WEEK 50 | ABOVE THE LINE

One of the hardest parts about being a leader is having to set a line of expectations and then actively live above that line.

It’s easy to say, “Work hard, show up early, stay late, compete in every drill, every day, and don’t take any shortcuts,” but nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes.

I’ve heard many coaches say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” We know what we need to do, but we don’t always do it.

Jesus knew this too, and He addressed this when He was talking to His disciples and the crowds of people about the teachers of religious law at the time to His disciples and crowds of people in Matthew 23.

Jesus said, “So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show. On their arms, they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.” (Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬-‭5‬)

Don’t be that person; don’t be that type of teammate, leader, or coach. Be who you say you are and do as you say you will do. But also be able to listen to people’s words and find wisdom without judging their actions.

Jesus continues by saying, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭27‬-‭28‬)

We often know what we should do, but we don’t always do it. Work on being the same on the outside that you are on the inside. Be a person who does what they say and whose actions match their words.

THIS WEEK

1 - Listen for good words of wisdom, and try to apply them to your life. Try to listen for wisdom in what people say without judging their actions.

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Above the Line

WEEK 49 | LISTEN AND RESPOND

I am in the middle of watching the second season of Last Chance U, and ELAC coach John Mosley is frustrated with his team. He has a few high-level transfers in his starting lineup, including a 7 foot 1 inch center from LSU, but Coach Mosley is struggling to get his starters to buy into the hardworking, blue-collar culture that has brought his program success in the past

Instead of continuing to start his more high-profile athletes, Coach Mosley has chosen to turn to his tougher, harder-working bench athletes whom he can trust to do what he demands, make the adjustments he needs them to make, and do what he is teaching. His assistant coach said, “There are only 5 guys and 40 minutes, and the dudes that are playing are doing what they are supposed to do.”

There are consequences when we do not do what we are supposed to do or are asked to do, and there are rewards when we do.

Parable of the Great Feast

In Matthew 22, Jesus the priests and elders, the Parable of the Great Feast, a story about how a group of people was overlooked because they didn’t do what they were asked to do.

Starting in verse 2, Jesus tells the story of a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. The king invited many people, but they weren’t willing to come (verse 3). When the king sent out other servants to invite the people, some made light of the invited and continued doing what they were doing, and some seized and even killed the servants (verses 4-6).

The king was enraged, and he sent his army to avenge the death of his servants. He then sent invitations to anyone his servants could find, and they filled the wedding hall with guests (verses 7-10).

But during the feast, the king saw a man who did not have the proper wedding clothes. When the king asked the man why he came without a wedding garment, the man was speechless and the king had his servants bind his hands and feet and take him away and cast him into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of the teeth (verses 11-13).

Jesus then said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Everybody has choices in life, and the choices we make define us. We have all been given the message of Jesus. The king in this story is God the Father, and the son who is being honored is Jesus. Israel was invited to the kingdom, but they refused to believe it and they refused to follow Jesus. Many prophets (the king’s servants) before Jesus, like John the Baptist, had been killed, and there is a punishment for that.

God instructs us to share the gospel, the story of Jesus, to anyone who will listen, and because we don’t know who will listen and respond and who won’t, oftentimes, unlikely candidates will come to faith.

Later in Matthew 22, a Pharisee asks Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You should love your neighbor as yourself.”

Listen to the people who are leading you. Listen to your coaches, your parents, and your leaders. Listen and respond. When you show up for practices and games, don’t be like the guest who showed up without the proper wedding attire. Show up dressed and prepared to perform.

Most importantly, listen to God and follow Jesus. That is where life begins and ends.

THIS WEEK

1 - What is one takeaway that you have from The Parable of the Wedding Feast?

2 - What is something that your coaches are trying to get you to do that you need to listen to or respond better to?

3 - What is something that is holding you back?

4 - What can you do to overcome that barrier that is holding you back?

For a Google doc version of this Devo, click here: Listen and Respond

WEEK 48 | Do What You Say Your Are Going to Do

I was talking to a coach who had an athlete who was struggling with playing time. She wasn’t doing everything she needed to do to earn the playing time, but worse, she wasn’t being truthful with her parents. She was telling her parents that the coach was playing favorites and she wasn’t one of them, and the parents were giving the coach a hard time because of it.

The advice that I gave the coach was to make sure that he was giving clear and effective feedback to the girl and her parents that explained why she wasn’t playing, and how she could earn more playing time. Author and speaker Ashley Merryman says effective feedback does three things:

1 - Makes people think differently  2 - Helps people take ownership of the problem  3 - Helps apply new thinking and new behaviors

I told him that Merryman has an acronym called T.R.A.C.K.E.D. that gives a guideline for how to give effective feedback that accomplishes those three things:

T - Trustworthy - Can they trust you?  R - Relevant - Will this help them?  A - Accurate - Is this really what happened?  C - Clear - Are you clear and easy to understand?  K - Kind - Are you kind and helpful?  E - Examples - Do you have examples?  D - Dialogue - Can they communicate what you are asking them to do?

We decided to communicate to the athlete three things that she wasn’t doing and to give clear examples. We then gave her three relevant things she could do to earn more playing time, with clear examples. Most importantly, we did it in a kind way that wasn’t meant to embarrass her but to bring her in and feel like we cared about her and her success.

Finally, we asked the athlete and her parents if they understood and were on board so that they too could take ownership of the situation. 

Sometimes this process works, and in this case, it didn’t. The athlete did not follow through with what she said she would, and it was a long season for her, her parents, and the coach.

Sometimes we do everything we can, and it still doesn’t work out in the end. This story reminds me of The Parable of the Two Sons in the book of Matthew in the Bible.

In Matthew 21, Jesus and His disciples come to Jerusalem. When Jesus rode into town on a donkey, the crowd stirred and celebrated His arrival. Jesus then went to the temple and famously turned over the tables and benches saying, “My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Matthew 21:13).

The next morning, Jesus again went to the Temple. After being questioned by the chief priests and the elders, Jesus told them the parable of the two sons:

There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Like the second son, our athlete said she was going to do something but didn’t. All coaches want to coach athletes who will do their job and do what they say they are going to do.

And parents and athletes want the same thing. They want coaches who will be true to their word and who will also do what they say they will do. When we don’t, we lose trust and we lose credibility, and we lose it quickly. Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.

What I liked about including the first son in this story is that at first, he did not have the right mindset. He told his father no. But he then changed his mind. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what’s right.” No matter what we have done or said in the past, we can always change and make the next, right choice.

If you want to gain the trust of those around you, do what you say you will do, and do it well.

THIS WEEK

1 - Figure out 1-3 things that you need to do to accomplish a goal you have. Write them down.

2 - Decide to do what you say you will do. Commit to keeping your word to the three you wrote down, and commit to keeping your word to whoever you speak to.

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Do As You Say You Will Do

Mamba Mondays | I Always Aimed to Kill the Competition

NBA legend Kobe Bryant was known for having a killer mentality, and he took that killer mentality onto the Redeem Team when he teamed up with Lebron James and the rest of the 2012 USA Basketball team.

Here is what Kobe Bryant said about teaming up with Lebron and teaching him how to have a killer mentality:

“The main thing LeBron and I discussed was what constitutes a killer mentality. He watched how I approached every single practice, and I constantly challenged him and the rest of the guys.

I remember there was one half when we were messing around. I came into the locker room at half-time and asked the guys—in a less PG manner—what in the hell we were doing. In the second half, LeBron responded in a big way—he came out with a truly dominant mindset. And I’ve seen him lead that way ever since.”

Every great team has at least one person with a killer mentality. Kobe Bryant was that person on his Lakers teams, and for Team  USA. In his own words, “I always aimed to killed the opposition.”

Week 47 | Be A Great Teammate By Serving

I was talking with a coach about creating an excellent bench environment for his team. He has 12 athletes on his varsity basketball team, and as they get deeper into the season, athletes at the end of the bench are starting to realize that their place is at the end of the bench, and they are starting to react negatively to their role.

Their body language is getting worse and worse, their attitudes are starting to turn negative, and the once positive environment that they had in the pre-season is now eroding because of a lack of equity in playing time.

On every team, there are starters and there are bench players. It's just part of team sports. But so often, we talk to the bench players about how they can be great teammates and supportive of their teammates on the court or field, but we don't as often talk to the starters about how to also be great and supportive teammates to the ones who don't play as much.

It’s easier to cheer for and support a teammate who is a good person and who is cheerful and supportive of us.

This conversation reminds me of the story of The Mother's Request in Matthew 20.

While Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem on a trip that would ultimately lead to Jesus’s death, the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and kneeled down to ask Him for a favor.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This mother wanted her sons to sit in a very special place next to Jesus; she wanted them to be starters, and like many parents, she asked the coach, Jesus, if they could start. I would imagine that would be a sign of greatness for this mother. But Jesus’s message was that it is not where you sit that makes you great, but how you serve. Jesus told them that He came to serve others, and His ultimate act of service would eventually be to die on the cross for them.

Every parent wants their kid to start. They want their kids to be successful. But the Christian goal is not starting, but to serve. So, how can you best serve others on your team? How can you be a great teammate? If you can have a team full of athletes who want to start and who want to be great, but who understand that their ultimate mission is to serve each other, and if you can recognize and celebrate service, then you have created a team that can have the best bench in the country.

Everyone can't play all game. Everyone can't start every game. But everyone can be a great teammate by finding meaningful ways to serve others.

THIS WEEK

1 – What are 1-3 ways in which you can serve your teammates?

2 – When is it hardest to serve your teammates?

3 – What can you do to overcome that barrier and find ways to serve your teammates when it isn’t easy?

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
- Matthew 20:27-28

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Be a Great Teammate by Serving

Week 46 | Run Your Own Race

Run your own race, and run it the best you can.

Everybody is running their own race, and comparison is the thief of all joy.

I once heard a low-major, D1 basketball coach tell the story of a kid on his team who was one of the top ranked 8^th graders in the country when he was 14 years old. This was the kids 3^rd or 4^th college team, and according to the coach, the kid had so much success so early that he never really learned how to manage adversity.

On the other hand, there are 100s of college athletes who were late bloomers and were never close to being ranked in middle school who find a lot of success at the college level.

Everybody is running their own race.

Athletes start their sports journeys at different times, for different reasons, and with different abilities. Some athletes hit the ground running and find success early, and some don’t find success until they have put years of work in. Some athletes are stars when they are younger and fizzle out when puberty hits, and some don’t find their way in the sports world until they hit high school or even later.

Basketball star Azzi Fudd became the first sophomore to win the Gatorade Player of the Year and was the number one recruit in her class, but according to her mom, when she first started playing basketball, she was terrible. But she worked hard, had a plan, stuck to the plan, and went on to start at the University of Connecticut, passing up all of the prodigies around her who had an earlier and faster start.

All we can do is control what we can control, do the best we can, and maximize and take advantage of the opportunities as they come, while enjoying the process. We reap what we sow over time, and the harder the work and the more we invest, the more we will get out of our experience.

As I am reading through the book of Matthew, I see comparisons between the journey of an athlete and the Parable of the Workers.

In the Parable, a landowner hires men to work on his vineyard. They come in at different hours of the day, the first workers coming in at 9 in the morning, and the last group coming in at 5 in the afternoon.

When it was time for them to get paid, the landowner paid the latest workers first, and he paid them all equally. When he paid the first workers hired last, and when the first workers realized that they worked the longest but got paid last and an equal amount as everyone else, they got upset and grumbled with the landowner.

When they said to the landowner, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat,’ the landowner replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This parable shows that even the people who come to Christianity later in life will earn the same rewards that people who came early earn, as long as they are willing to do and put in the work.

This also teaches us to not be boastful or prideful because we got an early start on someone else. God gives different opportunities to different people and at different times. All we can do is show up ready to work and believe when our time is called, accept the rewards that He gives us, and be happy for others on the same journey as us.

Stay humble. Work hard. Be thankful for the rewards you earn.

THIS WEEK

1 – What race are you running? What do you hope to get out of playing sports?

2 – What is one thing you need to keep doing on your race?

3 – What is one thing you need to stop doing or that is holding you back?

4 – Who is one person that you can encourage to keep running their race this week, and how can you encourage them?

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Run Your Own Race

Mamba Mondays | Prepare Consistently

One of the most important things you can do as an athlete is consistent in how you prepare. So many games are won or lost in preparation, and how well and consistently you get and stay prepared can make or break your career.

Getting and staying prepared isn't always fun. It is hard work that requires discipline. Boxing champion Muhammad Ali once said, "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'"

NBA legend Kobe Bryant was known for being one of the hardest workers and most prepared athletes ever. Preparation was so important to him that Kobe would read the referee's rule books so that he knew everything he could about how the game was officiated. But there are distractions everywhere, and we have to learn how to manage them if we want to find and maintain consistency in our preparation.

Here is what Kobe said about his ability to prepare consistently while playing for the US National Team:

“My routine with Team USA, compared to my NBA routine, was inconsistent. I tried to stick to my regular road workouts, but the big unknown was always the environment. During the NBA season, I knew how every city and stadium operated, which made it easier for me to visualize everything from the bus ride to the final buzzer.

When you go to China, Spain, the UK, or Turkey, you don’t know what the bus to the game is going to look like, you don’t know what the training room is going to look like, and you don’t know the layout of the arenas. Those details tend to vary, so I had to adjust accordingly.

Mentally, though, I approached national team games with the utmost intensity. I knew I was playing against guys I had never faced before, and I knew I was going to defend the other country’s best player, so I locked in. I studied a lot of film and tried to figure out who my opponents were. The last thing I wanted to do was risk stepping out blindly against an unknown-but-great player. Preparation was critical.”

If you want to be the best you can be, be consistent in how you prepare. The work that you put in, every day, makes a big difference - especially over time.

Do something today, tomorrow, and every day after that your future self will thank you for.

Mamba Mondays | Image

So much of today’s world is driven by social media and the images that we see and create on it. With social media, you can be whatever you what to be, and what you see is the crafted, best version of everyone.

This creates a level of comparison and scrutiny that we have never seen in the history of our world.

Social media has changed everyone's lives, and it has brought difficulties that the modern athlete has to deal with that we didn't when we were growing up. Part of an athlete's journey, and part of growing up and maturing, is learning how to manage your image and how to manage how you handle how other people see you, talk about you, and perceive you.

John Wooden once said, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

Kobe Bryant once said:

"When I was young, my mindset was image, image, image. I took that approach with the media. As I became more experienced, I realized: No matter what, people are going to like you or not like you. So be authentic, and let them like you or not for who you actually are. At that point, I started keeping all of my answers blunt and straight forward. I would mix in some humor and sarcasm, too. I think fans and reporters came to appreciate that; came to appreciate the real me."

One of the biggest lessons to learn in life is how to be yourself and how to be comfortable being yourself. Social media conditions us to compare ourselves to others, but we don't have to. Know who you are, know what makes you happy, and be a good person to others by helping them be happy being themselves.

WEEK 45 | THE RICH YOUNG MAN

According to NCAA data, there are about 7,400,000 high school athletes across the country and about 460,000 NCAA athletes. That means that only 6% of high school athletes will play sports in college.

Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way.

There are other opportunities to play sports in college for schools that don't participate in the NCAA. The NAIA is a league through which smaller athletic programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics are able to offer around 77,000 student-athletes each year the opportunity to play college sports and compete for $800,000,000 in scholarship opportunities, and for 28 national championships.

Junior college is also an opportunity to play college sports. The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is home to over 22,200 2-year student-athletes, and to over 1,500 2-year junior college programs that follow a similar scholarship structure to the NCAA, with D1, D2, and D3 colleges.

Leagues like the NAIA and NJCAA aren't nearly as popular as the NCAA, but they are definitely competitive. Being a college athlete is extremely difficult, but for dedicated, committed athletes, it is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Playing in college is an opportunity to play at a high level in the sport you love and are good at. It is a dream for so many athletes and parents. But the amount of hard work, focus, and dedication that it takes to play at the college level can't be said enough.

The journey of becoming a college athelte, especially one on scholarship, reminds me of the story of the rich young man who approached Jesus and asked him in Matthew 19, "What good deed must I do to have eternal life?"

Jesus told him to keep the commandments, to love and honor his father and mother, and not to kill anyone. The rich young man said he had always obeyed the commandments, and then Jesus told the young man that he needed to do one more thing. He needed to sell everything he had and give the money to the poor; then the young man should follow Him.

The young man did not want to give away everything he had because he loved the things he owned, and he left feeling sad. His possessions meant more to him than following Jesus.

Jesus told His disciples that it is hard for those who are rich and who love all of their things to go to heaven. He said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciple heard this, they were astonished and confused. They asked Him, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus said, "With man, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." People who trust God and love Him more than anything else can live with Him in heaven.

Life is all about choices; choices and sacrifices. When you choose one thing, you are sacrificing another. If you want to play sports in college, especially on a scholarship, you will have some difficult choices to make. You will have to make some serious sacrifices. Not a lot of people are willing to make those sacrifices, but if you choose to work hard and choose the right college, it can be one of the best choices you can make in your life.

The same goes for choosing Jesus. It is easy to choose Jesus when life is hard and you feel like you really need Him. As He shows in this parable, it is hard to make that choice when you are rich and have everything that you need. But every day, make the choice to choose Jesus, choose His teaching, and choose to live life like He taught and lived.

That is the key to living a life full of love, joy, and peace.

Every day, choose Jesus.

THIS WEEK

1 - What choices are you making that get you closer to your goals and dreams?

2 - What choices are you not making to get you closer to your goals and dreams?

3 - What choices are you making to bring you closer to Jesus?

4 - What choices are you not making to bring you closer to Jesus?

Look at everything you do, everything you say, and every thought you have under the lens of, "Will this bring me closer to my dreams, and will this bring me closer to Jesus?"

For more read Matthew 19:16-28.

For a Google doc version of this devotional, click here: The Rich Young Man

Mamba Mondays | Sacrifices

In December 2009, Kobe had a serious injury to his right index finger; he had broken his index finger on his shooting hand. When his trainer, Gary Viti, told him about the fracture, Kobe said, "Alright, cool, now get me back out there.

Kobe said that Gary looked at him like he was crazy, but Kobe asked him, "Is it going to get better? When Gary said no, Kobe said, "Exactly. There is nothing we can do about it now, and it can't get words, so tape it up and let's go."

Every time he got on the court, every shootaround, practice, and game, he would apply a splint on his finger. Then they would wrap it over and over again. The ball would still hurt every time it hit his finger, but mentally he knew he had the protection to absorb just enough of the pain, and he would play through the rest.

Kobe Bryant once said, "A lot of people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness."

This injury caused Kobe to change how he shot the basketball. He went from guiding the ball with his index and middle finger to just using his middle finger. Making that shift took some time. He had to mentally download the software that was the new form, and then he had to drill it over and over again. 

He would make 1,000s of shots during that time, trying to relearn this new shooting style.

Not a lot of people are willing to play through an injury where every time you catch the ball, it hurts.

Not a lot of people are willing to completely change their shot either. It takes time and sacrifice. But Kobe, and the other great athletes, are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.

WEEK 40 | GRACEFULLY ACCOUNTABLE

Have you ever had a teammate who always messed up and made the same mistakes over and over again? That can be frustrating, especially when you are in an environment where you have high expectations.

When I was a young athlete, I would hate it when we would have to run for our teammate's mistakes. We always had one teammate who never touched the line, who always messed up the drill, and who could never remember the directions or plays.

While leadership requires holding the people around you accountable to the standards that are communicated, how we hold them accountable tells a lot about who we are as people.

Actress Viola Davis once said, "I don't know what the definition of grace is; only that it meets you where you are and it doesn't leave you how it found you. You want some grace in your life because you are never going to arrive perfectly at any place."

In Matthew 18, Jesus gives us an example of how we should hold the people around us accountable, even if they mess up over and over again, with grace.

In verse 21, Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." He then said:

 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him 10,000 bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had sold to repay the debt.

The servant then fell on his knees before him and begged, "Be patient with me and I will pay back everything." The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt, and let him go.

But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him and said, "Pay back what you owe me!"

The servant fell to his knees and begged, saying, "Be patient with me, and I will pay it back," but he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that happened. Then the master called the servant in and said, "You wicked servant, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had on you?" In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he was able to pay back all of his debt. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Debt could be your teammates making routine mistakes, causing you to run or even lose games, or debt could be somebody truly hurting you. But Jesus says we have to find forgiveness in our hearts because none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes.

THIS WEEK

1 - When people around you make mistakes, how do you react? Do you hold them accountable with or without grace? Do you hold them accountable at all?

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Gracefully Accountable

Mamba Mondays | T'D Up

I have always had a love/hate relationship. I need them to call fouls and control the game, but I don't need them calling too many fouls on me or my team.

I tell my athletes and parents to never forget that referees are people with human feelings and human emotions. My strategy is to never work for the last call but to always work for the next call. When a referee makes a call that goes against our team and we yell at them or argue with them, will that help or hurt our team get a call when it really matters?

That is something to think about any time you engage a referee.

Also, it is important to know that every referee sees the game and calls the game differently. Some will let you be more physical, and some call games much tighter. Some don't mind talking to players and coaches, and some are more ready to give talkative players and coaches technicals quicker than others.

But learning how to manage and work with referees effectively is an important skill to learn and master.

The great Kobe Bryant said that he used to get his fair share of technical fouls. Still, he had a great relationship with a majority of referees. That's due in large part to the mutual respect they had for one another. He made sure to talk with them and build a dialogue and rapport with them. That way, if he talked back or pointed something out, it often held weight with them.

Kobe also said that referees have a difficult job. They are not just responsible for observing and moderating the action in from of them at a fast pace, but they are also responsible for controlling the emotions of the gym.

To gain an edge, Kobe made a point of reading the referee's handbook. One of the rules he gleaned from it was that each referee has a designated slot where he is supposed to be on the floor, creating dead zones, or areas on the floor where they can't see certain things. He learned where they were and took advantage of them.

Week 43 | Great Teammates Hold Each Other Accountable

Former NBA champion Joe Dumars once said, "On good teams, coaches hold players accountable; on great teams, players hold players accountable."

Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for your actions.

Accountable teammates know what is expected of them, and they are empowered to do their best work, while teammates without accountability lack the motivation and discipline needed to achieve their goals.

A lack of accountability is one of the biggest problems that can hold teams back. When nobody wants to be at fault or take responsibility for their mistakes, there can be a lot of finger-pointing and blame within the team. Doing the little things right, every day, like showing up on time, touching the line, and doing your job can be the difference between a winning season and a losing season.

Great teams can't just rely on great coaching to hold teammates accountable; teammates have to be able to do that for each other, and teammates have to be willing to listen to each other and follow each other's lead.

You can build accountability by establishing clear roles, expectations, and responsibilities, and by creating an atmosphere where people are comfortable being honest with each other.

In Matthew, Jesus gives us Biblical instructions on how to hold each other accountable. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus tells us how to correct another believer:

"If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won't accept the church's decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector."

I love how Jesus says to start by going privately and pointing out the offense. Some teammates don't mind being addressed publically, but it's probably wise to start small when trying to hold teammates accountable. If you call some teammates out too loud or too publicly, they might shut you out by not listening or responding, or worse, they might fight back. Figure out what works for you, and be flexible enough to be able to use different methods when addressing issues with teammates because what works for you or for one teammate might not work for everybody.

I love how Jesus then says to take one or two others with you if you aren't successful going at it alone. Don't just give up on your teammates; diligently search for ways to connect with each other and help each other grow.

Holding your teammates accountable can be scary and sometimes difficult at first, but don't be afraid to speak up. Leadership requires courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to do things afraid. Every great team requires great leadership, and great leadership requires great courage.

Find your voice and find ways to effectively lead by setting a great example and by using your voice.

THIS WEEK

1 - How do you want your coaches to praise you and hold you accountable; publicly or privately?

2 - How do you want your teammates to praise you and hold you accountable; publicly or privately?

3 - How are you comfortable holding your teammates accountable?

4 - When is it easiest for you to hold your teammates accountable?

5 - When is it the hardest for you to hold your teammates accountable?

6 - When it gets hard, what is something that you can do to find the courage you need to speak up and hold your teammates accountable?

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Great Teammates Hold Each Other Accountable

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

Mamba Mondays | Kobe and Phil

Like many star players and their coaches, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson had a complex relationship. They had a lot of success together, but it was not without their struggles.

They won three championships in a row together, but Phil Jackson wrote that Kobe Bryant was uncoachable, and after losing in the finals to the Detroit Pistons, stopping them from winning four in a row, Phil Jackson left the Lakers.

Jackson returned to Kobe and the Lakers, and they won back-to-back championships during their second run together. Kobe said:

"It took us until our second stint together to realize how we were perfectly suited for one another. During our first go-together, Phil thought I was uncoachable. He thought I questioned his authority and questioned his plans. He thought I didn't listen. When he came back, he realized that I was just very inquisitive and unafraid to ask questions. He realized that that's how I process information and learn. Once he put his pulse on that, he was more patient with me. He was more willing to sit and answer my many questions and talk everything through."

How many times have you thought that one of your athletes, or parents, were being selfish, rude, or uncoachable when they were just trying to learn more about what your vision was, or trying to better understand what you wanted out of your athletes?

Kobe also wrote:

"One of the reasons our relationship worked is because, in a lot of ways, we were polar opposites. Every team needs either a confrontational star player or coach. In San Antonio, Gregg Popovich was that guy and Time Duncan was not. In Golden State, Draymond Green is the confrontational one; Steve Kerr is not. For us, Phil was not that type of person, so I provided that force. You always have to have that balance and counterbalance, and Phil and I were perfectly suited for each other in that way."

This is why diversity is so valuable. We all bring something different and unique to the team. We have to be willing and unafraid to be who we are, and we have to create a culture where everyone is free to be themselves and shine in their role.

Week 42 | Lost Sheep

In our house, we have a saying: No Troll Left Behind. For us, this means nobody is left to do life alone no matter what is going on. We are family, and we do what we can for each other. When someone does well, we celebrate together. When someone is struggling, we rally around them and support them as they find their way back.

We also try to live this out in sports. When someone new comes to our team, we try to make them feel like they are an important part of our sports family. We do whatever we can to welcome them in, and we do whatever we can to bring them along with us.

But on most teams, somebody gets left behind at one point or another. It might take someone a little longer than the others to learn a play, a skill, or a rotation, and it can be frustrating for a teammate or a coach waiting for a teammate to catch up, but No Troll Left Behind. It is our job as teammates and friends to do everything we can to help catch them up and to support them.

Every athlete has a decision to make: Am I willing to do what it takes to be successful? But every coach and teammate also has a decision to make: Am I willing to do everything I can to create a space and provide the support that helps everyone on my team be successful? And if they aren't being successful, what am I willing to do or change to help them?

In Matthew 18, Jesus shares 'The Parable of the Lost Sheep' with his disciples. Jesus said:

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

God wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)

What does it mean to come to repentance? Repentance means to change your mind. God knows that none of us are perfect, but He wants us all to live good lives, which means making the right choices and doing the right things. When we don't, He wants us to repent - to admit that we have sinned or done wrong, ask for forgiveness, and then choose to live right and holy every day.

Part of that is looking for lost sheep, helping lost sheep come back, and being supportive of lost sheep.

Every team needs great teammates who will support and be there for everyone through the good and the bad. We all make mistakes because no one is perfect. When we do, we need people looking for us and helping us come back like lost sheep, and we need people to rejoice when we find our way back.

THIS WEEK

1 - Be a searcher for lost sheep. When someone is struggling, do what you can to be supportive and help them. Then, rejoice and celebrate with and for them when they find success.

2 - Sometimes, it can be easy to give up on teammates because of their attitude and ability. Instead of giving up on people, what can you do to be a supportive teammate through success and adversity?

For a Good doc version of this devo, click here: Lost Sheep

Mamba Mondays | Good vs Great Coaches

In his book, Mamba Mentality, Kobe Bryant wrote, “A good coach is of utmost importance.”

Young Kobe was out to prove himself to the world, and I’m sure he gave his earlier coaches headaches, but as he aged, so did his wisdom, and he spoke highly of and with respect for great coaching.

Kobe also wrote this:

“Coaches are teachers. Some coaches—lesser coaches—try telling you things. Good coaches, however, teach you how to think and arm you with the fundamental tools necessary to execute properly. Simply put, good coaches make sure you know how to use both hands, how to make proper reads, and how to understand the game. Good coaches tell you where the fish are, and great coaches teach you how to find them. That’s the same at every level.

In certain situations, like in the midst of a game, good coaches relay execution information. They point out what specifically is and isn’t working. Based on that and your own feel for the game, you utilize some of that information immediately and you save some of it in your back pocket for crucial moments during the game. Then, when the time is right … boom!”

I love when he said, “Coaches are teachers. Some coaches tell you things, good coaches teach you how to think and arm you with the tools to execute properly. Good coaches tell you where the fish are, great coaches teach you how to find them.”

Teach your athletes how to think. Give them the tools they need to execute and be successful. Teach them how to fish, then let them loose with guidance, support, and feedback!

Week 41 | One Bad Apple

Have you ever been on a team where one athlete's bad attitude affected everyone in the group? There is a saying that, "One bad apple spoils the bunch." The phrase is used to describe a situation in which one person's negative attitude can negatively affect the entire group, causing them to have a similar negative attitude.

I'm not sure how or where this phrase began, but it does have some basis in science. When apples begin to decay, they emit gasses. If the rotting apple is mixed in with other apples, the good apples can absorb the gasses and begin to rot as well.

It is important to keep good apples away from bad apples.

I've had similar experiences on teams. I have had teams become torn apart because the negative attitudes and behaviors of one teammate went unchecked.

I have also had similar experiences with individual athletes. They allow one bad apple, one negative influence, or one correctable character flaw to negatively affect who they are, and it kills their potential and eventually their career.

We have to guard ourselves against bad apples, but can we do so while trying to help them or without removing them from our lives?

In Matthew 18, Jesus preached about bad apples. When His disciples asked Him who was the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus said to them, "Whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

He then said:

"If anyone causes one of these little ones - those who believe in me - to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the seas. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."

Jesus makes it clear that we should not be bad apples. We aren't supposed to cause anyone to stumble, or anyone to sin, and if we have something in our lives that causes us to stumble or sin, we are supposed to cut it out.

When we are a part of a team, we don't have the ability to cut out the bad apples, but we do have to protect ourselves, our thoughts, and our behaviors. Peer pressure can be tough and easy to fall into, and it can be hard to stand up for yourself and fight against negative influences and bullying. But we have to choose, every day, to be strong in the Lord and to put on the full armor of God and think the right things, say the right things, and do the right things (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Today, right now, think about what kind of person you want to be. Write it down. Then live it out. Be determined to be the person you want to be and live the life you want to live, no matter what is going on around you. When you make that decision, there will still be bad apples around you, but you will also see the good apples too, the people who want to live life like you.

Decide today to put on the armor of God, and do good things!!

THIS WEEK

1 - Decide on what kind of apple you are going to be. Are you going to be one who is positive, encouraging, and approaches everything with energy and enthusiasm, or are you going to be negative, bring people down, and fold when faced with adversity?

2 - When good things are happening, how are you going to share your positive energy with others?

3 - When adversity hits, how are you going to stay positive and keep doing the next, right thing?

4 - What is a Bible verse or story, or who is a good example that you can follow?

For me, every day morning I will read Ephesians 6:10-17:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. 

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: One Bad Apple 

Putting it into Practice With Napheesa Collier

Napheesa Collier is a basketball superstar in the WNBA. She sat down with Brett Ledbetter at What Drives Winning and was asked some questions about being a leader, saying, 'No,' and confidence.

Question 1: As a leader, you have to be able to hold the people around you accountable. Everybody leads in a different way, and you have to know the people around you, and their personalities, and try to help them be the best they can be in their own way.

NC: Delivery is really important. You can say something two different ways; one way will help a person, and one way will cause them to shut down for the rest of the game. The way that you talk to people is so important.

I don't mind getting yelled at by my coach, but if you yell at some people, you aren't going to get anything else out of them. And some people need to be yelled at; they don't like to be talked to nicely.

Question 2: A lot of performers are pleasers because they want the fans to like what they are doing. The hardest thing for pleasers to do is to say no, but the higher you go, sometimes being able to say no is one of the most important skills that you can have. What are your thoughts about that?

NC: I've learned that saying no is a perfectly acceptable response. If you aren't comfortable doing something, you need to be able to say no because people will give as much as you let them give, so you have to set boundaries and you have to know what your limits are, and hold steady to those.

Question 3: How do you not allow whether the ball is going in on one side, not to dictate your effort on the other side?

It sucks not scoring, and it is really, really frustrating. But when that happens, it makes me focus harder on defense because if I'm not helping my team on this end, I need to be able to help them on the other end. I can't just be out here being useless and hurting us on both sides of the floor.

Question 4: As you think about your mentality, what is something you wish would have happened sooner for you that would have prevented some of the headaches?

My mentality. Confidence is something that ebbs and flows throughout the season, but believing in myself the whole time fixes so many things. For some professional players, 90% of their game is confidence, and it is so important and can make you a totally different player. It doesn't matter how talented you are; if you aren't confident in yourself, you are not going to be a good player. Confidence changes your entire game.

Brett added these two quotes that I really liked:

I heard a coach say, "If I had to choose between someone being overconfident or delusional, I would take delusional 100 times."

A lot of your likeability is based on other people's self-interest. If they like you or don't like you says more about them than it says about them.