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Hello!  I realize I haven't updated this blog in quite awhile.  I have decided to use a different platform and new website for my blog and general information about ministry.  If you are interested in keeping up with my ministry in Prague, please visit my new website, www.micahlembke.com.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

2013

(note:  I started this on January 2.  It was, and likely still is, a bit rambling, so I spent some time editing and narrowing the focus of the post)

Wow.  Here I sit, on January 2, 2014, typing a blog from my parent's home in Iowa, reflecting on what a year it has been.  In these reflective posts, many people reflect on the past year with positive nostalgia, however, I must admit that 2013 was not an easy year.  It was a very full year.  Much too full to be able to fit into a blog post.  It was a year of transition for me, with much of what happened wrapped up in that, so I will focus this post on my decision to stay in Prague.

On January 1, 2013, I met with a supporter at 7am, got on a plane, and headed back to Prague.  I remember contemplating the new year and what it would all hold.  I knew my time with AIA was likely coming to an end, so I was in a quandary as to what to do next.  All I knew going into 2013 was that my STINT with AIA ended at the end of April and I had enough money to last me through the Multisport Kemp in August.  So I began to look further into graduate degree programs.  For whatever reason, I did not feel as compelled to enter graduate studies as I had in the past.  The desire is still there, but I feel like that is something that is further down the road.

So I started to look at ministry options.  I prayed a lot.  I honestly had no idea what I was going to do next.  Long term, I think I have an idea of where God wants me, but the short term steps to get there are not as clear.

Deciding to stay required that I trust God on a whole new level.  I had to find an organization to work with.  Eventually I settled on Alongside Ministries International.  The transition between AIA and AMI took a lot longer than I had anticipated.  Through it all, I had to trust God to provide for me.  I had money to last me until the end of August, but I wanted to stay and coach the junior football season and I wasn't accepted by AMI as a missionary until the end of September.  By God's grace, and with the help of some close friends and family, I was able to stay and do ministry right up until my departure on November 9.  God provided. 

The bottom line is I decided to stay because I did not feel called elsewhere.  And I think this is an important point to mention, because often, as Christians, when faced with large decisions, we seek God and His will for our lives, which is good.  Until we spend so much time seeking that we spend no time actually living in the present.  We become obsessive about the future.  Big decisions can paralyze people.

It was an issue of faith for me.  Did I have the faith that God had a plan for my life, despite no clear calling to stay or go?  I think it is important to take steps and then trust God to use them.  Pray.  Seek God.  And then act.  This can be a huge step of faith for some people.

My prayer for 2014 is that God would honor my decision to stay in Prague.  I am a bit nervous about staying.  Basing what could possibly become several years of ministry on not feeling called elsewhere is not something I would have done two years ago.  However, I am excited for what God has in store for ministry in Prague in 2014!

Junior Season 2013

Our Junior season wrapped up a few weeks ago.  We finished 3-1 in organized games, with another couple of scrimmages thrown in there.

The Lions Junior team opened our season with a camp outside of Prague.  I really like these camps because they allow us to get to know our guys better in an environment and have an affect on their lives.  Each season we do a leadership program during camp.  The program itself is not overtly Christian, but the concepts we put on front of them can easily be tied back to the gospel.  At the very least, it serves as a mechanism to get values in front of our guys that are biblical in nature and sets the stage for future conversations. 

Each season brings with it a new set of challenges, but this season has its own unique challenge in that we do not have a Czech league this year, meaning we have to completely make our own schedule against international opponents that we, honestly, don't know much about.  So we started out season with a minicamp and scrimmage against the juniors from three other teams.  It was a good chance to work with other teams and help develop the game in Czech as a whole.

In light of that, we had our first game against a much larger and more numerous Dresden (Germany) team.  It was quite obviously our first game, just based on the mistakes we made.  But we managed to score a touchdown with 39 second left and converted the two point conversion to win the game 8-7.  

We opted to go for two simply because we were missing some guys on our roster and the ones who played were exhausted.  Our second game was against the Trnava Bulldogs.  We played really well and put up 36 points in the first half.  We started substituting guys who had never played before which is great for getting these guys playing experience.  We didn't score in the second half, but neither did they, so we won 36-0

Our third game was in Bielawa, Poland against the Owls.  The Owls are the champions of the Polish league, but the league itself not being that old, they play 8 man football at the junior level.  So this was their first 11 man game and they brought the hammer.  The Owls were more aggressive than any team we've faced.  We ended up losing that game by a touchdown.  It was a learning experience for our guys because up to that point, we had had poor attendance and effort at practice.  

Our final game was against the Trnava Bulldogs again, but in this time at their place.  We saw an entirely different team.  They fielded a number of guys who were older than junior level.  We suited two guys who were a few months too old, but we were upfront about that.  They had at least three guys suited who were more than a few months older.  So the game was a bit more difficult.  We trailed for a lot of the game, but managed to take control late in the fourth quarter and 23-18.  

This was by far the most interesting football season I have ever been apart of.  Being the only Czech junior team to field an 11 man team, we were pretty much left to schedule our own games, which obviously adds some work to the season.  Nonetheless, the guys who came to practice got a lot better and I enjoyed working with them.  

Transition

My transition from Athletes in Action to Alongside Ministries International is almost complete!  My time with AIA ended at the end of April.  I continued to work with AIA through the end of the school year in June.  After that, my director left for the States for a Government mandated 6 months and that effectively ended my time with AIA.  I worked at the Multisport Kemp in August and hope to continue to have that ministry opportunity in the future.

My journey to AMI was not clear cut.  Nearly a year ago, i began to look into where God wanted me.  Returning to Prague was not a clear cut decision.  I looked at different ministries and I also looked at going back to school.  Eventually, I do feel called to return to school and get some futher education, but I came to the conclusion that I had unfinished business here in Prague.  Ultimately I didn't feel called elsewhere, so I began looking at other ministries and options in Prague.  A few other things happened during this time span that narrowed my focus on where to look for ministry opportunities.  First, I met Andrew and Amy Funka, who were coming over to Prague with AMI.  Second, I began attending a Czech language church called TaCesta, which means The Way or The Journey, depending on the context.  I began attendign this church simply because Zach attended and had managed to get a number of our football players to attend with him.  I decided it would be good for ministry to go to church where my ministry focus was attending.  

I had looked at a few other ministries, and for one reason or another, those ministries just didn't feel quite right.  So I talked to Andrew about AMI.  After our conversation I began to look more and more into AMI.  After having a conversation with their Executive director, I decided to submit my initial application, which was completed in Mid-July.  At the end of August, I had a preliminary interview, followed by a secondary application which revolved more around personal testimony and theology questions, as well as what ministry looks like for me.  Finally, at the end of September, I had another interview, at the end of which, they gave me an invitation to work with AMI.  

My transition was a much longer process than I had anticipated, but I learned a lot about waiting on God.  I know that God's timing is perfect and that He will bless my ministry here in Prague.  

Over the next few weeks, I will begin the process of support raising yet again.  I have more support needs than I did in the past.  That combined with the fact that my support team has not had a place to support me since March or April will make support raising more of a challenge than it has been in the past.  I also have a very limited window, maybe seven weeks total, to get as much support raised as I can while I am in the States.  

I will be in the States starting around November 9th.  Right now I am at the whim of Czech immigration.  Once they give me a date that I can pick up my visa, I can begin to look into getting a plane ticket.  

Tentatively, I hope to be in Indiana from roughly November 13 to 18.  And I hope to make another trip in December.  I am also looking into trips to other parts of the country.  If you are interested in hearing from me  or having me come talk to a group while I am home, please feel free to email me at micahlembke@gmail.com.  

Summer

Summer is an interesting time for ministry here in Prague.  Life moves on at a hundred miles an hour during the school year, then all of a sudden it stops.  Normal people aren't around to hang out and do ministry with.  School is out, football is done.  Summer is very much a season of hurry up and wait.  Some weeks will be packed with camps or other activities, while others are completely empty.  

The hurry up and wait mentality is magnified by my changing organizations.  I fill out applications and paperwork, then wait for references to be contacted.  That's where I'm at right now.  I know this because about every other day I get an email from one of my references telling me they had a conversation with my prospective new organization.  The mentality is also magnified simply because since I'm in between organizations, I haven't received a paycheck for some time and I also have no account from which I can reimburse ministry expenses.  That means I must keep my expenses, both ministry and personal, quite low, which means fewer events, which means more downtime.  

The upside to this is I have an opportunity to focus on guys that I already know.  I don't have to extend myself out to meet new people.  I have met with George a few times.  He's always good to hang out and our conversations are always at least surface level spiritual.  

Luboš, my boxer friend, is usually good to hang out for an afternoon every week or every other week.  He is Christian and is much beloved by those who go to his gym.  I recently heard from one guy who works out at his gym that Luboš is unlike any other boxing or fitness coach he's ever had.  Luboš is very encouraging, taking an interest in the lives of those who attend his gym.  This is not normal Czech behavior.  Coaches here tend to be very severe and belittling.  Luboš's coaching style is, in a way, a very passive witness to those around him, yet people notice that he is different.  

One new opportunity that I have was basically handed to me by the good folks at Starbucks.  One of the baristas was asked by a former NHL hockey player to help his young protege practice his conversational English, since he would soon be headed for the States to play in the farm system of an NHL team.  She said that she would be apart of the conversation, but that it might be better if she brought someone like me into the conversation.  So she asked me if I would help and I, of course, agreed.  I'm glad God used my caffeine addiction to open some ministry doors.  I'm not sure where this open door will lead down the road, if I'm just doing this for one person, or if this will open the door for further relationships.  

This lull in my schedule will be brief.  We had Multikemp last week and junior team training camp next week, after which our season will take off, so I'll savor these last few moments of peace before the next round of organized chaos that is ministry here in Prague.

Runner-Up

Few things in life are more humbling than a medal ceremony where, after a long, hard fought battle on the field, you are awarded the second place medal.  Immediately after the final whistle, the winners explode all over the field congratulating each other and you are left at the 50 yard line waiting for some measure of decorum so that you can proceed with the handshake line.  Following that, the medal table is set up with the trophy.  You are awarded your silver medal first, before the champions are awarded their much sought after gold.  Everyone in the stands and everyone on the other team gives you a courtesy clap as you choke back your tears, allow some strange guy to sling a medal around your neck, and walk off and wait for your team's post game huddle.

Eventually, after the head coach has diplomatically shaken hands with nearly every person in the stands, he makes his way over to the huddle as Queens' "We are the Champions," blares over the speakers for someone else.  He congratulates guys on a great season, recounting how far we have come in the last few seasons.  It is a bitter speech to give, given the circumstances.  He reminds us that we have come along ways for such a young team and that our future is bright if we all stick together.

This season had its share of highs and lows.  Mostly, we were blessed with highs.  We finished our second consecutive regular season undefeated in Czech play, including our first victories over our rivals since 2006.  We had two scrimmage games against Berlin Adler and the Dresden Monarchs, arguably two of the better programs in Europe, and our guys came away with a good idea of what we are striving for in our program.  Thanks to working with our American QB, Garrett, our receivers got a lot better, and our defense is ever improving.

Our group of American players.  

My own retirement from playing was short lived, as we noticed after week one that our depth on the offensive line was not going to get us through the season.  So, right before our second game, I showed up to practice with my equipment, instead of a whistle.  I anchored down the right tackle position, feeling pretty good for about two games, then feeling pretty lousy for the rest of them.

At my final practice, with Marco, one of our junior centers who played up this year.
Sort of an out with the old, in with the new kind of picture.

Our coach is right.  We do have a bright future.  As of right now, we are the only team in the country who is fielding a junior team, which means we are the only people developing our own talent.  As every coach in America will tell you, there are no shortcuts on the way to the top.  The road is long, but in the end, I firmly believe that we will have success.

I am proud of our guys.  For some to receive a second place medal is a huge accomplishment.  It marks the first time many of our guys have something to show for something that they have done.

As for me, my playing career is, without question, over.  Because I was slated to simply coach this year, I came into the season not in game shape, and as a result, played most of this season hobbled and out of shape.  I used more tape this season than in all previous seasons combined.  It is time to hang it up.  What was a difficult question last year is no more.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to have played this game for a number of years and have received more than I could ever imagined from this game.  The Lord has blessed me with great coaches and mentors throughout my career.  I look forward to being able to coach and influence a new generation of football players here in Prague.

On offense.  I am #70, playing right tackle.

Christmas

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year.  For me it is a special time of year where you can gather as family and friends to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Prague puts on a good show for Christmas.  The Christmas markets are all set up selling a wide variety of things.  The city is all decked out in lights and Old Town Square has a huge Christmas tree lit up, as well as a stage where different acts perform throughout the Christmas season.  Nativity scenes and advent candles dot the landscape, as well.

I was lucky enough to get in on the first part of the Christmas season here in Prague.  I got to take advantage of the markets and the sites.  After that, however, I spent my Christmas at home.  My parents shelled out money for a plane ticket for me, so for the first time in 19 months, I stepped foot in the United States.  I had a bit of an adventure getting home, but that will be the focus of another post.  It was great to get back home and see so many friends and supporters.  The trip was, of course, too short, but I was glad to get back to Prague.

I was able to spend a lot of time with my family, which was a blessing.  My parents and brother, Seth, came for a visit last June and that was all I saw of my family for the last 19 months.  So it was nice to see everyone again.  I enjoyed the Christmas Eve service at church immensely.  Our church has changed a bit since I left.  I finally got to meet the new pastor, Tony, who is a great guy.  I was also able to meet up with some friends and younger supporters in Omaha during my time at home.

My schedule originally did not allow for meeting with too many members of my extended family.  Unfortunately, my aunt passed away while I was on my way home, so we went to the memorial service, where I was able to see many of my extended family.  It was good to see everybody, I just wish it could have been at a happier occasion.

One of the highlights for me was, of course, the food.  The food in Czech is good, but it is different and I don't eat near as much (my Czech friends will find that hard to believe).  When I got home, all bets were off.  I told some of my church friends in Prague to expect to see a much wider me when I got back.  They were charitable when they saw me, saying that I didn't gain any weight, but the snugness of my pants tell a different story.  My mom set out to spoil me and did an admirable job.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday.  I pray that God blesses you in this new year.  Please continue to pray for our ministry here in Prague as we begin a new year, as well.  My life and ministry looks to have many changes on the horizon.  I look forward to an exciting 2013!

Nabor

The offseason is upon us here in Prague.  The junior season finished a month ago and, while preparations are being made, the senior season has yet to begin in earnest.  So what does a young football coach do with all of that time off?  Nabor.

Nabor is an interesting Czech word with really no English equivalent.  If you type it into google translate, the word will not be translated.  As far as I can understand it, Nabor is a series of practices that combine recruiting and tryouts and basic skills development, as well as some physical fitness.  At this point, the people attending Nabor are almost fully committed to the program.  Nabor practices started during the junior season, so some people have washed out. 

Our goal is to provide a base of skills that the new players will need once their respective teams begin organized practice.  We generally have all players do all drills.  We are not position specific yet.  Everyone works on blocking, tackling, catching, backpedaling, running the ball, and whatever other skills that are necessary to learn.  This also gives us a chance to evaluate players and see where they may fit best on the football field, as well as if they fill a position where our various teams need depth. 

Some guys are easy to evaluate.  Linemen are linemen, from size to personality.  This is cross-cultural.  A tall guy with some speed will inevitably end up playing receiver.  The tougher positions to evaluate and decide whom to put where are the linebackers, running backs, strong safeties, tight ends, and a few defensive back positions.  While in America we can generally look at a guy’s size and speed and determine which of those positions he should play, those boundaries are not so static here.  I can kind of understand how a junior high coach feels or a high school coach with a new batch of freshmen feels during the first couple weeks of camp. 

Lately I have been the only coach to come to the practices.  On one hand, it is nice because I can coach proper technique for blocking and tackling.  On the other hand, I also need to coach other skill sets that I am not as familiar with.  Nabor is certainly a learning experience for all involved! 

One of the biggest challenges for me is that we are recruiting for three different teams.  In addition to the junior team (high school age) and senior team (ages 18+) that I have written about in the past, we are trying to add a cadet team, which would serve roughly junior high aged kids.  So we have a wide range sizes, ages, and physical developments at Nabor.  For drills, it is easy to simply divide them up by size.  Most of them have a similar knowledge of the game, no matter the age group. 

One observation that I do have is that the younger players tend to learn the skills quicker during practice and retain what they have learned so that they can build on those skills in the next practice.  The older players tend to be more focused, though.

In addition to preparing these guys for the football season, I also get the rare opportunity to mix with them before the season and before they get absorbed into their various teams as a whole.  I see this as a great ministry opportunity.  I have been able to meet and get to know quite a few of them.  I can try to lay a good ministry foundation before football and the rest of the team distract them.  Football can be an overwhelming sport, especially for beginners, so for guys to know me from the beginning is good.  

Decisions

What follows is a post on a decision I made recently.  While I am not so foolish as to think that this decision will be particularly life altering, it does touch on a few themes that I think are important, namely identity, prayer, the importance of having wise council and having others speak into your life, and general priorities.  

A few months ago, after our Senior season had ended, I sat down with our head coach, Martin, for my post season interview.  Martin started the conversation by thanking me for my contribution to the team over the past few seasons and my willingness to change positions for the betterment of the team.  It was nice to hear such affirming words from my head coach, especially given that I hadn’t played defensive line since high school.  A little further into the conversation, he alluded to the fact that we will have a lot of young guys rising from juniors to seniors and the group of seniors that we do have are very young and inexperienced themselves, not just at offensive line (the position I coach) but the entire team.  I had been given a heads up that this was where the conversation was going to turn, but when he asked the question, I was still not prepared for it.  Martin asked me to consider stepping down as a player in order to focus more intensely on the young group as a full time coach. 

Midway through the last senior season my answer would have been an absolute yes.  Physically, I was feeling the wear and tear of playing so many years of football, combined with the stress of playing one position and coaching a different one.  At times, my body still feels the effects of the season.  Reason would dictate that I accept the offer to leave the field and walk the sidelines.  It is amazing how your decision making process changes when the question revolves around something that has been apart of your life for so long.

I had never pictured myself as a football player first in any aspect of my life.  My high school career was above average and I was blessed with the opportunity to play at Wabash College, where I learned more about the game than I ever thought possible.  I did not see the field much at Wabash, but being apart of the team was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I certainly considered myself a student first while in university.  I never considered being a football player as being core to my identity in any way.  If anyone were to ask me my priorities I would have enthusiastically recited the "Faith, Family, Football," mantra, referring, in order, to the priorities laid down by many a player and coach over the years.  Yet here I was being asked to give up something that had been apart of me for much of my life.  What seemed like an obvious decision in the middle of the last senior season was no longer an obvious decision.  Another idea that died was the idea that football was not a core part of my identity.  

Generally, having something like football near (not at) the core of your identity is not a bad thing.  Problems can arise when that thing (football in this case) positions itself above everything else, God and family especially.  I think, briefly, this fact became true for me, which is why it took me so long to make a decision.  Despite the sound advice I was receiving, I was struggling.  That was the point where my priorities were inverted.  "Faith, Family, Football," all of a sudden became "Football, Faith, Family."  I became more concerned about Micah the football player than Micah the Christian.    Eventually, I realized that I had not prayed about the question.  I was too busy trying to rationalize a way to keep a helmet on.  A lack of prayer is a problem that is easily remedied.  I'm not going to say that praying gave me the answers right away, but I did feel more at ease with the process and gained some insight into the direction and questions that needed to be asked before making the decision.  

Once I got through my identity issues and prayed about the decision, I was left with one question:  How would this decision affect my ministry with the players.  Trying to coach and minister to guys is very difficult.  You have to be an authority, all while trying to be friends with them and maintaining a position to speak into their lives outside of football.  Honestly, the answer is unknown.  I believe I have enough capital built up with the guys I have played with here that not playing anymore would not be detrimental to my personal ministry with these guys.  Zach seems to think the same thing.  With that in mind, I came to a decision.

I have been blessed to play this game for many years.  Many of my life’s emotional highs and lows can be tied to this game and the people involved with it.  Most people’s football careers end after high school or college.  The high school activities association or NCAA says that you can’t play at their level anymore.  I have been blessed with opportunities beyond that.  This is a difficult decision, but one I am glad to have the opportunity to make.  I am also most grateful to Martin and Zach for allowing me the opportunity to make this decision, when they had it within their power to simply dictate it.  I am also thankful for time to consider the decision, having been asked the question in July and rendering my decision last week.  I am also blessed to have people in my life that I can ask for and receive 

After finally praying about it and actually listening to the council of those around me, I have decided to hang it up.  Wise council, prayer, and common sense

I am thankful for the opportunities to play for the Prague Lions senior team and to help coach both the senior team and the junior team.  Even still, I am a bit emotional about this decision. God is moving here on the Prague Lions American football team.  I am excited to coach one more season with these guys and am even more excited at what God has in store as we turn our attention to off season and preseason preparations.  

I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  I pray that God blesses you as we enter the Christmas season.  

My new official team photo.  

Junior Season Part 2

At the end of the season, we finally had a chance to meet the Panthers again.  This game had a lot riding on it.  If we won, we would be champions of the Czech Republic.  If we lost, we would have to play a tiebreaker game two weeks later. 

The Lions came out flat.  We started terribly slow.  The Panthers quickly grabbed the lead, scoring the first touchdown.  We fumbled the ensuing kickoff down to the five yard line, where we finally corralled it, only to be stuffed for a safety and a 9-0 Panther lead.  After that, our guys finally woke up and started to play football.  We scored our first touchdown, and then scored again.  We had two solid drives, with guys stepping up and making plays.  After the second touchdown, the opposing defensive coordinator called a time out to argue the call.  We are of the school of thought that if the opposing team gives you time to put in the fake extra point, you should do it.  We did it and went up 15-9, which was the score at halftime.

After the break, both teams traded possessions, with the Panthers scoring the first touchdown of the half just into the 4^th quarter.  With the extra point, that put us down 16-15 with the clock running.  At this point, I was thinking, “If I have to coach two more weeks and a tiebreaker game because we lose by one point, I’m going to be quite upset.”

Our guys responded with the best two drives of the season.  We scored very soon after the Panthers scored, behind some great blocking and a great individual effort by our running back.  After that score, we elected to go for two in order to go up by 7 points.  Zach asked me if we should try a short pass or some other misdirection to get the two points or just line up and run it down their throats, a silly question to ask an offensive lineman or coach. They blitzed, our linemen covered their gaps well and established a new line of scrimmage two yards deep in the end zone. 

Prague Lions Junior Offensive and Defensive Lines

(Side Note For those who are not as acquainted with football, when it comes to short yardage situations (where the offense needs to get 3 yards or less) the offense, especially the line, has to bet on their own skills, strength, and indeed their own manhood itself to get those yards.  It is a battle of wills between two virtually immovable forces.  You have to decide that you want those yards more than the guy lined up across from you.  The offense has more riding on the play because any stalemate is a win for the defense.)

That made it 23-16.  The Panthers kept the ball on the ground on their next drive but could not get a first down, turning the ball over on downs.  That Panther drive took a lot of time off the clock.  We got the ball back and went right back down and scored again, this time kicking the extra point to go ahead 30-16.  The Panthers got the ball back with under two minutes left and stalled.  At that point, we took a knee and it was over.  

The celebration started almost immediately.  After last season’s frustrating loss in the championship game, our guys were back on top.  The Panthers were a good opponent who improved greatly over the course of the season. 

Some final thoughts on the season:  We had a good team.  The guys who came to practice consistently improved a lot over the course of the season.  I do feel we could have improved more as a team, but in the end, we were champions.  Guys really accepted the coaching that we offered.  That was evident on those final two offensive drives.  Overall, I was happy with the way the season turned out.  

Championship After Party

Junior Season Part 1

Our Junior football season wrapped up about a month ago and I thought I would give you all a broader look inside our season.  I’m not going to give you a highlight by highlight look at every game, but I will highlight key games and key moments in our season.

We started our season at our preseason camp outside of Prague.  Taking almost a full week and devoting that to football, like we would in the States, is almost unheard of here.  We can’t do it with our senior team because most of them have full time jobs.  We are able to do it with our juniors, however, because high school age students have fewer commitments outside of school.  We had a good number of guys turn out for camp.  We had the two a days that everyone in football should go through, as well as some fun team competitions.  This year at camp we were also graced by the presence of Doug Harrod, Zach’s father, and a man with an extensive history as a coach. 

Lions assistant coaches working on dinner in Berlin.

Every year we put our players through a leadership program during camp.  Many programs do this through Champions Manuals or Winners Manuals.  Ours is called Srdce Lva (Heart of the Lion).  Every year we add some things and take a few things out.  It gets slightly bigger every year.  Through it we are able to introduce concepts of leadership that the education system here lacks.  We hope to instill a sense of leadership, team, and respect in all of our players.  It is also a “happy coincidence” that all of the concepts mentioned in Srdce Lva are ideas drawn from spiritual principles. 

The first two weeks of our season saw us in different parts of Germany.  We had a controlled scrimmage in Berlin against Berlin Adler.  We had a practice the Saturday afternoon that we arrived, then a combined practice on Sunday morning then a controlled scrimmage in the afternoon.  Saturday night we were able to watch the Alder senior team play a game.  The Adler senior team is one of the top teams in Europe, so it was great to be able to learn from them.  The scrimmage itself did was a scrimmage was supposed to do:  expose weak points.  We had a few holes to work on after watching the scrimmage film.  Zach did not go on the trip because he was quite sick.

The next week we were in the town of Chemnitz. Given that this team was nearing the end of their season, and we were just starting ours, combined with the poor play of the previous week, I was a little concerned about how our team would match up.  Our guys stepped up and owned almost every facet of the game.  We won 42-9.  Everything seemed to click well for us.  It was by no means a flawless game, but it stood in stark contrast to the scrimmage. 

Our first Czech league game was against our rivals, the Prague Panthers.  Jitters naturally exist in that first game.  One of our first snaps went over the quarterback.  I think I had a small heart attack as he ran back, picked up the ball, dodged a couple defenders, and ran 60 yards for a touchdown on the broken play.  After that our guys settled down and we pounded out a 35-0 win.

 

Our next four games came against significantly weaker opponents.  We beat the Pribram Bobcats twice and shut out the Pardubice Bucks twice.  Those games are the most frustrating time of the season because guys realize that these games are against weaker competition.  Lack of focus becomes an issue, both in practices and in games.  We continued to improve, despite this.  Some of those games were closer than they needed to be, but eventually the guys realized the importance of focus and concentrating on the week's opponent.   

Tomorrow I will highlight our final game and give some of my thoughts on the season.  

It has been awhile...

So i haven't blogged in awhile.  Since April 30 if my post list is to be believed.  I do apologize.  Promised posts about various players and characters that I interact with never materialized.  However, I am currently working on a few blog posts to bring people up to speed with my ministry here in Prague. My newsletters do a decent job of conveying what I do here, but I feel like I can use this blog to go more in depth.  I am hoping to make at least two posts per month, in addition to my newsletters.  Without making any promises, that is the ideal I will strive for.  

Some major events since my last blog post include the conclusion of our senior season, the multikemp, an AIA women's basketball team, and, most recently, the completion of our junior season.  I will not delve to far into any of those (except maybe the junior season since it was semi-recent).  Some things to look forward to: a Thanksgiving post, an Christmas post, a football off season update, as well as much more.  I'm hoping to revamp some of the layout, as well.  

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and have a great start to the holiday season!

Season Opener

The first game of the season is the most exciting time for any young football team.  It is a time of year where the whole season lays before you and truly anything is possible.  Every opening day has the same hope and fear attached to it.  Despite this being my 13th season opener since I first strapped a helmet on in 6th grade at Griswold Middle School, the nerves were still there.  The source of those nerves vary, but they are always there.  Concerns always surround how well each individual player will fill their roll.  For my offensive line that I coach, we had four guys starting that were not tabbed as starters when we first put together a depth chart.  But for whatever reason, these five guys wound up being the most faithful practice attenders and were the only five to actually make the trip.  I saw the physical size of our opponents and grew concerned.  Our guys generally do ok blocking people their own size, but tend to struggle with the bigger guys.  However, they stepped up much beyond what I had expected them to.  Don't get me wrong, we still have a lot of work to do.  But we are on our way.

For me personally, I started my Czech career as I ended my college career, on the offensive line.  With the addition of an American quarterback and running back, I had to move positions.  European rules generally state that you can only have two Americans on the field at once.  So with that, I was moved to nose guard on the defensive line.  For the first time since high school, I was on the defensive side of the football.  I was nervous about it, but I caught on pretty quickly.  Nose guard in our system is pretty simple.  Before the start of Game Week, however, it became apparent that a few of our defensive ends were not going to be able to make the trip to Germany.  So, with a week to go, I changed positions to defensive end, not a complicated position, but definitely more complicated that nose guard.  So that was quite a source of anxiety for me.

As we went through warm ups these anxieties began to occupy much of my mind.  I was not in a place to compete on a worldly level, and certainly not ready to play a game with the freedom accorded to us in Christ.  I was concerned about the offensive line that I coach and my own performance.  I was not enjoying the experience.

Then out of nowhere, George, a missionary with another organization and our defensive line coach, snuck up behind me and did his usual pre-game prayer in my ear.  Immediately my worries ceased.  Once I hit the field, I was able to enjoy the game, make a few tackles, coach my guys up, and participate in a great victory.  Sometimes I get so preoccupied with things that are subordinate to my job as a missionary and my life as a Christian, that I lose sight of the real reason I am here and the reason that I live.  I am here in Prague because God called me to a minister to students at FTVS and players on the Prague Lions.  I live a Christian life because I have freedom from worry. 

We went on to win the game 37:13.  It was the first victory for the Prague Lions Senior Team since June 2009. Between then and now, the Lions have undergone a nasty split which saw 90% of our team leave and form another team (as well as a lot of our equipment, all our sponsors, practice and game fields go with them).  We were literally left with nothing but a handful of guys and a hope to rebuild.  I want to make sure to thank each one of the guys who stuck around through the split.  I hope and pray that this victory is the sign of things to come for our program.  We have a foundation in place.  

Some of the guys who have been around the program for awhile made some great plays.  We also got great production out of some new guys.  Miroslav was playing in his first game ever in the defensive secondary and had an interception and made three or four difficult plays on the ball which resulted in incomplete passes.  And, of course, our American quarterback and running back both had great games. 

If guys continue to play with that passion and determination we will continue to have success this season.   

Football!

The football season has started!  Since I arrived well into the season last year, this is the first "pre-season" training sessions that I have had with the team.  There are some significant differences between preseason at Wabash and preseason here.  Most notably, we are starting in the gym because it is the middle of winter.  It feels backward to start the season in the cold of winter and play into the heat of the summer, where in the states camp is in the heat of August and lasts until well into November or December.

Another huge difference is the length of the preseason.  We have 3 months in pads before we start playing games, whereas at Wabash we reported roughly a month before our first scrimmage or game, lived and breathed football for basically two weeks before school started, then still hit it pretty hard pretty much everyday before that first game.  Our first set of games here in Prague is probably the weekend of March 24th.  A lot of that has to do with only having 2-3 practices per week.  Right now we have a conditioning session that covers a few fundamentals every Monday and Wednesday for 90 minutes.  Then every other Saturday, we have long practices, 3 hours for offense and 3 hours for defense.  For those of us involved in both, that makes for a long day.  These practices right now are heavily focused on individual position periods.  This is important because of the number of new guys we have.  We have a lot of talent coming in this season and a lot of big men.  I am excited.  We just need to get these guys fundamentally sound and in tune with the offense and we should be in great shape. 

I am excited about the coming season.  We have a good playbook for both offense and defense and the personnel to match it.  We honestly have the best coaching staff in the Czech Republic.  Other teams may bring in other coaches from America or Canada, but there is something to be said for the consistency that our coaching staff brings to our team.  We are probably the only team in Czech with a coach for nearly every position.  Our head coach, Martin, is a Czech coaching veteran with over 20 years of playing and coaching in this league.  He also spends his fall coaching at Elmhurst College in Chicago.  Our offensive coordinator is Zach, my AIA supervisor.  Zach was a defensive guy for pretty much all of his playing career, but has converted fully to offense and sees himself as a spread offense believer and a Chip Kelly (Oregon Ducks) devotee.  Two things that I can appreciate. 

From a football standpoint, a lot of new guys means a lot of work to get them in shape for the season and get them fundamentally ready to play football.  From a ministry standpoint, it is a great opportunity to widen my circle of influence.  Several of the new guys are great guys who I think would be open to at least having a spiritual conversation. 

Here are some things you can pray for for the upcoming season:
Pray for open hearts amongst our teammates.
Pray for boldness for Zach and I as we further existing relationships and form new ones
Pray for our team to stay together.  We are in a dry spell right now and people have a tendency to leave.
Pray for physical health, for me and the team in general.  Football is a rough sport.

I will keep the blog updated as to the results of our season as it progresses.  I am looking forward to our season opener!

Vaclav Havel

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On 18 December, it was announced that Vaclav Havel had died.  For those who do not know, Havel was the face of the revolution that pushed communism from power in the Velvet Revolution in 1989.  He was a playwright who was imprisoned for a number of years for his activities.  He served as the president of Czechoslovakia for a time and then became the first president of the newly formed Czech Republic. 

On that Sunday night, after the announcement, one of the Czech churches in Prague set out to do a memorial on Wenceslas Square, the main square in Prague.  I went, at the urging of Billy.  The mix of emotions was rather great.  People of my parent’s generation and older were visibly shaken, upset that the face of the movement that had freed them from Communism 22 years earlier was now dead.  Many people were in tears.  People of my generation, those who were born just before the fall of communism, or soon after it, had the widest range of emotions.  Most were respectfully somber, others celebratory of the life of a man and the end of an era of which they had no part, but are directly affected by.

Memorial candles were placed at the base of the statue, as well as flowers, pictures, and other memorials.   A traditional Czech hymn was sung.  A large flag was unfurled in front of the statue.  The Czech National Anthem was started spontaneously, a rarity since Czechs aren't generally given to shows of patriotism.  A remarkable moment came when people started to shake their keys and giving the peace sign.  Shaking keys was a symbol during the revolution. I'm not sure of what, but my best guess is a simple symbol of ownership.  Ownership of something often leads to individuality, which is something that is often suppressed under Communism.

Statue of St. Wenceslas

Base of the Statue

The ceremony then marched down Wenceslas Square and across the river, backtracking part of the march made by the Protestors of the Velvet Revolution in 1989.  On their way across the river, they passed a memorial to the protestors that was erected where they encountered the state police.  One day of protests and marching in 1989 led to violence.  The next day they were allowed to walk right though to the square.  

The memorial march ended on the river front there an impromptu concert and memorial was organized.  A musician played and a few people got up to speak, including the French ambassador to the Czech Republic. 

A few days later, the Czech government declared a week of national mourning leading up to Havel's funeral on Friday.  Business went on as usual, with the exception of the entertainment industries.  Theaters, cinemas, and casinos were all to be shut down. 

Memorial to the Velvet Revolution

I returned to the square on Wednesday and then again on Friday to see that the circle of candles and memorials continued to get larger.  The Czech Government declared three days of national mourning, which culminated in Havel's funeral on Friday, December 23.  The funeral was attended by Bill and Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State who was born in Prague.  The funeral was followed by memorial concerts.  Havel was known to be a fan of Rock and Roll music.  The funeral and concerts were broadcast throughout the city on huge screens set up.  

Havel Concert Broadcast on Wenceslas Square

The entire week was a remarkable thing to witness, especially from the standpoint of an American.  Havel was a giant here, the likes of which America itself has not seen.  Havel is often seen as a better revolutionary than a president and was often said to be more popular outside the Czech Republic than within it.  However, in light of his passing, one can only look back on the life of an artist who became a revolutionary who then became a president.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the man was the presence of two men at the initial Sunday night memorial.  One man was openly protesting something (I'm not sure what, I could not read his sign).  And another man was standing at the front of the crowd saying "It did not work.  Our country is a wreck," not realizing that the freedom he had to say that was possible because of Vaclav Havel, the principles he stood for, and the cause he represented.

Christmas in Prague

The city of Prague does a lot for Christmas.  The Christmas markets here rank in the top five around the world.  It was fun to go down to the markets, try all of the food, and see what everyone was selling.  The Christmas trees and lights around Old Town Square were absolutely amazing.

My brother Seth asked me how Czech Christmas was different than American Christmas.  Not an easy thing to sum up in a facebook conversation, so I will flush a few things out here in my blog.  Now keep in mind these are not all of the differences, but these are the ones that I either noticed or took part in myself. 

The Day

The major gathering day for Czechs is actually Christmas Eve.  This is when people gather to have their meal, open presents, and enjoy most of the Christmas traditions.

The Food

The traditional Czech Christmas Eve meal is a first round of soup, followed by a main course of fried carp and potato salad.  The carp is a longstanding tradition.  Often, families will buy their carp some days or weeks in advance and keep it in their bathtubs until it is time to dispatch it for dinner.  Carp vendors begin to pop up about the second week of December selling fish out of large pools (think kiddie pools with deeper sides).  You can either take your fish home and put it in the tub, or the vendor can butcher and scale it for you on the spot. 

If you put a scale from the fish under your dinner plate, then put it in your wallet, supposedly you will have good fortune in the next year. 

Santa

They do have a Santa looking character that comes out in December.  His name is Mikulas (St. Nicolas).  He appears on the eve of December 6, which happens to be St. Nicolas day on the calendar, with Andel (angel) and Cert (little devil).  This trio makes the rounds to various houses.  Good kids will recite poems and songs for the trio.  Kids receive little gifts and sweets if they have been good or coal or a raw potato if they have been bad.  While gift giving is involved, as well as a Santa looking figure (actually should be reversed, Santa is a Mikulas looking figure), there is no connection with the Christmas holiday.

So who delivers the presents on Christmas?  That would be Ježíšek, or baby Jesus.  No one knows what Ježíšek looks like because no one has ever actually seen him.  He arrives usually after dinner on Christmas Eve to deliver the presents.  The kids are usually otherwise occupied elsewhere in the house (depending on the ruse employed by Ježíšek’s accomplices, the parents).  Once the drop has been made Ježíšek rings a bell hanging on the tree and leaves. 

I was lucky enough to spend Christmas Eve with the family of one of my players.  I was able to take part in the traditional meal (cod instead of carp) and see “Ježíšek” in action.  The parents tried their hardest to get their 3½ year old to leave the room but he was not having any of it.  He knew once he left, Ježíšek would do his business and their son wanted to see it happen.  Eventually, they got him to leave, Ježíšek delivered the toys, rung the bell, and presents were opened. 

I spent Christmas day with Billy, my director, and his family for a more traditional American Christmas.  Billy’s kids are always entertaining to be around and he and Adrianne, his wife, made an amazing meal. 

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas with your family and friends.  I pray that God blesses you in this new year!