Be Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving! All around the world today, people are celebrating and gathering with their families and loved ones. One tradition my family does every Thanksgiving is after we pray, we go around the room and say what we are thankful for. Normally, I will say I’m thankful for my family or health, something really general. But over this past year, one thing I am truly thankful for that goes overlooked is God’s grace that is given each day. Many times we take no notice of how we survive and get through each day and are blessed with every little thing we receive specifically for that day. 

Not everyone is as fortunate to share a memorable and pleasant Thanksgiving that is portrayed throughout the media and what we see in some people’s lives. When I was in college, one thing my coaches made a staple of was us serving the less fortunate around this time of the year. It humbled us, gave us the opportunity to help someone else in need, but also let us see different types of reality based on whose eyes it’s coming from. Big meals, sharing laughs and enjoying the company of people you care about are some of the best parts of Thanksgiving but for some people it is just another day here on earth. 

I think about my playing career now that I have played at all levels, and often I tell myself that one factor can change so many things down the line. I have seen many players become successful based on just a short amount of time of dedicating themselves or focusing. Also, I have seen many scenarios where players did not become as successful as projected just by doing the opposite or making just one bad choice to take away those chances of being successful. This also is true in our everyday lives. One choice or decision we make can have a positive or negative impact on our future. All it takes is one choice. The good thing that comes from this is, God gives you the opportunity to change whatever situation or scenario you're in around. If you know me, I love a good comeback story, but what people often miss is the route or help that caused that comeback to take place. 

So as we go on about our Thanksgiving, I encourage you to either be the light in someone else’s life that might need that comeback story or make the decision to get back on the right path to make your comeback a possibility for God to handle! 

“I always thank my God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus.”

 - 1 Corinthians 1:4

Look Up, Not Out

 When you are face to face with your circumstance, you have a couple options: run from the truth and find excuses, or make a divine change of direction. Overall in life, everyone faces something. Rather it be financial issues, loneliness, relationship problems or even addictions, there is always something to complain about that isn’t going our way. God allows trials we don't control and consequences to sinful behaviors to teach us a lesson. Biggest truth that we must first understand is that we are not perfect. So, there will always be something that happens to us or that we cause because of that. 

Not too long ago my friends and I did a bible study lesson on encouragement. How to stay encouraged through issues we face and how to encourage someone else through their problems. My biggest takeaways were:

• Do what’s right without wanting a reward. Your reward is your relationship with Christ.

• Stay rooted and grounded in God’s word so you know exactly how to handle issues when they arise. 

• Be someone else's support system even when they aren't asking for it. 

• Have a community/ group of people or friends you can talk to openly about problems. 

• Give effort and intentionally make time to be present with Christ. 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” - Matthew 6:33

When I think about the playbook (bible) that Christ has laid out for us, it makes me think about my sports career. I played for a number of coaches, basketball and football and what they all had in common was how set they were on following that playbook. They spent countless hours developing it, tweaking it, adjusting it to fit their team’s personnel and teams we played against. I can honestly say, the most successful teams I've been on and the teams where I had the most fun, we followed the coaches playbook. No, every play didn't work out perfectly. And no, we didn't win every game. But we stayed true to the plan because we trusted not only the playbook, but the coach that created it. 

When we face tough times in our life, God is telling us to trust and follow His playbook (His word), So, I encourage you today to look up and follow what God is saying on how to handle whatever issue that needs handled in your life and do not look out in the world and into your own understanding to find the answer. God is the perfect coach, so if we are willing to trust human coaches, bosses, and teachers then we should surely put Christ in the head of our lives.

BIGGER THAN BASKETBALL - Ashley Evans

Hey guys! My name is Ashley Evans. I am so grateful for this opportunity to share on Kellon’s blog. First, I’ll start with a quick intro about myself. I am from Ohio. Basketball has been a big part of my life. My father played basketball for Michigan State and my older siblings played during grade school. So basketball has been a passion of mine at a young age. In grade school I was always asked to play up a level. My senior year of high school I hit a milestone of scoring 1,400 points to join my father in the 1,000 point club. After high school, I had many mid major Division I college offers, but I had hopes to live down south. With that being said I started my college career playing at a junior college in Texas. After my freshman year I transferred to another junior college located in Kansas. I finished my college career at Kent State. I received many accolades throughout my college career such as offensive player, defensive player, team captain, and  academic All- American to name a few. After graduating from Kent I was blessed with the opportunity to play professionally for two seasons. I played my rookie season in Forssa, Finland and my second season in Morocco, Africa. 

Let’s take a walk into ‘Ashley’s Thoughts’ as a professional athlete. Prior to departing from the states to go play in Morocco there was a lot spoken over me to encourage me. A few words that stuck out were “Morocco will be the best experience” and “It’s Bigger than basketball.” First off let’s look at my experience in a natural sense. Before signing my contract I had some fears and doubts. How could a Christian be truly accepted in a Muslim dominated country? I didn’t put into account the huge culture shock I would face. The living conditions were much different than I was used to. The gym wasn’t heated and believe it or not it was an arctic bliss trying to practice and play. I literally warmed up with layers of clothing and gloves. Also, I had no idea of the language barrier. There were so many issues that I faced in that place from playing time, to having a plethora of coaches coming in and out within a span of weeks.

On top of all of that we were playing for free. We were months into our contract without any form of payment. It was a mental battle that everyday I had to pep talk myself to overcome. After four months I made the hard decision to break my contract to go home. It was the hardest thing for me to do. I felt like I gave up. I felt like I lost the fight. When I came home I learned my mother was fighting silent health battles. She had tumors that were possibly cancerous in her body. In a sense I felt like I was right where I needed to be. I stuck by her side through her process of surgery. But as she started to recover something started happening in me. The feelings of depression, disappointment, and anger began to come to the surface. I couldn’t understand why God didn’t fight for me to stay or win against adversity in Morocco. Why did my professional career stop suddenly without any explanation. After all, my intentions were always to glorify God’s name through my playing.

I essentially went through an identity crisis. For so long basketball had been a big part of me. That’s all I knew. That’s really what people identified me as “you’re the basketball player.” After a long season of lashing out at people, playing with anger and bitterness in open gyms, God began to deal with me. In the process of exchanging my identity in basketball for an identity in Christ He revealed to me purpose. That’s what the phrase ‘Bigger than basketball’ meant. Basketball was a vehicle God used to get me to purpose. Basketball was never meant to be the final destination. Today I identify as a follower of Jesus, a nurturer, a creative, a lover of people, a purpose driven person, and much more. I share all of this to say that God has taught me a valuable lesson that we can not make careers, talents, or even desires our god’s. Identity in Christ will never fade. Basketball was what I did, but not who I was or am today. 

It is my desire to see people walking into purpose and being who God called you to be. God inspired me to write a book to help coach you through the process. It is called Bigger than Basketball. It is a 31 day mind renewal devotional for athletes or anyone that can identify with my experience. It is jammed packed with real life experiences to help encourage individuals in the areas of confidence, work ethic, trusting God, working with a team, and purpose to name a few. Bigger Than Basketball is releasing October 7, 2020 exclusively on Amazon. I thank you all for sharing your time with me, the pleasure was all mine. 

Be encouraged,

Ashley Evans

1% Better #16

Just Hoops, the basketball training facility I train at has taught me so much about life. One of my favorite things I love to teach and tell people is to get 1 percent better each day. This is part of our mission statement and something we take pride in each day. I like this teaching because it is a reminder that doing something productive each day is more beneficial than to try to cram more in over a smaller amount of time. We put “1% better” on T-shirts, flyers and on posters around the gym. This is to remind the athletes that come train and workout there that they have the decision to get better or worse. More times than not, it's either one or the other, nowhere in between. So for us to preach getting better each day, coming up with workout plans to help players see their progress and to make that a habit in our facility has been something that has stood out to a big part of our progress in my eyes. 

One of my coworkers, and my personal basketball trainer said something to me a long time ago that always stuck with me. He said it’s about making daily deposits to your game like a piggy bank. One dime or even penny you put in your bank each day for months and even years will eventually add up to a significant amount compared to where you started. In the bible, it talks about sowing and reaping. Pretty much, you get what you put in. Whatever you plant is what will grow. 

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.- 2 Corinthians 9:6

If we are called to serve the purposes of God, then if we are planting that seed and actively watering it, then that is what will grow. If we do not put in the work to make this a priority in our life then we are not doing what is in God’s will for our lives. I’ve realized in my spiritual walk that I can get very impatient when I pray or want something to happen in a certain way and not seeing the results. One thing about a flower or crop, is that it doesn’t grow abundantly overnight. It takes that everyday grind of waterting and taking care of it for it to be everything you want it to be.

My basketball career was very similar. Each year I got better at something. During that year, I didn’t see the results right away, but eventually when I looked back and watched game films of the previous year, I could see some sort of progress. Getting 1 percent better isn’t just a saying, it is what is called of us by God. He is not saying we have to be perfect or even close to perfect, but He is asking us to continually strive to be better because of the grace and mercy He gives us each day. So remember, each day is an opportunity, and you have the ultimate decision to decide what you want to do with that opportunity.

Connecting to your Power Source #15

Not too long ago my trainer and I were reflecting back on our playing days and his coaching days and we got on the topic of some of the best teams and players we played or coached against. Playing for two mid major programs, I always played with a chip on my shoulder, but there would be a moment or two in every season when I witnessed other players that were simply flat out better than me or more athletic than I could dream of. We were always given a scouting report on the other team and watched film to study their plays and the teams individual players. Looking back on those days, I can admit I was never scared or nervous going into a game and mainly it was because I found confidence in my team. I played on good teams and I knew how good my teammates were. So we might be playing a big time player or good team but I always trusted my coaches to put us in a good position to win. I also trusted that my teammates would do their part like I knew they were capable of. I loved being part of a team like that because my confidence wasn’t solely connected or relied only on me. 

When you are a believer of Christ, sometimes it may feel like you're alone in a battle or going through a trial by yourself, but the good thing is you have the ultimate teammate. However to obtain His skills and power, you have to connect and trust in Him. It’s just like a cell phone. You have to connect to the charger to be able to use the phone and all of its capabilities. A cell phone without any power is useless. Just like if I went away from the coaches game plan or tried to prove to everybody how I was better than the player across from me and not that my overall team was better than the other team, then I wouldn't be trying to achieve the overall goal to win the game.  

I was listening to a really good friend last week on a zoom bible study call and he talked about meaning and purpose. He used an example of a basketball being filled with air. With air inside the ball, you can do so many things with it, it has a purpose. Without, it is flat and useless. Very similar to us letting the Holy Spirit live throughout us. Christ can fill you with whatever your purpose is if we go to Him for it. So, I encourage you to connect to your power source in Jesus, God, and His word and let it live through you. He is the ultimate teammate to fight with you on your walk to destiny. 

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5

Enjoy the Growing Process #14

One thing that excites me each year is the summer. Ever since I was in high school, I loved knowing school was out, it was nice weather outside and most importantly, it was time to work on my game. Still till this day, I look forward to the summer grind and I pick specific things to add to my basketball game. It may be shooting from a farther distance, being more in shape, dribbling better or even a combination of things. I think one reason that I enjoy this time so much is because I am constantly looking for a way to improve and I know this is the time to take advantage of it. 

I often get so caught up in wanting to receive the end result that I miss the fun in the process. I love knowing I am trying to improve, but another reason I truly enjoy the summer time is because that is when I get to train with my friends and we push each other to get better. We create a bond that goes deeper and beyond basketball just by spending that time together. Life is short, and I know sometimes I can take this time for granted and forget to enjoy it while I'm going through it. 

Recently, I had this same feeling in my spiritual life. Going into what I thought would be one of the best seasons of my life, I prepared, planned and tried to do everything I could to get to my end result. God had other plans. With worldly circumstances and personal circumstances going on in my life, I would say I got caught up in not receiving what I thought I was going to get and it shifted my perspective a little. So even as I got deeper into my faith, I found myself trying to actively search for the final answers. Nothing is wrong with that, but it is important to have fun with the process of growing deeper in your faith and getting closer to Christ just like I do with basketball and my friends. 

The trouble that one can go through with this process, is growing weary and tired of doing it. I remember last summer I would wake up everyday and train with my trainer alone and sometimes other friends, but it was not always easy waking up at 6am most days. My reasons however, were because I loved the people that I got to see each day and I had a goal in mind I wanted to achieve. It’s important to not give up. It is okay to be tired and not want to do it, but that is why we must lean on the ones we trust to hold us accountable during that time of not wanting to go that extra mile. 

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9

A really good friend of mine told me recently, “That very thing that you think is holding you back can propel you so much farther once God decides it’s your time to move forward.” I thought this was powerful because a lot of times as humans we can look at our circumstances as something that is holding us back or an unfair situation, but that could be exactly how God wants to use you when He decides. 

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. - 1 Peter 5:10

Moral of the story is, have fun being in the growing stage rather than not at the finish line yet. A relationship with Christ is what we should seek first and it is supposed to be an exciting and vibrant feeling. Also, challenge yourself. I challenge myself each year to get better at something in the game of basketball. Apply this attitude to your spiritual life and you’ll see the growth in your faith and ultimately you’ll have the peace to enjoy the growing process. 

Make a Change

With everything going on right now, I believe one way to help and show support is to not be silent in sharing stories, positive love, and show that you’re with righteousness. I will share a little bit about mine. 

I grew up in a very fortunate family situation based around love. With that being said, I am an african american and I did have to have special talks and realization about some truths of this world. I was taught to always be respectful, be kind and treat others the correct way. I was also told that not everyone would treat me that way and sometimes it would be because of my race. As unfortunate as that sounds, that was the truth I had to live with growing up and even today.

I have been stopped by the police based on suspicion on the neighborhood I was in, I have been stopped and searched because I was thought to have drugs in my car, and I have been looked at differently when walking into a store with a group of friends because maybe they thought we would steal something. I’ve never had any disciplinary problems in my entire life. I went to a predominantly white school growing up and made the honor roll list each semester. I say all of this to bring light to the point that even though I was doing everything I could to be successful, I still was looked at differently by some people.

One thing I am proud of, is the amount of relationships I have been able to create with all races and ages rather it be from me playing basketball, or just everyday interaction. Over the summers, I am a trainer at a basketball facility and I see kids and families of all races. Many of these kids I have been able to make an impact in their life. Even though I am just a small part of their day, I am able to help them out on and off the court. In order for us to make a change in this world, we must instill the qualities of Jesus in any type of interaction we have with someone. 

The bible speaks of protests and supports it. We are all called to serve the purposes of God. That includes righteousness. It is encouraged to fight for justice and righteousness for all because we serve a righteous God. We start by changing ourselves and our views on the injustice of the world. One thing we must know is the anger and dislikes of injustice is not called for us to act illegitimately. Legitimate protest honors God and His will. Remember, there are two types of ways of thinking we can have, God's way or the world’s way. You get to make the choice on which way you will decide to choose and which way you will instill and influence someone else. So as you stand up for the justice of society, share your story if you have one to give others information, open your eyes to the wrongs of this world, reach out to someone else of different race or color and show love, protest and rally in public righteously or even share positive things on social media. Stand up for what is right and bring the qualities of Jesus back into every area of your life to impact someone else's. 

Failures vs Success #13

If you are a believer of Christ, at some point in your life you will face a trial. God says many times in the bible that you will have something put in your life that you will have to overcome. Some of these things are from the circumstances around us, some from our own sin, and somethings happen simply because God allows it to. As I read more in scripture and even looking at the lives of people today, a lot of their stories are similar. We’ve seen many people make a comeback and overcome a specific event or events in their life and be looked at as a success. So my question is, is failure really the opposite of success or is failure just a stepping stone to get to success? 

A trial is a divinely ordained difficulty that God causes or permits so that He may grow us and conform us to be into the image of Christ. The purpose of the trial is like a makeover. It is to completely change our view of God in a positive way. God wants to develop us spiritually and he does that by testing our faith because that builds endurance. 

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4

I have faced many trials in my life and I feel if I would have prepared myself with these teachings, the outcome would have been a lot faster and smoother along the way. One thing that I can say about my success is failure has definitely been a big part of it. From failing on the court and having to fight back from injuries, from failing in relationships and having to shift my view on what’s important, to even failing on being a good friend and family member and not being selfish has led to many life changing details in my life. 

One of my favorite comeback stories of all time is Derrick Rose returning back to the NBA after three knee surgeries. After losing athleticism, being doubted and overlooked, he comes back to the league and plays at arguably an all star level. He had to overcome many different trials he was facing. Dealing with the surgeries and focusing on his health, being traded from NBA team to NBA team, moving his family from city to city, and the pressure of being a high profile athlete that was in the media for not being as successful as he once was. I don’t think anyone would call his career a failure at this point, but many would say because of his injuries he did not live up to the success many thought he would have. Because Rose never gave up, worked hard doing everything he could do, and leaving the rest in God’s hands, he received his comeback. We too can overcome and receive our comeback if we take the Derrick Rose approach and take it one step at a time letting God lead us through our trial.

Now that we know that there will be trials in our life, now it’s time to talk about how we are supposed to approach and look at them. I am a very organized planner, precise, “my way” type of person. I am very critical of the things I work hard at. It’s safe to say that for a long time, I was a believer in, “if it’s not successful, then it failed.” My playing career as an example, my high school basketball team did not get very many team wins like we projected. We had a number of committed college athletes on the team, with a lot of talent. However, we did not make it out of our sectional in four years. I had individual success while I was there, but for a long time I looked at my high school career as a failure. What I didn’t realize was how this would alter how I approached which college team I chose to play for and pretty much how I lived the rest of my life. I wanted to win, not individually but collectively as a whole.

In a trial, God says we must first pray. We should ask God for wisdom on how to handle our trials head on. Then, we must go to scripture and find what God says about your specific problem to understand deeper. Then lastly, we should ask God for help from spiritually minded people who can teach us how to best apply biblical truth to our problem. Most importantly, we must go to God in faith and not doubt. 

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.- James 1:5-8

God has a funny way of turning things around on us. I now put winning on a bigger level on and off the court more than I ever have before because of some events that happened in my past. Even as I go through various trials today, with my current playing career, relationship status and even future plans, I have learned to put God’s teaching first and to be joyful during the trials because I know at the end I will be more like Christ. 

If you’re in a trial, or just want to learn more, I encourage you to read through the James chapter 1 to start. Learn the reasons behind trials, how to face them the right way and also how to overcome and receive your comeback!

Win the Day #12

I’ve been talking to a mentor and friend and I realized that I can sometimes fall victim in something that God calls us not to do. Sometimes I worry and focus so much on the future that I miss the responsibilities that I need to focus on today. 

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34

In the world today, setting goals and properly planning to take the steps to achieve your goals is a responsible task. By doing this, we try to organize and put ourselves into position to succeed. Nothing is wrong with striving for a goal, but the problem comes when we get so focused on our future that we try to take it into our own hands. 

I just think about how one of my main goals as a kid was to play professional basketball. I worked hard knowing what was ahead if I properly executed the plan that was set. I worked so hard that I actually put basketball before my faith and God. Of course, at the time I didn’t realize that but now I do. I understand how It allowed me to stray away from God’s purpose over my life.

God’s word says he will give us enough grace needed for each day. He says this because we have so many other things to think about each day, that to worry about what is on our plate for tomorrow will become overwhelming. Pastor Tony Evans said it best, “Today, is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday.” Meaning don’t borrow from tomorrow’s to do list and worry about how you’ll complete or accomplish something meant for tomorrow, when you have to think about today first. 

When I think about winning each day, it takes me back to my high school football days. Each week we had a unified team goal to win on Friday night. For us, winning on Friday meant we had to start the Saturday before. We all came in on Saturday morning to watch the next team’s film, and then we went out each day of the week to execute that specific day's tasks to help prepare ourselves for the big game on Friday. Anyone that knows me well enough, knows that my senior year of football was probably my favorite year of sports in my life. That is mostly because of the coach I had. He was by far my favorite coach to play for, and that was because he conducted a team like I've never seen before. We were organized, competed hard each day, all got along and we all bought into the team goal.

 Now, you’re probably wondering how I have played division I college basketball and professionally overseas and pick my senior year of football as my favorite year. Well, each day for me all I had to do was attack and win that specific day. I was taught to play the quarterback position from my head coach and assistant coach day by day. I was new at the position and hadn't even played football since my freshman year in highschool. I chose to play football the summer going into my senior year, so they were forced to teach me the position quickly, but also only give me enough that I could handle. We had a good team, and many of my teammates went on to play college football. At the end of the year, I ended up receiving an award for MVP of our team. Not because I was the best, there were far better football players on that team, but because my head coach and assistant supplied me with enough knowledge to lead the team each day. 

Same goes for our spiritual life. We all play for a great, unbeatable coach in God. To see the success we are looking for, we must follow His playbook. However, we must understand He only gives us enough we can handle. So, each day we need to turn the page and ask, what can we do to dominate today and when tomorrow comes, we will repeat the cycle. Walk with the lord and walk in his plans, and soon we will be living out His playbook for our lives.  

“For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”- Ephesians 2:10 

Michael Jordan Last Dance #11

Today is a bittersweet day for me. One of the best sports documentaries/movies I’ve ever watched, “The Last Dance” airs its final two episodes tonight. The mini series focused around Michael Jordan and his years with the Chicago Bulls has been nothing but amazing to watch for all the sports people in the world. For me, I have always loved Jordan’s game, but watching some of the behind the scenes interviews, stories and deeper understanding of his life allowed me to see another side that I never got to see because of my age. Each week as my dad and I watch together, I get a deeper meaning of his career and because of that, I can apply it to my life and the world today. 

As I sit back and take in all of the episodes, one of the main things I took away from it was, Jordan dedicated everything he had to basketball. Because of this, it allowed him to branch out and be able to reach other things like endorsement deals, movies and commercials, his own clothing brand and even his own organization. This stood out to me because in today's society, we are told and taught to explore and never limit our options because it gives us more opportunities to succeed. I am not saying as a kid, you shouldn’t play multiple sports or in school keep your field options open for your career, but I am saying if we give and dedicate everything we have to God, he will allow us to branch out in his will. 

If you were like me growing up, then Michael Jordan did nothing wrong in your eyes. That obviously was not true, but after watching this documentary I got to see how imperfect Jordan was. It took MJ seven years to win his first championship. His road towards it was not easy. He spent less time with his family, less time on the golf course and even forced his teammates to raise their level over the summer rather than taking vacations. One thing he didn't do was give up or accept being average. During those first seven years, he could have been complacent and accepted that he was just going to be a great individual player and score and dominate his position. However, he wanted to win so badly that he had to elevate his understanding of the game, rely on his teammates and coaches more to achieve his overall goal to win a championship. 

Our lives as a Christian are solely dependent on Jesus. With that being said, none of us are perfect. God has already given us victory and our championship, but it is up to us if we receive it here on earth or have to wait until we get to heaven for it. Just as Jordan had to dedicate his summers to basketball and rely on his peers and coaches, God calls us to do the same for His kingdom. Dedicate your time to his word, help other people along the way and let his victory live through your life. Also, the good thing about it is, if you haven’t been doing that, you can start right here, right now and make the change. God doesn’t hold it against us for taking a while to do it, but loves when we convert and give it all to him. 

One part of the documentary that intrigued me was how Jordan was highly criticized when he did not take a stand in the political world. He was shunned for it because ultimately it came down to race. A black democratic governor versus a white republican governor. Jordan was expected to take sides of the black governor because of his race but Jordan did not endorse either side. I think his quote the media put out was, “Republicans buy Jordans too.” Today, there are social and racial issues that continue to get worse. I understand the stance of what Jordan was expected to do and I understand the stance Jordan actually took. However outside of Jordan’s actual situation that was portrayed, my main takeaway was that sometimes we get so worldly that we do not consider God’s take on a matter. It is okay to support any race or any political party or person as long as their word matches what God says on an issue. 

In 1993 Michael Jordan retired for the first time and went to play baseball. This was right after his father passed away and was always a dream of his. Jordan to me is without a doubt the best sports interviewer of all time. Always professional in the media and knows how to answer questions in a respectful, knowledgeable way. One thing that I found interesting was that the media related Jordan’s father's death to MJ’s personal life. Majority was gambling and trying to link the two. In our life, there will be unfair situations, things we can’t control and things we wished never happened, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. If you've made a mistake, that is okay. God accepts mistakes if we come to him about it. That is called repenting and the goal is to learn, give it to God and be better in a future situation if tested. I learned from Jesus and Jordan to always be respectful, shed light on your situation and lean close to the people who care for you in your life. God has restored us using Jesus Christ, so ultimately everything is in His hands. No we can’t control everything that happens here on earth, but we do know who is in control so that is why we are never to panic or get out of sorts. 

I could talk forever about this topic and documentary, but I just wanted to touch on a few details as we go into the last week of episodes on MJ’s great basketball career. Remember, God is in control of all, Jesus is the key to our salvation, and we should dedicate everything to serving his will and allowing him to live through us. 

Spiritual Growth #10

As we are wrapping up and getting into our last steps of spiritual growth, it’s important to remember that this is a transformation process to bring us closer to God. Allowing Him to live in us and through us as we serve His kingdom. 

13. Calling:

God has called all of us here to serve His kingdom. Within that, He has given us all a specific job and way we can do that. Our designed purpose is linked to our experience, opportunities, passion and abilities. Where all these things meet, is where we will find our purpose. Our calling is not just something we do for a living or a job to make money from, but our divinely pre planned service for God.  

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:10

When I was in college, our coaches made us write on our shoes, what was our purpose for playing. They did this to motivate us and remind us that we have a bigger reason we all chose to grind and do all the hard work we are doing. Many players wrote down a family member or someone they knew that passed away. I remember having a couple different reasons why I played the game of basketball, especially at that intense level. One that sticks out to me that I wrote down on my shoe was, P.O.L. or providence over luck. Providence is God causing or allowing things to happen for His purpose. So for whatever reason, I know at the time God was using basketball to be a part of my life to help me individually and for His kingdom, ultimately leading me to my calling or purpose. 

14. Obedience:

The response of your spiritual growth is your obedience. We need to understand that God’s new covenant when Jesus sacrificed for all of us, embedded in us all His teachings and wrote it on our hearts for forever. Obedience activates the word and work of God in our lives. 

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.- James 1:19-25

 

One thing that changed my life was when I got to college and I saw what the definition of hard work really meant. Majority of the things I did in high school did not compare at all. I soon adjusted and was used to "working hard." So much that, even until this day my workouts are more intense than most people. When I played professionally in Germany, many times I had to workout and lift weights alone or with one other teammate and because of my changed nature, the workouts I did kept me in shape and healthy. 

 

15. Maturity: 

The absolute goal of spiritual growth is maturity within. You know when you have matured when you can consistently view and live life from a heavenly perspective rather than earthly view. When you operate this way, mature Christians can often see, hear and have thoughts on things that regular humans can’t. This is because they are close to God and able to detect when something is from Him rather than something from the world. The spirit is helping them to think God’s thoughts. Mature believers have transformed lives that reflect and transfer values of the Kingdom of God. 

12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.- 1 Corinthians 2:12

 Now that we have concluded our 15 step breakdown of spiritual growth, I highly encourage you to study and implement them all into your life. As a believer our goal is to grow closer to God and serve His kingdom, but first we must understand how and which steps to take. He has given us all the ability to do so, but it is on us to take the required actions to go forward.

Spiritual Growth #9

We are covering the next four parts of our spiritual growth breakdown and as we go deeper, it is important to remember the reason for all this. Getting closer to God brings us deliverance, and brings heaven down to us on earth. Going deeper gives the opportunity for Christ to live through us and allows the spirit to grow closer to God. 

9. The Church:

The church explained in the bible is meant to be a support system for individual Christians. We were never meant to go through life and grow spiritually closer to God alone. Spiritual growth is not an easy one day process, it takes work. The good thing is, as believers, God allowed for us to have people we can rely on to help us and the other way around. 

I have learned that the term “church” goes beyond the building. Yes, the building gives the opportunity for a larger gathering and more organized setting, but the church travels way beyond those four walls. Recently, because of the virus today in the world we aren't able to physically go to the church building. I’ve found ways to still attend church service online and my friends and I have been doing bible plans using the YouVersion Bible app. Leaning on them to push me to grow closer to God has been great, because we all can relate to each other's lives and be a positive honest influence to each other in areas of our life that we need support in. 

10. Giving:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. - James 1:17 

One of the most important things regarding spiritual growth is understanding that anything we have is not ours, but God’s. Money, talents, property and possessions are things God has given us to simply manage it wisely. 

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

    the world, and all who live in it. - Psalm 24:1

That is why it is a sin to have idols and put things like money or your career before we give back to God and realize that we only have these things because of Him. I think about when I was in college and our coaches would schedule community service projects for our entire team to do. For us as players, it was mandatory but our coaches did this, because they knew how fortunate we all were. To be in the position to play or coach college basketball, very few get the opportunity to do, so we must realize that we have been blessed and try to become a blessing for others. 

11. Trials:

Trials are the test of spiritual growth. The purpose of a trial God creates is to develop us, and allow us to grow and mature spiritually. One thing to understand about trials is, it is created by God and different from the consequences that come from sin. Trials are not easy to handle, and that is because God wants us to get deeper with him. God is in control and even though we may struggle through a trial, we have to remember it has a good purpose. That is why the bible says to be positive and know that a trial is an opportunity to grow in your spiritual life. Also, we must understand that if we have the right attitude, and know that God is in control of all things, then He is in control of your trial and will guide you through it. 

Looking back on my basketball career, I always had a love/hate relationship with the preseason. It was good because the season was upon us, but it required a lot of hard work to prepare for the upcoming season. Conditioning tests, three to four hour practices and heavy weights weren’t to punish us, but just get us ready to have a successful season. Our team goal was to always win a championship so even though we didn’t always enjoy the preseason, we knew how important it was to help us reach our goal. 

12. Temptation:

Temptation to sin is not from God. God won’t cause us to sin, and even though the devil can not make us sin, he will try and trick us into it. An important thing to remember as a believer, is even the devil has to go to God to ask for permission to try and get to us. When it comes to temptation, the devil will use deception, false advertising and persuasion to try to offer you something that looks inviting and influence you to it because he can’t physically force you. While dealing with temptation, we must understand our position in Christ. The devil’s goal is to use sin to break our relationship and growth with God. 

Understanding temptation and how the devil wants to attack you, will help your growth because it will allow you to be more aware and have your eyes on the right prize. The devil tried these same tactics on Jesus, but was not successful and God says that same strength he gave to deliver Jesus from the devil, he has given us. 

 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. - Hebrew 4:15

Spiritual Growth #8

Growth within God is possible within every believer. Continuing on with our breakdown of spiritual growth, we are going to add to conversion, identity, sin and grace. As we covered before, spiritual growth is the process of allowing Christ to live within us and express himself through us. 

5. Faith: 

The action needed for spiritual growth is faith. Faith is trusting even when you can’t see. Faith is living out the word of God even when times are tough. What most believers don’t realize is, faith is above our five senses, it deals solely with the spiritual realm. God wants to know you trust Him enough to act on His word. Faith is so important to the spiritual growth process that without it is displeasing to God. 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.- Hebrews 11:6 

Growing up playing competitive basketball at an early age, I found myself always looking at player rankings and which players sports reporters thought were good. I was ranked in the state of Indiana but I was never ranked nationally. I played against other nationally ranked players and I felt I could compete just as good, if not better than them, so I would always question these reporters. However, I received good guidance from my father and AAU coach and they reminded me to trust the process and have faith in the future. During a time of doubt or times when you are unsure, that is when faith should kick in the most. Stay faithful to your work ethic, faithful to your beliefs/ethics and most importantly faithful to the Lord and His will.  

6. Holy Spirit:

The spirit is the heart and soul of your spiritual growth. Only the strength within us from the Holy Spirit will our lives produce what we are supposed to. What some believers don’t realize is, it is possible to be a Christian and to not have the spirit of God live through us or have the spirit alive within us. 

When I got to college, I experienced a new level of hard work. Class, weights, practice and study tables day in and day out was exhausting. I remember my roommate and I specifically finding time to take a nap between classes. With all of this going on, one could feel this was straining and tiring causing them to relax or “sleepwalk.” However, if I wanted to succeed and not just be a player on the team but a leader, I had to use and enable the power within my teammates, coaches and academic advisor to help me succeed. 

7. Scripture: 

God’s word should be more than just positive words and more of living out your spiritual understanding. The bible is not just to give us information but a guide to look to. It is your playbook in knowing how to live your life and defeat the enemies against the Kingdom of God. It’s important to spend time in the word and search what God says, but more important to allow this the word to live through you. 

In college, I played for two really good coaches that specialized in their offensive play calling. Both had many different offensive plays with hundreds of different options to those plays. As a point guard, I took pride in knowing all the plays and where every position was supposed to be. For me to truly understand and be able to execute the playbook in practice and games, I had to spend time studying on my own and with assistant coaches. 

8. Prayer: 

God has given us a way to connect and communicate with Him in the spiritual realm, and that is with the use of prayer. Prayer is the access of spiritual growth and causes all parts of Christian life to relate to one another.  I am a big believer that confidence is built through what you work at. If you want to build confidence in your athletic performance, in your studies or in your relationship with the Lord, you must work at it. We previously spoke about faith, well praying goes hand in hand with faith because it is a part of action. Faith + works= God intervention. What praying does is shift your focus and worries of a situation to God. We will speak on the other part of action God calls us to do, but praying gives God’s strength to a believer. 

Now that we have spent time talking about eight parts of the spiritual growth breakdown, I encourage you to start implementing these into your routine. We will continue to talk more about spiritual growth, but its important to understand that it’s possible to grow spiritually because Christ lives within every believer.  

Spiritual Growth #7

Growing in spiritual life is very important because it allows Christ to express himself through us. It also lets us bring greater glory to God and because of that, we get to experience more of him in our everyday lives. I recently finished a study on spiritual growth by Pastor Tony Evans, and thought i’d share it and some of my interpretations of it because of how great it was. It was a 15 part breakdown of the essentials of spiritual growth. 

1. Conversion: 

This is the foundation of spiritual growth and it is the process that God puts in you everything needed from him. Because of Christ, everything in us is new and gives us the ability and knowledge to serve God. 

2. Identity: 

Your identity in Christ is the key to your spiritual growth. Because you place your faith in Him, you became new and locked in your spot for eternity. 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

I remember when I was in highschool and I had a small press conference to announce which college I would be attending for the following year. I was so proud of myself and felt so accomplished because to me this was one of the most important decisions I have made at this point in my life. When I chose Kent State, that is who I identified myself with. Even though I was still in high school, every single football and basketball game I played my senior year, I wore socks with a Kent State logo on them. Even though I was playing for my high school team, I wanted to let everyone know I was apart of something bigger. The same way God called us to be in the world, but not of the world is a great example of solidifying your identity in Christ. We live physically in the world, but are called to live spiritually and mentally in God’s kingdom. God has placed hope in us that can only be achieved when we come to Christ. 

3. Sin:

The blockage of our spiritual growth. This is the choice we make to go away from God's word. In today’s society, it can be hard to not see sin as a sin because of the standards that have been set. Best way to understand it is, Gods truth or the world's truth. There is no in between, it is what God believes is right or what the world has deemed as truth. Understanding and operating away from sin will help take your spiritual growth to another level. 

When you operate in God’s word, you understand the difference on what is sin and what is righteous. While I was in college, I learned quickly that I was apart of a team. Learning that my actions, along with others actions greatly affected what happened. Many times we had 6 a.m. conditioning workouts or practices because of things we did outside of the team goal. Sin is the same way, regardless if it is sin we cause on ourselves or others sin that has been passed onto us, it is outside of God’s will.

4. Grace: 

Grace is God’s favor in which we cannot earn, but it is given. We are not deserving of it, we can’t do anything to work for it, but it is still given to us by God. That is why it is important to grow in grace, because you learn that your actions should be the efforts of receiving something you can’t earn on your own. All my life, I did things to give myself the best possible chance to be successful in basketball. I would go to trainers, extra workouts at home, changing teams and coaches to give myself better opportunities and even go to college elite camps. All great efforts to be able to grow physically and mentally in the game of basketball. Spiritual life isn't like that. Because we can’t earn or repay back what God has given us, we are called to praise his name to show how great he is. 

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. - 2 Peter 3:18

As you continue to grow in your spiritual walk, I hope that you gather the information but also connect it to your living reality as well. It is important in spiritual growth to be connected to Jesus Christ and make him your focus and your walk will be transformed. I went over four of the fifteen total in this blog, and I hope you continue to join for the rest as well.