June 28, 2021 - I'm going to take my talents to... the body of Christ!

As I started the day, I had a general idea of my “game plan” for this week’s devotion… but, as any coach will tell you, you have to be ready to make some “in-game adjustments.” Basically, I was going through some planning time and was interrupted by my daughter… she had been studying heavy for a project that our pastor had given her involving Romans chapter 12, and I began digging into the  . This chapter is most known for its first two verses… but has a lot of incredible truths to be found… So, I will start with where my crazy (maybe twisted) sports mind took me… 

“I’m going to take my talents to South Beach…” These words have gone down in history as part of LeBron James’s “Decision” to join the Miami Heat; a statement that has added fuel to the fire of LeBron haters who talk of his arrogance, but one ironically that was surrounded by statements he made that somewhat acknowledged he couldn’t do it on his own. He talked of the opportunities he had to win championships in Miami and the talents of the teammates he would have; and even commented on the “unselfishness” of Dwayne Wade to accept him in… And he praised the Miami Heat organization for taking the necessary steps to put a team of great players together.

So, how does this relate to Romans 12?

Verses 1 and 2 are verses that scream of Paul’s gratitude to God for His incredible gift of grace. It refers back to the groundwork that was laid in the first 11 chapters of the book, where it is explained what great lengths God went to in putting together “the team.” Showing that none of us were “righteous (good), no not one” (3:10)… that we “all fall short” (3:23)… and we are all “without strength” (5:6)… “BUT GOD” (5:8) sent a Substitute into the “game” to “play” on our behalf, making it possible for us to be “on the team” when the greatness of Christ is “imputed to us who believe in Him” (4:24)… And out of gratitude for what God has done for us so we could “make it on the team,” Paul says that based upon how God has so graciously served us in providing salvation, it is only “reasonable” (12:1) that we serve God!

The rest of the chapter goes on to explain the importance of that service in that God has also equipped us to play our unique part and make a difference on and for the team! It doesn’t allow for personal arrogance, as we are simply “members of one body (team)” and each has a different role to play…

So, reflect on God’s goodness in providing a way for you to be “on the team” --- and it is only reasonable that you then “take your talents to the body of Christ” to serve God and serve others!

June 21, 2021 - Right Teammates (Don't Run Alone)

Last night, the Philadelphia 76ers lost Game 7 of their series against the Atlanta Hawks… therefore the 76ers are heading home with a lot of questions. They have the personnel to receive a lot of high expectations… and they have fallen short. The job of the front office of a professional team is to put together the right pieces… players whose style of play fit together… players whose strengths can counteract opponents… players whose weaknesses won’t be exploited by the opponents… etc. 

I’m thinking of this because in Philly-Atlanta series… (and Philly’s series prior to this one), one of the superstars (and by that I am referring to the guys that get paid even more to perform), greatly underperformed on the offensive end. His name is Ben Simmons, (and as a sidenote, part of why he is paid the big money is because he is a great defender and a great assist-man… and he did both of those things very well in each series); but he is also expected to help carry the scoring load, and there he struggled mightily. He only took 4 shots total in the final game, even passing up one wide open dunk… probably because he is a horrible free throw shooter. In fact, he is such a poor free throw shooter that he set a historically low percentage from there in the playoffs (just 34%)… teams were intentionally hacking him to send him to the line…

I’m telling this long story for a relatively simple point I think we need to look at… when choosing or coaching a team, it is important to have the right teammates on the floor together during “crunch time” to finish strong. I returned today from a youth camp over the weekend. The theme was “Go for Gold” and the messages were centered on not only getting in the game but then on running and finishing well. The evening speaker (Pastor Matt Brooks) did a great job of explaining that we get “in the race” based upon what Jesus has done for us… not what we do for him. And he went on to then talk to challenge the “runners”…

The final message was centered on the fact that in order to be successful, we are not intended to run alone! I loved how Matt emphasized that salvation is a personal decision, but not intended to lead to an individual “sport”… Christianity, as explained throughout the New Testament, is a “team sport” that is intended to be lived out together!

So, the challenge was (and is) for the youth, and the adults that were there, and for us, is to carefully choose “teammates” to have on the floor during “crunch time.” Church (the Body of Christ) matters! Yes, I am talking about church services, but oh so much more… “not forsaking the assembling of our selves together” (Hebrews 10:25) is preceded in verse 24 by the command to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” WE ARE IN THIS THING TOGETHER… NOT CALLED JUST TO GO TO CHURCH BUT TO BE THE CHURCH!

I loved the very simple way Matt drove home the point of good “teammates”… he took us to 2 Timothy 4:6-7 where Paul shares that his “race”… his “season”… is ending… and he states that he has "fought" and "finished" well… that he has trusted God through it all.

Paul then goes on to end the letter (4:9-21) by asking Timothy to come see him, and lists numerous “teammates” that he knew would be an encouragement to him… why? Matt speculated that these are the ones that were with Paul in “crunch time” and probably lifted him up when he was down… gave him encouragement when he needed it… etc. I think they are the ones the helped “stir up love and good works” in Paul… and I am sure Paul did the same for them.

Seek the right type of “teammates”!

Be the right type of “teammate”!

June 14, 2021 - Better STRONG than Fast!

In my world of Total Player Academy training, I spend a lot of time working on not only skillset for a given sport, but also strength/agility/quickness of the athletes. The aspect I hear about most often tends to be the quickness or speed… In fact, when talking with young players or coaches in today’s basketball world I often hear how players of yesteryear could not make it in today’s game, because they are too slow or don’t jump high enough… 

This always makes me laugh a bit, especially when the MVP of this year’s NBA is a guy that is, comparatively speaking, slow and doesn’t jump well… Nikola Jokic. In fact, one article I read today, that was written a couple of years ago, said this about “The Joker” (his nickname): “Nikola Jokic is one of the most talented players in the NBA…. Can bang with the best big men in the league, pass like a point guard, and grab any rebound that comes his way… can shoot the ball from deep and take it inside… On thing that he isn’t, however, is athletic… In a league where posterizing dunks and high-flying feats of athleticism still dominate the highlight reels, Nikola Jokic has made his name WITHOUT ANY HOPS WHATSOEVER… His play style requires no athleticism and instead relies on skill.” (Sportscasting, by Zack Williams)

I often train kids that are not the most athletic kids, but my philosophy is that I would rather you be STRONG with the ball, than fast with the ball… (although if you can be fast also, I’ll take it!) If this were a basketball training blog, I would spend a lot of time talking about how this is done, but the principle is simply that I try to help my students develop a STRONG understanding of the game… and a STRONG stance where they can’t easily be knocked off of their line!

(Coach’s Side Note: to me, in basketball, being quick is more important than being fast… most of the “races” to the ball are very short sprints… so I want my players being quick… and that begins with being STRONG of mind in order to be the first moving… and STRONG of leg to explode from a proper alignment/stance… thus it is still most important to be STRONG!)

Shifting gears, I just sat a few minutes ago with a young man that has a “call” to ministry on his life… I was emphasizing the importance of being able to handle the Word of God accurately… of study and preparation…

A lot of young ministers have a lot of zeal and hit the ground running fast, but possibly not taking heed of the Word’s command to be STRONG!

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be STRONG in the Lord and in the POWER of His might.

2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be STRONG in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

A solid foundation in and on the Word of God will help keep you from getting knocked off your line!

Be STRONG!

June 7, 2021 - Sprint to Help Up a Fallen Teammate

I love this picture… the player from Tennessee had fallen and all 4 of his teammates that were on the floor, sprinted to him to help him up! On that particular play, the player that had fallen had just taken a charge… he got ran over by a player on the opposing team… 

Sounds a bit like life doesn’t it? Do you sometimes feel like you have been “run over’… or maybe you just messed up and “tripped”? Would you welcome teammates that were concerned with helping you up?

Why are those players helping up their teammate? In basketball, there can many reasons, starting simply with team camaraderie (teamwork)… yet it also allows for the fact that the fallen player expends less energy getting up when there is help… which benefits the team.

I read an article about the picture of the players helping up their teammate and loved a couple of the observations… Coach Rick Barnes (who happens to coach from his Biblical/Christian worldview) has a motto for his team: It’s not about me!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the concept of making the team you play for better… having a team-first attitude. That includes being there to help when a teammate has fallen! We are commanded to be there for one another… or in our pastor’s words this past week, to “run to other people’s messes.”

Therefore encourage one another and build (pick) up one another… 1 Thessalonians 5:17a (NASB)

As a general rule, we are very good at talking about love and caring in the body of Christ… but not always good at doing it. Let me share something one of Coach Barnes’s player said when talking about this motto/slogan…

“It’s not just on a wall… our guys really LIVE BY IT…” (UT assistant coach Kim English)

As a coach I often tell players, “Don’t tell me, show me!” Let’s get busy sprinting to others’ needs!