Murals Speak

Over the last two months, local artist Becky Ward-Morgan has been painting a mural for the Rec Center that will be on display in the game room area. What's great about this mural is that it reflects and tells the story of Cool Spring Recreation. From children's sports leagues, track, outdoors, special needs, and game room activities; the mural is designed to allow your eyes to flow in a circular motion as you observe the obvious to the less obvious.

As the mural was being designed and use of the circular motion concept was introduced, it reminded me of the circular motion involved in using sports and rec as a means to connect with people and people to Christ. The bigger picture of what we do involves people entering sports / rec opportunities (leagues, crafts, outdoors, exercise classes, etc) for a specific purpose and the need to belong to a group. People will then flow in a circular motion (like a pinwheel) and experience various groups and leagues while encountering relationships with others who genuinely invest in them over a period of time. As they do, the movement allows them to discover faith stories of others and even discover for themselves real faith. It's then they link to a worship experience or a bible study for further growth.

As you come by and view the mural (we have a few adjustments left in the process) take your time to follow the motion and discover all the artistic elements involved. And as you do, be reminded of the process and time investment involved when relating with people in the recreation ministry. It's a process that begins with experiencing others within a movement and walking alongside of them by the means of leisure and faith.

Thanks to Becky, and her assistant Caroline Egan (one of our students at CS) for their artistic gifts and work on the mural. It's all about sharing a story. Feel free to drop by and view the mural located in the Rec Center game room.

Round Table Thoughts

This past weekend we had the opportunity to discuss Faith, Sports, and Real Life as part of the pre- superbowl experience with Cool Spring Church. While we a have a variety of ministries through Cool Spring, recreation is one of them in which the community connects with. And through that connection (leagues, fitness, facilities) it is our desire that people experience worship through their recreational activities.

Frank Rocco, head coach at Liberty Christian Academy (86-6 record) and his son, Michael Rocco, quarterback for UVA, were part of our discussions. Hosting a round table discussion with Michael was a great way to present a relaxed environment and dialogue about some details of life that each of us face. As I asked questions regarding faith, sports, and real life and listened to Michael's responses, I came away with several thoughts:

• Influencing others is impacting - Parents play a key role in establishing foundations for children while friends can challenge and encourage us to become the person God has created us to be
  
• Competition is good - God has created us to work with excellence - 1 Cor 10:31
• Success is measured in improvements - moving from one point to the next
• Self Identity has to be established from God's perspective - people will praise you and criticize you, choosing to put both aside and focusing on God's view of you creates a healthy self identity

Following the discussion, Frank shared about living in the passion of who God created us to be. We have been given talents - those gifts to us from God that in turn we use to bless others for His purpose - and when we live on those we can become contagious for greater purposes than ourselves.

What an impact weekend of worship and recreation. We have many opportunities to share faith, sports, and real life with those around us!

Local Artwork

Periodically I will arrive to my office to find local artwork from kids who have been using the Rec Center. Normally it's a nice stack of cards made out of construction paper with a variety of hand drawn work and phrases to match. From smiley faces to stick figures and sports themes, these cards are really an expression of their appreciation for the time they are provided to play in the gym area. While most children don't realize that securing them a time slot is a simple process, it's a good feeling to be appreciated none the less. So enjoy one of the many pieces of artwork I received this past week.

Faith, Sports, and Real Life

The teams are set and the commercials await! It's time for the Super Bowl! Over the next two weeks there will be media frenzy and special stories spotlighting athletes, teams, and coaches. Fans will be overloaded with sports talk shows breaking down the science of the game and match ups to be assumed. Each person will have their opinion as if they were coaching either the Giants or the Patriots. And some will even be walking around with Brady or Manning jerseys as if they were actually them hoping someone would call out their name or ask for an autograph. It's kind of crazy how our culture embraces the passion of a football game and the hours we spend analyzing both the game and the people involved.

On February 5th, Cool Spring will kick its Super Bowl Frenzy off with special guests Michael Rocco, quarterback of The University of Virginia, and his dad Frank Rocco, head football coach of Liberty Christian Academy. Together, both will be sharing in the discussion of how faith, sports, and real life intersect. With all the hype athletes get and the demands placed on them, from elementary school expectations to the professional level, athletes and their families are faced with daily decisions. And how they respond amongst the expectations is often how they are defined or judged. So, how do we live our faith in the passions of a sports culture and real life.

Join us Sunday, February 5th at 8:30, 10, or 11:15 as we kick off the Super Bowl and move to a better understanding of intersecting faith, sports, and real life.

New Year Outlook

Following a Recreation Conference last year, I have been receiving some weekly emails from Don Nova. Don is fitness instructor in LA who has done some work with a friend of mine at his church in Indianapolis. While I am not a big fan of receiving a bunch of email plans, etc. I have enjoyed the simplicity of Don's weekly encouragement from a fitness and spiritual view. So, as you start the 2012, here's his thought starting email for the week.

2012 Goal and Task Sheet * What two goals in each of the following areas do you want to accomplish in 2012? * Identify what tasks you need to do to achieve these goals. * Write these tasks into your weekly calendar and then just follow the calendar. * Formula for accomplishing goals: Goal > Task > Calendar = VICTORY Spiritual Goals: example: develop intimacy with Jesus. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Spiritual Task: example: daily devotions at 6:00am for 45 minutes. Marriage Goals: example: improve relationship with spouse. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Marriage Task: example: weekly date night. Family Goals: example: better communication with children. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Family Task: example: set a bi-monthly date with each child, to do what they want to do. Physical Goals: example: lose 2 pant/dress sizes. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Physical Task: example: power for 40 minutes everyday at 7:00am. Ministry Goals: example: volunteer to help at church. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Ministry Task example: work as an usher twice a month. Professional Goals: example: build a stronger relationship with co-workers. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Professional Task: example: take a co-worker to lunch once a week. Nutritional Goals: example: drink only water. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Nutritional Task: Example: drink 2 liters of water a day. Emotional Goals: example: eliminate past hurts. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Emotional Task: example: forgive someone that has wounded you in the past. Financial Goals: example: get out of debt. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Financial Task: example: create a budget and stick to it. Mental Goals: example: think healthy thoughts. 1) ________________ 2) ________________ Mental Task: example: replace every negative thought with a bible verse. Habakkuk 2:2 Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. You Are A Champion Coach Don Nava You can follow me on Twitter: @CoachNava

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Transformational Coaching

This post is longer than normal, but since I have been building this in my mind and missing a few weeks, I hope you will read the post below and meditate on some thoughts.

Another sport season is upon on us...basketball. And that means more opportunities for kids to participate in sport and learn Christ like values. It also means we need a network of coaches to invest in their lives.

Over the last few months we have seen the word "coach" described in unfavorable ways. From the pressures of money and obtaining high profile athletes to the darker issues of abuse. No matter what the issue is, I think it's true to say we need coaches, people who are investors, that understand their role and the trust placed upon them.

This message is not new. In fact, if you have been around our recreation ministry, you know Rolando Lamb has been involved with our basketball development with the purpose of teaching character and character coaches. And recently I have been reading Joe Ehrmann's book regarding "inside out coaching." Both of these men are calling for men and women, boys and girls, to participate with the intentions of doing so from a transformed way of life. Which leads me to this thought; we have been called by God for a greater purpose.

The sad stories we continue to be exposed to regarding coaches is not new. It 's been around since the fall of man in the garden. It's the struggle of letting go of self and trusting God for our direction and life's purpose. Much like parenting, I have learned that in order to be a good coach, I have to be willing to address the issues / sin struggles in my own life in order to invest in others. And this is not always easy.

We, Cool Spring recreation, have been looking at the concept of Character / Transformational Coaching in comparison to Transactional Coaching. Defined by Erhmann, transactional coaches are those who seek self first (winning, records, contracts), team second, and player third. A transformational coach always seeks the player's interest first, team second, and then his own identity last.

Sports is in need of redemption and sports can provide redemption in peoples lives. The answer begins with each of us recognizing our selfish nature and dying to it. We do that by accepting God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). We then begin to live from God's perspective and purpose for our own lives. The Bible says we are new creations, the old has gone and new has come to us. Therefore, we are able to void the selfish ambitions and live to serve others and Christ. It really is reflective of the Christmas story! (I bet some of you never thought about sports and Christmas and the impact this season can have on our sports culture).

In a culture that serves sports as much as it does a local church, look for ways in your life to be transformational. Invest not for your benefit, but for the benefit of others and the growth of men and women to understand their true character that can be found in and through the love of Christ.

In Between Two Boys

This week was rather funny for me. As many of you know, I have a son (Tyler) who is a second year student at George Mason University and a son (Brendan) who is a student at Oak Knoll Middle School.

Tyler was home last weekend for a visit and was preparing to go back to school for a week that involved teaching observations in the local schools of Fairfax. As he was packing, he was also hitting my closet for dress shirts and pants. He has a few inches (OK, more than a few) on me in height, but the shoulders and neck size hold about the same. By the time he left, three of my shirts were gone and were ready for him to wear the next two weeks.

On the other side of the coin is Brendan's shoes (a 12 year kid who wears a 9.5). As I headed to the office and was planning to exercise, I realized that I forgot my shoes. However, Brendan had me bring his to the gym so he could play basketball after school. Just as Tyler used my shirts, I found myself slipping on Brendan's shoes to do my exercises (Of course, he would have died if he saw me in them).

All this to say that it's a strange, but thankful, feeling to be in the middle of both my boys.