Without the giants in my life, I don't think that I will ever be successful. Giants prevent you from becoming complacent. They force you to be innovative. GIANTS force you to connect and depend on God.
When facing my GIANTS, I often times react with doubt and frustration until I realize that every problem also presents an opportunity.
God has a plan for us all and has promised that he will never forsake us. HE has also promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve HIM faithfully (Romans 8:28). With that, I can rest and be assured that we will be victorious.
When facing GIANTS, there are three things that we must do in order to win.
First, we must take our problems, concerns, doubts, etc. to God in prayer first. In order to hear a response, we must have a relationship with God. How do you feel when someone only comes around when they need something. God is our father and chastens us like our earthly father does and he wants us to call on and depend on HIM first.
Second, we must be patient and wait on God to do his will. This is especially difficult for me since I like to figure things out on my own. God knows what is best for us. We have to trust HIM. Trusting HIM is taking action based on our belief in HIM.
Third, we must remain positive. I have learned so much from negative experiences. Storms bring doubt and fear. A good friend of mine told me that rainbows always follow storms and that is a true statement.
If you aren't facing a GIANT today it is only because he hasn't exposed himself yet. They are all around us but what a blessing it is to be equipped to fight them. Live to today!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Not dead...
We had perfect weather yesterday in Atlanta. It's spring break for public schools which means traffic was mild for a change.
I drove into the city to get a workout in at the gym before my 10AM hitting clinic at Booker T. Washington High School. I arrived at the field at 9:15AM to set up and some players beat me there. I knew then that we were going to have a great day.
Within 10 minutes, 15 more players showed up for the clinic. At 10AM sharp, I greeted each player with a good morning and a hand shake. Afterwards, I asked, "Why the hell are you all here this morning on a baseball field with a baseball uniform on in the heart of the inner city of Atlanta during spring break?"
The first player responded quickly by saying, "to get better coach!" Another said "because I respect the game." Another said "because I don't want to let my coach down."
Coach Timothy Lott is the head baseball coach at Booker T. Washington High School managing a varsity baseball team with a $200 budget that needs uniforms and equipment. They haven't won a game all season. He addresses players as gentlemen and has one of the firmest hand shakes in the city.
Why haven't the players at Washington High School quit on Coach Lott, because he hasn't quit on them. Just that simple. I'm one of the top swing coaches in the country and there are several high school coaches in this state that wouldn't dare allow me to speak to their players for fear that I might teach them something that they haven't taught and in some way show them up or make them look bad. But Coach Lott's shares the same mission as L.E.A.D. - to provide access to at risk inner city males access to higher education and civic engagement through baseball - so he's intelligent enough to know that I'm here to be a resource and not THE source.
I was empowered and encouraged after yesterday's clinic. Coach Lott is truly a change agent and capable of developing baseball players. This is great news for the student-athletes at John F. Kennedy Middle School that participate in our L.E.A.D. Middle School Development League because they will enroll into Washington High School.
Baseball isn't dead in the African-American community. It just went in hibernation. Within 10 years, you will notice an influx of African-Americans competing at the collegiate level. There are currently less than 6% of African-Americans competing at the NCAA level. Every problem creates an opportunity and L.E.A.D. will continue to be a solution in Atlanta. Check our stats at LEAD2Legacy.org.
I drove into the city to get a workout in at the gym before my 10AM hitting clinic at Booker T. Washington High School. I arrived at the field at 9:15AM to set up and some players beat me there. I knew then that we were going to have a great day.
Within 10 minutes, 15 more players showed up for the clinic. At 10AM sharp, I greeted each player with a good morning and a hand shake. Afterwards, I asked, "Why the hell are you all here this morning on a baseball field with a baseball uniform on in the heart of the inner city of Atlanta during spring break?"
The first player responded quickly by saying, "to get better coach!" Another said "because I respect the game." Another said "because I don't want to let my coach down."
Coach Timothy Lott is the head baseball coach at Booker T. Washington High School managing a varsity baseball team with a $200 budget that needs uniforms and equipment. They haven't won a game all season. He addresses players as gentlemen and has one of the firmest hand shakes in the city.
Why haven't the players at Washington High School quit on Coach Lott, because he hasn't quit on them. Just that simple. I'm one of the top swing coaches in the country and there are several high school coaches in this state that wouldn't dare allow me to speak to their players for fear that I might teach them something that they haven't taught and in some way show them up or make them look bad. But Coach Lott's shares the same mission as L.E.A.D. - to provide access to at risk inner city males access to higher education and civic engagement through baseball - so he's intelligent enough to know that I'm here to be a resource and not THE source.
I was empowered and encouraged after yesterday's clinic. Coach Lott is truly a change agent and capable of developing baseball players. This is great news for the student-athletes at John F. Kennedy Middle School that participate in our L.E.A.D. Middle School Development League because they will enroll into Washington High School.
Baseball isn't dead in the African-American community. It just went in hibernation. Within 10 years, you will notice an influx of African-Americans competing at the collegiate level. There are currently less than 6% of African-Americans competing at the NCAA level. Every problem creates an opportunity and L.E.A.D. will continue to be a solution in Atlanta. Check our stats at LEAD2Legacy.org.