Freed-Hardeman University

Competitors for Christ Newsletter Volume III, Issue 1

October 2024

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"A Fruitful Life"
by Jonathan Estes, Athletic Director
 

In Galatians 5:16-26, the writer Paul, is addressing a church that had some choices to make. The Galatians could choose to follow their own fleshly desires or follow the teachings of Jewish religious leaders who wanted to modify the Gospel of Jesus. They could choose to leave God and follow the world, or they could choose to feed on what God has to offer.

Choices are important. They have short-term and long-term consequences. Many times, I struggle to make the correct choice. Satan has a way of convincing me that bad choices are many times easier and more rewarding than the corresponding good choice I am given.

Paul gives two lists in Galatians 5 that contrast the good and evil choices that we can fill our lives with. The exhortation is to choose the good. Consider the specific fruit that we will produce when we make a choice to follow God and everything that He is and is about. 

Love- Seeing people like God sees them. How does God see people? As those with purpose, value, potential and uniqueness. Love places worth on someone and then moves to show them their worth, in our eyes, and more importantly in God’s eyes. 

The barrier to love is apathy or the decision to do nothing. Choose Love.

Joy- The deep and continuing awareness of God’s presence and blessings. It is not found in a pursuit of pleasure or the circumstances of happiness. Rather, it dwells in the abiding presence of God. 

The barrier to joy is discontentment. The refusal to see the presence of God in the moment because it calls us to see the moment as unfulfilled, unproductive or undesirable causes a heart of discontentment. Choose Joy.

Peace- The active trust in God’s sovereignty. Whatever the moment holds, God is in control. Not the absence of conflict but knowing that God is present. He is able to work. 

The barrier to peace is worry. Worry limits our vision to one event or one problem. We tell ourselves that we have to find our own solution. Choose Peace.

Patience- Living in step with God’s timing. Focus on what God is doing and surrender our own need for control. Patience calls for us to follow, not lead. 

The barrier to patience is frustration.  When we fume and rage over our lack of control. Frustration blames everyone and everything for the problems we face and keeps us in the loop of rehearsing our failings and weaknesses. Choose Patience.

Kindness- The ability to be generous with God’s grace. It calls us to seek what is best for those around us. Kindness requires us to take our eyes off ourselves. As we extend God’s grace, we extend an invitation to salvation, transformation, and hope. 

A barrier to kindness is selfishness. Selfishness is, among other things, a disregard for others and their needs. We only see ourselves and not the salt and light we are called to be for others. Choose Kindness.

Goodness- The intentional display of God’s love in the world. Living by the standard of Jesus Christ. He defines how we live and think. He determines our schedule and our actions. 

A barrier to goodness is compromise. We can’t live with one foot in the world and one foot in heaven. It divides our loyalties and diffuses our impact. Choose Goodness.

Faithfulness- Our steadfastness and consistency in all circumstances because of our unswerving loyalty to Jesus. What we do in each moment of our life counts.

A barrier to Faithfulness is unreliability. We “come and go” in our walk with Christ. We open doors of hypocrisy. Jesus is OK when convenient. Choose faithfulness.

Gentleness- The willingness to deal with others sensitively for the sake of Christ. We extend the hand of Jesus, pierced by nails, so that they may see Him and be changed, instead of personal agendas, anger, revenge.

A barrier to gentleness is aggression.  Aggression seeks to be right and prove it to the world. Aggression seeks to show others how strong we are versus how in need of a Savior I am. Choose Gentleness. 

Self-Control- Allowing our spirit to surrender to Christ. It is a deliberate move to place my thoughts and actions under the guidance of Jesus. Let God sit in the throne of my heart. 

A barrier to self-control is external control. Trying to control circumstances, people, outcomes, and perceptions. Choose self-control. 

An old Cherokee Indian Chief was teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me. A fight between two wolves. One is evil, full of anger, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity, and false pride. The other wolf is good, full of joy, peace, love, humility, kindness and faith. The same fight is going on inside you, grandson…and inside of every person on the face of the earth.” The grandson ponders for a minute and responds “Grandfather, which wolf will win?” The old man smiled and simply said, “The one you feed.” 

There is a struggle going on inside of each of us. It is between the Spirit and your fleshly desires. Which will win? What will you choose to feed on? The Holy Spirit is ready to help us bear the fruits that God has called us to bear. 

Part 1

Why are choices important in our lives?

Read Galatians 5:16-26. What are the choices the Galatians have?

Part 2

Where do you need the most surrender to the Fruit of the Spirit?

What barriers do you face in regard to specific Fruit of the Spirit characteristics?

What specific steps can you take to embrace the Fruit of the Spirit and feed your desire for Jesus?

“Our players had the opportunity to read to elementary students in the local Chester County School System. Those interactions helped build a community relationship that brings people closer together in a positive way,” Lindsay Riggs, Lady Lion soccer coach, said. It was a great experience for my players getting a chance to serve, and for the elementary students that were able to be exposed to athletes from different cultures and traditions. It was an experience that both will remember for a long time.”

For some athletes, Servant’s Day is a representation of what they get to see and experience on a regular basis. 

“Opportunities like Servant’s Day highlight the importance of helping others and coming together as a family. At FHU, you become part of something bigger than yourself: you serve your team, your community, and God in ways that other athletes at other schools may not experience,” Elise Kruzan, a junior Tennis player, said.  “Observing those around me, especially professors, doing good deeds and consistently attending worship services inspires me to be a better person and student. It’s a rare opportunity to be surrounded by Christ-minded people daily, and it gives me hope for the future in a divided world.”

Coaches and athletes were reminded of the impact serving others has when they strive to serve like Jesus did. Volleyball Coach Amanda Bretherick found Servant’s Day to be rewarding for the giver and the receiver.

“Serving others helped us appreciate what so many do on a regular basis. Hearing words of appreciation from those you impact reminds us to be intentional about being appreciative and how a little bit of effort can bring such a big blessing to those around us.

Know Your Enemy
by Dustin Semore, Sports Information Director

If you've been in my office for more than five minutes, it wouldn't isurprise you to know that I love Disney movies. One of my favorite movies (as well as one of the most underrated movies ) is Atlantis: The Lost Empire. In one scene, the ships cook (portrayed by the late great Jim Varney; aka Ernest P. Worrell) is warning the adventurers about the warrior Atlantians. He says, “Now they can smell fear… so keep quiet!” Disney humor aside, we can often find ourselves in the same situation. Preparing to open windows by unlocking doors. Telling ourselves we are preparing to fight the Devil, but actually fighting ourselves and keeping ourselves from serving God the way we should. We fight the wrong enemy.

In Ephesians, we read about the armor of God and about our real enemy. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Let’s not forget who our real enemy is.

Because the good news is: we've already won! Without looking poorly on the opponent: take the 2024 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship. We know the outcome - the Lions won! Yet there were times it was difficult. There were times when it did not look like the Lions would be victorious. Now imagine getting the opportunity to choose which team you want to be on to replay it with the exact same result. I would hope we choose the winning team! But that does not mean things still won't be painful at times.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Revelation 17:14: "They will make war with the Lamb and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." Note that the Holy Spirit did not inspire John to say that it would be an undefeated war. Any student of history knows that wars have battles won and battles lost. With Christ: we know how the ultimate war ends.

The Two and One Rule
by Diego Rojas, former assistant soccer coach
Minister, Green Bay church of Christ

Everyone has highs and lows. Everyone faces trials during their life. Even Job did, as perfect as he was. Even Jesus did, as perfect as He was. Even at the peak of an athlete’s career, there may be trials. Sometimes, your teammates are going to face trials. Some of them may be experiencing depression, anxiety, family conflict, relationship issues, etc. Some are more open about it than others. Some are going to counseling with a professional, which is great. Some are keeping it all to themselves.

If you are portrayed as reliable to your teammates and fellow athletes, it is very possible that someone will try to confide in you in their times of need. You may not be a professional licensed counselor. But you can still help them as they try to cope with what they are going through. You may wonder what you need to tell them. Well, who told you that you must tell them anything?
James 1:19 says that everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak. Someone says that is why God gave us two ears and one mouth, so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. The greatest talent that professional counselors can develop is in relation to their listening skills. In the same manner, it is one of the greatest talents that an athlete can develop to assist their friends and teammates.Obviously, that is not often the case. Maybe that is why I am calling it a talent. Although most people who have ears are capable of hearing, listening may require more intentionality. Generally, we may tend to want others to listen to us more than we want to listen to them. This creates a lot of issues in relationships, especially in marriage. Listening is one of the most beneficial talents as husbands that you men can develop. You may be single right now, but your future wife will thank you for really listening to her. The same happens in other relationships. Job’s friends did well to mourn with him and comfort him for seven days without saying a word (Job 2:11-13). How hard that must have been, especially for men! We tend to jump to solutions and give unsolicited advice to others. But they did well, at least for those seven days. 

Application in Sports Ministry: 

When an athlete is in need, sometimes they want to talk about it. Sometimes they do not think anyone would care enough to sit down and listen. If we are carrying out a sports ministry, it may be worth portraying ourselves as people who do listen, who are easy to talk to, who do not judge whatever is said to us, and who would keep confidential the information that is confided in us. 

I call this The Two and One Rule, the two ears and one mouth rule. It requires being more prepared to listen than to speak. Most times, what will happen is that the athlete comes looking for us. Since they are coming to communicate something, we must understand that what they say will probably be twice as much or twice as important as what we have to say in return. Therefore, it may be a matter of quality and quantity. The less we speak and the best we speak will be more beneficial to the athlete. 

Here are 5 basic recommendations when listening to an athlete, or basically anyone:

1) Give them your undivided attention. Put all distractions aside. Put away your phone, computer, book, or anything else you have aside. Make sure they are aware you are paying attention to them. 

2) Whatever they say, try to repeat it back to them in a summary or paraphrase style and ask why they say that. 

3) When they pause and let you speak, keep asking open-ended questions. The more they speak, the more answers they will have to their own questions. 

4) Avoid judgements. Make them feel that you are not judging them. 

5) Pray with them. It will make them feel free. They will feel you have taken their burdens away from them and given to God, who is almighty and there is nothing impossible for him. 

If you follow The Two and One Rule properly, you will take your fellow athletes closer to an everlasting crown.

Answer the following questions:

1. Am I portrayed as someone who is easy to talk to, someone who listens to others?

2. Am I a good listener? Do I listen more than I tend to want to be heard? In which ways can I apply The Two and One Rule more efficiently?

3. Are there fellow athletes who may need someone to speak to? How can I assist them?

God bless your athletic endeavors and sports ministry!

 

Standing Together
by Jonathan Estes, athletic Director

On my bucket list of places to go and see are the great Sequoias trees. Sequoias are the giant redwoods grown in the humid coastal areas of northern California and southern Oregon. To see one in full view, you must back away. With a 33-foot diameter it would take 25 adults hand-to-hand to ring this tree. The dark brown bark is 10 inches thick. Your eyes look up and you admire the vertical straight trunk, which is smooth and branchless for nearly 100 feet. Long, narrow, drooping branches appear, and you notice that they are layered in ascending order with smaller and smaller branches bearing tiny, bright green leaves and brown cones. Your eyes finally reach the top of the tree which is about 350 feet. That is as high as a 30-story building. There is enough wood to build 35 three-bedroom houses from one tree. It’s majestic.

What is amazing is that the tree was born of a seed the size of a pinhead. These trees can live for over 2000 years. The tree we are admiring was a baby when Jesus left Nazareth. It was an adolescent when the Arabs invented the zero, a mature adult when Columbus came to America and a senior citizen when George Washington crossed the Delaware. 

The most amazing thing is that this giant tree has no taproot. Do you remember how deep the tap root is when you looked at it in a biology book? It is as deep as the tree is high. This deep-rooted system allows the tree to be nourished as it grows. 

However, the giant redwoods have roots close to the surface like a palm tree. And you know what happens to a Miami palm tree in the high winds in Florida? How did the world’s oldest living plants stay upright without a deep root system? The answer is they do not stand alone. They can survive only in a community. The roots spread out and intertwine with roots of their neighbors. Their community is called a stand. It is interdependent. 

Ephesians 4:16 describes a situation that sounds very similar. “From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Redwoods never stand alone and neither do you.  You have teammates and family who love you. You have fans that adore you. None of us can make it without our teammates. We are dependent on each of our teammates. Like the giant redwood, you are as only as strong as your teammate. 

I love the encouragement in Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” We are inspired to consider the benefit of pouring into others when we come together and incite that fire within each other as we strive together toward our ultimate goal- the Day.