One of the Three

"David remarked longingly to his men, 'Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.' So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. 'The Lord forbid that I should drink this!' he exclaimed. 'This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.' So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three." 2 Samuel 23:15-17

Oh to be one of the Three

Do you ever fantasize about being on a "Dream Team"? I do. The Yankees. The Oilers. Hewitt & McMillan (for all you older tennis players). They all bring "Dream Team" to mind.

I've had the experience once before now. And I suppose, it is not a bad idea to recap this stuff once in a while. So, here goes....

I was about 27 when I moved from Michigan back to the Washington, D.C., area where I had grown up. At the time, I worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a letter carrier. Work at the Post Office was tough and being in an environment that is heavily unionized was not all that pleasant for me. My experience is that extreme behaviors occur and extreme measures are taken simply to negotiate to the "middle ground". I did not have a Dream Team experience at the Post Office.

However, one of the stops on my mail route in Bethesda, Maryland, was an engineering and consulting firm - Dames & Moore. I noticed that the office was very professional, and I was particularly impressed with the ethnic diversity in the firm and also with the expressions on the faces of staff I would happen to see - they looked happy to me. They were not "yuppy" or pretty looking, but sincere and happy looking. I longed for that. One day, I happened to ask if there were any job openings in that firm, and the receptionist told me there was a secretarial opening to work for two of the partners in that office. So, I decided to apply and in fact landed the job.

And so began an interesting nearly 10 year experience. It was far from perfect for anyone to begin with. It was very interesting to work for the two partners I worked for -- they were the exact opposite of each other in terms of temperament and approach to almost everything. One worked in frenetic spurts, often missing deadlines, going overbudget, and explaining/negotiating things away after the fact. The other was always prepared, tended to be within budget, and always made his deadlines, and when there were overruns he was always prepared.

It is no fun serving two bosses. Biblically, it is impossible. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Check it out -- Matthew 6:24 / Luke 16:13.

What happened with the two bosses is the subject for another devotional. Regardless, I ended up working for one of the two. He was the head of the geotechnical engineering group in the office, and eventually went on to become a Regional Manager. Working with him and his group was like being on a Dream Team. These engineers were tight-knit and all of them had traveled the world engineering sites for buildings. They were highly regarded in the field and some of them held positions on governing bodies that established engineering standards in that field. Walking around with them was an absolute treat as they could explain the geology and the soil structure anywhere we went!

So, I found that everywhere I traveled, I talked about the Dream Team I was on. Planes, trains, busses and automobiles were opportunities for me to talk about the players and the projects done by this team and our firm in general. Well, let me tell you, when you believe in what you are talking about, people want to jump on board. People I met gravitated to me and working relationships started to come together. I once met a 4-star admiral on a plane who was having asbestos issues in some warehouses in California. I told him about the Dream Team and how they could help him out, and I'll never forget him handing me his business card and saying "Have your guy call my guy." Let me be clear - this was not a credit to me, but to the Dream Team of which I was part. There was excellence. There was synergy. There was loyalty. There was honour. There was mutual respect. There was submission of personal objectives for the good of the team. There was kindness. There was love.

I loved being part of the Dream Team and am so very grateful to have the experience.

When my boss left the firm, the Dream Team fell apart. It was not a good situation for any of the remaining members of the team. There were still all those attributes listed above, but there was no team. I became a casualty of the fallout.

As I read about King David's escapades with his mighty men, and in particular with "The Three" that were his closest men, I am quite certain that was his Dream Team. There was excellence. There was synergy. There was loyalty. There was honour. There was mutual respect. There was submission of personal objectives for the good of the team - and for the Glory of God. There was kindness. There was love.

I long for the experience once again of being on a Dream Team. I don't think I make a good "David", but I think for a good Dream Team leader I make a great warrior.

Jesus, I yearn to be on your Dream Team. I pray that there be an opportunity for me to use what gifts I have to benefit the Kingdom of God. Oh how I long to be one of the mighty three. I pray to be filled with Your love of people and the desire for others to know You in the most intimate way. I can only imagine that years ago You allowed me to have that Dream Team experience so I could be a part of Your Dream Team today. I pray this in Your name. Amen.