Vision Cubed

I watched a C-span interview with Mark Cuban today. Ordinarily, Charity makes fun of me for watching C-span (I love when the British yell at each other) but I was able to avert geekhood by explaining the Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks. You can read the transcript here.

A couple of thing that caught my attention:

1. Cuban appeared quite humble. For accomplishing so much in his life, he doesn't seem to be filled with overwhelming arrogance.
2. He gave his email address out on the show. I felt sorry for the guy, I'm sure his box will be flooded (but it's not the first I've heard him do it, so he certainly knows what he got into). I also couldn't resist. If you can't resist either, it's mark@hd.net.
3. He's a genius. He gets a lot of heat for being emotional and or dancing around a lot during games. But the man is incredibly smart, yet not in the academic-no-practical-skills sort of way. He seems like a guy who could hold his own in any business setting, yet meet you at B-dubs and hold his own in trash talk.

As I watched, I wondered a few things:

1. What does Cuban think about God? It didn't come up in the interview (at least not what I saw), and I wouldn't expect it to. But I wondered what a man who started a company with a $4000 computer and later sold it for a couple hundred million thinks about Almighty. Does he even see the need? Does one who accomplishes so much in life take more pleasure in seeing his life as earned by his work, and not by grace? Statistics and Scripture would argue that it would be tough to have a Biblical perspective of God with so much provision, but of course, Jesus said in that passage, with people, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
2. Vision and Risk. It's a twist of irony that the man owns a team called the Mavericks. Cuban has taken amazing risks in his life, yet they always seemed worth it because he can see the final product. Visionary capacity is a gift from God. By nature, it seems it is a gift few have. Guys like Cuban make your head spin as he can fit multiple pieces of a puzzle together in a way that appear effortless.
3. I felt guilty. I am regularly haunted by Jesus' chastisement: "or the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind F366 than the sons of light. I know I do not have many of the gifts of Mr. Cuban, but I wonder how much shrewdness I really show. Cuban has used his intelligence, vision, connections and funds to produce more funds, influence more people, and to do charitable work. I didn't feel guilty about claiming a bigger house or a faster car (that's selling it so short). I felt guilty in regard to the gospel. Am I shrewd when I have something so much greater at stake? Cuban is brilliant with two billion dollars and can turn it into six billion. But do I take what I have and turn it toward making an eternal difference?

I am amazed by those God has placed within the Body who are visionaries. I was challenged while watching the interview to pray for those people. I was challenged to dream big for His sake. If God should see fit, I pray he would grant using what gifts I do have to make an eternal impact.

To the praise of the glory of His grace.