Chalk Talks: 5 Minute Sports Team Devotionals

Last year I borrowed an idea from the Midland Christian football team called "First Things First."  I wrote 5 minute team devotions for our 4th grade Patriots.  We took the first 5 minutes of the first practice each week and laid in a biblcial value for the week.  I used a whiteboard that had the title, scripture written out, and bullet points for the day.  Every week we:

• Laid in a biblical value
• Pointed players to Jesus
• Encouraged obedience to parents
• Encouraged best effort at school
• Illustrated how the value applies to the sports environment

Our coach invited me to continue that tradition this year.  This morning I was able to crank out 13 devotionals for the upcoming season straight from the book of Hebrews.  Here are the titles:

Week 1:  We are Brothers (Heb 2:11)

Week 2:  Protect This House (Heb 3:4-6)

Week 3:  Encourage One Another (Heb 3:12-13)

Week 4:  Listen!

Week 5:  Be Bold - Get Help (Heb 4:16)

Week 6:  No Laziness (Heb 6:12)

Week 7:  Persevere (Heb 10:35-36)

Week 8:  Stick to the Plan (Heb 10:36)

Week 9:  We Don't Quit (Heb 10:38-39)

Week 10: Believe (Heb 11:1)

Week 11: Run the Race (Heb 12:1)

Week 12: Discipline is Your Friend (Heb 12:10)

Week 13: Follow Your Leaders (Heb 13:7)

As a part of 3:23 Ministries, we hope to write enough of these chalk talks to publish and provide these resources to coaches of all sports and ages.  As much fun as we have each season, it's so much bigger than the sport we happen to be playing at the time.  Let's make disciples!

Making Disciples One Burrito at a Time: My Greatest Moments at Taco Villa

During my sabbatical this summer, I sensed my time at Taco Villa was coming to a close.  I made it official yesterday.  After 3 years of making disciples one burrito at a time, here are some of my favorite moments at the greatest fast food store in the world:

The question on my first day of work from the manager: "Mickey, can I ask you why you are really here?" My answer was quick and simple.  "(1) I love Taco Villa so I might as well work here. (2) I'm around church people all the time and need to get away from them once in a while.  (3) I'm going to be your best employee, but I will only be here three hours a week. (4) I will not turn my register into a pulpit, but when people approach me, its game on in sharing my faith.

A manager asks, "Mickey, do you wrap?" I was so puzzled.  I said, "No, I like country music."  Everyone busts out laughing - they meant did I know how to wrap burritos on the food line...Priceless!

An employee, Tenisha, says, "You can call me Big Mamma."  I told her I was not comfortable with that and Big Mamma says, "It's not becuase I'm big...black people take care of each other and that's what I do here."
By the way, our entire church staff took care of Big Mamma last week by helping her finish her hours to qualify for her own Habitat home for her and her four boys.  Our team did 70 hours in one day that would have taken her over 2 months to do on her own.  She got her address yesterday.

Being invited to speak at a corporate meeting for Bobby Cox Inc. managers for Taco Villa and Rosa's on the subject of "baptism."  They gave me the floor for an hour to share about salvation and baptism.  What a great night of Q&A.  One of the managers walked me out in tears because God spoke to him that night about getting his life right with God.

Volunteering to steam clean the floors at midnight.  I knew it would give me quality time with a new employee and my manager. That night our generator went out for the pressure washer.  As we were all about to close the doors and give up, I said, "Let me pray over this thing."  I cried out loud, "O God, start this generator so we can finish this job and go home." My manager stepped up, pulled one more time and the generator started.  We finished the job and few weeks later that employee came to church (after meeting Pastor Daniel at the store).  He and his girlfriend got saved that morning and still attend Mid-Cities. 

Taking my manager and his fiance through marriage prep and sharing Christ with them.

Praying over my manager's grandfather bedside before he passed away.

Praying with another manager at the hospital just after a knee replacement.

Buying another manager a new queen bed so she and her 2 year old son did not have to sleep on the floor anymore.

Taking Big Mamma and her four boys school shopping for new shoes.  They were like kids in a candy store.

Chasing a customer out in the parking lot to pray for their marriage at the Lord's prompting.  They later returned to tell me they were having major marriage problems and that was a breakthrough.

Being the first pastor to listen to an employee's confession of a life of abuse and alternative lifestyle.  She wept in our living room as she told her story.  I was the first pastor to not condemn her and tell her she was going to hell.  She has since returned to Christ, left a same sex relationship, and is working through Free Indeed.

Being asked to counsel an employee that stabbing people is not a healthy way to handle conflict.  The employee said, "I didn't stick the knife in far, it was just a little bit." We then discussed that even minor punctures are not the best way to handle anger.  I'm happy to report she has not stabbed anyone else since that day to my knowledge.

Wow!  What a journey.  Now it's time for me to spend more time with Bonnie.  She has been gracious to let me give my life away on Fridays for the last three years.  I sense the Lord asking me to invest in our relationship for a season.  We are talking about Fridays being the day we disciple our kids in a more specific mentoring plan as well.

Yesterday I was almost in tears telling Tina I need to step away for awhile.  I love my Villa friends.  Tina decided to call it a "leave of absence."  I can't wait to see what God has for our family next.  When one chapter ends, another begins!  I may not be punching the clock, but I will always pastor Taco Villa Store #4 off Midkiff.

Hollywood Helps Me Again - On What Really Matters

Just finished watching the movie, Radio, while running on the treadmill this week.  It captures the personal renaissance I have been through the past few months.  In short, Coach Jones (who has his own issues) begins to notice a young man that is ignored and mistreated by the community.  Over time, Coach Jones begins to pour value into a human being that others have neglected.  The team does not perform as well that season so one of the football dads decides to try to run off either Radio or the coach.  {SPOILER ALERT} In a surprising turn of events, Coach Jones resigns his football coaching role and asks to stay on as a teacher.  As much as he loved the game of football, he discovered that its much less important than the fulfillment he found in providing dignity and value to another person.  Coach Jones discovered that life is bigger than winning football games!

That's what led us to create a new team experience with 3:23.  The past couple of years, I've allowed my focus to digress from investing in kids to worrying more about wins and losses, wrestling with personal pride, and competing with myself and others on the athletic field.  Ironically, a few weeks after the season, no one remembers who won or lost or really cares for that matter.  After a game, kids care more about where the team is eating and who is spending the night than what happened in the game.  Great perspective.  So here is where I'm at.

Life Has to be Bigger than Baseball
I grew up with a dad who only knew how to relate to me based on how I was performing in baseball.  I have great memories, but I also remember the day I informed him I was coming home from the baseball scholarship due to injury.  I can easily default to excellence and performance having played  for the winningest high school baseball coach in the country at that time.  Yet, I refuse to let my relationship with my son be defined by how well he performs on the field.  We talk about this regularly and work hard to overcome that temptation.  My success as a coach has to be defined more on the kids' enjoyment of the game and skill development, not my win/loss record as a coach.  The relationships and people we encounter on these teams has to be more valuable than what their kids can contribute. Championships last for a moment.  Eternity lasts forever!

I once heard a little league coach say that coaches need to be teaching baseball and that character development is what Boy Scouts and churches are for.  It's comments like these that motivate me to push myself and others to get a bigger vision for the sports we coach.  

It's Not About My Kid Only
Daddy ball is my greatest fear as a coach.  It's real. It's nasty. It's everywhere.  At the end of the day, it has to be about investing into all the kids, helping them love the game and become great men and women.  Some will excel athletically more than others.  A few will play at the high school level. Fewer will play in college.  One or two might get drafted.  At some point, many of these kids will likely be coaching their own kids; that's when we will know what kind of influence we truly had.  Will they throw fits at the umpires? Will they cheat on the rules to their own advantage? Will they neglect the kids that don't have as much to offer?  Will they play favorites with their own kids?  Will every kid be given the chance to improve and earn a spot?  Will they encourage best effort? Will they celebrate hard work? Will they laugh and play with the kids?  Will their players want to play again next year?  Will their players feel loved regardless of performance or loss?  Will a kid have value for who he/she is rather what they can do?  Will a kid love Jesus more because of the way I modeled Christ?  These are the kinds of questions that keep me up at night as a coach.

Back to Radio
This movie inspires and encourages me that I'm on the right track.  As we start this new adventure with 3:23 Ministries, I too plan to step back from some of the hands-on baseball aspects and focus more on the mentor role with these kids. Our partnerships with other parents and professional coaches in the community will elevate the skill development beyond what I could provide.  It feels good to address the behavioral issues in my own life.  It feels good to partner with great families and coaches in the community.  It's great to know that the activities we are involved in serve a higher purpose and have kingdom impact!  Thanks Coach Jones for the tangible reminder this week of what really matters!

Learning Points from "Decision Points" by George W. Bush

A few quotes and moments that helped me grow and learn in this book. 

On Family Values

Their view (Bush’s parents) of parenting was to offer love and encourage me to chart my own path...they did set boundaries for behavior.

When you know you have unconditional love, there is no point in rebellion and no need to fear failure.

Our household was full of laughter.

On Matters of Faith

Push yourself to realize your God-given talents.

...struggle and doubts are a natural part of faith. If you haven't doubted, you probably haven't thought very hard about what you believe.

I drew strength from family, friends, and faith.

Every life has dignity and value because every person bears the mark of Almighty God.

On Leadership

...allowing your opponent to define you is one of the biggest mistakes you can make...

I discovered that I could accept defeat and move on.

Voters don't want a leader who flails in anger and coarsens the tone of the debate.

Just be yourself.

I learned the importance of properly structuring and staffing an organization. The people who surround you determine the quality of advice you receive and the way your goals are implemented.

I started each personnel decision by defining the job description and the criteria for the ideal candidate...I used my time to gauge character and personality. I was looking for integrity, competence, selflessness, and an ability to handle pressure.

An important part of my job was to create a culture that encouraged teamwork and fostered loyalty - not to me, but to the country and our ideals.

Sometimes the best personnel moves are the ones you don't make.

Not disclosing the DUI on my terms may have been the single costliest political mistake I ever made.

Timeliness is important to make sure an organization does not get sloppy. (on time to meetings etc.)

The first step of any successful crisis response is to project calm.

Getting to know a fellow world leader's personality, character, and concerns made it easier to find common ground and deal with contentious issues...

"If you would win a man to your cause first convince him that you are his friend." (Abraham Lincoln)

You cannot solve a problem until you first diagnose it.

Government can hand out money but it cannot put hope in a person's heart or sense of purpose in a person's life.

"Don't get stuck on stupid." (General Russ Honore)

We would trust developing countries to design their own strategies for using American taxpayer dollars. In return, they would measure their performance and be held accountable.

Success would be measured by results produced, not money spent.

A question I like to ask world leaders: “What keeps you up at night?

Self-pity is a pathetic quality in a leader. It sends such demoralizing signals to the team and the country.

A Synopsis of the Books I Read on Sabbatical & Why I Chose Them

I serve a great church that practices the concept of a sabbatical for its pastors.  Our sabbatical is unique in that its primary purpose is rest.  Rest is more accessible when we withdraw from the normal practices, patterns, and routines of work and everyday ministry.  Without boring you with how we did this in other areas, I will limit this blog to a short summary of the books I chose to read, why I chose them, and highlights of what I gained from each.

First, why read 1400 pages (yes I counted) in 5 weeks and call that rest?  To some it sounds like a nightmare, but reading books for personal growth was a key way for me to amp down and step out of the norm.  I read lots of books each year, but they are mostly work related.  This list was personal.

1. King Me: What Every Son Wants and Needs from His Father (Steve Farrar)

• Why? I am committed to growing in my effort to be a better dad
• A great book on the importance of mentoring our sons and practical ideas on how to do it
• Includes a controversial chapter on the feminization of boys and a challenge to return to masculinity (I could argue this on both sides - would be a fun discussion when I feel like fighting)
• The entire book is worth the read for chapter 10 alone - "How to Crush Your Son So He Will Never Recover"
• Includes a study guide and would make a great personal study or men's group topic

2. Raising a Modern-Day Princess: Inspiring Purpose, Value, and Strength in Your Daughter (Pam Farrel & Doreen Hanna)

• Why? I am committed to growing in my effort to be a better dad
• This book revolves around rites of passage and speaking blessing into our daughters; I love the idea of rites of passage (and practice it in our family) but that's about all I liked about this book
• There are lots of good ideas on how to plan a special night to honor our daughters
• Speaking life and blessing into our daughters is a great message; I hope we see the need to do this daily, not once in a formal ceremony 
• The book mostly promotes another program to purchase from the authors (which may be great) 
• Some people may read this book and find it life changing, but I found it disappointing and of very little value personally

3. Decision Points (George W. Bush)

• Why? This book is off the page from anything I read (and it might have a secret service story or two)
• This autobiography chronicles the critical decisions that shaped Bush's presidency and personal life
• I like short books and short chapters; this was like eating a 72 ounce steak but worth the effort
• As a Midlandler, after reading this book, I felt like I knew Bush personally
• I loved seeing Bush's faith journey and how it played out in his life
• I noted several leadership principles that I will capture in a separate blog

4. Half Time: Moving from Success to Significance (Bob Buford)

• I saved this book for week 4 of the sabbatical on purpose; this is the book I wanted to contemplate on and make some life adjustments as a result of reading the book
• Halftime is written for people approaching midlife; felt timely since I celebrated the big 40 last month
• This book is a must read for men 35-50 years old
• While there was not a lot of new information for me (pastoral ministry deals with this kind of content daily), I took the book personally and wrote about 22 observations/life tweaks for me.  Bonnie and I discussed each one of these takeaways and made some mutual agreements on a few tweaks for this next season of life and ministry
• I would like to take some men through this book in coming months; anyone could pick this up and gain value 
• The book in a nutshell - it's less about me being successful and more about giving my life away and building the kingdom of God (very consistent with Pastor Daniel's great message on July 10) 

5. FutureCast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (George Barna)

• Okay, I admit it, this was an extra book I threw in the bag in case I had time.  Bonnie argued that it was work related, but I justified the need to keep pulse of the cultural trends for our family
• I wish I would have waited to read this until I was back at work (wives are always right)
• Interesting and crammed with a fire hydrant of statistics (more than normal for a Barna book), but not for everybody
• One notable principle in this book is that Barna realizes after all these years of research and writing that the best way to change our culture is to impact one life at a time in our circles of influence

I'm thankful for the rest and family time, thankful for the insights I gleaned from these books, and even more thankful for the time in God's word each day that trumps all of these books.  Reminds me of a page in a book I have where the author states at the front of his book:

"If you have time to read this book, and have not taken the time to read your Bible, then you do not have time to read this book."

A Few Thoughts on Divorce and Same Sex Marriage

Mark 10 provides a simple summary of God's thoughts on divorce and the intentionality of marriage.  The Pharisees asked a sticky question with intent to stir the pot - "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"  Jesus responded by asking what Moses commanded (Deut 24:1-4).  Interestingly, the context and usage of the word "indecent" implies some type of improper or immoral sexual issue.  Moses permitted the certificate of divorce because their hearts were hard (Mark 10:5).

The point I want to highlight here is simply this.  Divorce is not God's plan.  We don't pursue divorce because marriage is inconvenient, someone else better comes along, we've fallen out of love, or it's just too difficult to get along.  A hard heart acts on the idea that I have been wronged and I'm not taking it.  A soft heart keeps no record of wrongs, forgives, and trusts God to restore the relationship.

Now a quick word about the cultural rage to tolerate and promote same sex relationships.  For the unbeliever, the Bible obviously holds no moral value or compass.  Yet, for those of us who claim to be followers of Christ, there are no gray areas here.  According to Mark 10:5-12, God made them male and female. The man would leave his parents and be united to his wife and the two would become one flesh.  They are no longer two, but one (sexually, spiritually).  Katy Perry may have kissed a girl and liked it, but it doesn't make it right.  Many of us could revel in all kinds of sexual sin and probably like it, but it's still sin, and sin leads to death. This is not a hate issue.  It's a sin issue.

I'm happy to report that even now Bonnie and I are walking a woman who has been in a lesbian relationship for years to health and healing.  When she told us about her partner and lifestyle, I was literally the first pastor that did not tell her she would burn in hell.  After she told her story, my response was simply, "Wow, it makes perfect sense why you would search for happiness in a female partner."  I did not validate her lifestyle, I simply acknowledged that it made sense in the natural why she would pursue it.  I'm happy to report that she has since broken that relationship and is now slowly pursuing Christ and a relationship with a man.  I never once told her what to do.  When God speaks to a person, it carries much more weight.  We simply loved  her!

As a father, I spend lots of time showing my kids the cultural trends, the daily headlines, and the places in pop culture that tell us why divorce, homosexuality, and sexual revelry are normal.  Our conversations are simply a comparison of what the media/culture promotes and how it lines up with God's word.  Praying they are wise enough to follow God's plan with tender hearts!

3:23 - Part Two: Birth of a New Non-Profit Youth Sports Ministry

As stated in my last post, what started as a new baseball team birthed into a broader vision. We recently discovered that it's common for teams to assume they are tax exempt and that gifts given to them are tax deductible.  In many cases, teams have not taken the proper steps to legally provide either of those benefits.  Knowing the need and difficulty of being a true non profit, we are starting a new 501 (c)(3) non profit ministry called 3:23 Ministries, Inc. to insure our donors tax deductible status and allow us to have a greater reach into competitive youth sports in the Midland/Odessa area.  Here is the vision we feel God has given us:

Vision

3:23 Ministries, Inc. exists to provide and promote discipleship to children, youth, and adults primarily through competitive youth sports venues.  Coaches and teams affiliated with 3:23 Ministries share a common vision to invest relationally, spiritually, and developmentally into kids, families, and coaches.  3:23 Ministries, Inc. exists to promote and provide ministries including (but not limited to):

• 501(c)(3) sponsorship for like-minded sports teams 
• Youth sports camps 
• Coaching clinics 
• Parenting/missional living seminars
• Team sponsored community service events 
• Mission trip opportunities with teams and/or local churches

Once approved as a non profit ministry, we will be able to "sponsor" other teams that share our vision without them having to jump all the legal/financial hoops to provide tax deductible donations.  This makes a big difference in the amount of money teams are able to raise.  

Eventually, we plan to partner with area coaches, schools, and sports programs to provide youth sports camps, coaching clinics, and parenting seminars.  We envision helping parents navigate the challenges of spiritual growth, church involvement etc.  We envision helping teams think outside the box by encouraging them to serve the community, participate in local/regional mission trips etc. 

It's going to be a fun ride!  One thing I love about serving God is that you never know where He is leading you.  I would not have envisioned this a few months ago, but I'm confident we can make a difference and impact an untapped circle of influence in the area.