it’s been 18 years… are you kidding?!

Sunday was an amazing day. The young man that I mentor turned 18 and he decided he wanted 2 things for his birthday. The first was that he wanted to get baptized. Pastor Duane asked him who has helped him spiritually get to this point and who he wanted to be in the water with him. He chose me. I had the honor of walking into the cold water of Lake Ponchatrain with him to submerge him. The second thing he wanted was to celebrate by to Illegal Burrito, home of the largest burrito either of us had ever seen, for dinner.

As we were talking and hanging out later that night I felt compelled to ask him what year he was born in. His answer, 1993, hit me like a ton of bricks. Before our eyes this adolescent is turning into a man. He’s making wise decisions, my son calls his name constantly because he loves to play with him, and my wife and I honestly enjoy having him around. In some ways he’s like the son that’s about to transition to college that we don’t yet have, and Sunday I realized that he was born 3 days after I lost my own father. Suddenly I was looking at a boy growing up. I was looking at how much of my own life passed by without my father. In many ways my life started over that day, and I can see a scared little boy turning into a confident man. It is shocking and a blessing to be able to mentor this young man who started his life 3 days after mine was changed forever.

Successful people never stop learning

This is an exciting time for me!  I’ve come to realize that, at this point, the successes and failures of this ministry revolve around my ability to plan and execute successful programs.  Many points over the summer I have come to the realization that there is still a lot that I need to learn to make the biggest impact possible in the lives of the youth of New Orleans.  I do the best that I can, but there is always a drive to do more or do what I do better. This is why I’m so excited for the months of September and October.  There are two opportunities coming up that will help me become more effective on the court as well as with my work in the community.

The first one is a coaching clinic nearAtlanta.  It will improve my knowledge of many aspects of basketball, help me to learn to plan practices more effectively, get players a maximum amount of reps within our timeframe,  will give me more drills to run with both varsity as well as Pressing On workouts, and even help me prepare and be more effective this winter.

The second opportunity is a Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) Conference.  CCDA is the most respected organization in Christian Community Development.  Attending this conference should broaden my horizons, give me new ideas, and new approaches to running Pressing On.  Some of the principles include living among the people you interact with, helping them to reconcile with both God and others (many times this involves racial reconciliation), leadership development.  Of course this little write-up cannot begin to describe all that  over 600 organizations do in 200 cities.  I’m excited, for the first time, to have an opportunity to sit and listen to and learn from so many different people who have made similar commitments.  My wife and I both hope to attend as she also plays an incredibly important role in Pressing On.  I rely heavily on her insights, knowledge, wisdom and wisdom as well as her encouragement, cooking, interactions with participants.

Unfortunately the cost of gaining knowledge and growing is never cheap.  Even cutting as many corners as I can to save money there is no way to attend these conferences for under $500.  Costs could easily reach close to $1,000 (think lodging, my wife attending CCDA also, cheap food, and gas).

If you would like to help offset some of these costs and to ensure the continued development of Pressing On and it’s programming please consider donating.  Any donation of any amount will help a great deal.

Click the Donate Now tab near the top of the screen to see the  2 ways to donate.

Thank you for your prayers and support.  Look for an updates after each conference!  This ministry isn’t possible without support from people like you!

My Coach

As an athlete and a coach I know about hitting a wall.  There is always a point where, as a player you are pushed outside your comfort zone and into the unfamiliar.  A player hits a wall when their mind can no longer force the body to keep pushing and keep going in the same direction.  Every player hits a wall at a different point.  For some it is sweat.  For some it is pain.  For some the requirement to reach your full potential is just greater than the dedication to reach it.

As a coach I spend much of my time looking for ways to make a player play or work harder – to give just a little more- to be a little greater or to have the courage to know that you won’t die.  The fact is that dreams come true just over the next hill.

I’ve realized that I’ve hit a wall with my life and the ministry God has called me to.  I’ve been running for a while and I’m getting pretty tired.  The truth is I’ve got plenty left, but it’s more than I’ve ever given.  My coach is asking for more.  He wants a better effort.  I know I’ve cut corners, and I jogged through the last sprint.  When he says he wants my best I hang my head and shame.   I know he is talking to me.  I watch my sweat hit the floor, and am reminded of all I’ve already given.  Yet my coach wants more.  He knows I’m not giving my best.  He sees not only the player I am, but also the player I could be.  Anything less than that is a waste of talent.  Anything less than that will allow me to look back at my life with regrets or questions about what I could have become.  Anything less than that is disappointing.

My coach knows I’m destined for greatness, but he knows I have a sloppy work ethic.  He knows without His constant pushing and prodding I won’t make it.  Again I hear “Was that your best?”  A tear joins the puddle of sweat on the ground.  I know it wasn’t .  I’m not sure if I’m more disappointed that I didn’t live up to my potential, or that I let my coach down.  Luckily my coach gives me another chance.

“On the line” is his command.  I walk to the same line that my last sprint finished on, pick my head up, and vow that on this sprint I will give my best.  I will let my coach see me give everything I can.  I will not disappoint him or myself.  I will continue Pressing On through the pain, the disappointment, the fatigue, the heartache and the sorrow.  I will constantly remind myself why I am in the gym.  I will remind myself why He asks me to work.  I will allow my God – My coach – to shape me and teach me.  I will trust him.  I am Pressing On.

It’s Party Time

It’s graduation season, and right now, across the street from my house there is a party going on that makes me smile. My street is full of cars, there is loud music, and a sweet smell of food that isn’t mine to eat, but I don’t care. This isn’t a high school graduation party. THIS party makes me happy. THIS party makes me smile. THIS party reminds me what I’m doing in New Orleans. This party is for Douda, a young man I met four years ago, in another neighborhood, while doing another ministry. I met him through a 5th grader named Josh. Josh was my most significant youth relationship during Mission Year. I saw Josh all the time. Douda was his best friend.  Everyone called him Bug, and if I saw Josh the chances were high I would also see Bug. I remember him as a young man with big eyes who was always flying around the corner to see his friend.
Our year ended, and I made the short move to another neighborhood in New Orleans.  We’ve moved around Hollygrove several times since moving here, and soon after our last move a kid that looked familiar showed up to the center to play basketball.  It took me some time, but I realized this was the same Douda that I used to call Bug.  Not long after that realized that he not only also lived in Hollygrove, but he lived on my block.

This is a party that lets me see a young man make one step closer to college.  I never would have imagined that I would be able to watch him walk across a stage in 8th grade.  It makes me excited to realize that this same young boy is attending the same school that I coached for during the winter (and hope to coach for next winter as well).  My heart is filled with such joy to see how relationships that looked lost can come full circle, and how God can renew relationships formed years and years ago in ways that could only be organized by his hand.

Please pray for the future of these relationships in the neighborhood, in the schools, and through basketball.  God is doing amazing things down here.  It’s times like these that God reminds me gently that it is not my work here that is happening, but that I am doing His will, working to show others His love, and that His hand will gently guide us.

Look at these people trying to take my Championship Belt

I’m sure I’m not the only person who was raised on the saying “Never kick a man while he’s down.”  With the amount of people who have never been able to beat me in a game of one-on-one challenging me to a game (both right now and when I get cleared by a doctor) it seems like this is not a popular saying here.

There are a number of players younger than me who I train and teach to play basketball.  Even though many of them call me coach, I also play the role of the older brother.  Most younger brothers train in order to beat their older brother.  Even Michael Jordan – the greatest basketball player in the world – grew up wanting to beat his brother (and even wore 23 because it was half of his brother’s 45, and he hoped to be half as good).  Most of my “younger brothers” want to beat me.  When they tell me that they’re better than me, that they don’t want to do a drill because it’s not important, or they are just not working as hard as they need to because they think they’re good enough I’m not slow in pointing out that they have never beaten me, and if they don’t change their attitude and work hard they never will.

Needless to say this idea, although it has worked pretty well, has given me quite a list of challengers who think they are ready to beat me.  I have to change my strategy and I tell them they have 3 months to train without me being able to do much, so when I come back they had better be ready because I’m rusty.

I’ve also had a different reaction.  2 players who hope to thrive on their varsity basketball team asked me to work them out in the summer.  They also realized that they are rusty, and invited me to train with them while I train them.  They know my game will be rusty, I’ll need to work on it to get it back to where it was, and they have offered to help me help them help me.

Screwy start to spring

Things in New Orleans have not been going according to plan at all.  Rather we’ve had some unexpected challenges this past month both personally and via the ministry that has seemed to turn life on its head.  Nothing seems to be what it once was.

In March we took an unfortunate and unexpected trip to Michigan because of a family tragedy.  Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my wife and her family.

Upon returning I was anxious to have things return back to normal, and excited to see the guys for the first time in two weeks.  Unfortunately within the first hour I heard a POP when I landed finishing a layup.  It ended up being more than the end of my night.  In the following days an orthopedic surgeon informed me that I had a Jones Fracture, and he suggested I get a screw put in my foot to make sure it heals correctly and prevents this from happening again.

Unfortunately this means that for 3 months I won’t be able to play any sort of basketball.  At this point I’m looking forward to the time I’ll be able to walk around again normally.  These days the medication I’m on has me sleeping almost 16 hours a day with much of my waking hours being hazy and hard to concentrate on anything.  I had hoped to get a lot of administrative things caught up, and a good jump on some projects, but even the most basic tasks prove to be overwhelming.  We’ll see as time moves forward how this will affect the ministry.  Initially I think this will give me more time to talk to people on the sidelines, and it will force me to become a better communicator of my expectations toward players without demonstration.  Somehow I know that I’ll find ways to make these setbacks benefit the ministry.

I’ll welcome any new ideas.

Ben

The spring is exciting!

The basketball season at KIPP: Renaissance just ended.  I absolutely loved working with this group of guys.  I’m not sure if it was because the group of guys was so positive, hard working and fun to work with (because they were) or if it was because it felt great to be on a team again working toward a common goal with the same group of guys every day (because it did).  As much as I hated to leave my family every night I knew I was going to a place where I felt like I belonged.  There is, and always has been, something comforting about a basketball court.  No matter where I am in the country in many ways I feel at home in a gym.  I feel like I am where I belong – the same way I feel like I am where I belong in New Orleans, and at home with my wife.  As much as I miss coaching them I’m also excited for the spring that seems to be coming around.  The spring brings new players, as well as two new exciting projects.

For the first time ever I’m planning on making a fund-raising video.  I’ve got a basic story line mapped out, but I’m unsure how the final product will turn out because there will have to be more information than just a short story.  I’ve been hoping to make this happen for a while now, and have been forced to wait because I needed a couple shots of people playing basketball.

 

The second project is a HUGE sermon series.  I’m going to use John Wooden’s Pyramid of success as the template for my sermons the entire summer and fall.  See http://www.coachwooden.com/index2.html for the pyramid as well as an explanation of each building block.  Wooden says “Success is a piece of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable.”  Using his insights, and the bible as reference I plan to show the young men what real success is, how to attain it, and how God not only fits in, but is the glue that holds the pyramid together.  I also plan on building this pyramid on the back of a shed so my guys can actually see it go up, and remember each block.

 

Both of these projects are huge, and will be tough to fit in during nap times.  Please pray for these projects, and an ability for them to glorify God.

This is an exciting year for Pressing On.  Won’t you consider joining us for the ride?

Winter Newsletter

Wonder what has happened in Pressing On this year?  Interested to see how God is using basketball to change lives?  Want to help make a difference in New Orleans?

Click Here for Winter Newsletter

 

Am I just a basketball coach?

When does a basketball coach become more than just a basketball coach?  It’s no secret to me that the bond between a player and a coach is a sacred one.

I was lucky enough to play for two coaches during my basketball career.  The first one also was the middle school gym teacher who told me I needed to play basketball in 7th grade because he wanted to coach me in high school.  He got me onto the team, and helped me discover not just a new passion, but a way for me to escape my problems (even if only for a couple hours at a time).

My second coach took over my senior year.  I respected him immediately.  He saw me at a game the year after I graduated, and in front of everybody in the stands demanded a reason for why I wasn’t at practice.  Apparently you can’t graduate from his program, and in spending time in the gym with him and his team the following years I learned that I had a real passion to teach the game to others.

Each coach helped me to discover a passion, and something in my life that was missing.  I can look at what I do today, and I know that I can never repay those men. I can only hope to make an impact in the lives of the young men that I encounter similar to the way they impacted me.

The park closest to my house just started up a basketball program for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.  The youth pastor coaches the team, and many of the young men I’ve been teaching to play are on the team.

I don’t get to see many games because of my own team’s basketball practice, and I ended up missing a game that I had hoped to attend.  I called one of the players to see how the game went and how they were doing.  In the following hour long conversation we talked about the team, the offense, his frustrations, our favorite basketball players, and quite a few other things.

The next day I showed up to the center to have the player say “Hey life coach.”  Some time in that hour he discovered that he was comfortable talking to me about anything.  The center has a life coach program, and without asking me (it was alright with me) he decided that this is the role I would take in his life.

The bond between a player and coach is strong.  Maybe I too, am making an impact on the lives of those around me.

Sometimes I love the winter

As I frequently mention – a basketball ministry on an outdoor court in the winter changes the face of the program dramatically.  Many players don’t show, and the ones that do often have to battle numbing appendages.  Sometimes this provides unique opportunities as well.  Last week was cold, and I knew I wouldn’t get very many players.

Like I normally do, I had a half time message prepared.  I also had the thought to ask the guys what they thought of when people mentioned Christians, God and Jesus (looking back I wish I would have also asked about the bible).

Going into “Half-Time” (the portion where we talk about God) I wasn’t sure if I would give the sermon or ask the questions.  I had three guys I knew very well.  2 I knew would be open to talk, and the 3rd I wasn’t sure about.  I decided to ask them some questions.

The responses I got were honest.  They were insightful.  They opened the door to more questions.  There was some mis-education, and in one player what seemed like a longing to know God more.

I learned that a player who wasn’t even sure himself about who God was or what he believed also thought that the topic of God was so important if he overheard other people talking about God then he would listen.  He wanted to know what other people were saying, and I think, he wanted to learn more.

I learned that another player knows a pastor that told him that in order to get to heaven he must tithe.  He felt deep down like this couldn’t be right, but he also felt like, since this pastor is a man of God, he couldn’t question it and it must be true.

I learned that one player sees several different types of Christians.

The kind that say they are and go to church because they have to.

The kind that say they are and go to church once in a while.

The kind that say they are and don’t do anything about it.

The kind that say they are but secretly have doubts.

The kind that say they are and judges others.

After asking which kind is best:  The kind that say they are and live like they are.

It was such a gift for me to be able to sit down and just listen to these guys.  So often our conversations, like most conversations, are shallow but today was a chance to get to talk about important things during the time that was dedicated to important things.

Please pray for these young men.  Pray for more opportunities to go deeper, and also pray that God remove any barriers keeping them away from himself.  I’m really blessed to have gotten to know these guys, and even more blessed to be able to have my life interact with theirs.  Please remember them in your prayers.

Thanks.