June 27, 2022 - The Secret to Success

This week’s “game plan” is a very simple one on how to get better! 

Recently I have been working on our ministry plans, including the time I spend using basketball training as a discipleship tool. Things I am constantly sharing with students concern how to get better… how to stay motivated… how to reach goals… etc. So much of growth and improvement hinges on perspective, whether it be on the court or in life!

I do believe that there is great wisdom in planning and goal setting, BUT they are subject to so many unforeseen factors… i.e., illness/injuries… emergencies… equipment breakdowns… etc. Planning and goal setting give us a great map to aim for, yet, as I tell all my ministry trainees/partners, the number one rule is to “be dogmatically committed to flexibility!”

I also believe it is important to look at others that are doing what you are doing and have achieved success; it gives one a benchmark. Yet that too is an ineffective tool by itself. It does not take into account the other’s genetic gifts… access to training equipment… lack of illness/injury circumstances/factors that affect his/her growth and ability.

So, don’t hear me wrong, I believe in those things, BUT I don’t consider them the secret to success. I believe the secret of success lies in what one can control… TODAY! I regularly record maxims that I use in training… recently I have written the following “Better Than Yesterday!” – “Today > Yesterday” – and so on… [And I plan to have some shirts/stickers available with these maxims – let me know if interested]

I can’t always control if I am going to be better than someone else, but I can be “Better Than Me!” Each day I can strive to grow…

I can remember times when I faced injuries… if my left leg was hurt, I worked my right leg more… when my right arm was hurt, I became much better using my left… when laid up, there was time to study the game more and get new perspectives… etc. Even though circumstances kept me off the court, I still got better and grew as a player! (And what I have found is that if there is a daily commitment, then eventually not only does one get better as an individual, but also gets better than the opposition who typically doesn’t have such a commitment…)

So, what have you done today to be better than yesterday?

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

“Take Care Of Today!”

June 20, 2022 - With the next pick in the draft...

I was just reading an article on the upcoming NBA draft on Thursday night… it is dealing with the Orlando Magic’s decision that is looming for what to do with their #1 pick… They also have some other picks in the draft, plus a lot of former young, high picks to work with… 

“Dialogue is always ongoing.” Weltman (president of the Magic) said. “But most importantly, we get to do what we want. That’s the real benefit of having the No. 1 pick.” He also talked of the very talented players that are available in the draft and determining who is a fit for their growth as a team… and each of the top players long to hear their name following the phrase, “with the fist pick in the NBA draft, the Orlando Magic choose…”

So, the Magic, and all of the other teams, are evaluating talent, and, based upon a player’s performance, determining who to choose…

For most of my decades of ministry I have emphasized that religions are like the draft I am talking about… a belief in a god or gods that is “evaluating talent” to see who measures up; adversely I have often emphasized that what sets the Gospel apart from the 4000+ known religions is that it is not performance based…

This is partially true… let me explain… when it comes to our responsibility to get on God’s team… it is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…” (Titus 3:5)… BUT GOD did require a performance: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

So, you see even Christianity requires performance… and God looked down at mankind and saw no one worthy of a draft pick… so He sent in the Substitute to give a perfect performance on our behalf…

Therefore, God decided to “choose” with His draft picks, not the best players, but those that would trust in Christ’s substitutionary performance in their place… with each pick God chooses believers!

Let’s celebrate the wonderful gift of salvation!

June 13, 2022 - Targeting Recruits (Functional Training)

I often hear discussions about what discipleship looks like… yet in reality most view it as sitting in a weekly small group or class and going through a lesson. Yet I believe that even though it is needed, it is a woefully inadequate description of Biblical discipleship. 

Biblical discipleship has a sense of true Functional Training (FT). FT is the idea of concentrating on either core strength and movements needed in everyday life, or in a sport-specific model exercises that enhance the movements of the needed skillset. It is very much an active, focused or targeted approach to training. And the reality is that no one ever got stronger just sitting in a weekly study about how they should be doing things…

In the Scriptures we see Jesus’ model of telling the apostles to go with Him for on-the-job training… we see Barnabas seeking out (targeting) Paul for training/ministry (See Acts 11:25-26)… we read of Paul mentoring Timothy (See Acts 16:1-5)… these are examples of the importance of active FUNCTIONAL TRAINING beyond the classroom setting.

So simple questions this week:

Who is your Paul (who has taken you under his/her wing/)?

Who is your Timothy (who have you sought out to take on the journey with you)?

In The Message Eugene Peterson shares the first part of Acts 16:2 this way: “Paul wanted to recruit him (Timothy) for their mission…”

June 6, 2022 - You're Full Of It

Having a life full of dealing with athletes, I have heard a lot of bragging… and done a bit of it myself. And to be honest, we love to hear others sing our praises of yesteryear… But as we reminisce and typically embellish the truth a bit, (for most of us, as we get older it is amazing how much better we used to be…), and the listener is apt to say, “you’re full of it!”

It is one thing to be thought an exaggerator or liar about one’s athletic prowess… but that is a simple intro to ask a more pertinent question… what do people think your full of?

This simple thought came to mind yesterday after I preached a service and was talking to one of the ladies, who stated, “you’re full of it” to me. I laughed and said I couldn’t wait to tell my wife that I was told that…but, in context, it was one of the greatest compliments I could hear as a preacher/teacher/coach… She had started by encouraging me with a statement that I made things very plain and laid out… I responded by saying that my goal is always to have clarity… to which she responded, “you’re full of it.” It was music to my ears!

All of that to remind us of the imperative to make the Gospel clear to others… The Apostle Paul asked for prayer from the Colossians (4:4), “that I might make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” The word “manifest” is often translated “clear.”

We must make sure that we are sharing a Gospel that is centered on what Jesus has done for us, not what we do for Him… what we do for Him doesn’t earn us salvation BUT should be a result of gratitude for His grace!

Paul goes on to implore us to “conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech ALWAYS BE with GRACE…” (4:5-6)

My prayer for you is what Paul asked for, that you CLEARLY SHARE GRACE with others! Jesus is something worth bragging about!