A Sure Sign...

Our Scorekeeper, Kyle Marsh

            A SURE SIGN.....

I am really enjoying coaching the 7th and 8th grade baseball team that my step-son Will plays on this Fall.

It's bringing back a lot of great memories of me playing ball as a kid and coaching my other kids when they were small.

One of the things I'm enjoying is giving signs (Steal, bunt, take, etc...) to the kids from the 3rd base coach's box to see how close they are paying attention and to see if we can execute some things and catch the other team off guard. What I'm finding is that some of the kids look down to the coach's box right away to make sure I don't have an assignment for them, and others...not so much =)

It really reminds me of how we are with our Heavenly Father. He's got a plan for what he wants us to do with each opportunity (Day or situation within a day). He's giving us signs and trying to get our attention so He can execute His game plan and we are oblivious that He's even got any plans that might be different from our own. His plans are about wanting to use us to carry out His plan and they often involve doing things that aren't just about us but about the good of the whole team. We are either forgetting to look for the signs before we get in the batter's box of life or we wouldn't recognize most of the signs He gives us because we haven't been paying attention. We step up to the plate so focused on our own agenda we aren't aware that He might be asking us to sacrifice our at bat to move another person forward. After all, how could getting a chance to take a swing be anything less than about how we do for ourselves? 

When we live life oblivious to the fact that God is wanting to communicate with us in all situations I think it's sure sign that we don't know the signs. We don't know the signs for when God is wanting us to go or stay, to lead or follow, to pray or take physical action, to say something or to remain quiet, to bless or to allow ourselves to be blessed by another.

So what are the signs God is giving us? Just as they are similar but a little different for each team I think they are similar, but a little different for you and me. The signs in a relationship can only be picked up on by knowing the other person in the relationship very well. When you know the other person well you don't even have to think about looking for the signs and react with the appropriate action. It's an instinct that is born out of the closeness of that relationship. It's what you do when you love the other person. You care what they are thinking and feeling and doing and you want to be on the same page with them, even if the best reaction to the sign puts your agenda second.

Yeah, so God is giving you signs every day. Are you looking for them? When you get close enough to recognize them the next step is having an obedient -sacrificial heart to carry out whatever assignment He has for you. Knowing and believing it is the best thing for all involved.  

"My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways,"  Proverbs 23:26

My Biggest Mistake in Ministry

I'm sure when people who know me well saw the title to this blog they were thinking "Oh No, he didn't write about that did he?!" Yeah, there are definitely a lot of mistakes that I could write about, which hopefully means I'm a little wiser than I used to be =) , but today's offering is actually from a minister I like to follow online and hope to meet someday, Pastor Pete Wilson of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN. I could so relate to a recent post of his that I wanted to offer it as a guest post today. I hope it is helpful to you. I don't think you have to be a pastor at a church to relate to it.
Here it is... Thanks Pete.

My Biggest Mistake In Ministry...Pete Wilson

Probably the most asked question I get in interviews and by pastors I’m mentoring is, “If you could go back and change anything in your ministry, what would you change?”
Usually I’m thinking, You don’t have enough time for me to actually answer that question. I’d change tons of things.
However, at the very top of the list would be my driving desire to be “loved” at all costs.
I have a lot of friends in ministry that are addicted to this pride-swelling choice as well.
For most of my life and certainly all of my ministry, I’ve been addicted to pleasing everyone. It didn’t matter if it cost me my personality, my family, or even at times, my vow to speak truth. I just wanted to be “loved.”

• I would ignore the sincere compliments of others to be obsessed with the few critics.

• I would abandon my boundaries and go above and beyond to “help” someone while ignoring my family.

• I would put off the tough leadership decisions trying to keep all sides content.

Why? Simple. I wanted to be “loved.”
But let me tell you something. Leading with a desire to be loved is dangerous. Parenting with a desire to be loved can be destructive. And if you spend your life trying to be loved instead of being loving, it’s going to lead you to all kinds of unhealthy extremes.
Part of learning humility for me is to understand I simply can’t please everyone. Not everyone is going to like me, love me, or think I’m great. They’re just not.
I feel like I’m growing in this area. I’m learning the freedom that comes along with seeking to love, instead of always desiring to be loved.  The first leads to meaning and significance while the latter  is an emotional black hole that can never be filled.
I pray you will learn to live in the Kingdom and be freed from the sheer stupidity and vanity of going through life trying to make sure other people think the right things about you.  If you depend on other people loving everything you say or do, you will end up doing and saying nothing. I pray you’ll receive the fact that you are loved in the eyes of God in such a way that you can then go out to lead and live, seeking to truly love the people around you.

Doing the squeeze bunt before you have to.

Yesterday I was coaching Will's (My stepson) 7th-8th grade baseball team We were batting and up by 9. Josh, the player in our on deck circle asks me if he can do a suicide squeeze play if Alex, the player in front of him, gets a triple. We are all riding the adrenaline of getting off to such a good start in our first game together and I'm looking to connect with the kids in positive ways so I say sure...of course thinking that the odds of Alex getting a triple were not that good. Well, Alex didn't get the triple, but he did get a single and with all the throwing errors he ends up on 3rd base. In all the excitement of getting Alex around to 3rd I had completely forgotten about my promise to Josh, who when I turned to encourage him at his at bat was smiling from ear to ear. Oh man, I thought to myself I've got to follow thru on this. So I told the runner on third and gave Josh the squeeze sign. Josh got the bunt down and the elation of our team grew to a fever pitch.

How it was received by the opposing coach was an entirely different matter. He was not happy with me, but was classy and didn't yell anything across the field. I had mixed emotions. After we went through the high five line and I apologized to the coaches I had to two take-a-ways / reminders.

1) It is good to work on something before you really need it so you know you can do it if you ever do need to execute it. Honestly, that is what I was thinking, besides wanting to have a positive experience with our team on our first day. I'd much rather have a player (Who was asking for the opportunity) try to execute something when the pressure isn't on so he'll have the confidence to know he can do it when so much more is on the line later in the season. I view my quiet time and other acts of obedience the same way. I know if I start my day with the Lord I'm more apt to confidently call on Him when I'm in a difficult situation or praise situation later in the day. If I say yes to the little opportunities I'll feel more comfortable when bigger opportunities are thrust upon me without me asking for them, and you know those will be there. Then, there's the second take-a-way...

2) Even when you are working on your own good stuff you need to keep in mind how it will be received by others. It wasn't my intention to rub it in to the other coaches but I could understand why it could be perceived that way so I apologized to them, told them where my head was, and addressed it with our team afterwards.

"A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing."
~ Proverbs 20:4

It's a Jeep Thing !

IT'S A JEEP THING...

I've got the top down on my Jeep today, getting ready to take a 2 hour drive to southern Indiana to pray over the area where our church staff will be on retreat next week. I'm looking forward to getting to the camp and seeing what The Lord has in mind, but to be honest I'm almost as excited just to be driving my jeep in the country on a beautiful day. I love my job =) So before I head down to the camp I thought I'd tell you about something that I found out about jeep owners after I bought mine...
I never really noticed it until I got my jeep, and even then it took a few times before I started catching on....
I'd be driving down the street or on the interstate and someone I didn't know coming at me from the opposite direction or stopping at an intersection, with out prompting, simply waves at me. The first couple of times I thought...
that person sure is friendly. But then it started happening more frequently and I got it. It's an unwritten code among owners of Jeeps to wave and acknowledge one another when they run across each other...whether they know each other or not. How cool is that?! I've also since realized that there is a similar code amongst Harley Motorcycle owners. Every once in a while someone will still wave at me and I won't see them until it's too late to wave back, and I feel like a JeepNation loser. Like I've failed the code. Not really that bad, but I do feel bad that I didn't see them coming but they were looking for me, uh, I mean my jeep. =)

What if ..... We took a lesson from JeepNation and people everywhere, regardless of what kind of vehicle you own, or even if you aren't in a vehicle, started looking for each other, just to say Hi.
I know this thought is by no means original, but I like how it feels when a stranger or a friend thinks I am worth a greeting, and I'll bet most of you do too. What do you say we take this JeepNation thing to a personal level and started looking for others to acknowledge. Up for the challenge? I know that ladies probably need to be more careful than us guys because their wave to a guy might be interpreted by a guy the wrong way, but that's another subject for another day.

A long time ago I attended seminary for about 6 months in the state of Tennessee and I know from first hand experience what it means and how it feels to have every person that walks by you on campus, in the parking lot, or at the gas station say "Hey." One of my best memories about being there. They are friendly people we could take some lessons from.

I like what Jesus had to say about the subject...

"But if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?
Do not even pagans do that?" Matthew 5:47

100 Courts but no God

100 Courts but no God

Recently my wife Becca and I attended Jr Volleyball Nationals in Orlando Florida with Kimber. I was so excited about the break in routine and the opportunity to support my daughter that it didn't occur to me until about half way through our second day there that something was missing at this action packed and fun-filled monster event. It was a feast for the eyes and hearts of real volleyball enthusiasts. There were over a 100 courts of volleyball games going on at one time from 8am to 8pm for 4 solid days!


Maybe it's the sports minister in me but when I attend athletic events like this one manifestations of God's presence in the lives of some of the athletes, coaches and spectators get my attention. It's an encouraging thing to experience and feel the boldness of His children to proclaim Him publicly in the midst of serious competition. While I believe God is everywhere, on this occasion, any visible evidence to me of His presence in the lives of those attending was nowhere to be found. I hadn't seen any T-shirts with scripture, witnessed anyone praying, either collectively as a team, or just a couple of players off to the side. There was no chapel anywhere where the athletes, coaches or parents could go to ask for prayer or help. It was all about winning volleyball games and we are on vacation...even from God!

I took this revelation as a prompting to do something to make a difference. Even if it was just in the lives of one or two people, or maybe just us. So on the morning of the 3rd day I wore a T-shirt with Isaiah 40:31 on the back from a Cross Country camp that we had just finished the week before at the church. By the end of the day, as we were heading back to our hotel room I remember realizing that I hadn't gotten one comment about the shirt. That was highly unusual since the shirt had an athletic theme and I was walking among 1,000's of athletes and parents who were athletic minded also. Being a sports minister I've worn similar shirts to baseball games, football games, running in half-marathons and always gotten comments from people saying how much they enjoyed the message on my back, or how it had encouraged them that day. A man recently even shared a word of prophecy about me at a little league baseball game. Many times people have come over when we have prayed together as a small group at an athletic event to say how it encouraged them to see another believer not pushing their faith on others, but at the same time being being public about it.
The message I got in my heart was..."You're planting seeds" so as discouraging as it was to get no response I took it as an opportunity to be obedient and moved on.

The last day we were there God let me see where the seed had been planted. One of the parents of a player on our team sat next to me for the first time the whole trip and it wasn't long before, in front of a few other parents, she asked me about a book I was reading during the 4 days. Keep in mind. This lady and I hadn't spoken a word to each other the whole previous 3 days. It was a book about Heaven and Hell sticking out of the pocket of my cargo shorts.
As I praised God internally I told her what the book was about and it spurred a brief but good conversation about Heaven and Hell and what she believed about it.

On the way home on the plane I reflected on how God wants to know that we care about spiritual deserts. He wants us to desire for it to change and let that desire lead to us stepping up when it seems like no one else is there to step up.

Love them like Jesus...everywhere you go!
Your friend in Christ,
Ray

Be it !!!

Thanks to my amazing wife I got an opportunity to recently go listen to Butler University Basketball Coach Brad Stevens speak at a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America here in the Indianapolis area. This blog is some excerpts from his talk and a few comments about his life philosophy from me.

But before I share what he had to say I want you to digest a few coaching facts about a man who cares more about the journey than the end result. I personally think God blesses when your heart and will line up with His ...

Horizon League Coach of the Year, 2008
Horizon League Coach of the Year, 2009
NCAA basketball record for the most wins by a first-time coach in his first three years
Season / Overall Record / Conference Record
2007–2008 / 30-4 / 16-2
2008–2009 / 26-6 / 15-3
2009–2010 / 26-4 / 18-0

If you aren't blown away by those kinds of accolades because they are numbers, put his heart and philosophy behind them and you realize this 34 yr old coach is wise, and more importantly, a difference maker beyond his years. Many of us were cheering out loud as we listened to this laid back coach address the crowd in a way that made everyone in the place say "Please God, let my children be able to spend some time with him?!"

You can tell that he wishes that the Bull Dawgs would have won the championship game the last couple of years, but you can tell even more that he is sold out on the fact that the greater purpose for each season is not winning the prize but becoming better prepared for the next season by improving and appreciating throughout the season you are currently in. It is a fresh freedom to hear from a coach in a very competitive environment that values nothing less than winning it all, and compromises his or her approach to the kids on the team to achieve it. It's a message that every young athlete needs to hear and be exposed to on a personal level.... Oh yeah, did I fail to mention that the evening he was speaking to us was the final hours of "National signing day" for high school basketball players across the country? I don't know if he realized that or not when he committed to speak many months prior to the engagement, but it sure speaks to his faithfulness.

"Success is having something, but excellence is being something."
Trophies, plaques and applause are proof that for a moment in time you accomplished something, but being something talks to who you are today and everyday because of the pursuit of trying to become the best team, person, athlete, and citizen in the community.

"If we've really got the athletes best in mind we'll expect them to live and focus on daily standards and not so much the end result."
Self Discipline and carpe diem!

"Be it !!!"
This is the battle cry of "The Butler Way." He didn't draw the parallel and dichotomy to the popular Nike phrase "Just Do it", but he didn't have to. Everything he talked about pointed away from temporary (One game) accomplishments and towards doing your best in every situation life puts you in... on and off the court. "Just do it" is one time, while "Be It" implies all the time... everywhere! The regular season of life really matters to this guy!
If this is on a T-shirt anywhere, and it should be, I'm buying it!

"There's no lesson like learning to get through an adverse situation together."
Reference here to the lackluster start the team got off to in the 10-11 season after going to the national championship game in 09-10. Coaching adjustments and player leadership sprouting it's wings led them to a 14 game winning streak heading into the championship game.

"Matt Howard might be the best example of servant leadership I've ever been associated with."
Coach couldn't say enough about Matt. It sounds like they are very close. He jokes about Matt "Having the worst first workout I've ever seen for a college basketball program, but could turn out to be the best player ever to wear a Butler uniform."

"Where do you want to be on your worst day?"
This quote comes out of a story he was telling about recruiting a high school player with the player's coach by his side. When the player said that it was between Butler and one or two other schools the coach looked the boy in eyes then looked at Coach Stevens and said "Where do you want to be on your worst day?" Coach Stevens said it was the best advise he'd ever heard a coach give a player who was deciding where to spend the next four years of his life. Actually, I think it is great advise for any of us. All too often because we are so results, success, money, title, position, status driven in life we tend to misplace growth and maturity along the way. With the reality of life being that all of us are going to fail from time to time, and it's healthy balance to do so, we need the right people around us to rightly process how we'll respond when life happens. Once again, pointing back to coach's emphasis on journey rather than results.

So whether you are an athlete, coach, parent, older sibling, friend or leader in any environment of life I urge you to digest the thoughts expressed on this page and make them your own as you have an impact on the lives of the people God has crossed your path with.

Just BE IT!
Coach Ray

PS....and yes dear, you did score major "good wife points" with the ticket to this event. Thanks for knowing what my passions are and leading me to them. I love you!

4WD "Fearless Confidence"

If you live here in Indiana, or anywhere in the midwest, you've just come through a couple of weeks that literally paralyzed schedules because of snow and freezing rain. While I dislike this time of year with a passion (Other than sledding once or twice) I've grown up in this state so I know what it takes to live victoriously in the midst of it. If you want to be able to leave the house with any kind of confidence that you aren't going to fail and get stuck in a snowbank or slide off the road into a ditch, a must have is a vehicle with 4 Wheel Drive. Because I have it I cannot tell you the last time I even hesitated about going outside in the middle of a storm. I haven't been in any situation I couldn't get through or even thought twice about not being able to get through. It's a kind of confidence and mindset that encourages you do things you know you couldn't do in a vehicle without it.
If you've driven your vehicle in a storm without 4WD and then shifted it into 4WD you say to yourself...."I'll never get another vehicle without it."

Well it hit me (Or God did) this past Sunday morning as I headed out to church that God's word has been trying to tell me for years that if you have ever believed enough in the Holy Spirit to call upon Him in your life to do something you know you can't begin to do on your own.... it's the same feeling. Why would any believer in Christ have this set of gears in their life and not utilize them every chance they get? The only thing I can think of is that we don't understand it so we don't give it a chance or we don't even know we have it. Both of those scenarios are sad. The cliches that come to mind are..."You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink, or you can buy them books and buy them books, but until they read them...."

Father, I'm sorry for the many times I struggled and fretted about doing anything in your name because I didn't believe enough in the Holy Spirit you left behind for me. Believe enough to call on it to do more than I could ever do, and do it better. I'm vowing anew to you today Father to call on you Holy Spirit for strength and power to be the confident Christian you want me to be.

"While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God's Word with fearless confidence."
Acts 4:31