My Treasure

"The man who finds a wife finds a treasure and receives favor from the LORD" Prov 18:22

My wife is the greatest! She is a tireless worker and a joy to be around. She has impeccable character and the best mom our girls could ever hope to have. My daughters get compliments all the time and I have no doubt that it is due to the constant 24/7 commitment by my wife.

God has allowed marriage to be so good for me. I wish all the world could experience the delight of a union blessed and preserved by the Lord.

The Morsel of the Moment

"for the happy heart, life is a continual feast." Prov. 15:15b

Praise the Lord- Life is indeed wonderful. Not every day is an exciting day, but every day is a special day. Too often the world sees christians as those people who give up all the fun, to do all the boring. A friend of mine said he used to be afraid that christianity was, "giving up the 7 things you wanted to do, marry a girl that doesn't kiss, and go to Africa and die of mosquito bites."

But the opposite is true. I get to suck the marrow of life every day. Life in Christ is pleasurable- it is peace- it is hope - it is joy. Is it some psychological trick? A rationalization and compromise of a fool?

No- I smile in truth - My youngest daughter put her arm around me this morning - that was cool. We laugh. When I coach football, I feel incredible intensity and excitement. When I ride my bike, I am awed by God's creation.

My life is a continuous feast- I can't wait to see what heaven is going to be like!

Wait for The Breakthrough

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy

We live in a land of dreams. The reason people fight to get into the USA is the promise to allow an environment to work for and accomplish dreams. I find it sad that the dreams are so small today. As an educator, I want to impart a desire to do the impossible. I want them to aim at the targets of great heights. They may only hit the moon when they shoot for the stars,but the implication is obvious.

Our culture can be dream killers. Microwave ovens have contributed to the inability of our people to wait. God is a dream giver and fulfiller. But His pace is steady and often misunderstood as slow. God is never late,but He is rarely early.

The wait makes the breakthrough a true celebration.

May your dreams come true.....I know the wait is not easy. But your dream,if it is big enough, is worth it!!

Reap the Wind

 "Those who bring trouble on their families inherit only the wind" Proverbs 11:29

I decided today to write about a very troubling topic: drug addiction in America. My brother is scheduled to appear in court soon- a life destroyed by addiction to diladid (sp?). What was a recreational use of mariuana as a teen has him now at 30- broken, hurting, and seemingly without hope.

His 1st experience left him high for hours- at the apex of his addiction, the high was lasting only 15 seconds. To fuel his addiction my brother stole from his parents, shoplifted, protituted himself, and left a legacy of wrecked cars and broken hearts. He is hepatitus riddled and brain impaired. Tatoos cover his needle tracks, but nothing can cover his pain, and he seems unable to break his dependence.

The government put him on methadone, gave him prescription drugs, and called him "cured".

When I try to speak of the power and promise of God, he only draws on the cigarette harder and and pushes me farther away.

The hardest blow of all was the premature death of my mom. Eventually, she is responsible for her actions.But her life and decisions were impacted by a grieving heart for a hurting son.

If you are making choices that are hurting your family, you are throwing your future to the wind and you will reap emptiness and meaninglessness. Are you a teen and smoking pot- do you want to be 30 and have no home, no job, no family, and a future either behind bars or homeless?

I truly believe that when God judges man- there will be special punishment for the dope dealers, the child molesters, and the porn kings. May your destruction be swift and final. The blood of the innocent call out to the God of Justice to show no mercy.

Untwisting a Heart

"The LORD hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights in those who have integrity" Proverbs 11:20

I have become more aware of the true distinctions in the righteous and ungodly. As a child, we seem to associate it with sex, drugs, drink, cussin' and smoking. However, the Bible goes much deeper. Jesus Himself said that it is not what goes into a man that defiles Him, but what comes out. Because what comes out reveals the issues of the heart.

Do you want a quick heart check? The twisted heart is selfish and cynical. It is proud. Once hardened, it makes a mockery of the innocent and believes that perversity is normal. It believes that guilt is immoral and freedom is a license for unrerstrained passion. It makes excuses and criticizes at all times. It seems to love knowledge, but rejects the idea of truth.

God desires to remove that old hardened heart, and put a pliable heart that desires to be ruled by HIm. This is a vulnerable heart- it is willing to hope and believe- it beats to forgive- it rejoices in the moral law of God. It is an optimistic heart that humbly admits to know little knowledge, but rejoices in the truth of Jesus.

The irony is that I am still sinful, but God continues to work on my heart. I cry at silly movies and when my daughters hug my neck. I laugh at my sillyness and feel shame over my lack of integrity. I hope in forgiveness and love to overlook others faults. I'm getting better at my yes and no's- I enjoy my reputation of simplicity.

So here I am. No better than any man. But the scripture says that God delights in me. I don't understand it. But I am thankful for a heart that believes it.

The Quiet Harvest

" For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong. 14 Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord" Heb. 11

Because of our sin- we are punished. Part of that punishment is just living under a curse, But we also bring misery onto ourselves because of our tendancy to wander. True believers though, find this discipline to be for our good.

As parents, we mess up. We want to do right. But the message of vs. 10 is that God's discipline is always right- but the earthly parents, though meaning well, miss the mark of right.

The quiet harvest of right living. Though my sin is always present- I can testify to this harvest. The harvest is good relationships, clean conscience, inner peace and joy, fun family times, and general health. I love my life and love my wife.

So buck up! Though I get weary of this life- I will keep serving my Lord til the end.

Power of Faith

33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

It is not the amount of this faith, but the object of it. Faith says,"I cannot do this,but God can."

Father, without You I am powerless. Without You, I am fruitless.

Yet, with You- I can do the impossible. Please show Yourself in these mighty ways.

Let me coach in such a way that the world watches in amazement. Then give me the power and truth to say-"It is the Lord"

What is Faith?

"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. 2 God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen" Hebrews 11

Are logic and faith seperated? Is faith a blind leap in the dark? Is it an act of irrationality? No- I believe true faith is a confidence that is supported by logic. It is not illogical to believe in the God of the Bible- the One that has created this incredible drama- History is HIS STORY.

What do I know is going to happen? I am either going to die or the Lord is going to come back. I will enter into a life after this life based on the finished work of Jesus. It is a confidence in Him, not in myself to accomplish this. He is my hope in the life to come and this life. I am confident that He is able to keep all of His precious promises to me. He has promised to be a God to me and my seed after me. He protects and provides for me. He blessses me.

This story is reasonable. It is a trust in Him, and not the faulty logic of men. Men who reject this are putting faith in themselves...that is too high a confidence in flesh.

Lord, thank you for the gift of faith!

Our Incomplete View of God

" It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God"- Hebrews 10:31
So many people today remark about the love of God- They say, "A loving god wouldn't do this or that". The Bible teaches that God is love-but He is also Holy and Just. He exacts vengeance on transgresors. If you want to see how terrible God can be, look no further than the cross.
Is this a nice message. Absolutely not...but it is true. Please be warned, if we trample the Son of God through nelect or mockery- it will be a terrible fate.
There are many who will be enraged by these words. They will dismiss them as crazy myths designed to firghten women and children.
However, be advised that Jesus spoke of this more than anyone else in scripture.
He does "save us"- from a terrible day of wrath. Are you willing to risk it?

Champions 10 Years From Now

Our school won state titles in 1998, 1999, and 2003. It was truly a magical time of fulfilling dreams. It is hard to describe to pressure, the work, and the joy of putting on a ring. In achieving those dreams, however, it became obvious how true the Bible’s teaching is on earthly rewards.
Jesus said for us to lay not up for ourselves treasures on earth, because they do not last. How true that is. Those titles are fading into history and the rings are beginning to show signs of antiquity. We are fighting hard to recapture the dream, but the glory fades very quickly.
So where does that leave a football coach or a parent? It makes an impression that we should be setting standards and objectives that will last longer than a temporary high of a win. We believe there is a difference in success and achievement.
In the early 1980’s, the University of Miami won a National Championship while Harvard University lost every game that season. Sports Illustrated did a story on where the players were 10 years later and found that a large percentage of the Miami team had gone to prison or experienced other unnecessary hardships while the Harvard players were enjoying unprecedented success in life. Who really won that year? Time shows us the obvious answer.
The same is true of our school. What will we gain if we win the state championship but forfeit our soul? So please understand that we are seeking not only wins now, but wins for your son in life…ten, fifteen, thirty years from now. How do we do that? Here a few reminders for all of us.

#1 We are committed to very high standards of ethics, work, and morality.
#2 Violations of standards will bring consequences.
#3 Great athletes without character will have a hard time getting honor.

How can you help us? Demand the same standards out of your son and seek to model those standards at home. If a son is punished for disobedience or dishonesty or immorality- back that punishment with harsh consequences of your own, and hold to them.
If your son is tempted to quit because of high standards of work or effort- DO NOT LET HIM DO IT. Never let a son quit out of fear or dislike of work.
Let me say again, we do not believe we have to sacrifice wins now to win in life. We have seen that we can do both. In fact, by holding to high standards, we are better now AND we have seen that the program is producing great students, quality leaders, good husbands and fathers, and great community servants.
We do not win them all- but we believe time is demonstrating God’s blessings on the effort.

Finding a Purpose in Football

It is difficult to put into words how thankful I am to be coaching at a place like our school. People ask all the time, “What is making the difference in your program?” We have some people who believe we have an edge by being a private school. We hear allegations of recruiting and other rumors ad-nauseum.
We firmly believe our program is a product of many excellent qualities that ultimately reflect on strong Biblical standards. As a school committed to honoring God, we have seen the blessings of that over and over again.
Some of our detractors point at that last statement and say that it means we believe we are better than anyone else. They point out some of our faults and cry “foul” or “hypocrites”. Please hear this clearly. A commitment to Christ is not perfect, nor is it an attitude of superiority. Instead, it is a concerted effort to live under the “Guidebook”. We have an instruction manual that is given by the Creator. It is the best way to live and allows for the greatest chance of long term success. The Bible says that “none are righteous, not even one”. Our coaches, I believe, model a genuine spirit of love and humility; the kind that comes from spiritual poverty, not spiritual arrogance. We have only the cross to cling to as any hope of salvation.
So the true difference is this. Our program is the product of years of: prayer, motivated and loving parents, strong families, caring Sunday school teachers, committed Christian school educators, great churches, Youth pastors, Christian youth coaches, unchanging standards of excellence, tough competition, a gritty work ethic, high classroom standards, and ultimately…a desire to honor God with an excellent performance.
The next few posts represents a desire to record a Biblical perspective of high school football. It seeks to spell out in detail what we strive for at our school in terms of the parent/coach/player relationship. Some coaches see the parent/coach partnership as a rivalry for affection. We see it as an important team project. If we want to be champions, we need to be champions as coaches and parents. The following pages are philosophical beliefs based on sound experience and Biblical teaching. I hope that parents, will cling to these beliefs even when it is hard. Please pray for our school daily. Without prayer, the enemies have an opening to cause discord and defeat.

Thank you Lord

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD. 4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD

It feels so good to feel normal. I finally have energy again. I take my health for granted.

Much Better

Felt so much better today. Went back to work and got a good workout in after school. Our off-season workouts are going well. Had a nice warm day for a change.
Been doing a lot of online reading. It is amazing how much is on the web. I'm sorry to report a lot of inaccuracy about the christian faith.
The scripture warns about false teachers..it is sad to see it so prevelant.

Sick of Being Sick

Sick- Sick Sick- I hate being sick. No sooner last month when I thought “Looks like I’ve escaped the winter cold” when a sniffle turns into a cough turns into a head the size of Manhattan and a fever to boot.
It makes me realize how much good health is a gift I take for granted. I do feel better today- I’m just ready to get a strong voice back that doesn’t resonate in a hollow, stuffed head.
I’m ready to sleep without the mediciny hangover.
O LORD, don't rebuke me in your anger! Don't discipline me in your rage! 2 Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. 3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins. 4 My guilt overwhelms me – it is a burden too heavy to bear. 5 My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. 6 I am bent over and racked with pain. My days are filled with grief. 7 A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken. 8 I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. 9 You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh. 10 My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. 11 My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.

Clean!

Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

The message of forgiveness is truly good news. Is God fair? No, He is merciful,. If God were fair, my sin would have destroyed me. What a blessing to trust in God's promise to forgive. It is a gift that must be received. To receive it involves trust. I trust God to keep His promise to me. I trust in Jesus' death to cover my sin. I trust in Jesus' resurrection as evidence of my future glorification.

I turn from my leadership (repentance) to His. I do not expect my good works to buy my forgiveness. It is only to the cross I cling.

This is a wonderful message- forgiveness- it doesn't take money, fame, power, intellect...all that it requires is trust (faith, belief). And the One I trust in is VERY TRUSTWORTHY. Faithful is His name.