The Boston Bing

A Tribute to Sweeney

This blog post is a tribute.  Not to an interesting case study at HBS or an exciting trip I went on or to how great the Georgia Bulldogs are (and they are, in fact, great.)  But, to a dear friend.  A mentor.  A spiritual brother.  A man who lived life to the full.  A man who loved people, including countless high school kids, unconditionally.  A man who loved his wife, parents, and sister.  A man who would dress up like a cowboy, referee or nerd in one moment and be sharing compelling accounts from the Bible in the next.  A man who taught me a lot about what it means to love God and love people.  This blog post is a tribute.  To Mike Sweeney.  Or, as everyone knows him, Sweeney.

I met Sweeney at some point in college.  He was the Young Life (YL) Area Director in my hometown of Roswell, Georgia.  Through YL, Sweeney had formed close relationships with my younger brother and his friends.  An early 30-something hanging out with high school kids, Sweeney just wanted to love them, have fun, and if the opportunity presented itself, give them direction. I’ll never forget his words to me in December of 2005 after I had graduated from college.  He said, “Hey Mike, I know you just graduated and are getting ready to start work, but let me know when I can start recruiting you to volunteer with Young Life.”  I thought, “yeah, right.  I don’t have time for that,” and laughed him off.

But Sweeney was persistent.  He kept recruiting.  And, I’m glad he did.  You see, he was like that – he was persistent about sharing what he knew would bless you.  He recruited you because he wanted you to experience the joy he had. It’s like he had a sixth sense about it.  He invited me to a weekend volunteer leader camp at Windy Gap in North Carolina.  And then to Young Life Club where Roswell High School kids gathered weekly to watch skits, sing songs, and laugh their heads off.  Oh yeah, and to hear about who Jesus is.  I was hooked.  Seeing Sweeney in front of the mic, playing the guitar, bringing energy, life, and fun to the kids was magnetic.  He had successfully recruited me.

A phrase that goes through YL circles is, “it’s a sin to bore kids with the Gospel.”  I mean, if Jesus offers “life to the full”, then doesn’t that mean that following Him should be fun?  Sweeney showed me how to have fun following Jesus. My faith became less about trying (and failing) not to screw up, less about rules and regulations, less about feeling guilty or judging others.  It became about loving God (regardless of my circumstances).  Loving people (no matter how they acted).  Laughing.  Smiling.  Risk taking.  Adventure.  Trust.

Sweeney also showed me how to appreciate Jesus as a friend. I’ll never forget the way he prayed.  It was never, “Oh dear, holy and gracious Father above all things, your name be exalted, thou art…” (not that there’s anything wrong with those prayers).  But, instead, Sweeney talked to Jesus as if He was right there with us.  Huddled in the middle of our Young Life Leader circle.  And he talked to God as if he was conversing with a great friend over a beer or a cup of coffee. With respect, of course.  But, with deep freedom and genuine adoration.

The other thing that struck me about Sweeney is how he interacted with other people.  He could have had a high school kid look him in the eye and say, “I just drove drunk and got my girlfriend pregnant,” and Sweeney wouldn’t judge him.  Sweeney didn’t judge. Or didn’t ever make you feel like it at least.  Call you to a higher standard?  Yes.  But, lay on the guilt and condemnation?  Never.  I think kids wanted to be better because they knew how much Sweeney cared for them.  Sweeney didn’t ultimately care about them being better though.  He just wanted them to know Jesus.

16 months ago, three years after my partnership with Sweeney as a YL leader, his cancer came back.  And after a long fight, Sweeney died last Monday morning.  Sitting at his Memorial Service this morning, tears rolling down my face, I had time to reflect.  On the man Sweeney was, yes.  On the amount of people he impacted, of course.  On the fact that he is now in Heaven because of his trust in Jesus, certainly. But more than that, the stories and tears and laughter caused me to reflect on the rest of my own life.

There’s a verse in the Bible that says, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” And another where Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Though not perfect, Sweeney embodied those verses.  And so it begs the question: How will I live?  Selfishly, trying to build up my own accomplishments and accolades?  Or arrogantly, trying to get all the credit?  Or religiously, judging people when they don’t act the way I want them to?  Or will I live like Sweeney lived?  Simply loving God and loving others. Without conditions.  Without reservations.  But, with energy, joy, life, and enthusiasm.  All the while recruiting others to do the same.

*To know more about Sweeney’s journey, check out his CaringBridge site, authored by his incredible wife Cabell.*

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