. This guy had broken down the art of passing into the most minute detail to discover what works and what doesn't . Tommy took tons of notes, to which he still refers today. (2) And the "extra mile" stuff continued. After school during the off season, many kids throw their backpacks onto the bedroom floor to watch TV, play games and goof off until bedtime. But Tommy completed his homework and met up with his friends at the Pacific Athletic Club to work out for three or four hours. When his coach, Tom McKenzie, lamented to Tommy's dad that he had "a Division 1 arm, but a Division 5 lower body," Tommy took it as a challenge. Every morning before school, he'd practice a tedious footwork drill called "The Five Dots," which most players loathed. According to Brady, "I've never been real fleet of foot. I enjoyed the struggle of it. I gained a lot out of it, in terms of mental toughness." According to his coach, "Tom Brady is the only student athlete I ever saw who took advantage of every opportunity that was provided to him." (3) His high school team wasn't that great, but he made the best of it, winning about as many games as he lost. The College Brady By high school graduation, he was still a beanpole. But they put together a video-tape of Tom's games and sent it to fifty-five universities. Their diligence paid off and the University of Michigan, a football powerhouse, recruited him to play for their Wolverines. But then things got strange. Before he even made it to the campus, the two coaches who recruited him and believed in him left the school. His first year, he kept the bench warm with the third string. The second year, he played a bit in only two games. His very first pass was intercepted and run back for a touchdown. Not exactly a stellar debut. He'd throw five total passes that year. (4) But he kept practicing, kept learning, and developed a great network of relationships with his people skills. Surely next year would be his year. But before his third year, appendicitis robbed him of 30 pounds that he didn't need to lose. Now he was an even skinnier bean pole. Thoughts of quitting and giving up were getting the best of him. Instead of turning inward, he began to talk to the athletic department counselor, Greg Harden. From meetings with Harden, he developed a game plan for problem solving and becoming a better person. It helped. At Spring camp, he found himself third in line behind the starting quarterback and another quarterback, Brian Griese, who's father had been a legendary quarterback. The latter won the starting position and Brady would get to play in only four games, throwing only twelve passes. Griese would graduate, leaving the slot for Brady to fill, but did Brady want it anymore? He'd been practicing his heart out for three long years to throw a total of 17 passes. In his mind, he wasn't given equal treatment. He considered changing schools. But outside of football, he loved his friends, his classes, and his volunteer work at a children's hospital. He decided to stick with it. (5) His fourth year, he would clearly be the starting quarterback, but then things got strange again. Michigan recruited a phenomenal high school quarterback from a nearby town who had already been featured in Sports Illustrated. Being a local hero, there was pressure to move him quickly up to starting quarterback. So what did Brady think when his head coach referred to Henson, the new be, as "without question the most talented quarterback I've ever been around"? (6) Brady started as quarterback the rest of the season, winning 10 games and losing three. But there would be a fifth year, allowable since he didn't play as a Freshman. Surely he'd established himself by now. But that would be too easy. Influential alumni were pressuring the coaches to play Henson, the new quarterback. So here's how it played out. The coach announced that Brady would play the first quarter, Henson the second quarter, and whoever played the best would play the second half. It was a slam on Brady, the deserving fifth year senior. It would have been easy for Brady to take the low road, rallying his friends around his cause and dividing the team. Instead, he kept working and pursuing team unity. After the seventh game Brady established himself as the starter for the rest of the year. After his final game as a Wolverine, Brady's quarterback coach told him that the circumstances he'd played under would have broken most athletes. But Brady endured. (7) After college, he could have smugly assumed that he knew everything he needed to know about football. Instead, he attended a performance clinic to try to pick up foot speed. I mean, come on, after four years of coaching in high school and five years of coaching in college, don't you think he knew enough about how to run? Not Brady. There were still weaknesses to shore up and there was always more to learn, always an extra mile that he could go. (8) The Pro Brady His next stop was the NFL Scouting Combine, a place where coaches and scouts have the opportunity to watch their potential drafts in action. The gathering includes interviews, psychological testing, strength and agility tests, and the 40-yard dash. Although the assessors noted some great traits in Brady, most saw him as a gamble. The most prominent of the evaluators concluded that he "didn't have the total package of skills." (9) One offensive coordinator assessed Brady as rather average, with his inability to establish himself at Michigan counting against him. To some, he was still a "skinny quarterback who didn't run well." (10) Still, he hoped to be picked early in the draft. Sitting at home listening to the draft with his family, they saw one round after another passing him by. After the fifth round, the Brady bunch was depressed. According to his sister Nancy, "What with what happened at Michigan, and now having this infuriating and disappointing couple of days, he just wanted to take a walk...." While he was out walking, head coach Bill Belichick called from the Patriots, picking him on the sixth round, the 199th draft pick. Dick Rehbein (the quarterback coach) and Belicheck saw something in Brady that others apparently didn't. During those college years, Brady was put in a bad position, but made the most out of it. They were impressed with "what he did with the opportunities he had." (11) But at New England, he'd have to start out once again at the bottom. Now for anyone who's played second string, you know the demoralizing feeling of working hard all week to sit on the bench during the games, hoping that, just maybe, your team will get so far ahead that they call in the second string. But he wasn't on second string. He wasn't even on third string. Brady started fourth-string for the Patriots. (12) Although he'd filled out a little by this time, the Patriot's owner still referred to Brady as, you guessed it, a "beanpole," after their first meeting. (13) But what he lacked in physical intimidation, he made up for with his work ethic, team spirit, and a rare ability to care for and energize those around him. Package all that together and it's called leadership. As one biographer put it, "Brady had that unique ability to make the person he is talking to feel as though the rest of the world has fallen away and there is only this one conversation happening anywhere." (14) He'd spend extra time watching film of their opponents, although he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of playing in the game. The defensive coordinator noticed that Brady would work out harder than anyone else in the weight room. He threw himself into off-season workouts, whether or not he was required to attend. That helped add about 20 pounds of needed muscle. After a normal practice day, he'd lead a group of others at the bottom of the totem pole to run through the plays until they had them down. And they got better, and better. The coaches took notice and liked what they saw. So Brady found himself the backup quarterback during his second year. And when the starting quarterback got injured, Brady took over. Because of his intense preparation during good times and bad, he was there to answer the door when opportunity knocked. And the rest, as they say, is history. Brady once noted that the most difficult wins are the most memorable. I think you could say that about his life. As Brady said, "Who wants everything to come easy?" (15) Action Points So do you consider yourself the "beanpole" of your team or organization - the one who doesn't look the part or make heads turn? Do you go to all the regular practices, but still find yourself benched? Do you do the assigned homework but don't get the grades you want? Do you do your ministry, but fail to see results? If that sounds like you (and it often sounds like me!) remember how Brady defeated discouragement and went the extra mile by preparing a little harder, getting outside counsel and continuing to learn. If God can make a professional football player out of a slow beanpole, He can use you as well. Biblical Principles Illustrated by Brady 1. Work hard, going beyond what's expected. (Proverbs 10:4; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:23) 2. When life's not fair, don't give up. (Job 1:1; 1:13-22; I Corinthians 4:7ff.) 3. When things get too hard, get help. (Proverbs 11:14) 4. Keep learning. Get input from the best. (Proverbs 10:14; 8:12-21) 5. Get along with people, even when they're not the easiest to get along with. (Romans 12:18) 6. Prioritize relationships. Not only do they make life fun, but they build a foundation for leadership. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) Extras: Brady on Standing Alone (Daniel 3:13ff) Elwood Reid, one of his college professors, noted that Brady was his own person. The other jocks were too cool to do homework or act interested in his class. Not Brady. He was polite, sincere, did his reading, brought his books to class. Reid expected the other athletes to treat him with contempt, making fun of the skinny athlete. But to Reid's surprise, "the most disruptive guys in the class did more than leave the quarterback alone. They seemed to look up to him. In fact, they seemed to look up to him more because he wasn't following their lead." I suppose you can't very well lead the crowd if you're following it. (16) Brady on Commitment to the Team (I Corinthians 12:1ff) "All I ever wanted was the camaraderie, to share some memories with so many other guys." (17) On Not Talking Down to People According to head coach Belichick, Brady "doesn't put himself above anybody, above the equipment manager, above the guy on the practice squad, or above a defensive player. He has respect for them doing their jobs." (18) End Notes 1. Wikipedia on Tom Brady. 2. Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything, by Charles P. Pierce (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006), pp. 38-40. 3. Ibid., p. 41. 4. Ibid., pp. 59,60. 5. Ibid., pp. 61-65. 6. Ibid., pp. 67,68. 7. Ibid., p. 78. 8. Ibid., p. 89. 9. Ibid., pp. 89,90. 10. Ibid., pp. 90,91. 11. Ibid., p. 92. 12. Ibid., p. 94. 13. Ibid., p. 95. 14. Ibid., p. 8. 15. Ibid., p. 18; also The Education of a Coach, by David Halberstam, (New York: Hyperion, 2005), pp. 214-221. 16. Ibid., Pierce, pp. 4,5. 17. Ibid., p. 27. 18. Ibid., p. 159.

Beatles Succeed Despite Criticism

Press On Despite Criticism<br /> (Beatles Succeed Despite Discouraging Comments)<br /> <br /> Don't let discouraging comments get you down. Sometimes we simply need to ignore them and press forward with our passion. <br /> <br /> Fifteen-year-old John fell in love with his guitar, playing it night and day. His Aunt Mimi, who was raising him, couldn't see the point of his obsession and would try to discourage him. Do you know what it's like to hear discouraging comments, over and over, from those you really respect and want to please? Well, John's Aunt Mimi put it it this way, <br /> <br /> "To me, it was just so much waste of time. I used to tell him so. 'The guitar's all very well, John, but you'll never make a living out of it.'"<br /> <br /> But John kept right on playing, putting his heart into the music he loved. In fact he grew up to play guitar, sing and write music with one of the most popular bands ever - The Beatles. That's right, that 15-year-old boy was John Lennon. And yes, Aunt Mimi, he did manage to eek out a living with the millions he made from that guitar. <br /> Aunt Mimi wouldn't be the last to put down The Beatles along the way. <br /> <br /> Here were some other negative comments they endured:<br /> <br /> While John attended Art College, he, Paul and George played together but apparently weren't very good. A member of another band suggested that they "weren't worth a carrot." (p. 68)<br /> <br /> They managed to get a gig playing between sets at a club, but were so bad that they were ordered off stage after two songs. (p. 69)<br /> <br /> When they decided to change their name to The Beatles, their promoter assured them that nobody would ever take a band with that name seriously. (p. 74)<br /> <br /> They auditioned for a recording contract with Decca, but were turned down. Bands with guitars "were on the way out," the experts at Decca explained. (p. 144)<br /> <br /> Their relentless manager, Brian Epstein, approached every record label he could find in the catalogue, only to be rejected at every turn. (pp. 146, 152) <br /> <br /> When they finally landed a contract, it was with a small label with a mediocre track record, obligating the label to pay the band and Epstein a mere penny per album sold. (pp. 154-158)<br /> <br /> But The Beatles kept playing despite all the negative comments and rejections, becoming so wildly popular that they sold more albums in the United States than any other band or artist. Almost four decades after their breakup in 1970, their fan base continues to grow through games like The Beatles: Rock Band.  [Copyright December, 2009, J. Steve Miller and Legacy Educational Resources ( www.character-education.info ). Feel free to post with this attribution. Not for resale. Sources: Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation, by Philip Norman (New York: MJF Books, 1981) p. 35; Wikipedia, The Beatles.]<br /> <br /> Biblical Tie-Ins: <br /> <br /> Expect trials and obstacles along the way: Psalm 34:19. Be steadfast and immovable: I Corinthians 15:58. Prepare to be hated and put down: John 15:18-20. Jesus endured put downs: John 19:1-3; Luke 23:39. Paul's road was filled with difficulties: II Corinthians 11:23ff.<br /> <br /> Discussion:<br /> <br /> 1) Why do you think Aunt Mimi tried to discourage John?<br /> 2) Why do you think so many people put The Beatles down and failed to recognize their talent?<br /> 3) When should we take criticism to heart? <br /> 4) When should we move forward in spite of criticism?<br /> 5) How can our faith in God help us to endure criticism?<br /> 6) In what area of life do you need to move forward, despite discouraging comments?<br />

Beatles Overcome Poverty and Bad Breaks

Don't Let Poverty and Bad Breaks Define You<br /> (Lennon and McCartney Endure)<br /> <br /> Some kids seem to get all the breaks. Not only do they get the coolest and most expensive gifts for Christmas and birthdays, but they also get those little extras to give them the edge in life – like the best guitars, professional athletic equipment, or expensive lessons from the pros. How can regular young people – those whose parents struggle just to put food on the table – compete with that? <br /> <br /> Well, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the chief songwriters and vocalists for one of the top-selling bands of all time, The Beatles, refused to allow humble beginnings to get in their way. <br /> <br /> John Lennon's Humble Beginnings<br /> <br /> Let's take John first. Do you know what it's like to grow up without a dad? John's dad left his mom the year after they married. And he didn't just move next door – he sailed from England to America, putting an ocean between them! Soon his mom started a new life with a new man, but she didn’t bring her son into the new family. John was raised by his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George, although he had a great relationship with his mom and visited with her regularly (p. 18). But George died suddenly of a hemorrhage when John was 12, leaving him once again fatherless. (p. 23) Later, his real mom would be taken from him suddenly when she was hit by a car. (p. 56)<br /> <br /> By age 13 John majored in troublemaking – ever in detention or the principle’s office. (p. 24.) But at age 15 he fell in love with the new rock and roll music he heard at night on alternative radio, with a very weak signal from the continent that kept fading in and out. Soon, he was pestering Aunt Mimi to buy him a guitar. When she finally gave in, he became almost attached to the instrument, strumming it endlessly. (pp. 34-36)<br /> <br /> Not being able to afford lessons, his mom would teach him banjo chords, which he could play with the first four strings, leaving the final two strings untuned. He put together a band and they would practice standing in the bath because of the superior acoustics. <br /> His poverty posed another problem - the only way to learn the words to the songs they wanted to play was to buy a record, but none of them could afford to buy records. No matter. John made up his own words to go with the tunes. <br /> Paul McCartney's Humble Beginnings<br /> Now let's look at Paul’s hardships. His parents worked jobs that didn't pay well, so that they could only make ends meet with both parents working. But when Paul was 14, his mom died of breast cancer, devastating both he and his dad. When Paul heard that his mom had died, he asked, "What are we going to do without her money?" (pp. 25-30)<br /> <br /> Money Troubles for Their Band<br /> <br /> In their mid teens, John and Paul began playing in a band together, called The Quarrymen, playing anywhere people would listen. But their lack of money continued to pose problems, such as:<br /> When they went to electric guitars, they had no money to buy amps. If the organizers couldn't provide one, they'd have to settle for a crappy sound by hooking up through the microphone system.(p. 59)If they played a church event, the church would have to pay for broken strings. They lost an opportunity to be "discovered" when they entered a talent competition. After passing the local heats in Liverpool, they were invited to the semifinals at the Hippodrome in Manchester. It was their big chance to get on TV and let the world view their talents! But their poverty robbed them of the opportunity. They had enough money for the bus trip to Manchester, but had to leave before the evening finals, because the only bus home left before the finals. They had no money to book an overnight stay. (p. 59)<br /> <br /> The Power of Perseverance<br /> <br /> Many would have gotten discouraged and quit, assuming that only those with money could make it in the music business. But John and Paul kept right on playing and singing. It would take them five more years before they were able to cut an album and start to get some serious recognition. (p. 167) But perhaps, in the end, it was best to take the long, harder road to success. During those years of obscurity, they lost some band members but added George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Time on the road allowed them to sharpen their skills at writing, playing their instruments and performing, so that when they became famous, they were ready to take the world by storm. <br /> Do money problems and family problems get you down? Do you feel everybody else gets the breaks, whether it be in academics, sports, music, or wherever you're trying to excel? The next time you feel discouraged, maybe you'll hear a Beatles song and remember that over 40 years ago, a couple of guys decided not to let family set-backs and lack of money define them. Instead, they co-wrote and published an astounding 180 songs, many of which are riding a new wave of popularity today. <br /> <br /> Biblical Tie-Ins: <br /> <br /> Jesus wasn't born into a noble family; King David grew up as a shepherd boy, the least likely in his family to become king. God can empower us to overcome difficulties: Philippians 4:11. We can find contentment, whether prosperous or poor: Philippians 4:11-13. God can make all our circumstances turn out for good: Romans 8:28. God builds character through our trials: James 1:2-4. <br /> <br /> Discussion<br /> <br /> 1. What disadvantages did John and Paul grow up with? (poverty, loss of family members, lack of formal musical training, not being able to buy the records to get the words right, etc.)<br /> 2. Do you think their heartaches and struggles contributed to their ability to write heart-felt lyrics that so many people identify with? <br /> 3. What do you think kept them moving forward when others might have given up?<br /> 4. How can God help us to overcome disadvantages and setback?<br /> 5. According to Philippians 4:6,7, what should we do if we find ourselves worrying?<br /> 6. In what area of life do you need to stop worrying and keep pressing on, despite your hardships? <br /> <br /> [Copyright December, 2009, J. Steve Miller and Legacy Educational Resources ( www.character-education.info ). Feel free to post with this attribution. Not for resale. Sources: Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation, by Philip Norman (New York: MJF Books, 1981); Wikipedia, The Beatles.]<br />

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