Amazing Grace

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
-John 3:20-21

As I sat in church today I realized how amazing God is! This weekend Cornerstone Church opened up a new 13 million dollar expansion to the church. The new auditorium sits over 2,000 people and is an amazing facility. What caught my attention today was not the new facility, but rather instead as I looked around at the 2000 people all worshiping together the idea that each person in that church has a God story whether they know it or not.

My Story: God used my greatest struggle to call me to him……..
I grew up like many people in the United States with two incredible parents that provided me every opportunity I could have ever dreamed of. They were always there to love and comfort my brother and I. There was never a price too great to pay in order to allow us to chase our dreams and pursue our passions. We were incredibly close as a family but were not overly close to God. Of course we believed that God existed and we knew there was a heaven and we knew that during Christmas and Easter we were to go to church but that was essentially the extent of our faith.

During my years growing up I began to excel on the basketball court and basketball became my passion and you could even say that it became my God. New doors began to open because of basketball and I was soon traveling around the United States competing at the highest level experiencing things I could have never imagined.

As I entered the 8th grade my passion for basketball was increasing as were my skills. In December of my 8th grade year I was called up to the varsity team and soon was in the starting line-up. The summer before my senior year I was ranked as one of the top 40 players in the country and received a full-ride scholarship to Iowa State. I finished my senior year with a state championship and headed to college to follow up my state championship with a Big 12 championship and freshman of the year honors.

I completed my basketball career as a three time All Big 12 selection and Academic All-American. According to the world I was where every kid could only dream about being. I had a life-time worth of experiences and stories; so everything should be great as I flipped to the next chapter of my life.

However, my life was far from happy. I had an inner torment occurring that I never thought would leave me alone. There were countless days in high school that I could not even pull myself out of bed to go to school. In college I feared walking on campus, I feared driving home, I feared what people were thinking, I feared the unknown, I feared life.

I suffered from something called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Most people have some general idea of what OCD is because it is usually associated with checking the locks on the door a few extra times, checking the knobs on the stove a few extra times, or washing of the hands a few more times than the average person. Actually it is much worse than what most people believe and it can be overwhelming and often controls every aspect of one’s life.

I could go on with all kinds of crazy stories of what I went through in high school and college, but I will stick to one quick example in order to allow all of you to enter my life for a brief moment. Usually obsessive compulsive disorder is not just over one aspect of a person’s life but rather it can be many different things. One of my issues was white objects. Yes, that is not a typo it is the truth. I could not stand anything white on the ground.

As you read this I am assuming you have never noticed all of the white objects on the ground. Oh but I have. Anytime I saw a white object (piece of paper, rock, wrapper, leaf, ect..) on the ground I had to pick it up and put it in my pocket. Now let me tell you the challenge of getting from Lagomarcino Hall on the Iowa State campus back to my dorm room or to Hilton Coliseum. It is about a ½ mile walk which should take about 15 minutes to walk, but I could easily turn that trip into a two hour ordeal and then when I arrived at my next destination I would have a pocket full of white things and enough anxiety to kill me. (It is ok to smile because I know it sounds just crazy)

I had many other crazy things affect me each day like 90 degree angles, how my shoe laces were tied, simply driving my car and the list could on and on. When I was going through the worst of this in high school and early on in college I was embarrassed to talk about it. The doctors just kept giving more and more medicine but yet nothing seemed to really help. I did not know how I was going to go on. My only comfort came while playing basketball. Then God stepped in.

First, he brought a manager to the Iowa State Basketball team named Dave Edwards who gave me my first Bible and challenged me every day to read it. I usually did not listen to him except when we nearly died on the propeller operated plane that we jumped on for road games. One day the plane would not start so they jumped it with a 15 passenger van. Even if you never wanted to read your Bible that experience would make you do it!!

As God was using Dave to intervene in my life a cute girl stopped by my dorm room asking if I wanted to come up to the 7th floor and watch the movie Love and Basketball. I did not really want to watch the movie but she was pretty cute so without thinking I jumped on the elevator and headed up to the 7th floor. The only problem was that I had just finished practice and my feet have a tendency to stink from time to time. In my hurry to meet this girl on the 7th floor I did not put on any shoes or socks. I never really realized the first impression my feet made on my wife but the smell must have put her in a trance because she has never left my side.

While my wife was still my girlfriend she dragged me to Salt Company which is the college ministry at Cornerstone Church. I will never forget that first night there when I looked around and saw the passion so many people had for Jesus. I began to wonder just what all of these people knew that I did not. Maybe that Bible Dave gave me had the answers I was waiting for. As we were leaving Salt Company God was not done intervening as the pastor came up to me and began to talk basketball. All I could think about was that I am in a church with a pastor that likes basketball. Maybe I should just come on Sunday and listen to what he has to say. I was a little unsure about coming after I saw that pastor screaming with all of those crazy fans in Hilton Coliseum. I remember thinking wow you can be pastor and still jump, cheer, and yell at a Cyclone game - that must be a pretty cool church.

While all of this was going on I was having a ton of success on the basketball court but was being tormented by my OCD like no one would ever know. As I struggled it seemed as though God showed up more and more. The Lord put one person after another in my life and I soon grew to know a wonderful church family.

I gave my life to Christ my Senior year in college. I really did not know what that fully meant at the time but I now know that God brought me out of a dark place filled with fear. Today I still struggle from time to time with the OCD and anxiety, but I no longer need the medication and the best part is when I do stumble to fears, I now have something much bigger than myself to lean on.

Have a great week!
Jake

KINGDOM HOOPS: GHANA, AFRICA

These will be some of the first Kingdom Hoops players in Ghana, Africa! I am blown away how God keeps opening up incredible doors for the Kingdom Hoops program. These boys' just beat Accra Academy on October 23rd 66-22! Great work Boys!

Let your passion bucket overflow!

Have you ever wondered why so many people walk around in this world seeming to lack passion and enthusiasm? As a coach and more importantly as an individual that gets to work with youth on a daily basis nothing frustrates me more than individuals who lack enthusiasm. I believe that the level of enthusiasm that an individual has towards their faith, their sport, their job, their school work, their relationships has a direct correlation to amount of success they have in that particular area of their life. As I read Paul's words in Acts 20:22-24 I could feel the enthusiam he had while living for Christ. As we come to the end of another week don't finish this week like so many people in the world with an empty passion bucket, but instead fill your passion bucket for life and Christ and let it overflow with ENTHUSIASM.

Enthusiam is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic, and faithful, and you will accomplish your objective. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Acts 20:22-24

I am amazed that no matter how many times I read the Bible I find something new and powerful in it. Tonight as I was reading JJ his bedtime story from the Bible I came across Acts 20:22-24; and for now I think they are my new favorites. As I read them I just marvel at Paul's FAITH in God and the COURAGE and STRENGTH he found in his Faith!!

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Tim Tebow: Born To Lead

Every week, it seems like a new moral or ethical shortcoming tarnishes the reputation of yet another sports superstar. There's no need to name names or the charges. Enough ink has already been used reporting the allegations.

For better or worse, sports today provide one of the most visible platforms for modeling behavior. Yet, not everyone who stands on the pedestal wants the responsibility that comes with it. Some athletes even recoil at the idea of being a role model.

Still, there are others who give us hope. Men like University of Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow, who welcomes and embraces the opportunity to make a positive impact.

"Because of the success our team has had, my platform at the University of Florida is really great," Tebow said. "I'm blessed with an opportunity to influence lives and help a lot of people."

Considering his talents on the gridiron, who wouldn't want to be like Tim Tebow?

As the acknowledged leader of the defending national champion Florida Gators, a two-time All-American and scholar athlete of the year, Tebow has already been labeled one of the greatest college football players of all time. He won almost every award possible by the time he was 21, and will, just this month, turn 22.

The following is an excerpt from what could be the "Tim Tebow List of Honors":

• One Heisman Trophy.• Two Maxwell Awards as the nation's top football player.• One Davey O'Brien Award as the country's best quarterback.• An ESPY naming him the best male college athlete.• One James E. Sullivan Award as America's most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport.• One ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year nod.• Two Academic All-American first-team selections.• Two character-based awards: The 2008 Disney Wide World of Sports Spirit Award and the same year's Wuerffel Trophy.

Based on the manner in which Tebow conducts himself, though, you'd think he'd never read his own résumé. He radiates humility and kindness — both offshoots of the faith in Christ he very publicly professes. Tebow recognizes that skills are a gift from the Lord and that he was given these achievements in order to help him share the truth of Christ.

"When people see the work ethic, determination and the passion that I have, they're going to ask, 'What drives you? What is that?'" Tebow said. "Well, the answer is my relationship with Jesus Christ. That's just what has always fueled me."

Even President Barack Obama recognized Tebow's faith when he singled him out during a Gator-honoring ceremony at the White House in May. Said the commander in chief: "Tim is an inspiration to so many — a guy whose true strength comes not from the gym, but from his faith.

"Whether his audience is the president of the United States, the millions watching his games on TV, the hundreds of inmates he's personally addressed in prison courtyards or the orphans in the Philippines who hang on his every word, Tebow takes every opportunity to tell others about the joy and peace that comes from following Jesus Christ.

As evidenced by his growing reputation for writing Scripture references on his game-day eyeblack, Tebow has also mastered the art of non-verbal witnessing. For the BCS National Championship game on Jan. 8 against the Oklahoma Sooners (which the Gators won, 24-14), he chose to wear "John 3:16" under his eyes. Within 24 hours of the game, the reference was Googled 93 million times.

More than passing or rushing yards, this was a statistic Tebow savored. It meant he'd achieved his dream of deflecting his fame to his Savior. National championships are fantastic, but the Lord's renown is priceless.

MIRACLE BABY
The Philippines is a special place for the entire Tebow family. Tim's parents, Bob and Pam, moved there in 1985 with their then four children in order to become Christian missionaries. Today, the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association continues to minister in the Pacific nation of 92 million. They have a staff of 45 Filipino national evangelists, an orphanage, a boat ministry, and they work in conjunction with 2,000 churches

The youngest Tebow — Tim — was born there in 1987. He and his siblings, after they each turned 15, began traveling back with Bob and a mission team every year to support the evangelistic work. During a 2008 trip, Tim spoke to almost 7,000 citizens in different locations, and, of those, more than 5,000 indicated that they'd made decisions for Christ.

Ironically, all of Tim Tebow's ministry opportunities and football achievements — even his very life — almost never happened.While living in the Philippines in the mid-80s, Bob Tebow — passionate about the preservation of human life — grieved over the number of abortions in America. He began to pray, "Lord, if you give us another son, I'll raise him to be a preacher." He even prayed by name for "Timmy" — from "Timothy," which means "honoring God."

In time, Pam conceived another child. But, due to any number of still-unknown factors, complications surfaced in the pregnancy.

Concerned for Pam's life, her doctor urged her to abort the child. The baby was thought to be nothing more than a mass of fetal tissue, and carrying it to term put Pam at risk. But Pam and Bob refused the doctor's counsel and trusted God for their son's life. She spent months of her pregnancy confined to a bed and, more than once, nearly lost the baby.

But on Aug. 14, 1987, against the odds, Timmy was born — healthy, but very skinny. And, now, that early thin stature has become another reason the Tebows consider the quarterback's current 6-foot-3, 245-pound frame a sign of God's hand at work and a testament to the power of prayer.

HOMETOWN HERO:
There was much rejoicing in Gator Nation when Tebow chose to attend the University of Florida. As heavily as he was recruited elsewhere, his choice came as no surprise. Bob and Pam had met on Florida's campus, and the Tebow family had relocated to the state when Tim was three.

As a child, Tebow was a die-hard Gator. His bedroom wallpaper and bedspread were covered with blue and orange. Pam urged him to emulate Gator quarterback Danny Wuerffel, another national champion and Heisman Trophy winner, as his sports hero because of his faith-driven conduct.

"I looked up to him, not really for how he played on the field, but for how he handled himself off of it," said Tebow, who, through the influence of his Christian parents, understood that sports were meant to honor God. "Danny set a great example for a 6-year-old boy. He was someone who was humble and who could handle victory and defeat."

Now, after two national titles of his own, the divine nature of the Tim Tebow story is developing into one that will be told for decades.

It started in 2006, when, even as a backup to quarterback Chris Leak, Tebow led the Gators in rushing touchdowns and helped them to their first national championship since 1996. As a starter in 2007, Tebow became the first player in college football history to record more than 20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns, including two with a broken right hand in a game against Florida State. His performance that season made him the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

At the Heisman ceremony that year, with his right hand in a cast, Tebow picked up his trophy and began his acceptance speech: "I'd like to start off by thanking my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave me the ability to play football and gave me a great family and great coaches...

"In a video profile shown at the ceremony, Tebow described his priorities in life:1. His faith in God.2. His family.3. Academics.4. Football.

It wasn't the typical Heisman speech.

"He began to pray, 'Lord, if you give us another son, I'll raise him to be a preacher.'"When the 2008 season began, Tebow and the strong team of Gators had high hopes of going undefeated. Those plans were short-lived, however, as unranked Ole Miss stunned Florida in a 31-30 upset in September. Call it the silver lining to a crushing defeat, but the loss proved to be a pivotal point in Tebow's career.

In a postgame press conference, he gave an emotional pledge to all Florida fans that he and the Gators would work harder than anyone else in the nation thereafter.

Tebow was held accountable to that promise as his speech was replayed thousands of times on national television and over the Internet.

And he didn't disappoint. From September to January, Tebow and the Gators reaped the fruit of their hard work by steamrolling through the rest of the season, upending No.1-ranked Alabama for the SEC Championship and then toppling top-ranked Oklahoma for the BCS title.

FIERY FAITH
Tebow's passion for the game has been well-documented with frequent shots of him on the sidelines — his helmet off, shouting encouragement to his defense; his uniform usually stained by a mixture of dirt and grass.

Pam, however, sees a different side of her son. She describes him as "kind" in the sense that is demonstrated when Tebow visits hospitalized children.

Amidst his demanding academic and football schedules, which are laced with outreach events and volunteer opportunities, Tebow prioritizes and protects his time with the Lord. It's the only way he is able to maintain that kind heart. He keeps a daily quiet time, leads a weekly Bible study and participates in FCA events when his schedule allows.

"My family has always been heavily involved with FCA, starting with my dad and now, with my brother," Tebow said, referencing his older brother Robby, who formerly served as FCA's area representative in northeast Florida. "Growing up, FCA also gave me a platform and a place to invite people. Guys would be more inclined to want to come because it was FCA. 'Athletes are going to be there, so it's going to be cool.' Still, to this day, guys might not come to church with me, but they'll come to FCA."

GOING FORWARD
As Tim Tebow begins his senior season and attempts to help the Gators win another national championship, he finds himself standing in the same intense spotlight. Now under the direction of a new quarterbacks coach, Tebow is learning how to develop as a drop-back passer. It's a technique that will help prepare him for the NFL — a place that could provide his next ministry opportunity.

"I just look at it as a different mission field than most missionaries," he said. "I'm working hard to, one day, play quarterback in the NFL because that is something I want to do. And I want to be involved with as many things as I can because my heart is for the lost and the needy.

"With his platform now at an unimaginable high and a virtually spotless reputation, Tebow knows that he has a target on his back. Thus, when asked how men and women across the country could pray for him this season, he responded with a simple request: "I'd be grateful if you prayed for me to stay strong with Jesus Christ and my relationship with Him, and that I'd use the platform God has given me with football to influence the people that look up to me. I want to be renewed by the Spirit and go out there every day constantly filled with Him."

With all that Tebow does to represent the Kingdom and share the love of Christ, we can surely handle that.
(Article from Fellowship of Christian Athletes)