66 Videos now on YouTube Channel

Over the last several months I have been shooting, editing, and collecting a series of videos for Character Coaches and Sports Chaplains. There are sixty-six videos on this YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBmzpllyhtqx4olugj8CIOXwu0_oG7gV9 . They are brief and very practical in nature.

I hope they are of some value to you.

“I love college football!”

Later tonight I will deliver a talk to the football teams of Greenville University and Olivet Nazarene University at the banquet for the NCCAA Victory Bowl. The game will be played tomorrow, November 23 in Greenville, Illinois.

An outline of my talk is below. I hope the ideas therein challenge your thoughts about sport and its value to Christians in sport.

“I love college football!”

Introduction: Think about what you love about college football... 

· For 26 seasons now I have been our team’s chaplain and get-back coach. 

· Untold hundreds of man-hours of preparation by dozens of people, across six days of each week’s practice, training, video review, teaching, and scheming; all compressed into 150-180 six second explosions of fury and orchestrated chaos. 

· Each step, each glance, each hesitation, each moment of insight, each explosive movement has immense weight and importance for the success or failure of any given play. 

· The teamwork, comradery, selflessness, attention to detail, concentration of will, and tolerance of discomfort needed to excel in this sport are uncommon traits in our society. 

· And, it’s fun! 

· I love college football for another, far superior reason as well. It is an environment and an endeavor in which we may experience the presence and pleasure of the Lord Jesus as an act of worship. 

Text – Romans 12:1-2 (4 big ideas) 

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

1. I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God… 

a. This is not a suggestion, 

b. Not a wish, 

c. Not a hope, 

d. He urges, he exhorts, he beseeches his brothers… 

e. By the mercies of God. The ground upon which we consider his next thoughts are the mercies of God. 

f. By the mercies of God, he urges his brothers… 

2. Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

a. The presentation of your bodies is a: 

i. A living sacrifice, not a dead one. It is a daily, hourly, play by play, practice by practice sacrifice. 

ii. A holy sacrifice, set apart for God. Football is not played behind God’s back. It’s set apart for Him. 

iii. An acceptable sacrifice, not something tolerated by God, rather it’s an acceptable, well-pleasing sacrifice. You can expect to experience God’s pleasure as you present your body as a sacrifice through sport. 

iv. This is your spiritual service of worship. Beyond an activity that God would tolerate until you can get to worship at church on Sunday; football itself is an environment for and an activity in which we worship the Lord Jesus. 

b. When you step onto the field to train, to practice, or to compete in football, you have the privilege of presenting your body as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

3. Do not be conformed to this world. 

a. The world would have you separate who you are as a Christ-following man from who you are as a football player. 

b. You the excellent student, the loving son, the loyal brother, the faithful friend, vs. you the raging, almost out of control, barbaric, maniacal football player. Which is the real you? 

c. Greek thinking, prevailing cultural dualism would have you experience life as two separate people. 

d. Hebrew thinking, God-honoring integrity would have you be the same man, all the time, regardless of environment or circumstance. 

e. Do not be conformed to this world. Rather… 

4. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

a. Transform the way you think about football, about competition. 

b. To compete is to strive together. Together, not against. 

c. If we have no opponent for competition, we only have practice. If we don’t turn on the score board, we just have another practice. 

d. To compete is to test each other as we both strive to be our best, to grow, to develop, and ultimately to become all God has purposed for us to be. 

e. As we compete we prove or test what the will of God is and we find it to be: 

i. Good – we find the will of God to be good for us. 

ii. Acceptable – we find the will of God to be well-pleasing to us. 

iii. Perfect – we find the will of God to be perfect or complete. 

5. Football players, Coaches, Support Staff, may I challenge you with the Apostle Paul’s words? 

a. I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God… 

b. Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

c. Do not be conformed to this world, but… 

d. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

I love college football because it is an environment and an endeavor in which we may experience the presence and the pleasure of the Lord Jesus as an act of worship. 

I pray you also experience our Lord’s presence and His pleasure tomorrow and each time you prepare, train, practice, and compete.

Sports Ministry Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia

During the days of 31 October through 2 November, I was privileged to participate in a sports ministry conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. Men and women from the sporting world and a number of churches from a wide radius joined us for these days of inspiration, conversation, and envisioning a future of ministry in sport for that part of the world.

 

We were very well hosted by our friends of FCA in St. Petersburg, by the Russian language TBN Network, and area church leaders. The event featured speakers including local bishops and similar leaders of the area church community, a highly ranked boxer, three of my FCA colleagues, and me. I was privileged to share an orientation about sports chaplaincy with a strongly engaged set of leaders and can’t wait to see what develops.

Mark Hull of the 360 Coaching Institute made several presentations and Dan Britton of FCA delivered strong and passionate messages re: the potential of ministry in sport.

In addition to the formal presentations and inspirational talks from a wide variety of speakers, there were many discussions during coffee breaks, over lunches and dinners, all in consideration of what the Lord may be doing related to ministry in sport in their region. Along the way we learned some significant lessons about how to approach ministry, in partnership with the local church, now thirty years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Things have changed in very important ways and those changes necessitate a shift in the ministry approach of ministries from the west.

We were thrilled to also have time with our hosts to tour the Hermitage museum, to visit the Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral, and other sites in St. Petersburg. The history, the art, and the grandeur of the city is remarkable. Those wonders are greatly overshadowed by the hunger, passion, and vision exhibited by the men and women we met from all across northern Russia and Finland.

Please pray for our friends and colleagues in St. Petersburg, Russia and beyond. The Lord is up to something big here. I hope we can be a small part of His plans and purposes.

Recap of The 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity

The 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity was held October 23-27 in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the campus of Calvin University. https://calvin.edu/events/2GCSC/

This ecumenical gathering of sport administrators, coaches, athletes, pastors, theologians and anyone else who seeks to explore the mutual impact of belief and sport, and also wants to affect a cultural shift in modern sport and the role it plays in a life of faith. We heard from Tim Tebow, professional athlete, ESPN analyst and author; Loretta Claiborne, recipient of the 1996 Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; Miroslav Volf, renowned theologian; and other noted names in the world of sport and faith.

BACKGROUND: In 2016, the Inaugural Congress on Sport and Christianity took place in York, England, hosted by York St. John University. The event drew nearly 200 participants from 24 different nations. Best-selling author, activist, and scholar Tony Campolo delivered the opening address, setting the tone for posing questions and seeking answers in sport through the lens of authentic Christian faith. Other keynotes lectures and more than 80 additional presentations were given by scholars and practitioners, each providing new insights and reflections on the culture of sport as it relates Christian thought and life.

In 2019, the energetic conversation continued. The 2nd Global Congress, hosted by Calvin University and Hope College, took place at the Prince Conference. Co-Directors Brian Bolt (Calvin University) and Chad Carlson (Hope College) did a great job of putting it all together. The congress welcomed participants from every populated continent around the globe.

The keynote speakers were from widely varied backgrounds and experiences in sport. The breakout sessions were well presented, thoughtful, and well received by the hundreds in attendance. The campus of Calvin University served the conference well. It was a privilege and an honor to make three presentations and to moderate a block of breakout sessions during the congress.

As per usual, I enjoyed the time between sessions, conversations over coffee or lunch, networking with friends, new and old, and discussions of the ideas presented during keynotes and breakout sessions. I value these moments even more highly than the presentations. This event is unique in that it welcomes both academics and practitioners of both sport and ministry in sport to the table as equals. People from both perspectives are treated with respect and are given a receptive ear.

I have been watching, but have not seen any information about a 3^rd Global Congress. I imagine it would be scheduled for 2022.

Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson co-chaired the 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. The pair is podcasting to encourage the conversation on sport and faith. You can listen at www.brianrbolt.com or by subscribing to "Dig Deep: Sport, Faith, Life" via iTunes to catch the latest podcast episode. I have subscribed to this podcast and find the discussions to be thoughtful and perceptive. Have a topic or idea you'd like to hear Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson discuss? Please send them a line at sport.christianity@gmail.com.