December 26, 2023 - Did You See What I Saw?

Did You See What I Saw? (Or Do You Hear What I Hear?) 

I love watching highlight reels of amazing plays… just this morning I watched a great pass fake from Luka Doncic leading to an easy bucket that made the opponent look silly… an amazing, high-flying dunk by Aaron Gordon that was titled “Poster for the Win!”… I love sharing those types of clips with my sports friends…

Recently I was at a college recruiting visit with my daughter Faith and we met a young lady on the team that had been in the number 1 spot on SportsCenter Top 10 list… the coach couldn’t wait to share that with us… and then I had to in turn pull it up and share it with Faith’s HS coaches… friends... family… etc.

The reality is that when something amazes us, we tend to share it with others… At times we watch players just waiting for highlights (i.e., every time Zion Williamson catches the basketball!)

This day after CHRISTmas, take a look at what took place right after the birth of Christ:

The shepherds, who had been given a promise from the angel about the Savior, ran to see the highlight and then the Scripture records: Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it MARVELED at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (Luke 2:17)

They couldn’t wait to share the highlight… then a short time later we hear of another who lived in anticipation of this highlight…

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, WAITING FOR the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. (Luke 2:25-26)

This guy lived in anticipation of the highlight to come… and once He met the Savior he stated:

Lord, now you are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32)

I don’t know how quickly Simeon passed away after this, but do know that he lived out his days in peace… which means confidence and secure in the Lord! And I can only assume that he, like the shepherds, shared this highlight with all he met…

Did you see what I saw? Have you seen the Savior… His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection… have you trusted in that for your salvation?

If so, shouldn’t that amaze you? And if it amazes you, isn’t that a highlight you should share with others? I mentioned that I share sports highlights with sports fans… yet this message, according to Simeon, is BEFORE THE FACE OF ALL PEOPLES.

Here are the lyrics to a great old hymn (and old-timers reading this, I dare you to try to read it without singing it… in parts…)

I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)

Verse 1:
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
a sinner, condemned, unclean.

Chorus:
How marvelous! How wonderful
And my song shall ever be
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me

Verse 2:
He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone

Verse 3:
When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see, ‘
Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me

December 19, 2023 - The Amazing... Obvious... Number 1 Choice!

Obviously, if you have followed this blog for any length of time, you know I tend to fall back to the basketball world for what I draw from… this week will be no exception to the rule…

Even though we are young in the NBA season, there is already great talk of the bottom-feeder teams tanking to get a better shot at the next number 1 pick in the draft lottery… why? Because there is great expectation of the savior of a franchise… Victor Wembanyama… 7’4” tall… 18 yr old… incredibly skilled… the most talked about prospect since LeBron James finished high school. This kid, barring injury, os a game-changer and the only logical number 1 pick for whoever gets that right…

This kid seems to be destined for greatness and we will see the fans lined up in droves to welcome him to whatever franchise drafts him… they may even be waving palm branches!

I mention palm branches because of the great expectations Israel had for the “Coming King.” The palm leaves that were waved and laid on the ground for Jesus’ entrance entrance into Jerusalem at the end of His earthly life were signifying the expectation of victory or triumph. What they ignored was the humble way Jesus came to earth… through a simple teen age girl… with the only fanfare being that of the angels sharing “good tidings of great joy” that would be the “Savior”! (Luke 2:10-11) An announcement, not of extreme size or strength or power… not made to the movers and shakers of society… but one of a “babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes” (vs 12) that was introduced to lowly shepherds… a “Savior” that would eventually ride into Jerusalem, not on a stallion signifying victory and triumph, but on a donkey signifying peace… (which was the promise made to the shepherds… “on earth peace, good will toward men!” (vs 14)

This CHRISTmas season let’s remember lines from a song I have shared on here in the past… “Isn’t it amazing, the way He came… no crown, no throne, no big parade… there were no fanfares played, no jubilant display, isn’t it amazing how He came?”

One of the verses in the song says this: “Can’t believe that I would be the reason why He came… can’t believe He left His royal throne… He became a pauper, so that I could be a king… He denied Himself to make my heart His home!”

I love celebrating the number 1, and only viable, pick of God to be the Savior of the world… Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

December 12, 2022 - Green Thumb Coaching

What is the job of a coach?

The most obvious answer that people give would be to win ballgames… I’ve heard the sound bites over and over of coaches that were fired and said something along the lines of, “I was hired to win games.”

Vince Lombardi is often quoted as saying, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

Yet, I have often shared one of my favorite quotes from Alonso Stagg, who after a good year of winning games was addressed by an exuberant reporter who what he thought of his team… to which Stagg replied that he would let him know in 20 years…

I love quotes like the following:

“Our emphasis is on execution, not winning.” Pat Summitt

“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can’t take himself.” Bill McCartney

“When people ask me if I miss coaching… the championships… the attention… the trophies… I tell them I miss the practices.” John Wooden

We all love to see an d experience victories, but there are so many variables to that… unexpected injuries… just an off night… the opponent is simply better… and life is that way…

It is hard to judge when determining success by wins vs losses… too many life variables come into play. That is why I really like Coach Summits quote about execution… what matters is not ultimately what the scoreboard says, but how are we handling the current situation.

As a coach… leader… parent… our job is to train in proper, God-honoring execution. We are to build up our players… employees… kids.

Ephesians 6:4 gives the admonition to fathers to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

There is the “coaching” aspect… “training and admonition” has the idea of the total education of the child… (it is why we call our training leg of the ministry The Total Player Academy.) And the words “bring them up” carry the idea of nurturing or encouraging growth… Basically it is helping those under your guidance achieve their best! (I love how Galatians 6:9 even corrects how we serve as bosses and coaches… “giving up threatening”… but still in the vein of nurturing…

My view of coaching was to always try to put players in a position to help them reach the next level… this involved maybe playing them in a position more conducive to what they would play at the college level… or maybe benching them for a game, with an eye on lessons for when they are in the work force… BOTTOM LINE was always growth. Biblical leadership is about gardening!

GREEN THUMB COACHING!

 

December 5, 2022 - The Team Can Count On Me, Can It Count On You?

When you join a team, what do you expect? Do you simply look forward to seeing your name on the roster, or do you look forward to getting in the game?

When the coach puts you in the game, what do you expect? Do you simply want to stand on the court/filed so people can see you or do you look forward to scoring… or making a great pass… or getting a great block or tackle or hit…?

Often when we talk about or present salvation, we focus on the individual benefit of heaven vs hell… or we might mention our new found citizenship (team)… which by the way are amazing truths!!! Cue the song, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God - I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood! Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, for I’m part of the family, the family of God.” (written by Bill and Gloria Gaither) Maybe we need to key not just on individual benefits of salvation, but also how it benefits the team…

But what does it mean to be “a part” as “we travel this sod”?

If you have followed these devotions for any length of time, you know that I love words… not just speaking or writing a lot of them… but breaking down the meaning…

The word “part” is the key one here… when you become a “part of the family of God” what do you expect? Yes, the word “part” indicates we become a portion of what makes up the whole of the “family of God” (Team Jesus) The word also means “the contribution made by someone or something to an action or situation.” (Online Oxford Languages)

So we we discuss being a part of something we should also discuss what contribution one is making… Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had a similar thought:

2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

The challenge is to not waste the opportunity to play our part on the team… the word “vain” has the ideas of playing the game without effect…

Paul later, in verse 12, states, “You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.”

So if you are not making a difference in the game, it is not because the Coach is not putting you in or wanting to play you… it very well may be because your heart/passion (“affections”) is elsewhere… your head is not in the game…

I believe if you are reading this, you probably want to make a difference… I challenge you to consider your playmates and playgrounds (thanks Q for reminding me of that phrase) and if they are keeping you from playing your role… your part…

I am glad I am part of the family (team) of God… and I want you to know you can count on me to play my part… can we count on you to be a difference maker?

November 28, 2022 - Be An Impact Player!

Are you an impact player?

What does that mean? As a young athlete I must confess that I usually thought of that just as the player that had the biggest stat line… which is possibly true, but not always true… That is why we now see things like a plus/minus rating showing how the team is doing when a player is on the court… we see things like a PER, player efficiency rating… These are ways to try and determine not only one’s individual contributions, but also one’s effect on the team. A player’s contribution does not always show up on the stat line.

(Great Example: Last night as I watched a basketball game on ESPN, the commentators spent a significant amount of time discussing a player that didn’t even get in the game. The player, Conrad Hawley - who happens to be the nephew of one of my dear friends, warmed-up with a camera attached to him… he is apparently nicknamed the CEO – Chief Energy Officer – for the Iowa State Cyclones. It was discussed how he chose college basketball over college football because of how he could be a part of, and impact, the team culture. They talked of how he impacted practices. Not only did they discuss him at length during one segment, but his name was also brought up other times throughout the game. I don’t ever recall hearing that much about the impact of a player that would not even appear in the box score…)

I could go on and on with this example but simply want this week to encourage us to seek significance over status! I typically refer to the basketball idea of being a “triple threat”; we each have “the ball” in our hands when it comes to determining how we are going to spend our lives. When the ball is in hand we can:

Shoot to score: we all know folks that need to hear the Gospel! Share the life-transforming good news of the Substitute whenever there is an opening…

Dribble to create space: in our basic serving of others, it can often lead to openings to score. By serving others it creates the platform for others to listen to the Gospel… (It is over-dribbling when we ignore Gospel opportunities)

Pass to teammates that are in position to score: Sometimes we are presented with a better option of providing resources to teammates that are already positioned to share the Gospel…

Yesterday in church the pastor was challenging us to live lives of impact… lives that matter… he landed on this great reminder:

SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS. THAT WE MAY GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM. (Paslm 90:12)

The idea of “number” is not just to count them, but to prepare and appoint each day to one of “wisdom”… the word wisdom here has the idea of skill… administration… shrewdness… In other words significance, not waste.

Look at how you are investing your time and energy for the team… be an IMPACT PLAYER!

As I scrolled through the passage of Scripture that was his main text, I came across this beautiful benediction:

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and ESTABLISH THE WORK OF OUR HANDS FOR US; YES, ESTABLISH THE WORK OF OUR HANDS. (Psalm 90:17)

[Shameless Plug: I’m writing this on the eve of Giving Tuesday – as you consider the possibility of “making a pass” (INVESTING) resources… look to INVEST for Gospel-IMPACT! InBounds Ministries is in the midst of our 4^th Quarter Push to “end 2022 strong and start 2023 stronger”… we have been positioned to “score” and need help from teammates… (i.e., In February of ’23 we will be in Budapest Hungary)]

November 21, 2022 - Duties of the Grind

Today’s practice or game matters! We’ve recently been talking about focusing on the journey more than the destination… this is not to say that we shouldn’t have dreams of championships, BUT…

I write this week as I also work on ministry plans for next year… which involves dreaming, and sometimes dreaming big. Yet I know that I cannot wait until January 1 and expect things to be in place…

Years ago as I challenged our school’s football team before a big game, I simply reminded them that winning the championship would ultimately be the result of attention to details… with the mantra, “win the down!”

James says it this way, “Come now you who say, ‘today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow…” (James 4:13-14b)

Basically we are being reminded we don’t know about tomorrow… injuries?... pandemics?... the economy crashing?...

Please note, I am not trying to rain on anyone’s parade… to the contrary, I want you to have a championship parade! I just know the path to that begins with being the best we can be today!

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” Muhammad Ali

Galatians 6:5 has a very simple statement: For each one shall bear his own load.

In other words, take care of your business today!

Dreams of championships are fueled by the duties of the grind! Get after it! Coach B

November 14, 2022 - Which Way Should I Go?

Lately we (my family and I) have been talking a lot about God’s will and what that looks like… and last week I touched on the fact that we need to not always be looking at circumstances; I mad ethe following point: “I remember many times that players would question my decisions based upon the score of a game and not the effect on the season or seasons to come.” In other words we used the scoreboard to determine if we were doing the right thing… I also think we tend to use the “scoreboard” (circumstances) to determine if we are heading in the right direction (following God’s will.)

My whole life I have heard the ideas that God’s will is based upon “open doors”; and the adverse, whenever things have gone wrong (closed doors) it is assumed that a person is not in God’s will. I am not saying that God can’t or won’t open and shut doors, but if that is our primary way of making decisions, I believe we will miss out on many opportunities God has for us. Too many times I hear of someone feeling led to do something for the Lord and just waiting for the open doors, yet I believe if God has truly laid something on your heart, you should try to knock the doors down.

In fact, in basketball, I often taught our defense to present an “open door” to an opponent in order to lure them into trapping situations…

An ”open door/closed door” theology makes a lot of assumptions:

1.       That God is the one that opened or closed it…

2.       That God doesn’t have plans later down a path to open a door or close it…

3.       That God has the same destination in mind as we do… (i.e., maybe plans to use one path simply to prepare for another one)

4.       That closed doors are just to change our direction and forgetting they may be circumstances designed to strengthen us…

I’m sure I could go on but here is my point simply put:

1.       Joseph wouldn’t have made it to the place if not for some closed cell doors…

2.       Paul wouldn’t have reached the Philippian jailer and his family if he would have went through an open cell door…

I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray for direction, and I do believe God gives peace in decisions (or as I was told Dr. Cambron stated, “when I have more peace about going than staying…”) I’m just saying that circumstances alone are a poor indicator.

 What I do know about God’s will:

1.       He wants people to be saved… so share the Gospel (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

2.       He wans us to be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

3.       He wants us live wisely and soberly so we can make a difference in this world (Ephesians 5:15-20)

4.       He wants us to live holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

5.       And check out how the Message paraphrases Micah 6:8…”But He has already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously--- take God seriously.”

Could it be that we get too caught up in where we are going instead of in how we are getting there?

(One thing I know for sure, His will for where we should go will NEVER contradict His will for how we should get there!)

November 7, 2022 - Stop Counting!

As I was sitting in church yesterday morning, I was again struck by my strange way of thinking… I spend a lot of time talking about grace and faith… and what that really means. That in and of itself is not strange, but after almost 21 years of these sports-themed devotions, I always see coaching/playing parallels with Biblical truths… and then yesterday evening as I huddled up with a couple of coaches, we again drew sports parallels to Biblical truths.

Lately we have been keying on the team and being a good teammate, and a lot of that ends up boiling down to another important truth (which I have written about many times over the years), trusting the coach! It is much easier to focus on our roles as players when trusting the direction we are heading in.

This is especially true with new coaches or new programs, where a new culture is being established. And it is much harder to accomplish when the scoreboard or record have us on the losing end… times when we are having to be reminded about the difference between winning a battle vs winning a war… I remember many times that players would question my decisions based upon the score of a game and not the effect on the season or seasons to come. I’ve asked players… students… my own kids… many times to trust me, even when they couldn’t see the projected outcome.

Well I feel like I am rambling a bit (which those that have been in my huddles, or services, know happens easily)… but bottom line is that we tend to spend too much time looking at life’s current circumstances and allowing that to cause us to question the Coach. I know that sounds harsh, but we spend way too much time questioning God, or let me be more blunt, distrusting God. When life doesn’t line up the way we want it, we tend to try to take things in our own hands instead of trusting the Coach!

This truth came out in the message yesterday when one of our pastors (Clay Minor) was sharing about King David’s disobedience to God in taking a census of his men… looking for confidence in numbers instead of in God…

David went against God’s word and wise counsel (2 Samuel 24) and afterwards was broken before the Lord admitting, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done…” (vs 10) Clay did a good job of reminding us that it was not a sin of census-taking but a sin of not trusting God.

If you personally want peace… if you want a positive team culture in the body of Christ… stop being driven by “the score” or your “record” [circumstances] and focus on, what we have been talking about the last few weeks, the good of the team! This is rooted in simply “playing’ in a way that has confidence in the Coach… which allows us to “play” freely.

Clay’s bottom line was: Don’t count, trust.

October 31, 2022 - How is my play affecting the team?

Why should we avoid turnovers in a game? It gives the opponent the ball…eliminating our chance to score on that possession…

Why do we try to cut down on the penalty flags being thrown? It hurts our field position either offensively or defensively...

Why do we keep our heads up when dribbling a basketball? We need to be able to see openings… to see our teammates…

Why do we need to learn our part in the plays? If anyone fails to do his part the play falls apart…

I’m asking a lot of “duh” questions… but there is a point. I’ve recently been talking about the team concept we are supposed to have… and how we are supposed to read The Playbook… last week I brought up that even the “examine himself” command in 1 Corinthians 11 is, in context, a command to look at our team relationships…

So, this week, I am taking a different approach to the same topic… instead of how we look at the playbook, how should we look at the stat sheet (in examining ourselves.)

In many ways I wish they would do away with showing individual scoring, but since they do, what if we viewed that column as a look at how I helped or hurt the team… instead of look how good or how bad I was this game…

When looking at turnovers, instead of a look how I stunk it up, a look at where I cost the team a possession…

When I look at a teammate’s stat line that maybe is not good, asking what did I do or not do to affect his game… instead of getting down on him…

When I look at a teammate’s stat line that is good, celebrating and asking how I can help him do even better, knowing that means the team is doing better… instead of being jealous of him…

If it is truly about team, it should change the way we view things. As I was studying in Ephesians this weekend I was trying to look at things from the we-perspective instead of the me-perspective. As I got into the list of some of the individual things I need to be aware of, I was excited to see a pattern…

In Ephesians 4 it is describing what our team should look like… and it gives some basics… don’t lie… handle your anger properly… don’t steal… watch your speech… get rid of bitterness / anger / clamor / evil speaking / malice… a pretty good list to avoid turnovers and penalties… yet I go back to why we should avoid turnovers and penalties… FOR THE GOOD OF THE TEAM!

So let’s take a very quick look at the list:

Vs. 25 Don’t lie… do speak the truth… for we are members of one another (TEAM)

Vs. 26 Don’t sin in your anger… it gives the devil a place in the huddle

Vs. 28 Don’t steal… instead work, so you can give to others

Vs. 29 Don’t speak ugly… only what is good and necessary to the TEAM and imparts GRACE

Vs 31-32 Don’t be bitter, wrathful, angry, etc… be kind to one another (TEAM), tenderhearted, forgiving one another

We tend to say things like don’t lie with the reasoning being it makes you a bad person… when in reality the motivation is ultimately because it hurts the TEAM!

So whether it be learning The Playbook or examining the stat sheet, let’s do it with the primary question being “how does/has my play affect(ed) the TEAM?”

October 24, 2022 - This Team Called The Church

Have you ever messed up in the game? Maybe you missed a shot or made a bad pass… maybe you struck out… maybe you fumbled… you get the picture… It is such a bummer when trying to make a play and you hear the referee blow the whistle… or maybe you complete a play only to turn, see a flag, and have it called back. Or maybe it is simply that you got knocked down or were exhausted… 

And when you messed up, how did your teammates treat you?

I often write about how Jesus treated life’s mess ups… while we were yet sinners, He died for us! (Romans 5:8) But what about our teammates on this team called the church?

Growing up I used to hear that the church was the only army that shoots its wounded… and I must say that once saved, I saw/experienced a lot of ungrace. I would hear the chatter telling us to “be accountable” to one another, but…

Back to the sports picture… I love seeing teammates rush over to help a fallen teammate… I love hearing teammates tell another to “get ‘em next time!”… as I am typing this my mind rushed back to the 3^rd base line dugout at South Little League Park in Evansville, IN… I was somewhere in the 9-12 year old range of when I played there… but I have a vivid memory of heading back to the dugout after striking out and telling the guy on deck to “pick me up.” I LOVE BEING A PART OF A TEAM!

Last week I ended by stating that I would share a “beautiful reminder I heard at a conference” of what this TEAM orientation should look like. The speaker, Ed Underwood, made a comment that perked up my ears… I heard him share this at a previous conference as well… but this time my mind was really fixated from my recent studies on the idea of TEAM. Ed stated, “I don’t believe in accountability!” (or something along those lines…) Well of course that catches people’s attention, as it goes against what all of us have probably heard throughout our lives. But his explanation showed why this has often led to the church appearing to “shoot its wounded.” Ed stated that accountability is more like everyone having a referee’s whistle to blow when others mess up. He stated he wanted guys to block for him to help keep him out of trouble… guys to extend a helping hand when he did fall… guys to fill in and give him a break when he was in need… HE WANTED TEAMMATES NOT REFEREES! He chooses to not call that accountability, but instead “protective love.”

As I was studying the past few days for a message I preached yesterday, I found myself in Ephesians 4, and the first descriptors I found that to describe what it looks like to “walk worthy” were “lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3) To walk worthy begins with what kind of teammates we are!

And I know that some of you wannabe referees are thinking, “yeah but we still have to stand for truth and call out error and…” Can I be very blunt in this huddle, (I asked permission but I’m gonna do it even if you said no)? Everyone needs to be quiet in the huddle for a minute and let the Word speak! I just shared how it is described in  Ephesians 4… but then I turned to 1 Corinthians 11 as I knew I was leading into a time to celebrate the Lord’s Supper at the end of my message… and instead it became a HUGE part of my message.

All of my Christian life I have been encouraged, and encouraged others, to make sure and examine oneself in order to partake in a worthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:27-32); even the added headers in the Bible state “Examine Yourself.” So of course, I always viewed that as a command to try to acknowledge where I had messed up in my “play.” BUT IN CONTEXT the examination is to examine how I have messed up in treating my teammates! Before the discussion of the Lord’s Supper the discussion is about divisions and factions among the team… and after the discussion of the Lord’s Supper it gives directions to “wait for one another.” (1 Corinthians 11:33b) I looked up the word “wait,” and it means to receive or accept one another! It is not a chronological command but a showing grace command! And for those that still cant get over the lack of dealing with the bad stuff, Paul told the Corinthians that he, as the coach (leader) would address that stuff when he got there…

Bottom line is that the team called Church tends to have way too many coaches and not enough players when it comes to dealing with issues… just play the game and show some protective love to your teammates!

“Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection!” Ed Underwood

October 17, 2022 - Reading The Playbook Correctly

As a player, I loved looking at the playbook and seeing what plays were designed for me… when I was getting the ball and getting to score… it bolstered my pride and also made me know the coach believed in me.

I have often taught from that second perspective, reminding believers that the Coach believes in us and loves us and has planned on our behalf… Yet there is a danger in just focusing on that idea. As a player it could lead to pride, especially if there were a lot of plays designed that way AND if we get caught up in the notion that the one who scores is the star.

What if a player only studied the playbook to see what personal gain there is… ignoring the plays where he is responsible to set the pick or maybe even be a decoy… or maybe it is a play designed for when he is not even in the game? In these plays it is important to not miss an assignment… or even to just be an encourager from the bench remembering that the team practiced together to prepare one another for this play.

What if we started reading The Playbook with the idea of focusing on the team instead of as an individual? I think we will find that MANY of the passages we tend to read as geared toward the individual are actually team-centered…

Abraham was blessed as an individual in that there would become a great nation (team) [Genesis 12:2]… there is the oft-quoted Jeremiah 29:11 where there is the promise that God has “thoughts of peace” and a promise of “a future and a hope”… yet this was a promise to Israel (the team) not to the individuals (in fact it was on a 70+-year delay… read vs 10)…

And then one of my favorites is Ephesians 2:10: For we (plural, the team) are His workmanship (singular, one masterpiece or work of art), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Let’s read The Playbook and look at life with the idea of how we work together as one in Christ! Let’s read it for “we not me!” Let’s make the team the star of the show… (next week I plan to share a beautiful reminder I heard at a conference about how we live and serve together as a team…)

October 10, 2022 - The Foundation

I’m sitting in a hotel room in Ft Worth, TX in the midst of the Free Grace Alliance International Conference… the theme this year is: What difference does it make? (Referring to a proper understanding and teaching of grace...) 

I just finished putting together a few slides for a short presentation I am sharing tomorrow morning about InBounds Ministries… I was given 3-minutes, and right now many reading this are laughing hysterically as they know I would have trouble just giving my name in 3 minutes, as they know I would want to give some illustration about it… and after 20+ years of these weekly devos, would want it to have a sports twist… so for those that read this Monday night or Tuesday morning, lift a prayer for not only clarity but also brevity…

Yet the question that is the theme, is the foundational, FUNdaMENTAL core of what makes us not only a part of God’s team, but also what makes us effective players on God’s team! If we do not get the proper view of grace, we will start every “play” in the Christian life from the wrong place… and thus the “play” will break down! If we fail at the FUNdaMENTALs, no matter how good of athletes we are, we won’t be able to be successful in the game…

Imagine with me a guy that runs faster and jumps higher than everyone else, does that mean he will be the best basketball player? No way, what if he can’t dribble, pass, or shoot… what if he doesn’t understand how to play defense… or even more absurd, what if he has no clue which basket to shoot at…

Our confidence… our assurance… our motivation… our joy… our peace all rest in the GRACE and GOODNESS of our God. Getting on the team is not about our performance for Him, but His performance for us… not our obedience to Him, but His “obedience, to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8)… BY GRACE ALONE, THROUGH FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE!

[Old hymn: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”]

We not only get salvation by FAITH in the finished work of Christ that was because of His GRACE, but we also then live according to that same idea of trust (FAITH) in His goodness and GRACE!

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by FAITH in Jesus Christ… (Galatians 2:16a)

…and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by FAITH in the Son of God who loved me and GAVE Himself for me. I do not set aside the GRACE of God… (Galatians 2:20b-21a)

God’s GRACE makes all the difference in the world…

October 3, 2022 - Defining Coaching Success

Most of the time when we talk about great coaches, we measure their success by championships won… or maybe how many players they are sending to the next level. I know when people talk to me about my coaching background, the thing that catches their attention is when I talk about the guys I got to coach that went on to play D1 ball, even though on many of them, I had little to no part in actually getting them there. I would venture to say that I actually did a better job coaching in some of our losses… times wheh we were completely outmanned and still competed and made the opponents have to work hard for a “W”!

Then there is the approach, in defining coaching success, which I have written about on occasions based upon a quote from Coach Alonso Stagg when a reporter mentioned the great year his team had… he responded: “I won’t know for another 20 years or so if you are right.” He recognized that it was more important to build life transforming character into his players that to just win ball games. And I admit I love seeing former players, students, youth group members, etc. that are honoring the Lord with their lives… and feeling like I may have had a small part in that.

This week my mind shifts to a different way of looking at coaching success… it is based upon time I have been spending reflecting and evaluating our ministry over the years and balancing it with who I am now (as an old geezer.) One’s “coaching tree” tells a lot about one’s success. It is important to pour into others that will carry on the “work.” A coaching tree involves having assistants that go on to be head coaches…

There are often stories about pro or college coaches’ coaching trees… I looked up one article in prepping for this week that had the author’s rankings of greatest college basketball coaching trees… He mentioned many coaches I would have thought of right off the top of my head, but not sure I would have landed on his “number 1” choice… Larry Brown. Coach Brown spent time in both the college and pro basketball world and has left a trail of great coaches. The article shares a quartet of assistants that Larry had while he coaches at Kansas over a 5-year span. During that time KU won a national championship and averaged 27 wins per year. The writer said, “It’s no wonder the Jayhawks won… They had the best collection of instructors imaginable.”

I think the lesson to learn here, (as I grow older and have often stated I love “coaching the coaches”), is that maximum impact comes from replicating oneself… but of course oneself has to be worth replicating.

Paul said this to Timothy: Hold fast the pattern of SOUND words which, you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was COMMITTED to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. (2 Timothy 1:13-14)

SOUND: Free from a mixture of error… if you are going to replicate, it needs to be based on truth!

COMMITTED: Something that is deposited… entrusted… and to be conscientiously delivered unto others… there is intentionality in this process!

I love the way vs 14 is worded in the NASB as Paul exhorts Timothy: Guard,… the TREASURE which has been ENTRUSTED to you.

Do you have anyone you are pouring into? Is your coaching tree branching out? Will your ministry keep going when you grow old?

[I will be sharing this week some plans we have to intensify our efforts to replicate leadership]

September 26, 2022 - It may throw the whole play off...

When a player doesn’t run a play right, (i.e., goes to the wrong spot or makes the wrong cut or doesn’t set a pick or… you get the picture), it throws the whole play off...

I see a lot (and hear a lot) of debates theologically… and, to be honest, avoid them on the internet as I don’t see that forum as a place where many arguments are won, but more of a place where like-minded folks give thumbs up and opponents spew insults… and divides are dug deeper.

This week’s devo is more about encouraging or challenging us to always take a look at the starting point of our “plays” to make sure we are “running” them correctly… and to evaluate why/where we enter into the debates.

First and foremost, theological debates must start and end at GRACE! Yes, I am aware that TRUTH must be a part… but TRUTH-GRACE=BEING ARROGANT AND ARGUMENTATIVE (and neither of those are listed in the Fruit of the Spirit!)

To be honest, this week’s plan was more out of a desire to go against my weekly game plan of writing game plans and to make a theological point about why I disagree with some folks… I decided to stick to the game plan!

Make sure you begin your theological endeavors with:

I do not set aside the GRACE of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. (Galatians 2:21)

One’s theology MUST FIT into this TRUTH!

As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife. (Proverbs 26:21)

One’s approach should not be ARGUMENTATIVE and ARROGANT!

(Side note: the internet is an easy platform to type in one’s idea of TRUTH… but a difficult place to type where others see GRACE… in fact it may throw off the play!)

September 19, 2022 - Does the coach have a clue?

Coaches are often heavily scrutinized by the fans… fans that make assumptions and draw conclusions about them that are based upon single seasons or single games or even single plays… all the while not knowing/seeing the end picture the coach is vying for… and thus being more than willing to give complaints and/or advice…

When I was coaching I found myself needing to make decisions that affected long term goals for the individual players and for the team. For instance, if a player made a bad play, I had to determine if it were better for the player to stay on the floor and play through it to learn, or come out of the game because of fatigue or to receive further instruction (or maybe a bit of a chewing out… when my wife hated seeing my “coach face.”) At times I felt the whole team play through a rough stretch, while other times they needed a timeout (or a substitution of a whole new 5 players)… at times I entered an entire season knowing it would be a rough time on the scoreboard/record, but excited to build a new culture.

All of those choices potentially caused confusion in the stands… with fans wondering what I was doing… some asking why I wasn’t benching the kid that messed up… or parents angry I benched their kid… folks curious why I wasn’t calling a timeout… folks wondering why we weren’t winning more.

My point this week is that none of the scenarios I mentioned, whether I took action or allowed it to go on, diminished my authority or control as the coach. The only thing each circumstance did, was allow each player and spectator to determine if they trusted my wisdom and my character as  the coach.

I daily hear of folks debating God’s sovereignty… and what that means. I hear or read from theologians dissecting Scriptures to try to prove what they think God’s sovereignty means… preachers and counselors casting their views of sovereignty into their answers to life’s trials and tribulations…

I’m not going to try to solve all the deep theological debates here in a blog, but will offer a simple truth for us to remember as players and/or fans… God’s sovereignty is rooted in His AWARENESS (omniscience) and AUTHORITY, and is evidenced in either His ACTIVITY of His ALLOWANCE! You may wonder why He would ever allow bad things, yet, just like a coach, He knows that sometimes we get stronger/better by “playing through it,” BUT other times we may need “benched.” (Remember that ALLOWANCE and ACTIVITY (causation) are not the same thing…

I loved a line my pastor  used yesterday: “Today’s difficulties may be preparing you for tomorrow’s opportunity.” (Matt Brooks)

Even if you don’t understand the circumstances, don’t question the wisdom and character of the Coach (God)!

Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor (in coach terms, who can give advice to God)?” (Romans 11:33-34)

Definitions matter… my definition of the sovereignty of God (which I won’t debate online) is not that He is controlling… but that HE IS IN CONTROL! Therefore, I trust His decisions!

September 12, 2022 - Put The Ball In The Right Basket

This week’s game plan is a result of time spent this past Friday sharing with some high school athletes in Oregon… and the topic is one that I am sure we have covered over the years BUT a topic we need to be continually reminded of…

Let me start with asking you some questions? How many different plays are used in basketball? That is a bit of a silly question as plays are innumerable as they are the product of a coach’s imagination… We could talk about the 12, or so, basic sets that plays start from… I’ll get back to this…

As I spoke to the group Friday, I asked the question of how many known religions there are… and one of the guys immediately responded, “thousands.” I was a bit shocked as that is the first time I have received an accurate guess (according to the internet there 4000+ known religions.) I followed up with a simple question, “can they all be right?” To which I had numerous immediate responses of “Yes”…

I greatly appreciated the feedback from the athletes… appreciated their openness… appreciated their sincerity… BUT THEN had to explain that sincerity and truth are not synonyms. Being sincere has the of being genuine with how you feel or what you believe… yet that is no guarantee that what one feels or believes is true… (i.e., I explained that if one of them gave me sincere directions to go east to get back to the airport Wednesday, he may have meant well but I would be heading the complete opposite direction of where I needed to go…)

Back to the basketball plays and sets… How a team sets up has many different variables… who they are facing… are they trying to utilize speed… size… getting to the lane… bombing the three… BUT ALL MUST END AT TRYING TO GET THE BALL IN THE RIGHT BASKET!

There are 4000+ sincere groups trying to “score” with God, BUT God says there is only one way… you see if the idea doesn’t end at the right basket, we fail to score!

Any game plan for making God’s team MUST end at [by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!] (And I also mean some plans, under the guise of Christianity, that try to make the criteria what we do for God instead of what He has done for us, are in error and fail to score…)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

(And the cool thing last Friday is that many of those guys that initially thought there were many ways to “score,” came to the realization that Jesus is the one that “scored” for them…)

LET’S PUT THE BALL IN THE RIGHT BASKET!

September 5, 2022 - Jimmy Chitwood

I often hear stories of the great players and how they respond to end-of-game situations and who will take the final shot… times when maybe a player like a Larry Bird tells the coach that he wants it… or Michael Jordan demands the ball… I think of the fictional scene (loosely based upon a true Indiana high school story) in the movie Hoosiers, of their coach drawing up a play for a player other than their star, Jimmy Chitwood… the score is tied, and the coach says, “Jimmy, they’re going to be expecting you to take the last shot; we’re gonna use you as a decoy.” He then calls a play for another kid and the team all looks frustrated, staring into the distance… the coach asks, “What’s the matter with you guys… what’s the matter?” Jimmy responds very matter-of-factly, “I’ll make it.” The coach simply says “all right. Buddy get Jimmy the ball at the top of the key…” (And in case you haven’t watched the old classic, I won’t spoil the ending…) 

Man, I get goose bumps just thinking about that great old movie… I think of times when I was fortunate enough to get to take the last shot. There is a certain mentality that goes into wanting to take it… a certain confidence. End of game situations are nerve racking… even “scary” to some

This came to mind as I was preaching yesterday and found myself in Matthew chapter 11. The Scripture records that John the Baptist had sent word from prison to confirm that Jesus was the promised One… It was near the end of John’s game and he was having a few doubts… Jesus responds by sending John’s messengers back to John with an affirmative based upon proof that Jesus was Who He claimed to be… Jesus then goes on and talks to those around Him and leads to a very famous promise He made, which is where I want to draw some encouragement and some enlightenment this week…

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28)

In the midst of the craziness and struggles of life, Jesus offers rest… yet I believe that rest is conditional…

In verses 29-30 Jesus continues, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Do you see the condition? It requires taking His yoke… in other words hitching up with Him… going His direction. Just as Jesus bore the weight of our sin for salvation, and we get that by trusting in Him alone for that payment… our sanctification in life, which leads to our peace/rest, is also by trusting Him and His ways… taking a yoke involves going in the same direction as what you are yoked with, and it only makes sense that it is easier when what you are yoked with is bigger, stronger, and wiser than you!

In the movie Hoosiers, the cool thing was that the other players simply knew that Jimmy was the one they could trust in that situation… and when the coach called Jimmy’s number their minds were at rest… this may sound a bit corny, but if you want rest, you have to call Jesus’ number in your life… not just for your salvation (positional – heaven instead of hell), but also for your sanctification (practical – rest instead of unrest.)

August 29, 2022 - Does the coach have a short leash?

Have you ever played for a coach that keeps players on a “short leash’” waiting to yank them to the bench every time they do something wrong? That type of coach is typically not much fun to play for… it leaves players tight and more prone to make mistakes. As a coach I wanted to do things for the good of the team… 

When players simply messed up, I would often leave them on the floor to learn, or play through, their mistakes… and if I did yank them out of the game, it was simply to explain the plan better and then get them right back in to try again; yet, if the mistake was willful disregard to what I had instructed, I was more apt to yank on the leash and give them a seat next to me to talk about their willingness to follow the game plan… In other words, I believed that poor execution of a play or skill needed repeated opportunities to get it right… but poor understanding needed me to explain things better… and a poor attitude needed an attitude-adjustment… a change in the way they were thinking.

Bottom line was that I always hoped as a coach to get the players thinking right, knowing that was needed for them to play right. My goal was for the team to be better, but that required individuals to be better… BUT WHEN THE PLAYERS FAILED TO SEE MY HEART IN THE MATTER AS THE COACH, THEY TENDED TO TIGHTEN UP OR EVEN SHUT DOWN. (Unfortunately, I can remember some times I failed to follow my own principle and can still picture the hurt on the players’ faces… times when I needed to think differently!)

This all came to mind today as I thought about how people view God… some assuming He is just sitting in heaven waiting for us to mess up and yanks us out of the game… or some theological views that He is just waiting to kick us off the team... some looking at others in judgement and questioning why God is “looking the other way.” I’m not going to try in this short weekly devotional to write a theology treatise, but I am going to let the Playbook itself answer it…

Romans 2:3-4 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgement of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The end goal seems to be thinking right… which leads to playing right…

[Definition: Metanoia (repentance) = a change of mind]

Aren’t you thankful for a God that is longsuffering and lets us play through some mistakes? I say/write it often but here it goes again: GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE!

August 22, 2022 - Avoid The Traps!

Evaluate where you are going and what you are doing…

I’ve written many many many times about former players and the one that has most certainly received the most attention has been a guy that was in middle school when he played high school ball for me… not just played, but dominated… Lil’ T (Tyler Lewis).

As a youngster he already just had this incredible mind for seeing the game… almost like it was in slow motion to him. I coached many guys that were more athletic… and some guys that were more skilled… but no one that saw the game like him.

I was reminded of him while reading the Proverbs today. I will get to the Proverb in just a moment, but first the memory that came to mind. It was actually after T had moved on to a different school and his team was playing a bit short-handed against a very solid… very athletic… pressure-oriented opponent. Some of the guys that went to watch this game with me were in high school and were talking much smack about how they would shut T down if they were playing… all the while I knew that T’s team is getting ready to play against much better defenders than the guys that were talking so much, and I told them so. (In fact, to the one that was talking the most, I finally stated, “How would you do that, you aren’t a good defender to start with?” I then told the boys with me, “Just watch…”)

T didn’t disappoint that day… against a higher rated team, that had stronger athletes than T and his teammates… we watched as the opponent simply could not take advantage of their pressure defense… why?... BECAUSE THEY COULD NEVER GET T IN ONE OF THEIR TRAPS!

You see Tyler simply was a step ahead always… making reads that kept him out of “danger” and freed his team up to play their game. Tyler’s team won that game to many peoples’ surprise, but not to the surprise of this old guy that knew what an incredible mind for the game T has!

In life we will face many opponents/obstacles that are bigger and badder than us… but the secret to success is not always in being better but in being smarter… evaluating or “making reads” about what is ahead. And for those of us that are believers, we know that God’s Playbook gives us warnings and directions that will help us avoid the opponent’s (enemy’s) traps!

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.

Are you just blindly “dribbling” through life, or are you making good reads to make the right plays?

August 15, 2022 - Absurd Game Scenarios

Scenario 1: Imagine with me a young man who worked hard on dunking… learning many spectacular dunks… hearing friends encourage him… and he enters a dunk competition… (to be continued…) 

Scenario 2: Imagine with me a young lady that has worked hard on her shooting and steps into a game and drains 5 straight 3-pointers… hearing the amazement of the onlookers… (to be continued…)

S1: So the dunk competition comes around and the young man steps out onto the court with great confidence… after all his friends and family had admired his work ethic and even cheered him on… yet when it comes time for his first round of dunks, he can’t even successfully complete that most basic slam… THE PROBLEM?

S2: Or what about the young lady that had worked so hard… her supporters are maybe amazed at her skill set… but she looks up to the scoreboard to find her team is behind 15-0… THE PROBLEM?

THE PROBLEM?: it is not a problem of effort or of sincerity… it is a problem of truth… what I didn’t tell in the stories…

S1: the young man had been practicing on an 8’ goal instead of a 10’ goal… and those around him were more interested in his effort than in TRUTH…

S2: much like scene 1, the problem comes down to TRUTH… the fans were so interested in just being encouragers and supporters that they failed to point out she was shooting at the wrong goal 

I write and preach often about the importance of being encouragers… and especially highlight being full of GRACE… YET, GRACE should never be delivered separate of TRUTH… they must go hand in hand! In fact, that is how our Savior is described… “full of GRACE and TRUTH.” (John 1:14) Likewise, TRUTH should always be spoken “in LOVE!” (Ephesians 4:15) GRACE, LOVE, & TRUTH should always be in harmony with one another…

The absurd scenarios I gave are a result of very regular conversations I find myself in…  where folks tend to be either so GRACE / LOVE motivated that they fail to share TRUTH… or so TRUTH motivated that they fail to deliver it with GRACE / LOVE.

The TRUTH is that God was very hard on sin… willing to allow His Son to die for it… and that hard TRUTH was motivated by incredible LOVE! (Romans 5:8)

Ephesians 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of TRUTH, the gospel of your salvation…

It seems nice to just be loving and grace-full, but the most loving and grace-full thing we can do is share the truth! After all, it is the TRUTH that sets men free! (John 8:32)

August 8, 2022 - Gaining Perspective

I have admitted in the past that as a player I didn’t enjoy watching game film… the reason was my pride; I didn’t like watching my mistakes… I didn’t like seeing that maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought I was… and sometimes failed to realize that the game film may show I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was when we had lost… 

In reality there are great benefits to looking back… but it is dangerous to dwell there on the positive or the negative! Thinking too highly or too lowly of oneself will lead to poor play today!

Dwelling too much on self takes the focus off of the team…

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly…

Romans 12:5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Let’s focus on the we not the me… not spending too much time on past accomplishments or failures… just enough time to gain perspective to make a difference for the team today.

Remember that the rear-view mirror should be way smaller than the windshield and only used for perspective!

August 1, 2022 - Bad Players Are Harder To Play Against (Spiritually Clumsy)

When I was still playing hoops on a regular basis, and especially when I had some athleticism still where I could get some air between my sneakers and the floor, I found it much easier to play against good players than bad. That may sound strange but the reality was that good players were good typically because they had an understanding of the game, maybe good athleticism and skill sets… adversely bad players typically don’t understand the game as well or are possibly just a step slower or even clumsy, leading to them often being out of position… creating at times fouls that appear to be malicious and may cause injuries, when in fact they are just a result of players that are late getting to their spots…

In life, I would suggest that more people get emotionally hurt unintentionally than intentionally. Yes, there are some mean folks out there but more often than not, “injuries” take place when an inexperienced (my nice way of saying immature… socially and/or spiritually) person fails to communicate OR miscommunicates OR simply doesn’t take into account the other person’s feelings, motives, character, etc.

A much needed coaching admonition this week… the Playbook gives us clear directives over and over to “consider one another”… and it gives very direct instructions about how we should communicate:

LET YOUR SPEECH ALWAYS BE WITH GRACE, SEASONED WITH SALT, THAT YOU MAY KNOW HOW YOU OUGHT TO ANSWER ONE ANOTHER. (Colossians 4:6)

Do you see that simple truth? We OUGHT to be GRACE-full in how we communicate to others. That demands of us to not value personal pride over unity… to not demand fairness… GRACE is not fair! It eliminates a get-even mentality.

I believe that we need to get “in better shape” spiritually so we are not un-GRACE-full in how we deal with others… Spiritually clumsy people are hard to deal with and cause “injuries” with being in the wrong position… late to their spots… etc.

July 25, 2022 - You Can't Keep Me Down!

When I was still on the sidelines, I had a lot of times that I am sure players (and my assistant coaches) were thinking things were hopeless… and then when I gave a plan, were thinking I was clueless. (And sometimes I’m sure they were right about me…) 

Yet, in reality the goal was to have the team trusting me… that I had their best interest at heart. The reality is that sometimes, if we were just making the decision based upon a scoreboard, they were right… it was hopeless. Because the bottom line is that some teams were simply way better than us and some coaches were simply way smarter than me. Yet, what I hoped was that the team knew that any decision I made was in their best interest… it may not have even been to win the current game we were in, but instead a lesson to help us in future games, or the next time we face that team.

Life is like games… sometimes we simply feel “overmatched,” and honestly, we are going to lose on the scoreboard at times. This morning as I shared devotions with our apprentices, I talked about how Paul kept perspective (having joy and peace) in life’s struggles, by realizing that God and life are not synonyms. (I share that truth often! It is not an original thought to me… if I recall I read it in maybe a Philip Yancey book… but it is so true and so good.)

I thought about it yesterday as my pastor stated that we need to “shift attention to the rescue… the Who not the what…” He was referring to how the Israelites in their songs of ascent encouraged one another, not by ignoring their current struggles, but by reminding of the Rescuer!

Psalm 129:2a Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth…

Message paraphrase: They’ve kicked me around ever since I was young…

Psalm 129:2b YET, they have not prevailed against me.

Message paraphrase: BUT they never could KEEP me down.

I don’t know what you are facing on the scoreboard today, and honestly, you may “lose this particular game.” YET/BUT I know Who wins the season…

Get in the Word to learn more from the God Who is on your side!

July 18, 2022 - TRUST THE CHARACTER OF THE COACH!

Often as I am listening to sermons or reading books/articles, my mind is triggered to ideas I want to teach/preach on… many times it is simply a new way to get across ideas I have been teaching on for decades. This week is no exception… as we continued a series at our church called The Grind. 

The Grind in the Psalms of Ascent refers to the journey/pilgrimage the Israelites would make through the mountains on their way to Jerusalem for the festivals; mountains that involved not only terrain challenges but also dangers from bandits, temptations from pagan temples offering “distractions”, etc. The Psalms were ways they would find encouragement and confidence to endure the grind…

A common theme in this group of Psalms is God as a provider… a rescuer… a guide… etc. They were singing together and reminding one another that God can be trusted in spite of what their current circumstances may look like.

Psalm 126:3 THE LORD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US AND WE ARE GLAD.

Even when they faced struggles…

Psalm 126:5-6 THOSE WHO SOW IN TEARS SHALL REAP IN JOY. HE WHO CONTINUALLY GOES FORTH WEEPING, BEARING SEED FOR SOWING, SHALL DOUBTLESS COME AGAIN WITH REJOICING…

They would remind one another that because of who God is, they should trust Him and follow His direction…

Psalm 128:1 BLESSED IS EVERY ONE WHO FEARS THE LORD, WHO WALKS IN HIS WAYS.

The simple truth this week is:

YOU ARE MORE COACHABLE WHEN YOU TRUST THE CHARACTER OF THE COACH!

July 11, 2022 - Who's Your Spotter?

Who’s your spotter? 

Before I get into the reason for the question, I must confess that my comparison I make will be simply an illustration, and not a 100% full-proof truth…

My comparison involves “toning” vs “body-building”… a google search yielded the following, very simplistic approach: “To tone means to reduce the appearance of body fat by tightening up the muscles and giving them shape.” (Found on a nasm.org blog) And then the general idea of body-building (or bulking) is one of increase in muscle mass and strength… this is done by increasing resistance in order to grow.

Here is my simplistic observation, spiritually speaking, I believe the church is far too often satisfied with just toning… trimming the fat of sin for appearance’s sake, and forgetting that the battle intensifies when serving the Lord; while the Scripture warns that we need to keep getting stronger and be able to increase resistance.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, BE STRONG in the Lord and in the POWER of His might. (NKJV)

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to RESIST in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (NASB)

Increasing in strength and resistance… So that very simplistic observation to lead back to my opening question: Who’s your spotter?

“Spotting in weight or resistance training is the act of supporting another person during a particular exercise with an emphasis on allowing the participant to lift or push more than they could normally do safely. Correct spotting involves knowing when to intervene and assist with a lift, and encouraging a training partner to push beyond the point in which they would normally ‘rack’ the weight (return to its stationary position).” (Wikipedia)

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (NKJV)

I love that a spotter is required to help with weight that is to much BUT also to encourage to go beyond the norm… Who is your spotter? Who are you spotting?

LET’S STOP SETTLING FOR THE NORM! OUR LIVES CAN AND SHOULD BE MORE THAN JUST TRIMMING THE FAT…

July 4, 2022 - Impostor On The Court

Imagine with me that a guy went on the court for a Lakers game… dressed in a Lakers uniform… displaying great skill, size, and athleticism… BUT is not on the roster… What is security going to do? 

Basically they are going to escort the guy off of the court, maybe even out of the gym! 

This is a simple and short devo this week… there will be a day where some will stand before the Lord in bewilderment… wondering why they are being escorted out of the gym. They will try to point out how good they were and how they measure up to those that are getting in, BUT THEY ARE NOT ON THE ROSTER!

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven…

Many will say, “Have we not…”

And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me…”

Matthew 7:21-23

So what is the requirement to be on the roster? 

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, BECAUSE he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

John 3:18

Notice that it has nothing to do with measuring up or being good enough, BUT in accepting the Substitute Jesus as one’s Savior and way onto God’s roster!