Adam Smith got it right. We human beings, given the chance, act out of our own self-interest. Lebron James proves that point but not for the reason you think.

In a story that took on epic proportions because of the slow summer news cycle, Lebron James chose the Miami Heat over the the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls, and even his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for one reason. Not money. Not championships and rings. Very simply, Lebron is looking for love not loot. And all the critics, who have skewered Lebron for the over-hyped way in which his free agency decision arrived, have missed this basic point.

If Lebron were merely looking for loot, or even for fame, he certainly would not have chosen Miami. He will end up with less salary there than from any of his other choices. If he were seeking the vainglory of championship rings, Lebron would have selected Chicago, which has a full roster in place with comrades like Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Joiakim Noah. After all, basketball is a team sport played by five men with a group of reserves to complement them. Chicago has that, and at present, Miami does not. The Heat now have a roster with just four players: Lebron, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Mario Chalmers. They have no fifth starter, and they have no bench. Their salary cap is nearly expended, so they have little money to find the additional parts of the whole. Teams win championships not threesomes. Just ask Wilt, Jerry, and Elgin.


So why in the world did Lebron James land in Miami? Love and family.

In April, I enjoyed a nine hour flight to Poland where I would do some teaching and also some sharing of my new book, Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church. On that flight, I watched every movie that was available on the airline seat viewer. My final foray into obscure video came in the form of a documentary called More Than a Game. I had never heard of it, but nine hours is a long time and I was willing to watch anything.

The documentary chronicles the boyhood and development of Lebron James in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. As is well-known, Lebron never had a relationship of any kind with his father. In fact, it is unclear if the identity of his father is even known. I will not bother to comment on the lawsuit filed on the day of Lebron's free agent announcement by a man claiming to be Lebron's father and seeking $4MM in compensation. How one would seek money from a child you never claimed or supported is beyond me, but I will leave that analysis for another time.

Nevertheless, More than a Game reveals the innocence and needs that the young Lebron experienced. His need for love, family, and direction were filled by a group of childhood friends with whom he formed such a close bond that they played youth league, AAU, and then high school ball together. Very little change occurred in that group. They bonded, and with the help from a few teammates' fathers, Lebron emerged as the best high school basketball player in America. However, he did not emerge as the leader. Other players in that childhood fraternity led the team; Lebron starred. And there is the crucial difference.

Lebron found family and home in that group. He found strong men who helped him along the way. Simply watching that film brought tears to my eyes because the Lebron of the documentary is a boy looking for love, not fame or success. On that team, Lebron did not have to lead; he merely needed to play ball well. His was an unusual role of the star whose performance is complementary. As a result, he found a bond that still exists to this day as evidenced by most of the friends who still surround him. That group from his childhood team IS his family. Lebron became who he is today because of a small group of people that became his family. We all want to be loved. Love and family are powerful motivators.

Lebron chose Miami because he can best replicate there that sense of family with his two close friends, Bosh and Wade. These three played together on the 2008 Olympic team. They bonded. More importantly, Lebron will not have to lead. Miami is Dwyane Wade's team. Lebron got enough mantle-carrying in Cleveland. The top dog role does not suit him well. Deep down, he prefers to draft behind the leadership of a stronger personality – his point guard in high school, and now Dwyane Wade in Miami. Lebron is Pippen. Wade is Jordan.

All this leads to two crucial points.

First, fathers play an indispensable role. It is no accident that lead dogs like Kobe, Jordan, and Wade all had strong fathers in their lives. Lebron did not. As a result, he is still emerging as a man. He is still just 25. He will find warmth and comfort in the presence of Dwyane Wade. He will find the love and family that he has not replaced since leaving Akron and receiving the mantle he was not prepared for in Cleveland.

Lebron was thrust into a leadership role at age 18, straight out of high school. He had no father to prepare him. Nor did he have a coach like Dean Smith or Tom Crean. His one consistent touchstone is that basketball family from his childhood, that band of brothers and a surrogate father.

Second, Lebron provides an important lesson in Adam Smith thinking. We act out of self-interest, which is not always measured in money. Countless employees decide every day to remain where they are or to take new jobs not for the money but for other reasons. Stability, less pressure, location, or a sense of value and affirmation just to name a few motivators. Self-interest is not necessarily the same as money, greed, or avarice.

Many leaders do not understand this point. Money does not motivate most health-care providers. Other reasons like mission or compassion do. Money does not motivate most immigrants. Opportunity, freedom, and hope for a better future do. And money certainly does not motivate Islamic terrorists. Mission and a perverse faith do. Self-interest comes in many forms. Money is merely one of those.

Lebron has money and fame; he is looking for love. He hopes to re-create in Miami what he had in high school, a family. The leader Wade and the paternal Pat Riley provide the nucleus of that family.

So to the critics of Lebron who see in him a greedy, self-aggrandizing ego, understand that Lebron's childhood poverty and wobbly family has created needs in him that could not be met in Cleveland or Chicago where he would have been asked to serve as the father giving love and leadership. Nor could his needs be met in New York where he would have been in a Cleveland-like role made worse by the glare and pressure of the New York media. Only Miami could offer a complementary role as a part of a loving family. True self-interest prevailed.

I had the best Father's Day ever. No question about it. My two daughters put a great deal of time and thought into celebrating what I affectionately call "the most important day of the year." We had a marvelous time - the gift of an Iphone (cool!), a strawberry cake, Ferris Bueller, and a full day together.

But one thought struck me at the end of the day as I got in bed for the night. My older daughter came in and gave me my Father's Day card. They had forgotten it earlier in the day. On one portion, she listed 9 of her favorite memories with me. Without exception, there were no "big moments," like paying for college or taking a big European vacation. Instead, her most powerful memories were smaller moments at times that were significant to her. When she was home sick for the day. When she lost an election. When we had a father-daughter date night. Little things accumulated day by day over time. Not big planned events or trips.

In reading her card, I got it. The most important gift a father can give his children is just showing up. Being there, day in and day out. In a crazy, frantic world, the consistent presence of a father in a child's life makes all the difference between stability/love and chaos/fear. It really is much simpler than we often make it.

In response to my show defending the Sunderland family regarding their decision to allow Abby, 16, to try to sail around the world by herself, I got a flurry of emails.

Here is my favorite - while reading it, please pray for her safe rescue.

Allen,

I've been doing solo expeditions since I was 14 years old. I've spent over 2 years on Isle Royale National Park, a month and a half in the Teton Backcountry, over 7 months in the bottom of the Grand Canyon and other trips. It has been the best thing I could ever do with my life. It has made me independent and self sufficient. I have found that if you can deal with what nature deals you, with only your own resources, you can handle anything that happens in the "civilized" world.

Abby was very lucky to have parents that would teach her and support her dream. She actually developed and realized a passion to follow that dream. Most kids today can't get off the couch. The subject of her age is a controversy, but people are not popped out of a cookie cutter. Some people are born for adventure and most will never see it or yearn for it. Almost everybody wants to be safe and in familiar territory. A few people want to reach out there into the unknown and learn for themselves.

If I had not started solo expeditions at 14 years, I never would have developed the skills to move on to bigger and more astounding experiences. I support her parents decision. Only they, in conjunction with Abby herself, know if she was ready to take on this adventure. I'm sure that she had many frightening experiences before she reached this stage and learned from them.

Anyway, I feel strongly about Abby. I pray for her and wish her good luck and fortune.
Thanks for bringing this up, Allen,
Bob

Blockbuster closed; friends are encouraging us to check out NetFlix. But I have to say - I still love my DirecTV!
We have enjoyed how wonderfully cheap and easy it is to get a movie off the dish anytime we want. A pleasure!

So this weekend's late-night flicks were:

The Proposal.

Much better than I expected - but then again, I did not expect much. This makes two Sandra Bullock movies I have watched (The Blind Side was the other) in the same month. I need medical help.

The plot is absurd. Bullock plays a high-powered publishing executive who is about to be deported to Canada because she did not maintain her immigration status. She is reviled by her employees but forces her personal assistant to marry her in order to allow her to stay in the USA. Told you it was absurd.

This romantic comedy works well despite the banal plot, but then again that is what romantic comedies usually do. But the light-hearted fun easily outpaces the stupid plot and banality.

I recommend it - AHS Grade: B-


Julie and Julia

This one is an odd story. It parallels the life of Julia Child in France and the life of a young woman in Queens who decides to cook all of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a single year.

I love Amy Adams. She plays the young woman in Queens and does an excellent job of playing a self-conscious literary wanna-be who grows over the course of a year into the world of adulthood.

I am not a big fan of Meryl Streep. I know - call me boorish. She acts well enough but something about her just makes my skin crawl. A little too self-affected and over-praised perhaps. She does a nice job of portraying Julia Child although her story is less compelling and interesting than that of the young woman in Queens who seems more real and authentically revealed.

An average movie. AHS Grade: C