Losing Things and Finding Encouragement

Written By Bob Schindler, Chief Operating Officer of CEDE SPORTS

Losing Things

I lost my iPad last week.I was upset for several reasons. First, I like my iPad. I have had it for a long time. I use it primarily for speaking and for reading. I don’t use it every day but, I probably use it at least weekly. It isn’t a critical tool but one I like using.Second, I was upset because I couldn’t imagine replacing it. Since it was not a critical tool, it felt like a luxury that didn’t demand or need to be replaced. My loss felt permanent.  Third, I hate to lose things. I hate it because it exposes my inability to perfectly manage life. I don’t think I purposefully set it somewhere and forgot where.  I probably set it down when I was in a hurry and wasn’t paying full attention. In either case, it points out my failure, something I don’t readily enjoy having highlighted.  This type of event usually sets me into super analytical mode, trying to figure out where I lost it and why, trying to overcome my failure by my efforts, all the time thinking I would turn around at some point and there it would be. In my scrambling, I was about to call one of my friends who was with me the last time I remembered using it to see if they had any ideas.

Finding Encouragement

This morning while on a Zoom call, I looked up in my bookcase and there it was. My iPad was on top of some books and high enough that I didn’t make it out at first. I was relieved and grateful.  Earlier in the morning, I prayed that God would encourage me today. I immediately connected the two – finding my iPad and my prayer. You may not agree but this was God’s encouragement to me. That is why I felt grateful.  It doesn’t always work this way. Three weeks ago, I lost my sunglasses (I know, there is a trend here but hold off on the age jokes!!!!). I felt weaker and more fragile with this loss. This loss, along with the losses I have walked with others with lately, caused me to pray for that encouragement.  It may be coincidence and nothing to do with God. Then again, it may just be the tender hand of a loving Father who saw his son downcast and needing a touch of love. I chose to believe the second.   

Planning for Personal & Professional Growth in 2021

Written by Jeff Fox, Church Mentor at CEDE Sports

Desiring Personal and Ministry Growth

As Sports Ministry Leaders there is always pressure on your time.  With recruiting coaches, training coaches, ordering jerseys and equipment along with taking care of any and all the “emergencies” that arise, time is always at a premium. Yet the scriptures make it clear that we need to make personal and ministry leadership growth a priority.  How do we make this a priority and make practical plans for this growth.

Takings steps to succeed

In our recent Webinar “Planning for Personal and Professional Growth in 2021” we discussed the need for growth and practical ways to plan and structure our time in order to make this a priority.  The Webinar includes discussion by current Sports Ministers along with resources to assist in growth.

Getting practical

In my conversations with Sports Ministry Leaders across the country I often hear,  “I don’t have the time or a plan for how to grow”.  In this Webinar I was encouraged by the discussion of practical ways and opportunities to structure growth into our existing schedules. There is hope in fulfilling your desire for growth!  Watch this video and contact us if you need more information.

[embed]https://vimeo.com/492228284[/embed]

Difficulty In Defining Success

Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports

How Do I Know I am Winning?

“At the end of the game, all I had to do to know whether we had won or lost was to look at the scoreboard.” A good friend and colleague of mine, M.L. Woodruff, then said, “Now I don’t have that scoreboard. I don’t know whether I am winning or losing.”  M.L. had served as a high school baseball coach for 30 years (where he won 11 state championships by the way - obviously winning more than he lost!) before pursuing a call to lead Istrouma Sports at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. It was in that role with Istrouma Sports that I met M.L. This conversation came up early on in our relationship. It stuck with me.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that M.L.’s challenge is not unique. We all want to know if we are winning or losing, making progress or falling behind. In some areas of life, we may have a clear “scoreboard.” In others, like in ministry, that scoreboard may not be so clear. For example, are you winning or losing in:

• Your marriage?
• Your parenting?  
• Your following Jesus?

If you know, how do you know?  What is your scoreboard?  

Keeping Score

In the pursuit of the answer, what sports, rec, and fitness ministers often do is to establish a scoreboard that is easily measurable.  Their scoreboard typically includes:   

• Number of participants
• Finances
• Facilities

While this is helpful information, it is incomplete.  It doesn’t evaluate the whole picture and give a true understanding of whether progress is being made.  To help sports, rec, and fitness leaders with this dilemma, we developed a tool to evaluate progress called The Wheel.  It is based on the three components of a wheel 

• The Hub – Power Source
• The Spokes – Power Transfer
• The Rim – Power Effects

To learn more about how to use this tool, we invite you to join us on Wednesday, October 28th, from 3:00-4:00 pm EST. Zoom Link Here In this time, we will explain how The Wheel was developed and how to use this tool as a Standard or Measure for evaluating the progress in a sports, rec, and fitness ministry.  In addition, we will also discuss using this Measure, with the right Method and the right Motivation which will lead to a fuller and more biblical picture of progress.  We hope to see you there.   

Proven Effects of Gratitude

Written by Ken Cross, Church Mentor at CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports

Proven Results

Thankfulness and Gratitude has been proven to increase the performance of teams and individuals – Do you believe it?In addition to mentoring Sports Ministers, I am also the team chaplain for two collegiate basketball teams here in Charlotte, NC. As you know 2020 is a crazy year for college teams. Before their season started I sent the following quick note to encourage them. For context, one team cannot go to the college campus yet because the school is all virtual until January and the other team is in a bubble and I cannot visit them. Take the truths below that I wrote for them and let them speak to you too! Here at the beginning of a school year when so many questions are swirling in our heads:

•     What will our schedule look like? 
•     Am I putting myself at risk for potential illnesses? 
•     Will we fly in a plane this year? 
•     Are bus rides safe?
•     Will there be fans in the stands?

I have some good news for you. Recent studies have proven that if you have gratefulness for what you do have, life all around is better. That catch phrase, “Attitude of Gratitude” now actually means something.In the book, Theoretical Approaches to Multicultural Positive Psychological Interventions*, Dr. Nicole Gabana states the following: “Some of these benefits include increased life satisfaction, social connectedness, positive affect, resilience, altruism, better quality of sleep, and reduced psychological distress. Specifically, in the athletic population, recent research has shown that athletes who have higher levels of gratitude also report greater social support, life and sport satisfaction, team cohesion, and lower levels of burnout.”This got me thinking – which is dangerous, I know – what is the opposite of “thankfulness”. My first thoughts flowed toward “entitlement mentality”. 

Entitlement Mentality

Entitlement Mentality (EM) is defined as the state of mind that you are owed something when most people around would beg to differ. The most toxic expression of entitlement mentality is the gap between egotism and reality. Everyone seems to agree that until you get rid of it, you will have difficulties achieving what you want to achieve and it’s unlikely that you will maximize your true potential.Four common characteristics of someone with “EM” are:

1. Giving Little Recognition to Others because that is not my job.
2. Talking Too Much because they are convinced that what they have to say is much more important … and anyway "ya’ll owe me attention!”
3. Ignore Others Opinions
4. Interrupt, Deny, Pontificate

Think how our team can be negatively affected by this! Do you feel you are entitled to a certain amount of playing time?  Do you thank those that serve you? Do you listen to others or is your music more important than teammates? Have you ever thanked your family for helping you on your path to this school?

Listen To Scripture

As your Chaplain, let me remind you these studies and definitions simply reinforce what the Bible says:"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." Hebrews 13:15-16 One of the best things about thankfulness is that the more you choose it, the easier it gets. The more you profess gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for. The thankfulness muscles respond to exercise!Let’s flex our “Thankfulness Muscles!” Please be assured I am praying for you! *Gabana, Nicole. (2019). Gratitude in Sport: Positive Psychology for Athletes and Implications for Mental Health, Well-Being, and Performance. 10.1007/978-3-030-20583-6_15. pp.345-370 (Asst. Professor of Sports Psychology at FSU)Clip of this research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBd2hWae-dE 

Restore, Reorient, Rejoice!

Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE SportsMany friends reached out to me after my sabbatical that I recently took to see how it went."How did your sabbatical go?" This is a question I enjoy answering, for God did great things over the two months.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.One generation will commend your works to another, they will tell of your mighty acts.They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty –and I will meditate on your wonderful works….They will celebrate your abundant goodnessAnd joyfully sing of your righteousness.”Psalm 145:3-7

As I outline some of what God did over these couple of months, my hope is that it would cause you to meditate on the wonderful works God is doing in your life and to join with me in celebrating God’s goodness.

The Good Shepherd Guides

I chose to use Psalm 23 as my general template for the sabbatical. With that template, I looked to the Lord, as my Good Shepherd, to:

• Lead me beside quiet waters and into green pastures to RESTORE my soul
• Guide me in paths of righteousness – to REORIENT my future direction
• Set a table before me in the presence of my enemies, to anoint my head with oil, tooverflow my cup – to bring me to deep REJOICING

My regular rhythm included an extended time of worship, several hours of prayer/reflection/journaling, with most afternoons filled with study and prayer. The highlight of my reading was Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund (highly recommend it) and, of my study, Matthew 11:28-30 and 2 Timothy. I have over 90 typed pages of notes from the two months. To say it was rich and restorative is an understatement. To try to condense all that God did in a few sentences feels almost like a disservice.

What I can say is..

On RESTORATION - The Lord pointed out four areas in my heart that needed to be restored. I was carrying PAIN and SHAME from the past that he made clear it was time to let go. I also had more recent DOUBTS and STRESS that he resolved or eased.On REORIENTATION - The Lord expanded this reorientation perspective beyond just CEDE Sports to my whole life. He made it clear that I am to express more leadership into every area – like my marriage, my family, my role at work, and my role with the adult fellowship class at my church that I help lead.Specifically, this doesn’t mean do more but to give more vision and equip others more with the gentleness and humility that would reflect Jesus Christ’s heart toward his body.On REJOICING - The Lord impressed upon me the gift of this sabbatical throughout the two months. I see clearly the ways his goodness has poured out to me throughout my life, especially his goodness in the gospel and making me a part of His Story. I was reminded that I was one who was “dead in our trespasses and sins…but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” now to be “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:1-10

The Good Shepherd Speaks

The surprise from the time was how much I was renewed to the joy of hearing the Lord speak. I began the sabbatical being reminded in John 10 that the “sheep listen for his (the Good Shepherd’s) voice. He (the Good Shepherd) calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…and his (The Good Shepherd’s) sheep follow him because they know his voice.” I ended the sabbatical being reminded from John 8 that “he who belongs to God hears what God says.” I long, we all long, to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. There is something deeply intimate, restorative and empowering when we do. Several times during the sabbatical I experienced this. I don’t mean I heard God speak audibly. What I experienced was the Spirit of God illuminating the Word of God in a way that made that Scripture real, personal, and alive. This stirred my longing to experience this more often. In understanding that longing, I realized the need to slow down enough to hear his voice, the voice of my heart, and the interaction between the two. I hope to maintain a remnant of the rhythms I adopted during the sabbatical as they fit into more of my normal rhythms. My desire is to hear and understand the voice of God, the voice of my heart, and the interaction between the two.I hope this gives you a glimpse of God’s goodness over the last two months. Please let me know if you are interested in knowing more. I’d enjoy talking about it with you. This time away was incredibly formative and I don't think I will ever be the same because of it.

Sports as a Laboratory

Overflow

Human beings are complex, our actions even when thoughtless are not random. We speak and also act out of the abundance that is in our heart (Luke 6:45). There are many arenas in life that are the proverbial "squeezing of the sponge", ringing out what is already inside of us. In some scenarios we merely see a trickle of our hearts desires and motives, but other arena's can bring about a gushing display of what is going on inside of us. Sports, in all its varying levels of competition and fields, courts or stadiums, has the potential to produce this gushing display. One could refer to this phenomenon as the Laboratory of Sports. Bob Schindler recently wrote an article for Faith Driven Athlete exploring this very topic. A synopsis of this article is below, highlighting the key points. (Link to the full article here)

The Laboratory of Sports

I was playing basketball one Monday night at the church we were attending after recently moving to Charlotte, NC.  A long rebound came my way, I went racing down the court to make the game winning basket, insuring we would be on the court for another game.  Just as I was about to lay the ball in, I got pushed from behind with the hardest push I had ever experienced in my basketball days.  I flew into the unprotected concrete block wall.  Fortunately, I caught my balance and cushioned my fall.  I was shaken but wasn’t hurt.

Under my breath, I muttered, “I will take him out the next time down the court.”  The opportunity to fulfill that vow came as he moved to my left to drive to the basket with the ball.  I stuck out my left knee to block his path, purposely trying to trip him.  He went sprawling to the floor.  No words were exchanged.

As I went to the sidelines to await the next game, I had the thought, “What was that about Bob?”  I knew God was probing.

As I examined and dialogued with Him, it quickly became clear that my anger at the opposing player was disproportionate to the incident.  What he did was wrong, but I was seething.  I knew from experience to probe further.  But first, I had to apologize.

Lab Results

After that night, I reflected on my anger.  I had learned that anger is always a secondary emotion.  There are always other emotions beneath the anger, something more vulnerable, harder to admit and embrace.  Going further down, I came to see that the move had exposed some vulnerability in me.  In that vulnerability, I was afraid about what the future held for me and my family.  In addition, I was also grieving what we left behind.

Former UCLA Coach John Wooden famously said, “Sports don’t build character.  They reveal it.”  Wooden didn’t stop there though. Wooden would then use sports to “rebuild” what is “revealed.”  His famous Pyramid of Success is built on that revealing and rebuilding.

I like to think of sports as a laboratory.  A lab is a safe environment in which to experiment. In these safe experiments, things come to light, things are revealed.  Lessons learned here can be applied to a much broader context than the lab.

That night the laboratory of basketball revealed my anger.  It was already there before that night.  God used basketball to show it to me and expose it to others!  Once out, I could examine it and learn.

From there, I could turn to God, find comfort and then move on in trust.  God used basketball to not only reveal but build my character.

Who is the Gospel for?

Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE SportsMy answer to that question today is different than it would have been 20 years ago.At that time, we were in the midst of planting a church that had as one of its desires to see half of the growth in the church coming from the conversion of non-believers. (We were young and naive, not realizing at the time what an radical desire that was.) In the face of that desire, we were intentional and relational in our approach to outreach. While we didn’t say it explicitly, we said by our actions – “The gospel is for non-believers.” – in answer to the question.This implicit answer impacted us in ways we didn’t realize then but do more now. For instance, when I read Romans 1:16 – “For I am not of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” I only saw this verse in the context of evangelism. That means the salvation that the verse speaks of related only to the salvation from one’s sin that unbelievers experience when they believe. I actually read the verse without realizing it like this – “it (the gospel) is the power of God that brings salvation to every one who believed (past tense).” I even memorized this verse to help compel me to share the gospel with those non-believers for that salvation.At the same time in that church, we were committed to the discipleship of those who had believed in that gospel – both new and long-term believers. We tried to be just as intentional in our approach to that discipleship as we were in our outreach. In that discipleship, we emphasized small groups, interaction with the Scripture, authenticity, serving, worship, as well as other “spiritual disciplines.” However, I don’t think I saw the gospel as a central component of that discipleship. While I didn’t say it explicitly, again by my actions, my answer to the question was – “The gospel isn’t for believers; just for non-believers.”Today I see things very differently. It began as I looked more closely at the Scriptures, specifically those that spoke of the gospel. Going back to Romans 1:16, I noticed the tense of the verb “believes” is not past but present. In looking more closely at the verse, I realized Paul was saying the power of God is experienced as a person presently believes in the gospel – not as a one time past event but a present ongoing belief. This was a radical revelation.I began to understand that the salvation Paul is speaking of here in Romans 1:16 is not just a salvation from my sins in the past but an ongoing salvation from my sins in the present, something all of us as believers need – DESPARATELY. I saw that the way we experience the power of God for that salvation is through the gospel.Paul reiterates this idea in 1Corinthians 15:1,2 – “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Paul is writing to his friends and fellow believers in Corinth. At the end of the letter, he concludes by saying, “Now, brothers.” I noticed he clearly addresses believers not non-believers. He then says, “I want to remind you of the gospel.” Paul saw that remembering the gospel was essential to believers.Why? Paul further explains – “By this gospel you are saved.” The ESV says “By this gospel you are being saved.” The verb, saved, is present. Once again pointing to the present impact of the gospel in a believer’s life.Paul goes on to say this present salvation is experienced “if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.” This present salvation isn’t just a given. It is experienced as we believe presently in the gospel. That is why Paul wants to remind them of this gospel. Their present salvation was at stake. Not their future salvation from the penalty of sin but their present salvation from the power of sin.Otherwise, Paul says, we believe in vain. The vanity or emptiness of our belief that Paul is speaking of here is not that we lose our eternal salvation but that we aren’t experiencing the present effect God designed for the gospel to have in believers’ lives.So I saw, and hope you see, the gospel is not just for nonbelievers. It is something for believers. Author Jerry Bridges speaks about this idea when he says; “I preach the gospel to myself every day.” I would even go further as to say I want to preach the gospel to myself throughout the day - for as I believe that gospel, the power of God flows into my life to save me in all the ways I need saving.Who is the Gospel for? It is for you and me and all others who need the power of God in their lives today.

How to be a Good Sports Minister

Simple Idea, Profound Impact

I came across this quote recently from Tim Keller about preaching:

"A man who is not deeply involved in personal shepherding, evangelism, and pastoral care will be a bad preacher."

What a humbling quote. It makes sense though, doesn't it? How are you going to be able to connect and communicate to your congregation if you're isolated and disconnected from them? How are you going to able to lead them as they grow spiritually if you're not personally involved in shepherding, evangelism, and pastoral care?

The same is true for sports ministers. A healthy sports minister would be involved in shepherding, evangelism, and pastoral care. Perhaps you don't use those terms though so this may be confusing, allow me to clarify:

1) Mentoring and training coaches and volunteers would be shepherding.

2) Sports ministers need to be personally involved in evangelism, particularly through sports. Are you currently engaged in this? What non-believers are you praying for? How often are you rubbing shoulders with non-believers?

3) Whenever a behavioral issue comes up in your sports ministry, how do you handle it? Do you dismiss it quickly? Do you avoid it? Do you leave it alone and hope it works itself out? This is what most sports ministers do. If you're doing any of those three, you're missing an excellent opportunity for gospel ministry. You're avoiding what "pastoral care" looks like for a sports minister.

This may be a simple truth but the impact it can have is indeed profound.

Back To The Basics

A while ago I was in Dallas meeting with leaders from local churches to discuss the foundation for Sports Ministry in the Local Church.  We talked about the why, the what, and the how of Sports Ministry which I still find so relevant to share with you today.  Our primary leader was Pastor Sameh Maurice from Kasr El Dobara Church in Cairo Egypt, someone I deeply respect and enjoy being around whose church is doing a fantastic work in the Middle East.

God's Character is the Foundation

In answering the why, we began by looking at God’s character.  We were reminded that since God is the author of all things and all things are to reflect his glory, his character is a critical starting place for every discussion of the whys of anything, including Sports Ministry.

As we talked about our God being loving, relational, and incarnational, I was deeply impressed with the incredible grace of our marvelous God so beautifully seen in Christ.  He came to be with us – our Immanuel – who would “never leave or forsake us.”   He also came to be one of us – this “Word became flesh” – and “sympathizes with our weaknesses” as one who has been “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

With us.  One of us.

I thought about the passion Cede Sports has to see Sports Ministries glorify God.  I was deeply impressed that in order to see this passion realized, I sensed God’s urging on the need to herald this incredible incarnation and call Sports Ministries to take up this same incarnational mindset and approach.

I thought about reminding Sports Ministries to take the initiative to be with the people outside the kingdom and not just wait for them to come to them.  I thought about the value of playing with and not against those outsiders if we are going to one of them.

These are two ways to be with them, one of them and reflect the Son’s incarnation.  There are many more.  If you think of any, let me know!  Better yet, write a blog for us about it.

After all, we all need to regularly get BACK TO THE BASICS!

Responding to Brokenness

The Reality

Get involved with people very much and you find all kinds of problems. Failing health, marital infidelity, rebellious children, embezzling employees, fractured friendships – the list seems endless.  The influence of sin is all around us. 

Our Response

People respond differently to this reality.  Some deny.  Some avoid.  My response is often to get discouraged and overwhelmed.  It seems the more I listen, the more I just see the greatness of sin.  Left alone, this perspective moves me to despair, tempting me to withdraw.

Jesus had a different response.  Matthew records one example of this response in chapter 9 starting in verse 35.  Jesus’ response, first of all, was to stay very engaged with people.  He was traveling from town to town, and Matthew tells us that, in his travels, he was teaching, preaching and healing.

Matthew doesn’t leave us there.  He tells us the origin of Jesus’ engagement.  In verse 36, we learn “when he (Jesus) saw the crowds”, he saw them as “harassed and helpless”.  Jesus’ engagement began with a perspective on the reality of the power of sin.  It didn’t stop there.  He also saw the reason for this reality.  They were “like sheep without a shepherd”. They were on their own and, on their own, they were “helpless” to deal with that which was harassing them.

Divine Provision

Jesus reaction to the fullness of this reality was compassion.  He was moved by their plight and gave them what they needed – himself, the Good Shepherd.

I gain something significant from Jesus’ reaction.  What people need in dealing with the impact of sin – you, me, people in sports ministry, or people outside the kingdom – is the engagement of this Shepherd.  The greater the impact of sin, the greater the need for a Great Shepherd.  The incredible truth is that Our Shepherd is far greater than the greatest sin, its power and impact. 

This perspective gives me encouragement as I think about the impact of sin.  It also gives me hope as I seek to deal with the impact of sin around me.  I hope it will uplift you also.

Written by Bob Schindler