Last Wednesday I had the privilege of attending the 17th Annual Silicon Valley Prayer Breakfast in Palo Alto. The theme was “Finding Meaning and Purpose in Life”. There were two incredibly powerful speakers. I walked out humbled and inspired. I walked out determined to find my meaning and purpose in life.
First was Tim Borland – in 2007 he ran 63 Marathons in 63 days. Why you ask? Tim’s life mission is to advocate for children in need by using his gift in endurance running. Click on the link below and watch this video – this is Tim’s meaning. This is his purpose:
Tim’s four keys to finding meaning and purpose in life:
- Focus on the needs of others before ourselves.
- Develop an accurate view and understanding of fear. He said fear of failure is a dream crusher.
- Be willing to risk it all.
- Pray for a God inspired vision.
Second was Joe Ehrmann. He played football for the Colts for 13 year and was named Colts’ Man of the Year. In the same year Ehrmann played in the Pro Bowl he watched his brother Billy loose his fight with cancer. This experience caused Ehrmann to rethink and reorder his priorities in life. Ehrmann spearheaded the construction of a Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore in memory of Billy. In the off-season, Ehrmann attended classes at Dallas Theological Seminary and, following his football career, he graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, specializing in urban ministry. He was ordained in 1985. Parade Magazine name Joe the “Most Important Coach in America” due to his tireless efforts to change the culture of sports. Joe and his wife Paula co-founded Building Men and Women for Others to help every man, woman and child reach his or her potential. He was also the recipient of the National Fatherhood Initiative’s Man of the Year Award.
This is his meaning. This is his purpose:
As a Pastor for more than 25 years of his life he has been with many people as their life on earth ends. He said – all people care about at the end of their life is who did I love and who loved me, and did I make a difference. Nothing else matters – not money, not fame, not power – nothing else.
Two ordinary men doing extraordinary things. So, what is your meaning and purpose in life? If you don’t know – find it!
Yesterday morning Tom Tognoli, John Thompson and I were guests of Intero Los Altos agent Andy Wong at a prayer breakfast where the guest speaker was Joe Ehrman. After spending 13 years in professional football, Joe is coaching high school football at Gilman High School in Baltimore, Maryland, but that is not all there is to his resume. After retirement, Joe became an inner city minister in East Baltimore, co-founded a Ronald McDonald House for sick children, and launched a racial reconciliation project called Mission Baltimore and serves as President of a national organization that supports abused children. This is a giant of a man in every sense of the word; a modern day St. Francis of Assisi with muscles. Joe not only knows what his purpose in life is, he helps thousands find their true purpose. This All-American Tackle at Syracuse University, where he also lettered in lacrosse, was called “The Most Important Coach in America” by Parade Magazine for the work he does to transform the young men who play for him and the culture of sports.
Joe has an entirely different view of sports and coaching. He doesn’t focus on victories (although with three undefeated seasons under his belt, he could). He focuses on developing young men that will be leaders in their communities. Perhaps it is because he goes all the way back to the initial definition of the word “coach.” In England during the 1500’s a coach was a horse drawn carriage with the specific purpose of transporting a person of importance from where they were to where they needed or ought to be.
Four hours before each game, the Gilman players file into a meeting room not to prepare for a game, but to prepare for the rest of their lives. They do this in a program called Building Men for Others 101. The boys are taught that they will ultimately make the greatest impact in life by learning the value of serving others and basing their thoughts and actions on one simple question: “What can I do for you?” They are also taught that they must allow themselves to love and be loved in order to build and value relationships. They also learn to practice the concepts of empathy, inclusion and integrity by “accepting the responsibility to lead courageously.” Finally, each player is asked to develop a cause beyond themselves, so that they may leave the world a better place.
During each football season, every player is asked to write an essay on how they want to be remembered. Before their biggest game of the year, they each have to stand before their teammates and read it to their teammates. They pick a topic or theme that they have devoted their lives to like, ending educational inequalities, fighting poverty, racism or ant-Semitism. Beyond the winning or losing, having his players stand before each other and dedicating themselves to these issues is the real pay-off for Joe; sending citizens out into the world that will make a difference.
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