Offspring...

Went to watch some of 'my' boys play and some of 'my' coaches, coach the other night.

Why do I call them 'mine'?

Because they're part of 'my' coaching tree. 

Coaching Tree:

"...if a coach worked as an assistant on a particular head coach's staff for at least a season then that coach can be counted as being a branch on the head coach's coaching tree. Coaching trees can also show philosophical influence from one head coach to an assistant."

Love it.

I have 'coaching trees' in football and also in my dual career of ministry and production; these are (in my case) generally 'guys' who have grown up to do things in a way/style that reflects the way/style I tended to employ when they were part of my sphere of influence (as a coach/pastor/producer) at some point in the past.

Sometimes I see this echoed in actual words they say, or in how they carry themselves, or what they emphasize as important. Sometimes they do things differently but with a similar 'spirit', sometimes they do things with a 1:1 approach.

Regardless, it's humbling.

Also makes me feel old. I remember when much of what I did was rooted in the 'coaching trees' that I descended from. It took many years to see 'my' own distinctives added to things that I'd adopted from my mentors. Now that I'm resolutely middle-aged, it's cool and also strange to see some of the things my wife and I have been working on for some time, beginning to show up in the ethics and approaches of some of our peers.

What I really take from this is the power of 'long obedience in the same direction...' (Peterson) There hasn't really been anything spectacular about what we've been doing and, to be honest, I've sometimes felt like that's a problem to be overcome. But, now that we've got some water under the keel, I can see the early signs of some very real impact and influence.

So, if you are out there today, putting one foot in front of the other feeling like you're getting nowhere and making no difference; keeping going.

Before you know it you'll be in the stands watching a game you're not physically a part of but over which you have influence nonetheless and that's a very satisfying sort of impact.

Keep at it!

Best,

T