March 28, 2022 - Clock Management: Shoot!

I love this time of year getting to watch exciting basketball games… games where it is “win move on… lose go home!” From the underdogs surprising people to the powerhouses that get hot and put on incredible displays of skill and teamwork… it makes March Madness, in my opinion, the greatest of sports entertainment. 

And it also is typically the time of year for InBounds Ministries to have our March MADness, trying to squeeze in as many ministry engagements as possible, while also making folks aware of the needs of the ministry. (To give an example of the MADness, I have been behind the wheel for over 8000 miles over the past 5 weeks…)

As I watch close games it is intriguing to watch the strategies that take place as the clock is winding down… On offense does the team that is behind start jacking 3-pointers to attempt to make up the difference more quickly, or do they drive to the hole to chip away with 2’s? And that is often dictated by the team’s personnel… it is hard to utilize the 3-point line if the team doesn’t have good shooters! But in spite of the type of shooters, the clock plays a role as well. If you are down and the clock is about to hit “zeroes” then the shot must fly from wherever is possible… and man do people go crazy when a desperation heave goes in!

And sometimes “clock management” decisions are made that baffle me… I was watching one game this weekend where the team was behind by 6 points (2 possessions) with less than 10 seconds to go and the guy with the ball drove to the basket for a layup… sure he got 2 points but, in the process, still left them needing 2 possessions to score enough points. That young man lacked the understanding of the urgency and the importance of each possession.

I don’t typically use these weekly devotions as a fundraiser for our ministry, nor do I intend this one to be solely for that purpose; yet I do hope it serves in that regard. We (InBounds), like many ministries, have felt the effects of the past couple of years in a great way on our funding. We have stayed the course and maintain on a fastbreak to get the Gospel and the teaching of God’s Playbook to as many people as possible! And amazingly God has continued to see us through via the use of our teammates! Now we face the upcoming spring and summer schedule which is slammed with opportunities… and to be honest, when it comes to the financial side of things, we are behind on the scoreboard. I wouldn’t necessarily say we are needing a desperation heave, but it could get there very easily… and I am for sure open to chipping away at the scoreboard with 1’s and 2’s, or making up the difference more quickly with the 3’s…

Seriously speaking on behalf of our ministry and many others: evaluate each situation… by that I mean determine if you should be taking a shot at all… should it be a lay-up or a three… is there a desperation need? As I have been teaching this month, I have been encouraging folks to “Give on Purpose!” in the time, talents, treasures, etc. And as I have told each audience I have stood before, I cannot tell people where they should give, but I can tell people that God has called us to be givers!

When Jesus talked about “clock management” with the Gospel, He said it this way:

John 4:35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe unto harvest!”

My twisted translation: Don’t say there is plenty of time left on the clock! Look up, you need to take the shot now!

Again, I truly cannot tell you that you should give to InBounds… but I do ask you to pray about if God is asking you to take a shot for us… and I will ask you to pray for us as we are trying to raise an additional $25000 for the year, beyond what we are bringing in monthly. I will be sharing a detailed list of needs soon, but in short this is to cover not only our set expenses but also helping us cover a brand new summer apprenticeship program we are starting (i.e. food needs… furnishings for our lodging areas… etc.)

March 21, 2022 - "Thank you for seeing him better than he sees himself"

I am currently in “recruiting” mode… I am intentionally focusing on finding “players” for a summer “team” I am putting together… (more on that in a moment) 

When a college coach would call me to ask me about HS players in my region, the conversation would include discussion on what the coach was looking for and who could meet those needs… teams typically know if they are looking for ball handlers vs a big… or in modern times I often heard the description as looking for “long and athletic”… I can remember as a player working out at a college and having a great day on the court, only to be told by the coach that they only had one spot available, and they needed a big.

The point is that “recruiting” involves intentionally looking to meet team needs! And it involves letting the players know what you see in them… which also is how you motivate “players.” I just saw a clip of a young man that auditioned for American Idol and made it to Hollywood… he was at the audition because his friend set it all up and Katy Perry looked at the friend and said, “Thank you for seeing him better than he sees himself.” (That friend made an incredible difference in his friend’s life!) We often hear speeches given when someone receives an award for excellence where he/she thanks someone that “believed in me!”

Even in church leadership we should see this process… in Acts 6:3 it says, “Therefore, brethren, SEEK OUT (intentionality) from among you seven men OF GOOD REPUTATION (“good players”), full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we MAY APPOINT OVER THIS BUSINESS (equipped to meet the needs of the team)…”

Both “recruiting” and “motivating” involve an intentional push to someone to do/be something greater… it is challenging and encouraging… WHO ARE YOU TARGETING? FIND SOMEONE! When we call someone into a specific role/need, it is like offering a scholarship to him/her!

We have a Summer Training Camp apprenticeship taking place this coming June/July that is geared toward equipping and encouraging a handful of young adults, to spur them on to greater things in the next season of their lives. If you know of any 16-25 yr olds that are already exhibiting the “stuff” needed to serve in an ministry leadership role at a Christian retreat center, get me their info… and if you just simply believe in INVESTing in the future of the “team” (the body of Christ) then consider financially supporting what InBounds is doing…

March 14, 2022 - He put the team on His back...

Planning for this week’s time to be short and to the point… there is a twofold reason for that… 

First, I am on the road and exhausted; I have had less than an hour’s sleep over the last two days, and now sit in a hotel room with the realization it is Monday and time for Game Plans for Life!

Second is because I heard my pastor use a phrase in his sermon yesterday that really jumped out at me… and… I’ll get to that in a bit…

I am traveling a lot this month for our March MADness push to share awareness about InBounds, and to raise funds for our outreach; and have been sharing a lot about STEWARDSHIP or INVESTING, which I have defined as “GIVING ON PURPOSE!” (Or “giving with purpose!”)

We need to decide what is important to us and do what it takes! There is an oft-used phrase that says, “he put the team on his back” (which is defined in the urban dictionary as “to do something amazing or impossible for the overall good of the team”)… I like the definition other than the fact that it is not possible to do the impossible… I agree it is cool when one does the improbable, but if it can happen, it wasn’t impossible!

Another great phrase I hear about the player that does the amazing and improbable is that “he refused to lose!” In other words, it is a player that is resolute on giving all to win!

In our basic Biblical understanding of the state of man apart from salvation, it is that it is IMPOSSIBLE for man to earn salvation; It is not simply improbable! No amount of grit and determination can change this state… BUT GOD! Christ was capable of doing what we could not do… and thus paid the penalty of sin in full! [Remember "what is impossible with men, is possible with God!" Luke 18:27)

He put the team on His back by putting His back on the cross! He refused to lose us!

Pastor Matt worded this incredible and encouraging truth this way: “God took our sin personally!” And I would ad. “so He gave on purpose!”

And as I alluded to in last week’s Game Plan… we have been entrusted to share this good news! (1 Thessalonians 2:4) 

Make a plan to celebrate what God has done for you by sharing the gospel this week!

March 7, 2022 - Is it WORTH it?

What’s it gonna cost? That is a common question when entering any endeavor… thus we hear the phrase to “count the cost.” And although there is some great truth in that statement that we could uncover, I want to look at it from a different perspective… not what does it cost, but instead what is it WORTH to you? Does it really matter to you? How important is it? 

As an athlete, I remember times going through my injury rehab where I had to ask if it was WORTH it… rehab could at times feel like torture and causes one to really evaluate its importance… as a dad, I watched my son blow through 3 ACL tears in a 2 year span… with each recovery being a bit more physically and mentally taxing… and even though he came back to play some college ball, he was left with so much lingering pain and doubt that it eventually led to the conclusion that it wasn’t WORTH it…

There is an old business adage that something is simply WORTH what someone is willing to pay/give for it… a price tag doesn’t determine WORTH! Price tags are like talk… meaningless until someone puts action to it. Ultimately, dedication/commitment is driven by WORTH and purpose!

(Side note: Realize how precious you are to God… how much you are WORTH to Him… by evaluating how much He was willing to give for you! For God so loved.. that He gave… (John 3:16; Romans 5:8)

So, I ask you this week… what is God WORTH to you? Not your salvation, it is a gift from Him… but your response in gratitude for that gift… What are you willing to pay/give to carry out what He has entrusted to you?

I preached yesterday on numerous areas God has entrusted to us… here are some things to consider this week: 

·         He entrusted the Gospel to us… 1 Thessalonians 2:4… so, what are the lost WORTH to you?

·         He entrusted the Word to us… 1 Corinthians 4:1-2… what are new believers who need to be fed/discipled WORTH to you?

·         He entrusted time to use here on earth to you… Ephesians 5:15-16… so, how are you spending it?

·         He entrusted your finances to you… 2 Corinthians 9:7-8… what things have enough WORTH to you to invest your treasure in? (A simple test, “Show me your bank statement and I will tell you what is important to you”)

·         He entrusted your troubles to you… say what?... yes, your troubles are meant to be opportunities… Philippians 1:12-14, 21… if the first couple of things mentioned carry WORTH in your life, then even your struggles will direct you toward what is truly important to you…

As I left the town I was preaching in yesterday, I drove for a few hours and then had to stop for gas… that stop caused me to pause and ask the very questions I am writing about now… it was a stop with some hardships… we had recently paid a pretty hefty price for some repairs on our van, and now I stared at a gas pump that had stopped, without the van being fully topped off, at $100. My first thought was to post a picture and complain about fuel prices, which in turn would look like a political post… but instead I came to this conclusion: IT WAS WORTH IT!!! I had just had an opportunity to share God’s amazing grace with a group of people, and to challenge them, as I am you now, to steward their lives in such a way as to show how much God, and His plan, are WORTH to them! It wouldn’t have been WORTH it for just taking a Sunday-afternoon-drive, but there was a bigger purpose than that!