"Reasons Why"

I thank my God every time I remember you.  Philippians 1:3

My wife and I were in a local hardware store a few days ago buying lumber for a house we are renovating. We are trying to figure this out as we go so every step brings on a thousand questions for which we do not know the answer. While shopping, I heard my wife ask another customer a question. He was wearing a shirt with his company name and I quickly realized that I recognized the business name. I asked the young man who was the owner of his company and he said, “It’s my dad”. He also told me his dad’s name and I began making the connection. I asked the young man, “Is Hoyt Hammock your grandfather”? He answered yes and asked me how I knew his grandfather. I was excited to meet the grandson of my high school football coach and a man that I admired greatly. We talked for a few minutes and I told him about my time as a high school football player and the many days I had spent with Coach Hammock. Coach and I always had a special relationship. I had spent many days with him, even after finishing high school, working on his lake house. I told the young man about his grandfather calling me, on several occasions, to say, “Let’s go to the lake. We have a little work to do and then we will do some fishing”. I told him I never fished a single moment at his grandfather’s lake, but I dug every foot of the foundation of his house by hand! Most special of all, was that Coach Hoyt Hammock had also married me and my wife. On our wedding day, our pastor and Coach Hammock both performed parts of our wedding ceremony. That has always been a special moment in my life and I told his grandson that I was the only person to have been coached by and married by the same person. As we were leaving the store and saying our goodbyes, this young man asked me, “What type of coach was my grandfather”? I told him, “Your grandfather was the type of coach that every coach should be. He expected you to be a tough young man and I always wanted him to think I was a tough person”. Although he was tough and expected toughness, He was also a very caring person. Coach Hammock passed away over eight years ago when his grandson was only a teenager. I could tell his grandson was excited to hear someone speak highly of his grandfather.  It reminded me of the feeling I would have as a young man when I would meet someone who had known my grandfather.  It was always nice to hear someone confirm the good thoughts and memories you had of your grandfather.

I was blessed to have known Coach Hoyt Hammock and I am thankful that God placed him in my life as a young person. I was blessed to have a great dad who continues to be a model of a godly man and father for me. Coach Hammock was a living example of the person my dad was training me to become. The thing I remember about Coach Hammock the most was his toughness. He was the most physically tough person I have ever known but he was also the most caring man to so many. I spent the day remembering my days as a young boy playing football for Coach Hammock. Later in the day, I realized that I never thought about any football skills that he taught me or that he was a great offensive or defensive mind. What I remembered was that he expected great things from me and he was proud when I overcame an obstacle or a challenge. Talking with Coach Hammock’s grandson also made me remember why I am a coach. I do not believe God made me a football coach because he simply wanted me to teach young men how to tackle, throw a ball, or score touchdowns. He made me a coach because he knew that hundreds of young men would need someone in their life. Some would need a coach who would be an example of the type of person their father was training them to be. Many others would need a coach who would serve as their father. They would need a coach who would correct them when their life was headed in a bad direction. They would need a coach who would expect great achievements and be proud of them when they had overcome a challenge. They would need a coach who would love them regardless of their playing ability.

Meeting Coach Hammock’s grandson reminded me of the reasons why I became a coach. God did not make me a coach because he knew young men would need someone to teach them how to block and tackle. He knew I would be around hundreds of young men who would need someone to believe in them, have faith in their abilities, and to be proud of them just for being a good person.

Meeting Coach Hammock’s grandson also reminded me of why God puts all of us here on earth. It is not so we can make a lot of money, gain worldwide fame, or to enjoy a comfortable life. He put us here to be used by Him to impact someone’s life. Coach Hammock’s life was well spent in the service to his Lord by the impact he had on my life and the countless others he met. Maybe God used me to have a small impact on his grandsons life by letting me meet him and tell him how much Coach Hammock still means to me.


Chad

"Don't be a but"

They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”  Numbers 13:27-28 & 30

Coaches are all guilty of stealing each others information and using it as their own. It is okay because the guy you are stealing it from, also stole it from someone else. While attending an athletic directors conference a while ago, I had the privilege of hearing a nationally known speaker. I enjoyed hearing this speaker and he used an old coaches story to make a point. A coach will say to his team, “Are you an And or a But”. The point is, can I, as your coach describe you as a young man who is a great player and a great leader? Are you a player I would describe as a hard worker and a great student? Or, would I describe him by saying, “He is a great athlete, but he has a terrible attitude”. Maybe he would be described by saying, “He is a great player, but he does not do his school work”.

In the story from Numbers 13, God speaks to Moses and tells him to, “Send some men to the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites”. Moses chooses the twelve leaders and sends them to investigate the land with specific instructions. As the men explore the land, they find it “flowing with milk and honey” and return some of the fruit of the land to Moses. As they give their report to Moses, they describe the beauty of the land and finish their report with, “But the people who live there are powerful and the cities are strong and fortified”. When the people heard the news of the challenges they forgot all that God had done for them and all He had promised. Caleb silenced the crowd and assured the people they could claim what God had promised to them. But the people doubted and feared all the more and began searching for a leader to return them to Egypt to live again as slaves.

The Israelites had been lead all these years by God and He delivered them to the land He had promised. But, when they faced the last challenge, they doubted and lost the land they had been promised. Only Caleb and Joshua reaped the benefits of God’s reward for their faithfulness. I forget sometimes what He has done for me in the past when I am faced with a challenge in my future. I know He has lead me each day and will never leave me. But, when the fears arise I forget He has proven himself to me over and over. I want to remember that He is a loving and faithful God.

Chad