March 26, 2018 - A Club Mentality

I love the story of what Michael Jordan did when he was still with the Bulls; he started a thing called the Breakfast Club. I’ve made references to this “club” in years past, and even used the name on many of our ministry trips for our morning workout routines…

What is the Breakfast Club? It is a group of guys (like-minded teammates) that started meeting with Michael in the mornings for working out throughout the season. According to one of MJ’s business partners, “Most guys dreaded their two-hour practice from 11 to 1. But a small group of guys, who really wanted to push themselves, formed this Breakfast Club thing. They'd work out a few times a week before practice. Then, when they were done working out, some time between 9 and 9:15, Michael's chef cooked them breakfast. That's how it really became the Breakfast Club. Those guys sat down to eat breakfast together, and then they'd go the Berto Center for practice.”

Basically, Michael had developed a reputation of not just being an incredibly skilled basketball player, but also an incredibly fit player. In fact, he not only got stronger through his workout plans, he also became more durable. I remember the amazing stories of how quickly he would get in game shape to start seasons and how quickly he would recover from any wear and tear on his body. And other players wanted to experience the same benefits. And some credit these workouts to giving endurance on the careers of some other than MJ…

All of that to share something I noticed in the Scriptures as I was preparing for a speaking engagement this morning… the importance of a “club” mentality. I was actually speaking about “fasting” and encouraging students at our school to fast on Wednesday; I mentioned the obvious of considering fasting from food that day for the purpose of prayer… but then went on to mention that it might be something other than, or in addition to, food… and encouraged a phone fast that day…

As I studied the chronology of Holy Week, I found something I had never noticed before. We can read many things that took place each day from Jesus’ triumphal entry to the cross to the resurrection; yet on Wednesday of that week, it doesn’t appear that anything is said about what Jesus did. In other words, it seems that He took a day to get away… maybe to prepare for (get stronger for) what Thursday would bring. I don’t know that He fasted from food that day, but He obviously fasted from His social networking…

So here is where the “club” mentality comes in… we also don’t read about what Peter did that day… or Matthew… or John… etc. Apparently, they followed the pattern that Jesus set… all except Judas. He is talked about on that day as he breaks away from the “club” of “like-minded teammates.” And we see how vulnerable he becomes to temptation when he is not focused on Christ and outside of the strength and accountability of the “club.” Wednesday appears to be the day that Judas loses confidence in following Jesus and makes the agreement to betray Jesus…

Are you surrounded by like-minded teammates that will help you get stronger, and stay strong in the midst of temptations? Do those around you help you stay focused on Christ? I hope this weekly devotion helps you with that some…

March 19, 2018 - All In To The End!

I love watching March Madness and seeing the passion that goes into the games… I cant help but think of the old Wide World of Sports… “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” It is truly a magical time where “miracles” happen…

I know I am not discussing miracles of Biblical proportions, but I am using the word loosely… “miracles” such as a number 16 seed beating a number 1 for the first time in 136 tries… (which completely busted my bracket, as I had Virginia going all the way.)

Yep, I admit I haven’t done a good job in predicting this year’s tourney; yet most haven’t as it has had many of the upsets… But the Virginia loss was especially difficult to see because I respect so much how hard they play and how well they are coached. This is a team that only lost twice all year going into the tourney, while playing in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. It is a team that was fully committed to defense… holding all of the opponents to under 70 points on the year… that is until the University of Maryland Baltimore County stepped on the floor with them.. and proceeded to do something that Duke or UNC or anyone in the ACC could not do… dropping 74 points and holding VA to 54… not just winning the game, but winning it going away…

I bring this game up because it continued to make love VA basketball. Sure, they lost a game, but they didn’t lose who they are. They played the game out to the buzzer… their coach didn’t give up on them but instead stuck with them through the end, using it as a learning tool for life.

Check out what Coach Bennett had to say following the shocking defeat: “You’ll remember this. It will sting. Maybe a 1 seed will get beat again, maybe not. Maybe we’ll be the only No. 1 seed to ever lose. It’s life. It goes on. We’ll have to get past that. For some reason this is what we’ve got to deal with, and my job now will be to say hey, how do we bounce back, our players and all that. But a life lesson is sitting there about defining yourself by maybe not what the world says, but there’s other things that matter and then you get back to it.”

If you have not ever paid attention to Coach Bennett and his interviews, I encourage you to do so. He is a Christ-centered man that understands the big picture. He understands what matters in the long run…

All of that to say that it reminded me of another that stuck it out to the end…

John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

I love this passage in John… and as we approach Easter I want to make sure we are reflecting on a Savior that loves us to the end. This wasn’t just a promise to the disciples but also to us… reminding us that He is fully devoted to us! He loves us to the end! Make sure you spend time this season reflecting on His goodness… reflecting on the true Gospel message that centers on His commitment to us! He is all in to the end!

March 12, 2018 - STRIKE or BE STRUCK!

Last week I shared about the need to “play with a clear head.” I stated that “a player that is ‘hurried’ will make bad passes, take bad shots, and commit silly fouls…” In the practical portion of the devotion I shared some things that Louie Giglio shared about facing worry and fear… that we should replace them with worship and faith…

This week I want to share a very simple challenge with you… one that encourages you to focus in on worship!

In my sharing at the school I have recently written about some days on the soccer field in high school. We had a couple goalies that could really boot the ball. As a freshman I remember going out for practice and deciding to try to head the punts… and our keeper (Jeff Darnell) would kick it really high and really long; meaning the ball would come in with a lot of velocity… and could tend to hurt really bad! (Wondering how many times I should have gone into concussion protocol?)

Seriously, what I had to learn to do (and learn quickly) was to attack the ball; in other words, I had to generate some velocity on my end to impact the ball… not be impacted by the ball! I loved the feeling of striking the ball and sending it back to Jeff with force!

Life will come at us with a lot of velocity… you have to determine if you will be impacted by it or if you will create the impact… the impact of intentional worship or praise! STRIKE or BE STRUCK!

Set yourself up this week for listening to more praise music… sharing more praises… focusing on the goodness of God throughout your days… reading more Psalms… etc. In just a couple of weeks at the school I will be hosting a “worship week” at the school… let it start with us here… (READ PSALM 150)

…it can be our very own form of March MADness!

Side note: periodically I would misjudge my headers… taking my eye off the ball… on those punts that Jeff sent downfield… resulting in mishitting the ball… which could result in some pain when heading off the bridge of the nose. To remedy that I would put my hands up in the air to guide the ball in. Not sure if you are a “hand-raiser” in worship but there is some value in pointing your focus upward! Here’s a fun link for you to take a look at:

https://youtu.be/TK2_ezOBa2A

March 5, 2018 - Playing With A Clear Head

The past couple of weeks I have been able to see two completely different approaches to the game of life and their ensuing results…

First let me start with a quote from the great John Wooden (which I am sure I have quoted, probably many times, over the years of doing these weekly devotions.) Coach Wooden said, “be quick, but don’t hurry!” He knew that a hurried mind would result in silly mistakes and ultimately a meltdown in the game… I don’t have a clue of how many times over the years of coaching I have yelled out onto the court for my players to calm down… or to a free throw shooter to take a dep breath… etc. A player that is “hurried” will make bad passes, take bad shots, and commit silly fouls…

I won’t spend more time on the athletic picture… I think we all understand where I am coming from; and now I want to relate this truth to the game of life. We live in a society where many, no most, are “hurried”! The advance of technology has not led us to an easier pace of life, but instead to a more hectic one. I really believe the enemy is luring us into his full court trap by making us think we have a clear path…

Think about it, we are stuck always expecting things to happen right away… we literally live our days out in stress… and as a result I counsel people daily that are wrecked with anxiety and depression. I even heard on the radio a couple days ago that pediatricians are suggesting that parents regularly screen their children for depression…

I could write for a long time on this subject but let me encourage you to hop onto YouTube and look up Louie Giglio When Darkness Falls; it is an honest look at what he went through a few years ago and the things the Lord showed him to bring him out of it. (It is a great message for any of us to watch as it gives practical approaches to dealing with life’s full court press…

I will tell you that this week alone I counseled a family where a man literally went from “flight mode” to “fight mode” in a split second and made choices that have wrecked his and his family’s world. And I could go on and on with negative examples… but let me jump to the positive…

Giglio shares in his message about the importance of worship, and how worship cripples fear and worry. He encourages us to let the God “Who gives songs in the night.” (Job 35:10) I love that passage, in it Elihu is rebuking the older guys for having no answer to Job’s stress… and he reminds us to turn to God, Who will give us a song in the midst of our night. (Night here refers to anguish and pain we suffer…)

I watched this in action a couple weeks back as Lisa and I traveled on a worship tour with a group of students. I challenged them before the trip to unplug from the craziness of the social media and from music that doesn’t build up; and instead to plug into talk that encourages, music that lifts, etc. In other words to focus on worship in all aspects of life. The results… amazing, to the point of unbelievable. Lisa even commented about half way through the trip that the kids’ countenance had even changed. We saw joy and peace that surpasses understanding… one student writing that he felt freer than he has ever been. Intentional worship led to a great week and it has carried over to us witnessing culture change here at home…

Louie mentions in his message that worship and worry can’t occupy the same place; and that some then state, “as soon as I stop worshipping the worry returns… to which Giglio responds, “don’t stop then!”

Life is fast paced… slow your minds down with intentional worship… your quality of life depends on it!