April 25, 2016 - Lessons from the Spurs

Sitting in Indiana this weekend and getting to watch a lot of NBA hoops; dad and I watched 4 games today… and I must say the San Antonio Spurs did not disappoint! They are always such a great team and have obviously experienced long-term success that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. There are a few things that were glaring again today that point toward why they are so successful…

Frist is great coaching! I have seen many, many, many clips shown on what takes place in the NBA huddles during timeouts; and honestly most of the coaches spend a lot of time trying to be motivators and cheerleaders, while “Pop” (the Spurs coach) always seems to giving clear basketball direction to his team. He is actually coaching and equipping his team for success on the floor.

Second is the beauty of seeing a culture that is built on older guys mentoring and training the younger guys in how to play the game as a team and how to play with pace… and then allowing the young guys to take their place and shine. I absolutely loved multiple sets where one of the old guys, Boris Diaw, had the ball in the low post and he very calmly allowed the plays to develop and picked the opponent apart with either a well-timed move to the hole or a pinpoint pass to the open shooter. And man am I loving getting to see this kid Kawhi Leonard mature into a great, great player!

What we need to learn from this is that these are truths for us as the body of Christ!

If you want to be in a successful “program” then make sure you sit under a “coach”/pastor that is not just a motivator or cheerleader but is instead giving clear direction from God’s “Playbook” to help in life!

If you want to be in a successful “program” then make sure it is a body (team) that emphasizes older mentoring younger, and then handing over the reins to the younger…. I believe the modern church is too peer-based and not enough mentor-based. And I believe we see way too little emphasis on raising up future leaders within our churches (we would rather put out a job search and hire pros based on resumes.)

2 Timothy 2:1-2 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Make sure you are sitting under solid clear teaching!
Make sure you are then passing on what you have learned by investing in others!
Let’s build a successful church culture…