0 Perspective

When you work for a university athletic program, there are certain hazards that come with the occupation. Wins and losses can have a direct impact on how easy or how difficult your job is in a certain week, month or year.

Last night I sat in Belmont’s Curb Events Center and finished my last score update of the night on the Lipscomb Athletics’ Facebook page:

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Belmont 88, Lipscomb 52 FINAL

The women had lost a heartbreaker earlier in the evening. Then in front of a full house and a national television audience on ESPN, the men got blown out of the gym. The 36-point loss was Lipscomb’s worst in the 127-game, 58-year rivalry between Lipscomb and Belmont. It was terrible. It was embarrassing. No one could possibly be having a worse day.

Then I read Sara Pigg Walker’s Facebook status:

biopsy indicates malignancy. CT revealed colon abnormalities. Colonoscopy tomorrow (fun prep today!), PET scan of my whole body on Wednesday. Back to onc MD next Thursday (my birthday) for diagnosis and treatment options. Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold I am the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for me?”

Last Friday I shared Sara’s story with you. Her baby girl was stillborn at 37 weeks the first month of December after a healthy pregnancy with absolutely no warning. Then last week doctors discovered multiple spots on her liver which led her to this week of tests and waiting and finally the news she received yesterday.

Earlier in the day Friday my friend (and former Bison basketball player) Rob Browne sent an update on his wife Traci who is battling breast cancer. She had just completed her sixth, and hopefully final, chemotherapy treatment. Now she’ll deal with three weeks of side effects and waiting until she finds out if radiation is in her immediate future.

Lord, please help me to keep proper perspective. Thank you for the lessons you are teaching me through your warriors Sara and Traci who have the “even if He does not” faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we read about in Daniel chapter 3. Help them see the eternal difference you are making in others through their faith. In Jesus name, amen.

Almost there,
Brent

* If you would like to send Sara a note of encouragement, her email address is sarawalkerpt@hotmail.com.

* If you would like to send Traci a note of encouragement, her email address is traci@wwyc.org.

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0 Prayers for Sara Walker

As most of you read this, sometime between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday morning, Sara Walker will be receiving test results from an oncologist (the less alarming name for cancer doctor) in Nashville. Earlier this week, after a trip to the emergency room, doctors discovered multiple spots on her liver.

The rest of the story is that Brian and Sara were expecting to bring a healthy baby girl home from the hospital just before Christmas. Tragically, with no warning, Anna Elizabeth Walker was stillborn the first week of December, a full 37 weeks into the pregnancy.

Sara is in her early 30’s. Sara, her husband Brian and their two boys, Camden and Scott, attend the same congregation we do – Brentwood Hills Church of Christ in Nashville. Sara’s sister, Dinah Hall, and brother, Michael Pigg, are friends of ours as well.

Sara and her family are asking everyone everywhere to lift up their family in prayer, specifically between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. this morning. Dinah shared the verse below from Matthew in one of her latest emails.

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

If you would like to send Sara a note of encouragement, her email address is sarawalkerpt@hotmail.com.

Lord, come back soon.

Brent

0 Coach Meyer and Four Little Verses

Some of the most powerful lessons you learn in life are unplanned.

On December 17th and 18th Coach Don Meyer, Lipscomb University’s former basketball coach, and Buster Olney from ESPN came to Lipscomb for a luncheon and two days of book signing. Olney’s book, How Lucky You Can Be – The Story of Coach Don Meyer, is in its fifth printing and doing very well nationally.

I had worked on promoting the visit and coordinating with our campus bookstore on how many books they should have on hand for purchase. I planned on helping Coach and Buster get set up and then go about my normal business. What actually ended up happening I could have never predicted and I would never trade.

Far more people showed up for the book signings than we ever dreamed. The line stretched out into the concourse both days. It was always 60-70 people long and never seemed to shrink. Someone bringing in one book to be signed was rare. Most brought at least two. Some brought five, six, 11, 36 at a time.

I decided to jump in and do whatever I could to help speed up the line. For over 16 hours over those two days I opened over 1,100 books to the title page, asked each person in line who they wanted their book personalized to, wrote the names on post-it notes and then handed them to Coach and Buster to sign.

I had the easy job.

From 11:30 a.m. to almost 9:30 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Coach and Buster wrote a personalized note in each and every book. Coach’s notes were in cursive writing, usually 3-4 sentences in length. Every note was different. If he knew the person in line the note was very personal in nature. If he didn’t know the person in line he asked enough questions until he could get an angle for his note. Then he signed his name.

What he did next was unprecedented at any book signing I’ve ever attended or read about. Under his name, Coach wrote out four scripture references in each and every book.

Four.

James 4:10
Luke 14:11
James 3:13
Ecclestiastes 5:19-20

Throughout the two days I picked up little pieces of the puzzle as to why he picked those four verses.

“If we humble ourselves, God will lift us up,” said Coach. “If we do His job for Him, He’ll do ours for us.”

Coach made it clear that he had written the four references in the order he had written them on purpose.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” – James 4:10

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Luke 14:11

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” – James 3:13

“Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.” – Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

Coach has every reason to be bitter, to withdraw and basically give up who he’s been for the last 65 years. The wreck, the amputated left leg, the countless follow-up surgeries, the cancer and the fatigue associated with it that forced him to leave the profession he loved would be easy scapegoats.

Instead, he continues to teach and coach – just sometimes in unplanned ways he doesn’t even realize.

Coach, thank you for helping make an eternal difference!

* If you’d like to send Coach Meyer a note of encouragement, his email address is meyerd@northern.edu. He will be speaking at a men’s prayer breakfast at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ in Nashville next Saturday, January 8 at 7 a.m. To RSVP for that event, please call 615-832-2541. He is also scheduled to conduct a seminar on leadership on Tuesday, September 6th in Nashville. For more information on that event, please email meyerleadership@gmail.com.

Happy New Year!
Brent

Brent High
615-566-6023 mobile
brent@brenthigh.com

0 Santa Shares His Secret – from USA Today

from USA Today story by Nancy Hellmich

There really is a Santa Claus.

Larry Stewart, 58, a successful businessman in Lee’s Summit, Mo., announced a few weeks ago that he is the Secret Santa who has been doling out $100 bills anonymously to the needy in Kansas City, Mo., and other cities every Christmas for the past 26 years.

Stewart carefully guarded his identity for years; only his family and a few close friends knew the truth. USA TODAY profiled him in a front-page story in 2001 but did not publish his name. That holiday season, he handed out $25,000 in $100 bills to New Yorkers who were reeling from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Over the years, Stewart estimates, he has given away $1.3 million. He says he has been amply rewarded in return.

“I see the smiles and looks of hopelessness turn to looks of hope in an instant,” he says. “After all, isn’t that what we were put here on Earth for — to help one another?”

Click here for the full story on USAToday.com.

Merry Christmas!

Brent

0 Major League Debut

This past Thursday, July 27, 2006, I got called up to the big leagues by the Atlanta Braves after three years in the minor leagues. At the age of 32, my call-up was much later in life than I had planned.

As a young boy, I breathed, ate and slept Braves baseball. Thanks to the invention of cable television and Ted Turner’s vision for Superstation WTBS, I watched hundreds of Braves games and heard many a call from Braves announcers Pete Van Wieren, Ernie Johnson and Skip Caray.

My friend Jeff Hunter taught me how to read the Braves box scores in the Tennessean newspaper. I started collecting baseball cards and was a regular at E-Gad’s Baseball Card Shop at Harding Mall in Nashville. Dale Murphy, two-time MVP outfielder for the Braves, was my hero. Multiple Murph posters were tacked up in my room including my favorite entitled “Power Alley”. I collected over 200 different Dale Murphy baseball cards, often trading away much more “valuable” cards to acquire a Murph card I didn’t have. I kept a scrapbook of every picture and mention of the Murph I could find.

Family trips and church youth group outings introduced me to Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium, home of the Braves. Most of the time the Braves lost and there weren’t many folks there to see it. One game I remember in particular was a game against the San Diego Padres. Rick Mahler was pitching for the Braves, Eric Show for the Padres. There couldn’t have been more than 4,000 people there to see it. I think just about everyone in our group got a foul ball that day. I always tried to get autographs from Braves players but never succeeded. We always got there too late. One time we did get there early enough to get autographs from some of the Houston Astros who were getting off their bus. Some guy named Nolan Ryan signed a 1985 Topps card for me that I traded later on that night for a Jose Canseco rookie card.

I was a Braves fan long before their run of 14-straight divisional titles. The Braves averaged only 65 wins per season from 1985-1990, finishing the last year of that span in last place. My first Braves heroes weren’t Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz , Andruw Jones and Greg Maddux. They were Dale Murphy, Glenn Hubbard, Claudell Washington, Rafael Ramirez, Bob Horner and Bruce Benedict.

As my baseball skills improved during my years at Overton High School and Lipscomb University, my dreams of playing for the Braves intensified. My jersey would be one of the most marketable in Major League Baseball – “HIGH 5”. At a Braves tryout camp during the summer following my freshman year of college, I had the chance to throw for Braves scout Jack Powell. I was clocked at 90 mph on the radar gun – the magical number at that point for right-handed pitchers. My 12-to-6 o’clock curve ball was especially nasty that day. Mr. Powell kept me after the tryout was over to throw some more for him. He took down all of my information and promised to monitor my progress the following year.

That off-season I worked harder than ever. I put in extra time in the weight room and was in the best shape of my life. In the first start of my sophomore season I threw a complete game, striking out 13 while giving up just three hits.

My second start against St. Xavier out of Illinois came at the end of a long Spring Break trip in Daytona Beach, Florida. We had used up all of our pitchers that week and so it was up to me to log some innings. I had never thrown any harder than I did that day. I was still throwing in the upper 80’s in the 8th inning. Only later did I learn that I had thrown 133 pitches in the game – probably 50 more than I should have in my second start of the young season. When I woke up the next morning my arm was toast. I couldn’t brush my teeth or comb my hair without excruciating pain in my shoulder. I had surgery to repair a torn labrum muscle in my shoulder and tried to make a comeback, but my 90 mph heater had been replaced by a 74 mph batting practice delight. I was cut from the team in the fall of 1994. I cried like a baby. My dream was shattered.

In the months that followed, I came to the realization that baseball had become my god. I had replaced God with baseball and I don’t think He liked that one bit.

Hebrews 12:5-6 says “…..My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Whether He caused my labrum muscle to tear or not, I don’t know. That’s one of those questions I’ll save for Heaven. While selfishly I’d like to have continued chasing my baseball dreams, it causes me to shiver when I think of where I’d probably be spiritually if baseball hadn’t been taken away from me.

Thankfully the Braves executives weren’t concerned with the fact that I had been cut from an NAIA college team and that I hadn’t picked up a baseball or gripped a bat in 12 years. The training staff didn’t seem to care that I had put on 50 pounds since my last baseball card was printed in 1994, noting a 6’2” 175 lb. frame.

In the end what sealed the deal for my mid-season call-up was my God-given ability to help create events at games that simultaneously accomplish the goals of teams, churches and corporate sponsors. My company, Third Coast Sports, is partnering with more than 45 teams all over the country to put on and promote more than 75 of these events. Teams win in that they sell a bunch of tickets to groups that for the most part have never come before. Churches win in that we help set the table so they can accomplish their fellowship, involvement and outreach goals. Sponsors win by leveraging their messages to Christian consumers, decision makers and other influencers.

Thursday marked the first of three “Faith Days with the Atlanta Braves” at Turner Field. Following the Braves-Marlins game more than 3,000 fans stayed to hear Braves star pitcher John Smoltz speak about his personal relationship with the Lord (click here to hear John’s talk). Christian recording artists Aaron Shust and The Afters entertained the crowd with a mix of rock and acoustical selections. Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales entertained kids at heart of all ages. Spiritual Outdoor Adventures handed out more than 1,000 camouflaged Heart of the Outdoors Bibles. Focus on the Family distributed resources for parents, teens and church leaders.

The media coverage of Thursday’s event was nothing short of remarkable. One of the Braves public relations officials said she hadn’t seen as much national media in one place since the NBA All-Star game. CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, ESPN, The 700 Club and Gospel Music Channel were all there to cover the event. Numerous regional and local broadcast and print outlets were represented.

About an hour before the game I was asked to make my way to the field with my wife Emily and our public relations director, Matt Toy. CBS Evening News and Gospel Music Channel wanted to interview me before the game. After waiting in the seats behind the Braves dugout for several minutes we were asked to sit in the Braves dugout while we waited for the reporters to finish interviewing Derek Schiller, the Braves senior VP of sales & marketing. We sat in the Braves dugout for more than 45 minutes – right up until game time. I chatted with Glenn Hubbard, the Braves second baseman from my childhood and current first base coach. Catcher Todd Pratt, starting pitcher Jason Shiell and shortstop Edgar Renteria all made their way past us as we waited in the dugout.

I saw something so amazing and encouraging in that dugout I asked Emily to make a picture of – the stack of batting gloves. Right beside the gloves with “C.J. 10” printed on them (Braves third baseman #10 Chipper Jones) were gloves with “Joshua 1:9” printed on the Velcro strap. It was only later that I found out these gloves belonged to starting right fielder Jeff Francoeur.

Joshua 1:9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

As CBS and Gospel Music Channel finished up with Derek Schiller, it was noted that it was too close to game time to do any more interviews on the field. We were taken into a tunnel off the dugout where we waited for several minutes. We could see Braves manager Bobby Cox with his legs kicked up going over last minute details. Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche and outfielder Matt Diaz passed us on their way to the dugout. We were then escorted back by the Braves clubhouse. Second baseman Marcus Giles had his headphones dangling off the back of his ears but took time to greet us with a hardy, “Hey, how are you doing?”

We entered the final hallway on the way to our destination where we were told to be extremely quiet. As I rounded the corner of the final turn, I saw John Smoltz sitting in a chair under some bright lights with a big camera in his face being interviewed by The 700 Club. As he finished up his interview, he walked past me. We had never met, but I felt the need to make the connection.

“John,” I said as I stuck my hand out to introduce myself. “I’m Brent High. I’m the guy that got you into all this mess. I will be praying for you today.”

“Thank you,” John said. “I appreciate the opportunity.”

With that he made his way back towards the Braves clubhouse. I then sat where John had sat in preparation for an interview with William Wiegman from Gospel Music Channel. For some reason everything that had happened up until that point and everything that was about to happen finally started to sink in. I was suddenly so overcome with emotion I couldn’t speak. It took several seconds before I could go on.

It occurred to me that God was in fact allowing me to realize my boyhood dream, just in a much different way than I had planned. As I sat in that chair, I was at the perfect intersection of passion, vocation, purpose and ministry.

The Braves lost the game 6-1 but what happened in the two hours following the game was anything but a loss. More than 3,000 people filed into the area behind the left field wall designated for the concert – many more than we expected. It was a sultry day game on a Thursday in the middle of July against the Marlins – not exactly the most church-group friendly set of circumstances. I met John in the Braves dugout to make last second preparations. One of the Braves security guards drove John and me in a golf cart out to the stage in left field.

I served as the emcee for the event. I took time to recognize a very special friend, Russell Hendricks who was at the game with his family. The former Georgia Southern University pitcher stayed with our family one week when I was a teenager as part of an Athletes in Action tour. He taught me how to throw my 12-to-6 curve ball and was the first baseball player I’d ever seen give his personal testimony to a group of complete strangers after a game. That made a lasting impression on me.

One of the first things I did after I was hired by the Nashville Sounds in 2003 to head up their “Faith Nights” was add player testimonies to all of the events. Now it was time for a Cy Young Award winner with a good chance of being in the Hall of Fame to give his testimony in a Major League Baseball stadium.

John spoke for about 20 minutes about the importance of not having a “no-decision” when it comes to choosing Jesus as Savior. He talked about the moment in his life in 1995 when he decided to totally give his life to the Lord. I was amazed at how still and quiet a crowd of 3,000 could be for so long, even in the 95 degree heat. They hung on John’s every word and gave him a standing ovation when he was done. Aaron Shust performed his #1 hit My Savior, My God as a large percentage of the crowd sang along. The Afters followed up with a rocking end to an amazing day.

My major league debut was complete. “High, P” didn’t show up in the box score, but the name of Jesus was lifted up as media outlets representing as many as 40 million viewers and readers took note. My incredible business partners Mike Snider and Lynn Golden have allowed me the opportunity to live a dream. Third Coast Sports couldn’t be a more perfect convergence of my passions. I get to build events around professional sports games that have a very intentional outreach element. All day every day our incredible staff, led by Courtney Baker, Lindsay Beals and Matt Toy is encouraging thousands of church leaders from California to New York to use sporting events as a chance to reach out to those that don’t have a church home.

I got called up to the big leagues Thursday. Lord willing, I’ll be here for a while.

Almost there,
Brent

brent@thirdcoastsports.com Click here to hear the testimony John Smoltz gave on July 27, 2006 in Atlanta. It’s in Windows Media format.

0 Sinners Prayer in Sago Mine

Back on January 15 I wrote an article in the aftermath of the Sago Mine disaster entitled Prayers for Randal McCloy, Jr. In that article I expressed my sincere hope that one day Randal McCloy would not only recover but would be well enough to tell us what happened in those last few hours. I wrote:

We may never know this side of heaven what happened in that mine in those final hours but here’s praying, hoping and wishing that we do find out………from a completely healthy Randal McCloy, Jr. who stands before a sea of microphones and tells the world how God was glorified and Jesus was shared.

Randal McCloy did something just as good this week. On April 26 he wrote a letter to the families of the 12 men killed in that mine detailing what happened in those final hours.

“We were worried and afraid,” McCloy wrote, “but we began to accept our fate. Junior Toler led us all in the Sinner’s Prayer.”

Growing up in the church of Christ, the “Sinner’s Prayer” was “something the Baptists do”. I had never really even bothered to investigate what it might be or where it might have originated. Upon further investigation, most people point to Romans 10:9-13 as the basis for the “Sinner’s Prayer”. That passage reads:

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The examples I found of the “Sinner’s Prayer” were almost all like this one:

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

What an incredible, scripture-based prayer! As the fumes and smoke literally sucked the life out of that hole in Sago, can you imagine the peace and comfort that prayer must have brought the men who had never prayed it before? Can you picture the tears in the eyes of the men who already knew the Lord as they heard these men pray this prayer?

Several years ago I heard a sermon in which the preacher asked the question, “Can a man who is trapped in a cave and can’t get to water to be baptized get to heaven?” His answer was absolutely not. He went on to discuss why Mother Teresa was in hell and why the man on his motorcycle that dies in a crash on his way to being baptized is in hell.

That preacher would give absolutely no credence to the belief that those miners who didn’t know Jesus before praying the “Sinner’s Prayer” could be in Paradise right now. He would argue since they weren’t baptized in water there’s no way they could be there. There are a lot of people and Bible scholars who would share the preacher’s sentiments.

I’m as firm a believer in people being baptized as anyone. Every New Testament example of people being saved involved water baptism. Jesus was baptized. There’s so much important symbolism in baptism. I’ve heard one writer refer to baptism as “the believer’s wedding ceremony”. I think everyone should be baptized.

In the situation of the Sago miners, I believe with all my heart that if their “Sinner’s Prayer” was sincere (as I believe it was) that God heard it. What business of it is mine or anybody else to decide or declare whether or not those men got to go to be with the Lord or not? Shouldn’t we all hope they’re there?

Even if baptism is a “necessary requirement for salvation” shouldn’t, and doesn’t, the God who created the universe have the final decision on who has the right to enter His eternal home?

Almost there,
Brent

Brent High
brent@brenthigh.com

0 Prayers for Randal McCloy, Jr.

Randal McCloy, Jr. has been in my thoughts and prayers numerous times each day over the last couple of weeks. I’m sure many of you would say the same thing.

McCloy, the lone survivor of the Sago mine disaster which claimed the lives of 12 of his co-workers, remains in critical but stable condition at West Virginia University Hospital. Doctors report that Mr. McCloy’s overall condition remains essentially unchanged. He is still in a coma.

I am praying for Randal’s full recovery for several reasons.

First of all, Randal’s wife, Anna, and their two children, 4-year-old Randal III and 1-year-old Isabel, need their husband and daddy back.

Secondly, Randal, if he fully recovers from this coma and has recollection of the hours and events after that January 2nd explosion, can give the 12 grieving families much more information than came from the scribbled notes a few of them were fortunate enough to recover from their lost loved ones. He can provide details of what those men experienced and said in those final hours.

Finally, from what I’ve read and heard, there were at least three men in that hole that had a personal relationship with Jesus. I’m praying that if Randal recovers, he’ll have some amazing stories to share about what those three men did, said and shared with the other nine in those final hours.

Jackie Weaver was a 52-year-old electrician who had spent 26 years working in the mines. Weaver always wrote “Jesus saves” in the coal dust of his mine car as he and colleagues descended into the mine, said his cousin, Scotty Felton.

“He had time to talk to them about meeting their Savior,” said Felton.

Jerry Groves tried to get out of the coal mines. He applied for a job with a road crew, got his commercial license and learned to drive a truck.

“But the Lord wouldn’t let him out,” said his friend, Alfred Clay.

Unable to find work elsewhere, Groves stayed on the job in the mine. That’s where he was when the explosion erupted. Clay believes that’s just where God wanted his white-bearded friend, ready to help save the souls of his fellow miners.

“I hope and pray he was witnessing to that group,” Clay said.

Jim Bennett was eulogized as a man of fiery Christian faith. The 61-year-old man who operated the mine’s shuttle car wrote a note while trapped indicating he was still lucid 10 hours after the blast, his daughter has said.

“Jimmy Bennett was probably the closest one to me,” said co-worker Matt Brown. “He was a Christian man. He would pray for people when they went in the mines, when they’d go in every day. He’d pray when he had his time off at lunchtime. He’d get off by himself.”

“I’m as sure as I’m standing here today, I believe that down in the pits of that Sago Mine, there was one fella, not tall in stature perhaps, but was telling the boys, `You better get ready. We’re going to meet Jesus,'” the Rev. Dennis Estes said.

We may never know this side of heaven what happened in that mine in those final hours but here’s praying, hoping and wishing that we do find out………from a completely healthy Randal McCloy, Jr. who stands before a sea of microphones and tells the world how God was glorified and Jesus was shared.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Blessings,
Brent

Brent High, Founding Partner
Third Coast Sports
brent@thirdcoastsports.com