After watching my beloved Penguins get hammered in game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals this year, I read a tweet from my pastor (along with a response from another leader) regarding generational differences and joining the strong points… @drjay_: “Detroit vs. Pens: young talent still vs. the ‘old’ guys who have been there and built a system that just flat works. Can we meld the two..?!” This got me thinking about what I can personally learn from that game:

1. The veterans know what they are doing – There is a reason my senior pastor has had such an impact on not only our church, but the entire region over the past 27 years.  The vets have been through nearly everything I could possibly face in ministry.  What can I learn from them?

2. Acting your age is not always a good thing – While it is good to show maturity as I grow, acting my age in certain situations can show a great lack of maturity.  When presented with a choice, it is better to think through the consequences rather than respond immediately based on emotions.  On a deeper note, it is better to truly seek out and be willing to hear and follow God’s calling then to base my decisions solely on what I want or think I need out of life.

3. Even I have something to offer – Although I am a “young player,” I am not without ideas and talent to offer the church.  Innovation often comes from the new guy that just got started.  While being mentored and trained along side of great leaders, there are times when I might have something to bring to the table that they haven’t caught onto yet.

4. Failure happens – Everyone fails from time to time.  It’s a matter of learning from that failure and charging forward with new knowledge and wisdom.  I heard a stat the other day that entrepreneurial millionaires on average have failed on average 7 times before creating/finding a successful model.  In the hockey playoffs, a team can fail 47% of the time and still win the cup.  What can I learn from my failures and what new opportunities is God presenting me?