Sport Chaplain / Character Coach / Sport Mentor Blog

Highly Committed, but Irreligious

2012-01-27T06:26:00.001-08:00

While preparing for a pre-game meal and chapel talk one day, an assistant women’s basketball coach commented to me, “You’re not like most of the religious people I’ve known.” I smiled and replied, “Good. I don’t intend to be religious. I would prefer to be highly committed to Christ, but rather irreligious.” She said, “That’s interesting.” My reflexive comment to my friend was true and heart-felt and I’m still happy with it.

I’d like to explore the difference between being “religious” and being “highly committed to Christ.” Religious people carry the external trappings of Christianity as their defining marks. Highly committed Christians carry their commitment to Jesus internally as their defining characteristic and allow that commitment to find external expression in numerous, often less religious ways. Some examples of each may help us see the difference.

Religious people speak with each other in clichés and the King James language they learn at church. Highly committed believers in Jesus are free to speak in the language of the subculture in which they are serving Him; in our case, that is the language of sport. Religious people would rather sit in judgment over people whose lifestyles don’t fit their standards. Highly committed Christian men and women demonstrate love and commitment to those they serve without respect to their lifestyles, wise or foolish. Their grasp of their own wickedness of heart and the weakness of their own flesh keeps judgmental attitudes at bay.

I don’t shun the sinful or cluck my tongue at foolish speech. I don’t Tebow because it’s trendy nor do I repeat or retweet every syllable uttered by John Piper (insert the name of any other celebrity preacher) as if it were holy writ. I don’t pretend that attending my local church is the answer to everyone’s social ills and that if they simply walk through the door all their problems will be solved. I don’t counsel new believers in Jesus to shun their former circle of friends and teammates in order to adopt a more suitable set of friends who won’t pollute their lives with wickedness. I don’t wear WWJD bracelets and I haven’t burned my secular music recordings (Gasp!). I don’t go to trendy “Christian films” which are simply gospel tracts on celluloid. I’m bored with the passionless music poured out by contemporary Christian music stations and I’m repulsed by Southern Gospel music. I prefer reading Seth Godin and Malcom Gladwell to Max Lucado and Joel Osteen.

This distaste for “religious” things and preference for “heartfelt commitment” often leads to my being misunderstood by others in the Church. I’m fine with that. I rather enjoy the questions asked of me about such things; the question asked by the assistant basketball coach being emblematic of such questions and the conversations which normally follow. Please take the risk of being misunderstood and questioned about your lack of religiousness in favor of a genuine, passionate expression of your love for the Lord Jesus. It’s worth it and we’re much less boring people with whom to interact.

What can we learn from a tattoo?

2012-01-20T04:56:00.000-08:00

What can we learn from a tattoo? What is to be learned from the ink below a person’s skin? Tattoos are seldom either profound works of literature or wondrous works of art. They do however give us a glimpse at the heart which is expressing itself through his or her skin.

The world of sport is rife with tattooed men and women. From the high profile sportspeople like David Beckham to the most obscure high school student-athlete with a hunger to honor a fallen teammate, tattoos are very prevalent in this culture. Many who follow Christ are quick to make judgments about tattoos and their propriety for other followers of Jesus. It is not my intention to make judgments either way, but to consider what a person is telling us from his or her choice of tattoo and the possibility that well worded questions about them can open a pathway to heart-felt discussions about the real matters of life.

In this season’s Team Building sessions with USA university men’s basketball and American football teams, I have used these sentences for discussion among the players in small groups and then with the team at large. “If you have a tattoo, tell us about it. (What does it represent? When did you get it?) Do you have any regrets about having it now?” The responses to these thoughts were varied and remarkable. One player said, “I do not have any tattoos. It would displease my parents and I will not do anything to disrespect my parents.” I was stunned. Another player, with over 20 tattoos, said, “My left arm is dedicated to my mother. My right arm is dedicated to my grade school classmate who died when we were eleven years old. My chest and back speak of things which are important to me.” More than I expected said that they had no tattoos and not a single one would say he regretted having it, a strong contrast to many men of my generation who wish the US Marine Corps bulldog on their shoulders or the US Navy anchors on their forearms were no longer there. This lack of regret may simply be a function of age.

Just among athletes I have seen tattoos on feet, ankles, shins, calves, thighs, lower backs, upper backs, torsos, upper chests, shoulders, biceps, forearms, whole sleeves of tattoos, on fingers, on necks and even under one’s hair. My daughter-in-law, a track athlete, has the word, “Strength” on the top of her foot. A friend who was a USA high jumper in the 1996 Olympics has the Olympic rings above his ankle. Without exception, there is a reason for what is written or drawn. The bearer of the tattoo is expressing his heart through the ink. Their hearts are sometimes foolish, sometimes they were received in the fog of an alcohol or drug induced mind, but in all cases the tattoo means something.

Getting to the something, discerning the meaning and the athlete’s heart is what I am asking you to consider. Starting the discussion is often as simple as asking a question like the one listed earlier. I have asked that question in formal settings like Team Building sessions, while standing beside a basketball court while players drank water, while standing on the sideline at football practice and while sitting together over coffee. In every case, I hear layers of answers. There is usually the surface level “public answer” which satisfies most people, but I am looking for something more. There has to be something deeper here to justify the pain, time and cash invested in the ink below one’s skin. Asking follow up questions which enable one to share a story about the acquisition of the tattoo, the circumstances surrounding it and the significance of the word or the symbol can help us hear their hearts and can open a path to speak to their hearts most directly. Be careful, you may not want to hear some of what you’re told.

Just yesterday a college softball player posted this on her facebook page, “kinda interested in getting a tattoo!?” Despite the spelling, capitalization, grammar and punctuation errors in her message, which I ignored, I replied, “Seldom does such fleeting interest result in a decision one is happy with 10 years later.” Other comments on her post included, “I will go with you!” “All the cool kids are doing it.” “what happens when youre old and saggy? bye bye tattoooooo :(“ “That's why you get one down your side that says ‘faith’ so when youre old and saggy it folds over perfectly and says ‘fat’.” “sleep on it... for like .... a year. LOL” Such is the advice given by teammates, godmothers, friends and sport chaplains; some funny, some insightful and some emblematic of the short-term thinking which results in the proliferation of tattoo shops around the world.

For our purposes as men and women who serve the people of sport, let’s forgo making judgments and concentrate on using these graphic expressions of hearts to engage those same hearts in conversations characterized by love, redemption and the grace of the Lord Jesus.

Toughest Girl on the Planet

2012-01-13T14:34:00.001-08:00

Have you had to endure some pain to compete in your sport? How much and how often did it hurt? How would you handle daily, intense pain and would you endure it for four solid years? I watched the toughest girl on the planet do just that as she played her heart out.

Wendy Goodman (Bauersachs) was a basketball player at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale from 2001 through 2005 and she played through pain every day, all day. She has a hereditary condition which makes her bones brittle and subject to stress fractures. It also is quite painful. Running up and down a basketball floor only adds to the stress and pounds the joints with every stride.

Early in her days at SIU the training staff tried everything they could think of to treat the condition and minimize the pain. They tried special shoes, socks, treatments and more. Finally the doctor told her the choice was to play with pain or don’t play at all. She decided to play and became a leader for her team throughout her career.

In her condition, the pain was a constant presence. It didn’t simply visit her when on the floor, it was there as she walked to class as she sat on the team bus traveling home with ice bags strapped to her shins and every night as she would try to sleep.

Wendy, along with her roommate and best friend, Danette Jones (Wolfe), were inspirational leaders for the Basketball Salukis. Her sacrificial love for the game of basketball, for her teammates and for her Lord won the hearts of many. Not long after graduation, that loving heart attracted Tim Bauersachs and they are now blissfully married with a daughter and another baby on the way. The toughest girl on the planet is now a mommy and a pastor’s wife.

Wendy’s example of love, sacrifice and toughness is a constant challenge to me and to all who witnessed her playing career. She helps us each to play our hearts out.

Wrong Questions / Wrong Answers

2012-01-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

For the last fifty years or more Christian sportspeople have gained more and more visibility in their communities, in the media and in the general culture. Sometimes that has been good, other times not so good. Some Christ-following coaches and players have represented their faith and their Lord very well and others have become emblematic of words like “hypocrite.” The growth of sports media in the last thirty years has only amplified the issues on both sides through the growth of sports television, sports talk radio and web sites which are each 100% dedicated to dissemination of information and opinion on sport related matters.

The incessant drive to fill the 24 hour per day news and opinion cycle pushes the media to dig, to prod, to push and to provoke sportspeople in their search of a story. They seek a story. They’ll do whatever is necessary to get it, even if they have to invent the story so as to get a reaction from the coach or athlete, then that becomes the story. Sadly, even the Christian media are not immune from this pressure.

I have several friends in both secular and Christian media services; radio, television and print. I respect them, but maintain a healthy distance from the glare of the spotlights, microphones and digital recorders. From my perspective, the relationship between the media and sportspeople is a matter of asking the wrong questions and giving the wrong answers. If one is to properly understand and to respectfully relate to sportspeople, the media members must ask better questions and be satisfied with better answers.

The compartmentalization of our general culture leads sports reporters to ask questions of coaches and athletes either exclusively about the elements of the sport; technique, strategy, performance, wins and losses, etc. or they will ask about the propriety of a Christian player’s practice of his beliefs on game day. The latter sort of question seems to be intended as provocation of an emotional or argumentative response from the Christian man or woman. These are the wrong questions. Better questions about matters of faith would approach the player or coach from a more integrated point of view, asking about matters like these. “When you pray on game day, what do you ask God to do?” “How do you pray for your teammates?” “I saw you kneeling in prayer on the sideline, do you think God wants you to win and the other team to lose?” Asking competitors about the elements of the sport is altogether proper and healthy. Asking them about matters of their faith is also proper and healthy if done with wisdom and respect.

This same lack of integrity exists in many of the hearts and minds of sportspeople. They often give the wrong answers. Some answer either sort of question – sport or faith – with simple clichés. “We’re just trying to get better.” “We’re taking them one at a time.” “I’m just trying to contribute to the ball club.” “Praise Jesus, I got that ball and the Lord just took over.” “I told the Lord if we won today, I’d be in church tomorrow.” The responses remind us more of a scene from “Bull Durham” with Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins than wise, respectful responses to a reporter’s questions. Christian athletes and coaches often answer questions in ways that betray the compartmentalization of their hearts and minds, while others will try to force “Christian cliché” answers upon the reporters. When the reporter asks, “What was your pre-snap read on the mike linebacker when it was third down and thirteen on your thirty yard line with three minutes to play in the fourth quarter?” the answer is not, “Jesus is Lord.” That’s simply disrespectful to the reporter and all those listening simply think, “Huh?” Christian sportspeople must relate to reporters with same wisdom and respect they expect from the media.

Sports media people – please ask better questions. Ask questions which respect the Christian athlete’s genuine love for sport and for God without assuming those two passions are in conflict. Please don’t just seek a story for the sake of a story.

Sportspeople – please give better answers. Answer reporters’ questions directly and respectfully. Don’t twist a question about technical matters of sport into an opportunity to tell your testimony. Don’t dodge questions about matters of faith by tossing clichés, tired analogies, or by simply giving, “No comment.”

Prayers for 2012

2011-12-31T03:45:00.000-08:00

It’s New Year’s Eve in the USA. I don’t do resolutions, but I would like to offer some items for prayer for the coming year related to our roles of service with the men and women of sport.

• I pray that you are enfolded by God’s grace to love the unlovely and the ones who simply ignore you.

• I pray that you have a daily infusion of the Lord’s thoughts in your mind and heart through prayer and study.

• I pray that you experience remarkable favor with everyone in your sporting world and that once closed doors open to you.

• I pray that you are fully equipped with God’s wisdom for every moment of crisis, doubt, fear, illness and injury that occurs this year.

• I pray that you can sense the Lord’s presence as you ride on buses, sit on airplanes, stand in changing rooms and lie in hotel beds.

• I pray that you can hear the Lord Jesus’ affirming voice as you stroll along the sideline at practice, walk through the locker room, kneel in prayer with a player, sit with a coach whose marriage is crumbling, hold the hand of a dying colleague or simply stand while basking in the Lord’s gracious pleasure as you fulfill your role of ministry with the people of sport.

• I pray that your relationship with the Lord Jesus and relationships with everyone you encounter flourishes and thrives in 2012.

Jesus = Messiah. Joseph and Mary = parents. Shepherds = fans. Angels = sports media.

2011-12-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:13-20

Every year we hear this scripture read and I imagine that most of us don’t really see it work in the context of our everyday world. This morning while reading this again, I suddenly saw it in the sporting world.

Jesus is the Messiah and his arrival is heralded by a great company of the heavenly host. We see players come to our teams like they were messiah’s arriving to deliver the team, the program and the community into a new era. These messianic players are usually welcomed by the heralding of a great company of sportswriters and electronic media members.

Joseph and Mary wisely and dutifully care for the baby Jesus and were amazed at what the shepherds were saying. Mary, in particular, is thoughtful about all this, pondering all these things and keeping them as treasure in her heart. We see scores of parents each year who wisely and dutifully care for their young players and they’re often amazed at what the shepherds and angels (sports fans and sports media) are saying about them. The wisest among them both treasure these comments and ponder them in their hearts. They’re wise enough to not buy all the writers are selling, but hopeful enough to think some of it could be true.

The shepherds were informed by angels and personally witnessed Jesus’ first days. They spread the word about both the angels’ words and their first hand experiences with the Lord. They even went home glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. The angels had not overstated the case at all. We are all surrounded by sports fans who read the blogs, the message boards, the scouting services, sport periodicals and some even see the games of the blue chip prospects they hope will play for their teams. They repeat the reports from scouts and the media and when they see the player first-hand, their lips flow with praise for the player, his coaches, parents and everyone else associated with him or her. Sometimes the media has not overhyped the player and he is exactly as reported. Sometimes….

Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the angels and certainly Jesus lived in a real world. We live in the sporting world. It’s a real world with real people, real parents, real media, real angels, real fans and a real Messiah. Let’s see the media, fans, players, parents, coaches and our colleagues in ministry as significantly as we do the characters in the Christmas story. Let’s help each other to see the significance of each life, each one’s role in the story and how each one relates to the Messiah. Ponder your own role in this story and treasure the wonder of Jesus’ presence in your life.

My Response as an Olympic Athlete and now Sports Chaplain: The Worship Factor

2011-12-16T04:38:00.000-08:00

I think about the days when the Romans felt they ruled the earth. They were big on sports and viewed sportsmen as gods. The gymnasiums and baths were for men only who seemingly developed the ability to become a god through sport. They competed against others to show prowess and domination in the sports arena. Today, we see athletes expressing the same type of attitude, using their athletic gifts to demonstrate their superiority over others, and desiring to be praised for their demonstration of athletic domination and showmanship. The problem begins when the athlete desires idol worship. Paul addressed the Christian Romans in his day by saying something so profound that it relates directly to our situation in today's sports. "...Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 10:3b

The problem and danger with 'the worship factor' happens when an athlete allows him/herself to be idolized, they stand in the place of the true and living God who deserves all glory and praise. God's command is clear on the god-ship thing, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3 The field of competition is an awesome opportunity to honor and glorify God through the gift of sport on and off the field. When recognition, accolades, acknowledgement of your athletic gift is received, instead of getting puffed up and prideful over that which God has gifted you, it is an appropriate time to give praise and adoration to our God who truly deserves all our praise.

I personally praise God for Tim Tebow, and all the other athletes in sport, who are not ashamed to turn the arena of idol worship to an altar of public praise. When done out of a heart of love and thankfulness, God accepts it as a pleasing spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:3b The spectator who does not know God, or care to know Him, can witness our true devotion through our lifestyle of praise. What an opportunity athletes have to lift Jesus higher, and allow Him to draw all men to Himself.

To God be the Glory,

Madeline Manning Mims

4 Time Olympian, Gold & Silver Medalist in Track

Olympic and WNBA Sports Chaplain

A Biblical View of Participation in Sport

2011-12-09T04:16:00.000-08:00

Sport has been alternately lionized and vilified by leaders in the Christian Church for hundreds of years. Most of those who comment on sport and its value are approaching it from a spectator’s viewpoint. I would like to approach it from a participant’s point of view and seek to understand biblical values which can shape one’s life in sport. Rather than to simply draw conclusions from the Bible’s references to sport (mainly used to illustrate spiritual truth), I would propose using a more analytical process to gather the values which can be applied directly to the lives of sportspeople.

While I will concede that the Bible does not speak directly about sport, but simply references it, I will strongly assert that it powerfully addresses matters of which sport is comprised. I would like to have you consider that sport is:

• A rich environment for engaging the Gospel of Christ.

• A lifestyle of noble work.

• An expression of worship.

• An experience of community.

Let’s now consider each of these ideas more deeply.

Sport is a rich environment for engaging the Gospel of Christ.

In the experience of sport one is deeply engaged in all the elements of the Gospel. On the field, pitch, court or track the sportsperson is surrounded by the beauty of Creation and often feels a genuine connection with the Creator through it. Through the inevitable pain, frustration, loss and grief which accompany a life in sport the competitor is confronted the brokenness brought on by sin, strained relationships and a tainted Creation. Those who engage in a sporting life experience grace for the restoration of broken relationships with teammates and hope for recovering the brokenness they feel through loss and failure. In a life of sport the participants encounter a level of community and fraternal love that is seldom known by people outside the Church of Christ and frankly, by many in the Church. The camaraderie shared by a sports team is a powerful and dynamic force in the lives of everyone associated with the team.

Even those who have yet to commit their lives to Jesus can experience these elements of the Gospel and can have their hearts stirred by them. Those of us who are followers of Christ and live in this environment are constantly reminded of the power of the Gospel and its implications for every facet of our lives. Sport, like any other human endeavor, if left to its own will naturally become utterly debased. It is horribly broken by sin, but it can be transformed by the presence of Christ Jesus in the lives of Christian sportspeople. Sport is a rich environment for engaging the Gospel of Christ.

Sport is a lifestyle of noble work.

Those who are engaged in a life of sport are intimately familiar with the work which is required for any level of success. There are countless hours of training, evaluation, skill development, strategizing, collaboration with teammates and coaches and ultimately the competition itself. Sport requires intensity of will and depth of commitment to endure the work that results in victories. The Bible is full of commentary on the nobility and the God-honoring value of such work. Among the simplest and most direct expressions of this ethic is in Colossians 3:22-25.

22 Slaves, obey your human masters in everything; don't work only while being watched, in order to please men, but [work] wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.

23 Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord—you serve the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.

The scripture makes no excuses for the slave, but challenges him to do his work, whatever it is, as if he was serving Christ Jesus and not his earthly master. Sportspeople are similarly serving both earthly masters (coaches, club managers, team owners, and such) as well as the Lord Christ. The Christ-following sportsperson is challenged to serve wholeheartedly, respectfully and enthusiastically, knowing that he is ultimately serving the Lord in his work.

Sport, like other avenues of work, is noble in itself and a worthy lifestyle for the follower of Christ. The Christian sportsperson is informed by the Scripture and energized by the Holy Spirit. He will experience the frustration, pain and loss which are inevitable consequences of the Fall, but he will also experience the transformation which comes from the power of Christ as demonstrated in his relationships with teammates, opponents, coaches and the sport itself. Sport is a lifestyle of noble work.

Sport is an expression of worship.

Throughout the Holy Scriptures there is a wide variety of expressions of worship. Men and women throughout the ages have employed a myriad of methods to declare their love for, their devotion to and the greatness of their God. Musicians play, sculptors sculpt, preachers speak, painters paint, writers compose, dancers perform and athletes compete. In each of the aforementioned expressions of worship there are physical, intellectual, social and spiritual dimensions.

The Bible contains countless such expressions and a broad list of methods. Witness Psalm 150 and its listing of numerous instruments as well as dance as expressions of worship.

1 Hallelujah!

Praise God in His sanctuary.

Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

2 Praise Him for His powerful acts;

praise Him for His abundant greatness.

3 Praise Him with trumpet blast;

praise Him with harp and lyre.

4 Praise Him with tambourine and dance;

praise Him with flute and strings.

5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals;

praise Him with clashing cymbals.

6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD.

Hallelujah!

Once again, the Bible does not directly reference sport as an expression of worship, however Romans 12:1-2 does seem to broaden the definition of what the Lord sees as God-honoring worship.

1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

No human enterprise more requires the presentation of one’s body as a living sacrifice as does sport. The daily process of training, practice and competition is certainly sacrificial and I would submit, holy and pleasing to God. Thus it is our spiritual worship. It is such because it is empowered by the sportsperson’s desire to declare his love for, devotion to and the greatness of his God; just like the musician, painter, dancer, preacher, writer or sculptor.

Sport, like other expressions of worship, is powerful and dynamic in the life of the follower of Christ. The Christian sportsperson is informed by the Scripture and energized by the Holy Spirit. Sport is an expression of worship.

Sport is an experience of community.

The people of sport live in a complex network of relationships and experience community in ways that are both wonderfully rich and uplifting as well as corrupt and demeaning. Sportspeople relate daily with their teammates, with opponents, with coaches, with officials, trainers, office staff, equipment managers and even with the elements of the sport itself.

Like any community, the sport world is either enriched or impoverished by the people who populate it. The media seem obsessed with reporting the stories of those in sport that have corrupted it by means of cheating, lying, abusing drugs or engaging in foolish sexual behavior. This is what the spectators see of the sport community. What those outside the sport world fail to see is the rich depth of relationships which are forged in the fires of intense competition, long hours spent together, in the exultation of winning and the grief of losing.

The Holy Scriptures eloquently describe the nature of true Christian community in both narrative passages like Acts chapter 2 and in didactic passages like Ephesians chapter 4. If one is actively engaged in sport, he or she can see the faces and hear the voices of teammates when reading the verses below from Ephesians 4:1-6.

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, 3 diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds [us]. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope at your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

This dynamic exhortation from the Apostle Paul applies both to the Church as well as to any sport team. If a team were to exercise love, would diligently maintain unity with humility and gentleness, it would surely experience a profound sense of community. This would be true for those who have yet to commit themselves to Christ, but it would certainly be more likely to occur and more powerfully energized if they were filled with the Holy Spirit as believers are.

Sport, like other experiences of community, includes relationships with saints and sinners. It exists in a complicated web of relationships with teammates, opponents, officials, coaches and even the competitor’s relationship with the sport itself. Such community is a powerful experience in the life of the follower of Christ. The Christian sportsperson is informed by the Scripture and energized by the Holy Spirit. Sport is an experience of community.

Conclusion

Sportspeople are richly blessed to daily experience the Lord’s grace and mercy. They live in an environment which allows them to engage the Gospel of Christ, even if they’re unaware of it. They actively pursue a lifestyle of noble work which can truly honor the Lord Jesus. They have opportunities to present their bodies as living sacrifices as powerful expressions of worship. Sportspeople experience community daily in ways uncommon to most and even those yet to believe in the Lord get a foretaste of true communion.

When one is in a committed relationship with the Lord of Creation, has engaged the Gospel, finds fulfillment in his work in sport, expresses his love for and devotion to Christ through sport and experiences loving community with teammates and even opponents, he experiences sport at its best.

Sport is a rich environment for engaging the Gospel of Christ. Sport is a lifestyle of noble work. Sport is an expression of worship. Sport is an experience of community. Let’s compete in a Christ-honoring way and thereby experience the Lord’s presence and His pleasure in every moment.

Notes on Coaching Staff Transitions

2011-12-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

At this time of year in college football, there are dozens of changes among head coaching positions, multiplied by their staff’s transitions. This displaces hundreds of coaches and their families each year. We can serve them by understanding the situation and positioning ourselves for effective ministry.

Related to the outgoing staff:

• If the staff was fired, understand that this feels like failure and a lot like death to them.

• Help the coaches to see this situation within the sovereignty of God. The Lord is not surprised by this.

• Understand that the transition is probably harder on the coach’s family than on the coach.

• Be available to them. They may not want much company, but if they welcome your presence, be there.

• Be prepared for the termination of some relationships. Some relationships will live beyond their tenure with your team, but others will cut off all ties to this place and you could be cut off as well.

• Communicate respect and thankfulness for their time with your team as well as hope for their future.

• Assure them of your prayers and availability to serve.

• Written communication is very good and can be an enduring encouragement to them. Send a card, an email and/or periodic text messages to stay in touch with them.

Related to the incoming staff:

• Pray for favor with the athletic administration and the new head coach.

• When a new head coach is announced, send a letter of congratulations immediately (keep it to one page).

• When the coach is settled into the office, get an appointment to welcome him/her and to offer your assistance.

• Bring a gift (a book) that is reflective of your desired relationship with the coaching staff and team.

• A wise attitude is reflected in offering to do, “as much or as little as the head coach believes appropriate.”

• When discussing a role with the team one can reference his/her role with past coaching staffs, but don’t lock into those methods or activities exclusively.

• Let the coach paint the parameters for your role and work to build trust and credibility from there.

• It is always wise to offer to serve with no strings attached. Guard your attitude from presumption.

• Come prepared to discern the coach’s perception of his/her, the staff and the team’s needs.

Champions Persevere

2011-11-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

This is another chapel talk outline from just last week. It was a disappointing season for Saluki Football. Coming into this week’s game we knew our record could end up either 4 and 7 or 3 and 8. Neither one was very appealing and neither was what we had anticipated on August 6 when we started pre-season practices. Seventeen of our players also knew that by day’s end, they would be former football players as their careers in the sport would likely be completed. To top it off, we were to play a team over which we held an eight game winning streak, but that has seen a remarkable resurgence this year. They are nationally ranked and could make the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs if they were to win this contest. It would seem that they have more to play for than do the Salukis. All these factors led to my choice of subject matter and Bible text.

“Champions Persevere”

My introduction was the dictionary definition of “persevere.” “To persist in a state, enterprise or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition or discouragement.”

• This season you have persevered in spite of counterinfluences, opposition and discouragement.

• This afternoon’s game will require similar perseverance of you in order to succeed.

• Our seventeen seniors in the room today have persevered for years and I’m confident will continue to do so.

I asked for a volunteer to open the chapel in prayer and senior safety Mike McElroy did so.

The quintessential Bible text about perseverance is James 1:12. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (I read it aloud.)

• The man who perseveres is blessed – he is contentedly happy.

• The man who perseveres is proven – the process itself makes us better.

• The man who perseveres receives a reward – in this case it’s a crown, promised by God for those who love Him.

For the Salukis to compete like champions on this day, we must persevere.

• We must persevere through counterinfluences – those outside our team like weather conditions and a playoff hungry crowd as well as those in our own hearts and minds. Persevere!

• We must persevere through opposition. We face a good team today. Persevere!

• We must persevere through discouragement. There will be momentum shifts in today’s game which can overtake even the strongest hearts. Persevere!

• As we persevere today – we are blessed.

• As we persevere today – we are proven.

• As we persevere today – we receive a reward.

Let’s each and all persevere to the final horn of this season and then move ahead strongly into the next as we compete like champions.

I prayed to finish the chapel. I prayed in thanks for:

• The opportunity for each of these young men to play college football.

• The coaching staff for teaching and leading the players in football and life in general.

• The support staff for being consistent and loyal.

• The senior players who have invested years of their lives in this program and in their teammates.

• The returning players. Their best days are still ahead of them.

• Let us persevere like champions.

After 18 seasons of doing this I can occasionally see things coming before they happen. The weather conditions were less than ideal. There was a constant strong wind which wrapped around the east end of the stadium and swirled around making passing the ball difficult. The Sycamores were a much more skilled team than in past years. There were strong momentum shifts in both directions from our 21-0 half time lead, only to be tied at 21 at the end of the third quarter. Momentum shifted with turnovers and big plays, culminating with an interception by Mike McElroy at the one yard line to preserve the 35-28 win.

The team persevered through counterinfluences, opposition and discouragement. They were blessed, proven and they received a reward. This season’s reward was not in the form of a championship ring. My reward came in the locker room as I hugged a couple of players and heard them pour out their hearts into my ear. Even in disappointing, painful seasons there are moments when I feel immeasurably blessed to be given the opportunity to speak the truth of Scriptures and God’s enduring love with coaches and players on game day. It’s a tremendous privilege which I do not take for granted.

Love Extravagantly. Serve Selflessly.

2011-11-18T05:04:00.000-08:00

Over the last several days I participated in an international sports ministry conference which included hundreds of people from over 150 countries around the world. Most important to me in the conference were the hours I spent with Sports Chaplaincy leaders from the United Kingdom, Australia, The USA, New Zealand and Germany.

We discussed many of the issues which are shaping this ministry around the globe, both related to ongoing chaplaincy with clubs, schools, universities, etc. as well as related to major sporting events like the Olympic Games. These are men I both admire and trust. The discussions were always passionate and sometimes a little contentious. Such is the case when people care deeply that ministry be done wisely, well and in a way that honors Christ.

After a few days for gathering perspective, it seems there is growth in this movement. Several individuals and groups are working to formulate training programs to better serve people in sport. People are working to refine a set of values and principles which can guide faithful service in sport. Still others are aligning themselves to foster growth of sports chaplain ministry in new countries and regions.

As a part of my presentation one morning I wrote these two couplets as the simplest expression of my understanding of this role as a “Sports Chaplain,” “Sport Mentor” or “Character Coach.” Love Extravagantly. Serve Selflessly. These two ideas resonated with several and I hope they can be simple reminders to you of the values which lie at the core of our service of Christ Jesus in the lives of the men and women of sport all across the planet.

Sports Theology (Playing Inside Out)

2011-11-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

Below is an excellent review of a book by my friend and colleague, Stuart Weir of Verité Sport in the United Kingdom. http://www.veritesport.org/ Upon Stuart’s recommendation, I have ordered the book and can’t wait to read it.

Sports Theology (Playing Inside Out), Greg S. Smith, Indianapolis, Dog Ear Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 978-160844-3-338

This is an outstanding book – one of the best I have read for years. It makes a serious contribution to understanding sport from a Christian perspective. It has 176 pages in ten chapters.

An early quote sets the scene: “Christian athletes have personal value, not from their own accomplishments, but because God loves them so much that he sacrificed his only Son.” The result is that “The Christian athlete is free from the need of temporal approval or the accolades from individual performance. Spiritually, these athletes are satisfied by God’s love and have plenty to give to the team.”

The author states: “The premise of this book is that Christianity can help athletic performance.” Don’t react negatively to that statement. It is as far as it can be from any sense of “God made me win.” What he is saying is rather than a Christian athlete who understands that his significance is not based their performance in the game is free to compete without stress.

A good example of how he argues against any kind of performance driven identity is: “Athletes who allow their performance to ‘mean everything’ are setting themselves up to perform out of fear. Christian athletes, on the other hand, know that their value does not come from performance. They know that God loves them unconditionally and that their value is demonstrated by the sacrifice of Christ on their behalf. They perform to glorify their value, not earn it.” And again “Christian athletes are motivated to glorify God through performance; they are not forced (driven) to perform.”

In the UK there has been a concern among sports coaches that a player who becomes a Christian will lose his motivation. Smith nails that one too: “It would be a mistake to think that Christian athletes perform with less determination because they are pursuing spiritual fulfillment.”

He uses the example of a golfer standing over a three-foot putt, arguing that a three-foot putt is mechanically no more difficult if it is to win a tournament than in a practice round. It is rather that the pressure of what it means makes it seem harder. This is where the Christian has an extra dimension: “The Christian athlete plays with a sense of peace and contentment that does not rely on the outcome of a putt or any other play or shot. They are complete and fulfilled through God’s love no matter the outcome.”

We may be familiar with the concept of playing for an audience of one. Smith takes this a stage further as we are invited to understand that “Christian athletes do not just perform knowing that God is watching them; they perform with the Holy Spirit in them.”

To sum up the thesis of the book is that for the Christian athlete:

Winning is not about coming in first but rather is about competing as a representative of Christ:

Playing with the right sports theology allows athletes to see performance for what it really is and therefore allows them to play the game;

Sports theology enables athletes to understand that they are created in God’s image, which changes their view of themselves, performance and life.

This review does not do justice to the book. Get it and read it!

Champions are Powerful - chapel talk

2011-11-04T04:06:00.000-07:00

Each week during the last 18 seasons of college football (American Football in the USA), I have delivered a talk of similar form to the one outlined below. This one fits within a series on characteristics of champions. Please contact me if you’d like some ideas on how to communicate with competitors most directly, briefly and impactfully.

“Champions are Powerful”

Introduction –

Today’s contest marks an important milestone on the way to being champions. Our mental approach, our attitude today will greatly shape how well we take advantage of our opportunity. I have some simple thoughts about these matters

Prayer –

A player or coach voices a prayer.

Scripture -

Today I’m reading from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to his protégé, Timothy, at chapter 1 and verse 7. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (The text is read aloud.)

Let’s think about this simple and direct statement.

1) For the man who loves God, he knows that God has not given him a spirit of fear or timidity – no he can be confident and assured in any situation.

2) Rather, God has transformed the man’s spirit to be full of these qualities:

a. Power – the capacity to do all that is required of him.

b. Love – the capacity to seek others’ best, even at my personal cost.

c. Self-control – the capacity to make wise choices in any circumstance.

For today’s competition –

1) Our spirits will not be timid nor fearful in any situation. We can be strong and confident.

2) Our spirits will be full of power – we will have the capacity to do all that is required of us.

3) Our spirits will be full of love – we will have the capacity to seek the team’s best and the best for each teammate, even at our personal cost.

4) Our spirits will be full of self-control – we will have the capacity to choose wisely at every moment, in any circumstance.

Repeat the quote of II Timothy 1:7 - “7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Champions are powerful.

Closing prayer –

Please stand, take the hands of those at your table and let’s say, “The Lord’s Prayer” together.

InSideOut Coaching

2011-10-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

In December of 2006 a colleague gave me a copy of “Season of Life” by Jeffrey Marx. It told the story of Coach Joe Ehrmann from Baltimore, Maryland and his pilgrimage through an abusive childhood, college and professional football, drug and alcohol abuse, the crushing death of his brother and eventually to recovery, ministry and transformational coaching of a high school football team. I was deeply moved and recommended the book strongly to many of my friends in coaching with remarkable results. In the ensuing years I met Coach Ehrmann, spoke with him a few times and then had him come to my area for a coaching conference and to speak at my FCA banquet, just eighteen months ago.

In August of this year, Coach Ehrmann released a book of his own. “InSideOut Coaching – How Sports Can Transform Lives” is published by Simon and Schuster and is among the best reading and most applicable book on coaching I’ve ever read. Coach Ehrmann does a tremendous job of describing the difference between being a “Transactional Coach” and a “Transformational Coach” along with a process for making the change from one to the other.

Part I describes the InSideOut Process as experienced by Coach Ehrmann and which, if one has the courage, can lead to a transformed life and renewed coaching.

Chapter headings include:

• Stepping Inside

• My Heroes have always been coaches

• A Complex Transaction

• The Play’s the Thing

• The Why: The Way and The How

Part II describes the InSideOut Program as Coach Ehrmann has presented in countless talks, workshops and conversations with coaches across the USA.

Chapter headings include:

• Community: A Team Without Walls

• The Classroom After Class: Sports as Curricular

• Contact, Communicate, Connect

• “Just Win Baby”

• Ceremony

More often than not, coaching books are full of sport success stories, but applicable ideas for making changes in one’s coaching habits, practices and even core beliefs are sorely absent. This book provides incredibly candid self-revelation of the author’s painful childhood and its long lasting effects as well as a well-defined process for dealing with one’s own past, a way to define and shape his coaching as well as practical examples for how to live out one’s transformed life as a “transformational coach.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone coaching at any level of sport. It would also be of tremendous value to those who serve as Sport Chaplains, Sport Mentors and Character Coaches as we need to examine why and how we coach the hearts of sportspeople.

For more information, see these web sites: http://www.coachforamerica.com/ http://www.insideoutcoachingbook.com/

Chapel Talk or Devotion Writing Process

2011-10-21T04:04:00.000-07:00

Over the last weeks I have received several emails from sport chaplains who were looking for ideas related to preparing brief, direct talks with their teams. Below is an outline which describes the process I have used for several years in writing such talks and/or devotional thoughts on paper. I hope it’s helpful to you.

Devotion / Chapel Talk Writing Process Outline

1) Study and pray

a. Do your own devotional reading, (this is the source for most of my talks and writing)

b. Personal study of Scripture

c. Sport related books and periodicals (biographies, sports magazines, etc…)

d. See the sport related situations in Bible texts

i. Game-day situations in competition

ii. Player to player relationship dynamics

iii. Player / coach relationship dynamics

iv. Leadership issues

v. Pain / injury / loss / isolation

vi. Victory / passion / excitement / community

vii. Teamwork vs. individualism

viii. Work ethic / sacrifice

ix. Respect for coaches, teammates, opponents, officials

x. Personal development

e. Identify particular texts and their sport related “front doors.”

f. Simply outline scriptural applications of the scripture to the sport situations.

2) Write and pray

a. Develop a question or a series of questions related to the “front door” which will help the reader to recall an experience from his/her life in sport.

b. Within the opening paragraph, write a sentence which builds a bridge from the sport situation in the chosen text of scripture to the “front door” situation which it illustrates.

c. In a new paragraph, insert the Bible text in quotes and then paraphrase it in sport vernacular if it seems necessary or helpful.

d. In a new paragraph, insert the simple outline of application points directly to the sport situation.

e. Summarize in a final paragraph including a suggestion for prayer.

3) Points of emphasis

a. Write in light of your readers and their particular sport culture.

b. Write with a clear understanding of the mode of delivery. (Will this be read privately, read out loud or delivered by a speaker?)

c. Communicate respect and passion for the sport as well as for the scripture. Lead them to love God and to compete greatly.

Newspaper Article

2011-10-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

This is a link to an article which describes the Team Chapel process and my work with Saluki Football at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. I hope it's of value to you and your work.

http://thesouthern.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/article_fb68dac8-f6e2-11e0-857d-001cc4c03286.html

Jesus as Good Luck Charm

2011-10-14T03:57:00.000-07:00

The batter steps into the box with one foot, pulls the crucifix from within his jersey, presses it to his lips and then prepares to hit. The running back takes a knee on the sideline, removes his helmet and bows his head. He silently prays for God’s help in securing a win and then makes the sign of the cross at his chest. The sport chaplain paces the sideline with his lucky Bible securely nestled in his beltline asking God for a victory and a championship, oh yeah, so the Lord would be glorified and so on.

Each of these situations stand right on the edge, if not slightly over the edge, of treating Jesus as a good luck charm. I have personally witnessed these and more like them. I have found the same occasionally in my own heart and have been convicted of my own foolishness. The men and women of sport are certainly prone to superstitions and we who serve Christ in sport are not immune to the culture’s bent.

Let’s consider more expressions of “religion” in sport which can either be genuine devotion or may be superstition. Some may be both.

• Kissing one’s cross or crucifix necklace prior to a sport activity, like a plate appearance in baseball

• Saying the Lord’s prayer prior to games

• Carrying a Bible on the sideline

• Praying a particular prayer or uttering a “can’t fail” prayer cliché on the pitch

• Writing scripture references or entire verses on one’s shoes, wrist bands, eye black, tape or even in tattoos

• Pointing to the sky in celebration of a big play

• Attending pre-game chapel

• Asking the team chaplain to pray with me prior to a big game

• Wearing a WWJD bracelet

• Wearing one’s “lucky tee shirt” from a Christian sport camp under his team jersey or kit

• The list could go on for a good while…

The principle to consider is at what point does ritual overtake relationship? When does one substitute device over devotion? We must be mindful of the propensity of the human heart to seek advantage over one’s opponent and to use whatever means are necessary to win. Be careful to not let sincere expressions of faith and trust in Christ Jesus become perverted and reduced to mindless ritual or foolish superstition.

I really don’t think the Lord cares one way or another about who wins any particular sport contest. I do, however, sincerely believe that it very much matters to Him how we compete and how we express our devotion to Him by how we apply our faith in Christ in the sporting world. Let’s not reduce Jesus to being a good luck charm. Rather, let’s honor Him as the Lord God of creation and experience his life, love, presence and pleasure as we reflect His nature in sport.

Team Building - Final Installment

2011-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

This is the final entry in a series of this year’s Team Building with Saluki Football. I hope it’s of value to you. If you would like the entire outline, please email me and I’ll be pleased to send it to you.

Summary of Team Building – C-H-A-M-P-S

• Courage and Character

• Hunger and Humility

• Attitude and Ambition

• Motivation and Mentors

• Poise and Perseverance

• Strength and Skill

Expectations and Commitments

• Write down and discuss with your teammates what you expect from your team this season.

Team Expectations:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Write and discuss with your teammates what you expect from yourself related to preparation, game-day performance, academics and off-field conduct.

Personal Expectations:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Write and discuss with your teammates what you expect from particular members of the team related to leadership, productivity and key roles on game-days.

I expect ______________ to ____________________________________.

I expect ______________ to ____________________________________.

I expect ______________ to ____________________________________.

I expect ______________ to ____________________________________.

• Write and discuss among yourselves to what you will commit related to your role on this team.

In my role as a Saluki Football player, I will commit to: ____________________________________________________________________________

“CHAMPS” – Goal Setting

1) On a 1 – 10 scale, grade yourself on each of these characteristics of CHAMPS: (1 = poor, 10 = excellent)

_____ Courage and Character

_____ Hunger and Humility

_____ Attitude and Ambition

_____ Motivation and Mentors

_____ Poise and Perseverance

_____ Strength and Skill

2) For the 2 lowest rated items, what can you do today and this week to improve in those categories? (Write your first thoughts here…)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) What is your individual performance goal for Game 1? (Write down a goal that leads to team success and two training points which will lead to its fulfillment.)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4) What is your individual performance goal for this non-conference season? (Write down a goal that leads to team success and two training points which will lead to its fulfillment.)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5) What is your academic performance goal for the first six weeks of the semester? (Write down a goal that leads to academic achievement and three points of action which will lead to such success.)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Team Building - Session 6

2011-09-30T03:08:00.000-07:00

This is the latest in a series of this year’s Team Building with Saluki Football. I hope it’s of value to you. If you would like the entire outline, please email me and I’ll be pleased to send it to you.

Strength and Skill - Group Discussions

• In the sport of college football, what kinds of strength seem to be important? How are they observed and developed?

• How are these various areas of strength observed and developed?

o Physical strength

o Mental strength

o Spiritual strength

• Among your skills as a football player, which has been most important to your success? How did you acquire and develop that skill?

• Which skills need further development for you to be the player you want to be? How do you intend to do that?

Session 5 – True Freshmen

• Tell us your name, your home town, the position you play, and your uniform number.

• By the end of your career as a Saluki Football player in four or five years, what would you like to say will be your greatest strengths and skills?

• If you could have a three hour lunch with any living person on the earth, who would you choose and why?

Team Building - Session 5

2011-09-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

Poise and Perseverance – Group Discussions

• Roger’s introductory remarks about poise and perseverance.

• Poise is defined as: “a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession, steadiness; stability.”

• What does poise look like on the football field, from your position? Tell us about a situation, down and distance, time on the clock, score, etc…

• Who among us of Saluki Football consistently demonstrates that kind of poise? Tell us about a situation when you saw it in action.

• When you hear the word “perseverance,” whose name or face comes to mind? Through what did that person persevere?

• Through what have you persevered to be a Saluki Football player?

• Through what do you expect we will have to persevere this year to become Missouri Valley Football Conference Champions?

Session 4 – Red Shirt Freshmen

• Tell us your name, your home town, the position you play, and your uniform number.

• Tell us a story about the best football team with which you have played.

• Tell us something about one of the most influential people in your life. How has that person impacted you?

Team Building - Session 4

2011-09-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Motivation and Mentors – Group Discussions

• Roger’s introductory remarks about motivation and mentors.

• Tell us about the most motivational coach for whom you have played. How did he motivate players to be their best?

• What most consistently motivates you to be your best?

• What demotivates you most consistently, leading you to poorer performance and attitude?

• How do you work to motivate other players and to help them compete at their highest level?

• Tell us about someone who has been a mentor to you as a football player. How has he influenced you?

• Who have been mentors in your life outside of football to this point? In what areas of life have they been most helpful to you?

Session 3 – Sophomores

• Tell us your name, your home town, the position you play, and your uniform number.

• When you allow yourself to dream about your football career, what is the ultimate achievement of those dreams?

• If you could trade places with any living person for just two weeks, who would you choose and why?

Team Building - Session 3

2011-09-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Attitude and Ambition – Group Discussions

• Roger’s introductory remarks about attitude and ambition.

• In your group make a list of five or more attitudes which are productive in the process of becoming a championship football team.

• Now make a list of five or more attitudes which are detrimental to the process of becoming champions.

• How does one monitor his attitudes to be sure he’s being helpful and not harmful to his team’s development and his own development?

• Ambition is defined as: “an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.”

• Toward what are you personally ambitious? How important is it to you?

• Would you say that your ambitions are mostly personal or corporate; more individual or team oriented?

• When do you find that your personal and corporate ambitions come into conflict? How do you deal with the discord?

Session 2 – Juniors

• Tell us your name, your home town, the position you play, and your uniform number.

• Share with us one highlight from your college football career.

• Tell us about someone for whom you feel personally responsible. (Who is it? Where does he/she live?)

• Why do you feel so responsible for him or her and what does feeling responsible lead you to do?

Team Building - Session 2

2011-09-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

As promised, below is session #2 of this year’s Team Building with Saluki Football. I hope it’s of value to you. If you would like the entire outline, please email me and I’ll be pleased to send it to you. Several asked for and received it last week.

Session 2 –

Hunger and Humility – Group Discussions

• Roger’s introductory remarks about hunger and humility.

• For what are you most hungry as a Saluki Football player? Why?

• What action will your hunger produce in you? How will that hunger drive you?

• Definition of humility: “the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.”

• Who has been a model of real humility in your life? Tell us about him or her.

• How does one’s humility affect others around him?

Session 2 – Seniors

• Tell us your name, your home town, the position you play, and your uniform number.

• In your years as a Saluki Football player, how have hunger and humility contributed to your development as a player?

• If you have a tattoo, tell us about it. (What does it represent? When did you get it?)

• Do you have any regrets about having it now?

• If you don't have a tattoo; what would yours be if you were to get one?

The Gospel According to Starbucks

2011-09-02T02:51:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading “The Gospel According to Starbucks” by Leonard Sweet (Waterbrook Press) and found it to be well worth the purchase price. Its subtitle, “Living with a Grande Passion” is appropriate and one idea in particular seemed very applicable to our ministry with the men and women of sport. Sweet used the acrostic, EPIC, to explain why Starbucks has done so well in capturing the imaginations of people all over the world with coffee and more.

EPIC stands for: Experiential, Participatory, Image-rich and Connecting. He further states that our expression of the Gospel of Christ would be more appealing to our generation(s) if it were also EPIC. Below are some ideas regarding the EPIC nature of our work together.

Experiential – our ministry is very much this way, if we are close enough to share the experiences with coaches and competitors. That’s a little dangerous because we could experience losses as well as victories. We may experience grief as well as exhilaration. Further, the more we enable the men and women of sport to experience our life in Christ, the more likely they are to love Him and commit their lives to Him. If we will pray WITH them and not just for them. If we will not treat our faith like an academic exercise and more like sharing a cup of coffee, they’ll be more deeply engaged. Help others to experience the love of Christ and they’ll find it more than attractive.

Participatory – our ministry is much better received when others can participate. I find that when I ask athletes to pray for each other, their hearts engage and barriers between people evaporate. When I ask others to read the scripture prior to discussion, they are thrilled to participate and their understanding of the Bible grows. When I take a coach or player with me to visit someone in the hospital, they participate in a rich part of Christ’s service. Let’s find more ways for people to participate in our ministries and they’ll find it to be an EPIC experience.

Image-rich – when we speak or write we must find ways to employ image-rich metaphors and stories to carry the Gospel. Recall the vivid images Jesus used in parables and all of his teaching. If we’re close enough to the sport, we’ll see the images everywhere. They are as close as last week’s game, yesterday’s practice or today’s conversation. Help them see the truth of the Gospel as illustrated by their own lives in sport. Those are the images with which they’re most familiar and which resonate most deeply.

Connecting – the people of sport are in an environment which simultaneously connects people and distances them from one another. Most sportspeople know that they’re at their best when they’re well connected with others, but their drive to excel and much of the general culture tries to separate them from those same people. We will do well to help them connect for support, relationship and to experience genuine Christian fellowship. Communion, koinonia, fellowship, the corporate nature of life in Christ is indispensable and EPIC. We can be the ones who introduce this dynamic form of ministry to men and women in sport. Practice hospitality well and thereby join millennia of Christ’s followers who made an impact on the world.

In summary, let’s be EPIC in our work with the men and women of sport and we’ll be as effective in sharing Christ with them as Starbucks has been in sharing coffee with the world.

Privilege vs. Entitlement - video link

2011-08-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

If you are involved in college sport, especially in the United States, please take a moment to view the video linked below. If you find it helpful, share it with your players. It does a good job of addressing the culture of entitlement which is so prevalent in sport today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp15N9BbYgY&feature=player_embedded

2011 Saluki Football Team Building - C-H-A-M-P-S

2011-08-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will complete this season’s team building process with Saluki Football at Southern Illinois University. That will be session number seven of seven. They began with the first meeting of the team on August 6 and continued every couple of days throughout the pre-season practices. We met most often in the team’s locker room, but a couple of times in other settings. The locker room is best because it’s where the players feel most “at home” and the seating is very flexible for gathering small groups for discussion.

I’d like to share this season’s team building outline and you may use it as is, modify it to suit your team or ignore it. Earlier in the summer I shared this outline with a few other sport chaplains on other campuses around the USA and they reported good results.

I pray that this process of building community in your team, based on learning who each other are (identity), beginning to trust each other and then making commitments to each other, plus building the culture of the team by helping them to embrace a shared set of values, help you build a championship team.

Session 1 –

Introduction to C-H-A-M-P-S and Team Building Process

• Community = Identity + Trust + Commitment

• Culture – Driven by Shared Values

Character and Courage – Group Discussions

• Tell us something about the most courageous football player you’ve ever known. Who is he and what did he do that looked courageous?

• How do players demonstrate genuine courage in this sport?

• What word would you use to describe the character of the 2010 Saluki Football team? Why that word?

• What is the word you’d like to be emblematic of the 2011 Saluki Football team’s character? How will that description be earned?

• What have been some critical factors to the shaping of your personal character?

• What do you see as your role in shaping the team’s character?

Saluki Football Coaches –

Each coach has a group of players with him from the opposite side of the ball to interview him and to share his answers with the team at large.

• Coach; tell us where you grew up, a little about your family, what position you coach at SIU and how many years you’ve been coaching.

• Tell us about one highlight from your career in football, either as a player or as a coach.

• Tell us about someone from your life that has been a consistent model of either courage, character or both.

Game-Day Music

2011-08-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

To what are the players listening on their iPods? What is going on inside those headphones and ear buds? Is there a purpose to the music players listen to prior to competition? How do they choose their favorite game-day music? I went searching for answers to these questions and more in a recent poll of university athletes from a variety of sports. The results and some observations follow.

One football player told me, “I listen to really chill music; mainly acoustic guitar and someone singing. I also a little gospel/Christian. I use it to keep me mellow and not let my emotions get out of control. It does a good job helping me focus my mind.”

A softball player said, “Listening to music on game day is a way to get pumped or just get in game mode, it all depends on the person. We normally listen to rap in the locker room because overall that's what everyone likes. Personally, I like to listen to some alternative with a little bit of oldies mixed in there to mellow me out. I think that relaxing before a game is important because once the first pitch is thrown, it's all business plus the adrenaline is running until the last and final out. Music makes a huge difference because silence makes things awkward, but with music playing while getting ready for a game or while working out is a way to stay motivated and focused.”

One swimmer sent this reply, “I've gone to mainly Christian rap or Christian rock. I usually have to have something with a quicker beat, because sometimes the song affects stroke tempo in a race. But definitely always Jesus music! It helps me focus on Him in a time I'd normally not be giving Him a second thought. Doing that has radically changed racing for me, handling pressure for sure, but especially in how I handle the outcome.”

Another swimmer told me, “Early on race days I listen to rock or other up beat music to help my emotions get geared up and motivated. As the time for my race approaches, I switch to mellow, instrumental or worship music to help my mind relax. The change in musical styles helps my mood change and to be mentally well prepared to race.”

Now some observations: Music is a remarkable tool and a powerful vehicle for shaping one’s mental and emotional state. It can help energize as well as relax. It can motivate and assist contemplation. It can be helpful or harmful, depending upon how applied and what music is chosen.

I have seen some players who listen to music that is powerful, frenetic and violent in lyric and style. They often also play that way. That is often less than helpful to their performances as they play on the edge of rage. This results in penalties, trash talking and out of control competition. Other players are so mellowed out by their music that they seem to sleep walk through the early stages of the game. They appear to be under-stimulated.

If you have opportunity to help players choose their game-day music, suggest music that motivates them to be their best, that speaks to their hearts and stimulates their desire to honor Christ by how they compete. I hope they can join our young swimmer who said, “It (music) helps me focus on Him (Jesus) in a time I'd normally not be giving Him a second thought. Doing that has radically changed racing for me, handling pressure for sure, but especially in how I handle the outcome.”

Limited Leadership

2011-08-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of months I’ve been pondering why it seems that most of today’s leaders in sport, especially those on the court, pitch, floor or field, have such limited leadership ability. I have heard numerous coaches decry the dearth of leadership among their players of both genders and at almost every level of sport. As I have observed the players of my acquaintance and heard from other coaches and team chaplains, I think I have arrived at a conclusion. Most of this generation’s leaders would prefer to be popular with their teammates than to lead them effectively. That preference limits their leadership in some very important ways.

In John Maxwell’s book, “Developing the Leader Within You,” he calls this “Leading by Permission” and assigns it position #2 on a 1-5 scale of ascending levels of leadership. The low number for this level of leadership is indicative of its weakness. Level 2 leaders can lead those who like them or are willing to go along with a likeable personality. Their popularity allows them to carry their teammates along until conflict, discord or substandard performance arrive and their leadership weakness is suddenly exposed. If one’s leadership is built upon popularity, he will stop short of challenging his teammate to give greater effort. She will balk when leadership calls for her to correct destructive or divisive attitudes or speech. He will defer the “calling out” of another player for his selfish play or foolish off-court behavior to the coaching staff rather than assertively calling everyone to a higher standard.

Coaches, Chaplains, Character Coaches and Sport Mentors can assist in this process. In order to do this well, we need to be Level 4 or Level 5 leaders. Maxwell’s Level 4 is: Leading by Developing People and Level 5 is : Leading by Personhood. Leading at Level 4 takes guts and Level 5 takes time. If we’ll invest in, challenge and develop team leaders, we can help them press through the tyranny of popularity and on into leadership which cares enough about the team and each teammate to seek the best from each one and the team’s best, even if it costs him popularity. It is better to be respected than universally liked. Popularity will wane over time, but respect is much more durable. If we stay engaged with emerging and developing leaders long enough, we become Level 5 leaders and powerfully impact all those around us just by showing up. That is particularly true if we will purposely seek out and help develop leaders within the team.

As we communicate and model Christ-honoring, dynamic leadership with our teams, we will help the younger ones move past Level 2 and its weakness. We can help them lead through their productivity (Level 3) and on to Levels 4 and 5. One need only read the Gospels, The Acts of the Apostles, the Proverbs or Old Testament historical books with his leadership cap on to see that godly leadership often includes strong challenges, face to face reproof, public rebuke and even physical confrontation. Each of those are hardly in keeping with maintaining one’s popularity. Such is the cost of leadership. It should not be entered into naively. Let’s call this generation’s leaders to shake off their shackles of popularity and move onto dynamic leadership which takes the risk to raise everyone’s performance and the team’s sense of unity.

Sport Camps and Camps Culture

2011-08-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

Having just finished another summer season of Sports Camps, I have been reflecting on Sport Culture, Camps Culture and those things within them which seem complimentary and others which seem counter-productive. These comments may step on some traditional camp toes, but here they come.

Determine your target audience for the camp and program directly to them, without apology or regret. If your camp is aimed at impacting mostly recreational, novice and even spectator oriented campers, make sure it’s fun and not overly competitive or demanding upon them athletically. However, if you intend to make an impact with serious, competitive, highly achieving athletes, be sure to program their direction. These two groups are widely different and one size will not fit all.

Think about who is in front of your campers. Is your camp’s main speaker someone the campers will respect? If it’s a sports camp with highly achieving players, this person had better be able to speak their language and to connect with their competitive mindset or little will be accomplished.

Think about who is leading your campers in small groups. In FCA language, Huddle Leaders. With recreationally minded campers, former athletes, recreational players and even charismatic non-players can lead effectively. For camps that aim higher on the competitive scale, be sure that your group leaders are at the same or higher level as your campers. Intramural boy will not have the same measure of respect with his campers as will a collegiate athlete and that will diminish the development of his group. We don’t have to like that, but it’s true. Do not, under any case, fail at this. These people have more face-to-face contact with the campers than anyone. They are the most important people in the camp process.

Think about how your camp uses music. What is its purpose? If it is to promote worship, then be sure those who lead it worship rather than perform. If they perform, the campers will become spectators and it’s a concert. If they worship, they will draw the campers into that experience and it will open their hearts in a dynamic way. Some of us have decided to not use music at all during camp. In doing so we’re seeking to help the campers see their sport experiences as a form of worship.

Think about how you program camp large group meetings. Are you simply replicating church services? Why? What are you trying to communicate? What best enables you to reach the hearts of your campers? It may be use of video rather than a song. It may be a discussion of today’s competition is more effective than a testimony. It could be that a few minutes of raw game film communicates better than a high profile player’s self-promoting talk. Is it better to encourage decisions and commitments being made in an altar call or in smaller groups with trusted teammates? Please think these things through rather than simply following the flow of camp culture.

Think about the use of skits, goofy costumes, cheers and such. Who is our audience? If these were drama camps it would make sense to do skits. I stopped doing skits in camps ten years ago as I found they communicated poorly, wasted my huddle leaders’ time in rehearsals and created more discord between them than harmony. What’s with the goofy costumes and cheers? If our target is spectators and recreational players, it may be fun. If our target is the more highly competitive player, they’re just annoyed and start the camp wondering, “Why am I here with these goofy losers?”

Here’s the bottom line – think critically about what you’re communicating with every facet of your camp. Who is our audience and how can we most effectively speak to their hearts in every moment of the day? When we find things in our schedule or methods which don’t fit, let’s have the courage to change them. They may run cross-grain with our organization’s camp culture, but the campers are worth it. Being faithful to communicate the truth of Christ’s love with the people of sport is worth the potential conflict.

Through What Lens Do You View Sport?

2011-07-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

Through what lens do you view sport? I’m not asking how good your seats are for viewing sport at the arena or stadium, rather when you’re thinking about sport is your perspective one from the seats, through a television camera, from the luxury box at the stadium or from the sideline at field/court level? The answer to this question has powerful implications for how one does ministry with people of sport.

If one sees sport through the sports fan’s lens he tends to see the players and coaches as celebrities, valuing the spectacle and seeing sport like other forms entertainment. While he seems loyal to the team; paying for expensive seats, wearing team gear and cheering loudly, his experience is as the consumer of the event. The implications for ministry are that celebrities and entertainers often seem rather distant and even unapproachable to fans. That makes for surface level ministry, at best. It also lends itself to using the Christian player as a part of “the show” at Church or we capitalize on her celebrity status for our magazine, our radio or television show, sometimes without respect to the development (or lack of it) of her life in Christ. If you see sport primarily as a fan, be very cautious about your motives as you serve sportspeople.

If one sees sport through the television camera’s lens he often values comfort, instant replay, availability of multiple games and slow motion for maximum enjoyment of the game. Sitting in the recliner, remote control in one hand, favorite beverage in the other and bountiful snacks at his side, the arm chair quarterback and coach enjoys the game without any relationship with the sportspeople and sometimes without even relationships with other spectators. At its worst, this perspective leads the viewer to see the sportspeople like video game characters. They’re dehumanized, criticized and stripped of all human dignity when they fail. When they succeed they’re lionized, adored and even worshiped as demigods. The implications for ministry are rather obvious. If this is one’s view of sport, the first hurdle is to simply deal with the people of sport as human beings and not images on a screen. To connect with and to speak to their hearts is a huge leap if we’re accustomed to seeing them as two dimensional characters on our living room TVs. If this is your usual view of sport, get ready to make a huge shift in your thinking before you start serving sportspeople.

If one sees sport through the privileged glass of a luxury box at the stadium or arena, she sees it almost like a chess match. The players seem to be laid out on a game board and they almost appear to be plastic figures moving across the grid. The box’s occupants value luxury, prestige, power and influence. The coaches look like the kings and queens of sport and the players vary in value from bishops to pawns, but they’re all subject to the will of the masters in the box. Ministry implications for this viewpoint are severe. From here it’s easy to control people, but difficult to care for them. It’s easy to influence them, but difficult to inspire them. It’s easy to manipulate them, but terribly hard to nurture their lives in Christ. It’s not impossible, but immeasurably more difficult to care for the hearts of the players when your voice is muffled and face obscured by the luxury box’s glaring glass.

If one sees sport from the sideline or even from the pitch, his or her values are most closely matched with the players and coaches he or she seeks to serve. Those who are privileged to be and pay the cost to be in this position become fully aware that these are real people with real virtues and vices. Their relationships are real, both flawed and flourishing. Their emotions are real, anguish and exhilaration. Their pain is real, emotional and physical. Their exertion of effort is real, not plastic like a chess game, not like a video game electronic image and not rooted in “school spirit” like a fan might think. If one has this perspective and is willing to fully embrace these sportspeople, full of virtues and vices, he or she is in a perfect position to care for, to nurture, to speak to their hearts. If this is your perspective, wrap both arms and your whole heart around the sporting community and love them with Christ Jesus’ sustaining power.

If you are privileged to serve the people of sport as a sports chaplain, as a character coach or as a sports mentor, be mindful of your internal lens on sport. Be diligent to adjust your view to one which most properly serves those for whom you care. Seeing sport through their lens will help you communicate more clearly and connect most directly with their hearts.

Using Technology in Sports Ministry

2011-07-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

During the fall of 2009, I made a presentation to the Sport Chaplains Roundtable in Lansing, Michigan (USA) re: the use of technology in Sports Ministry. An outline of that presentation with some comments follows. I hope it is of value to you as you consider what technologies to employ and the values that shape how you use them.

Using Technology in Sports Ministry

• What to do? Which technologies can enhance our effectiveness in ministry with sportspeople?

• What should I NOT do? What is there about such technologies which could actually harm our ministries?

• How to do it? What are some values which should guide how we approach technological advances?

o Email – many of us use email all the time, but it’s used less and less by people under 30 years of age.

o SMS Text Messages – many people now prefer this mode of communication over all others.

o facebook – there are many ways to use this wisely and many more to use it foolishly.

o Twitter – what of value can be expressed in 140 characters?

o LinkedIn – with whom do you connect on this site?

Guidelines for use of technology:

Consider the purpose for your writing.

o To encourage

o To challenge

o To console

o To inspire

o To inform

Use proper etiquette.

o bcc: in emails – few things are more annoying (and insecure) than seeing hundreds of addresses in the header of an email.

o Please use proper grammar – writing badly does not enhance your ministry nor does it inspire confidence in you.

o Check spelling – this is pretty easy, but if not done can lead to embarrassment.

o Use photos and video wisely – especially in international relationships. There are a number of ways to use photos poorly and thereby jeopardize one’s friends in oppressive countries.

Errors to avoid

o Personal information of coaches or players – Don’t share personal information about sportspeople, ever.

o Injury information – Your sharing of this kind of information can be used by gambling interests and in the USA is even illegal in itself.

o Critical thoughts re: team, coaches or players – This is an express ticket to the loss of your privileges with the team or club.

o Items meant to build your status – Don’t be a name dropper. Don’t post photos with high profile players.

Inspire and encourage

o Coaches – speak to their hearts prior to competitions and then afterward.

o Athletes – challenge them to be their best before game time and then either congratulate or console once you know the result.

o Chaplains – lead and encourage your colleagues as you know they are preparing to share the Lord’s heart with those in his/her charge.

Ministry Strategies with Sports Professionals

2011-07-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Below is the final installment from an interview with Walt Enoch, long-time sports chaplain to professional athletes and coaches in St. Louis, Missouri – USA. I pray that his insights are of value to your ministry.

• Prayer points of emphasis –

o Prayer is modeled in the Bible study.

o Prayer is offered by the chaplain and players at chapel.

o Prayer takes place in a prayer circle at the conclusion of chapel.

o Prayer is done in the locker room before taking the field.

o Prayers are said on the sideline with players as they request it.

• Bible study points of emphasis – “Teaching the Scripture has always been what I have stuck to and has kept the men coming over the years. I cannot emphasize that enough.”

o Once a week meetings are best.

 Coaches Study

 Players Study

 Couples Study

 Game Day Chapel

o Verse by verse studies work very well. Walt’s Tuesday study, now in its 30th year, is on its third trip through the entire Bible.

o Walt uses inductive Bible study method and develops his own study guides. His studies are not necessarily directly tied to their sport experiences.

o Emphasize Matthew, Mark, Luke John, Acts and Romans.

o Allow the group studies to prompt opportunities for individual meetings with players or coaches.

• Devotional points of emphasis –

o Walt has distributed countless thousands of copies of the devotional periodical, “Daily Bread.”

Ministry Strategies, Methods and Resources with Sports Professionals

2011-07-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Below is another installment from an interview with Walt Enoch, long-time sports chaplain to professional athletes and coaches in St. Louis, Missouri – USA. I pray that his insights are of value to your ministry.

Strategies, Methods and Resources –

• I asked Walt about the most effective strategies, methods and resources he has used in his almost forty years of ministry and he listed these:

o Serving people

o Chapels

o Prayer

o Bible studies

o Devotionals

Chapel service points of emphasis –

o Arrange the time and location as directed by the head coach or manager.

o Prepare guest speakers

 Don’t act like a fan.

 Don’t bring guests with you.

 Don’t talk about yourself. They don’t need to hear your high school sport stories.

 Bring a Biblical message. Remember, this is their weekly worship service.

 Be very time conscious. Stick with the time allotted to you.

 Former players and coaches are often the best because they understand the culture and its values.

o NFL teams do their chapels separately.

o MLB teams do their chapels separately.

FCA Sports Chaplain Principles and Best Practices

for serving Professional Sportspeople

Walt Enoch – as told to Roger Lipe on November 24, 2009

Walt Enoch began serving professional athletes in 1970 when only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs had chapel leaders. He was already serving the St. Louis Cardinals when Baseball Chapel began its ministry. Walt also served the St. Louis Football Cardinals before their move to Arizona and has served the St. Louis Rams since they arrived in town. For two years he had a ministry with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. For many years he worked to oversee all of the baseball chapel leaders in the Cardinals minor league cities.

Ministry Presence with Sports Professionals

2011-06-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Because the chaplain is given entrance to places most people cannot go and thereby comes by information that most people don’t have, I asked Walt about how to handle this privilege. His answers follow:

Moments of crisis are particularly important for the chaplain to be available to the team or individuals. He mentioned the in-season death of a player and the respect that he was shown by the club as they flew him to be with the team.

It’s important to protect the players and the club with the “inside” information you may have. Do not share information like this:

 Injuries

 Personnel at practice

 Salaries

 Contracts

 Trades

 Agents

 Who the Christians on the team are.

 Who attends chapel or Bible studies.

Be very careful with any information you post on facebook, twitter, in emails, in blogs, ministry newsletters, public talks or on your web site. Don’t betray this trust.

More on Ministry with Sports Professionals

2011-06-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Attitude –

• I asked Walt about some necessary character traits and attitudes for a sports chaplain to develop and he listed these:

o A servant’s heart

o No favoritism (treat everyone the same)

o A reliance upon Scripture

o Be invisible to outsiders.

o Know your place and stay in it.

o See yourself as a guest of the club.

o Be mindful of who you are working for, God, and serve Him.

• I asked about some attitudes to avoid:

o Don’t ever think of “using” players only serving them.

o Using the players for personal gain, rather than serving them.

o Using one’s relationship with the team to raise his profile.

o Being too forward in approaching players.

o Do not act like a fan.

o Don’t ask them for contributions. Ever.

o Don’t become involved in their finances.

o Don’t refer financial services to the players unless the player asks you for your opinion. Don’t serve as the agent for a financial manager, especially one who approaches you.

o Don’t get entangled in dealing with sports memorabilia, photos, autographs and such.

o Don’t talk with them about their on-field performance. They have coaches for that.

FCA Sports Chaplain Principles and Best Practices

for serving Professional Sportspeople

Walt Enoch – as told to Roger Lipe on November 24, 2009

Walt Enoch began serving professional athletes in 1970 when only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs had chapel leaders. He was already serving the St. Louis Cardinals when Baseball Chapel began its ministry. Walt also served the St. Louis Football Cardinals before their move to Arizona and has served the St. Louis Rams since they arrived in town. For two years he had a ministry with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. For many years he worked to oversee all of the baseball chapel leaders in the Cardinals minor league cities.

Ministry with Sports Professionals

2011-06-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Relationships –

• One should not expect a strong sense of community among professional sports teammates off the field of competition. Once out the locker room, it’s seldom that they spend a lot of time with their teammates.

• As one is building his relationship with players, it’s important to not be seen as a part of the club’s organization. If one is too closely tied to the management, it could compromise his trust among the players.

• I asked Walt about how to handle transitions for players and coaches (trades, free agency, waivers, firings, etc…) and he said that if your relationship is strong one should call the player or coach. Arrange to meet with the player or coach. Encourage, counsel, console and work to maintain the relationship if at all possible. Though it’s difficult, some relationships have been able to last for many years beyond the player’s career in sport.

• Walt made a point to not forget the players when their playing careers are over.

o He arranges a separate Bible study for former players. (It’s best not to mix current and former players. It’s awkward for both sets of people.)

• With professional sportspeople, serving their spouses and children is an important part of effective ministry. Many times it’s the most mundane tasks which win the chaplain favor and trust with the family and consequently, the player or coach.

o Driving family members to the airport to drop off or pick someone up.

o Helping families move into their new home or to move out when traded, fired or waived.

o Helping families find real estate agents, schools, day care, family doctors, churches, etc…

• Walt and his wife have found that holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and others) were outstanding opportunities to serve players’ and coaches’ families through hospitality. Having them in their home made a real impact with the players and their families.

• We discussed the high profile nature of many players and how to deal with those who fail publically, especially moral failure. How should the chaplain handle those situations?

o Love them.

o Seek them out.

o Don’t confront their behavior, rather be available to them and when they open the subject, be clear, loving and direct.

FCA Sports Chaplain Principles and Best Practices with Professionals

2011-06-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

Walt Enoch – as told to Roger Lipe on November 24, 2009

Walt Enoch began serving professional athletes in 1970 when only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs had chapel leaders. He was already serving the St. Louis Cardinals when Baseball Chapel began its ministry. Walt also served the St. Louis Football Cardinals before their move to Arizona and has served the St. Louis Rams since they arrived in town. For two years he had a ministry with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. For many years he worked to oversee all of the baseball chapel leaders in the Cardinals minor league cities.

Walt believes that, “FCA should be the vehicle for serving the people of professional sports.” Walt describes the role of the sport chaplain in this way, “to bring Christ to the players, coaches and support staff in their life situation and to serve them however you can.”

Among Walt’s core values for serving in this role are:

• Love

• Service

• Acceptance of others (teach it to them)

• Christ-centered ministry

Walt’s points of emphasis for effectively serving professional sportspeople will be listed under the following categories:

• Relationships

• Attitude

• Presence

• Strategies, Methods and Resources

Relationships –

• In NFL Football – the chaplain serves at the pleasure of the Head Coach. That relationship is most important. Walt says, “He runs the machine. I’m just a spark plug.”

• Walt opens these relationships with a letter of welcome to the head coach, by arranging to meet with him and by offering to serve. The Head Coach then tells him what he wants the chaplain to do.

• He makes it a point to introduce and offer service to all in the organization, trainers, doctors, office personnel, etc.

• With NFL players, Walt recognizes that the pro football player comes from a college atmosphere where he is considered highly. Don’t be put off by it, but understand who they are.

• In Major League Baseball – Baseball Chapel appoints the chapel leaders and works through an application and interview process.

• The Baseball Chapel leader mostly relates to the players. Seldom do coaches, managers or support personnel participate in chapels.

• With MLB players, Walt recognizes that these players come up through the minor league system with very little money and a tough road to reach the major leagues.

Hunger

2011-06-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

One of Solomon’s most insightful proverbs is listed at chapter 27 and verse 7, “A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.” This proverb has had greater impact upon me since I’ve been serving internationally with sportspeople. This last week was a refresher course for me on the power of hunger; physical, intellectual and spiritual.

From 24-30 May I had a team with me in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to work with the Softball Federation and the Tae Kwon Do Federation and their respective coaches and competitors. They are hungry in almost every way. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, but is populated with some of the friendliest and most gracious people. It has a terrible problem with gangs and violence, but also has one of the fastest growing churches in the world.

Making up our team was a softball coach and his wife, a professional softball pitcher and a professional catcher, a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and an 54 year old FCA staffer (me). The coaches, players and martial arts master brought with them their accumulated years of experience and credentials and those attributes were met with the Hondurans’ immense hunger. That made for a tremendous set of clinics, practices and demonstrations. We worked with the best players in the country and with high school girls who had a total of three days of experience with the sport. I even worked with a group of young men who are playing American Football in their country. Their desire to develop the sport in their country and to improve their individual skills was overwhelming.

Our team marveled at how eager to learn everyone was. One group of young women would not quit on the pitching drill in which they were engaged even though we were in the middle of a downpour. They were hungry, even bitter conditions seemed sweet! A couple of Tae Kwon Do instructors, one from Cuba and one from Honduras, received copies of “Corazon de un Campeon,” a devotional book for sportspeople in Spanish from their visiting instructor. They were thrilled! They asked the author to sign it and profusely expressed their thanks. The next day we found the Honduran instructor using the book with his students at the gym. He read from it, discussed it with them and continued for forty minutes prior to their workout. This is hunger on a couple of levels.

Hunger makes our work immeasurably easier. “To the famished man, any bitter thing is sweet.” Even people with modest abilities (like me), giftedness (like me), and intelligence (like me) are able to make a real impact because of the hearers’ hunger. People who are sated, without hunger, are much tougher with which to work. They are indulged, bored, ambivalent, melancholy and otherwise unmotivated. They loathe honey.

Rather than beating up the sated ones who loathe the sweetness offered them and being angry at their fullness, I have learned to seek out the hungry. I look for the ones who want to learn, those motivated to grow, those who desire to develop and are ready to receive more from the Lord. I find that with this group I am at my best and even the simplest attempts to assist are met with gratitude and enthusiasm.

This would be my challenge to you today. Don’t waste too much time with those who seem bloated with fullness. They don’t want any more. Seek out the ones who are hungry, who see even the most bitter thing like the sweetest thing on the earth. You and they will experience the best in sport, faith and relationship as you do.

Expressions of Thanks

2011-05-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while we receive a note, an email, a text message, a facebook message or even a face to face expression of thanks that touches our hearts and fuels our souls for the next weeks, months or even years of ministry. I received such a note this week and it has made a deep impact on me. We certainly endure enough self-doubt and criticism to shipwreck even the most committed among us. One note like this one can counteract months of feelings of inadequacy, failure and insecurity.

Please read this note and maybe even insert your name in the greeting line. It’s like a balm for your soul. Take some, it’s quite potent.

Roger,

Just wanted to take some time to say a few words to you. I don't think it can be expressed enough to you how thankful and appreciative my teammates and I are to have you in our lives. You truly do fuel our drive and hunger for our sport and love for one another as teammates.

On a personal level, I am also very thankful to have you as a Role Model in my life. Your genuine care for me as an individual and a Man has helped mold me into the person I am today. The importance of mentors like you, have been crucial in the growth and maturing of me throughout high school and college. I write to you with endless THANKS as well as a sense of encouragement. I realize there may be times where you wonder if any of us are actually listening or even care.... well we do. More than you know. Thank you for everything Roger and keep doing what you are doing. I only hope that one day I can be a man of your stature.

We are most privileged of our Lord to have access to the hearts of men and women in sport. If we will love without reserve and will serve without protecting pride, we will occasionally be blessed with such notes of grace and mercy. I am ready to serve another decade after this one. Let’s honor the Lord Jesus with extravagant love and trust Him with the results.

Reality Check

2011-05-21T05:11:00.000-07:00

Every year I observe parents, coaches, school athletic directors and even sport chaplains as they relentlessly drive young athletes toward the goal of becoming a “Division I student-athlete.” Their rationale is overly simple, “If you work hard enough, you can earn a Division I full-ride scholarship to college.” They’ve bought the foolish end of the American dream, “You can be anything you want to be.”

The reality is much the opposite and one simple statistic bears this out. Only 3% of all high school student-athletes ultimately receive any measure of scholarship to compete in college sports. Three out of one hundred receive anything. If the goal of the endless hours of practices, private lessons, thousands of miles driven to out of state games, tens of thousands of dollars spent to be a part of “travel teams,” and the untold measure of grief, anxiety, pressure and emotional trauma endured by the family is a total loss on 97% of those involved. If the acquisition of a college scholarship is the goal, almost everyone fails.

If, however, the goal is something other, one’s chance of success is much greater. If we can simply focus on the athlete’s experience with the sport, with his or her teammates, with the coaches, officials and opponents, the athlete is suddenly free to experience the sport without the artificial pressure to perform for an elusive and probably unrealistic goal several years in the future.

More simply said, the goal of earning a scholarship must not be the goal. It is simply too remote and results in failure for almost everyone concerned. Let’s focus on this game, this practice, this day and an attitude which helps the players, coaches, parents and everyone else to experience the best parts of sport. Hear Jesus’ words from Mark chapter 6 and verse 34, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

Bottom line – Mom and Dad, back off! Give your child a break! Coach, stop it. Your quixotic drive to get your player a D-I scholarship will not be the validation of your coaching. Chaplain, cut it out. Your attempts to manipulate your relationships in sport will not enhance your ministry even if the student-athlete becomes All-American and ultimately a pro All-Star. Let’s help those we lovingly lead to experience the best of sport in the moment. Let’s help them cultivate a growing sense of the Lord’s presence and pleasure in the activity of sport. That is an enduring joy which does not require a scholarship.

Communication with Sportspeople

2011-05-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

We who serve the Lord’s purposes in the lives of the people of sport are in the communication business. We are constantly challenged by the nuances of communication with men and women within a wide array of subcultures, accents, colloquialisms, gestures, facial expressions, postures and more. To communicate wisely and well is of greatest importance because we’re charged with sharing Christ Jesus’ heart with these people.

In my years of serving in this role I’ve observed and participated in at least three levels of communication with sportspeople. Please review these ideas and analyze the level of your communication with those whom you serve.

Level 1 – Surface Level Communication

Usually this consists of tossing clichés at each other. “How’s it going?” “I’m doing great.” “What’s up?” “Nothing.” Plenty of language, but little communication. The clichés being tossed could be sporting in nature “We’re just taking it one game at a time,” or religious in nature “Brother, I’m blessed.” Coaches and other leaders seek correction of behavior at this level. It’s simply pitch and catch played with phrases having little impact.

Surface Level Communication bears these characteristics:

• Little risk

• Little impact

• Shared in public

• Has an external appeal

• Seeks correction

• Motivates at the sensory level (physical and emotional)

Level 2 – Below the Surface Communication

This sort of communication is often engaged when one leaves level 1 by asking probing questions in an effort to understand better. “How did you feel about practice today.” “How are things with your family?” “How can I help you to become the player you want to be?” It happens when one ceases simply telling and starts listening. This level of communication evokes passions and takes more risks with emotion and relationship. Coaches and other leaders who communicate at this level are seeking reformation of attitudes in those being led, not simply correction of behavior.

Below the Surface Communication is marked by these traits:

• It risks emotional responses

• Is more impactful with both parties

• It is much more intimate, requiring more privacy

• Has an internal appeal

• Seeks reformation

• Motivates rationally (shaping thought processes)

Level 3 – Heart to Heart Communication

Communication which penetrates to the heart of a matter and to the very core of people’s lives is radically different than the previous levels discussed. It is much more dangerous to wade into, but its effects are of infinitely greater value. “I believe in you and will not quit on you.” “I am proud of you.” “You are a gift to our team.” “I am committed to seeking your best in every situation.” “I am disappointed by your behavior, how can we work together to do better?” This sort of communication is rare among people in sport. Most of us move too quickly and will risk too little to even approach it. Coaches and other leaders, those who will venture into this arena, are redemptive in their approach. They will risk personal loss for the benefit of those with whom they’re communicating.

Heart to Heart Communication carries these qualities:

• Is much more emotionally risky

• Has a deep, long lasting impact (good or bad)

• Is vulnerable, requiring confidentiality

• Appeals to the heart (core values)

• Seeks transformation (inside out change)

• Motivates spiritually

A reading of the Gospel of John would display for the reader Jesus’ use of all three levels of communication. In chapter 4, His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well contains all three in itself. Thus, as in His model, all three levels are appropriate at various times and for various purposes. Let’s be both wise and conscious about how we communicate. If we only communicate at level 1, our impact will seldom move beyond the level of cliché tossing. If we aim for level 3 with everyone we know, we’ll probably alienate most people and will find ourselves to be having similarly limited effect. However if we’re diligent in building relationships, taking appropriate communication risks and seeking proper settings we will be able to have tremendous impact and long-term effect with our hearers.

Let’s move beyond the surface level, take the risk to cut below the surface and ultimately aim for the hearts of the men and women of sport as we seek to communicate the love of Christ Jesus with these marvelous people.

Your Micromovement – more from “Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us..”

2011-05-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

This section of Seth Godin’s book has some insight for us as we lead others in the world of sport. We who are engaged in Sports Ministries are creating movements of the spiritual sort. Let’s gather some wisdom from Godin’s thoughts about micromovements.

“This is the heart of the matter: every leader cares for and supports a movement.” That’s us. We care for and support the movement of God’s Spirit in the lives of men and women of the sports world.

“Today, you can have a narrow movement, a tiny movement, a movement in a silo. Your movement can be known by ten or twenty people, by people in your community of people around the world.” Our teams vary in size and composition, but this principle is very encouraging. We don’t need a group of thousands of followers to effect change and to create movement. We don’t need hundreds of followers for our twitter account or a minimum number of friends on facebook to have deep, significant leverage within a community and to lead a genuine movement.

“The key elements in creating a micromovement consist of five things to do and six principles:

1. Publish a manifesto.

2. Make it easy for your followers to connect with you.

3. Make it easy for your followers to connect with each other.

4. Realize that money is not the point of a movement.

5. Track your progress.

Principles:

1. Transparency is really your only option.

2. Your movement needs to be bigger than you.

3. Movements that grow, thrive.

4. Movements are made most clear when compared to the status quo or to movements that work to push the other direction.

5. Exclude outsiders.

6. Tearing others down is never as helpful to a movement as building your followers up.”

Let’s now consider these items one at a time with application to our spiritual micromovements within sports clubs, teams and organizations.

“Publish a manifesto.” Many teams and clubs do this and do it effectively through stating their purpose statements, team values, goals, etc… Many do not. We may be among those most qualified to help our teams to crystalize their values and goals into a clear statement and to express it well. This sort of action leads to unification of the individuals around powerful ideas.

“Make it easy for your followers to connect with you.” For most teams this is what happens at practice, during team meetings, watching videotape and other activities; they connect with their leaders, the coaching staff. In our role as sport chaplains, sport mentors or character coaches, we must be intentional about creating moments and situations which the players and coaches can effectively connect with us. That certainly happens face to face, but it can also be via email, phone calls, SMS text messages, facebook, twitter and other things I’m just not aware of yet.

“Make it easy for your followers to connect with each other.” This is where a lot of teams break down. They can connect the coaches and the players well, but getting the connection between players is much more difficult. We have found good success in this regard with what we term “team building exercises.” Our way of doing this with sports teams doesn’t involve activities like ropes courses, rather it engages the players in conversation, creating connections between them through interaction related to passion for the game, core values, family, and more. If you’d like to discuss how this process could work with your teams, send me an email and we can talk it over. I’d be pleased to contribute to your success in connecting people.

“Realize that money is not the point of a movement.” Resources (monetary or otherwise) simply help to fuel the movement, they are not the real goal. The best coaches know this. The best sport chaplains also know this. In the same moment as we decide to “cash in” on the movement, we’ll probably kill it also. Beware the ever-present sin of greed. If we should sacrifice our movement’s integrity in order to “get paid” we lose and so do all those whose hearts we lead.

“Track your progress.” Sports teams do this even without thinking, they track the progress of everyone and everything. What they measure tells us a lot about what they value. It’s the same in sports ministries. What we measure and track re: progress reveals a lot about what we really value. What looks like progress to you? What do you measure? What do you really value? Answer these hard questions and then track your progress as your movement grows.

“Transparency is really your only option.” The more we hide, the less we’re trusted. Keep things transparent and simple in your ministries, especially financial things. The all too regular public failures of ministry and sports leaders illustrates this principle very well.

“Your movement needs to be bigger than you.” Some coaches get this, others don’t. Some think they’re bigger than the game or their institution, others understand that the sport will continue long after they’re fired, retired or dead. Some of us in sports ministry also lose track of our place in the larger process. We would be well served to cultivate an attitude that sees our movement, our team, our ministry and certainly the Lord’s purposes for each person in our movement as much larger than us. This can be accomplished by wise partnership with other trusted colleagues, mentors and leaders we’re developing.

“Movements that grow, thrive.” The point here is to focus on steady growth over instant, explosive expansion. Good sports coaches call this being process oriented rather than simply results oriented. They focus on player development over the long haul is more effective than a utilitarian attitude which uses the player for what he can give and then discards him in favor of a new one. Sport ministry leaders should learn from this principle by staying focused on principle driven, relational development of individuals and micromovements rather than organizational, pragmatic and global movements which are more impressive to donors.

“Movements are made most clear when compared to the status quo or to movements that work to push the other direction.” Coaches do this with their teams by making comparisons with other teams, other programs, other systems or even the past coaching staffs. They use statistics and their core values to draw contrasts between their program and their rivals. Sadly, some sports ministries draw similar distinctions in the competition for donor dollars and volunteers. Wiser comparisons can be made related to the status quo in terms of the core values, goals and personal development of those in their care.

“Exclude outsiders.” Most of us probably had an immediately repulsive reaction to this statement, but it’s really insightful. Teams do this most simply. No one not on the team has access to the changing room, to team meetings, to wearing uniforms, to riding the team bus, etc… If you’re not on the team, you’re excluded, it’s normal. As we serve sports teams and individuals, exclusivity is also not just proper, but even mandatory. We are often in possession of private and privileged information which if handled improperly could be hurtful or embarrassing to many people. We must exclude outsiders (media, fans, other teams and sometimes even family) from information and settings which are reserved for those directly associated with the team.

“Tearing others down is never as helpful to a movement as building your followers up.” Again, the wisest coaches don’t spend much time tearing down their opponents, rather they work to build up their teams. We who serve in sports ministries can learn from this note. Sometimes in explaining the distinctive advantages of our particular brand of ministry, we fall into the trap of sharing the distinctive flaws in the others. Suddenly we’re comparing our ministry with Brand X. “We’re better than them because…” Such marketing strategies are unwise and worse, childish and dishonorable to our Lord. Let’s commit ourselves to the building up of those who are running in our lane. Let’s focus our minds toward the building up of those in our micromovement. With a wise, altruistic attitude toward everyone in ministry, we stand with our Lord who said, “Other sheep have I which are not of this fold.”

As you develop your own micromovement, do these five things and mind these six principles. In doing so, you’ll discover new ways to lead and to engage the hearts of those in your silo movement of ten, your miniature movement of a hundred, your community or even the whole world.

The Significance of Sport Chaplains and Character Coaches in the 21st Century

2011-04-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

We just completed the second Fellowship of Christian Athletes Sport Chaplains Conference at St. Simons Island, Georgia in the USA. It was an excellent conference with outstanding presenters from both FCA staffers and volunteers who serve in both the high school and college sports.

Below is the address which I delivered as the keynote address on Monday evening. I hope it serves to encourage and to challenge you. We are in a unique and exciting position. Let’s serve wisely and well.

The Significance of Sport Chaplains and Character Coaches in the 21st Century

Ministry in Sport has changed greatly in the last sixty years.

• It began with iconic figures and very few details about their lives. FCA was founded on this dynamic. FCA’s founder, Don McLanen, selected high profile, Christian athletes to proclaim their faith in public, just as they were being used by companies to promote their products.

• Ministry in Sport grew through the influence of two-dimensional, heroic Christian athletes who were used by various ministries to achieve growth and financial development. FCA grew through this dynamic.

• The last twenty years have revealed a huge tear in the fabric of many sports ministries. Our intentions have been questioned, our integrity has been examined and our methods have been scrutinized. FCA is part and parcel of this dynamic.

The present world of sport and much of sports ministry is characterized by three primary weaknesses.

• The prevalence of compartmentalized lives; that is a lack of integrity. This is easily seen in situations like the fall of coaches, players, and even prominent Christian athletes (the names of coaches, athletes and Christian athletes I mentioned are withheld here).

• The horrible lie of performance based identity. A player’s sense of personal worth may rise or fall based upon his most recent performance on the field of competition. A coach’s sense of God’s pleasure with her may ride on her team’s win/loss record. Even worse, a sport chaplain’s sense of his or her being in God’s will can be shaped by the relative success or failure of the teams being served. Each and all of these scenarios are emblematic of the terrible lie that assaults the hearts of sports people.

• The collapse of the American family structure. Most of the young men and women whom we serve are now from single parent families. They start their lives relationally and spiritually handcuffed. Worse still, if they are so blessed as to be athletically gifted, they may find that their coaches, teammates, agents, peers, lovers, even their parents and sport chaplains use the player for their own personal gain.

Sport Chaplains and Character Coaches in the 21st century are uniquely qualified to address these issues.

• If we will lovingly lead and serve with integrity of heart and not simply follow the culture’s flow of compartmentalization, we can make a real difference. We can lead players, coaches and our colleagues in ministry toward lives of real integrity and don’t treat it as a mere buzzword to impress our donors.

• The issue of performance based identity is most poignant for these days and will only increase in importance in the future. Please watch this three and one half minute video clip from Dr. John Ashley Null. Ashley leads the International Sport Coalition’s Serving the People of Sport - Major Sports Event Chaplaincy Team. http://vimeo.com/15621759

• The self-perpetuating cycle of broken people growing up in broken homes can be overcome by the life transforming power of the Gospel of Christ in the lives of sportspeople. Not for the sake of the masses who follow them, but for their own lives and families. They are worth it, regardless if anyone else is watching.

My challenge to each of you, to FCA corporately and to sports ministries globally is:

• To conduct your ministry with a whole heart. To fully integrate the presence and power of Christ in all of life; sport, ministry, family, all of it.

• Guard your hearts and those you serve from the insidious lie of performance based identity. Help them to see that their lives are inextricably tied to the infinite value of Christ Jesus as they are in Him.

• Dynamically impact the lives of the people of sport with the Gospel and thereby extend Christ’s influence in their families, teams, communities and the world.

More from "Tribes"

2011-04-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I quoted the book, “Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us” by Seth Godin (Portfolio) and made some remarks related to application of its ideas. More of the same follows below.

Today’s item is from the section titled, “Improving a Tribe.”

“As we saw earlier, it takes only two things to turn a group of people into a tribe:

• A shared interest

• A way to communicate

The communication can be one of four kinds:

• Leader to tribe

• Tribe to leader

• Tribe member to tribe member

• Tribe member to outsider

So a leader can help increase the effectiveness of the tribe and its members by:

• Transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change.

• Providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications, and

• Leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow and gain new members.

Most leaders focus only on the third tactic. A bigger tribe somehow equals a better tribe. In fact, the first two tactics almost always lead to more impact.”

As before, we’ll look more intently at each section with some application points for each.

As we saw earlier, it takes only two things to turn a group of people into a tribe:

• A shared interest – Sports teams are already ahead of the curve in this process as their shared interest in their sport is central to their being together. Sport Chaplains, Character Coaches and Sport Mentors are also uniquely equipped to add another layer of shared interest as they weave faith in Christ into their relationships with players, coaches and support staff.

• A way to communicate – For sports teams this is usually face to face at practice and on game day. At other times it may mean phone calls, emails, text messages, etc… The team’s Sport Chaplain can enhance their communication and thereby greatly increase the team’s effectiveness. Team building exercises are most effective in this process. Please contact me if you’d like to discuss this more deeply. We can also model ways of communicating more effectively for the coaching staff and for competitors as well.

The communication can be one of four kinds:

• Leader to tribe – This usually looks like Coach to Player. It can also be Character Coach to Coach or to Player. The Sport Chaplain’s leadership role within the life of the team can be powerful and of tremendous worth. Don’t discount your influence. You may be leading the tribe.

• Tribe to leader – This is usually Player to Coach and is much different than that mentioned above. This kind of communication is usually in the coach’s office or somewhere with more privacy when the subject is personal. It’s often exercised while watching practice video or discussing technique and strategy. The Sport Mentor can help the tribe to communicate more effectively by helping them understand how to speak with respect to those who lead them. The tribe may be speaking to the Character Coach also, listen closely and you can serve them better.

• Tribe member to tribe member – The modes for this communication are widely varied from relaxed joking in the locker (changing) room to trading SMS text messages to facebook posts, tweets, phone calls and things I’m not even aware of yet. Improving this area of communication may be the most difficult as the methods and culture change so rapidly. Sport Chaplains can also enhance the tribe’s communication, member to member, by working to establish relational connections, to build trust and to make commitments to each other.

• Tribe member to outsider – In the world of sport this looks like coaches or athletes speaking to the media or signing autographs for fans. Those on the inside of the team communicate differently with those inside the team (tribe) than they do with those outside. Usually that’s a good thing which is necessitated by the outsiders’ lack of technical knowledge or a disparity of values. The Sport Mentor can do a real service to the tribe as he helps them to define their values and consider wise communication skills with outsiders.

So a leader can help increase the effectiveness of the tribe and its members by:

• Transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change. – Sport Chaplains are in a perfect spot to do this as our shared interest in the sport is enhanced by the shared interest and passion for Christ. The shared interest and passion can be transformational. Let it be.

• Providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications, and – Character Coaches who learn how to use technology well and to connect more deeply than the 140 characters allowed in a Twitter post can greatly enhance the communications between team members, their coaches and even each other.

• Leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow and gain new members. – Please don’t get caught in the trap of fixating on this item to the exclusion to the first two. They actually lead to this one. Properly focusing on them will allow this one to happen rather naturally.

In summary – Sport Chaplains, Character Coaches and Sport Mentors may be in perfect position to be dynamic leaders among their teams (tribes). We must look for the Lord’s grace to serve and to lead with Christ-honoring character. Go ahead, lead.

"Tribes - We Need You to Lead Us"

2011-04-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the book, “Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us” by Seth Godin (Portfolio) was recommended to me by Silas Mullis of Operation Mobilization’s SportsLink. I strongly recommend reading this book as its insights are most useful. The next few weeks’ articles will relay some of the ideas from the book and applications to ministry with people of sport.

A recurring theme in the book is Leadership and why it is important for people to lead from wherever they are in the organization’s flow chart.

“My thesis:

• For the first time ever, everyone in an organization – not just the boss – is expected to lead.

• The very structure of today’s workplace means that it’s easier than ever to change things and that individuals have more leverage than ever before.

• The marketplace is rewarding organizations and individuals who change things and create remarkable products and services.

• It’s engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun.

• Most of all, there is a tribe of fellow employees or customers or investors or believers or hobbyists or readers just waiting for you to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go.”

Now for some observations and applications of these ideas.

“For the first time ever, everyone in an organization – not just the boss – is expected to lead.” This is very similar to the Jesuits’ thesis that “We’re all leading and we’re leading all the time, whether well or poorly.” The sport community has known this for a long time as we look for leadership from among the competitors and not just from the coaching staff. While it’s expected, it’s not always at hand among some teams. We who lead sports ministries can be very effective as developers of leadership in both coaches and competitors. Even better, we can model and instruct people in Jesus’ way of servant leadership and thereby greatly transform the lives of everyone involved.

“The very structure of today’s workplace means that it’s easier than ever to change things and that individuals have more leverage than ever before.” Many organizations and even some sports clubs are becoming flatter and more responsive to those at the fringe. Many coaches have begun to purposefully listen to their players and have instituted groups like “team councils” to speak for the team and to help the Head Coach have a finger on the pulse of his team’s attitudes and thoughts. Some even include these team leaders in their decision making on certain matters. Sport Chaplains and Character Coaches are even included in some decision making as those who lead the team or the club seek wisdom and insight. If we’re available, we can strongly shape the organization, even though we have no real “organizational power or authority.”

“The marketplace is rewarding organizations and individuals who change things and create remarkable products and services.” In the sports world this is best seen in the recruiting of talent. Whether collegiate, club or professionals, people want to compete for the organizations and leaders who are doing something remarkable. No one sets out to be pedestrian or mediocre. The sports world is full of people who are achievement oriented and they’re drawn to innovators and dynamic personalities. We who serve Christ in sport may be the most innovative and dynamic people in the culture. We may also be rather bland and unimaginative. It’s up to us. Those in your club, team or community will seek you out if they see something which raises their curiosity, whets their thirst for Christ or engages their hearts with real life. Let’s be risky and remarkable rather than safe and predictable.

“It’s engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun.” Sport, at its best, is engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun. Don’t choke on the word “profitable” by just thinking about money. The profit in sport for most of us in about many things, but certainly not money. I’ve been engaged in sport since I was able to stand up and swing a baseball bat. Over fifty years later, I still find it to be engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun. After seventeen years of serving as a sport chaplain and character coach, I still feel the same and with increasing measure as I learn more about serving well. Greater still is the engagement, thrill, profit and fun which I experience as I have my faith in Christ both poured into and nurtured by the people of sport.

“Most of all, there is a tribe of fellow employees or customers or investors or believers or hobbyists or readers just waiting for you to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go.” The author defines a tribe as, “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” Sport teams certainly qualify as tribes. Sports ministries also qualify. The point of his statement is that these tribes are just waiting for someone to lead them well by connecting them to one another and to help them connect with their mission. This is what good team captains, good coaches, good CEOs, good Sport Chaplains, good Character Coaches and other Christ-honoring leaders do. Look around you, there is a tribe just waiting for you to help them connect with one another. Help them do that. In the process, you can communicate the transforming power of life in Christ and thereby lead people into the life-long adventure that follows such a commitment.

We are providentially enabled to be powerfully influential with the people of sport. We need not have the loftiest title nor the most powerful position to lead well, effectively and honorably. From wherever we are in our organization’s structure, we can and must lead people by helping them connect with each other and with their goals. Lead on.

Time Management

2011-04-08T04:40:00.000-07:00

Time management is a continual issue for those of us who live in the sports world. How to balance work, family, ministry, travel, practice time, game days, study, church, exercise and leisure is a dynamic, daily process. Added to all those factors is the ever-changing nature of our station in life. The proportions of time for each of the above listed matters is drastically different for the twenty-five year old father of a new born than for the fifty-five year old empty nester.

Throughout my adult life, making choices related to time management has been an important issue. In my twenties I didn’t give much thought to it beyond, “Do I have enough time to get from work to the ball park in time?” I would leave work at 4:30, be at the ball park by 5:30 for a double header fast-pitch softball game and not get home before 11:30. That all seemed very reasonable to me until I was the father of a two year old son and suddenly time was getting squeezed a little. It seemed like a good idea to prioritize some time for my wife. Goodbye fast-pitch, hello slow pitch. In that game, a double header could be played in two hours. Good move.

In my thirties, after a couple of job changes, I was the father of a son playing two sports at the same time. As I looked at a potential career change with lots of travel and nights out of town, I instead chose to be home more, to play basketball with Jason in the driveway, to have time for playing catch, for playing hockey (complete with facial scars), for soccer games and more. That was one of the best decisions of my lifetime.

In my forties, I had already started my work in sports ministry and was getting my feet on the ground when the Head Football coach asked me to travel with the team to road games. That privilege brought on even more adjustments to my schedule and shifting of priorities. It also came with some criticism and misunderstanding. It cost me every weekend for fourteen to sixteen weeks each fall. I would review my calendar from time to time and find that I had worked every day for several weeks. It was wearing me out. I had to find time to rest, but it was not easy.

Now, well into my fifties, I am constantly budgeting time and making decisions about where to invest my time, my energy and my heart. Not everything weighs the same to me. Some matters are very important and others are less weighty. I have to prioritize my calendar like any other commodity of great value. Of late, I’ve been prioritizing time for those who seem to hunger most. Last week I wrote about the economy of opportunity and this is a major factor in my decision making. Over the last several years, international ministry and travel has been added to the mix and with it has come an even greater need to budget time wisely. Having become a grandfather just over a month ago radically changed my priorities and I’m constantly looking for a reason to make the one hour drive to see Addison Faith Lipe.

So, how do we manage time? Like it or not, each of us only has twenty-four hours in any day. Some of that is given to sleep (a discipline as important as any), some to work, some to family and the remaining to a wide array of other priorities. The issue is constantly: Setting priorities and holding tightly to them. I would challenge you to live purposefully and to shape your calendar, appointment book and wrist watch by your priorities. Once those priorities are set, write them down and keep them where you can see them. Tell someone else about them for accountability and then hold tightly to them. Each day has the same twenty-four hours, each week, seven days and each year fifty-two weeks. Each life has X years. The X factor is more an issue as I approach fifty-five than it was at twenty-five. Let’s follow Moses’ wise advice in his prayer from Psalm 90. In doing so we can fulfill the Lord’s purposes for our lives as mentioned in Acts 13:36.

Psalm 90:12

12 Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Acts 13:36

36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.

Economy of Opportunity

2011-04-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

After almost 45 years as a follower of Christ and 20 years of vocational ministry, I think I’m beginning to understand our Lord’s Economy of Opportunity. Across those years and across several continents I have seen hundreds if not thousands of ministries which are “needs driven.” Those who lead the ministries, either a part of local churches or parachurch ministries, identify the “felt needs” of a particular community, then seek to meet them as a means of expressing the love of Christ Jesus or as an avenue to sharing the Gospel. Noble goals both. However, such a focus on needs can occasionally obscure the recognition of genuine opportunity the significant impact which comes along with it.

Jesus was very familiar with the needs of people and dealt properly with them daily. He also seemed to value opportunity even more highly. Please read the following passage and listen for the moment when opportunity trumps need.

John 12 (The Message)

Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus' feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house.

Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, "Why wasn't this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces." He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them.

Jesus said, "Let her alone. She's anticipating and honoring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You don't always have me."

Did you hear it? “You always have the poor with you. You don't always have me." It is always the right thing to care for the needs of the poor, we always have them. We do not always have the remarkable presence of Christ at a particular moment of greatest impact. This is opportunity and this is why it outweighs need in the Lord’s economy. Bethany was certainly well populated with poor people and I’m sure Lazarus, Mary and Martha were generous toward them, but they were not Mary’s focus on this day. She anticipated Jesus’ death and burial and was ready with an extravagant gift of love and respect.

For us who serve the men and women of sport, there are every day, regular even mundane tasks of ministry. There are constant needs for those whom we serve. It’s always right to meet those needs. However, there are occasional, even rare moments when opportunity makes its presence known. Sometimes our moments of opportunity come to us in crisis, as it did for Mary. We would do well to follow her lead and to recognize the opportunity, to marshal the resources, to prioritize the time, to risk being misunderstood and to extravagantly express love and respect.

When our ministries are driven by needs we can easily become consumed by the need, the needy and the constant urgency to meet the daily needs. Sadly some of the most compassionate and gifted leaders and servants in Christ’s kingdom become overwhelmed by the needs and have their hearts numbed by the constant pain and distress of the needy. In such a condition they are also desensitized to the presence of opportunity as it arrives. Opportunity may be gone in a week, a day, an hour or maybe even in a minute. As soon as it appears, it is suddenly gone and with it the chance to make significant impact.

We all have some people around us who resemble Judas in this passage. No matter how much wisdom there is in our value of opportunity, they will criticize and complain about waste and misappropriation. Don’t worry about it. Jesus has your back and He says, "Let her (him) alone. You always have the poor with you. You don't always have me."

Mentoring People in Sport

2011-03-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

One of the unique opportunities which many of us who serve sportspeople is that of being a mentor to them. Whether coach, player or member of the support staff, we often have the ears of men and women who are seeking a mentor for various parts of their lives. Such ministry opportunities take on various forms in terms of relationship, timing, setting, method, resources and more. One should not expect that it’s a “one size fits all” sort of relationship.

The persons who desire a mentoring relationship will certainly vary. I’ve had such relationships with several young people, male and female, who have served as interns for our summer sports camps. This has been very good and productive. Other relationships have been less formal and frequent in meeting together. I’ve met with college student-athletes for breakfast three to four times during a sport season for simple discussion and encouragement. I’ve had a few student-athletes with whom I’ve met in a group and then additionally with the individual for coffee to talk about more personal matters. I’ve also enjoyed periodic meetings with coaches who were looking for ways to integrate their faith into their lives as coaches, so as to transform how they coach their sport and lead their staff and players. I’ve also had a mentoring relationship with sport chaplains, sport mentors and character coaches in my area, across the USA and around the world. Those relationships are furthered sometimes face to face, but more often by phone calls, SMS text messages and emails.

The settings for mentoring sessions will vary widely, depending upon the people involved. Some mentors meet with people in their offices. This has both strengths and weaknesses. Some mentors meet in public places. Jim Stump meets with Stanford University student-athletes in a cafeteria on campus all day, every day for one hour each. He has done this for decades with great effect. I have found coffee shops, conference rooms, cafes, fast food restaurants, sport stadiums, locker rooms and even public parks to be fruitful locations for heart to heart discussions and mentorship.

The aims for mentoring are often varied. In most of my interaction, the one being mentored indicates his or her desire to learn a particular thing and that determines the aim for the relationship. The mentee usually sees the trait he desires to develop in the chosen mentor and therefore makes the request for such a relationship. Seldom if ever has anyone approached me to be his mentor without having identified the area of life in which he would like to further develop. In my own life, I have sought out different mentors related to being a husband, being a father, serving Christ in the world of sport, working with coaches, study habits and subject matter, leadership and more.

A few tips for shaping such relationships follow. This is surely not an exhaustive list and it’s mostly reflective of my experiences as mentor and mentee.

• Choose your mentors wisely. Identify the character traits, skills, knowledge or abilities which you admire and make your invitation to the relationship directly related to those matters.

• Agree to serve as a mentor most soberly. Don’t let flattery at the invitation skew your insight re: the prospective mentee’s commitment to the process and to your ability to serve him or her well.

• Set specific times and locations for your meetings. It’s wise to do so regularly, to insist on punctuality and to have a predetermined amount of time for each session.

• Set a term for the span of your meetings. Starting the relationship without setting an end point for review and renewal often leads to frustration and embarrassment when the relationship simply declines and you’re no longer meeting. Say up front, “Let’s meet together for x weeks or x months and then see where we are. At that point we can either determine that we’ve achieved our aims or that we should continue to meet further.” This way both ends of the relationship have a better chance to sense success.

• Pray together. Most of us learned to pray by praying with others. The mentee will learn immensely from his or her mentor by simply being there. He will hear for what the mentor prays and for whom. She will observe the passion in your voice and the dependence of your heart. Pray for the mentee and thereby express vision, hope, love, compassion and zeal to which the mentee can aspire. Have no doubt, your prayers together will shape his or her lives tremendously.

• Ask the mentee for specific goals and objectives. The mentor has a much better chance to help if he knows the desired outcome.

• Allocate resources wisely. Recommend books to read, films to watch, articles, experiences, study guides, etc. to the mentee and then review his or her understanding of the material. This process has been most helpful to me.

• Engage the mentee in activity. Especially when mentoring leaders, nothing can catalyze the learning process like leading. As the mentee experiences both success and failure, the process is enhanced by real life experience and the mentorship is moved beyond a purely academic exercise. Wisely prepared discussions which follow activities are excellent tools for the mentor to use, expediting the development of the mentee and further integrating the information he or she has gathered from reading and conversation with the mentor.

The role of mentor is often overlooked, too often performed poorly and occasionally transformational. If you’re seeking a mentor for your life or if you’re suddenly in a position to serve as one, respect this relationship and pour out your heart in the pursuit of complete development as a man or woman of God. The world of sport desperately needs men and women who honor Christ Jesus in every facet of their lives. Wise mentors can be powerfully catalytic to the process of our becoming just such people. Let’s get to it.

Sports Ministry and Celebrity Culture

2011-03-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

One needs only glance at almost any daily newspaper or turn on the television to nearly any channel to encounter one of the most pervasive, and I believe destructive, elements of popular culture in the USA, the western world and beyond – Celebrity Culture.

We are flooded daily by information which we neither need nor even desire. We hear about the latest celebrity break up or hook up. We read about the newest “It Girl” or “Sexiest Man on Earth.” We are suddenly aware of the exploits of people who are seemingly famous for being famous, unencumbered by personal achievement or strength of character. Paris Hilton and others of her dubious distinction are emblematic of this wave of media inundation and the growing need to fill air time with some sensational story about just about anything lacking substance or significance. The USA has reached new lows in this regard as we even create celebrities ex nihilo. “American Idol” is the most obvious example of this self-absorbed, self-perpetuating celebrity machine.

A quick reading of Acts chapter 14, verses 8-23 will provide a biblical example of celebrity culture in the Apostle Paul’s day. At first (verses 8-18) the crowd sees Paul and Barnabas as idols to be worshiped and the next (verses 19-23) they are objects of derision to be stoned to death. It is the same crowd of fickle people. We are just like them, but we use mass media to assassinate people rather than stones.

Sadly, we in the world of sport are not exempt of this culture and its insidious drive to make celebrities of those whom we serve and love. Professional sportspeople are easy and often willing participants. Their flesh is gratified and their wallets are often fattened by the process as they sell their dignity, honor and even their relationships with team and family to this foolish industry. Their privacy is laid on the altar of popularity and Q ratings, which they trust will result in the growth of their “brand,” further resulting in greater profits from endorsements, appearances, publishing and more.

We who serve in ministry roles with people in sport walk a fine line between wisdom and foolishness. We swim in a river of powerful currents which can easily pull those whom we serve and even our ministries toward a tragic drowning. We sometimes trade on the public profiles of those whom we serve and that is a real issue to be faced. Some of our ministries in sport were founded on the principle that just as high profile sportspeople use their popularity to sell shaving cream and beer on television, they could speak of their love for Christ and thereby “be used” to grow the Lord’s Kingdom. Such strategies are perilously close to the edge of manipulation and prostitution of the people we claim to love.

One of my colleagues who serves very faithfully with a number of high profile Major League Baseball and National Football League players has a very wise approach to this issue. I asked him sixteen years ago when we were both new to sports ministry about his policy re: requests for players to make appearances at area events, schools or fund raisers. He said that he never makes such requests of active players because he’s more interested in serving them than in asking them for favors. He said, “If every time they see me coming across the clubhouse, they think here he comes to ask me to do another talk, I forfeit my opportunity to lovingly serve them and to impact their lives with the Gospel.” He gets it! We must not forfeit our ministries of love and service in order to trade on the celebrity of the player with people in the community and even with the donors who fund ministries.

It seems to many that the high profile, celebrity player owes something to the adoring public. It’s counterintuitive for us to prefer to keep our relationships with such players and coaches private and to not drop their names at every turn. It’s even seen as selfish or snobbish by some when we protect those whom we serve from the provocative paparazzi and the ogling eyeballs of television cameras. To protect the player, to withhold information given in confidence and to value the coach’s privacy is still the right thing to do.

Let’s be the ones who love without thought of return. Let’s love coaches and competitors without reservation and without posing for the cameras. Let’s help them find a side door to avoid those who would trade on their sudden celebrity and help them see their true value in relationship with Christ rather than in the number of magazine covers for which they pose.

Ministry in Moments of Crisis - Community Tragedy

2011-02-25T05:11:00.000-08:00

This is another installment in a series on Ministry in Moments of Crisis. This week we’ll consider the crisis of Community Tragedy. When a community is shaken by tragedy it stamps the moment on their individual and collective memories, awakens many souls to their mortality and creates a momentarily open door for effective ministry.

One need only mention, Marshall Football and September 11, 2001, and memories come flooding to our consciousness related to tragedy. Some of us can remember plane crashes, like Marshall University’s Football team in 1970, involving Wichita State University Football also in 1970 and the University of Evansville Basketball in 1977. Those instances spread grief all across the region as well as among the communities from where each of their players had come to the universities.

In the last few years you may recall shootings on campuses like the one at Virginia Tech University and later at Northern Illinois University. I am familiar with sport chaplains and coaches at those schools and recall our conversations which were filled with grief and horror.

We all probably remember the circumstances peculiar to where we were on the morning of September 11 of 2001. I recall the shock, bewilderment and even a sense of denial that this could really be happening. Those feelings were soon replaced by a resolve to seek the Lord’s best for people in the midst of this terrible tragedy. I recall many conversations with players and coaches as we all tried to make sense of the incident. Many had no room in their worldview for evil, but had to rethink their positions. Many felt totally abandoned by God. Many others felt like God had let them and the USA down. The opportunity came simply because they were thinking about God at all.

Rather than having simple, trite answers to all these complex issues, I worked to keep the conversations going and to point them to the Holy Scriptures for insight and comfort. In any sort of community tragedy, we are obviously ill-equipped to solve all the problems. We can, however, point them to an omnipotent, gracious, loving Savior for exactly what they need to live through this day and to get to the next one. If we coldly offer stock answers in the midst of community tragedy, it’s like putting Band-Aids on a cancerous tumor. Such ministry is neither effective nor compassionate.

When community tragedy visits our world, let’s be the ones who run toward the smoke and fire like the first responders on 9/11. Let’s carry the life giving truth of Christ Jesus into the chaos, open wounds of emotion and even despair. Our presence will enlighten the path to hope and our words will sooth weary souls.

Which Culture is Holier?

2011-02-18T04:30:00.000-08:00

Culture – “The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.” (Dictionary.com)

Over the millennia there has been a constant shift in each culture’s behaviors and beliefs within particular social groups, ethnic groups and age groups. These shifts continue and it seems that the shifts are even accelerating.

Most of us would consider ourselves to be culturally sensitive and endeavor to not give offense to others related to matters of culture. We honorably try to fit in with the local culture when we travel abroad and even try to adapt to the subcultures in various parts of our homelands.

Some of us find this rather easy, while others do it with difficulty or even while grumbling. Still others simply refuse to acknowledge cultures outside their own and even communicate that their culture is certainly superior to all others. Sadly, many of us in Christ’s Church are in the latter two groups and not among those in the first.

In some quarters of the USA, there are people whose nationalistic attitudes lead them to wrap the Stars and Stripes around the cross and thereby make their own brand of Christianity staunchly North American. I am sure such myopia occurs elsewhere across the globe, but I’m a little more sensitive to the pain I experience when “Amuricans” take offense to the thought that we’re not living in the Promised Land. While this grieves me and illustrates my point, it is not the primary issue for this article.

I find it similarly grievous for those of us who live and work in the culture of sport to act as if it is somehow profane, debased and unworthy of the presence of Christ. Many of us who serve the people of sport as sport chaplains, character coaches, sports mentors, officials, players, coaches and support staff seem to think that the Lord Jesus is only comfortable with the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of Church culture. We regularly communicate that Church culture is superior to Sport culture by how we speak, by what we read, by what we celebrate, by what we discourage, by the people and behaviors we honor and how we respond to the people we serve.

Most of us would not stand for such elevation of one culture over another if it was Southern culture vs. New England culture. (Okay, that’s exactly how some of us think.) If someone put down Hispanic culture and asserted that British culture was superior, we’d challenge the thought as xenophobic. If we argued that Hip Hop culture was antithetical to God’s purposes and that the only music worthy of Christian ears was 18th century hymns, we’d be called bigots.

How is the elevation of modern Church culture over Sport culture any different? Is banging on a guitar or a keyboard at a church service a holier activity than bouncing a basketball in a gymnasium? Is teaching a Bible study on Wednesday night in a classroom more honoring to God than having a heart-felt discussion with a teammate after Wednesday afternoon’s practice? Is one more influential while speaking in popular Christian clichés with fifty like-minded people in a quiet auditorium than he is when emotionally encouraging a hundred of his teammates in the changing room after a gut-wrenching loss? Is the presence of the Living Christ more powerful when experienced by the frozen chosen in their pews or when a dynamic disciple of Jesus demonstrates the grace of God to her fallen colleague in the coach’s office? I hope the answers are obvious.

There are untold numbers of us who live in sport culture and even prefer it to most other cultures in our world. We prefer the cricket ground to the abbey. We feel closer to Christ among the hand ball team than with the hand bell choir. We experience Jesus’ grace more often in a raucous stadium than in a placid sanctuary. I believe that in the Christian Sport community there are even more who would like to, but they feel torn between living comfortably in sport culture and feeling safer with their Christian brothers and sisters while behaving in ways consistent with Church culture. Sadly, I think most of us have been conditioned to simply import Church culture into the world of sport. The problem with this is that those outside the Church don’t understand its culture and our message is lost in this foreign tongue.

I have often watched the meetings of sports ministry leaders from across the planet and wondered, “Why are we singing worship choruses from thirty years ago?” My usual internal answer is that we don’t know what else to do to fill up some of the time. Maybe we feel like the Lord needs us to sing a little before we talk about Him. Maybe I’m just out of step and more than a little peculiar. If so, I’m fine with that. If we’re just afraid to break out of our cultural box, I’ll probably be the one to ask some hard questions. I find it all puzzling and chalk it up to our hesitance to think more deeply about these matters.

When gathered with other sports ministry leaders to discuss our lives in Christ, strategies and methods for sharing His love with people in sport, I’d rather watch a highlight film from the World Cup of football or the Super Bowl, a clip from “Chariots of Fire,” or any sporting event which displays the passion and excellence which makes my heart, soul and spirit race than to endure another medley of tired choruses. I sense more of the Lord’s passionate heart at the ball park, on the pitch or on the court than in anyone’s church service. Simply said, singing songs is not culturally superior to competing in sport – each can be offered to God as worship as we offer our bodies as living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1-2)

Some of our colleagues make knee jerk reactions to the elevation of sport to parallel levels of more widely accepted cultural expressions of worship, e.g. music, drama, oratory, poetry or even dance. Why are we so scared of sport as a mode of worship? Is it a matter of a lack of Biblical models? Such thinking has some Christian denominations forgoing the use of instruments for worship, gas powered or electric powered machines for work and other distinctions which we understand to be purely cultural. Following this logic would lead us to toss out the guitars, video projectors, hymnals, air conditioning, automobiles, computers and so on.

If you’re not challenged or maybe even offended by now, I’ve either been to gentle or you’re not really paying attention. We must examine our practices as those who love Christ Jesus in the culture of sport. It is our sacred duty and privilege to be agents of God’s transforming power within this culture. We carry the aroma of Christ into the locker rooms, the offices, the arenas, stadiums, courses and tracks, thereby impacting lives simply by our presence. Our characteristic beliefs and practices shape and revolutionize the culture of sport in so far as we allow Him to be expressed in our lives in ways that are clearly understood by those we serve. I challenge you to love God with all your heart and to love those around you as you are fully engaged in the culture of sport.

Ministry in Moments of Crisis - Serious Illness

2011-02-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

This is another installment in a series on Ministry in Moments of Crisis. This week we’ll consider the crisis of Serious Illness. Through my almost 17 years in this role words like cancer, leukemia, lupus, diabetes and more have sent shock waves through teams, families and the souls of men and women. Suddenly the rules of life have changed for the players and coaches and a life threatening disease is the number one opponent for everyone. Thoughts of rivalries, practice plans, schemes and recruiting are immediately “back burner” items.

One such instance was in 2005 when our head football coach, Jerry Kill encountered grave illness, cancer and surgery beginning in an incident on the field during a painful, homecoming loss to Illinois State University. Below is an excerpt from my journal from that season.

The whole game was overshadowed by an event in the last 30 seconds of the game. Coach Kill collapsed to the turf and suffered a series of three grand maul seizures as I and others rushed to his side and tried to keep him from hurting himself or others. The ambulance on the scene was on our sideline within a minute and he was quickly taken to the Memorial Hospital emergency room.

After he was in the ambulance and the clock had run out, Coach Denver Johnson of Illinois State called all his players up to mid-field where our team met them on one knee. As Coach Johnson was watching the scene develop I asked him if he would like me to pray and he consented. We each took another’s hand and I prayed for Coach Kill’s safety, his recovery and freedom from long-term effects from this incident. After the moment of prayer we congratulated our opponents for their excellent play and retired to our locker room.

Once inside, Coach Tracy Claeys did a tremendous job of comforting our players about Coach Kill’s condition and directed them to stay in touch with their position coaches for updates. We all took a knee again, held the hands of the men near us and prayed the Lords’ Prayer together as is our custom.

We exited the locker room to a subdued crowd of fans, friends and family outside. Sharon had already left for the emergency room and I soon followed. When I arrived, Coach was already in an observation room and I was allowed access because the ER doctor wanted to know how the incident occurred. I told her the story with all the detail that I could. As the evening progressed Coach had a series of equally severe seizures in the hospital. The hospital staff continued to increase his medication in order to stop them, but they continued to happen and caused Rebecca and all of us great concern. Pastor Allen Speer and I were there throughout the evening, praying for Coach Kill and doing all we could to comfort the family, coaching staff and university personnel gathered to lend support.

Finally after midnight, the seizures had stopped and he had regained consciousness enough to talk with the doctors. He had a couple of CT scans done, but there was no apparent damage. Around 2:30 in the morning he was transferred to the Intensive Care department. Sharon and I accompanied Rebecca and the coach through the transfer and into his room.

The good news is that Coach Kill is doing well physically and after a strong run at SIU, he took the head coaching job at Northern Illinois University for the 2008-2010 seasons. After three strong seasons there the University of Minnesota offered him their head coaching job and he recently accepted it. He endured the cancer, surgery and has come out the other side stronger.

These moments of crisis, the emergency room visits, the nights of sleeping on hospital room floors, the prayers prior to surgery with the coach and his family were the defining moments of my ministry with him and they are the reason for our continuing ministry with the coach and his team even though they’re now hundreds of miles away.

A second instance which illustrates the importance of such moments to our ministries is Coach Lance Irvin’s battle with leukemia. As I was watching for ways to serve men’s basketball here at SIU, I became aware that Associate Head Coach Irvin was in Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO. I decided to make the two and a half hour drive to the hospital to visit with him. I found the coach in his room as he was in day 15 of what became 40 days in the hospital receiving treatment and recovering from it. I visited him twice during those days and we had tremendous times of conversation and prayer. I carried resources like books and magazines to read and to encourage his heart for the battle.

The trust won and the relationship developed were surely a part of the newly open doors to work with Coach Irvin’s team in the fall and winter. Being available and present in the moment of crisis gave me entrance for ministry with the coach, the other coaches and the players. I would encourage and even challenge you to walk confidently into hospital rooms and other places where we may encounter Serious Illness. It is more an opportunity to be embraced than an opponent to be avoided.

Ministry in Moments of Crisis - Being Fired

2011-02-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

This is another installment in a series on Ministry in Moments of Crisis. This week we’ll consider the crisis of Being Fired. It’s rather common in USA sport, and I’m sure around the globe, to hear of a coach of a team or a manager of a club being fired by the university or ownership of the club. Most of the coaches I know do their best to be philosophical about the situation and to says that it’s a part of the business. They act like that takes the sting out of the process, but I know there is more going on than what they will easily acknowledge.

Having experienced the loss of a job, I know bitterly the feelings of failure, separation and even shame which accompany the unwilling termination of one’s employment. Even when the coach shows the strong face and confident posture, in his heart there is a terribly personal loss which is felt deeply. In public, she may look fine, but in her quieter moments she’s devastated.

It’s much the same for the player who is cut from a team because of roster limits, for the team management professional who hears, “We need to go in another direction,” and for the aging player whose salary and contract restrictions make him a more costly asset than the young, first year player.

In all these cases, the source of the pain is the grief of separation. Being fired is like a couple being divorced. The relationship is severed, it’s often accompanied by emotional confrontation, accusations and raised voices. People on all sides of the broken relationship begin to take sides and to place blame on one or both parties. Eventually the open wounds heal over, but there are often unresolved and acrimonious attitudes left to fester under the skin. It’s an ugly process and full of pain.

As I write, my mind is full of memories, mostly painful ones. I recall sitting over coffee with a coach who was about to negotiate her resignation so she wouldn’t be fired. I remember desperately trying to contact a coach who was fired and then avoided anyone associated with his former program, even those of us who loved him. He’s still avoiding us. I can still hear the silence on the other end of a phone call when I called a recently fired Offensive Coordinator for a high profile college football team a few hundred miles from my home. All I could think to do was to offer my love and to pray for them over the phone. I was thrilled months later when I saw him and he said that his family had kept my phone message for months and would periodically bring the whole family into the kitchen to listen to the “Roger call” as I prayed for them and their future.

The brutal truth is that most of us in sport find our worth in our performance and to be fired is the ultimate indictment of our worth to the team. It’s as if the club is saying, “You are not worthy of being associated with us. You’re no good. Go away.” It cuts deeply into the fabric of our self-worth and gnaws at the soul.

As we serve the people of sport, we have surely encountered this in the past or we will certainly do so in the future. It is no less painful for us, if we care deeply for the people we serve. Our natural tendency will be to take offense for the coach (if we are strongly attached) or to run away from him (so as to not be tainted by the firing) or possibly even to be among those who pile on with the discontented fans (“I wonder what took so long? He was terrible.”). We would be wise to do none of the above. Just like when my friends get divorced, I simply refuse to take sides and seek to love everyone involved. Those separated by the firing are not just the coach and her team, but everyone on the coaching staff, the support staff including physios, equipment managers, office personnel, media and more. We must pursue our relationships with all of the above in extravagant love and understanding.