It is sort of random, but here was my talk last night...there was a lot of improvisation as well. bet here it goes:

Stand For Something

Harold Kusher wrote:
Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it.

A year ago Coach Bennett was offered a job in Colorado. I did not want to go…more than that, I didn’t want to leave. Fortunately for me, he stayed and made it possible for me to stay.

I did not feel like my work was complete here. I felt a loyalty to a community that had embraced me and welcomed me and my efforts.

However, I feel at this time that I have served in this community to my capacity and that it is time for me to move on.

I want to share with you a saying that is important to me. Stand For Something

The chairman and CEO of American Express, Ken Chenault has written;

STAND FOR SOMETHING:

Some values can’t be quantified. Success at any cost isn’t the point. It’s winning the right way that matters…We also must consistently prove through our actions that we stand for the right thing – customer commitment, quality, integrity, teamwork, respect for people, good citizenship, a will to win, personal accountability and so much more.

I believe that if you are going to stand for something, that you have to have a core, something to which you must be true.

My core comes from two sources.

Before I share those two sources with you, I would like to make it very clear, that in no way do I feel I have perfected any of this or that I am some shinning example of what I speak of, rather that I am a man doing what he can to elevate to a higher personal standard.

My two sources to my Core;

1)The Gospel of Jesus Christ
-The Atonement, bear testimony.

2)The Gospel of Soccer
-It is all about our youth

When Joseph Smith was called to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ, he was a boy only 14 years old. As the community around him heard of his proclamations he was asked to share the beliefs of the “Mormon” faith.

He was inspired to develop what the church calls THE ARTICLES OF FAITH.

There are 13 of them, but I would like to share the final one with you as I believe it is vital to my core as a person striving to become more like my Heavenly Father.

Read the 13th Article of faith.

This leads me to the second gospel, Soccer.

Explain founding of CBFC

Mission Statement:

Council Bluffs Futbol Club is committed to the development of dedicated soccer players as athletes, leaders and citizens. We pledge to encourage a dedication to personal training, inspiration of a love for the game and a passion for teamwork.

In the office at Iowa Western there are a ton of jokes that fly around about every sport. We respectfully joke with one another about certain specifics of one’s sports. Soccer quickly became the sport to pick on. The word “ignorant” was repeated as a response so many times that it sort of became the joke itself.

One of the coaches, knew how passionate I am about the game. And he knew how much I love the game and for him, he took full advantage of making me squirm in his ignorance as he bantered on the common myths of soccer. He would say things like, ‘its so easy you don’t even need your hands.” Or when he would say, “how hard is it to kick and run?”

Eventually his remarks took me to my boiling point. I wanted so badly to thrash him. And on occasion I gave him some smart remarks about his sport and his players. I found that this approach didn’t help my cause to much, as it just added fuel to the fire.

My approach changed, I started educating him about the game, and explaining why those perceptions were poor and inaccurate. The joking became less frequent and has nearly come to a complete stop. His daughter had played soccer, I asked her what she thought of it. Her reply was “it was fun, but it was hard!”

I relished in the moment as I had his own daughter take my side without her even knowing it.

As you can imagine, similar jokes are made about being a member of this church.

Anybody that has ever tried to be part of this faith or has investigated it will likely have a similar remark to my colleagues daughter. Something like, “being a member of the Mormon faith might be rewarding, but, it is hard.”

Never has a statement been so true to me. I have had my moments of weakness, I have had temptations, made poor decisions and I have made the correct decisions and benefited from them.

Isaiah 55:8 reads;

I know that as we embrace the challenges the Lord puts in our way that we can find joy in being; honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and doing good to all men.

I hope that my efforts over the last 4 years have left an impression on you that my duty is to God, my family and my community.

I know that if we take the lessons we learn in life, in soccer and combine them with the gospel of Jesus Christ that we will be able to endure all things.

It is my prayer that the Lord will forgive me for my trespasses and that you will excuse my imperfections and recognize my intent and judge my character not by the wins and losses that are on my resume, but instead for the loyalty to our youth.

Calvin Coolidge wrote; Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

I move to Utah because it is going to give me new challenges, bigger roles and an opportunity to do what I truly love to do; serve our youth. To help them grow up and become better citizens, brothers, sisters, families.

Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it.

I hope that I leave behind in this community and bring to future communities is that I care about the youth enough to make sure that the things that I stand for are remembered and continued in my absence.

People often ask what success is. My definition; that when you leave a place it misses you but progress on without you because of your leadership and persistence to create a lasting impression that motivates people to continue progressing even when you are gone.