2 MINUTE WARNING

God pulls no punches when dealing with our inner heart.

In the word, He even warns us about it, saying that:

• Our hearts are deceitful and beyond cure.
• Men can not be trusted because of what is in their hearts.
• The religious leaders were hypocrites.

These were not statements directed at people different from us.  They were directed at people LIKE US.  And this is because the world can be lifted up or put in reverse by the likes of people LIKE US.

Who are you to be in your daily life?

Newton’s second law of thermodynamics does not just apply to particles in physics, I believe that it applies to every aspect of life:  In other words, things will lose order over time.

Paul references this in the second book in Colossians:

Colossians 2 ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Paul tells us to:  “See To It”

Reading this chapter, he purposely references Laodicea, a church that Jesus addresses through John in Revelation 3 (Read it!), mentioning that they have become lukewarm, so He is about to “spit them out of his mouth”.

As a follower, I certainly contemplate whether Jesus would have some of the same words He said 2,000 years ago for me today.

What is God warning us against?

God warns us NOT TO BE:

• Spiritually Blind.  Paul walked into Syria as a scripture-believing Jew and was ready to exterminate the world of people who followed Jesus.  We must continually ask Jesus to give us Eyes To See And Ears To Hear.
• Lukewarm.  God warned the church in Laodicea that they were just like the aquifer that fed their city.  Not cold and not hot but lukewarm.  We must understand that the gospel is not neutral.  The Gospel Is A Scandal That God Wants Delivered To The World.
• Going Through The Motions.  I believe that Paul is referencing this in his words about “shallow” philosophy.  He is calling us to be “game changers”.  He Is Calling Us To Make A Difference.
• Buying Into Deceptive Philosophies.  These are not things that come by accident.  They are driven by God-haters.  We must ask if they can truly be mixed into our day to day life and actually make us anything close to better.  We Are Called To Reject Evil.

Do not be taken captive.

You were not meant to be in “spiritual chains”.

You were meant to Be Free.

You were meant to Bring Freedom To Others.

You were meant to be ON FIRE FOR JESUS.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

When Paul converted to being a follower of Jesus Christ he made some staggering admissions that are worth noting today:

1.  He admitted that the first portion of his life was … wrong
2.  He, even though he admitted that his life was wrong, adopted the Old Testament as a foundation and connected it to Jesus Christ.
3.  He made a radical conversion from being a Jew to a Christian.  This can not be understated.  He began to minister and evangelize to the gentiles.  In other words, he took the faith to people that he formerly despised.

Colossians 1 ¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

This gospel is God’s way of giving us a chance.  It is God’s decision to make us “good as we stand before Him on judgement day”.

It is God’s way of doing the impossible.

I heard a pastor once tell his congregation:  “People do not have the right to tell other people what to do.  But God does.”  HE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ALL OF US WHAT TO DO.

And this is the Heart Of The Matter.

We either give our permission to God to rule over our lives … or we do not.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

It is easy to forget that we have an unseen enemy that is constantly looking to harass and lie to us.

The Bible refers to him as:

A thief 

The ruler of the sky

The tempter

The god of this age

The roaring lion

And it also says that his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy.

I think it is worthy of more writing here, and I do that because many would think I am crazy for even bringing up such a topic.  But look at our world and our universe.

We have light ……… and darkness

We have life ……… and death

We have sunrise ……… and sunset

We have love ……… and hate

We have good ……… and evil

Isn’t it logical to think that we have God ……… and devil

I want to say this before you read on:  Not all of your thoughts are even yours.  This is a crazy concept but I have thoughts sometimes that would categorically point me to one place:  the insane asylum.  But those thoughts are not mine.  They are planted there by an enemy who is seeking not only my destruction—but the destruction of everyone.

This is why, as an educator, I must humbly face what we, as educators, would put in front of innocent children.  Are we leading them to a chance to know God … or not?  Pretty important question that all of us must sooner or later face.  Does supporting someone who is headed into their own destruction actually show that we care about them?  These are thoughts for another post but must be considered as we read on.

Paul must have been in a spiritual prison.  Because when he encountered Jesus, he found a freedom that made him feel MORE comfortable in a real prison than living a life of luxury.

And from prison, he wrote a God-inspired set of books that are a life giving wisdom to all who would dare read them.

And so today I tell you:

Take Control Of Your Life

No matter what age you are.

No matter what you did yesterday.

And no matter how ingrained you might be in routine.

Take it back.

You don’t take control of your life by being better, or by doing more, or by doing something to take away your guilt.

You take control of your life by listening to the one who gave it to you:  Jesus Christ.

Listen to what He said in Paul’s writing:

Philippians 4 ⁸ … whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.

True.

Noble.

Right.

Pure.

Lovely.

Admirable.

Excellent.

Praiseworthy.

Those are things to think about.

And when we think about them, we begin to be transformed from the inside out.

And we can then hear the lies of an enemy who would like nothing better than to make us think perverted… or evil… or selfish… or greedy… or STUPID … thoughts.

Take control of your life.

By giving it to the One who gave you a chance to live.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Team sports give every person who plays them a great opportunity:

To Be A Great Teammate

In a stat driven world, this is hard to measure.  But it is very easy to see.  And it is so easy to see that I can remember great teammates on every team that I have played on and coached.  And these guys are the guys I have a heart for even today that goes well beyond their athletic performance.

Though hard to define, I can think of a few things that made them, in my mind, great teammates:

• A great teammate makes the people around him or her better.
• A great teammate motivates others and they want to play well for him or her.
• A great teammate celebrates team victories and others’ accomplishments.
• A great teammate takes responsibility for his or her team.

As we walk in the freedom of America and celebrate the fact that we live in an amazing country, let’s not forget about these very principles.

Because they are the foundation of the Christian faith.

Philippians 2 ⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The celebration of our faith is about Jesus rising from the dead.  But the only reason that happened is that Jesus went to it in the first place.  He “humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross”.

He was a great teammate.

As I began to write this today, I thought of a Kristian Stanfill song from 2017.  I think the words ring true from 2017 … but they also work for all of us as we move forward in 2022.

I needed rescue, my sin was heavy

But chains break at the weight of Your glory

I needed shelter I was an orphan

Now you call me a citizen of heaven

When I was broken You were my healing

Now Your love is the air that I am breathing

I have a future my eyes are open

Cause when you called my name

I ran out of that grave

Jesus celebrates a victory with you that you never could have attained on your own accord.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

One of the greatest disservices that we can give someone is to tell them:

“You can dream your dreams and be whoever you want to be”

“You have something in you that is unstoppable”

All of us need to hear the TRUTH.

My kids needed to hear this truth.

And I told them this truth from an early age:

You are NOT the center of the Universe … God is

You are NOT the most important person in our family … your mom is

You were born into sin … and without God, you have NO HOPE

For me, I needed to hear:

“You are selfish.  You are impatient.  You are sometimes very hard to get along with … But God loves you anyway.” … “In fact, He loves you so much that He chose to give His life that you might start again.”

Amen.

I need Jesus.

And I need Jesus because from the beginning of my conception I was rotten to the core.  Not just part of me, but ROTTEN TO THE CORE.

So this gospel for me today — TODAY — it is vital.  It isn’t just a small piece of who I am — it is literally my only hope.

And I might add to this that:  I am in no way capable, nor recommended, to be writing this blog.  I am inadequate.

But that’s just it.  That’s the whole point.  My inadequacy creates in me a need for the gospel that goes well beyond just a minor need.

It is oxygen to me.  It is the only way that I can survive.

So when I hear people disregard or disrespect or devalue it, I bow up.

And I am here to tell all who read this today:  Our society NEEDS this God, this Jesus, and His spirit.  We need His moral compass.  We need His hand.  And we sure as anything need His forgiveness.  We aren’t as great as we think we are and we have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WITHOUT JESUS.

Paul knew this.

And he knew this because on a road to Syria in his most hideous of moments, he encountered Jesus and found out that he was not only not doing right by God, He found out he was flat out fighting against Him.

And so he dropped everything and found his life, and he found his life by losing it.  

This is not an easy word today.

It is not a “rainbows and lollipops” message.

This is a challenge from a broken man.

FIGHT FOR OUR GOSPEL

And fight for it like it means something.  Because IT MEANS EVERYTHING.

Philippians 1 ²⁷ Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel

It is a simple message today.

And it is a simple message written from a man in prison.

IN PRISON!

When Paul found God, He found more peace being chained for Jesus than anything that the world could give him.

So what does Paul tell us?

Conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel

Contend (of fight) as ONE man (or woman) to stand firm

Contend (or fight) for the faith

People are dying out there.  They are living as if there is no god and fighting for themselves.  They are utterly miserable because they are finding out that they aren’t nearly as great as they thought they were.

When I came to the realization that I was broken and got Jesus, it brought a freedom on me that I did not realize that I could have.  It brought truth to me.

And this TRUTH in Jesus is what will save me today.

So Fight today.  Fight to be in alignment with Him.

Fight to tell Him that you are utterly NOTHING without Him.

And, if you have to, FIGHT ALONE. 

Because He is worthy of your praise.  And He is your only hope.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Don’t Take The ANSWER Out Of The Life Equation.  When we are in need of where to go and what to do and who we are — we can never forget that we have God.  And in all things, He is not an answer—He is the ANSWER.

Every summer I start working with a new crop of football players.  It is exciting and fun.  But I always struggle saying goodbye to the ones who are leaving.

Keegan Patterson is already at USC.

Jack Moll is soon to be working out in San Diego.

Caleb Johnson will soon be in Flagstaff.

And this is just the beginning.  We will say goodbye to 

Kale and Emi and Sam and Austin and Kinnick and Ari and Trey

and Rylan and Gavin … and Kayla.

They will move on and start a new “season”.  And so will we.

Football season is a grind.  It can be exasperating.  It can be exhausting.  But in the midst of all of that effort, something happens in the locker room, on the field, and under the Friday night lights that is incredible.  Boys turn into men.  Players, and teams, do things BEYOND their ability.  There is exhilaration, and heartbreak.  The grind makes it go slowly,  but it also goes quickly, and before you can blink, it is over.  And it always takes me a couple of weeks to get over it.  

And when we start again in the summer, I see that “getting over it” continues on into the next season.  Every year I struggle at the “new” moments.  The first lifting.  The first practice.  The first game.  This summer is unique in that I will be contemplating not having my son Caleb and “my nephews”.  It is incredibly hard to say goodbye.

And yet, it is necessary.

God’s plan is to move us on and to grow us up.

His plan is for us to not stay connected to a routine that will not allow growth.  

His plan is for us to “step into the next season”.

I contemplate this “change of seasons” a lot.  Especially in my line of work.  But, as is always the case, God has the answers to the questions I have BEFORE I even ask them.

Solomon was writing the answer to my questions, and yours, before we even came to be.

Ecclesiastes 3 ¹ There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven: ² a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

⁹ What does the worker gain from his toil?¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on men.  ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  ¹² I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God.  ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

God addresses some very real issues in the book of Ecclesiastes.  He addresses the meaning of life and our role in life as it rolls on.  I love Solomon’s comment:  ”He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

It is the classic “You Only Live Once” line.  

In fact, we do “only live once”.  But God assures us that when we are BORN AGAIN that we enter into something that is bigger than life when we take our last breath here on earth.

You see, we are spiritual beings in a physical world.  This is why we ask questions about life and about all of our trials and it is why we sometimes feel out of place or broken or down.

It is because “He puts eternity on our hearts but does not give us the answer.”

Take God with you where you go.

Don’t let go of His words and don’t let go of Him.

He was with you in your last trial, and He will be with you in your next one.

He is not one of your answers in your quest to navigate the road ahead.  He is your only ANSWER.

Love deeply.

Forgive.

Seek God in all of your decisions.

Give to others.

Give up your rights and surrender to Him.

It is in these things that you will find hope … and a future.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

I might be wrong, but I wonder how often I have misrepresented Jesus in the public eye.

I first considered this when listening to a missionary who went to Beirut, Lebanon.  He made the comment that if he told people “I am an American Christian” his conversation did not go well (no kidding!).  His talks with people went differently, however, when he told them that he was a follower of Jesus.  Even the Koran says that the “followers of Jesus were greater than these”.

Following God can be totally misunderstood … by family, by friends, by colleagues, and certainly by people who do not know us.  Writing “More Than A Conqueror” on a shirt, demanding a political stance, or heaping accusations at a person who does not know God can lead people to misunderstand who God is.

And after all, the disciples themselves had no idea.  They were certain that he was there to overthrow — 

To Overthrow the religious establishment, 

To Overthrow the tyrannical rule of the Romans, 

and To Overthrow anything else that stood in their way.

And then Jesus was arrested and they scattered.  As they beat Him, strapped a cross on His back, and hung Him in humiliation and excruciating pain, they were devastated.  Their plan to “rule the world” was crushed, their hero was killed, and their hope was extinguished.

And then, He did the unthinkable.

He rose from the dead.

I am sure that they were greatly amazed BEFORE the questions arose in their minds:

Why couldn’t He have been discovered by men whose legal testimony would be valid, instead of by women?

Why did He invite the gentiles to come and worship Him as well?

And Romans?  Greeks?  Women?  What in the world was He doing?  What was He thinking?

He was Overthrowing the kingdom EXACTLY the way that He said He would.

He was making His followers die to something.

The issue of racism, and misogyny, and hatred of people who are different was settled 2000 years ago on a wooden cross — by Jesus!

Galatians 3 ²⁶ For all of you are God’s children through faith in the Messiah Jesus. ²⁷ Indeed, all of you who were baptized into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah.²⁸  Because all of you are one in the Messiah Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female. ²⁹ And if you belong to the Messiah, then you are Abraham’s descendants indeed, and heirs according to the promise.

I am shocked as I see people go at each other with passionate hate.

Our fight is not about politics.

It is not about abortion.

It is not about walls or health care or gas prices.

Our fight is about the entrance of Jesus into our society.

If we allow Him in — we can be saved.

And if we don’t, we will have a mess.

And all of us, ALL OF US, will have to give up something that we want for something that we need.

When people ask me if I am for something or against something — my answer will always hinge around what He says.

Because WHAT HE SAYS … Is the only thing that truly matters.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

As I worship this morning I am compelled by Zach Williams words in his great song:

“You never gave up on me.  This is my testimony.”

His testimony is that God never gave up on him.

My testimony is that God never gave up on me.

And your testimony is that God never gave up on you.

We come with an offering:  Nothing

And He makes a trade to give us:  Everything

As I sit in my classroom for the final time today …

As I read the names of hundreds of kids as they cross the podium to graduate today …

And as I watch my son graduate with his greatest of friends …

I can’t help but celebrate and point a finger to the sky.

“You never gave up on me.  Or them.  This is our testimony.”

Mark 10 ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Can it be so simple?

Yes it can.

Jesus goes in my place, in your place, in all of our places, to free us from what we could never escape.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

There is nothing quite like competition.  

It brings out the best and the worst.

It forces an individual into a corner and challenges him or her to fight their way out.

It exposes.  And highlights.  And sometimes shames.  And it can also make one feel “bigger than they truly are”.

I have had the privilege of being in competitive situations for over 45 years.

I have seen it ruined.  And overemphasized.  And I have seen it done well.

Watching my father walk through a broken locker room and hug his kids still brings me to tears.  These are moments of love that are etched in time, and they are important moments that go way beyond the competition itself.

To pray with an athlete, or another coach, or even an opponent, before, during, or after a competition—there is NOTHING like it.

Why?

Because the King of the Universe shows up.  And He comforts and encourages and loves.

When we need Him—-He shows up.  And He shows up big.

When I think about this this morning, I am shocked:

James 4 ¹⁴ …. you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

God shows up for us.  And … if it is important to us—it is important to Him.

How can this be?  We are selfish.  We are full of sin and rebellion.  And we are of no consequence.  There are places on this planet where people literally mean nothing.  Life is not valued of even remembered.

But not to Him.

Our existence of little consequence means something to Him.

It means EVERYTHING to Him.

So much so that He sent Jesus.

This is not just a small deal—it is a trillionaire giving his estate to a homeless peasant.

What will you do with that estate?

Join me.

Let go.

And give it ALL to Jesus.

He knows how to manage it.

As I sat and wrote this this morning, I was reminded of this awesome Casting Crowns song.

Take some time to worship Him.  And thank Him.  And rest in Him.

It will be the best part of your day … and the only part that is  important

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J