See write up  at http://www.aiabaseball.org/news/?id=7722

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Some of you might be wondering what is up with the long hair?  Well besides the fact that I am trying to be a movie star 🙂   I am growing it out for locks of love.  If you don’t know what that is it is an organization that you donate your hair to (at least 10 inches)  and they make it into wigs for cancer patiences who need hair.  So I have a long way to go and a hot summer in Ohio and Africa to deal with the long hair.  But I definately understand why ladies take so long to wash their hair now.  I had to buy a head band to keep my hair out of my face for when I do activities it can get really annoying. 

In my final season coaching at Thomas Jefferson High School I wanted to go out with a bang winning the state title.  We went out with a bang making it to the state championship and we choked loosing two games in a row to Ralston Valley a very good team who we had beaten twice this year and owned the last couple years.  But we got banged up and did not play our best baseball.  As dissappointing as it was as we debriefed after the game I thanked these young men of about 15 seniors many of whom I have coached or been around the last 4 years for the journey.  Winning is nice but it is the process of the journey winning or lossing and our responses to the results of the games of life that make our character.  It was a very sentimental season for me and I am proud to have got to coach such a dedicated, hard working group of future leaders.

      I do remember that God used a state championship lost in 1997 to completly change my life.  Baseball, my idendity, my glory, my stats were all my God and it had to get crushed in order for the real Lord of my Life Jesus Christ to be able to take his rightfully earned place in my life.  I am praying for the coaches and players that get their identity in a game (baseball as awesome as it is) would see that the only true fullfilment comes from a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.  And playing for his glory and using our platform of sports to impact others instead of self worship, pride or even just competition.  All the trophies in the world, all the gold medals, all the wins mean nothing in the realm of eternity.  When we stand before God we cannot take those with us but the character that is developed from those and the influence we use to impact others can make a mark on history. 

Please pray for The Thomas Jefferson Spartans to set the vision on a higher goal.  To use their talent to help change communities, young men and families. 

Rocky Mountain News Articles

Final Four Game

TJ looses state-championship

Denver Post Articles 

Mustangs take two

TJ Jouranl article on State Runner-Up

 

Matthew Mankoff Steinmark Award Finalist

 

Video feed of final state championship

 

After a busy weekend I went to Oregon for a follow up retreat with Campus Crusade for Christ for some financial seminars to be a wise steward with the money that so many generously and sacrificially give for me to minster to influential athletes. 

 

I got alot of wisdom, fellowship and a good heart check and refresher for my motives to be out of the abundances of the love of Jesus.

Four years of investing in these seniors and I am very proud of them as this weekend we enter into the Colorado 4A State Championship game! Their talent along with our great coaching stuff should get us a ring!

Check out article from the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News

TJ the diamond of DPL baseball

Taking nothing for granted

 

 

 

 

More Photos

 

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Check out Josh and Melissa’s engagement which happened on our summer tour in Mineral Wells, TX during a baseball game.

Here is a teaser and some of the interview that I couldn’t put in the Newsletter

 

How does your relationship with Jesus Christ look like in everyday life? What are ways you serve him and love others?

(JOSH)You know that is a good question. I ask myself that a lot. For me it looks like being a good friend and treating my teammates good. We have a lot of younger guys on our team. They are deciding right now how they are going to be for the rest of their life. I have to be a good example to them. It is important to be available letting them know where I am at. All the guys know that I love Jesus. It is being available. Guys have stuff going on and it is good to be there for them; being positive, encouraging for them. The whole world can claim to be Christian. But if you don’t live it then your Christianity is empty. Melissa and I pray in the morning for them. But having them over has been the best way. It has been the best ministry for us.

But personally you have to eliminate busyness to have a relationship with Christ. That has been hard. I have to say that spending time with God is more important than something because I can feel my day with anything. I am good at it sometimes and sometimes I am not.

I don’t understand why I am here. But here I am in New Orleans.

Something that is really cool with our Senior bequest. Everything is defined as pre-Katrina or post-Katrina. The day everything changed. That is the day that changed their lives. There is a lot of rebuilding; making things that are broken and terrible better. That was Jesus heart to make broken people new and that is cool to see that happening tangibly here. We are making something new!

 

 

As a team how do you guys see God using you together most effectively ?

 (Josh)We were talking about it here (in New Orleans). Every guy on our team, the only married couple they see or are ever around is, us. So we have tried to have a bunch of the guys over to our house for dinner to hang out with them one on one. Their only other example of a marriage is their parents. We are their age and married. If they see us as being married and having something they want then they are not going to have a terrible picture of married and they are going to want a solid relationship. Not just to marry some chick and go in with very little hope of a good relationship. It has been wonderful that has been the best way that we can minister to my teammates. That is the best way that God uses us as a team together.

(Melissa )I would agree that God placed Josh and I here for a reason. God has really used Josh to speak truth into many of the guys here who have never heard it before in such a real way. When we have guys over to the house for dinner, not only are we building a positive relationship with them, we get the opportunity to share the love of Jesus whether in discussion or by loving them. Most of the guys on Josh’s team, I would say, are being exposed for the first time to a fully committed and Christ centered relationship.

 

March 2007 Interview with Taylor Rogers from Tulane

 

February Update 2008 Interview with Andy Womack from Witchita State University

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December 2007 True Beauty at the Bus Stop