July 15, 2019 - More Makes than Misses!

I’ve loved seeing my buddy Jason Otter’s media posts the last couple years as he has had an increase in numbers of young players training in his basketball camps. It is truly amazing to see how progressed some of these kids are in their ball handling skills. It reminded me of when I was doing more clinics and the satisfaction that came with seeing a kid improving. (Jason sees that more often than I did because he’s a much better trainer…) Yet I also have seen many kids that struggled with the required motor skills to feel successful in the camp/clinic setting. The kids that struggled couldn’t wait for breaks or for the camp to end…


I started changing my approach to training a bit, (and my approach to giving parents counsel.) When dealing with young players, I am not as concerned with form as I am with “success.” If a kid has to use two hands to get it to the goal or has to shoot it granny-style (underhanded), I don’t care. When the kid sees the ball go in, he gets excited and starts to have fun… starts to love the game… and in turn is more apt to stick with the game. (I find as a coach you have to tweak shooting form constantly anyway as the kids get stronger. (Obviously there are the exceptions to the rule, that even when young can use proper form, etc.; but most need to learn to have fun playing the game!)


From a basketball perspective I thought of this through not only observation, but also hearing Pete Maravich interviewed about his practice habits. He stated that when taking shooting practice, he always wanted to be above 50%; therefore, when he would fall below that mark, he would move in and do some lay-ups to bump his numbers back up. He said there was something emotionally/mentally that would take place as long as he felt he was being more successful… making more than he was missing! And once his mind was right, he was more relaxed and would get back to shooting better from a distance.


I feel a bit like I am babbling tonight… but simply getting to the point that in order to want to be on the court in the game… to love the game, one has to feel a sense of success.


Many struggle with the Christian life… feeling like failures… feeling as though they miss more than they make…


I’m preparing to be one of the presenters at a conference this coming weekend called the Bold Grace Summitt. We are going through the book of Romans and emphasizing the amazing motivating power of grace… I am teaching from Romans 6 which has much to say about how we should “play the game on the court” of life.


There is so much in this chapter! Yet for the sake of the weekly devotion I want to point out something I shared last night with a group…


6:5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.


That caused me to take a look at what Scripture records about Jesus after the resurrection (since we get to be in that likeness.) What I found was that yes, He gave us some very clear “plays to run” called the Great Commission. Yet, He also gave a clear indicator that He wants us to feel good about being “on the court”!


John 20 records what Jesus says to His disciples that were hiding in a room… Jesus has just risen from the dead… one would think He would be rebuking them for hiding in a room… or telling them what they should and shouldn’t do… Instead, He states to them “Peace be with you” (vs 19) and “Peace to you” (vs 21); then 8 days later when Thomas joins them, “Peace to you.”(vs 26)


So how could they live the resurrected life of peace? By knowing that because of Jesus we win! Jesus’s resurrection brought them a mindset that there was truly nothing to fear… they could be at peace… they could face persecution and even death because the victory is won!


Feel like I should do more teaching of what I mean here, but bottom line is that whatever you may be going through, if you are a believer in the finished work of Christ on your behalf for salvation, remember it is finished work! “Play the game” with confidence… love being “on the court”… play in peace!