I was watching the movie Friday Night Lights, when I was struck by the “locker room speech”. I was amazed by the truth struck upon by Billy Bob Thornton. Their team was getting beaten by a faster stronger meaner team. How often our own lives feel like we are just here getting a beating. Then the coach tells them, “your need to find each other out there, you need each other”. How true that is about the Christian life.Then halftime and the locker room speech. The coach, Billy Bob, tells his players about being perfect. You all have known me for a while... and for a long time now, you've beenhearing me talk about being perfect. Well, I want you to understand somethin'.To me, being perfect... is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship to yourself and your family and your friends. Bein'perfect...is about being able to lookyour friends in the eye... and know that youdidn't let them down. Because you told 'em the truth.And that truth is, is that you did everything that you could.There wasn't one more thing that you could've done. Can you live in that moment...as best you can with clear eyes...and love in your heart? With joy in your heart?If you can do that, gentlemen,then you're perfect. I want you to take a moment...and I want you to lookeach other in the eyes. I want you to put each other in your hearts forever. Because forever's about to happen here in just a few minutes.I want you to close your eyes… and I want you to thinkabout Boobie Miles, who is your brother. And he would die to be out there on that field with you tonight.And I want you to put that in your hearts. Boys, my heart is full. My heart's full.
John Wesley was often talking about us becoming perfect, and what that looks like. Here in this locker room moment I see a vision of perfection as a team. As I think about what we do in our small groups I see a vision of perfection as a group of men who share the truth, in being there for each other.

I then think about the speech as what Christ did at the Cross. In that moment Christ went to the cross and it was about relationship, His relationship to the father and his relationship to us. He went to the Cross with clear eyes and love in his heart, and he told us the truth.