We Believe Basketball Exists For The Glory of God And To Make Christ Known
Basketball and the Word of God
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We were made to know and love God. As a player, how can basketball help me to know God more fully?
Basketball is a great gift but a terrible God. Everyone’s playing days are limited but our souls are eternal. Therefore, if we are going to engage basketball rightly, it is important that we know how to connect with God during our time as a player. Listen below as Coach/Pastor Reggie gives us some insights from God’s Word to help us.
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Coaches have a great responsibility to follow God and help their team know him.
With all of the pressures and challenges of coaching, it is imperative that coaches know exactly who God is, exactly who they are, and exactly what his Word says. Listen below for some guidance from Coach/Pastor Reggie on this topic
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The Great Theological Truths Everyone Needs to Know.
Whether you are a player, coach, manager, ref, parent, or anything else, we all need to know the great truths of God. Who is God? Who is Jesus? What is the Bible? What is the Gospel? Is there an afterlife? Are Heaven and Hell Real Places? What is Sin? Scroll down to our Foundational Theology section as Coach/Pastor Reggie gives us some biblical instruction on these issues.
Hooping With the Mind of Christ.
A Player’s Guide to Hoping in God Through the Ups and Downs of Competitive Basketball.
Does Basketball bring glory to God?
Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie explains a theology that gives us a paradigm to see God in the game of basketball. Coach also gives some examples of how competitive basketball brings glory to God.
Identity Part 2: Who We Are In Christ
As Christians our core identity is not changed by what happens on the court. Listen in as Coach Reggie explains how and why each Christian has forgiveness of sins, is justified in the sight of God, and is a new creation in him. Basketball cannot give you these things, nor can it take them away.
Identity Part 4: Co-Heirs With Christ
Many serious hoopers are worried about their futures and it causes them great stress and can lead to sin. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie teaches us about the glorious eternal future in store for the Christian. The glory we will have with Christ is something far superior to anything basketball can ever give you. When you understand this, it helps you to play basketball much more freely.
Identity Part 1: No Matter How Good You are at Hoops You Still Need to Be Saved
It is very common for successful athletes to be overcome with pride and arrogance. But when we look at what the Bible says is true of us apart from Christ, every mouth should be shut, all pride should vanish, as we are forced to see our sinfulness and come to the realization that only Christ can save us from our sins. Knowing these biblical truths, helps hoopers stay humble and not be destroyed by their success.
Identity Part 3: You are God’s Child
Many serious basketball players have lived through the roller coaster reality of being excessively praised when they play well, but rejected and despised when they do not. This experience creates a dynamic within players wherein they cannot feel loved or accepted unless they play well. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie teaches us about the Fatherhood of God towards believers as the sufficient antidote to the performance trap.
Identity Part 5: Basketball is a Temporary Identity
In the previous lessons we learned that our core identity is permanent throughout our lifetime. In this lesson, we learn that life gives us different seasons wherein something is temporarily part of who we are. It is critical to avoid confusing our core identity with things that are temporarily part of who we are. Failure to do so will result in deep despair when our playing days are over. Listen in to learn how to think about the temporary role of being a basketball player and how to glorify God as you move on from hoops.
Coaching for the Master Coach.
A Coach’s Guide to Leading His Team While Being Himself Surrendered to God and Mastered by His Word.
Coach: Who Truly Runs Your Team?
When a Coach’s heart is captured by the glory of Christ, and his mind is mastered by the Word of God, then Christ is the one who runs the team. Unfortunately, most coaches are controlled by parents, administrators, or the athletes they want to win the approval of. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie teaches on the majesty of Christ and calls us to be surrendered to Him so we can run our teams as he would have us to do.
Coach, is Equal Playing Time on a Competitive Team Biblical?
For years I have seen coaches struggle with false guilt for not playing players equally on competitive teams. I have also witnessed professing Christians feel entitled to having the same role on the team as the star player and they feel they are owed equal playing time. If we understood the nature of our Triune God and grasped how not even each person of the Trinity has the same role then we would never expect every player to have the same role. Furthermore, if we understand that in the church some roles that are much more prominent are reserved for those with a godly walk and who are more knowledgeable and gifted, we would never expect to see equal playing time on competitive teams. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie breaks these things down and shows us why equal playing time is unbiblical.
Coach, What is Your Mission?
Without a clearly defined mission coaches can drift and become aimless and have no anchor to guide them when storms hit. Good coaches have a mission and Jesus Christ, the greatest coach, has given us a clearly defined mission. Does your mission match the one he gave us? Do you know what the mission he gave us is and do you live it out? Good coaches don’t accept excuses from their players for not knowing the key aspects of the program and for not trying to abide by it. We coaches cannot harbor excuses about not knowing the mission God gave us and not living it out. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie shows us from the Scripture what God’s mission for us is and how to live into it.
Coach, Are You Committed? How Does Your Commitment to Christ Compare to the Commitment You Demand From Your Players?
In this video coach Reggie challenges coaches and their commitment to Christ by looking at the biblical call to follow Christ found in Matthew 16:24-27. If God is going to bless your program, you need to be committed to Him. Listen in and learn about the type of commitment Christ requires from his people.
Coach, is it Christian to Correct My Players? Does Loving Them Mean Withholding Correction?
Many coaches believe it is sinful or mean to correct their players, while others believe that players should only be corrected in private and that much more encouragement should be given than correction. Are these views actually biblical though? Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie shows us how Jesus deals with the church and shows us what coaches can learn about giving godly encouragements and corrections as we study the Master Coach.
Coach, How Do You Deal With Toxic People in Your Program?
Every program will have to deal with toxic players and parents. How is a coach to deal with this? Most coaches are very lost when it comes to this and have no real guidance. As a result, they often end up tolerating toxicity, leaving it undealt with, and in the process the culture of the team is ruined, the coach loses the respect of his program, and the team becomes miserable to be a part of. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie teaches us the church discipline commandments and principles God gave us for dealing with unrepentant, toxic people in the church. In applying these truths to your team, you will have divine clarity, guidance, and wisdom in navigating the difficulties of dealing with toxic people in your program.
Foundational Theology.
Foundational Theology for Knowing Christ and Following Him.
What is the Bible Part 1
There are many strong opinions about the Bible, but a lot of time people know very little about it. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie teaches us some of the features of the Bible and then guides us through what the Bible claims is true about the Bible. When you examine the Bible’s claims about itself, you can begin to see that it utterly unique and that it is essential to know the Scripture if one is going to have a strong relationship with God.
What is the Bible Part 3
In this video Coach/Pastor Reggie talks about the features of the New Testament and shows us how Christ has fulfilled the Old Testament, has inaugurated the New Covenant through his death and Resurrection, and how all things come to a glorious triumph in the book of Revelation.
What is the Church and Why is it Important?
How does the Bible actually describe the church? Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie teaches us from God’s Word on some truths from the Word about the crucial role the church plays in the life of the believer.
What is the Bible Part 2
The bible contains 66 books, 39 of which make up the Old Testament. Most people have the least amount of familiarity with the Old Testament. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie shares an overview of the Old Testament showing what major covenants and storylines are driving it and how the Old Testament points to and prepares us for the coming of Christ.
What is Sin? Where Did Evil Come from and What is the Gospel?
In this video Coach/Pastor Reggie walks us through the Bible’s teaching on the origin of sin. We also see the nature of all sin and how the Gospel provides the solution to sin.
Are Heaven and Hell Real Places? If so, who goes there?
Questions about heaven and hell are as old as time. The Bible is incredibly clear about this topic. Listen in as Coach/Pastor Reggie shows us from the Scripture what the Bible plainly says about heaven, hell, and who goes there.