Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God (and remove the mold on the inside!)

I am spending some time in intentional silence today. For me, this means silencing social media (twitter, facebook, instagram, etc.) as well as silencing myself--choosing not to speak. Silence is a discipline I haven't practiced in a long time. But the Lord laid it on my heart this morning. Don't speak. Listen to me today. Pray, write, reflect. Listen. There's a lot of noise in my life. I am busy. It's easy to get so caught up in my schedule that I forget to be still. But it's even easier to get so accustomed to my own voice that I forget to listen.

I can think of countless conversations with friends when I have shared numerous things about myself without stopping to ask questions and listen. One sided conversations. I can also think of numerous instances when something happens in my life that upsets me and instead of withdrawing to pray about the issue and commit it to the Lord (and listening to his voice), I run from person to person sharing gossiping about the problem. In the moment, it feels like I am getting a weight off of my chest--I rationalize that it's better to release the negative feelings than to keep them on the inside. Better out than in, right? But in the long run, these conversations leave me empty. I've spilled whatever I was feeling or thinking, but there's ugly residue left on the inside, and nothing any person can say will ultimately refresh and refill me.

This morning I spent a while outside on my balcony cleaning sports equipment. Last night I discovered mold had begun to grow in several bins of SportQuest equipment. I was sad to have to throw some of the equipment away. But some of it appears salvageable. I got some advice from friends about how to clean it and went to work spraying it down with a disinfectant and wiping it off. Piece by piece. As I was working, I began to pray over the equipment. Lord, I commit what's left to you. It's not as much as I started with, but it's more than enough for you to work through. Like Gideon. You don't need a lot of tools to accomplish your will. I believe this equipment still has time left to do your will. It isn't ruined. There's still games to be played, kids to be included and encouraged. Still camps to be held...

I continued to spray and wipe each piece carefully as I prayed. Then the Lord struck me with some truth. It's not the outside of the equipment that really matters. It's not what's visible that you need to be worried about. I stopped to think. As much as I sprayed and wiped, and even if I got every trace of mold off of the exterior of each piece of equipment, there is nothing I can do about mold on the inside of a soccer or football. Lord, cleanse the inside of each piece of equipment, I begged. All I can do is reach the outside. I need you to transform the inside and remove every bit of mold from the inside out. It's not in my power to do that. Only you can.

I quickly realized this truth applies more broadly than some moldy sports equipment. How often do I focus on the exterior instead of the interior of others, and of myself? For instance, spilling my negative thoughts and feelings to other people might move an emotional mess from the inside to the outside, but it doesn't address the source of the mess--my heart. And I can do a thousand sports camps with kids, putting them through drills that train their bodies to perform athletically. And when bad behavior spills out, I can punish and discipline it by making kids run or do push ups. But that only demonstrates what kind of external performance and behavior I expect on the field. Ultimately, I can't get their hearts in the right kind of shape.

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." (Jeremiah 17:9-10, NLT) 

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT)

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were required to sacrifice animals to atone for their sins. But the book of Hebrews in the New Testament makes the point that sacrificing animals was just a reminder of the people's sins, and it couldn't actually release them from the power of sin. The ritual or outward behavior of sacrificing an animal didn't have the power to change the heart.

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time...[And the Holy Spirit says], "This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." (Hebrews 10:11-12, 15-16, NLT)

This is why I should bring my burdens to the Lord first, and why in ministry I should stay focused on internal, not external transformation. Just as I can't magically remove mold from the inside of a soccer ball, I also can't erase sins and transform my own heart or the hearts of others. Only God can purify the inside. Only he can take my messes out of me and refill me with his Holy Spirit. Only he can see an external behavior, make a heart diagnosis and then treat the source.

King David understood this, and I want my life to echo his prayer:

Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify my from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner--
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me--
now let me rejoice.
Don't keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD.
RENEW A LOYAL SPIRIT WITHIN ME.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.
(Psalm 51:1-11, NLT, emphasis mine)

Out of My Comfort Zone, I Can Finally See Clearly.

My name is Kristian Engle, and this was my very first year with SportQuest, and also my first ever mission trip! This post is a little bit late, but the time I spent in Baton Rouge has been on my heart all day and I thought I would write about what an eye opening experience SportQuest was for me!

On June 18, my (VERY nervous) parents watched me board my very first flight, out of Kansas City, on my way to a state I have never been, with people I don't know, for 10 days. To say I was out of my comfort zone would be an understatement. I was jumping (well, flying) head first into an adventure and I had no idea what to expect, but I was ready for whatever God had in store for me. I had expected God to move through me that week, but I never expected for him to move through me like he did.


Me on top of the LA state Capitol!

Throughout the whole Mission Trip, God showed this small town Kansas native just how big the world really is once you get out of your comfort zone. He opened my eyes to so many different things!

1. He showed me that the world is bigger than Fort Scott, Kansas. Once I was away from home, it was easy to forget about the life that I left to come to Baton Rouge. When I arrived in Baton Rouge I knew I would be working in an inner city neighborhood, but because I had never lived in Baton Rouge, it was easy to see with clear eyes the neighborhood for what it really was; just a community with kids who want someone to love on them and show them that someone cares. It didn't matter to me that I was in what was usually perceived as a "bad neighborhood," all that mattered to me was to spread God's love to all these AMAZING children and families.

2. God opened my eyes to the kids. Let me be honest here, after the first day of camp I was pretty overwhelmed. Cheerleading had 85 girls that first day with only four  coaches to manage them. They were chatty and running wild and some had a slight attitude - it really threw me off guard when I quickly realized that their first reaction to anything is violence. I didn't know what I had gotten myself into and felt awful after the first couple days because it felt like all I was doing was yelling at the kids to be quiet and to be respectful (at both the SQ Camps and the morning Gardere Initiative) to each other as well as the coaches. After talking with one of the other cheer coaches who felt similar things as me, our eyes were opened to the fact that we were raised totally differently than these kids. We only see a small snap shot of these kids' lives. We don't know how their living situations are, and  even though we thought they were being so disrespectful and wild, we realized that they might be on their best behavior for us; they might not live in a house with parents that demand the respect that we were constantly asking of them to show us. It really humbled me, and opened my eyes to how blessed I am, and how being more patient and soft spoken to these girls would be the best way to show them God's love. After God opened my eyes to this, it was a lot easier the rest of the week to make connections with the girls, and to really try to understand their lives. It was so awesome to just put myself on the "back burner" and give my whole self to serving these kids.






Kelsey and I's class at the Gardere Initiative

3. God showed me just how easy it was to spread the Gospel. SportQuest is just super cool. They take something as simple and common as sports and use it as a bridge for The Gospel. It really opened my eyes to how anyone can use their gifts to glorify God in anything that they want! SportQuest is more than just praying before and after a sports camp. It is integrating Jesus and the Gospel into everything that we do. From a verse of the week, to word of the day, to 3D devotions and positive and encouraging game play, SportQuest takes sport ministry to a whole new level, and it is AWESOME. They even broke it down for the coaches during our "training camp" portion of the trip, They helped us learn how to spread the Gospel in three easy steps! 1.Connect with the person, 2. Find Common Ground, 3. then Integrate your story with HIS story. I'm a very visual and organized person so I appreciate this little organized plan, SportQuest! Anyway, until this trip, I never knew how easy it could be to talk about God and show people Jesus! It always seemed like a daunting task but I now know that just a simple sentence has the capabilities of planting a seed in someone's heart.

SportQuest Baton Rouge was so incredible in so many ways that I could talk about it for hours. But those were just the main things that God called my attention to that I wanted to share. My time in Baton Rouge was definitely the highlight of my summer and gave me a new view of the world and of the people around me. These 10 days challenged me and stretched me more than I could have ever imagined, and I'm so grateful for the growth. You never know what you're capable of until you jump out of your comfort zone and trust wholly in God.



My position in Cheerleading is usually a Back Spot but that week I was blessed with getting to learn how to fly! Something I've always wanted to do!





Learning to Surrender

My name is Jordyn Houston and this was my first year serving on a SportQuest team. Thinking back through my entire journey with SportQuest this year, one word seems to come to mind: surrender.  Last summer when in the process of figuring out where God wanted me to go serve this summer, I had no knowledge of SportQuest and Baton Rouge was as far from my mind as it could be.  My desire was Denver, Colorado, but that just wasn’t happening this summer.  I didn’t know what to think.  How could a place that God had laid so heavily on my heart not be an option?  I didn’t understand, I was upset, I was mad.  I applied for a mission trip to Seattle, just to have to cancel my application because of dates conflicting with church camp.  At this point, I wasn’t just mad, I was furious.  I started questioning whether or not God actually wanted me somewhere the upcoming summer, or even in the mission field at all.  It was early January when one of my mentors showed me SportQuest’s Playing With Purpose scholarship.  I started searching SportQuest’s website and found their summer missions.  I started praying about it, asking God to reveal to me if this was His will, but honestly, at that point, I was desperate enough to go somewhere that I would’ve tried anything.  God confirmed my prayers when I got a phone call from one of the SQ staff members about potentially being a part of one of their missions during the summer.  As months passed on and the project dates grew closer, the more nervous I became.  This wasn’t my first mission trip, so why was I scared?  The more I thought about it, I realized that this was an organization I knew very little about.  All I really knew was what I learned through their website.  I wasn’t backing away though, not this close to the project.  After weeks of dealing with the stress of worrying, I finally surrendered over to God.  I came to the realization that He brought SportQuest into my life and that He had a plan.  I gained a peace that was like no other.  I had no more worries and no longer felt like I was going in blind.  I was excited.  I was ready to take on this new adventure with open arms.  The first few days were hard, not physically, but mentally.  I so longed to be in Denver, and that want was taking my focus off of my purpose at the time.  My purpose.  I couldn’t grasp the fact that Baton Rouge was my purpose.  I didn’t want to grasp it.  Monday night, I talked with another team member who was able to relate to my struggles.  I, once again, came to the conclusion that I had to surrender to God.  I had to surrender my earthly desires to be able to do the work God put in front of me to the best of my ability.  It took a crazy amount of faith, but God definitely rewarded me.


Reading during Story Time at Gardere Community Christian School

I was put with 6 others at the Gardere Community Christian School to assist during the morning with their summer program.  This gave me an opportunity to get to know the kids on a more personal level than just the few hours they were at camp during the evening, and meet new kids that were doing other sports than softball/baseball.  The first thing that happened each morning once all the kids arrived was a Bible story movie.  It was Thursday morning, and a 7 year old boy named Robert came and sat beside me during the movie.  The movie was over Jonah and the whale, so as we watched the movie we shared facial expressions of amazement during the unbelievable parts.  We were watching the movie, when he noticed the bracelet on my wrist.  The bracelet contained five brightly colored beads that all stood for a major part of the Gospel story.  He became curious and asked what the beads meant.  It was at that point that I got to explain to Robert what each bead represented.  From the creation of the world, all the way to the restoration those who believe in Jesus Christ will receive.  I could tell that he was understanding what I was saying, and I was able to give him my bracelet to wear as a reminder of the rescue Christ offers. 

Robert during crafts. Notice the bracelet on his right wrist.

For me, it’s amazing to look back on the week and see how God moved in me, and through me, once I surrendered myself to God’s plan for me in Baton Rouge. 

SQBR 2015: Abiding When Expectations are Shattered by Storms

It’s been a bit over a week since we finished the SQBR 2015 project, and I’m finally ready to put some words to paper…or at least to the blog (is paper even a thing these days?—haha).

The week after a project is always a hard week for a project coordinator. It’s full of loading and packing and storing, giving borrowed things back, writing thank you notes, and generally wrapping up the project. It isn’t pretty sometimes…I would share a picture of my bedroom (with 8 different equipment storage bins plus all of my clothing in the floor), but it’s in pretty embarrassing shape. The other aspect of the week after a project for a coordinator is debriefing and processing—reading evaluations and digging into the nitty gritty of what was really good about the project and what needs improvement. In Christian ministry, this is also a time of heart examination—what were my spiritual strengths and weaknesses? High points? Mistakes? Sins? Who do I need to speak with in the aftermath to follow up with, to confess to, to encourage, to seek advice and feedback from? It is important to physically wrap up a project and to store sports equipment, but it is even more important to seek a spiritual conclusion and to ask the Lord to give me and other leaders insight into the work he did during the week and the work he is continuing to do even though the event of SQBR has finished for the year.

So, when I say I am finally ready to put words to paper, I’m saying I’ve had enough time to begin to reflect on the ministry and to share a few things the Lord is revealing during the debrief process. Early on in the project, the Lord gave me a word: ABIDE. And he continued to impress the word on my heart throughout the trip (and even now). There’s layers to this word. The top layer is simply the call to be still and spend time with the Lord. Not something I am very good at because I am notoriously busy. But if you go to one of the most famous passages of Scripture where this word appears, you see it is a deeper call than simply being still or spending time in prayer and devotion:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:1-11, ESV)

The passage is Jesus speaking to his disciples. It leads into a discussion of loving one another, and is part of Jesus’ conversation with the disciples before he is betrayed and dies on the cross. It’s his encouragement for them to remain in him, to love one another, and ultimately to be unified with him individually and collectively. He also mentions pruning and persecution (later in the passage). The command to abide remains the same. Abide and take heart, for he has conquered the world! Abiding in Jesus/the Father is the foundation of fruit-bearing. He is the rock of ministry. Apart from the vine, no fruit can be produced. Apart from him, no ministry can be accomplished. He is the source.

So, why would the Lord choose this word to give me during SQBR 2015? This year more than the others, abiding was difficult. It was difficult because I had lots of tasks as a leader to complete. But that is a challenge I expected. Abiding this year was difficult because there were a lot of unexpected challenges. I was tempted continuously to respond in the flesh rather than in the fruits of the Spirit and to try to handle the challenges in my own strength rather than going to the source. Jesus promises branches that remain in him will bear fruit, but he also points out that they will be pruned and tested, and some will be thrown into the fire. Abiding does not lead to guaranteed comfort, but it does lead to fruit, to discipline, to growth, and ultimately to obedience and love. Abiding happens in silent times of prayer and devotion, as well as in the midst of chaotic storms and painful pruning.

Our SQBR team walked through some storms—figurative and literal—together. And we came out of the storms for the most part more unified. We were challenged to rely more on God as we were pushed out of our comfort zones and as our expectations were shattered. 

The SQBR team before our first Sunday worshiping together

The Lord is good and faithful, and although there were times when things felt chaotic or broken, and when my vision for the project and the schedule I had designed fell to pieces, the Lord revealed his perfect plans and his larger and clearer vision for the Gardere children and for SportQuest Baton Rouge.

Some of my favorite moments emerged from the storms, and they were more perfect than anything I could have built or designed in my own strength. Relational walls came crashing down when the SQBR cheer coaches had an impromptu worship service with a parks and recreation employee during a gym power outage. That employee, who had previously been an obstacle to our ministry opened the doors to the gym wide later in the week when continued rain caused us to need to move camp indoors. 

Cheer Coaches Baylee, Megan, Kristian, and Christina

The one day when camp was entirely rained out brought with it the opportunity to fellowship with a group of young men who were volunteering with us. Friendships were built and the gospel was proclaimed even though camp was cancelled. 

The SQBR team with the cadets, who they got to do unexpected ministry with because of the storms

Morning service projects were exhausting and frustrating at times, but the SportQuest coaches formed in-depth relationships with the Gardere children, learned their names and their stories better than in previous years, and spent more time over all with them even when the rain took away some camp time. During camp, I was over joyed to see how well the coaches related to the children, how excited the children were to see the coaches, and the ways in which the hard work of the mornings was tilling the ground of the children’s hearts, making it more fertile for the gospel.

Jordyn reading to some of the girls from Gardere during the morning service project at the Christian school

On a personal level, I learned a lot as a coordinator this year. Every single year brings with it new challenges, but this year brought extra challenges. I am learning how to ABIDE, how to trust the Lord and how to be thankful for storms and pruning that make way for his vision and work to be done in Gardere. I want SQBR to be all about him and not about me, all about his glory. Sports are a tool, and so am I. He is the carpenter, the vinedresser…the source.

Danielle (me) with one of the campers from the baseball camp

My name is Danielle & I am the SQBR coordinator and director. I am also a PhD student in Sociology at Louisiana State University and a general sports enthusiast (Geaux Tigers!). I am very thankful for the completion of our 4th summer of SportQuest Baton Rouge and looking forward to what the Lord has in store for this project and our team in the future.

SportQuest Baton Rouge - Round 2

                                                      SportQuest Baton Rouge- Round 2

My name is Kent Hinrichsen and this is my second Sportquest expedition to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The first year was a time of getting introduce to the organization and understanding what it means to use sports as a way to spread the gospel of Christ to kids. This year I was blessed to be a bible study leader and was able to focus on investing time in the lives of my teammates as well as self-examining my life. Due to this, I felt that a greater community was formed. A community of challenging others to better themselves and focusing on having Christ first in everything. Challenges such as being Christian athletes, not just athletes who are apparently Christians, presenting the attitude of Christ in every situation, moment, or trial that we endure.

One of my favorite moments this week was on Thursday during the evening basketball camp. The word of the day was "encourage" and I was struggling to find a way to incorporated the word of the day into a basketball setting (probably because I was trying to trust on my own knowledge and understanding.) I trusted God to provide a way to use "encourage" in one of the basketball drills we did. I started to think of what situation in basketball do people trash-talk or distract people the most. Free Throws. Think about it, Lance Stephenson blowing in LeBron James' ear, people yelling and throwing their hands every which way to distract the opposing player in hoping that they will miss the shot. As an attempt to change that, we had a free throw drill where everyone would encourage the shooter. It was really cool to see everyone encouraging each other instead of tearing people down. It was definitely God given.  

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover

Hi, my name is Bethany Zornow, and I am from Chicago, Illinois! I am a sophomore in college, and this is my second trip with SportQuest. Last summer I had the privilege of traveling to Costa Rica with SportQuest and decided to try round two in Baton Rouge. I felt compelled to go to Baton Rouge this summer because I have a heart with working with inner city kids.

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover

Being new to the team and knowing no one, or anything that is going on has proved to be beneficial. By not being informed, I've been kept open minded, and open hearted. That being said, each person is blessed with their own story.

Kids have ZERO control of how or where they grow up. Each individual has different circumstances, some harder than others. Regardless of our past or present -- we are all apart of God's family. My favorite experience here by far has been getting to know the cadets and their leaders. The cadets are apart of a program through the state called the Youth Challenge Program. They have been coming to camp each day to help us with: set up, registration, running the camps, as well as cleaning up after camp. The program they are in helps men and women get on the right path and helps them learn discipline. If these individuals didn't want to be at our camp, I surely can't tell.

 On Tuesday we endured pouring rain, this doesn't exactly go well with an outdoor camp. We attempted to have camp outside, but God quickly showed us He had another plan. Due to the weather we had to cancel camp with the kids, but not the cadets. We ended up having the cadets come to The Chapel where we have been staying this week. We were able to play games and have fellowship with the cadets and their leaders. To be able to see the joy in some of their eyes was really indescribable. Each person was so attentive and eager to speak and listen. It was fun getting to know about their lives and their family. The cadets showed us what they knew best, their physical training exercises. Man, those things were hard! I could maybe do 10 reps tops, not 50 like they were explaining.

Something else I found unique was to see how the cadets and their drill sergeants interacted. I've gotten to speak with Corporal Reines a lot, and he has such an important role in the lives of those men. If it weren't for this program they are involved in, things could be a whole lot worse for the men in this program. I really wish each state had these types of programs because I believe it really makes a difference. In addition to our fellowship, we made an impact. We had the drill sergeants wanting to come back even when they were off the clock - we even had cadets asking us to be their pen pals. I truly believe we were able to touch their lives, at least I know they touched mine.

God has a funny way of bringing people together and answering prayers. Not only do the children of Gardere need to be loved on, but so do the other people in the community. No matter the age, people want to be heard, and want to be loved. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of their lives, and I hope God continues to bless them as we head back home soon.

Our efforts are making an impact!

-Bethany A. Zornow

He Works All Things for Good

My name is Christina Bradley, and I'm a nursing student from Cincinnati, Ohio. This is my third year serving with SportQuest as a cheerleading coach! I feel called to serve God in whatever missions field He places me in, and SportQuest has been the tool He has allowed me to use to fulfill His purpose in this season of my life.

On Tuesday afternoon, our athletes prepared for camp as usual. We served at our service projects in the morning, and then continued planning for clinics into the afternoon. As four o’clock came around, we packed our vans and cars full and headed to our respective fields and gyms. As a cheerleading coach, I helped my fellow coaches pull out our tumbling and stunting mats. We noticed that the rain started to fall harder, so we circled up as a team and asked our Heavenly Father to allow for safety and His will to be done with the rain.

Camps start at five o’clock, but as the clock ticked closer to the five, the rain only worsened. We received word that SportQuest camp would be canceled that evening due to severe weather.  Instead of packing up and heading home, we decided to play worship music from our dance speakers and invited some of the others in the gym to join us. One of these people was the gym administrator. This woman is someone that SportQuest had worked with a couple of times in the past, but we had not yet received the opportunity to reach out to her on a personal level.  She hesitantly said she would come sit with us for a song or two. This quickly became a full set of worship as we thanked God for the storm, even though we weren’t sure of His plan.

As the storm carried on, five coaches and our gym’s administrator lifted our voices to God. This impromptu worship session led the administrator to tears, and followed with her sharing a little of her own story with us. She prayed the most beautiful prayer over us to close our worship service, and she assured us that she would never forget our kind actions towards her on that frightening evening.  God provided a bridge to a partnership that evening, which will lead to building more relationships in the future. It was so incredible to watch God orchestrate His plan that night, regardless of what we as coaches thought needed to take place. Again, God was reminding me that He is in control and that He wants to “work all thing for good, according to His purpose.” ~Romans 8:28