Good morning! I am currently up watching the Rugby World Cup Finals between England and South Africa. I have never played rugby, but I have become a huge fan the last few years. I have so much respect for rugby players. Of course I was rooting for Team USA, but they went out early. So I will be rooting for South Africa in the Finals. If you have never checked out rugby, I would encourage you to watch the World Rugby Finals. ~OC
My Hero, The Hope Dealer
Last night, Laura and I had the honor of attending the first Inner City Innovators Gala to celebrate the young men who this amazing organization helps. It was also a time to celebrate one of my heroes Mr. Ricky Aiken. Let me tell you about my hero.
I met Ricky when he was about 14 or 15 years old. I was volunteering with a great organization Urban Youth Impact at the time. Ricky and I just hit it off. I think it was our mutual love for books and sports. You know God is real when he brings a Boston Celtics fan and a LA Lakers fan together. As happens in life, we lost contact for a brief period. When Ricky turned 18 we reconnected around his birthday. My wife had heard about Ricky and wanted to celebrate his birthday. Oh, did we celebrate. My wife had a blast taking Ricky shopping. I think Ricky might have been a little overwhelmed by Laura’s enthusiasm, but he indulged her. That day Ricky became Laura’s son. It is a relationship that has continued to grow throughout the years. Laura still loves celebrating Ricky’s birthday.
Back in 2015, one of Ricky’s friends was shot and killed. For Ricky that was the last straw. He could no longer sit around and watch his community be destroyed by gun violence. That is when Inner City Innovators was born. Ricky has become a leader in his community. A leader in his city. And I believe in time, a national leader. This from a young man labeled emotionally disabled by the educational system. How I wish the person who made that incorrect diagnosis could see Ricky now. To see the Man he has become. The Leader he has become. The Hope Dealer he has become.
I could go on and on about my godson and the man he has become. Laura and I are so proud of him. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves when we see all that Ricky has accomplished in life. We are thankful God has blessed us with a front row sit. I pray that one day, Ricky will write a book and share his amazing story with the world. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to check out Inner City Innovators at http://www.innercityinnovators.org.
Big Money! Don’t Apologize.
Free agency started in the NBA yesterday. Some huge contracts were signed and more to come. I have already seen some negative post about athletes making so much money. I am sure there will be more negative post and articles. Would I love for our teachers, nurses, first responders and those in the military sign those huge contacts instead of athletes? I would love that. Sadly, that will not happen anytime soon. In America we love our sports. I am definitely guilty of being a huge fan. That is why I will never criticize an athlete for making millions of dollars. We the fans created the market. So we have to live with seeing athletes continuing to sign big money deals. I always find it interesting that we celebrate the business owner who does well financially and call it free enterprise. The American Dream! But when it comes to athletes, we complain they are overpaid. Which I believe most of them are, but once again we the fans created the market. If we truly wanted to see our teachers, nurses, first responders and military personnel given million dollar contracts we would demand it. But we don’t. Instead of complaining about the huge contracts athletes are signing, start demanding that we pay our teachers, nurses, first responders and military personnel what they truly deserve. As voters, we have the power to effect change. For me, I will continue to support an athletes right to sign those huge contracts. One day, I hope to celebrate our teachers, nurses, first responders and military personnel signing those huge contracts. ~OC
Some of My Favorites
Some of my favorites:
Team:
Cincinnati Reds
Boston Celtics
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Florida Gators
Players:
Baseball: Johnny Bench
Basketball: Larry Bird
Football: Lee Roy Selmon & Derrick Brooks
Florida Gators: Al Horford, Danny Wuerffel & Tim Tebow
Coach: Tony Dungy
Movies:
Hoosiers
Selma
Brian’s Song (The Original)
12 Years a Slave
Woodlawn
Remember the Titans
Doc Hollywood
Facing the Giants
13th
America History
Any Jimmy Stewart Film
Music:
Kirk Franklin
U2
Michael Jackson
Prince
TobyMac
DC Talk
Bruce Springsteen
George Michael
Bee Gees
4Him
Queen
Elton John
Alisa Turner
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Anthony Evans
Run-DMC
Lecrae
FC Worship
Lionel Richie
The Commodores
Stevie Wonder
Rod Stewart
Kenny Chesney
Truth
Michael English
Proverb
Kim Walker-Smith
Harry Connick Jr.
Michael Neale
Tenth Avenue North
Jeremy Camp
Journey
Earth, Wind & Fire
Hall & Oates
Def Leppard
Hillsong United
Jackson 5
Luther Vandross
Whitney Houston
Adele
Books:
Bible
America Story by Bob Dotson
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs
Moment Make by Carlos Whittaker
Under Our Skin by Benjamin Watson
Just Mercy Bryan Stevenson
Unscripted by Ernie Johnson, Jr.
Living Out Loud by Craig Sager
I’ll Push You by Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray
Breaking Cover by Michele Rigby Assad
Love Does by Bob Goff
Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Radical by David Platt
Transformed by Remi Adeleke
Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Drop the Stones by Carlos A. Rodríguez
Brave Surrender by Kim Walker-Smith
Comeback by Dave Dravecky
When You Can’t Comeback by Dave & Jan Dravecky
Quite Strength by Tony Dungy
Separate Peace by John Knowles
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Believe by Eric LeGrand
Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox
God & Football by Chad Gibbs
The Pact:Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt
Vulnerable by Raleigh Sadler
This Life I Live by Rory Feek
42 Faith by Ed Henry
The Slave Across the Street by Theresa Flores
Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes
Long Run by Matt Long
Forty Thousand To One by Ben Petrick
The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
When The Game Was Ours by Jackie MacMullan
Catch You Later by Johnny Bench
Love Thy Rival by Chad Gibbs
This is just a short list of my favorites. I could go on for days. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 