April 22, 2024 - FLAT TRIANGLE... HELP!

What’s the first rule of “DEFENSE”? Well when I was still coaching, mine was simple, “STOP THE BALL!” In any defensive scheme, players are given coverage responsibilities and are required to shut down the man or area to which they are assigned. Yet the reality of a game is that at times players find themselves out of position, or maybe just overmatched by the opposing player…giving the opposition an edge… or a lane to get to their goal.

Most view strong defense to be based upon strong individual effort. BUT I believe great defense, like great offense, is based upon strong team effort!

Way back when I was a young player, I started hearing coaches explain how to be a good man-to-man defender. It involved things such as staying low… taking away the opponent’s strengths… how/when to go for steals… etc. When guarding a guy without the ball, I was taught how to be in a position to deny the pass to my guy… if I were 1-pass away I was instructed to be in a deny-position, where I was up on my guy with an arm in the passing lane… careful to not let my guy cut behind me. If my guy was 2-passes away from the ball (farther distance), I was taught to be in a “HELP POSITION,” which my coaches called “FLAT TRIANGLE.”

“FLAT TRAINGLE” simply meant I needed to be in a position to see man and ball… I should always see my responsibility, and also always see where the ball is, in case my teammate got beat and I needed to help. “FLAT TRIANGLE” was named that because this positioning required me to be positioned between point A (my man) and B (the ball) in a way to see both, resulting in a shortened triangular position. And since the first rule of defense is to stop the ball, at times I had to leave my assigned responsibility to stop the player with the ball… after all, the only guy in the guy that can ever score, is the guy with the ball!

But what happens if I stop the ball and the opposing player then passes to the guy I was originally covering? Well, as mentioned, defense is a team effort… one of my other teammates that was in a help position would then need to step over on the guy that got the ball. And during this time, the original teammate that got beat has time to recover to a position to hep the team.

“FLAT TRAINGLE” is also simply referred to as “HELP DEFENSE!”

1 Corinthians 10:32 tells us “GIVE NO OFFENSE…” Is there a better call for strong defense?

Yet we must understand that our “opponent’s” offense is not trying score at a particular goal, but the goal is to break us down… the word OFFENSE here deals with the idea of leading me and/or my teammates into sin. So how do we shut down this offense?

One way is playing in a “FLAT TRIANGLE” where we are aware of not just ourselves but also our teammates… where we are willing play “HELP DEFENSE” to pick up a brother/sister…

1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being. The word SEEK which Paul uses here involves a strong definition of an individual demanding something from someone or craving individual needs… it is a me-first instead of team-first mentality.

WE MUST LEARN TO PLAY TEAM DEFENSE… where we are aware of man (my personal responsibility) and ball (my teammate's responsibility)… and we must be willing to step over and help!

April 15, 2024 - "A Badge of Honor" - I think not!

In 2007 a new product hit the athletic market in America… yet it was initially a product that was “earned” by a group that had risen to the top of their game… the product was introduced in Las Vegas to the US National Team for hoops… it included Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, etc. The product was Nike ELITE socks, and Nike would quickly get their design department to work to provide an opportunity for the general public to purchase these socks… and even customize them to their own liking… I can remember young players strutting in with their new socks on, as though gong to a store and spending money made them a great basketball player…

I have probably written about these socks in the past on these weekly Game Plans, yet I saw an article written from a design/advertising perspective (DesignBloom) talking about the rise of popularity in these socks all over the globe, and what they represent, and I quote, “the logo is a badge of honor of the court…”  

Well, the coach in me gets a bit fired up… you don’t purchase elite status, you earn it! ELITE status should be the result of ELITE accomplishment via ELITE work… The reality is that I can purchase and wear a pair of Nike ELITE socks, but it sure won’t get me a place on Team USA… THEY ARE NOT A “BADGE OF HONOR,” anyone can buy them!!!

I know this weekly Game Plan is based upon the very fact that our standing in Christ, our place on the team, is by grace alone… through faith alone… in Christ alone! It is a free gift we could not earn!

Titus 3:5-6 not by works of righteousness we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us… whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Note: our ELITE standing is a result of the ELITE accomplishment and work done by Jesus. HE EARNED IT FOR US!!! Therefore, I cannot boast! (See Ephesians 2:8-9)

Then, once on the team, I think it is important that we remember that “wearing those ELITE socks, involves a challenge:

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, THAT THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED in God SHOULD be careful to MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. THESE THINGS ARE GOOD AND PROFITABLE TO MEN.

We are commanded to not flaunt our position on the team, but to make sure we are a good teammate!!! Throughout the Playbook (The Word) we are told to, out of our gratitude, be FAITHFUL!

April 8, 2024 - You Can Always Hear A Good Team

“You can always HEAR a good team. The bad teams… you never hear. They don’t ever talk. They don’t talk to each other. They don’t talk on defense. They don’t talk in transition.”

Kelvin Sampson Coach University of Houston Men’s Basketball

I love this observation by Coach Sampson… over and over again I have written about the importance of “one another” --- of a TEAM-mentality. Coach shares a picture of players that care about one another is… So, what does this TEAM-talk sound like?

The obvious thought is one of encouragement. Over and over we see the commands to encourage one another… and the obvious thought there is to be cheerleaders for one another. Yes, that is a part of it, but it is so much more…

Hebrews 10:25 tells us that we should be “exhorting/encouraging one another, and SO MUCH MORE as you see the Day approaching.” In other words, when the intensity, when the intensity of the game ramps up, it is even more imperative that we “talk”!

I appreciate that the NKJV uses the word “exhorting” – as the Greek word “Parakaleo” carries with it way more than just cheerleading. Of course, we want to give positive encouragement, but it should also involve other aspects like instructing and teaching… even comforting when needed. It is the ultimate TEAM-word.

What Coach Sampson was talking about is a good team always being aware of and caring about where one another is… it may involve a player on the free throw lane making sure it is clear who is boxing out the shooter… it may involve a player on the baseball field making sure teammates know how many outs there are in order to know what to do if the ball comes to them… it  may involve pointing out what defense the opposing team is in… it may simply be a player letting a teammate know he is in position to be a help defender… or it may be as simple as reminding the player to forget the last play and win the next… to get his head in the game.

I long to be part of a TEAM/community that communicates… one that not only tells me when I do good… but encourages me when I mess up… and reminds me of where and what I am supposed to be doing.

That passage in Hebrews also has a different Greek word that is used in the description of what our TEAM should look/sound like… “Paroxusmos” … it is found in verse 24 when we are told that TEAM-talk should “stir up love and good works…” To stir up also is translated in some versions as the word “stimulate.” It carries the idea of inciting or even irritating. We should be pushing one another!

One obvious way to determine if a player is doing well for his team, is to see that he understands and executes the plays the team is running; if a player goes on the floor and continues to run to the wrong goal, it is a pretty good indicator he is either playing for the other team -OR- that he has forgotten he’s on a new team… but in 1 John 3:10 we see another way to identify being a poor teammate: “he who does not love his brother.” It goes on to give an example of Cain not loving his brother Abel. And I find it interesting that when God confronted Cain about his brother’s whereabouts, he responds with the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)

In 1 John the comparison brings a clear answer to that question… YES, we should be aware of our brother/teammate. It is such a clear passage on what a good team looks/sounds like: “And this is the commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ [gets us on the team] and love one another. [fulfills our TEAM-mentality]” (1 John 3: 23)

April 1, 2024 - Gotta Get Touches! (Preparation and Productivity)

Gotta get touches!

Confidence… a required ingredient to success! So how do you build confidence? My answer is this happens through a combination of Preparation (Study) and Productivity (Engaged/Competitive/Hardworking) and Passion (Endurance and Single-mindedness)!

As I am typing this Game Plan, I am realizing that there is way more info here than I have time for in the huddle… so let me try to give a synopsis…

Often times in sports and life, we have a disproportionate approach to Preparation or to Productivity. If a player only spends time studying the playbook, he will be knowledgeable but not skillful; if he only spends time playing, he may end up skillful but not knowledgeable…

In our Christian walk, there is often an emphasis on study… and we often consider the classroom to be the answer to success. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the study is a necessity… how can you play the game well, run the right routes, if you don’t know the rules or the plays? But Productivity is a measure of how much output is taking place as a result of the input. One cannot be productive unless he is in the game and trying to make plays!

2 Timothy 2:15 demands that we be “diligent” in our work (productivity) by “rightly dividing the word of truth.” Some translations say, “accurately handling the word of truth.” The Greek there carries the idea of cutting straight… running the right routes! But the diligent part involves the idea of not just knowing but doing! In the verse we are called to be a “worker who does not need to be ashamed” not a learner… the shame seems to be if one is not working OR is not making running right routes 

Earlier in the discourse (vss. 3-6), there are a few keys to Productivity…

·       Endure: having a passion for the game that causes one to keep going in spite of the circumstances

·       Engaged: actively involved (you gotta get touches)

·       Single-minded (not Entangled): prioritizing

·       Competes: you gotta be in the game to be productive and gain confidence (you can’t measure output if there is not playing time)

·       Hardworking: you get out of something what you put into it… if you haven’t invested much, it is easy to ignore or walk away.

So many truths here… my Game Plan challenge this week is to keep Preparing BUT to get Producing… you gotta get in the game to build confidence… you gotta get some touches!

March 25, 2024 - ABOVE ALL THINGS: Urgency When The Clock Is Running Out

Have you ever noticed that when things get tough attitudes tend to deteriorate? Often people get more irritable and short-tempered when feeling pressure… when the water comes to a boil, people start to whistle and make noise… and we are typically most noisy to those closest to us.

In life and sport there is an old cliché: when the going gets tough the tough get going! This phrase/proverb is often attributed to famed football coach Knute Rockne (and elicits in this old lover of R&B music the sound of Billy Ocean in my head.)

It is on my mind due to watching how some of the basketball players I watched over the past few days in the NCAA tourney seemed to lack an understanding of playing with a sense of urgency when time was running out. In one game the game was tied with less than 10 seconds left and the star player of the team with the ball casually walked the ball down and ended up taking a horrible long three-pointer with defenders all over him… the shot wasn’t even close. In another game I noticed players on a team that was behind starting to try to preserve time by rolling the inbounds pass in to delay the start of the clock, only to see the guard pick the ball up while still deep in the backcourt and then walk the ball up… again no sense of urgency…

I am a proponent of making good choices in urgent situations… I often quote one of my heroes, John Wooden, who stated, “be quick but don’t hurry!” In other words, being under control is not a call to be nonchalant but a call to be clear of purpose in the midst of the chaos.

Well, we are in a time where we are hearing much about urgency and pressure… what is happening to the American economy/culture? What is going on in the Middle East? What does this mean in relation to end times?

As a coach (minister) it is easy to fall back on the urgency to score (get the ball down the court and in the basket… EVANGELIZE) and I believe a Biblical reasoning can be given… Jesus told us the “fields are white unto harvest" (John 4:35) thus indicating the urgency to EVANGELIZE has been there all along for us… John 9:4 records Jesus’s approach to His urgent times with Him stating, “I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day…”

I think we will all agree in theory that EVANGELISM is an urgent matter. BUT I saw something while preparing today that really hit home based upon our TEAM PHILOSPHY.

1 Peter 4 addresses the urgency of the times:

7 But the end of all things is at hand; THEREFORE be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Serious and watchful carry the idea of being in one’s right mind… calm and collected in spirit… or in Wooden’s words “don’t hurry!”

Then it is interesting as the Apostle Peter is not led by the spirit to encourage the urgency of EVANGELISM (even though we know that is true and has been since the time of Christ) but instead is led to encourage the importance of TEAM! When the water comes to a boil what will those close to us hear?

8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, “for love will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

“Above all things” how one ministers to and responds to TEAMMATES is the urgent call of the hour. We are still trying to score BUT as a TEAM!

March 18, 2024 - 10 Feet Tall

CREATING A CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURE

by Dr. Greg Shelley, Leadership Academy Director at Fordham, Lafayette, and Colgate

As a coach you wear many hats.  You are a teacher, mentor, disciplinarian, administrator, leader, parent, trainer, and coach.  Still, at the end of the week, you are expected to win . . . and an important part of winning is developing and maintaining a winning culture.  But for some coaches, the ongoing and weekly pursuit of winning may deter them from creating the long-term Championship Culture that is most desired. 

Although there are many factors impacting culture (e.g., skill and talent, commitment, confidence, personality, coaching style, character, intensity, toughness, response to adversity, responsibility, support, accountability, and leadership), the team culture you most desire must be taught . . . and if you do not take the time to appropriately manage your team culture, it will likely manage you.

Some teams have a Comfortable Culture, some have a Country Club Culture, and some have a Championship Culture, (i.e., a culture that is value driven and centered on trust, respect, unity, passion, and a relentless commitment to winning).  No doubt, a winning culture takes time to develop and refine . . . and your culture will ebb and flow with the changing of personnel and circumstances.  Yet, creating a Championship Culture will take a long-term commitment by you, your staff, and your players.  (taken from Janssen Sports Leadership site)

I write often about TEAM and CULTURE… so much of the New Testament is written to the plural “you” called the body… the church… could be called the TEAM. Most of what is revealed of Go’s will for us as His children… as members of His TEAM… deal with building a proper TEAM or CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURE! The Greek word for “ONE ANOTHER” appears 100 times in the New Testament.

This is on my mind for a couple of reasons… 1. I have been watching a lot of tournament hoops this past week and just filled out my tourney brackets for the upcoming March Madness Big Dance – and observing what the team attitudes/culture is like. 2. As I mentioned in last week’s Game Plan, I just officiated a wedding and my studies for the challenge to the couple continued to take me back to God’s direction for a proper TEAM CULTURE.

So, I started looking more at this idea of the word champion. Of course, we use it for the winner of tournaments… BUT could it be that you could win and not be truly a champion? The word has its roots in the idea of a fighter or gladiator… someone competing for a cause. This is what leads to ideas like in the intro, that a championship culture will include unity (singular focus on a goal), passion (a common drive to said goal), etc. AND I WOULD ADD that a championship culture typically involves a fan base that is committed to this as well. It boils down to a fan base that makes even road games seem like it is a home court advantage. A home court advantage is driven by support that makes the players feel 10 feet tall… the cheering and enthusiasm is uplifting! You an win simply by having the best shooting night… or lets face it, by having the better players/athletes…. Thus maybe even being crowned a champion but not necessarily creating a championship culture.

For God’s team we are commanded over and over to consider one another to stir one another up… to lift one another to greater hieghts… etc. it involves, as the intro talks about, trust and respect… the only thing I would change in the copied paragraph is that the ‘long-term commitment” is not to winning but instead to one another and the team’s values… scoreboards are temporal barometers!

But quickly back to the importance of the fan base… I just watched an education Ted Talks with a presenter named Rita Pierson. Ms. Pierson has been in education for 40 years and you can see she is driven by her love for the team of kids she gets to pour into. She said this, “every child needs a champion… an adult who will never give up on them… and insists they become the best they can be.”  In other words, everyone needs a biggest fan… one that makes them feel invincible, even when the scoreboard may show otherwise.

Now to the Scripture that jumped out at me during the wedding studies. In Ephesians 5, Paul starts challenging husbands about their role in the marriage… and he likens it unto Christ’s goal for the church… the team…

Ephesians 5:27 that He might present he to Himself a glorious church, not having spot of wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

 There is a challenge to the team to have a different culture!

And this is imagery for a marriage team as well… and how is that accomplished? Well I’m going to delve into a quick marriage counseling session.

Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his on wife as himself…

You know I have never heard a wife complain that her husband is too sacrificial to her… that he loves her and thinks of her as much as he loves himself… never heard a complaint that her husband is her biggest fan championing her cause…

The verse goes on to say: and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The word respects carries the idea of revering… of looking at with awe… and you know I have never heard a husband complain that his wife is his biggest fan… or that she cheers him on and makes him feel 10 feet tall…. I’ve never heard a husband say I wish my wife would criticize or question me more… I wish she would point out more of where my stat line fell short… (all of these things are the equivalent of a boos!) – never heard a husband complain that his wife champions his cause

A successful team is one that develops a Championship Culture by Championing for One Another!

Cheer on your teammates today… cheer on your mates today… (men are especially ego-driven… make your man feel 10 feet tall!)

March 11, 2024 - Larry Bird Agrees With Me... (at least on some of this Game Plan)

I’m sitting in the airport in Houston following a weekend lf celebration as I was privileged to officiate a wedding for a dear friend who is a former apprentice in our Talyor-Made INVESTment Training Camps… it was great weekend but now I’m not due to land back in FL until 1:30am or so… and then a bit of drive back to the house. Yet there is work due tomorrow, so taking advantage of my time in the terminal…

As I was driving back to the airport today, I started thinking about all the travel I get to do and my mind wandered back to 5th grade and the excitement I had when the sheet went up after tryouts for the 6^th grade team and I was one of three 5^th graders that made the “travel team.” It was so cool getting to load the bus and suit up at other schools to play. And to this day I love to suit up on the road for ministry “away games.”

As I prepped for the wedding a word that is commonly fretted over came up… the idea of submission. Before I give you a really cool definition I read, let me tell you how that fit with previous sports reading I was doing.

Many of you know that I have a very basic philosophy I incorporated as a coach/AD; it states: “Players Play, Coaches Coach, Refs Ref, Fans Cheer.” So, it caught my attention when I saw a Larry Bird quote where he said, “One thing about me is I always say the coaches coach and the players play. Whatever they tell you, you’ve got to do. You may not like it but you’ve got to do it. That’s what they do. That’s their expertise.”

This is coming from one of the greatest basketball IQ guys ever… BUT he is adamant about understanding and playing one’s role! He went on to say that his role was to win basketball games so he “brought it every night…laid it on the line every night….’

I talk often on these weekly Game Plans about the importance of team and one’s responsibility to the team. As I was preparing for the wedding ceremony, I found myself in Ephesians. In chapter 5 there are some very specific role challenges for wives and husbands… and then chapter 6 talks of role responsibilities for children and parents…. bondservants and masters (employees and bosses.) Really it deals with attitudes more than actions… attitudes of submission. There’s that word again…

Yet these are found in the letter in context that is dealing with God’s will for how we should look as a team. For the wedding I went back even further in the letter to the beginning of chapter 4, and in doing so even challenged the audience to imagine what are team would look like if we lived according to the Playbook.

Ephesians 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

Paul, after reminding us of all that Christ had done for us says “therefore” (because of that) “walk worthy of the calling.” So, what does “worthy” look like”? SUBMITTED

Ephesians 4:2-3 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I want to be a part of a team like that… one where we are focused on one another!

Ephesians 5:21 Submitting to one another in the fear of God.

So here is the general idea of the definition I read and now challenge the team with… my Coach B maxim… to submit involves willfully placing oneself under another… IN ORDER TO LIFT ONE ANOTHER UP!

March 4, 2024 - TEAM CULTURE (Responsibility to Teammates and Self)

Paul gives us some great advice for team culture… Galatians 6:1-5

Brethren (Teammates), if a man (teammate) is overtaken in any trespass (turns the ball over), you who are spiritual (playing well) restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness (you are responsible to help teammates in an encouraging way), considering yourself lest you be tempted (remembering you are prone to turnovers as well).

Bear one another’s burdens (pick each other up), and so fulfill the law of Christ (build team culture).

For if anyone thinks himself to be something (thinks he’s the man!), when he is nothing, he deceives himself (forgets his role on the team).

But let each one examine his own work (focus on personal responsibility to the team), and then he will have rejoicing in in himself alone, and not in another (boast in being your best, not in being better than someone else).

For each one shall bear his own load (you are responsible for what you bring to the team!).

February 26, 2024 - Profit or Loss?

This week I am doing a Game Ready clinic at a Christian school in NC. The content involves both basketball training and also life training (building off our Game Plans for Life platform.) I love getting to teach in both arenas… and desire to help grow/mature the players both on and off the court!

Colossians 1:28-29 - Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man, that we may present every man perfect (mature or complete) in Christ Jesus. To this end I also LABOR, STRIVING according to His working which works in me mightily.

Years ago we tabbed the name of our training division as the Total Player Academy… wanting a maturing that, as 2 Timothy 3:17 states, “that the man of God may be complete, THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED for every good work.” We want players that make the right play!

Well part of the warning involves taking an honest inventory of who we are and how we spend our time. (I even have one Game Plan this week titled “Free Time.”)

An honest inventory of who we are begins with a simple question of if one is even on the team. That is then followed with an introspective look at priorities… It seems that every player I have ever worked with claims they want to get better… claim they want to win… etc. Well one simple question I have for players, like those I’m charged with this week, is, “Tell me how you are spending your Free Time this off-season?”

A player that wants to be a better ballhandler or better shooter, will not do so spending Free Time on only video games or parties or whatever… I’ve heard many times in the past that if you look at a man’s bank account you can see where his treasure is by seeing where he spends his money. Well, I’m telling you, I can tell where anyone’s treasure is by seeing how they spend time!!!

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

That is preceded by Jesus telling us to put in the time on things that matter. He stated (verse 19) “Do not lay up…” (NOTE:  this is not a basketball ban to not do lay-ups… the word has the idea of not storing up or spending your time working toward.) He says to not pursue things that don’t matter… but instead reminds that we SHOULD (verse 20) “…lay up for yourselves…” eternal things!

Hoops paraphrase: DO NOT SPEND YOUR FREE TIME ON VIDEO GAMES; INSTEAD SPEND YOUR FREE TIME ON TRAINING!

Now obviously hoops is not everyone’s priority… BUT DON’T TELL ME IT IS YOUR PRIORITY… YOUR TREASURE… IF YOUR “BASKETBALL BANK ACCOUNT” DOESN”T SHOW AN INVESTMENT OF TIME!

Likewise, Believer, I ask what are your priorities? I can answer for you… where you focus your attention and time are your priorities. Eugene Peterson, in his paraphrase The Message, shares this Matthew 6 truth this way: “The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”

I realize some are taking this to the ultimate degree of “how can I focus on things of God all the time?” (First you need to hear some of our teaching on what a “worthy walk” looks like… in simplicity, all “you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17) HONOR GOD IN WHATEVER YOU ENDEAVOR TO DO!

BOTTOM LINE: Success or failure in life is often the product (profit or loss) of time spent! I realize there are at times extenuating circumstances, and if so, own them and see how you can turn a profit…

(Example: when I was 11 years old, I got tendonitis in my pitching elbow. It was in the midst of the season and I was unable to perform in my usual manner. BUT I didn’t stop performing… I SPENT MY TIME both in practice and games playing left-handed… I wasn’t as successful as play with my strong hand BUT found a product (profit from how I spent my time) of having a much more coordinated and strong left (weak) hand.)

What are your priorities? What gets your attention? There is your answer!

February 19, 2024 - Meal P.R.E.P. | Let's E.A.T.!

I was reading in Nehemiah as Nehemiah decided to make some changes… he had heard that some of his brethren “are there in great distress" and that “the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and it’s gates are burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 1:3) So Nehemiah purposes to make a change!

Chapter 2 records how he went about making and executing a plan… and a couple little words appeared a couple of times… “I viewed…” Nehemiah took an honest look at the work ahead of them to rebuild the walls… in doing so he was taking inventory of what they would need… and stirring up his brethren to action… he simply pointed out to them to acknowledge the need… he “viewed” and then said to them “you see…” (Nehemiah 2:17) And then in verse 19 there is a consensus… “Let us rise up and build...” (Nehemiah 2:19)

I realize that is a very fast synopsis of that passage, but it hits well with this week’s Game Plan for Life!

I’ve been working on my notes and plans for an upcoming outreach I will be leading at a Christian school. It will involve a basketball/life camp with the theme of being Game Ready. One of the analogies I am using is that of doing meal prep… when one prepares meals ahead of time to be able to quickly/easily access when needed. This is most common when folks see a need for weight loss or muscle gain or… in other words… something that needs to change!

In short, I will be sharing with the students the need to: 

Plan the

Recipe

-and-

Execute the

Plan!

I want them to see that doing this will result in being Game Ready where we can simply say: Let’s EAT!

        Earnings / Enjoyment

      After

      Training!

The meal is product of mixing together the right ingredients… putting them to some heat… etc.

View what is needed for change… and then get busy!

Nehemiah 2:19 ends this way: After stating they would rise up… “Then they set their hands to this good work.”

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; BUT the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”

It’s time for us to do a little “Meal P.R.E.P.” and then “Let’s E.A.T!”

February 12, 2024 - Do What You Know To Do... (LEADING and LETTING)

Currently Team Burden (my wife and I) are at a “timeout” in life where we are listening for instruction from “The Coach”… when players come to a huddle it is with the expectation that the coach will give direction for when they go back out on the floor/field…

As a coach, the goal is not always to call or design a play, but sometimes simply to remind the players what they already know or have been taught. The work of a pastor (coach) is “equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:12)

So, there are times, as a coach, one will allow the team to play free lance… not calling a designed play. But does that mean the players can do whatever they want? Of course not… they still must play according to the rules… they still should play according to the team principles that have been instilled… they still should know, from their training/equipping what are good vs bad shots… they still know to play together as a unit… AND EVEN THOUGH they may not have been assigned a specific spot on the floor to run to, they are trained/equipped to know what kind of spots to run to! I would simply tell a player that wanted direction, “Do what you know to do…”

Therefore, as a coach, sometimes the huddle is for LEADING (specifically designed plays the coach sees will work) and sometimes the huddle is for LETTING (reminding the players to trust what they have been trained/equipped to do whatever the opponent throws at them.)

God, as a sovereign Coach, is fully aware of how the game is being played… and may I suggest here that sometimes God is “LEADING/CALLING” us to run a specific play… but other times is simply “LETTING” us choose where to go on the court, while not forgetting our TRAINING/EQUIPPING.

So as we (Team Burden) pray and ponder things in this “timeout,” what we lean upon is that whether God LEADS or LETS us go somewhere, we will still “do what we know to do!”

CHECK OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL PROMISE:

“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utmost parts of the sea, EVEN there Your hand shall LEAD me, and Your right hand shall HOLD me.” (Psalm 139:9-10)

BOTTOM LINE: Even when God LETS us play free lance… He still LEADS us via His Word!

February 5, 2024 - No Weather Delays (A Buffalo-Mentality)

Yesterday I received an email that was talking about the crowd that showed at one of our partner churches… in spite of a driving, almost sideways, rain. The person sending the message stated that she remembered me preaching at their church about the buffalo…

If you’ve been reading these Game Plans for Life or reading our InBounds Illustrated newsletters when they come out, it is not a new concept to hear about the buffalo. The buffalo is the only mammal in North America that will turn and run into a storm when comes upon them; thus our motto, “We don’t run  from… we run  through!”

Yet the email yesterday was a great reminder that circumstances should not be the guiding factor in what we do: God’s Playbook should be! 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us we should be “always abounding in the work of the Lord.” There is not a tag line of “weather permitting” or “if you are comfortable.” Kind of crazy, I looked up the word “always” in Greek and it means “at all times.”

In Philippians 3:14 Paul states “I press on to the goal…” And the crazy thing is that in the Greek. “press on” has the idea figuratively of one that is running swiftly in a race to reach the goal…

Paul states in Philippians 4:11 “I have learned that in whatever state I am, to be content…”

I think it is safe to say that we are called to stay disciplined/committed to the plan that is before us. A Buffalo-Mentality” is one that understands that the road to victory requires a daily downpayment of hard work… discipline… commitment. (NOTE: Not talking about the victory of salvation… the work of Jesus paid that in full! This is about the work of our commissioning/calling as believers!)

This isn’t the game of baseball… there are no “weather delays”!

January 29, 2024 - Get The Bat Off Your Shoulder

Last week’s Bottom Line Question / Challenge: what can you do today to reach toward where you want to be tomorrow? I have spent a couple weeks with encouragement to get after it… to “lace ‘em up” and get in the game… And last week I pulled out a baseball analogy of keeping one’s eye on the ball in order to make contact… this analogy assumes one thing, that you are actually swinging the bat!

I can remember as far back as little league baseball and how frowned upon it was, (and I put that lightly, as my head coach was my dad and he didn’t frown… he scowled), if we got caught looking at a 3^rd strike! The common sentiment was if a pitch is anywhere close to the strike zone when you have 2 strikes, you’d better be swinging. I can remember hearing often as a coach would “encourage” to “get the bat off your shoulder!”

In my basketball world I ran into the same thing, where at times a player wasn’t willing to pull the trigger and take an open shot, even though the player knew it was the right shot and what we were working for. (Note: I for sure am not talking about me as a player… I never found a shot I didn’t want to take… and any of my former teammates reading this are shouting “AMEN!”)

The reason a player watches a 3^rd strike or fails to take an open shot often comes down to a horrible mentality to live by… what-if-I-miss-it is! Well let’s analyze that sentiment… if I swing and miss the result is a strike… I stand with the bat on my shoulder the result is a called strike! If I fail to take the open shot, I score zero points for the team… if I don’t take the shot, I score zero points for the team!

If I swing or take the shot, I at least give myself a chance to make contact or to score…

The Scriptures are full of God’s direction… clearly laying out the desired mission… and most sit around with “what-if-I-miss-it is” --- listen what the Scriptures say:

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17

“But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22

I made a “joke” about never seeing a shot I didn’t like (and to be honest I seldom struck out looking… I also like swinging the bat)… but there is always a little truth in jest; I’m sure some folks thought I was a ball hog… well that may be true, but I also scored a lot of points!!! And even as a coach I maintained my philosophy that shooters shoot!

This week’s Game Plan Bottom Line: Get the bat of your shoulder and SWING! Pull the trigger and SHOOT!

January 22, 2024 - Make Contact... Keep Your Eye On The Ball!

Great players become great because they fall in love with the work!

Plan the work… work the plan!

These are quotes from the last couple of Game Plans for Life… and last week I centered on the “planning” process. I talked of opening a map and charting a course to a desired destination… a goal. I then reminded us that in order to get there we would need to zoom in on the map and see the roadways in order to make a plan. I ended by stating that this week we would focus on the work… in other words the importance of executing the plan. NOTE: We run into problems, and can even get lost, when we focus on the destination more than the next turn to get there!

It's kind of like a power hitter in baseball… he goes to the plate envisioning “going yard” (hitting a homerun) and yet strikes out. Often it is a result of “pulling his head” when he swings and looking where he hopes the ball is going… while failing to “keep his eye on the ball” and making sure he makes contact.

Most dreams/goals/destinations are missed because we fail to “make contact” with the details of getting there!

The first verse I remember memorizing in Bible class during my freshmen year of high school is Philippians 3:14: I press TOWARD the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Notice the directional word TOWARD… it involves knowing where one is going… and the verse before (vs 13) tells us that Paul was “REACHING FORWARD”… there was movement… action… in the right direction.

Over and over the Scriptures talk of the importance of focus on today… realize today paves a road to tomorrow… make sure you are making the right turns to reach your desired destination.

Bottom Line Question / Challenge: what can you do today to reach toward where you want to be tomorrow?

January 15, 2024 - PLAN the WORK!

I ended last week’s Game Plan with the statement “Great players become great because they ‘fall in love with the work!’” That got me thinking about the dry erase board I typically keep up in my office… I put a “permanent” message on it that states “Plan the Work… Work the Plan!” And to be transparent, this was not a brilliant phrase I came up with, but instead taken from John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success which has “Industriousness” as one of its cornerstones. This cornerstone has two parts, work and planning.

So, with this theme early in the new season, maybe you are already struggling with meeting your New Year’s resolutions… to that I will quote Wooden: “Nothing will work unless you do.”

I thought about different pictures of this… I envisioned all the times I pull up “maps” on my trip planning… I start with “goals”, what destinations we want to reach. This process begins with an overarching view of the map showing the starting and ending points; BUT THEN I have to zoom in and determine what roads will get us there. I determine the roads, the mileage, where we will sleep, where we will eat, etc. There is a lot of planning involved… and a lot of counting the costs. Then the work begins! Looking at points on a map doesn’t make one a world traveler!

All of that planning is followed by fundraising, vehicle maintenance, booking the lodging, and ultimately putting the key in the ignition for the proverbial “this is where the rubber meets the road.”

Be encouraged this week to figure out your plan… but make sure you remember that maps include roadways…

Jesus gave a great discipleship lesson in Luke 14, which is a great lesson for goal setting: 28-30 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?

So, this week’s Game Plan is centered on Plan (Map Out) the Work… [You “set” goals… you “plan” work!] (Next week I plan to discuss focus on the work…)

January 8, 2024 - Fall In Love With THE WORK!

Well, my day got rolling around 18 hours ago… and 13 of the hours were behind the wheel. Therefore, this old coach is tired… and late getting this week’s game plan typed up and posted. But the bottom line is that I committed to doing these weekly at the beginning of 2002 and there has been a game plan every week since. This typically happens following sports stories or sermons giving me “inspiration”; and usually there is a lot of time with the idea bouncing around in my head…

One of the guys that has been quoted the most over the years is one of my pastors, Matt Brooks. He always seems to have some good nuggets of truth in his sermons. But today I found inspiration from a different Brooks… Matt’s son Jaylon… but before I quote him, let me set the stage a bit.

I mentioned in the intro that I committed to doing these game plans as we headed into the 2002 season… I didn’t necessarily call it a New Year’s Resolution, but it was. And over the years I have mentioned the fact that most resolutions not only go unfulfilled, but are broken by the time February rolls in.

From a tired old coach tonight, can I call you on whatever your resolutions were for 2024? You may say, “I didn’t make any.” Yet, I have found that most people think about what they hope to accomplish in a new season, even if they don’t express it out loud. So, what things do you want to change? What are your goals?

Entering 2002 my goal was to write a weekly game plan for the internet… today I drove hundreds of miles knowing I still needed to get it done for this week… I thought about it quite a bit and was thrilled when Jaylon gave me some “inspiration.” BUT all of the planning and the best of attention add up to zero until I got the computer out and started pounding the keys!

Jaylon Brooks: “To achieve different results, you must consciously choose different ACTIONS. You won’t accomplish your “new year resolution” without choosing TO DO the things necessary to get there. Goals are good, but I’d rather fall in love with THE WORK, not the outcome. One ensures you get there. The other is just a dream.”

ACTIONS… TO DO… THE WORK…

The Apostle Paul (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit): Be… ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD… (1 Corinthians 15:58)

The Apostle James (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit): Therefore, to him who knows TO DO good and does not DO IT, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)

Great players become great because they “fall in love with THE WORK!”

January 1, 2024 - Tomorrow's Gains Are From Today's Reps!

“Make each day your masterpiece.” John Wooden

Well, here we are on New Year’s Day, and I wonder who made resolutions? Resolutions are mentally “painted” masterpieces of what we want tomorrow to look like…

No need for a long Game Plan this week… just some encouragement…

Hebrews 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened the deceitfulness of sin.

Do you want to be successful this year? Remember that tomorrow’s masterpiece is painted with today’s brushstrokes! If you look at yesterday, it should be simply to make sure the “painting” has changed…. If you look at tomorrow, it should only be for perspective of where today’s strokes go on the canvas.

MAKE TODAY YOUR MASTERPIECE… if we ignore today, Hebrews tells us we are going to be deceived!

TOMORROW’S GAINS ARE FROM TODAY’S REPS!