Author: Marlin McPhail

Years ago, my Sunday School class used Rick Warren’s world-renowned book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? It was an interesting study, and many of the participants realized that God likely had a plan for their lives that differed from their personal thoughts and desires.

As a coach, have you given it much thought? What is your purpose for being where you are right now?

• Is it to put the school on the map?

• Is it to connect with alumni and raise money for the program?

• Is it purely to win games and bring home championships?

• Or is it much, much more than any of those things?

Just as in the parable “Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man,” one’s purpose in life should be influenced by their faith in Jesus. Once freed from being demon-possessed, the man wanted to pick up and follow Jesus, but Jesus had another purpose for him.

He needed the man to speak the truth about what had happened. The townspeople had mixed emotions about it, and the man’s purpose would be better served by discipling right where he was already planted—telling his story and sharing how Jesus had saved him.

All players come to a program or school with thoughts and desires about how they intend to impact it. It is your purpose to guide and coach them, both on the field and off. Their purpose may need redirecting.

Who and what they become as players and people can be heavily influenced by you and your purpose.

If it is just about wins and the success of the program, your influence on and connection with these players will likely end when their time on campus ends.

If you want to truly invest in them as people, you can gain their trust by using Christlike characteristics in your coaching and exposing them to your faith. With that approach, you stand a good chance of impacting them for a lifetime!

Jesus was meek, not weak. He showed love; sometimes it was tough love. He challenged his disciples, but he also showed compassion. He taught with self-control and caught with character.

So, what is your purpose? As you read this right now, consider these questions:

• How many current and former players know your testimony?

• How many care enough about you that, if you passed away right now, they would attend your funeral?

Chasing dreams and being successful is wonderful, but eternity is forever. Impact someone’s eternity.

Serve a purpose!

Be Well. Build Well. Serve Well.

Prayer, for some, is quite easy, natural in fact. For me, it is not! I have asked many people about how they pray, and I know I’ve been given very good advice. However, what works for one doesn’t always work for another.

As a coach, depending on what level you work, you sometimes have the opportunity to pick the players you work with, while others, you are handed the players. In either scenario, the players are all individuals and all likely have to be motivated and coached “differently.”

Some might need a good motivational kick in the rear end from time to time, while others need the shoulder hug as motivation. Regardless of how you engage with the player, you still have to coach them on a level they understand as well. They all come from different upbringings and backgrounds and learn in many different ways!

I suspect prayer is much the same! God knows all about us. Nothing is hidden from Him. Our hopes, our dreams, our needs, and everything in between! What He wants us to do is bring it to Him. We need to be willing to communicate in some form or fashion with Him, all of it!

Just like working with your players, you need to find your mode of motivation and figure out what avenue best fits a way for you to get it done! Once we get there, the job isn’t over. We need to be bold, lay it all out on the table. Even though God knows all, He wants you to express in any words you can manage…that YOU know! Ask, and answers will come in God’s timeframe. But you need to pray to get answers!

Scripture allows us to see many examples of bold prayer. Above, in Matt. 28:39, is part of Jesus’ approach in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here is one from David after falling badly with Bathsheba.

David: Psalm 51:1–2

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

Pretty direct, and there are so many more examples of bold prayer for intercession, supplication, and repentance in the Bible. Many of us are asked to pray for others and have asked others to pray for us. I’m still working on a delivery method! I believe simple works, like “Lord, heal (insert name here).” I also believe God wants us to ask for blessings upon ourselves and our family if it’s something we truly want!

You can be more eloquent and flowery with your prayer. It’s your prayer! It’s your comfort level. However it gets done, I promise you, any prayer (communication) with God is better than none! Find your niche and pray!

Be well, Build well, Serve well.

Before retiring, I spent 44 years in professional baseball as a player, coach, and scout. That means (not counting years I played at two MiLB levels) I had the opportunity to win 44 championships! I was fortunate to be a part of five titles. That means 39 times my season ended in disappointment. But realistically, winning anything is hard, and winning 11% might be considered good, right? Let’s tighten this up a little. Actually, all five Championships came while I played Minor League Baseball (5/10), and none came as a coach or scout (0/34).

Why do I bring this up? Am I boasting about my playing days? Was I just an adequate coach and scout? Actually, it is because I’ve had as much joy over the last 34 years as I did in the first ten. It turns out, yes, winning is fun, and I love to win, but it’s not all about wins and losses at the end of the day. I’ve learned that JOY can be found in all seasons, and quite frankly, championships are fleeting! In order to be 100% correct, I had to research the years of those championships to make sure I had it right!

As a competitor, I do love to win. Typically, to have a good chance at winning, it is nice to start well. Moreover, it is usually just as important to end well. However, how players and coaches react and respond during the hard times “in” season—that is what will truly determine not only the outcome of the season but what gets remembered in the long run about each season, win or lose!

As much as our athletic portion of life is tested, so will our Faith. As stated in James 1:3, WHEN (not if) your Faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. And that parallels seasons of competition. Name me a season when you were not tested! By a player, umpires, the team, injuries, weather! There are so many obstacles we face with both our human (coaching) life and our spiritual life! How we react can lay the foundation for growth and endurance with our human championship and, similarly, with our faith and an eternal championship!

Don’t let earthly things steal your JOY. You should work to find a way to spread that JOY throughout your team in times of struggle! Use the tests that present themselves and times of adversity to grow with your team on the field and off. It’s the perfect time for connection and building of what is needed physically and spiritually. Do not miss the opportunity to Be and build a disciple on the field and for Jesus.

Be a light, shine bright, don’t hide your Light for Christ under a lamp shade. (Matt. 5:14–16) Growth can happen on the field and off if you lead with the Character of Christ working through you. (Gal. 5:22–23)

Be well, Build well, Serve Well.

During my coaching days years ago, I was involved in one game I’ll never forget. My team was on the road and playing a doubleheader. This meant a long day at the field! Getting down 7-0 early just deflated the team. You could see them looking ahead to the 2nd game. However, we still had to finish Game 1. In our final at-bat, with 2 outs and an 0-2 count on our hitter, something changed! That hitter reached base, and the next and the next….. and before we knew it, we were on top 9-7 and won the game! I do not remember the outcome of Game 2!

What changed? How did this happen? I can attest to one thing: I heard from the dugout (I was coaching 3rd) someone say, “We can still do this!” What, why now? Where did his HOPE come from? With each hitter having success, HOPE rose, JOYFUL noise could be heard, BELIEF grew, and the results were something no one would forget!

In Luke 7:12-13, all hope was lost. The mother’s only son was dead, and she was already a widow. What hope did she have? She had no future! There was no one to take care of her. She was destined to beg for a living. Well, Jesus happened! He had just entered the town and witnessed the funeral procession. Jesus felt compassion for her! He saw, he felt, he acted, and raised the boy and gave him back to his mother!

Don’t miss this: Of course, Jesus knew the ramifications of this boy’s death meant to the mother. No one asked Jesus to act. However, his actions spoke volumes to the witnesses. He continued to confirm his authority and build his identity. They could see he was empowered by God.

When you coach at any level, the players will look to you for inspiration, confidence, and positivity. How you walk, talk, act, react, and simply lead your team will determine just how much influence you will ultimately have with them.

Compassion for each individual and their stories is a good place to start.

Compassion was an underlying theme in all Jesus’ miraculous acts!

What better way to lead a team but with the character of Christ flowing through you!