Get in the game!

Well, another school year is upon us, and boy did God ever bless us.  Pastor Bob said to expect the unexpected, but when I tell you that the ministry of athletics at Calvary Christian Academy keeps growing and reaching even higher levels of excellence, it is more than I ever dreamed, thought, or imagined.

Last year's success on the field and in the gym was record breaking including our first ever state championships.  Calvary Field, our new turf field and track, is about to be completed for the first home football game on September 2.  We merged with FLCS giving us access to 10 more acres of land allowing us to expand our athletic fields even further and gives us a regulation gym to play in (and all the basketball families said, Amen).  Scores of new students have enrolled at CCA with many of them being quality athletes.  I am overwhelmed by God's love and faithfullness.

We all have heard the verse in Luke 12:48 that says "to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."  We at CCA Athletics have been given so much.  So, my challenge to myself and the rest of the families is this, "Are we ready to give back?"

Are we ready to present ourselves as living sacrifices in support of a ministry that trains up Godly men and women to impact the next generation for Christ?  If you want to hear how you can "Get in the game!", come by the Calvary Grill on August 18th between 7:45a and 8:30a (after you drop the children off), and we'll tell you all about the planning, prayer, and provision that is needed to keep CCA athletics set-apart for Christ.  If you can't make it, call me direct at 954-905-5167.

To God be the Glory!

JV girls basketball team displays excellence-spirtually, academically, and socially

The JV girls basketball team beat American Heritage Plantation 46-42 on Saturday. The girls came back from a 30-13 deficit and pulled out the win to improve to 10-1. CCA coach Sean Fryer expressed his appreciation and remained focused on the teams goals, "We were able to pray with them after the game and for one of the girls who hurt her ankle".  The following article was posted on the Miami Herald Broward Youth Sports website...

Calvary JV hoops doing well

The Calvary Christian Academy Eagles girls’ junior varsity basketball team has one focus this season - excellence. That means excellence in all aspects of their lives, not just basketball.
At the beginning of the season, Coach Sean Fryer gave all the girls a goal sheet, and they had to write down their academic, home, social, basketball and spiritual goals for the season.
“I plan on holding each of these girls to the goals they wrote down,” Fryer said.
With an average scoring differential of 21 points per game, the Eagles (6-1) are led by freshman point guard and team captain Jessica Kreisel (14 points per game) and team co-captain Faith Nazario, a defensive specialist. Both have contributed on the JV and varsity teams.
In their JV absence, other players stepped up.
"I’m so proud of all of my girls,” Fryer said. “We try to have excellence in all we do and honor God through that. Matthew 5:16 says to ‘let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven,’ and that is what we try to do.”

Leadership

I've just returned from the National Athletic Directors Conference in Orlando, FL with stacks of materials, pages of notes from inspirational speakers, and a renewed spirit about the impact athletics has on today's students and ultimately our future leaders.  In the opening session, Pat Williams laid out the 7 qualities of a leader - Someone who has a clear vision, can communicate well (and listen well), someone who genuinely loves peoples, has strong character, is competent, gets results, is bold and can make decisions, all with a serving heart.  He says children get their first exposure to the art of leadership when they participate in athletics and it's our job as coaches/directors to make sure it's a positive experience.

It was such a privilege to be a part of this very informative weekend.  I took two courses for educational development.  One was called, "Athletic Administration: Principles, Strategies, and Methods" and the other was "Legal Issues I: Risk Management".  Other workshops included "Developing the Credible Coach", "Conducting Successful and Informative Parent Meetings", and "Specialization vs. Multi-Sport Participation".

Why am I so amped up about the conference?  Well, God tells us in 2 Peter 1:5 to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge.  So, when I can find better ways to teach our athletes, coaches, and parents through better communication and relationships, I can't wait to share my excitement.  Stop by the athletic office to hear more as we co-labor to build the next generation of leaders together.

 

Peace

John MacArthur writes in The Quest for Character,

"...peace is the tranquility of a soul who finds rest in Him." 

Many of us, especially during the holidays, try to find peace by getting the perfect gift, decorating the house just so, staying caught up at work, remaining ultra organized, staying in shape, eating the right foods, or dozens of other external do's and dont's.  But, true peace, like salvation, comes from faith, not by our own efforts.

How does this relate to athletics?  Knowing peace is a gift from God (John 14:27) and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7), an athlete can be freed up to perform without fear.  Winning games or practicing until perfect will not bring you peace.  As a matter of fact, high levels of success often lead to an empty feeling and just adds to pressure to repeat the performance.
This Christmas, this season, find rest in Him.  Your soul longs for a relationship with the Prince of Peace, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

God keeps His promises

The rainbow reminds us of God's promise to never flood the earth again.  What miracles in your life remind you of God's faithfulness?  The email below encouraged me that being obedient to Christ's call is as exciting as a double over-time victory. 

What a game Thursday afternoon between the Calvary Christian Academy Eagles and American Heritage Delray! Both teams gave their all, leading to a double overtime playoff. The Eagles blocked their extra point and then scored a touchdown and the extra point for the win. The best part of the game, though, was watching our boys pray with The Delray team after the game. Looking on, you are amazed to see these boys sharing Christ and praying with their opponents. When my son got in the car he said that four kids prayed to receive Christ! That is what I call an incredible victory! Looking over at the field we noticed a rainbow, and I thought what a blessing. Our school, our football team is part of God’s plan to share Christ and win the lost. And this happened after an intense, exciting, competitive football game.  Awesome! I also wanted to say how really blessed our school is to have such an incredible and dedicated football coaching staff! God has put together an amazing team of men to coach our boys! Way to go CCA! CCA Parent

And, had the CCA Eagels lost, the joy and fulfillment would have been the same because no one remembers a football score a year from now.  But, the boys that asked Jesus into their heart, their lives will be changed for all eternity.

Who wants to share the team creed after the game?

On Saturday, the CCA Eagles middle school football team finally got to play their first football game.  They traveled out west to face the Patriots of American Heritage Plantation.  It was an epic battle between two big (AHP was very big), hard hitting teams.  While both teams made their advances near the end zone, the Patriots were the only team who managed to cross the goal line.  The game ended 6 - 0.

But, as hard fought and physical as this game was, it was the spiritual battle that brought both teams to their knees in the middle of the field after the game.  Jameson Offerdahl, CCA's middle linebacker, stood in front of both teams and shared the CCA football team creed.

Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross I have a relationship with God. As a man I have put away childish things and I choose to represent that relationship at all times.

I am confident the Patriot players, coaches, and parents were elated by the win and may have expected from CCA a short post game prayer before running off to celebrate.  But, for an 8th grader to step up and share his teams' creed with the opposing team right after the game and ask them to let him know if they had any questions about their own relationship with Jesus, it makes you (it made me) stop and ponder.

To all of the parents in the stands, it displays love and a commitment that regardless of the outcome, we will honor God.  It shows that Jameson and his teammates have truly chosen to represent Jesus Christ "at all times".  It shows that discipleship in athletics IS the focus and it's having an impact on our community.

And it begs the question, who do we need to tell?

Missionary with a Major League Arm

What do Baseball Hall-of-Fame inductee Nolan Ryan, the 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush, and Grammy Award Winner Taylor Swift, and all have in common? All of these famous celebrities have had their picture taken with Calvary Christian Academy alumnus Luke Jackson.

Luke, who last year led the CCA Eagles to the 2A Regional Quarterfinals by going 8-1 with 96 strikeouts and an earned run average of 0.90, signed a contract with the Texas Rangers that included a $1,545,000 bonus. So, meeting Mr. Ryan, the current owner of the Texas Rangers and President Bush, the past owner of the Texas Rangers, was a special privilege for their first-round pick. But, the picture capturing him getting a peck on the cheek from Taylor Swift, well, let’s just say that’s “par for the course” in the life of Luke Jackson.

Luke is a unique individual that excels in just about any sport. He’s won a two-man beach volleyball tournament, he was First Team All-County in soccer, and he hits the golf ball as far as anyone on the professional golfer’s tour (just ask him).
But, what really sets Luke Jackson apart is his relationship with the Lord Jesus, his love for his family, and his heart for others. Behind the long hair, laid back approach, and the black-and-white checkered shoes and matching backpack, is a genuine “class act”. Luke is friendly, fun-loving, and compassionate.

Benefiting from spending time on the mission field and being led by parents who diligently taught him the Bible, Luke learned at a young age what it meant to live, to give, and to serve in obedience to Christ’s command. When asked about what he would do with his signing bonus, he responded that he would like to build schools in remote areas of the world and continue the mission work that inspired him as a child.

Who knew Luke Jackson, caught on television at a Florida Marlin’s game dressed in a bright orange Spandex body suit dancing on the seats, was a tender hearted, Spirit-filled missionary, who, o yeah, throws a baseball 96MPH.