Time Magazine was laying out at our
office and it caught my eye…the top 100 most influential people…singers,
entrepreneurs, engineers, professional athletes, fashion designers....who design
jeans that people will pay $2,000 for? Seriously? Okay, I am finished looking
at the list. Obviously, the things that land you on that list and what God sees
as influential are not the same thing. News flash, I know.
It is true God’s ways are not our ways
and when we begin to truly follow His word it will always make people take
note. They will either call you foolish or they will praise God to see
Christlikeness exhibited.
God’s word says to gain your life, you
must first lose it. To be great, you must first be a servant. To live, you must
die. When we lose, it is actually a gain and that is what happened.
This past Wednesday, Mike and Darryl spend
the day with their baseball team playing in the Class 5A Regionals, they got
smashed both games, thus ending their 2013-14 season. After the first game was
over the announcer came up to Mike and Darryl and said he has been announcing
these regional games for fifteen years and had never witnessed what he witnessed
that day.
Which was a team that played with all their
heart despite the beat down they were taking.
They lost 15 to 0.
The announcer,
which is also the golf pro at Heritage Hills Golf Course, asked the fans to
give the coaches and team “a round of applause because of the hustle, the never give up, and the class, which they showed in
defeat.” Next, he came over to them and asked if he could purchase the entire
team’s lunch for the day!
If you know anything about inner city
schools, they don’t get a large budget, actually they don’t get a budget, so
that was a huge blessing to Mike, Darryl and the boys…this was nothing but God’s
favor on them! The neat thing was when the concession stand heard what was
going on they did not allow the announcer to pay for their meals because they
wanted to be a part of the blessing to our guys.
God’s favor did not stop there though; next,
a lady came up and put 200 dollars in their hands so they all could eat on the
way home that night.
Then one of the boys on the other team
said the name of Jesus Christ in a non-glorifying way, he said it as a curse
word. After the game Mike addressed the young man about it and explained why it
was offensive to Mike because of what that name meant to him. Then later in the
week Mike received an email from this boy’s dad who wanted to know if he could donate money to help the team out! Crazy. I know. That is just the God we serve, showing His faithfulness to His sons.
Finally, all these people sent emails
to the Capitol Hill High School principal and the email from the local golf
pro/announcer said that Mike and “his assistant” :) left a positive
reflection on Claremore and the fans at the game. He went on to say in the
email, “Mike Hinckley has become my favorite of all time. He gives love,
praise, and himself to kids who are having fun, doing their best, making
some good plays, cheerleading, but most importantly, teaching young men to
respect themselves and the game that he must truly love.”
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| TV News 9 did a story on them last year and this year The Daily Oklahoman did a story. |
I can tell you that it isn’t the
game that Mike and Darryl truly love, but it is the Lord Jesus Christ who they
truly love…and because of that love they can love on those boys and teach them
character even through losing.
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| Their 1st season (2012-2013) |
The cross is for losers. It’s true. Christ did not come to
save the righteous but sinners. We are all losers, rather we recognize it or
not, Jesus came to destroy self-righteousness. Nevertheless,
because of the cross we are truly winners, because it is not our righteous,
goodness, talents or abilities but Jesus Christ IN US that is the hope of
glory.
"Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord."
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord."
Jeremiah 9:23-24
"In God we boast all day long, and Praise Your Name forever." Psalm 44:8
Amazing what god does when you put HIM first. He rewarded the coaches the coaches for their faithfulness through these acts of kindness and recognition. What a testimony.
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