Shoutout to a Sportsman

A Shout Out To A Real Sportsman

By Lori Hickox-Monjaras

If you follow my blog then you know that I often include blogs on being a Christian Athlete.  I began these articles as letters to my own children to inspire and uplift them when they were competing.  It isn’t always easy to walk the Christian path especially when you are young and when there are so many conflicting messages being sent by your teammates and the world of professional sports.

I’ve often written about how poorly those our children look to as role models in the sporting world rise to this challenge.  But today I want to tell you about a story where everyone got it all right!  My kids came running in to me the other night grabbing my arms and dragging me out to the family room to watch a news show they had heard about.   I stood transfixed as Steve Hartman’s On The Road segment for CBS Nightly News was broadcast.

The story went like this:  A young man who was developmentally challenged was the manager on a basketball team.  His coach knew how important the sport was to him so in the last game he had the young man suit up.  Then, to the young man’s surprise, he played him. The coach said it didn’t matter if the team was up or down he would play because it was the right thing to do.  Unfortunately, the young man did not make a basket even though he was given several chances and lots of encouragement by his teammates.  But then a senior, from the other team took the ball out of bounds to throw it in and instead of throwing it to his team mates he called the young man’s name and threw the ball directly to him, giving him one last chance to make a basket.  He did.  And the crowd went wild!

We’ve all heard that Golden Rule:  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Luke 6:31.  Well, here it was spontaneous and beautifully walked out!  I had tears in my eyes as I watched Senior, Jonathon Montanez, throw that ball inbounds.  He didn’t have to do it, really why would he, after all he played for the other team?  He had no real connection to that other student.  But I was so touched when he said he had been brought up to treat others like you would want to be treated.  In that moment when he could have thrown that ball to one of his teammates he made a different choice.  He thought about what it would feel like if that was him trying so hard to make the basket and not being able to see it through.  He wanted to give that young man his chance at glory.  No other connection needed except the human connection.  That is what being a Christian Athlete is all about, making a different choice, making a human connection, living with compassion and understanding and wisdom.

My kids saw and told me you have to write about that.  You’ve been telling people these things, mom, and this is exactly what you have been saying.  They saw it.   Jonathan Montanez just rose to superstar status in my estimation because he inspired everyone in that El Paso, Texas gym, and then he inspired me and my children to be more, to do more and walk out your beliefs no matter what the circumstances.  Well Done!

Take time to watch the segment and God Bless!

The Least of These – Part 2

Matthew 25: 35 “…I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…”

My new friend, Jodie, remarked to me at the end of our trip to Haiti, “I will never be able to say ‘I’m starving’ again.” It is true. At the first indication of a hunger pang becoming a wee bit insistent, we are quick to announce that we are starving(!) But when you have looked true hunger in the face, it is difficult to be dramatic about a growling stomach again.

As in many 3rd and 4th world countries, many of the people of Haiti are truly starving. Kellie Hurt, the Founder and Director of “Grace So Amazing Ministries” recently shared this story:

“Late yesterday evening we got a call from one of our community leaders letting us know there was an emergency; a very elderly man named Kouli and his wife had their roof blown off their tiny mud hut. Wind and rain storms blew through a bit earlier and as Madame Kouli said “the rain chased us from our home”.

As I walked inside to assess the damage, my heart was yet again pierced at the realization of how little so many have and how much I continue to take for granted in my own life. Dirt floor, mat on the ground, a few bags of personal belongings and a sick piglet in the doorway were the sum of their belongings.

We headed into town and found a place open late that sold tarps and thankfully we were able to get most of the roof covered with the little tarp we purchased. As we returned and the guys set about tying the tarp down, Kouli and his wife couldn’t stop thanking us for what we had done, though I was nearly in tears by that time because I felt like we hadn’t done enough. The evening ended well for them as they were able to settle back inside their home away from the rest of the night’s storm.

As we left, John Wesley and his brother met us at the main road. It was after 9 p.m., so I was curious to know where they were headed so late. They explained they were going to buy bread; they hadn’t eaten since early morning and their mother just came home with enough money to buy some bread to make bread soup, which is essentially mushy bread, water and a few seasonings.”

Our most basic needs (other than the very air that we breathe) are water, food and shelter. And it is these most basic needs that are being met whenever and wherever possible through Grace So Amazing Ministries. Plastic tarps to protect the tiny hut roofs are needed, especially with the rainy season fast approaching, as this story so graphically illustrates.

And the hunger…bread soup is a blessing for two hungry boys who haven’t eaten all day.

Throughout our stay we saw this need being met continuously. As we visited the tiny huts dotting the landscape around the GSA property, there was always a bag of rice, a few cubes of chicken bouillion, or bags of fresh water to share when needed. An ailing woman needs some chicken soup–the only thing she can stomach during her recovery, and a note is made to go to the market for ingredients. Back at the compound we are joined by children and friends and the simple meal of tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is stretched so that everyone present is fed.

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And I cannot neglect to mention two beautiful Haitian ladies who chopped, and sliced and cooked all day to provide a true Haitian feast for us in the evening, again, feeding the whole GSA family and visiting friends.

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One day a plan was made to go into town and pick up a handful of homeless boys living on the street and drive them out to the compound to feed them. We first brought the boys (about a half dozen of them) to the GSA property and some of us stayed to hang out, play games, and break out the crayons and coloring books. Kellie took one of her interpreters and headed out to make a couple of house calls at neighbors’ huts, and then to pick up some plates of rice and beans for the boys. As it sometimes happens, Kellie was delayed by the needs she encountered while out, and in the mean time more children showed up at the site. Frank, our team leader, contacted Kellie and let her know that we now had a group of 25 kids. Kellie assured us that she’d get 25 plates instead and feed all the kids that were there. We had a great time, the kids played (not once mentioning their hunger) and before we knew it, it was past 2pm, and now the crowd of children had grown to about 75 kids.

Frank and I discussed what to do. Only 25 plates of food, and 75 hungry kids. What should we do? We wanted to make sure the homeless kids were fed. Should we drive them back to town and feed them on the way? How could we fairly distribute the beans and rice to such a large group? Would we lose control? The potential for an unruly crowd pushing and shoving crossed our minds. How wrong we were.

Kellie and her team drove up with the 25 plates and while the situation was discussed one of the Haitian youth leaders stopped the conversation by saying, “No. We will feed them all and they will share. They must learn to share, even when they are hungry.”

We immediately supported his decision and watched as he sat all the children down and divided them into groups of three. They waited patiently and quietly and not one child complained. The plates were handed out to 25 trios of children and we were amazed that the plates were actually quite full and there was plenty to share. It was a real fishes and loaves moment.

One little boy, who looked to be about five, was paired with two younger girls, one on each side of him. The team watched as he fed one girl, and then the other, then the first girl, then the second, and then finally taking a spoonful for himself. He gave them two bites for every one he took. Such a young child exhibiting such loving and selfless behavior put us to shame for each of us was thinking how very different this scene might have played out in our own culture.

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At the end of the meal, the bags of clean water were broken out and parched throats were soothed.

Once again, we were humbled by what we experienced and knew that God was at work in the lives of these precious people. The darkness of hunger and thirst was pierced by the bright shining light of love, kindness, sharing, community, and sacrifice. It became a daily occurrence to witness the Grace So Amazing team live out the Scripture, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,” and also to see “Love your neighbor as yourself,” demonstrated amongst the people of Mirebalais.

The needs are great. People who are truly starving are being fed every day. The Bread of Life is being shared. Thirsty people are receiving drink and learning about Living Water. But more resources are needed to continue the work.  Long term efforts are in the works, including the establishment of a garden on the property to go along with the community well that has recently been drilled to provide clean water for the people surrounding the GSA property. I hope you will prayerfully consider donating to “Grace So Amazing Ministries.” We know that HE will provide.

You can learn more at the website here.

Part 3 tomorrow….

The Sufferings of Christ

“Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-16

We received the Spirit of sonship. We are adopted into The Family. We are God’s children. But what does it mean to be adopted?

Just a few years ago, the Ivey family completed the process of bringing their newly adopted son home from Haiti. Take a few moments to watch this short documentary that captures those final moments.

But there is a deeper story to be told. The story that happens after the cheers at the airport die down. The story that happens when we are called to “the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.” (Philippians 3:10). You see, the verses in Romans 8 continue with the results of becoming adopted as a true child of God: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Aaron Ivey goes on to tell “the rest of the story,” in this honest and powerful sermon that you can find here. I encourage you to watch or listen to every moment. You may think it is a sermon for those who are interested in adopting children, and it is…but it is so much more. I’ve watched the whole thing multiple times and shed tears every time. For as Ivey explains that we are all called to orphan care (in a variety of ways), he also explains that we are called to suffer along with the orphan. This is a powerful description and depiction of what Jesus suffered that we might have a Heavenly Father, and what Ivey is discovering through his own call, to suffer alongside his adopted son, that he might know the reality of an earthly father, and ultimately, his Heavenly Father.

As Ivey describes the sufferings of Jesus a most profound picture emerges. He says there are three ways that Jesus suffered in order to make us adopted children of God. (1) Jesus suffered with longevity–He still suffers alongside us and He calls us to suffer alongside the orphan continually. (2) The crucifixion was Jesus’ invitation to be wronged, to be wounded. Only in Jesus taking our wrongs could we ever be made right. He calls us to experience the suffering of the orphan and allow him or her to scar us. It is an excruciating invitation to be wronged in all the ways they have been wronged. And (3) Jesus suffered by losing what He had so we could gain what we did not have–a Father. Jesus lost His Father on the cross. When He took our sins upon His shoulders, the Father looked away, and Jesus gave up the relationship that he had enjoyed for eternity. When we suffer alongside the orphan there will be loss…you must sacrificially surrender and watch hopes and dreams die as you submit to the difficult journey of loving a child with a broken heart.

Ivey tells this story in the context of the challenges his family is facing as they suffer alongside the orphan. I encourage you again, to listen to this powerful sermon, and consider what it means to you as an adopted child of God.

I am blessed to have several families in my little corner of the world, who have made this deep commitment and sacrifice, to suffer alongside the orphan. Those parents are learning in a deeper way that I cannot, all about the Father’s heart towards His adopted children. But we are all called to orphan care in one way or another. I think I’m finally beginning to understand why.

The Orphan

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27

Did you know that there are 163 MILLION orphans in the world? I didn’t. But I am quickly learning. There are 163 million reasons to GO. To LOVE. To be the hands and feet of Jesus. Please take the time to watch this short video:

In a few weeks time I will head to a village in Haiti to spend a week visiting orphans. I can’t even begin to imagine what this experience will be like and what God has in store for me, but my heart’s desire is that His heart will be gladdened when He sees the love that can only come from Him flowing between and amongst all of His children. We pray, that no matter what the circumstances will be, that He will be glorified through it. My mind knows that there are physical, emotional and spiritual difficulties associated with a trip like this, and one can never really prepare other than to stay deeply rooted in His Word, to immerse oneself in His comforting Omnipresence through prayer and praise, and to set one’s feet on the path of His commands, being sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit every step of the way, ready to obey. I’m sure I’ll have much to share when I return.

Have you ever felt your heart drawn to reach out to these kids? To just take them in your arms and love on them? To be Jesus’ hands and feet and introduce the fatherless, to their Heavenly Father? For more information about Visiting Orphans Ministry check out their website here. If you’re wondering what a trip like this might actually look like, and what a blessing these children can be in your life check out this video:

It’s not hard to get started. Just go to the website and start exploring the many trips that they have scheduled this year to orphanages in Uganda, China, Haiti, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya, Rwanda, Ukraine, Ethiopia, India, and El Salvador.

There are 163 million reasons to go…to love…to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Start praying about it now.

A Season for Everything

As the mother of athletes I am filled with a human desire to see my children succeed in their sport.  I hold my breath when they tee off and count up each stroke they take.  When the lie is bad I cross my fingers and send telepathic messages to them to move just slightly or to dig in or turn the club face ever so far to make the perfect recovery shot.  I live and die with them on the golf course.  I cheer their wins and lament their losses and occasionally I find myself teary eyed and heartbroken as they cry on my shoulder over an unsuccessful day.
As a Christian mother I know that God teaches that we should not be successful all the time.  He is quite clear that it is through struggle we grow to be of the character that he would have for us.  Like a budding garden he tends us tirelessly.  But think about that garden and how it began as a hard, and well protected seed.   First water had to soften it up.  Then nutrients had to seep in and feed it.  Finally, the sun had to warm the soil enough to send the signal deep enough to let the little seed know that the time had come to pop up and see the world.  Even then growth had to take place.
I want my kids to prosper both in golf and as Christians.  I know that as our hearts break over the losses my children are learning valuable lessons about Christian character.  If a loss washes over them like the softening rainfall then let it come to prepare them for growth.  If in their frustration I can help them find nourishment in the word of God so that they cling to it and begin to come out of their shell then bring on the frustration and if they finally find a moment to bask in the holy radiance of the Son of God then give them pause to reflect upon his greatness.  There is a season for everything; learning, growing, failing and winning.  We have to embrace them as they come both as athletes and as Christians.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Lori Hickox-Monjaras

Kids Korner: A Road Map for Living

A Road Map For Living

I have often been overwhelmed by the map of daily living that God has provided to us in the Bible.  When I hear people say how out dated the Old Testament is or how these biblical rules simply don’t apply, I’m saddened by how narrow their vision must be.  As I have traveled through this life the truths of God’s words have echoed off the canyon walls over and over.  It did not matter where I found myself, in what job, in what state, in what relationship, there were messages for the conduct of my daily life, messages about God’s enduring love for me, messages of hope and love and courage each and every time I opened my Bible.

The same is true for the Christian athlete.  If you have given your life over to God and been repentant, then your life has been intentionally changed forever.  Repentance is to change your mind or attitude about God, which leads to a change of your actions and decisions.  This is the road map.  When your attitude changes your actions and decisions can’t help but change, too.  It is an outward demonstration of mental attitude.

Many sports require mental discipline just as our walks with God require spiritual discipline.  The way we conduct ourselves on the playing field is a demonstration of our mental prowess just as the way we conduct ourselves in life shows others where we are spiritually.  For a moment think of a professional athlete you have watched recently who seemed to unravel in the midst of competition right before your eyes.  Their mental game unraveled long before their physical game did.  They may have been full of self-doubt, frustration, anger or indignation.  Whatever it was it caused them to loose focus and that lack of focus shattered their game.  In your spiritual life the same can happen.

So what can we learn from recognizing this?  We can take away the message that if we are experiencing a troubled time; spiritually, emotionally, or physically that we need to change or mind set and focus on what it important.  We may need to tweek our game just a bit, so-to-speak, so that we get back in the swing of things.  That attitude shift may lead to just the change of decisions and actions that are needed to improve your game!

Lori Hickox Monjaras

Kids Korner: Sleeping Through the Word of God

Sleeping Through the Word of God

“The master decided to go to church one Sunday. As he sat listening through a rather long sermon, his eyes began to droop and pretty soon he was dozing and began to snore softly.

The preacher was outraged by this behavior, especially since the man was seated in the front row. He came down from the pulpit and shook the sleeper.

‘What are you doing?” said the preacher. “You are sleeping through the Word of God! Show some respect!’…” from zenbananas/stories for the soul 9/2/2009

I think that it is easy to find yourself tuning out the words from coaches, parents and experienced elders in your sport when they try to give you advice.  Our minds wander and soon we’ve lost the train of thought.  Sometimes advice burns us to the quick because it is perceived as criticism.  We are quick to anger and dismiss such advice as intrusive.  Listening to those who would help us grow in skill and spiritual maturity takes patience and an attitude of humility.  Leviticus 19:32 says, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.” This Old Testament advice encompasses respecting your coaches and teachers and practitioners of your sport; any one who has earned longevity by walking the path of experience through life.  Be patient, open and attentive to the lessons they have to teach.  If you fail to listen you could find yourself “sleeping through the Word of God!”

Lori Hickox-Monjaras

 

 

Kids Korner: Stand Up For Your Beliefs

STAND UP FOR YOUR BELIEFS

We see it every so often, an athlete who pushes aside the belief that they are the center of the world and stands up for something bigger than they are, something that they believe in deeply and passionately.  In 2009 a group of Iranian soccer players who wore green arm bands in support of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi during the World Cup, Mohamad Ali standing firm in his conscientious objects to serving in the military during the Vietnam War for religious reasons, Billy Jean King firmly attesting that women are equal to men and putting her athletic ability to the test to make the point.  These examples, whether you share their beliefs or not, stand out in a world where it is easier to stand out for your athletic ability than it is for your moral beliefs.  But God calls you to stand out for your beliefs.

“Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.” Philippians 4:1  We are commanded to be in the world but not of the world.  As a Christian athlete you have an opportunity to teach by example what this means.  I’m hearted when I see a NFL player go down on one knee to give thanks to God for the touch down he has just scored, because it is an act of contrition acknowledging that all gifts flow from God in heaven, even athletic ability.  It is an affirmation that although he lives in this world he does not belong to this world, he belongs to God. So, I challenge you to make a stand.  Stand up for what you believe in and stand strong with God.  Everyone may not share your view or your moral compass but you serve a higher purpose.  In the end the greatest award you will ever win is not the medal you might wear or the trophy you might carry but the eternal reward that awaits you in heaven.

Lori Hickox Monjaras

 

 

Kids Korner: The Content of Christian Character

How you practice your walk with God matters!  Attitude matters!  God never calls on us to take the easy way, He expects and demands that in putting Him first in our lives that we walk a path that pushes us to our limits often.  As an athlete you are used to pushing yourself physically but how about emotionally?  How about pushing the limits of your ability to empathize?

In the books of Luke and John Jesus teaches us to live our lives always putting others before ourselves.  Walking in our daily lives as Christ walked among his people.  If they need something we supply it.  If they are difficult and hard to be around we must make ourselves even more understanding.  Someone who cries foul or claims that you cheated or won by luck is only venting their own frustration and it falls on you, the Christian to be the one to smooth things over even when you’ve done nothing wrong.  How you carry yourself in the face of adversity is what determines your Christian character.

“But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”  Matthew 19:30 When Jesus said this he wasn’t thinking about whether you will win or loose on the playing field.  He was talking about the content of your Christian character.  If you put yourself in someone else’s position and try to understand where their impatience and frustration comes from.  If you try to help them overcome their shortcomings by modeling what a Christian should do you will find that you will move quickly from the back of the line to front – at least on the pathway to heaven.

Lori Hickox-Monjaras

Kids Korner: Confidence

My daughter recently completed a book report project on the race horse Secretariat. After reading the book, we sat down and watched the movie together. Diane Lane, who plays Penny Tweedy in the movie, began and ended the film with the following words from the book of Job

“It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.” Job 39:21-24

Of course these words were meant to describe the courage and confidence that both Penny and her price stallion shared. But I had to ask myself how does one stand so unwavering in the face of things that make a mere mortal quiver? How do you rejoice in the face of adversity? Charge into the fray laughing at your own fear? How can you face without hesitation the sword and spear? How can you fail to run away and hide shouting all the while I am not worthy of this task?

The answer, was that you can not. You can not stand alone and do any of those things. When Secretariat took a 31 length lead in the Belmont Stakes he was fulfilling his purpose, the purpose God intended for him. No one knew he would win that day. In fact the odds were against it but he faced the track without fear, a beautiful site to see. When you take the field you have to remember that God has created you, too, for a purpose. You must face that without fear of failure. You must race to the finish and win or lose know that you never gave up, or gave in, or lost sight of who ran beside you. Your Heavenly Father takes great joy in watching you grow as an athlete just as He took great pleasure in watching a big red horse run around a race track at Belmont that day in 1973.

Lori Hickox-Monjaras