the bottomline

I'm From Negadelphia
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 by Dan

Being the son of a preacher-man in a small evangelical denomination located in the mid-Atlantic region, I lived in a variety of places before college. My dad started a church in Finesville, NJ (yeah, that’s right – good luck in finding Finesville!). I was born when he was there, but at the Quakertown, PA, hospital since that was my mom’s hometown and, thus, became my birth-town. Soon thereafter we moved to a small church in a large city – Jersey City. I’m told the church was on the ground level with living quarters on the second flood. I have no memory of this place since when I was about two we moved to Philadelphia. We lived in the City of Brotherly Love until two months into first grade.
 
Not sure why I am giving you a travel log of my life’s journey. I’ll move along by making a long story short – we were in Philly for four years; five years in York and two in Hatfield, both in Pennsylvania; and my high school years were in Phillipsburg, NJ. Needless to say, I have no hometown because we moved so much – seven different schools in twelve years.
 
One of the attitudes that stuck with me must have been gained or learned in Philadelphia (Negadelphia). I see a glass half-empty even when it’s almost full. A sports writer in Philly recently noted that “where others see promise and opportunity, he sees pestilence and famine and a swarm of locust.” That’s me! It shouldn’t be, but it is and the older I get, the worse it seems to get.
 
Having this attitude staves off disappointment. When you predict doom and gloom and get it, you’re prepared for it. Being an all-Philadelphia teams fan has only solidified this problem. The ‘64 Phillies taught me that even a winning team can be a losing team when it’s my team. In fact, my beloved Phils have lost more games than any team in any sport – EVER!
 
Negativity in sports is one thing, but I’ve got to be careful not to allow it to invade the rest of my life and what really matters. I am blessed beyond measure. I live in a beautiful ministry house; have a wonderful wife – for the past 38 years; great kids, all of which are living out their faith and now six grandchildren about whom I pray will follow suit; a job in which I am able to use my gifts; a boat-load of friends; and security in my eternal destiny. I could go on counting my blessings. And maybe that’s what I ought to spend more time doing.
 
A friend mentioned that everyday she thinks of five positive things that happened to her. That’s not a bad idea. It helps to change the focus. In fact, it might just be the antidote for Negadelphia.

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