July 27, 2020 - NO WASTED DAYS!

Often in the sports world we build everything based upon future goals… what we want our team to accomplish at the end of the season… what accolades a player will receive after the end of the season… etc.

I am all for goals… and believe they can be good motivators. But, when future goals are primary motivator, it is easy to lose sight of today…

When things are not going well, looking to the future can be very ominous, or even hopeless… or when things are going well, it can cause false assurance. Either one can cause a lack of understanding the importance of TODAY! On the negative side it creates a “what’s the use?”-mentality; on the positive side it creates a “take a break today - get back to it tomorrow”-mentality.

As a coach, the goal is to ensure that the team understands the importance of TODAY in preparation for tomorrow… NO WASTED DAYS ENSURES THE BEST POSSIBLE TOMORROWS! I typically taught during camps or during seasons that the mirror each night was where one asks the question if the day was a success.

We are living in times where it is very easy to be focused on the future… wondering what things are going to look like? The Scriptures warn against living in the future…

In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us to “not worry about your life” (vs 25), remembering the God will take care of us! In Proverbs 27:1 we are told to “not boast about tomorrow” since the future involves unknown variables.

Again I am for goals… and in spite of an assurance that we win in the end (because of Christ’s performance/sacrifice)… let’s honor God with a “NO WASTED DAYS” mentality!

As a coach I’m just following Scripture… Hebrew 3:13 which says to “exhort one another daily, while it is called TODAY…”

July 20, 2020 - LET HIM DANCE!

One of the things I often told my players on defense was “Let him dance!” I’m sure that sounds strange coming from a basketball coach…

Yet what I found was that often times a player that wasn’t a great shooter (not a threat to score from outside), would rely on trying to bait or challenge his opponent into lunging at him on defense (out of the play) so he could get around him for a clear path to a lay-up or dunk. The bait was often in the form of fancy dribbling… maybe through the legs or behind the back… yet without real movement toward the goal… (The general rule of thumb is that you only have to get in tight on defense if the opponent is a threat to shoot from outside, or possibly is just a poor ball-handler that is not really a threat to get by the defender either.)

This is on my mind due to the cultural climate we are currently living in… one where I see a lot of “dancing” (arguing) issues that get us “out of position” to make a difference… I believe in having a strong defense… but remember the purpose of defense is to ultimately get the ball back to head to our “goal.”

Our goal is the Gospel! Everything we do should be to try to get there… when I taught apologetics, I would explain that the goal of giving a defense was to get to the Gospel, not to win an argument.

My good friend Roy Mason (of GEM [Global Evangelism Ministries]) shared a great sentiment in a recent vlog: You don’t have to attend every argument or fight you are invited to!

So much of what is going on today is the opponent dancing around hoping we will get out of position… yet the Scriptures tell us a different approach than “lunging on defense”: Romans 12

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I’ve heard it said that the best defense is a good offense… our goal is always the Gospel as it is the power to transform; MAKE SURE THE WAY YOU ARE PLAYING DEFENSE IS WITH THE GOAL OF GETTING TO OUR GOAL… THE GOSPEL!!! And stop lunging… let them dance!

July 13, 2020 - A Ready Posture To Make The Pass...

When I teach passing, I emphasize to the player without the ball that he needs to be standing in the ready position and look as though he wants the ball. When teaching kids, I often point out the type of youth player that stands with his arms at his side, shoulders slumped, etc. And then the player complains that he never gets the ball. There must be a posture of readiness…

Likewise, I teach the one with the ball the proper way to not only make different passes, but also why different types of passes are needed in order to be successful… (i.e. a chest pass is the fastest pass from point A to point B, but also the one that is easiest to steal or deflect, so a bounce pass becomes a better option in traffic…) I get as detailed as showing how to hold the ball, what the passer’s hands should do, and, of great importance, where the receiver should catch the ball…

And one thing I have found about readiness in passing, it is hard to make a pass or catch one with clenched fists… there must be open hands.

Last week I talked of the crazy times we are in, but the following truths are relevant for any time. To be successful in following the Great Commission of sharing the hope of the Gospel, there needs to be a posture of readiness and technique that can adapt to the situation. There has to be a proper posture and an “unclenching of fists” in order for the exchange to be made. Let me explain via a Biblical example:

In Acts 17 we find Paul ministering in Athens and taken by the philosophers to the Areopagus… Paul’s goal was to “pass” the good news of the Gospel on to them but made a choice to not “throw a chest pass” (not just make a direct statement about the Gospel.) Instead he “threw a bounce pass” where he started by praising them… vs 22 Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious…, which I believe caused them to “open up their hands to receive the pass”… and then he used the very objects of their worship to direct their attention to the one true God!

The simple point I am trying to make is that Paul did not go into the Areopagus to fight, but instead to share… his posture was one of respect, and he was able to share truth to some “open hands”! He didn’t come out swinging at their false beliefs… If we are trying to share God’s love, shouldn’t we try to do it without a fight?

Find ways to share the Gospel, that are culturally relevant. My simple rule is: The message is NEVER changing; but the methods are EVER changing!

A ready posture is one that understands the situation and makes the correct “pass”!

1 Corinthians 9:22b I have become all things to all men that, that I might by all means save some.

July 6, 2020 - Are You Ready?

In the midst of all of the uncertainties we have been facing in the world, I have heard/read many comments about how this may be the end of America as we know it… and then the Christian-based comments about how it may be the end of time as we know it, with the return of Christ at hand. I will repeat what I heard in a post today… not one of us can dogmatically claim to know the answer to this… BUT we do know we have been told in the Scriptures to be ready!

Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The word “watch” metaphorically carries the idea of giving strict attention to… cautious… active…

So, this week a simple reminder…

Whenever I teach passing at our camps, I give instruction to the person with the ball so they will be in the right position to make a crisp, catchable pass… I then also teach the player without the ball the importance of being in a ready position to receive the ball and do something with it… These things involve one’s posture and even the position of one’s hands.

This week I want to deal with a simple question and then next week a couple of specifics about our ready posture…

The question for this week is: “Are you ready?”

There are basically two parts intended for that question… if it is close to the return of Christ, (and we know for sure it is closer than it was yesterday), ARE YOU…

·         …sure you are part of the team He is returning for? You can know for sure… have you believed in the finished work of Christ on the cross paying for your sin, and the resurrection providing new life… (Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

·         …helping others to be ready for His return by being faithful to the Great Commission (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20) through the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) according to the Great Game Plan (Acts 1:8)?

We are living in crazy times, which should remind us of the urgency of the mission! Ephesians 5:16 tells us that we should be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Again, the plan for next week is to be a bit more specific about the posture of readiness…