Will You Get Picked First??? How to Navigate Getting Drafted to an Eternal Team
Did your team do well in the draft this year?
Or are you already writing this year off?
Today we are going to talk about:
How you can get drafted to an eternal team.
This past weekend we got to witness the 2025 edition of the NFL Draft.
Over the past few weeks/months, scouts and coaches have been evaluating players on various qualities such as:
Skills
Athleticism
Decision-Making under pressure
Throughout your life, Jesus has been evaluating you to be a part of GOD's team ...
And He likes what He sees in you.
However, Jesus hasn't been evaluating your skills or athleticism.
Rather, He sees that fire inside you and your faith that will be a valuable asset to GOD's team.
And GOD's team isn't merely competing for a Super Bowl ring.
Rather, GOD's team is competing for a crown that will last forever.
And all you need to do is receive Him through faith, and you will be a child of GOD on this eternal team.
Then, just like in sports, once you get drafted ...
The journey doesn't end there, it's only the beginning!
You'll still have off-season practices and training, and then you'll need to execute in the game.
Once you get drafted on GOD's team ...
The journey doesn't end there, it's only the beginning!
You'll still have off-season practices and training through:
Reading the Bible
Spending time in prayer
Sharing fellowship with other believers to strengthen each other's faiths
Then, you'll need to execute in the game through:
Staying steadfast in your faith
Expanding the Kingdom
Glorifying GOD in all your thoughts, words, and deeds
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of getting drafted into GOD's eternal team, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Don’t Waste It: The Impact of Easter for Christian Athletes and Coaches
Do you take the Easter story for granted???
Don’t waste its powerful potential to transform you!!!
Today, we will talk about:
An experience I had that made me understand how amazing Christ’s death and resurrection was.
Happy Easter!
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Easter story.
Growing up, I had heard it every Easter …
(Well, almost every Sunday for that matter)
And its importance got diluted.
However, a few years ago I got to witness a powerful event that changed the way I viewed the Easter story.
I was invited to a college basketball practice.
Right before the practice, the coach let me know there would be a change in plans and the practice would be a punishment conditioning practice, so I didn’t need to attend.
But I wanted to go anyways.
The practice was brutal!!!
Almost all players were absolutely drenched in sweat and throwing up.
This punishment caused a lot of pain and suffering in the athletes.
The last thing they had to do was push sleds down a long hallway to a finish line.
I remember there was the team captain and leader …
Who had done nothing wrong …
But he had to undergo the same punishment.
He ended up finishing his sled push first.
And what happened next shocked me!
Rather than take a break, catch his breath, or get water …
He went back and helped the second place person push his sled.
Those two helped two more …
Those four helped four more …
Until all teammates finished.
Although this doesn’t come close to the magnitude of Jesus’s death and resurrection, it does provide us with a clearer image.
We came into this world that was full of sin and had to undergo a punishment, which involved much pain and suffering.
GOD’s Son Jesus came into this world and underwent the same trials, temptations, sin, pain, and suffering that we all faced.
But he transcended them all!
He was the perfect man!
And once he transcended more pain and suffering than we’ll need to face through His death on the cross, He finished His race.
But He came back to help us through our sin, pain, and suffering through His resurrection.
And then, once we see how we’ve been saved by Christ, we in turn want to help others until one by one, all teammates have crossed the finish line into the Kingdom.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of having your sin, pain, and suffering saved through Christ’s love (and, in turn, helping others with theirs), and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
When the Clock is Ticking: 4 Ways Christian Athletes and Coaches can Perform Under Pressure when the Game is on the Line
The game is on the line … and the clock is ticking …
What will you do???
Will you cower down in fear …
Or will you rise victorious and triumphant???
Today, we will talk about:
How Jesus handled his trial, death, and resurrection to help you handle your countdowns in your games and competitions.
Happy Palm Sunday!
We are one week from Easter and we know that in Jesus’ day, a lot went down during this week:
Jesus faced his trial
Jesus died on the cross
Jesus was resurrected from the dead
This was the countdown for the end of Jesus’ life.
(In physical form on Earth, that is)
We see some athletes like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan who seem to excel when the clock is ticking, but we see others choke in these pressure situations.
There are some takeaways we can have from how Jesus handled his trial, death, and resurrection to help you in the countdowns of your games and competitions.
1. Remain Calm and Open
When Jesus faced his trial before Pontius Pilate and the religious leaders, he didn’t cower down in fear.
Rather, he remained calm, open, and at peace.
When you cower down in fear, you create a lot of unnecessary tension which robs you of your potential.
But when you remain calm, open, and at peace, your full potential can rise to the surface.
2. GOD’s Will Be Done
Jesus faced a lot of agony on the days leading up to his death, as we see during his prayers at Gethsemane.
But he ended every prayer with, “Not as I will, but as YOU WILL.”
Jesus knew that GOD’s Will would be far more glorious than any suffering he was currently facing.
In your games and competitions, know that when you give your all, no matter what happens …
GOD’s Will will be done.
And whatever that is will be far more glorious than anything you can currently imagine.
3. Let LOVE Win Out
Although Jesus was experiencing a ton of suffering, he had so much LOVE for you, me, and ALL.
And he allowed this infinite and eternal LOVE to fuel him through his suffering and become the Savior for all.
In your games and competitions, allow your LOVE for your players, teammates, the game itself, and to glorify GOD through your gifts and abilities in sports to win out and fuel you through any suffering you may face.
4. Know There Is A Resurrection
Although Jesus’ death was inevitable, he knew that death was only a veil concealing a far greater experience on the other side.
He knew there would be a resurrection where he would conquer sin and death once and for all to be the Savior of the world.
In your games and competitions, although a loss may feel like a momentary death, know there will be a resurrection on the other side.
Win, lose, or draw, you will be able to handle it.
And whatever happens will refine and forge you into a better athlete, coach, and Child of GOD.
Simple Trick to Help You in Pressure Situations
Here’s a simple trick to help you when the clock is ticking and the game is on the line.
Take a deep breath and connect with the Holy Spirit inside you.
We see many examples of athletes taking a deep breath in pressure situations:
A basketball player at the free throw line
A tennis player before a serve
A pitcher before a pitch
This calms down your nervous system.
BUT DON’T STOP THERE!!!
Connect with the Holy Spirit inside you during that breath.
Feel Jesus’ heartbeat inside your chest.
And allow that to:
Keep you calm, open, and at peace
Remind you that GOD’s Will be done
Let LOVE win out
Remind you a resurrection awaits on the other side
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of performing under pressure when the clock is ticking, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
The Road Ends Here: How Christian Athletes and Coaches can Live an Eternal Road
This is it!!! The Road Ends Here!!!
Or does it???
Today, we will talk about:
How your Road can last forever as an athlete and as a coach for Christ.
We are at the end of the basketball season.
Last night was the Final Four and tomorrow is the National Championship game.
A common phrase and slogan for the Final Four is:
The Road Ends Here
Yes, for the college basketball season, the road does end here. It is officially the end of the season.
But your road does not have to end here.
As a Child of GOD, you are part of an eternal kingdom that will never perish, spoil, or fade.
Through faith in Jesus Christ your Spirit will have eternal life.
May this be an encouragement and a reminder to you.
Although you may be in this world, you are not of this world.
Although externally you may fade away:
You may lose your first step
You may lose your jump shot
The ball may stop bouncing for you
Inwardly you are being renewed day by day.
For now …
And for eternity!
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of walking your Eternal Road, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Is Your Bracket Busted??? What to do when your agenda doesn’t go as planned
Has your bracket been busted yet?
Or are you still going strong?
If it has been busted, how have you responded?
Today, we will talk about:
What to do when your plans and agendas get busted in life.
We are already in the Elite Eight and a few teams have already punched their tickets to the Final Four.
By now, many people across the country have had their brackets busted in some way, shape, or form.
One thing that amazes me is how different people respond to their brackets being busted in different ways:
Some will check out and stop watching the tournament
Others will make excuses as to why their bracket didn’t work out
But some will release the pressure from themselves of needing to have the perfect bracket and simply enjoy watching the tournament for the wonderful spectacle it is
For these people that surrender their control, the tournament often becomes more enjoyable to watch.
The same scenario often plays itself in life.
Many times, people try to force their own plans, their own agendas, and the way they think they want things to go.
Many times, GOD will come in and spoil these agendas to re-route them.
And when this happens, people respond in different ways:
Some will give up
Some will make excuses
And some will surrender their agendas, release the pressure to force their own plans, and enjoy the route GOD is guiding them on
And when you do surrender your plans and let GOD guide you, things often seem to turn out in a way more glorious than you could have ever thought on your own.
My encouragement to you is …
Release your rigid control on how you think your plans should unfold and fall back in surrender, allowing GOD to guide the events of your life.
When you do:
You release a lot of pressure from yourself
You can more fully enjoy the events of life for the beautiful spectacle they are
You find that your path in life unfolds far more gloriously than you could have thought of on your own
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of surrendering your plans and agendas into GOD’s mighty hand, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Will You Make a Deep Run??? How to Make a Deep Run in Your Walk of Faith as a Christian Athlete and Coach
How do teams make deep runs in the NCAA tournament???
How can you make a deep run in your walk of faith???
Today, we will talk about:
How you can make a deep run in your life as an athlete and coach for Christ.
Today is the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, which is my favorite time of the sporting season.
Throughout my life, I have been a huge Michigan State basketball fan.
(During games, I’m probably down in my defensive stance and burning more calories than any of the players out there!!!)
One thing that has amazed me over the years of being a Michigan State basketball fan is …
They don’t always have the top prospects:
The All-Americans
The 5-star recruits
Those that go pro instantly
Still, they are able to make the NCAA tournament year after year and often make deep runs in the tournament.
One reason I believe this is so is because they have a master hall of fame coach in Tom Izzo who is able to see through to the heart of his players:
Their grit
Their tenacity
Their toughness
And he is able to get the best out of them.
GOD can work in the same way.
Over and over throughout the Bible, GOD did not always choose the highest prospects to do His work:
He chose Gideon to defeat the Midianites
He chose David to become one of Israel’s most powerful kings
Jesus’ disciples were a bunch of Misfits and outcasts in their own way
Even Jesus was not the ideal Savior and Messiah in the eyes of many as He was a carpenter
However, GOD was able to see through them to their heart and enabled them to do amazing works.
May this be an encouragement to you.
You may not appear to be the highest-caliber prospect on the outside. You may not be:
The biggest
The fastest
The strongest
However, GOD can see through to your heart and can perform amazing works through you.
He has a purpose for you that transcends all understanding.
He will enable you, through His Power, to do things you never thought possible.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of making a deep run in your walk of faith, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Are You In??? How you can punch your ticket to the Big Dance of Heaven
Are you in???
Or are you on the outside looking in???
Today, we will talk about:
How you can be confident in punching your ticket to the Biggest Dance there is.
Today is Selection Sunday.
A time marked by dozens of college basketball teams across the country watching and waiting to see whether they will make it into the NCAA basketball tournament.
For some teams, they can watch with confidence because they know they are in.
They’ve either racked up many wins throughout the year or have won their conference tournaments.
But for other teams, it’s a different story.
The are watching in fear and anxiety because they are on the bubble or on the outside looking in …
And the rest of their season’s fate lies in a selection committee who judges them based on various metrics:
Wins
Losses
Strength of Schedule
The “Eye Test”
Personally, I’d much rather be a team watching with confidence, knowing I’ve made it.
And what if I told you …
There is a way to know you’ve punched your ticket to the Biggest Dance there is:
There’s a way to go from fear and anxiety to confidence and poise
There’s a way to go from being on the bubble to a for sure lock
There’s a way to go from watching your life’s fate go from being judged by a committee of humans to a Committee of One
And this Committee of One doesn’t looks at what humans look at.
Rather, it looks at the heart.
It looks at your desire to be part of an Eternal Team that will never perish, spoil, or fade.
It looks at your belief in a Savior that has already punched your ticket for you.
And when you trust your life in the hands of this Committee of One, playing for this Eternal Team, it will transform you …
By the renewing of your mind …
And shifting your spirit from one of fear to one of power, love, and self-control.
The choice is up to you!
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of punching your ticket into Heaven and placing your faith in Jesus Christ, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
