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.

Making Pandemic Lemonade

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

Our Present Reality

We have all heard about making lemonade out of lemons. This phrase tells us to take an adverse situation and turn it around for your benefit and especially for the benefit of others. The Covid 19 pandemic has certainly been tough on sports ministers. Some that I personally work with, have had to take different roads in the ministry of the church such as:  media work, “Cares Act” guru helping the church get two or more months of salaries, or facing the reality of being reduced to only part time. Your situation might be similar to these. There are many unanswered questions ahead as we wonder how school is going to happen, and if we can restart our ministries without compromising safety. 

Lessons from the Past

When the Black Death of the Bubonic plague of London was devastating Europe in 1665, Cambridge University shut its doors and professor Isaac Newton was forced to stay at home. During his sequester, he invented calculus, parts of optic theory, and allegedly while sitting in his garden, he witnessed an apple fall from a tree, which inspired all of our understanding of gravity and the laws of motion. Now that is sweet lemonade!Jesus had gathered very large crowds of hungry people in Matthew 14 and 15. With no restaurants in sight, He used these moments to teach His disciples that He was enough in every situation. Is Jesus enough for your situation? What is God wanting to do? And what is He desiring for you during this time?

Considering the Future

Is now the time to re-evaluate your calling to ministry? Are you called or are you just doing a job? From my experience those who are intrinsically called and motivated by God will persevere through the hard times.  The “hirelings,” those that have entered by the wrong gate for the wrong reasons, will find what else it is that God has for them!Is now a time to re-evaluate your present ministry? To make plans for the future? Since you have been able to reflect during this time and perhaps see those proverbial apples fall from the trees! At CEDE Sports we have tools and mentors to help you do just that. One of the tools is called The Wheel (see the image below).Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So assuming you are a believer, God has prepared plans just for you! What a great promise! That is lemonade that is always sweet! I believe since God put Adam to work before the Fall that He was showing us that there is nothing sinful about work. Even now God is preparing to do His kingdom work in the new Heavens and the new Earth. Preparation is underway. Take a positive perspective on this pandemic,  seek God, and pursue His prepared good work for you! 

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.

A Matter of Perspective

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

More Congregations are Utilizing SR&F Outreach Ministry*

“Sports ministry in local churches is on the decline.”

I don’t remember when I first heard this assertion, but it has certainly been around for at least the last 10 years, since the Great Recession.  

Proponents of this perspective point to the following:

• Churches getting out of sports ministry 
• Sports ministries that serve local churches experiencing ongoing decline in the churches using their services
• Denominations reducing their efforts (or even eliminating them) to promote sports ministry
• National efforts to support the sports ministry movement closing their “doors”

While these claims have verifiable data, they represent only part of the picture. Before one can make the assertion that the number of churches doing sports ministry is on the decline there is another piece of the equation we must identify.  That is how many churches are getting into sports, rec and fitness during the same time frame considered when discussing churches getting out of it. 

Estimations

We can only be certain of this “net effect” when we know both the churches getting out and churches getting into the SRF movement.  

While I am not aware of any research to identify this plus number, there are some indicators that provide helpful insights.  According to research in 2010

• 36% of all churches have a sports and fitness initiative – either team sports, fitness activities or exercise classes 
• That number increased to 40% for evangelical churches 

If there are at least 350,000 churches in the USA with a conservative estimate of 80-100,000 of those being evangelical, this means that somewhere between 32,000 evangelical churches and 126,000  overall churches in the USA are involved in the SRF movement!!!

I recognize this is just one data point and doesn’t demonstrate any trend, but I point this out for us to get a better idea of the scale of the churches involved in the SRF movement.  When I got involved in the broader SRF movement in 2003, I heard estimates that were in the thousands. Now we have real research that tells us that number is at least in the tens of thousands and may actually get to a hundred thousand.  

The estimate – thousands to maybe ten thousand.

The actual – tens of thousands to maybe one hundred thousand.  

Encouraging Findings

I was way off in my estimation, and others were way off in theirs as well.  I am really astounded, a little humbled and also encouraged by this realization.  If this is true, this means there were lots and lots of churches in the US that are doing SRF ministry that no one really knows about.  

My own personal experience validated that reality.  I have the privilege of traveling and interacting with those in the SRF movement in a number of different regions in the US.  In those travels, I regularly run into churches who have been doing SRF ministry for some time yet have no contact with other churches, sports ministry organizations, or broader movement efforts.  

Building, Expanding

I also regularly find churches that are getting into SRF ministry, not getting out.  Churches that are building gyms/fitness facilities/fields to facilitate that ministry.  Churches that are hiring staff to develop that ministry for the first time.  

It is true that there are churches getting out of SRF ministry, but there are also churches out there that believe in the power and value of SRF ministry.  

Furthermore, if we think about 

• The growing interest in fitness and the growing involvement in fitness ministry by churches over the last 10-15 years 
• The developing work by churches among immigrants and refugees through sports, rec, and fitness
• The missional efforts of churches to send coaches, parents and players into community sports leagues

It is even possible to imagine a net positive effect on the number of churches involved in SRF ministry.  

While there is a need for more specific research on this net effect, with all that I have outlined in in mind, I would ask you to expand your perspective and consider a very different possibility for, a very different picture of, the status of SRF ministry in the USA.  I would ask you to look for signs of these encouraging trends.  They are all around us.  Look around for those churches who are starting SRF ministry or already doing it and who are not connected with other churches or any of the national SRF efforts.  Find them and help them get connected.  

Lastly, tell others what you find.  This different picture gives those of us invested in the SRF movement reasons for real encouragement and hope for the future.  

This is the perspective I have adopted and hope you will too. SRF ministry in local churches is on the rise!!!

 *I have shared these ideas on several occasions.  At Dr. Greg Linville’s request, I wrote this article for his book The Saving of Sports Ministry – The Soteriology of Sports Outreach available here.

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The Miracle and Mystery of the Incarnation

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

The Word Became Flesh

“The Word became flesh.” You are familiar with these words, but when was the last time you stopped to ponder the depth of their claims?Christmas is the season when we become more aware of the Incarnation, but it can also be a time that illustrates how cavalier our approach to that Incarnation is. We throw around phrases like:- Fully God, fully man- The Godhead- Trinity- Three in onewithout much reflection on their mystery. The result? We lose the sense of wonder and awe that should surround this amazing reality.

Mystery and Wonder

Recently, I have been studying and thinking about the early church’s grappling with the Incarnation and the Godhead. These folks had no background or language to describe what they had just seen and were now experiencing. They worked hard, at great cost, for several centuries to come up with that language to accurately and faithfully describe this miracle. Most of us, like me, are not aware of this challenge, this struggle. We end up with an attitude toward these words that feels like we are using precious gems as paper weights – we have lost the special nature of their character.However, through my study God has restored some of this wonder at this mystery. As I have wrestled with the concepts the early church did such as- What is the difference between the Son being housed in flesh and the Word becoming flesh?- What is the difference between mixture and union?- What is the difference between substance and essence?- What is the difference between being and person?- And most importantly, what are the implications of these answers on our salvation?

God's Plan, His One Begotten Son

One thing has become abundantly clear. Jesus Christ had to be all God and all man. Anything less corrupts the salvation we claim. If he is mostly God but not all man, then his death isn’t human enough to pay the debt each of us owes to God. If he is mostly man and not all God, then his death and resurrection are sufficient enough to spread that payment to whoever believes in him for life. Only someone who is fully God and fully man could say and deliver on such a claim as "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (John 6:51)

One final thing. As I have grappled with these concepts not only in the light of the first century but also the whole story of the Gospel, I have become more deeply convinced than ever that this was God’s plan from the beginning. He told about it throughout the story and then brought it to pass with the virgin birth through a humble teenage girl in Nazareth. For truly only God, this wonderful three-in-one God, the Godhead, could pull of such a miracle, move in and accomplish such a mystery.I write today so that you also might ponder this miracle and mystery anew and watch God move you to greater wonder this season.Merry Christmas.

Christmas is Disturbing

A few years ago I read a though provoking article by C.J. Mahaney. That blog is no longer available but here is the excerpt that really stuck out to me. I hope it challenges your thinking this Christmas season."Why aren’t people disturbed by Christmas? One reason is our tendency to sanitize the birth narratives. We romanticize the story of Mary and Joseph rather than deal with the painful dilemma they faced when the Lord chose Mary to be the virgin who would conceive her child by the power of the Holy Spirit. We beautify the birth scene, not coming to terms with the stench of the stable, the poverty of the parents, the hostility of Herod. Don’t miss my point. There is something truly comforting and warming about the Christmas story, but it comes from understanding the reality, not from denying it.Most of us also have not come to terms with the baby in the manger. We sing, “Glory to the newborn King.” But do we truly recognize that the baby lying in the manger is appointed by God to be the King, to be either the Savior or Judge of all people? He is a most threatening person.Malachi foresaw his coming and said, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” As long as we can keep him in the manger, and feel the sentimental feelings we have for babies, Jesus doesn’t disturb us. But once we understand that his coming means for every one of us either salvation or condemnation, he disturbs us deeply.What should be just as disturbing is the awful work Christ had to do to accomplish the salvation of his people. Yet his very name, Jesus, testifies to us of that work."

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.

The Secret to Reaching People for Christ

It's interesting, the posts I write regarding evangelism are often the lowest viewed posts on the blog.  So, I'm hoping the title of this post has piqued your interest.

So, what is the secret to reaching people for Christ? 

Prayer.

I know I probably just lost 80% of my readers but for you faithful 20%, I will continue.  Let me first clarify what I mean by 'secret.'  It's a secret not because it isn't known but because it's not practiced. Perhaps 'forgotten truth' would have been a better phrase to use than 'secret'.  Methodologies, events, and technology all are more exciting when it comes to evangelism and that's where we tend to focus on energy.  But, through it all, prayer has always been the bedrock of reaching people.Beyond the pragmatics of prayer in reaching people, we have to remember it's Scriptural!"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim. 2:1-4)Prayer is not magic.  It doesn't guarantee results.  What it does guarantee though is that you will be changed for doing it. If you habitually prayer for someone and their salvation, it will change you.  You will pursue this person more, you will love them more, and you will rejoice in every step of faith they take.  And God just may use it."Until the gate of hell is shut upon a man, we must not cease to pray for him. And if we see him hugging the very doorposts of damnation, we must go to the mercy seat and beseech the arm of grace to pluck him from his dangerous position. While there is life there is hope, and although the soul is almost smothered with despair, we must not despair for it, but rather arouse ourselves to awaken the Almighty arm." (Charles Spurgeon)

Play Your Position & Win it!

Guest post by Jenny Young

Play Your Position

In Mark Chanski’s book, Womanly Dominion: More Than a Gentle Quiet Spirit, two coaching slogans are mentioned, “Play your position!” and “Win it!”. Chanski shares with his readers the importance of these two slogans in sports and life. “Play your position!” means “Stay put, and don’t wander away from your assigned post.” The illustration for soccer would be for a goalie not understanding the significance of defending the goal, but rather believing the only significant contribution would be scoring goals and running around undisciplined in their play. This would be detrimental to the team in her/ him leaving their position as goalie and then seeing an opposing player dribble uncontested up the field to score without the goalie around. The goalie then hears the voices of the fans and coaches saying, “You’re the goalie, you need to defend your position, stay at home, play your position!”

Win It

He then goes on to explain that “Win it!” means, “Play with all your might, in every encounter!” The illustration here would be a soccer ball is in the open field where two opposing players go towards the ball and the coach shouts, “Win it!” The player on either side debate whether they should go all out after the ball or passively surrender it to the opposing player. It’s the “Win it!” vs. “Surrender it!” mentality.

In his closing remarks on both of these slogans, he uses scripture to point out the way God challenges us in the field of life from 1 Corinthians 9:24 -run in such a way as to win the prize. In Ecclesiastes 9:10 - whatever she put her hand to, she’s to “do it with all her might!”

I have been challenged by these two principles as a woman and in sports ministry. How often do I wander away from my assigned post? How often do I surrender versus win it?  Will I “Play my position and Win it?” How can I help others in these principles?