what is GREATNESS?

Most of us strive for greatness in something we do, and watching this video reminds me of what we are all capable of. When I was a kid I loved to ride BMX, and I thought jumping a curb was a huge accomplishment – it still is! After seeing this amazing video and the stunning footage of talent displayed, I am reminded that we are not all called to be great at the same things, but we ARE all called to be great.

Growing up, I knew that being involved in sports was God’s calling for me. After I finished playing basketball however, I did not know what would come next in my career. God used this time to develop and prepare me for this calling in sports ministry.

Although I do not know where my career path may take me next, I see this video of a man who has perfected the art of riding his bike, and I am inspired… not to excel in riding my bike like him, but to continue striving for greatness in the talents God has given me.

I know you will appreciate his talent and enjoy this video. More importantly though, I pray that you will recognize God working in your life and the blessing that is your own talent - and strive for the greatness that is your path.

A deep breath...

A DRIVER that finally fits me :)

WOW!!! What a day. We just wrapped up our 5th Annual Golf Tournament and what a relief. That is not to sound indifferent but actually feeling overwhelmed that all the planning and hard work has paid off. God showed up in spades for our annual fundraiser and although I am still trying to catch my breath from the last couple of weeks and the preparation needed for this day...our ministry was truly blessed by all those that came out to sponsor, donate and participate.

We added a few new wrinkles to the program this year and they all seemed to pay off. I spent the day overwhelmed with love from over 35 volunteers who took the day off work or got baby sitters so they could help us with the event...thank you everyone who put their heart and soul into this day. Shawn Parr was again, an amazing success and what a huge blessing for this church and our ministry to have someone use their talents in such an extraordinary way. Thank You Shawn, for everything. The rewards will go so far in our attempt to reach lives through Sports.

My personal day was filled with running from here to there from sun up to sun down...no complaining of course, but man was I tired come 9pm. I couldn't even get out of my office chair to go home after all our guests had gone. It is always fun to see everyone and mingle and thank all the golfers and dinner guests for coming out...and of course checking to make sure everything is perfect to ensure the greatest possible experience for all those in attendance. Two years ago during our round of golf I started sitting at a hole hitting my driver as a fundraiser...I get to take pictures with all the golfers and I also get to work on my swing. The time always fly's by and I hope by hitting balls all day that my swing would improve...not :) All part of what makes this day so much fun...and of course for what I believe to be an amazing cause.

Coming soon to our website on the feature page is going to be a behind the scenes look at this years golf and dinner benefit...this should prove to be funny and a little insightful for everything that really goes on behind the scenes. Thank you everyone, for a great day.

In Love, Pastor J.

Standing Tall

I can't believe its been almost two months since my last post...I've personally been going through one of the busiest seasons of my life. I can't think of anytime in my life that I have had so much going on at one time. I can't complain as much of what's been going on, is good stuff, but too much good stuff can become overwhelming. I am back with my head above water as I recently finished a class within my masters program, sold our home, packed our old home, moved and unpacked again and am helping my wife through her new pregnancy. YES, were expecting again. :)

So all in all, no complains...just busy. (hence the no blog posts) Someone recently shared this video with me and it touched me as a man, a golfer and someone who has spent time serving on two mission trips to the Dominican Republic. When things seem bad, we need to know that God is your hope and we should only lean on Him. Hope you enjoy.

One Time a Year

My boy getting ready for the big day

Im proud to announce the date for our Golf Tournament this year...

Monday, April 18.

With Easter landing towards the end of the April this year we have been playing with some different dates for our tournament since we usually try to run our fundraiser towards the end of April. Besides the date we have several exciting changes coming to this years big day.

First, we are moving golf courses this year to Porter Valley Country Club. As a private club this is a rare chance for those that aren't members to play this Championship golf course. We will also be moving our dinner, auction and trophy presentation to the Family Life Center that same night. I am most excited about moving our dinner on campus because it is going to give those of you who don't golf an opportunity to get involved with our Dinner and Auction. This night is always such a great event and by having it in the FLC it is going to give everyone a chance to be part of this great evening. Also in the house that evening will be Outback Steakhouse and GO. Country's Morning D.J. "Shawn Parr". So save the date and if your a golfer, get that swing ready.

The LineUp

Coming in 2011

Starting this weekend we are proud to announce the launch of "The LineUp". "The LineUp" is going to be a quarterly information and promotional piece that will include all upcoming events, contact information and new program details for all things Shepherd Sports. "The LineUp" design is set up to allow anyone who opens the professionally designed piece to have a quick insight into all we do at Shepherd Sports.

Our pray for "The LineUp" is for the people within our ministry to use it as a way to reach out to their friends, family members or neighbors and encourage them to become involved with what we do. Although we are all passionate about sports our goal has been and will continue to be reaching out to this community to share God's love and word with them. We hope you will not only pick one up for yourself, but grab a few and get your friends and family involved.

Pics from our Leadership Dinner

Here are a few pictures from our amazing Leadership Dinner this past week. Thank you for everyone who came...Praying this night is going to impact everything we do in 2011.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas

Time to Celebrate...

As we enter the Christmas season it also represents another year in the books. To celebrate this year we are hosting a Leadership Dinner for all or our Coaches, Captains and Volunteers. As we approach December, 20th...I'm getting more and more excited. Although we communicate and work together all year long with our Sports Ministry Leaders, it is rare we all get to gather in the same place. I am excited to celebrate with everyone (secret recap video is being made) and looking ahead at what we can accomplish through sports for the Kingdom in this city.

If you've been involved with us over the past year as a volunteer of any kind, please SAVE THE DATE...my desire is to gather the heart of the ministry together for one fun night of celebration, and if that doesn't get you excited to come...then come for the free food and some cool give-aways. The evite should arrive in your inbox sometime next week. Make sure to RSVP, the deadline is December, 16. If for some reason you do not receive an invite and have been apart of Shepherd Sports then please contact Emily so we can make sure you get your invitation.

I would also like to extend an invitation to anyone looking or interested in getting involved with Shepherd Sports. We want you to come and enjoy the night and see how you might get involved with Sports and Ministry in 2011.

Emily North:

enorth@theshepherd.org

818-831-9333 x234

with CHANGE comes GROWTH

With growth comes change and with change can come new problems and new problems can create out of control turmoil and so on and so on. As people we are often so in tune with our own lives that a little distraction or speed bump can send us spiraling for some solid ground. Most of us enjoy the comforts we have created for ourselves and we often times go to great lengths to keep these margins of comfort at whatever cost.

I am all too guilty of this, and God often reminds me we we’re not called to be comfortable with our own Christian bubble. As a ministry leader this issue can magnify it self in many different ways. Over the years God has blessed Shepherd Sports but that doesn’t mean we haven’t faced our own trials along the way. I believe the only way to sometimes achieve growth is through trials…and to achieve growth sometimes God is calling us to change. If we’re standing still, we can often get to comfortable with what we currently have. If I have learned anything, it is that all we have can be gone in an instant. The bubble we create of worldly comforts can be here today and gone tomorrow. This is, except our faith and relationship with God.

At Shepherd Sports I have story after story of speed bumps we have faced along our journey, each one creating new opportunities and chance for growth. I believe this is how we must face obstacles in our life. God is always using a facet of different things to get our attention and on the surface these uncomfortable issues can seem negative and sometimes downright awful. However, we must rest on God’s word that He will not leave or forsake us and He promises to provide for us.

Lets take what comes our way and grow, learn and become better at what we do and whom we are. We must seek God in these decisions but we must look for ways to grow. By taking the glass as half full and the truth that God wants good things for us, our outlook on change should be that of excitement of what God is going to do next in our lives.

Time Matters

2011 in the making

Every year I like to take a few days and get away from the daily grind and my regular schedule to focus on the upcoming year. This year I was fortunate to have a friend offer me his cabin in Big Bear. As someone who loves to snowboard it was torture at times to be in Big Bear with no board and no snow. I can't remember the last time I was in Big Bear to do anything except Snowboard. However, the solitude and minimal distractions was just what I needed. During the week I also managed to go without t.v., (also torture with the World Series on) and no car for several days.

Somewhat forcing my self to take a week out of my normal life was a little difficult at first because it is out of my usual busy schedule. However, after a day or two, I really began to enjoy the quit walks, crackling fireplace and hot coffee with my books. This time is always so refreshing and gives me time to really seek the vision for Shepherd Sports, my staff and the volunteers that serve so faithfully. Above is a picture of a desk calendar that I rip off and put up on the wall to stare at all week. I spend time in pray, planning and trying to implement new ideas for the coming year. The picture above is an empty version before anything goes up...the same calendar now sits in my office full of events, leagues and classes for 2011. Although only pieces of paper, i always see each event or league we run as people who need a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. It makes this time so rewarding because when we get to look back at the lives we changed the time and commitment will be worth every second.

Looking back on my week of solitude was very eye opening to realize the time we spend on things that are not of the Kingdom...the time we waste on the internet or watching t.v. or just getting up and going somewhere because its easy and gives us something to do. As Americans I believe this to be true of most of us, including myself. We have so much at our fingertips that we can fill entire days, weeks and even years of our life up with stuff that means nothing in scope of eternity.

Ask your self these questions: How much t.v. did I watch this week? How many hours did i play video games this week? How long did i go without checking my emails, getting on my phone, texting, seeing who hit me up on facebook? Our attention span has shortened and in turn shortened the time we spend with our Creator. As much as we all plan on spending time with God, reading a book that going to help our marriages or help our kids...life always seems to take over. Things that are important to God should be important to us and therefore should take precedent over video games, t.v. shows, internet and our facebook status. Try unplugging yourself, set Godly priorities, take a good look at what fills your day, week and year and know that God is calling all of us to take a quit walk with Him, everyday.

How important is God to you?

Who's leading your life?

Who are you letting fill up your calendar?

How important is your spouse?

How important our your kids?

What's really important in the scope of the eternal kingdom???????????

There is more to this book then being TALL

Michael Young

Being 6'9 it is usually easy to figure out what sport I enjoy playing. Yes, basketball. However, when i'm sporting a nice tan (this is not often) some people do guess volleyball. Not sure how to take that...but, most people guess correct, with basketball. Although Basketball ended up being the sport I played in college and professionally it was not always my favorite sport.

As the Rangers are getting ready to play the Yankees it's great to see an old friend doing so well. Many of you might have heard of Michael Young, the Rangers current third basemen and ex short-stop. But, what many of you might not know is that Michael Young is a UCSB alumni. My alma-mater.

Growing up, baseball was my sport...I ate, sleep and breathed baseball. It wasn't until I got into high school that I really got into basketball. While being recruited in High School it was always important to me at the time that any school I went to would also let me play baseball.

One of the reasons ended up signing with Pepperdine is because they had both solid basketball and baseball teams. As my freshman year of basketball season and Pepperdine was ending, baseball season was already underway. I practiced twice with the Pepperdine baseball team before deciding to transfer. So for the first since I was five, I would go a whole year without playing on a baseball team. Interesting fact about that team...Randy Wolf of the Milwaukee Brewers was a freshman that year as we shared the same dorm.

Fast forward one year as I wrapped up my red-shirt year at UCSB. I am back on the baseball field playing on my first ever college baseball team. Although I played the field and hit my entire life, at the college level my only asset was as a pitcher. This was a new role for me, but after missing out on the competitive side of basketball because of red-shirting, I was thrilled to be competing again. We ended up having a great team that year, which was bitter sweet because with the talent we had, my playing time was very, very, very limited. However, the excitement of being a part of a top NCAA team and going to the big dance was something ill never forget. This would in fact be my last season playing competitive baseball. With the school load and the amount of work I was putting towards basketball, something had to give and when your 6'9...basketball usually wins out :)

I share this story for a couple reasons. One, it is cool to see an ex-teammate like Michael Young doing so well and having a chance at winning the big one. As I remember him, he was always a very hard worker and got the most out of what God had given him. It is amazing at what time will do, because Michael was not even one of our top three players on that championship team that went to the NCAA tournament. So don't be discouraged if your not the star right now, or in the position you want to be. Work hard, put in the hours and be faithful that, not you, but God is in control.

The other reason I share this story is I believe all to often we read only the cover of a book. I have gotten dubbed a basketball player ever since I was sixteen and 6'9. Most people don't know I played college baseball, or was a quarterback in High School and played on several travel soccer teams. Granted I am only talking about sports here...but this idea of judging someone with out really get to know them can be extremely unfair. Whether it be there height, looks, tattoo's, piercing or the color of their skin...I believe as Christian we are falling way short on this. I am all to guilty of this as well, but we need to take the time to get to know someone beyond what you see. We don't have to condone the behavior to befriend and or get to know someone on a deeper level.

The first question I am almost always asked is: how tall are you...and that question is immediately followed by: do you play basketball. These questions can become annoying after you hear them your entire life, although innocent enough. What about that co-worker or friend you haven't taken the time to get to know beyond what you have in common. It is all to often only about ourselves, we take someone and put them in a box and move on. I challenge you to dig deeper...get to know someone for real. Why your doing that, don't forget the ultimate gift you can share is the salvation of Jesus Christ. This gift will be so much easier to deliver if you take the time and develop a real relationship with someone. The better you know someone, the more you usually care for them and the more you care for someone the more you want them to have a chance to live eternity with Jesus.

So dig deeper, care a little more and don't be afraid to share the gift of Jesus Christ with someone.