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31 years coaching experience/Worked Camps/Clinics on 6 Continents

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

What Does This Christianity Thing Mean?



Psalm 82:3 “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

This will be the most controversial writing that I have put forth so far. All previous writings when read by the few seemed to relate to them in ways that showed a connection between me and what I wrote about and our faith.

This one may not.

I believe that Psalm 82:3 tells us to love prisoners and has caused me to become anti-capital punishment. I know that theologically capital punishment can be justified, but because of my love of people that I have gained through the love that Jesus has for us, I cannot think of anything worse than stealing away an opportunity for someone to be saved.

I am 100% in support of punishment for a crime, but I believe that by executing someone, we have taken away their chance to be saved. I know they have probably heard The Gospel before, but how many times did it take for you to be saved? For me, it was quite a few times. I am glad I was able to be alive to hear it enough times to accept it.

I believe that Psalm 82:3 tells us to love those who have had abortions. I know we know that, but we have become so anti-abortion that I feel we have forgotten about the victims who felt that this was their only option. That Satan had tricked them into this situation. Yes, the babies are victims, but so are the mothers.

Thankfully, with the work of the church, total abortions are going down in our country, but why is it when a woman and/or male counterpart find themselves in this unfortunate situation that they do not feel they can turn to the church for guidance and help. Or worse yet…they can’t turn to friends or family that will offer alternatives?

I believe that Psalm 82:3 tells us to help everyone. From the poor in our hometowns, to the poor in Nairobi and other slums around the globe, to opioid addicts, to murderers, molesters, Muslims, atheists, and believers who have fallen from their path.

I believe that Jesus calls us to minister to refugees, to illegal immigrants, and to all races and not just to those who look just…. like….us.

Psalm 82:3 is what causes many of my fellow believers to believe that I am some left wing lunatic who doesn’t understand the world.

I am 48 years old. I came to Christ at 32 and deeply grew in my faith the last seven years.

I have been to the worst slums on Earth and some of the worst places in this country.

I have read the Bible and many books about our faith and Jesus.

I know that I may not understand the world, but I know that our thinking should be transformed as Believers so that the world does not understand us.

I know I am a hypocrite.

I know I don’t do enough.

I know I miss church too often.

But I am hoping as I progress that my base belief in my faith as a follower of The Nazarene is that I am either growing or understanding I need to continue to grow.

Because if I am the same today as I am in five, ten, twenty years then I have not gotten “it” and what this Christianity thing is supposed to be about.


And my greatest fear is that I will become a comfortable, lukewarm, finger pointing, hypocrite who quotes scripture on social media and the next post am completely unaware of pain I am causing others by my lack of awareness.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Great Times


The above picture is my son and myself on the Banker's Life Fieldhouse floor. It's where the Pacers play and it's when we played New Albany this past season.

To share that experience with my son is amazing.

Below is his look in a team picture after losing in the championship round of a 12 team tournament.
His team had to play four games that day and he and another kid can't really come out much, so he was exhausted by the end of the day.

Runner up in a tourney like that isn't too bad, but he's not impressed with it.

Losing is OK...I don't teach my kids to win at all costs, but to compete and give it everything you have no matter the result, so I am OK with losing; I guess.

I'm not OK with being OK with losing and I hope the look in my son's eyes face never changes after losing.


Monday, January 8, 2018

North Dakota and Canada

Recently, Brandon and I were fortunate to fly up to Minot, North Dakota to watch my friend, Matt Murken's team play.

Matt was the head coach of the team I went with AIA to Kenya with and we formed a friendship.

We watched a couple of practices, Brandon got to shoot in their facilities, we went bowling, out to eat and an excursion across the border into Canada and got to see snow...a lot of it.

It was Brandon's first flights and was a fun experience.









Silver Creek v. New Albany

This past weekend, we got to head up to Banker's Life and play New Albany, a local rival.  They have Romeo Langford who is one of the top recruits in his class. It was a special day, though we lost.

Brandon with Romeo

Our team with Bobby Plump and SC legend Steve Green

Brandon with SC Legend and Bob Knight first recruit and former Pacer Steve Green

Coach Hoffman with me behind him

Trying to get someone into the right position

Tunnel before running out

Great program to be part of