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!”