My platform: Basketball

Some of my good friends know my story is anything but simple and mundane. After God changed me & I surrendered to his will my days have been exciting. Even more exciting is I have a partner on this journey with me... my best friend and wife Amanda. We've definitely experience the uncertainty of a dark valley and the joys of a mountain top. But through it all one thing hasn't changed, we've always depended on God. And God has always revealed himself through some painful and joyful circumstances... He is faithful and true too his children. One amazing story is how I ended at Asbury College on a basketball scholarship to finish my degree. I'll have to blog that story some other time but for now I'll focus on some recent graces and success I've experienced through the game I love: Basketball.

Basketball was once an idol to me... it was the god I served and let me tell you it is a brutal god to serve. It doesn't satisfy, it always turns its back on you, it can control your emotions, and its not your identity no matter how hard you try to make it. Its a game! A blessing! But nothing more... I didn't realize this until God saved me and showed me EVERYTHING was given to bring Him glory and I should never exalt the gifts above the Giver. I had things out of wack, I put basketball on the throne of my heart where God deserved to be. Then I was crazy enough to ask God to bless me in my pursuit of basketball and ignored him when I didn't get what my selfish heart wanted.... to build up my own glory & kingdom.

Long story short... Amanda encouraged & supported me to use basketball in a way that glorifies Him. How do I do this? Just play with an attitude that win or lose, healthy or hurt, success or failure I'm going to find my joy in Christ not in basketball. I'm going to use basketball as a platform to show the world that my treasure is not in my jump shot, or victories, or individual awards... Nope, my treasure is Jesus Christ and I want to share him with you. Yeah I play ball but let me tell you what I really love & whats greater than making to the NBA or hitting that game winning shot: Christ. Playing college basketball has opened so many doors to preach the gospel to students, teams, prisoners, campers, strangers, and teammates. So if you don't know, I'm here to tell you that basketball is a means to a greater end (Jesus Christ)... Basketball is just tool.

Since this time I really feel like God has blessed my efforts not only off the court but on it. I was recently named conference player of the week (two weeks in a roll) and have been having a great junior season. I even hit a game winning 3 pointer in overtime in front of a packed gym & also had my career high that night (36 points). I broke that a week later scoring 37 points. But even in those moments of joy & success I cannot help but humble myself before the Lord and say, "Not to me Oh Lord, but to your name be the glory. Amen" God exalts those who humbles themselves before Him. I realize that whatever happens, I'm an unworthy servant who is just happy to serve my KING. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." -1 Tim. 1:17

The LORD is kind in all his ways

This morning I was praying through Psalms 145, you can sense the psalmist David using everything he's got to praise God because he knows that "His greatness is unsearchable." So often in my life I beat myself up because I so want to be like Jesus in the sense that I want to love as he loved, talk as he talked, obey the Father's will as he obeyed. But often my sinfulness gets the best of me & daily I fall short though I am striving in His grace. This is a painful process but it is wonderful to rest in Christ securely as he sanctifies us. It is so sweet to open God's Word & read promises to my heavy heart like, "The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down" -Ps. 145:14

I recently heard an amazing sermon by Siran Stacy, a man who tragically lost his wife & 4 of his 5 children in a car wreck with a drunk driver. Siran & his young daughter were the only ones that survived. I saw this man pour his heart out preaching & crying as he told of the 'suicidal depression' he deals with but how God's grace has been sufficient through it all.' Jesus is better than this life & he will sustain us until the joy of entering heaven. And this morning I read:

"The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." -Ps. 145:17-18

I'm sure Siran Stacy didn't feel like the Lord was kind when this event occurred but in due time God opens the hearts & eyes of his children to see Him. The greatest thing or gift we can ever have or experience in this life is God himself. Many times we experience him through trails, pain, suffering, or loss. But if we know the Lord then we can surely say that 'all we could gain in this life is counted as nothing compared to the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ.' I pray that if I should ever have to bear a cross that is as heavy, God will be there with sustaining grace. I read of a couple whose child was born blind. I included a beautiful letter that Pastor John Piper wrote to them as they fought through this difficult reality:

It can be easy to think of Pastor John as DR. JOHN PIPER. But his heart is tuned primarily to being the pastor of a local church with real people who have real needs.

On July 4, 1995, our son arrived and we knew he would be blind as he had no eyes. On July 5, Pastor Tom Steller, now the Dean of Bethlehem College & Seminary, walked up my front sidewalk with a letter from Pastor John, which I’ve included below. It would also be published in the Bethlehem Star, the weekly church newsletter that was sent to members and regular attenders.

Sadly, in our pain and bitterness and hopelessness and sin-filled pride, we would walk away from Bethlehem just a couple of months later, rejecting both God and the people of God. But, thanks be to God, that would not be the end of the story! And this letter from Pastor John would be one of those building blocks that God used to call us to himself.

Tomorrow, one of the results of Pastor John’s calling on the church to do hard things.

Words of Hope for a Baby Born Blind

Dear John and Diane,

Last night, as I prayed with Noel, you were heavy on my mind. I said, “Lord, O Lord, please let me be a pastor who preaches and leads and loves in a way that makes the impossibilities of life possible for your people by a miracle of sustaining grace. Help me to know the weight and pain of this life and not to be breezy when the mountains have fallen into the sea. Help me to have the aroma of Christ’s sufferings about me. Prevent shallowness and callousness to pain. O Lord make me and my people a burden bearing people.”

O John and Diane, I am so heavy with your child’s sightlessness! God is visiting Bethlehem with such pain these days in the birth of broken children. Randy and Ann Erickson with their baby’s broken heart; Jan and Rob Barrett with their baby’s liver outside the body; and your precious little one! Is the Lord saying, “I have a gift for your community.” This is not one or two or three couples’ burden. This is a gift and call to the whole church. This is a word concerning the brokenness of this fallen age of futility. This is an invitation for you all to believe that “here we have no lasting city” (Hebrews 13:14). This is an invitation for you to “count every gain as loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7). This is a shocking test to see if you will “lose heart” when in fact God’s purpose is to show that his grace is sufficient to renew our inner person every day to deal with the “slight momentary affliction which is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

O Lord, open our eyes to your love in this pain. Open our eyes. “Then Elisha prayed, and said, ‘O Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). John and Diane, the mountains surrounding your lives are filled with the horses and chariots of God. Only to the eyes of unbelief does the devil have the upperhand here. God is at work in ways and for years and generations and millions of people that we cannot now imagine. This is ours to believe and to bear, no matter the cost. This is ours for this short life.

It seems to me that this life is a proving ground for the kingdom to come. Some are asked to devote forty or fifty years to caring for a handicapped child instead of breezing through life without pain. Others are asked to be blind all their lives…

But only in this life – ONLY in this life. I want to be the kind person who makes that “ONLY” what it really is – very short. Prelude to the infinity of joy, joy, joy. But not yet. Not entirely.

How will we ever cope with the burdens of this life if we believe this is all there is, or even the main act in this drama of reality? O Lord, give us your view of things.

May God fill you with anticipated joy.

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

I love you,

Pastor John

The grace of Regeneration: My 4 year anniversary

I am not superstitious about dates, places or rituals but I know for sure that on this day 4 years ago I encountered the God of the universe, my own sinfulness, & the unspeakable joy of knowing Jesus Christ as my Savior & Lord. At the time of my conversion I was 19, dropped out of school, living in gross immorality, had no conviction of sin in my life, bitter, prideful, & worst of all I called myself a true Christian. On Sept. 18, 2005 I attended a church drama/service with my girlfriend Amanda (now wife) out of curiosity & by the end of that night I had no doubt in my mind that I was a new person in Christ & I was going to marry Amanda someday. I won't go into details but I will make a few comparisons to the (pre-regenerate Phil) & the now 4 years later (Phil in Christ).

So its Pre-Christ vs. In Christ.
1.) PRE-CHRIST: Living for me, serving my sinful appetites & desires by all means VS. IN-CHRIST: Living for the King, daily fighting to die to self & by all means kill sin in my life by God's grace.
2.) PRE-CHRIST: Smoking weed, drunk, hittin clubs, chancing girls & cash & trying to wake up in time for church on Sunday VS. IN-CHRIST: Praying 'God be merciful to me a sinner', pursuing holiness, hitting the streets to tell em about the gospel, & waking up preaching on Sunday's about Christ crucified to bring sinners like me back to God.
3.) PRE-CHRIST: Loved sin, hate God, dead in sin, slaved to sin, full of lust, puttin up a front, never touched my bible, only prayed for selfish reasons, destroying my life & headed for Hell! VS. IN-CHRIST: Love God, hate sin, alive in Christ, slave to righteousness, full of the Spirit, humbling myself before God, In the Word daily as my bread & water, walking in prayer, not wasting my life, & headed for heaven because THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION/JUDGMENT FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST!!!

In John 3:7-8 Jesus spoke about the amazing process of being 'born again' by God's power: "You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." I, like every sinner who has become a Christian, was born into God's family by the Spirit. It wasn't anything in me or anything I did but rather God's power that tranformed me from a hard hearted rebel into someone passionate to know & please God. We cannot control the Spirit & this is clear that "Salvation is of the Lord". He gets ALL the glory & we get unspeakable eternal joy. Not to us oh Lord, but to Your name be the glory.

When I meditate on God's grace & goodness in my life & especially the last 4 years I can hardly keep myself from breaking down. I just want to say I love Jesus, I love all that he is, all that he has done as God, King, Savior, Lord, Mediator, Redeemer, Friend, Judge, Servant, & Creator. Above all, I'm thankful that he gave me His life so that I can know, love, & enjoy fellowship with God as my treasure forever. What can compare to knowing the God of universe? $100 trillion dollars, cars, houses, fame, success, accomplishments? You can have them, just give me Jesus. I will count everything as nothing compared to knowing Jesus as my Lord & I pray that I can mean that with all my heart until the day I drop.

Preaching @ Mt. Freedom Baptist

Over the labor day weekend I was blessed to share Christ twice! On sat. at a youth conference held by Unity Christian Church & on Sunday morning at my local church (Mt. Freedom Baptist). Unfortunately there were just a few kids at the youth conf. due to all the youth being out of town for labor day but that didn't faze me because I came to lift up Christ to one or one thousand. It is just an honor to preach the very gospel that saved my own soul & also my wife, Amanda, reminded to never forget that God rejoices over ONE SINNER that repents (Amen). I experienced a very precious time with the Lord praying in a small room in the back of the sanctuary before I went up to preach. God comforted me & I felt strengthen to faithfully share the gospel to all who came. God is gracious.

Back in Wilmore the next morning I was to preach a 'remix' version of Psalms 51 at Mt. Freedom Baptist (I previously preached it at Auburndale Baptist on july 19). Our pastor, Nathan, asked me to preach that morning since he had just finished 1 Samuel and was going to be out of town. What a privilege & honor it was to preach before my local church, friends & some basketball teammates for the first time. My focus in this sermon was to explain the great problem of "How can God uphold justice and yet forgive sinners?" I also went back into Psalms 51 to show examples of what biblical repentance should look like in a Christian's life for individual examination/assurance.

Overall it seemed like the Lord blessed his word and many were attentive and really seemed to be soberly thinking about what I was saying. I got great responses after the service and talked with a few people individually about the gospel. I've been praying for those who heard the gospel that morning and I know the Spirit is doing work in the lives of his people. Pray for grace to know Christ as our eternal bread & living water that satisfys every desire of our soul forever!

FCA Team Camp

Asbury College hosted a FCA Team Camp the last week of June for high school basketball, tennis, & wrestling teams. I had the privilege to be the leader of team devotions for Pikeville H.S. basketball & briefly speak in a camp chapel. With very short notice I prepared to give a concise presentation of my testimony & more importantly the Gospel. I needed to be 'ready in & out of season' to preach the gospel & I heavily relied of God's grace to bless my message.

THE CHAPEL
The crowd of over 400 campers & coaches poured into the chapel very 'hyper' from a day full of competition. My wife & I had been praying for the hearts of these campers to be prepared to receive the gospel but the prepping wasn't what I expected. The chapel began with a silly rap skit... that was designed to 'loosen' the kids up & entertain them. Then I was schedule to go on... but I was encouraged by my wife, Amanda, who was praying for me in the back of the chapel. Seconds before I went up she looked at me & said, 'Phillip, these kids need to hear what you have to say to them.' That was all I needed to hear from her & I felt like a man on a mission... sent by God Himself to proclaim truth from the rooftops!

I humbly took the stage & gazed into the eyes of these teens who I know would not give a rip about what I have to say unless the Holy Spirit gives them ears to hear, eyes to see & hearts to understand. I have nothing to offer but the gospel that saves & the testimony of my life (that God radically saved a wretch like me). I feel like I had gripped their attention & poured myself out in that short time with only one goal. To humbly, clearly, & boldly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ & call all to repent & believe. I feel like God blessed our time in chapel & the next evening Pastor Patrick Whyte preached a beautiful & powerful message on the Gospel. My heart burned inside of me when I heard it & I felt like the Holy Spirit brought life to many spiritually dead souls.

THE WORD TAKING ROOT
Every night after the chapels I met with Pikeville's basketball team to have a devotional & answer any questions they may have. On the last night I know the Lord blessed our time. I just began to share with these young men my own testimony & the importance of examining their own hearts to see if their is genuine repentance & faith present. Our time started out a little awkward but soon the players & even their coaches began opening up to me. One of Pikeville's coaches (who is a very reserved man) felt led to read from the Bible & encourage his players. From there I felt like the Lord was bringing Scriptures to mind so I shared with them & we finished with prayer. After we finished a player pulled me aside to talk. He thanked me for the devotionals but had been really examining his life about true repentance. He confessed a growing guilt of sin within & the growing pressure of outwardly looking like the 'golden boy' to adults around him. I just encouraged him & gave him some Scripture to read & pray through. I was very excited to see a heart was being pressed upon by our discussions. It was a great camp & to God be the glory!

Preaching @ Auburndale Baptist: Psalms 51

It was a privilage, honor, & joy to finally preach for the first time at my home church in Louisville, KY. It was the first time my pastor, my family & friends have ever heard me in a formal setting at our Sunday night service. My text was Psalms 51 & my sermon was titled "True Repentance".... my goal was to explain what repentance means, why we must repent to be saved, & what true repentance looks like in a believer's life.

Before I got to examples of true repentance in a believer's life from Psalms 51, I wanted to clearly present one of the greatest problems in the Bible. That is: how can God uphold justice & still forgive guilty sinners (David & us)? Many know the story of David & Bathsheba... full of lust, adultery, decite, murder, shame, etc. Well then how can God be a just judge & just forgive David as if He is letting David go unpunished? And of course, sins will not go unpunished.... God is just and God is love! He has made a way for sinners to be forgiven, sins to be punished, & justice to be upheld: It is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness & the law by living a sinless life & then died on a cross to pay our sinful debt to God the Father. We, as rebels, have broken God's law but Jesus removed God's wrath against our sin by stepping in to take our punishment for us.... Amazing grace: Jesus took our bullet, our death sentence, the judge stepped down to take our prision sentence! This is how God is just & yet justifer the one who has faith in Christ.

As I took the pulpit-though I was armed with prayer, hours of study, & a burden from God... it was extremely surreal looking out at all the faces of my life. I saw the lost, faithful brothers & sisters in Christ, mentors & friends I have witnessed too...all in expectation to hear what I would say. But I knew no words of mine, no eloquence, no pleading, nothing could save a single soul or geniuenly encourage a believer unless the Holy Spirit opened hearts. But I feel like the Holy Spirit blessed our time as the gospel was preached & the call for repentance & faith made & I know God's Word will take root in hearts. I encourage you to listen to this sermon if you get a chance. To God be all the glory, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to recieve the reward for his suffering.

Reflecting on recent Evangelism @ Southland

Recently I had the opportunity to share the gospel at a large sports banquet for Southland Christian Church. My coach informed me on the opportunity and I was all over it. Hey, 'we got one life to live that soon will pass & only whats done for Christ will last' right? I really prayed & prepared for this opportunity knowing I would get to share the gospel with who knows how many souls? Southland Christian is a huge mega church so I figured there would be a great turnout for this event. The director of this event was great, he gave me alot of freedom to speak what was on my heart (the gospel) and was very encouraging.

Game Day:
After practice I cleaned up & took Amanda with me to the church...my coach & teammate (T.J.) came as well for support. Amanda was getting nervous for me because alot of people started pouring in...I've never spoken to a crowd bigger than maybe 50...and by the time the banquet started there could of easily been over 400 people. Wow!!! what an opportunity to exalt Christ through the preaching of His Gospel. The banquet was pretty creative, it was set up like the NBA Draft for the kids involved and Southland had it all....announcers, highlight videos, a commissioner, you name it.

Tip Off:
Before you know it I was called up to the podium, but it was now a pulpit for me. I was pretty nervous, I mean I love preaching the gospel with all my heart but I'm still a weak, broken, flawed vessel who has no power unless the Lord blesses my words. So what was my message, my goal, my method??? Just to humbly & boldly preach Jesus Christ crucified & resurrected. I used a basketball analogy to grip the audience's attention & just went right into the 'ground work' for the gospel. The ground work is explaining the question before I give the answer.

You see, most Christians are quick to say 'Jesus is the answer' but a lost sinner doesn't even know what the question is. Christians say turn to Jesus but the unregenerate they're not that bad & would say 'I didn't even know I had to turn, I'm content of going my way.' Christian brothers & sisters we need to take our zeal for the gospel & use the evangelism methods of the ultimate evangelist, Jesus Christ. His method striped a sinner of their self-righteousness and exposed their sinfulness before a holy God. How did Jesus & the apostles do this? Simple, take them through God's law (10 commandments) and help sinners see their sin & understand how hopeless they are before God's righteous judgment....Then they'll see their need for grace, and a Savior from the wrath to come.

Now it is time to offer the free gift of Salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. He alone fulfilled God's righteous requirements by living a sinless life and then amazingly died on a Cross in our place as a sacrifice for our sins. 3 days later He rose from the grave as a victorious Savior over sin & death. We have rebelled and God commands us to repent & put our trust in Christ. Sins will be punished, either we will pay for our sins in hell or we will have Christ pay for our sins on the cross.

Needless to say everything went great & I could see in the eyes of many in the audience that they were taking in this message. I only pray that God gave them ears to hear & the eyes of their hearts see the glory of Christ. A few men in leadership at Southland came up to me and said they really appreciated the clear explaination of the gospel. What more could a soul want or need? We were created to glory in God & be enthralled by his love. Christ has done the work for us to be reconciled back to God. What can the world offer us? Money, fame, possessions, praise? Its all empty & it will only last for a vapor of time & then its gone. Joy in God is ever increasing & will satisfy for all of eternity!!! God offers Himself as our supreme treasure...God demands that we have what will bring us the most joy & happiness forever......Himself!

Sharing the gospel with middle school squad

One thing I love about Asbury College is the freedom to talk about the Lord and its not awkward....usually. Being at a conservative Christian college that emphasises holiness has been encouraging in my evangelism efforts. Today I had another privilege to lift up Christ and share His gospel. A former Asbury basketball player brought his middle school basketball team to our game tonight. A few hours before tip off me, my coach, and another teammate had a chance to meet these young people, encourage them, tell them about Asbury, and most importantly share the gospel.

My teammate Daniel spoke first, he talked about utilizing the simple gifts God has given us to be the best we can be. Daniel is a great teammate and that is saying alot in a generation of selfish players. Then I spoke with a bible in one hand and basketball in the other. I started with Col. 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men." I grew up playing with & against some great ball players in Louisville, but the best would have to be Rajon Rondo. He's the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics and we grew up playing with or aganist each other from church league, YMCA, middle school, high school, and even won an AAU state championship together. I realized at a young age that I was never going to be as athletic as Rajon so I'd have to work very hard and become as skilled a player as I could to compete at a high level. Working hard is rewarding & a must in life but to work hard as unto the Lord rather than men is the prime objective. God alone deserves the glory and its His favor and blessing that one must truly have when its all said in done.

I then took my bible and showed them how I had exchanged God's Word for a basketball when I was their age (12-14 yr old). Basketball is a blessing but not the reason for our existence...in the end the most important thing is if we have a right relationship with God. To hammer this home I scanned the room & asked, "Did anyone see how many points Michael Jordan scored last night?"....their faces seemed blank & confused....I answered, "Of course you didn't, MJ doesn't play anymore because he is to old now"....the kids smile back...I then ask, "Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game once but did anyone see how many points he had last night?"...blank looks again...I answer back, "You didn't see Wilt Chamberlain score last night because he's dead".....now I'm getting sober looks from these kids with pin drop silence.

I said this to bring to light the fact that we're all going to die one day and have to stand before a holy God and give an account for our lives. Basketball won't really matter on this day, all that will matter is if we are right with God. These kids may be young, but they're old enough to sin and they're old enough to die and I care about them & their souls. Life is but a vapor, yesterday I was in their shoes and tomorrow I'll have grandchildren (Lord willing). I then guided them through the standard of God's law (10 commandments) to show them their need for a Savior. Explained sin, God's justice and why we deserve nothing but a place in hell. All this was to bring forth the glory of Christ our only Savior who takes away the sin of the world!!!

As I was unpacking the gospel and explaining all that Christ accomplished on the cross I was encouraged to see a young girl in the back nodding her head as if the light bulb had come on. I finished with the power of Christ's resurrection and the command to repent & trust in Jesus for Salvation with a new heart. These kids were very attentive and that's all I could hope for when sharing the good news. There is no feeling like sharing the gospel, its like beginning born again & again....it reminds us of the miracle of our own conversion. Lord I praise You for Your loving kindness toward sinners, glorify Your great name by saving those who heard Your gospel today. Amen

Winter Storms glorify God

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge. -Psalms 19:1-2






Over the last week we have experienced an amazing winter storm. Its just been freezing weather, power outage, falling tree branches, snow, ice, ice and more ice. Through all this I have tried to enjoy the beauty of God's power in creation. On my way to the gym or class I have seen some of the most beautiful and breathtaking views I have ever witnessed. Massive ice sickles hanging from power lines, frozen trees sparkling with thick ice, and a soft canvas of snow covering the ground.... these are just a few of the glories of God's hand.

I pray that this winter storm only points believers to love, adore, fear, and worship God even more. To be in awe of His power, creativity, and his transcendent nature that makes us finite humans lay our hands over our mouths in reverence of the only One worthy to be praised. May we give glory to God...not sleding, not frosty the snow man, not days off from school, not snowball fights. These are fun & can be blessings but may we treasure God and see His beauty in all that He reveals to us.

Dear Father, be merciful to me a sinner. Thank you for your love and patience through Christ. You truly are long suffering and full of lovingkindness...You not only give rain to the just and the unjust....you also give snow. To You belongs the glory. Amen.