CSRM

Paul had the resume!

As many of you know, I take the Bible personally and found I had a resume similar to Paul's.

- 25 years of local church leadership
- FBCs and GBC
- Balanced programming, outreach-oriented, opened doors to the community
- Served on BOT at CSRM
- Led workshops at Summits and REACHgatherings
- 18 years at Ole Miss
- Served as Exec Dir for three years at a time when we could have easily shut down the organization, they appointed me as Exec Dir. I feel the BOT felt that if anyone could shut us down, it would be me. However, the organization even survived my leadership.
- Continued to consult with Dan and Vickie.

But, also like Paul, there is another passage to consider about our resumes…

Philippians 3:8
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage (dung), so that I could gain Christ.

What we do in our areas of ministry is important. But let's not forget that our efforts do not earn us grace. It is the gift of God. Undeserved, yet greatly appreciated.

We come to a fork in the road. One path is our accomplishments. This fork demands our performance and efforts. Often, I balanced the bad I did with something good I would do in ministry. I put my hope in my resume rather than the redemption I gained from Jesus. The other path is grace. This only requires that I trust. Trust that Jesus holds you and won't let you go.

🍴As Yogi Berra once said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

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Join us tomorrow for ! Click the link in our bio to join churches around the world in praying for the sports community!

🏆 I remember receiving my first trophy. I was on the debate squad in high school and we lost in the quarterfinal round. That was good for a 4th place finish. The speech tournament personnel handed the trophy to me. What a thrill it was to see that nice smooth wood and shiny metal. At that point, I figured this trophy would be in my possession forever.

The trophy spent a lot of time on my desk in my bedroom. When I entered college the trophy was placed in a drawer. When I got married the trophy went into a box. When we moved to attend seminary the box got placed in the closet. When we moved to our first church the box was placed in the garage. When I moved to a church in Mississippi the box was moved to the attic. Later when I moved again I left the box in the attic. The new owners called wondering what to do with a box of trophies and my wife said to throw them out.

After I got over the initial anguish of realizing part of my life now sat in a Natchez trash dump I recognized the greater value of that trophy. The trophy simply recognizes an accomplishment. No one can throw out my memory of winning. The everlasting part of that victory is in my story of winning or my testimony.

As a coach/leader I have a higher calling than to ensure trophies get into the hands of my team. Instead, I want to help us make testimonies. The greatest victory in sports ministry is not the championship, but rather a life that has been changed. Winless teams that lead someone to Christ are champions!

Trophies start out shiny and end up dirty. The corners get nicked and they collect dust. Trophies end up in drawers and boxes and closets and attics and dumps. Trophies are made of metal and wood that melts and burns away.

A testimony of salvation takes a life that is dirty and Christ makes it shiny.

A testimony is always in view for others to see. A testimony of following Christ lasts forever.

Here's hoping our team wins more testimonies! Go team!

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🏁 Will you finish well?

Recently I was greatly encouraged by the faith and joy of a dear saint who was facing the end of his life due to a fatal disease. He had made a conscious decision to finish his “course” well!

The ancient athletic Greek word that is the focus of the Daily Huddle this week is Dromon translated as “course” and is often used metaphorically in reference to the “course” of our life. To that end, Paul inspired the followers of Jesus in ancient Ephesus when he told them his goal was to “finish my ‘course’ and the ministry I received from Jesus.” Like my friend, Paul made a commitment to “finish well!”

❓ What decade in life are you in? For those in their 6th, 7th or 8th decade of life, this message is much more real, but its still relevant to anyone younger. Will you make a commitment today, to be faithful to run your race and finish your “course?”

❓ Who will the “course” of your life inspire?

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🙏 Thank you for your prayer support the past week. If you would like to continue partnering with us through prayer, you can sign up for Dr. Greg Linville's weekly prayer list by commenting below.

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🙏 Cover our Board Meeting in prayer!

Day 8 Prayer Point: Pray for the continued ministry of CSRM Domestically, Internationally, through the AGON Institute, and .

How you begin is important but how you finish is crucial!

Most, if not all runners begin well…they’re all shoulder to shoulder at the beginning of a race and many are still close to the lead late in the race, but only one finishes well and wins the prize.

This week I’ve focused on the ancient Greek athletic word found in the New Testament: Dromon that is translated: “course.”

In this passage, Paul uses sport to summarize his life. First of all, this is a strong statement that sport is not inherently evil. The Holy Spirit would have never inspired Paul, perhaps the greatest Christian of the 1st Century to summarize his life by the metaphor of sport if it was intrinsically evil.

Second, Paul inspires his mentee Timothy by example: “I have finished my “course”…and so Timothy follow my example and finish your “course” well.

So, I say to you, the coach, the athlete, the sports minister…don’t let anyone tell you sport is evil and more importantly: finish your “course” well.

Ready, set, go…and now finish!

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🙏 Cover our Ministry in Prayer!

DAY 6 Prayer Point: Pray for the ministries of the churches and homes in Stark County Ohio that hosted us this week. Louisville Christian Church, First Friends Church, and the wonderful families that opened up there homes to our out of town staff, GNPs, and board members.

First Friends Church