October 16, 2023 - Raise the Bar!

As a player I loved pick-up games and church league games because of the freedom that was found in just playing, and the reality was that I valued each game… each possession… greatly! I found as a coach that my players enjoyed things more when there was freedom as well… I still had expectations of how I wanted my teams to play - I still taught them what good shots vs bad shots looked like – I still taught them how to make good passes, even under pressure – I still taught them how to set screens for one another to free up offensive opportunities – I even taught them some plays/sets to run out of in order to create space and opportunities – BUT I LET THEM PLAY! (Especially the players that were more experienced… i.e., I was a bit more “legalistic” coaching my daughter’s 5^th/6^th grade team than I was with my varsity high school teams... but I also had MUCH HIGHER EXPECTATIONS of my high school teams!)

Often times I hear arguments against preachers/teachers (myself being one of those teachers) that emphasize grace, claiming we don’t care about holiness or commitment. That is absurd… to start with salvation required Christ’s perfect holiness and complete commitment… HE WAS “ALL IN” TO THE POINT OF DEATH ON A CROSS! (Philippians 2:8) And the fact that I/we teach that as our sole means and satisfactory payment for sin, does not mean we don’t care about holiness…

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

Yet Paul also wrote these words under the inspiration of the Spirit:

·       What then, shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not! (Romans 7:15)

·       For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. (Galatians 2:19)

I will not ever apologize for teaching the truth that our salvation/justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! This gives FREEDOM/LIBERTY!

Yet I also will never shy away from the following call of Scripture: For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; ONLY DO NOT USE LIBERTY as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

I love the way my dear friend Grant Hawley put it in his book The Guts of Grace: “The believer has been called to a life that is far more holy and righteous than what was called for in the law, but by giving Christ to indwell and empower us. God has supplied everything to make that not only possible but realistic. ‘We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’” (Romans 8:37)

We are living in some challenging times… I spend much time in evangelism, BUT also, as a coach, I want to call the team to, in the midst of our freedom, RAISE THE BAR (in our Behavior… our Attitudes… and our Relationships!!!)