I'm Back!
Some, but not many of you will have noticed I was gone; most of those who did probably didn't care. A very small percentage might have, however. This post is addressed to you.
It has been nearly two years since my last entry in this space. What began as a labor of Redskins love turned rather quickly into a sporadic foray, instead of the professed relentless pursuit, of all things Burgundy & Gold. No matter. It's not how you start but how you finish, as the man once said.
And I intend to finish.
I would first like to explain my absence. I feel it is the least I can do, not only for those of you who might read this but, more importantly, for myself. It is the purely transparent thing to do. And that, my reunited friends, is of the utmost importance, as you shall soon see.
Besides, better bloggers than I have stepped out of the proverbial batters box to get squared away, like my man Ben Folsom of The Curly R. If he can take some time off, I don't feel so bad. Ben is a superfan whether he wants to admit it or not.
Allow me at this point to change gears: I apologize to the mods of whatever forum this happens to end up in, because from here the subject matter may become less than 100% Redskins-related. I trust you will do what you think is best. But I digress.
I am 45 years old. I have been a Redskins fan since I knew what a pigskin was. That's a long time. For roughly half of my life I have also been a born again Christian. While I have never wavered in my support of my beloved 'Skins, when it comes to following Jesus Christ I have been, shall we say, less than consistent. Twenty-five years ago I gave my life to the Lord, but I have only recently begun following Him again. For the majority of that time I have done my own thing, to my great detriment.
But things change.
Sometimes for the better.
Two years ago, when it was obvious that Jim Zorn was merely waiting for his severance pay from Daniel M. Snyder, I wrote him a letter to thank him for his time as Redskins Head Coach. Said letter went as follows:
Dear Mr. Zorn:
Odds are by the time this letter reaches you, if it does at all, you will have already been dismissed by the Redskins. As a lifelong diehard fan I was excited about your hiring and thought you would achieve greater success than you ultimately did -- though certainly no more than you yourself expected. I won't go into any second-guessing or anything else regarding my opinion of your job as Head Coach, because it's none of my business. Indeed, I write you for a different reason entirely, though one connected to your current job just the same. Since by all accounts you are and have been for some time now a "lame-duck" coach (for lack of a better term), you could hardly have been faulted if the pressure and stress of those circumstances had caused you to become somewhat bitter and negative -- yet you have consistently been as upbeat, as forthright, as honest as a man could be from Day One. I commend you for your unflagging attitude, and I have the highest respect for the way you've conducted yourself in spite of all the things that seem to have gone against you either fairly or unfairly.
This morning I read a quote of yours about your current status that was typical of your personal accountability and integrity, and it moved me to write you this letter in hopes that you might read it and know that at least one fan believes not even the great Joe Jackson Gibbs himself could have handled things any better than you have these past two seasons. No matter what I may think of your gameday decisions and strategy, etc. etc., I cannot help but be impressed with how you've been a stand-up guy since you first signed on. Today's quote, wherein you spoke of truly having a great experience with all this. it wasn't fun, but it was a great experience nonetheless, and that better days lay ahead, is an inspiration to me.
Thank you for that. It comes at a critical juncture in my life. I am 43 years old and a lifelong drug addict who has only recently made the serious decision to seek help and begin my recovery. Methamphetamine use has taken nearly everything from me, and thus far has obliterated the vast potential I once had. Before my addiction I was smart, healthy, and raised right, meaning I had all the advantages and tools anyone could ever need to succeed in Life. Unfortunately I haven't, at least not to this point...but there's always time, and Hope.
I'm preparing to undertake the most radical and diffiuclt change of my entire life at present, and I am as nervous as nervous gets about it. I need every shot in the arm I can get at the moment, and words like the ones you said above are just the thing to keep me focused and persistently positive. I believe that just like you, better days are ahead for me. I wish you all the best in your next position, I thank you for your hard work as coach of the team I love, and pray that you and your family continue to receive all the blessings Life has to offer, Mr. Zorn. If you haven't earned that I would be hard-pressed to name someone who has.
Somehow I don't think I have to wish for any of it in your case, however. Your attitude is more than equal to the task.
Some weeks later I received a card in the mail, with no return address. The face of the card was four black and white images on a white background. The images themselves seemed to be random; there was no discernible pattern. Curiously I opened it and read this:
Dear Sean,
Thank you for your words and kind thoughts My very best to you as you continue to fight with all the tools God has given you. Proverbs 22:1.
Pr 22:1 (NIV) reads: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold.
I couldn't make out the signature, so I looked again at the face of the card. The images spelled out Z-O-R-N. The card was from Jimmy Z himself.
Why do I write this? Bear with me, gentle reader. The answers are coming.
Without going into too much detail, shortly thereafter I enrolled in a faith-based rehab program that lasted eleven months. Upon completion of this curriculum I elected to stay on for an additional four months as an intern. One of the rules of this program was no internet access, so I was prohibited from posting for fifteen months. Eventually I graduated, however, and am now as free to post as I ever was. During my time at Teen Challenge I re-committed my life to Christ. Everything fell into place for me. A twenty-five year addiction to nicotine was almost instantly broken, my addiction to meth as well, and all of a sudden my life began to experience hope, a feeling I had not known for a very long time.
One thing still bothered me, however. The Bible tells us that to put anything above Christ is idolatry. Well, I loved my Redskins. Passionately. Did that qualify, and if so, how in the world was I going to reconcile that with my new lifestyle? I did NOT want to give up my love for the B & G. I possibly would have if I absolutely had to, but man oh man, I really did not want to.
God, my friends, is a wonderfully loving Creator. He saw my dilemma and provided me with the unlikeliest of answers.
About seven months into my program, I happened upon a book called Sermon On the Mound: Finding God At the Heart of the Game, by Michael O'Connor. While this book dealt with baseball, not my favorite sport, one of it's overriding messages was how this fan's obsession with a game brought him to the Lord. As I read it I began to see that God wasn't asking me to choose the Redskins over Him; He was merely telling me that in loving the Burgundy and Gold I should never forget that they play a game He invented for our pleasure. My love for the 'Skins was okay, because without Him the 'Skins (along with you and I) would have never been.
It is a lesson I was blessed to learn, and one I will never forget.
Why, again, do I write this? I do so to say this: I am now as much as I have ever been a diehard Redskins fan. I go to the wall with my team each and every Sunday. When they lose I hate it; when they win I exult vicariously, as if I somehow had something to do with the win. But no matter how each game, each season turns out, I will give credit where credit is due.
God is and has always been Sovereign.
So where am I now? I am a new creation, a burning brand snatched from the fire. I am working again. I have the love and more importantly, the trust of my family once more. I still struggle - most notably with my beer, it is hard not to want to crack a cold one after a hard day of work - but I don't suffer the pangs of withdrawal as I once did, and I believe my life has a future once more.
Priceless. Absolutely, undeniably priceless.
Before you flame, before you refute, before you deny what you've read, allow me to say that I know how these things go: a thread like this can be massively misconstrued, can be turned into a war ground for religious debate, can be all more than enough impetus to cast aspersions on a fellow fan. Often for no reason at all. Those of you who might be thinking of doing so, please don't.
That is not my intention here. Let me say in closing that I love ExtremeSkins. I love The Hogs.net. I love BGO. I love the Redskins, and will always do so. I also love you, my fellow fans. There is not a single thing I would not do for any of you were it within my power to do so. I merely wanted to point out that though I will continue to write about my beloved Washington Redskins, and at times question some things about the organization...at the end of the day I still love them as much as I ever did.
I love them as something God gave me.
Something He gave you too.
Thanks so much for reading. God Bless You.
Hail To the Redskins.
Some, but not many of you will have noticed I was gone; most of those who did probably didn't care. A very small percentage might have, however. This post is addressed to you.
It has been nearly two years since my last entry in this space. What began as a labor of Redskins love turned rather quickly into a sporadic foray, instead of the professed relentless pursuit, of all things Burgundy & Gold. No matter. It's not how you start but how you finish, as the man once said.
And I intend to finish.
I would first like to explain my absence. I feel it is the least I can do, not only for those of you who might read this but, more importantly, for myself. It is the purely transparent thing to do. And that, my reunited friends, is of the utmost importance, as you shall soon see.
Besides, better bloggers than I have stepped out of the proverbial batters box to get squared away, like my man Ben Folsom of The Curly R. If he can take some time off, I don't feel so bad. Ben is a superfan whether he wants to admit it or not.
Allow me at this point to change gears: I apologize to the mods of whatever forum this happens to end up in, because from here the subject matter may become less than 100% Redskins-related. I trust you will do what you think is best. But I digress.
I am 45 years old. I have been a Redskins fan since I knew what a pigskin was. That's a long time. For roughly half of my life I have also been a born again Christian. While I have never wavered in my support of my beloved 'Skins, when it comes to following Jesus Christ I have been, shall we say, less than consistent. Twenty-five years ago I gave my life to the Lord, but I have only recently begun following Him again. For the majority of that time I have done my own thing, to my great detriment.
But things change.
Sometimes for the better.
Two years ago, when it was obvious that Jim Zorn was merely waiting for his severance pay from Daniel M. Snyder, I wrote him a letter to thank him for his time as Redskins Head Coach. Said letter went as follows:
Dear Mr. Zorn:
Odds are by the time this letter reaches you, if it does at all, you will have already been dismissed by the Redskins. As a lifelong diehard fan I was excited about your hiring and thought you would achieve greater success than you ultimately did -- though certainly no more than you yourself expected. I won't go into any second-guessing or anything else regarding my opinion of your job as Head Coach, because it's none of my business. Indeed, I write you for a different reason entirely, though one connected to your current job just the same. Since by all accounts you are and have been for some time now a "lame-duck" coach (for lack of a better term), you could hardly have been faulted if the pressure and stress of those circumstances had caused you to become somewhat bitter and negative -- yet you have consistently been as upbeat, as forthright, as honest as a man could be from Day One. I commend you for your unflagging attitude, and I have the highest respect for the way you've conducted yourself in spite of all the things that seem to have gone against you either fairly or unfairly.
This morning I read a quote of yours about your current status that was typical of your personal accountability and integrity, and it moved me to write you this letter in hopes that you might read it and know that at least one fan believes not even the great Joe Jackson Gibbs himself could have handled things any better than you have these past two seasons. No matter what I may think of your gameday decisions and strategy, etc. etc., I cannot help but be impressed with how you've been a stand-up guy since you first signed on. Today's quote, wherein you spoke of truly having a great experience with all this. it wasn't fun, but it was a great experience nonetheless, and that better days lay ahead, is an inspiration to me.
Thank you for that. It comes at a critical juncture in my life. I am 43 years old and a lifelong drug addict who has only recently made the serious decision to seek help and begin my recovery. Methamphetamine use has taken nearly everything from me, and thus far has obliterated the vast potential I once had. Before my addiction I was smart, healthy, and raised right, meaning I had all the advantages and tools anyone could ever need to succeed in Life. Unfortunately I haven't, at least not to this point...but there's always time, and Hope.
I'm preparing to undertake the most radical and diffiuclt change of my entire life at present, and I am as nervous as nervous gets about it. I need every shot in the arm I can get at the moment, and words like the ones you said above are just the thing to keep me focused and persistently positive. I believe that just like you, better days are ahead for me. I wish you all the best in your next position, I thank you for your hard work as coach of the team I love, and pray that you and your family continue to receive all the blessings Life has to offer, Mr. Zorn. If you haven't earned that I would be hard-pressed to name someone who has.
Somehow I don't think I have to wish for any of it in your case, however. Your attitude is more than equal to the task.
Some weeks later I received a card in the mail, with no return address. The face of the card was four black and white images on a white background. The images themselves seemed to be random; there was no discernible pattern. Curiously I opened it and read this:
Dear Sean,
Thank you for your words and kind thoughts My very best to you as you continue to fight with all the tools God has given you. Proverbs 22:1.
Pr 22:1 (NIV) reads: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold.
I couldn't make out the signature, so I looked again at the face of the card. The images spelled out Z-O-R-N. The card was from Jimmy Z himself.
Why do I write this? Bear with me, gentle reader. The answers are coming.
Without going into too much detail, shortly thereafter I enrolled in a faith-based rehab program that lasted eleven months. Upon completion of this curriculum I elected to stay on for an additional four months as an intern. One of the rules of this program was no internet access, so I was prohibited from posting for fifteen months. Eventually I graduated, however, and am now as free to post as I ever was. During my time at Teen Challenge I re-committed my life to Christ. Everything fell into place for me. A twenty-five year addiction to nicotine was almost instantly broken, my addiction to meth as well, and all of a sudden my life began to experience hope, a feeling I had not known for a very long time.
One thing still bothered me, however. The Bible tells us that to put anything above Christ is idolatry. Well, I loved my Redskins. Passionately. Did that qualify, and if so, how in the world was I going to reconcile that with my new lifestyle? I did NOT want to give up my love for the B & G. I possibly would have if I absolutely had to, but man oh man, I really did not want to.
God, my friends, is a wonderfully loving Creator. He saw my dilemma and provided me with the unlikeliest of answers.
About seven months into my program, I happened upon a book called Sermon On the Mound: Finding God At the Heart of the Game, by Michael O'Connor. While this book dealt with baseball, not my favorite sport, one of it's overriding messages was how this fan's obsession with a game brought him to the Lord. As I read it I began to see that God wasn't asking me to choose the Redskins over Him; He was merely telling me that in loving the Burgundy and Gold I should never forget that they play a game He invented for our pleasure. My love for the 'Skins was okay, because without Him the 'Skins (along with you and I) would have never been.
It is a lesson I was blessed to learn, and one I will never forget.
Why, again, do I write this? I do so to say this: I am now as much as I have ever been a diehard Redskins fan. I go to the wall with my team each and every Sunday. When they lose I hate it; when they win I exult vicariously, as if I somehow had something to do with the win. But no matter how each game, each season turns out, I will give credit where credit is due.
God is and has always been Sovereign.
So where am I now? I am a new creation, a burning brand snatched from the fire. I am working again. I have the love and more importantly, the trust of my family once more. I still struggle - most notably with my beer, it is hard not to want to crack a cold one after a hard day of work - but I don't suffer the pangs of withdrawal as I once did, and I believe my life has a future once more.
Priceless. Absolutely, undeniably priceless.
Before you flame, before you refute, before you deny what you've read, allow me to say that I know how these things go: a thread like this can be massively misconstrued, can be turned into a war ground for religious debate, can be all more than enough impetus to cast aspersions on a fellow fan. Often for no reason at all. Those of you who might be thinking of doing so, please don't.
That is not my intention here. Let me say in closing that I love ExtremeSkins. I love The Hogs.net. I love BGO. I love the Redskins, and will always do so. I also love you, my fellow fans. There is not a single thing I would not do for any of you were it within my power to do so. I merely wanted to point out that though I will continue to write about my beloved Washington Redskins, and at times question some things about the organization...at the end of the day I still love them as much as I ever did.
I love them as something God gave me.
Something He gave you too.
Thanks so much for reading. God Bless You.
Hail To the Redskins.
