Competitors for Christ Newsletter Volume II, Issue 3
April 2024
View Previous Issues Here
"A Coach's Wife's Perspective"
by Ashley Estes, Instructor in School of Education
We have many great coaches who have played at a high level and have coached at a high level. While I am not in that category, I am thankful for the opportunity to share on a topic that has been on my heart for a long time and talk about the impact people in athletics have made on my life. While I have never been an intercollegiate athlete, athletics have been part of my life forever, and FHU athletics for over half my life as a student and then a coach’s wife.
My story:
Athletics actually brought me to FHU. I grew up in a Christian home knowing about FHU. I had many extended relatives who attended FHU and even taught at FHU. But I didn’t have plans of attending FHU myself until I started attending Lady Lion basketball camps in middle school and then high school. I fell in love with campus, Gano, the dorms, Bader gym, and more importantly my counselors (who were Lady Lions players) and the coaches. They were so kind and helpful and good players. I looked up to them immediately. A couple even kept in touch and wrote letters to me after camp. That’s what you did back then. I wanted desperately to play for the Lady Lions one day. Alas, my basketball career wasn’t stellar and I never grew past 4’11 but I never lost a love for basketball or Lady Lion basketball.
I grew up in Kentucky and we had several players from my high school sign to play basketball for the men’s team. I had family members who brought me to every homecoming game and home game possible around my own high school basketball schedule to watch them. I fell in love with the Bader Gym (now the oval) and I wanted to be part of that loud student section close to the action. Now, by the time I got here as a student in 1998 the Sports center was built but that student section wasn’t what I remembered. There weren’t nearly as many students as I remembered. It wasn’t as loud. The teams weren’t as supported by the student body. It made me sad. One of my best friends from K-12 grade growing up was on that basketball team- now in the Hall of Fame here- so I went to support him and brought as many friends with me as I could coax into coming. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t support the other teams quite as much. That was until the Spring of 2000 when I met my now husband and started following Lions baseball.
I met Coach Estes in the fall of 1999 when he transferred to FHU from St. Louis University. I knew immediately that he was an athlete. I learned he was a baseball player. He was a great athlete but an even better guy. We started dating that fall pretty quickly and just as quickly friends and acquaintances started encouraging me to not date him because he was an athlete- especially a baseball player. They assumed he was not a Christian along with a lot of other incorrect assumptions. I kept getting to know him and dating him and even into our junior year on a mission trip, a fellow classmate wrote me a letter (remember that ‘s what we did back then) encouraging me yet again to dump him because “there was no way a baseball player could help me get to heaven”. Well he was wrong. Along with any others who thought that way. My now husband of 21 years was and is still one of the greatest men I know and helps me daily strive for heaven.
That story isn’t unique to us. There were so many other student athletes when we were here who felt isolated, discouraged, stereotyped, bullied, made to feel inferior or not worthy or ignorant. And likewise, many athletes kept to themselves, didn’t take full advantage of the opportunities here to learn how to live and make a living- their one and only purpose seemed to be their sport. This wasn’t unique to athletics, it wasn’t unique to the years of 1998-2002. It happens with majors and social clubs and social classes, and cultures. People not looking beyond categories. People assuming the worst instead of the best.
When we came back here in 2009 to coach and teach, I noticed some of the same trends. Again, I didn’t understand. These were my people. These were guys I loved before I met them and more once we got to know them. They were the people who babysat our kids and loaned us vehicles , celebrated holidays with and came to watch our kids play ball. Now, our 9 year old daughter Ellie has the opportunity to be around so many female athletes and claims some of them as her best friends. It continues to hurt my heart when they share stories of being stereotyped or labeled in negative ways or made fun of for not knowing about religious matters. Again, it’s not unique to athletics but those are the stories that I have heard and have seen first hand because that is the life we have lived- surrounded by athletes.
While the stories are many, the lessons are more. The lessons learned from being surrounded by athletes for so long are too many for an article, but I will share a few.
1.Find good teammates. Our best teams over the years have been made up of good teammates. Players who push each other, lift each other up, hold each other accountable, and are all striving towards the same goals. Find good teammates for life. I am thankful that I found the best teammate for life in my husband but also have great teammates as family and friends and co-workers.
2. Assume the best, not the worst in people. Some of the guys over the years who were the roughest around the edges and the ones that we didn’t know would make it and didn’t even know how or why they got here were some of the ones that ended up growing the most. Get out of your comfort zone- that’s where you grow the most. Get to know people different from you. Don’t let labels or categories of people hold you in one place.
3. FHU unites us. No matter where we came from or how we got here, we are all Lions now. I learned more about the power of prayer because of one of our athletes. You may have followed Slater Springman’s story back in 2018. In the fall, conditioning week, he collapsed and was taken to the ER. After tests and many doctors, his numbers were so high that the doctors said all we could do was pray for him- there was nothing they could do. Campus prayed around the Bader Oval and people across the country and our entire Lions family prayed over him for months. They hadn’t met him. I hadn’t met him until he was in a hospital bed. It didn’t matter who he was or what he was, people prayed. I prayed in ways that I have never prayed before over Slater’s hospitalization. FHU unites us no matter our categories- no matter what brought us here or from where we came, we are all here now.
4. Love people no matter what. A quote I found recently comes to mind: "The greatest thing you can do for someone- the most Jesus-like, most God honoring thing is to err on the side of loving them.” Love people first. Then get to know them to the point that you know why you love them so much. We’ve loved the ones that got kicked out of school, the ones that failed classes and became ineligible, the ones that were Christians when they came and the ones that became Christians while they were here. The ones that were easy to love and the ones that were so hard to love. But love is always best.
I would like to close with a direct quote from one of our former players. One who has a great story. One who is still the reason our oldest, Dean, has worn #35 on his jersey since he was 7. One who still comes back and sends texts and pictures of his precious family. One who is now a faithful Christian father and husband and leader. And one who shares his story of growth while here at FHU every chance he can.
“I think the overall message is that people come to Freed from all over the country and from other countries, for all different reasons. For some it’s to study the Bible, others it’s because that is what their family has always done, others it’s to continue to play a sport they love. Some are born and raised in the church, others have no religious background. Whatever your background is and whatever brought you to Henderson, Tennessee doesn’t matter, it’s that you were called or led there for a reason and everyone that interacts with you plays a part in your story of being transformed and coming to love it, or leaving there with a negative perception of what it was. It may not be a class, or chapel that means the most to you, it could be a simple meal, a place to stay over break or summer, or a pond to fish in and a field to hunt. All along the way you are there for a reason and everyone around you plays a part in your story that can transform your heart and soul and change the trajectory of your life forever.”
So no matter who you are, what season of life you are in, what roles you play here, what categories you could be classified in, you have the opportunity to make an impact and be impacted. Make it a positive one!
"The Best Athlete"
by Vincent Meninno, Instructor in School of Business, former assistant basketball coach
Christians should be noticeably different from everyone else. We should wear the fruits of the spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 so that everyone knows we are different. People should see how Christians love others, have a joy in their lives, find peace even in times of trouble, are patient with everyone, show kindness in their daily lives, are good people, are always faithful to God, are gentle when things are not going their way, and control themselves in all situations. Likewise, the best athletes are also noticeably different. For some athletes, their talent separates them from others. For other athletes, their God-given abilities like speed, athleticism, or leaping ability. However, the best athletes also share other attributes that are easily attainable for everyone.
The best athletes have a desire to learn. They want to learn how to be individually better and to make the team better. Just like Christians should “Seek ye first the kingdom of God…” (Matthew 6:33), the best athletes all want to seek out coaching, film study, or seek any other way to improve.
The best athletes put their teammates over themselves. This looks different for every athlete. However, it is truly something that you wear outwardly. It is very easy to tell who puts teammates first, even if they are the most talented athlete. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Overcoming failures is another attribute that the best athletes share. Failing is a part of sports. The best baseball hitters make outs 60-70% of the time. The best basketball players miss about 50% of their shots. Only 1 team wins the championship every year. Sports are filled with failures. Romans 3:23 says that all Christians fail as well, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The best athletes do not let failure stop them from improving.
Finally, all great athletes have a positive attitude. They are not always happy; they get frustrated from time to time, but they are genuinely excited to attack the challenges of each and every day. They don’t “have to” go to practice; they “get to” go to practice. They don’t whine, complain, or make excuses; they just do what is asked of them in every situation. They are the first to offer words of encouragement to others, and they are thankful when others try to pick them up. Think of Joseph from the book of Genesis. He had a positive attitude his whole time in service in Egypt because he knew God would take care of him. Like he told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20).
Q&A With Head Golf Coach Randall Rhodes
1) Describe what drew you to coach at FHU?
?Simply stated, I was drawn to coaching at FHU by my love for Freed-Hardeman, my passion to positively impact others, and my love for the game of golf.
?My first experience with FHU was while attending a Bible Lectureship a few years ago. I distinctly remember the impact that Freed-Hardeman had on me that week. In particular, I recall telling my wife Kim how impressed I was with FHU being about the Father's business. I was highly encouraged by the students' participation in chapel and the overwhelming kindness that was demonstrated. Further visits to FHU only strengthened mine and my family's love for Freed-Hardeman. This ultimately led to our decision to move to Henderson. When the opportunity to coach the FHU golf program was provided to me, it was an easy decision.
2) What are some key lessons you have learned in your professional life that you wish you knew when you were in college?
I wish I knew in college that being a lifelong learner is important at every age. I learned the hard way that being open to learning and receiving feedback from others is vital to growing as a person. Related, when I learned to be self-aware of my strengths and weaknesses, I found myself growing at a faster pace. I wish I'd known the importance of relationships. So much is accomplished when a group (i.e. team) of people are aligned and working together. I learned that caring about others' goals and their success increases their interest in my success.
3) Describe what it means for you to be able to be involved in the holistic development of the young men and women you get to work with.
I'm highly motivated to help others to reach and exceed their potential. One of the biggest joys in my leadership and coaching career has been seeing others accomplish things they didn't see themselves accomplishing. I have a passion to teach others the skills that will help them be successful in their spiritual and professional lives. The student-athletes of Freed-Hardeman are an encouragement to me and a wonderful blessing. I can't think of a better place to be.
4) How do you measure success at the end of a student-athlete's four years at FHU?
My prayer is that student-athletes will achieve more than they expected that they could. This certainly applies to what they accomplish in the FHU golf program but is primarily about their growth as a person. I hope that players can look back on their college career and see the progress they've made in their love for the Lord, developing their God-given talents, and preparing themselves for successful marriages, careers, and life.
"Excellence for the Lord"
by Jeff Jenkins, FHU Trustee
Vince Lombardi, the great coach for the Green Bay Packers once said to his players, “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”
Jesus, our Great Master encourages us to strive for perfection, “Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Because we know ourselves so well, we are very aware of the fact that we cannot reach perfection in this life. However, it may be true that as we chase perfection, we might catch excellence along the way.
We can gain excellence in our personal walk with our Lord.. When we commit our lives to Jesus, we are like children. We need nourishment to grow. We gain nourishment through a desire for God’s Word. “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2) When my children were babies, they had a longing for food. They didn’t care what time of day or night it was, if they were hungry, they cried and screamed until they were fed. If we want excellence in our walk with God, we will cry out for the spiritual food that helps us grow. As my children grew, they wanted more solid food. In their younger years, we spent a lot of money on McDonald’s Happy Meals. As they grew older, they moved past that and wanted steak. As we continue to grow in our walk with God, we should move away from milk to more solid food. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature.” (Hebrews 5:12-14)
We can gain excellence in our family and other relationships. Oftentimes, our relationships are not healthy or strong because we don’t work to make them stronger. All great relationships begin with love. The Word of God tells husbands that they must love their wives. We should work on developing the kind of love that Jesus has for us. “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) There are sixty-four scriptures in the New Testament where we read the words, “One Another.” Most of these scriptures speak of how we should treat one another as followers of Jesus in all our relationships. If we would achieve excellence in our relationships we would do well to read each of the scriptures and work on incorporating them into our daily lives.
We can gain excellence in our academic & athletic life. If these areas of our lives are important and significant to us, we will spend the necessary time to strive for excellence. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this when he said, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) One of the biggest struggles with each of these important aspects of our lives is the temptation to compartmentalize. We speak of our “spiritual life,” our “family life,” and our “work/athletic/academic life.” The answer to the struggle is to make sure we give the Lord first place in every area of our lives and to do everything we do to the glory of God.
The Battle of the Teammates
by Diego Rojas, former assistant soccer coach
Have you ever been part of, witnessed, or heard about teammates fighting over something? Was there something you were able to do? What did you do about it? Was it helpful or did it make things worse? Could we find a similar story in the Bible? Surely not! Right?! Or, is there an actual story? Well, if there is one, it should definitely not be from godly people. Or would it?!
In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’s apostles, comes with a special request for Jesus: to have her two sons, James and John, sit at his right and left. Jesus replies saying that she has no idea what she is asking. Which is true because it was very uncertain for people at the time to understand what the Kingdom was going to be like. They did not know what we know now and did not have what we have now, the full Biblical account. They did not know that the Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom with a throne, an earthly mortal king with a golden crown, and princes around him.
Jesus had just said to them in verse 18 that he was going to die. So, this mother, whom many believe to be Salome (see Mark 15:40, 16:1), probably thought that if Jesus was going to be the King and die, someone had to b
e the next in line to the throne. It became clear to her that it would be one of the twelve. And two of those twelve were her children. So, she goes ahead of the other mothers to make the request. How clever! She probably thought she had to beat Peter’s mother or something.
On top of that, James and John seemed a little more short-tempered than the rest (see Mark 3:17, Luke 9:51-56). They probably had conversations with their mother and had already discussed it. In Mark 10:37, the same story says that the question came from the two of them. It looks very planned out. Therefore, Jesus turns to them in Matthew 20:22 and asks them, not the mother, if they are able to drink from the same cup he will drink. And they respond saying they can. Their attitude creates a ministry battle. Verse 24 says that the other ten apostles become indignant. For them, one thing was to see a mother acting arrogant about her children. Another thing was to see their teammates acting arrogant in a ministry power battle. It seemed as if they needed group counseling. Jesus ends that battle in verses 26-28 saying that whoever is arrogant is going to be brought down, that they need to be servants, just like him.
Application in Sports Ministry:
In whichever role you participate in athletics—whether as an athlete, coach, director, helper, etc.—you are going to deal with all types of personalities around you. Sometimes people will clash. Most times, people will feel they’re innocent and the other party is guilty. It is annoying! Yes, very! But it has happened and it will probably continue to happen. If you participate in athletics and you want to have an efficient practical ministry through your involvement in sports, you have to check that you are not acting like James and John, and that someone else is not acting like their mother on your behalf. A battle over power will not end up. It hurts people. It hurts God. So, the more you stay away from battling for power, the better your sports ministry will be, and you will help yourself and others get closer to reaching the everlasting crown!
Answer the following questions:
1. Are there any past or current power battles within my team?
2. In which areas of life could I be more inclined to be like James and John? Could it be more in my sport? Could it be more with my team?
3. How can I help my teammates, athletes, and others involved in my sport to stay away from power battles?
God bless your athletic endeavors and sports ministry!
