The game was ripped away a little too soon...Guest Post by: Grant Gayler & Kristen Mitchell

 I asked two of my friends to share a little about their stories and their battles with concussions. I asked them to share what it was like having something they care about being taken away from them at such a young age and very unexpectedly. My prayer is that you are encouraged by what they had to say and the way they handled their situations. I am very thankful that they took the time to briefly write up something for me. 

Grant Gayler

As a kid I can remember the thrills the game of basketball gave me. I remember the Friday nights where I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited for my game the next morning at the Boys and Girls Club. I found peace when I played, all sense of anxiety and stress would escape my body when I stepped on the court. 

At a young age I understood the importance of a higher education. I worked hard through middle and high school with the dream of going to college and I knew that basketball was my ticket to do so. I searched for a way and found myself at Bethel College, living my dream of continuing to play the sport that I fell in love with at the age of 8. 

Each year I would see the senior class play their final game, thinking to myself that the day where I would put up my shoes and say goodbye to the game was far off. My last game just so happened to be halfway through my junior season. I never got to experience the proper send off or goodbye from the game. No one told me that the game on December 20, 2017 would be my last, I didn’t get to prepare for it, the game was simply ripped from me. On that day I got my fourth concussion inside of two years. Something told me as my teammates picked me up and walked me to the end of the bench that it would be the last possession I would ever play. 

After many months of therapy, hard conversations with doctors/family and not knowing what I was doing or where I was half the time, I came to peace with the fact that I would never play again. I’m sure that the reigning champs of the Golden State Warriors are devastated that I won’t be joining their roster next year but that’s beside the point, I realized that there is much more in life than basketball. As for now I’m at peace with where I’m at, I’m sure it’ll be much harder when the season comes around and I’m not lacing up with my brothers taking the court one last time, especially with my fellow seniors. 

I’ve learned a lot about myself over the recent 9 or so months, God has called me to be much more than a basketball player. People ask me all the time if my decision to walk away from the game was hard, don’t get me wrong, of course, but I am at peace with it, I trust that He has much more in store for me than just the game. I have learned that life is short and that nothing inside this fragile life will last forever. I have learned to enjoy each day doing what God has called me to do because He might have something else planned for me tomorrow.  

Kristen Mitchell

10 years old, with the wind in my face and no hands steering my bike, I’m going full speed down the paved hill. I am flying. I am invincible. My bicycle, however... is not. The chain locks and sends me over the handlebars. My head smacks the pavement. At this moment, my journey with concussions starts. 

In just this past year, I added three more tally marks to my concussion count. If you’re wondering if I’m a reckless person or maybe just really clumsy, let me explain. Since I was 8 years old, I’ve been playing volleyball. I’ve spent a great portion of my life sprinting, diving, rolling - throwing myself to the ground to keep a ball from hitting the floor (inspiring, isn’t it?). Plus, my head, a doctor explained, is one that is more prone to head injury than other people’s. It seems 13 years of sports + predisposition to concussions = a lot of concussions.

This summer, after yet another concussion, I had “the conversation" with my coach and my career as an athlete ended right before my senior season started. It was getting too dangerous. And yes, logically speaking, I could tell myself… Life is so much more than sports. One more year, I would have graduated and been done playing anyway. So it’s okay, it’s just one less year. But, truthfully, the loyal part of me says… Volleyball has developed grit, discipline, health, joy, leadership, interpersonal skills, and a thousand other things. It’s been an incredible tool for ministry, it's so much fun to get to glorify God with this gift. My teammates are like family. It’s been humbling and an honor to take part in shaping who our team is and what we represent. It hurts to be done, I had one more year to give. 

I share all of that, not because I really like talking about it. Vulnerability kind of sucks. Yeah yeah... I know it’s good and important, I just mean, it’s hard. But I share it because in these bits of change, grief, and feeling broken (literally but maybe slightly metaphorically too), God is at work. I am filled with gratitude for that and happy to share about it. 

The way He’s been at work in my life through this is simple but very profound. He’s been reminding me of who He is. When I walk into the gym and watch my team, the giant banner in my head usually says something like: you’re too broken to be out there. But day by day, through that little nudge of the Holy Spirit, that banner gets replaced by thoughts that are actually true: This is hard but God is gracious.  God is trustworthy.  God is faithful.  God is patient.  God is gentle.  God is steadfast.  God is bigger than me.  Those sentences play on repeat in my mind. 

This doesn’t mean that God has asked me not to be sad or said that this change shouldn’t be hard. He’s just asked me to draw close to Him and stay anchored in who He is. Anytime we have something to grieve, change to embrace, or feel broken then we have a choice to make. Do we let God in on the process; Do we seek God in the midst of it or not? Sometimes I’ve wanted try and ignore instead of processing or I’ve wanted to just clench my fists and get through it. But He’s simply asked me to release my grip, to open my hands in surrender and allow Him to join me in the process.

Come to play, not to watch

Do you ever feel like you should help people just because you think that God would want you to? I know that it is a common misconception among many people. We sometimes think that the key to heaven is about doing good and doing the right things so that you can make it there. It's not about that. We are also selfish. Sorry to say it, but we are. We want to live our lives the way that we want to. We don't do well with interruptions.

I read this next little section in the book Everybody Always this morning and fell in love with it.

"Jesus doesn't need our help with the hungry or the thirsty or sick or strange or naked or people in jails. He wants our hearts. He lets us participate, if we're willing, so we'll learn more about how He feels about us and how He feels about the people we may have been avoiding." - Bob Goff

Really think about that. Jesus doesn't need our help with those things and it's so easy to believe that He does. He wants your hearts. We GET to participate. We don't have to, we GET to. When we give Jesus our hearts, that is loving like Jesus would and that is the goal. To love like Jesus. 

Once Jesus has our hearts, He's got what He needs and what He wants. When He is our hearts, that is when we have the amazing opportunity to do the work of God. 

"When we get to heaven I would have thought Jesus would want to talk about our terrific organizations or what nice people we were or the positions we held. Maybe these things will come up, but I doubt it. Instead, He said He will want to know how we treated the ones who had failed the worst." - Bob Goff

We must come to play, not to watch. We can't be here to watch life go on, and see people who need love and not do anything about it. We have to do something about it and it the first step is giving your heart to God. You can't do good things out of self-glorfiation. It may look good in the eyes of others but the eyes of others don't matter. The eyes of God is what does. We need to play, we need to join the game, participate, give God our hearts and what will come from our lives will be unimaginable. 

Loving people the way Jesus did means living a life filled with constant interruptions. It's not easy and it never will be. It's worth it. 100% worth it. You can't just love someone when you want to, or expect yourself to be put into a situation where you will get to love. You have to be okay with having a life filled with interruptions. That's how Jesus lived his life. 

Remember...give Jesus your heart. 

The Works of God are Displayed in All

Do you ever feel like you aren't special because there might be something wrong with you? Maybe you're short and don't feel like you are special because you are too short. Or maybe you are tall and feel like a freak? (I don't feel like a freak by the way) You might have a lazy eye, or wear glasses that you don't like, you might have bad ache, you might be in a wheel chair. Who knows. Those are just some of the things I thought of.

This world has a tendency to make you feel like you are't special if you are not perfect. No matter what anybody says, it's easy to feel like you don't have it all together based on everyone else around you. We have unlimited wants and needs. We always want more. You might be perfect in the eyes of others, but not yourself, you still want more. More. More. More.

This post isn't about needs and wants. It's about God's work being displayed in you. No matter who you are, or where you come from!

This scripture I read last night really got me thinking about this.

This was the story of how Jesus healed a man born blind.

"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents but that the works of God might be displayed in him."

( John 9:1-3 ) 

The man was not born blind because of a sin he committed or a sin that his parents committed. This man was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. I hope that verse hits you really hard so that you understand that you were created so that the works of God might be displayed through you. 

No matter who you are, what your circumstances are, what you look like, what your hair looks like, how tall you are, how pretty you are, what you wear, etc. YOU WERE CREATED SO THAT THE WORKS OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN YOU. 

You are special and most importantly you are loved. Never doubt yourselves based on your situation. You are enough for God and He created you in his perfect image so that His works might be displayed. You are SO special.

When you begin to understand how important you are, and who much worth you have, you begin to change your perspective. Once your perceptive changes, your personal happiness on a daily basis will change, and lastly, your life will change.

You are loved and you are special. God's works are displayed in every single part of you.  

Simply Publicity?

Have you ever heard anyone say that any type of publicity is good publicity? Publicity in any form is good because that means you are being talked about and your name is out there...whatever it is you're doing. 

Publicity is defined as: the notice or attention give to someone or something by the media

When the apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians he had this to say when writing about the advance of the gospel. 

"Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." 

( Philippians 1:15-18 ) 

The end of those couple of verses really got me thinking. Paul says that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Paul is saying that whenever Christ is talked about is good because Christ is being talked about!

Even if Christ is being proclaimed in the wrong way, He is still being talked about.

I want to clarify that I am not saying that whatever way you proclaim Christ is good. I am saying that when Christ is talked about in the wrong way, Christ is still being talked about. 

Personally, I find that to be encouraging and it makes me appreciate the power of the name Jesus Christ. It's easy to get offended sometimes, trust me, you just have to remember that Christ is being proclaimed. It's simply publicity!

Here is the thing...it goes deeper than just simply publicity. When Christ is wrongly proclaimed, we cannot just sit here and be happy because Christ is being proclaimed and talked about. When Christ is wrongly proclaimed, that is our opportunity to proclaim Christ in the way that Jesus Christ ought to be proclaimed to all the ends of the earth. 

I hope this post made sense to you all today. I hope it didn't sound narrow-minded. My hope is that it gets you looking at the bigger-picture. The bigger-picture is that Christ rules over all and will for all of eternity. Share that! Get that out there.

Get people to notice and bring their attention to Jesus Christ. 

Don't Bottle it Up

A lot of what we do and the way we perceive things is noticed by so many people. When situations are handled well it's easily noticed, when situations are handled not so well it is also easily noticed. I am sure that we can all think of that person in our lives who seems to handle everything so well. We look at them and think to ourselves that we wish we could handle situations like they can.

No matter what your role is, you can be an example to people. Like I talked about above, you can be both a good example and a bad example. Do you ever wonder what it takes to be a good example? Let me narrow that down, what is one thing that you could be the greatest example for?

We can be an example because of the way we receive the word.

"And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia." 

( 1 Thessalonians 6-7 ) 

The people of Thessaolonica received the word in much affliction. Which means that they received the word in a time where there was a lot of sadness and suffering. Sometimes when we are down and in the dumps, the word is presented to us and totally jacks us up! I am sure we have all been there. You are just coasting along hoping for your day to get better and you come across a bible verse and your day totally changes! We receive that word with joy from the Holy Spirit. When that happens we become an example to all believers. When we receive that word and our days changes, we need to rejoice. It's an amazing thing!

When I first started getting into the word on a regular basis two summers ago, I was in a spot where I received it in much affliction and then became joyful! I was at a time in my life where I needed God and I needed the word of God more than anything. The more and more time I spent in it, the more and more I wanted to share what I was reading and what I was learning. Hence, me starting a blog.

My encouragement, is that we can become an example to all people because of the way that we gather the word. All of our stories and what we learn are so special and amazing that we can't just keep it to ourselves. I am not telling you to go around and talk about how amazing you story is, that isn't an attractive thing at all. It's an attractive thing to know you have that story inside of you and that you are willing to tell anyone who asks. You could tell one person what God is doing in your life right now and you are being a good example. When somebody shares with me what God is doing in their life, it pumps me up. It makes me want to really pay attention to what God is doing in my life.

Don't put a lock on your stories and what you are learning, especially from the word of God. Be willing to share with at least one person, and always get excited to share when somebody asks you. It's okay if you don't go around sharing your story. There are people who like to talk about themselves and there are people who absolutely don't like to. It's fine! We are all different and all have our own personalities.

I am certain that God has done amazing things in your life and if He has not, I am sure that He is about to, or will do something very soon. Be patient. Being patient is tough, but worth it.

Inconvenient Conveniences

Do you ever feel like you are in chains and that something is holding you back? You probably do. I know that I do sometimes. Even on the best of days. You might ace a quiz, have a great day at practice, the weather might be perfect outside and you still feel like you are missing something. It's because you are! We both are.

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 

( John 8:31 ) 

Right in that verse, Jesus is telling us that if we abide in his word, that we will know the truth and that the truth will set us free.

For me, even on my very best days where everything seems to go so well, if I don't spend time in the word I don't feel set free. It's amazing how the Holy Spirit has the power to make you feel that way. On the very best of days! Without the word, I don't feel like myself! For example, I had to opportunity to go to the Notre Dame vs. Michigan game on Saturday and it was an absolutely amazing day. Everything about it was great! I didn't spend time in the word and the entire day I felt like I was missing something. It didn't affect the way I went about that day, on the inside I just felt like I was missing something. I believe that not everybody feels that way. I know that before I became discipled with getting into the word, I had no idea what I was missing out on. I thought it was other things, I didn't realize it was that simple. That's the beauty of it all. It's all so simple!

Abide in the word, spend time in the word = you will be set free

simple, simple, simple

My encouragement to you is this, if you feel like you are missing out on something and don't feel fulfilled entirely, get into the word. Spend 5 minutes a day and your life will change. Sure, you might read something that doesn't make sense, and it's not all going to make sense to you. I read things every day that doesn't make any sense to me. The Holy Spirit will give you the power to interpret what you are reading and will use it for you and either your best interests or convictions.

Spend some time in the word. Try reading one chapter a day! When I say that, I am not saying read all of John today, I am saying, "Try reading John 1." There is so much that comes from the word of God.

I believe that spending time in the word is one of the most difficult things for Christians to do. We are all super busy, it's human nature. It's way easier to focus on prayer, our works, or focus on loving others, etc. Reading the bible might come at an inconvenience for most. Which is fine! There are people out there who love to read and people who rather do anything besides read. That makes sense. We are all human, we are all weird, we are all different.

I also encourage you to turn your inconvenience into a convenience. When we do things that are out of our comfort zones, we experience growth. We are simply doing things that we are not used to doing and once we begin doing that, the sky is the limit. Imagine turning each inconvenience in your life into things that are convenient. The opportunity for growth is amazing!

What are the takeaways?

1. Spend some time in the word and you will be set free. Remember, spending 5 minutes in the word one day a week most likely won't change your life. It's going to take some consistency and discipline. It takes time, trust me. Anything that is ever worth it isn't easy. We have a longing for eternity in our hearts and when we spend time in the word, we fulfill some of that longing.

2. Make your inconveniences convenient. The things that are difficult for you to do and the things you don't like making time for might hold the keys to fulfillment and happiness. WE have the opportunity to grow every single day.

Let's do it!

The significance of significance? By: Jack Fisher

How much throughout the day do you try to impress people? Think about… the words you say, the clothes you wear, the way you think. More than likely the answer to that is more than we wish to admit too. But why is that? What good is it that we impress someone, woohoo, what good is that going to do for you… honestly. Or how about this question, How much do you try to impress God throughout the day? If we’re honest, we think about impressing others more than God. But is it possible to impress God? 

Many of us, (including myself) have the misunderstanding that we have to do significant things in order to get noticed by God and others. We have these great ideas that go above and beyond. The problem is that we take things of this world and try to make them great so that God notices the ‘great’ work we are doing. The humbling truth is that God calls us to live ‘other worldly.’ He calls us to ‘not be confirmed to the ways of the world.’ You see, while doing significant things is great and does often get noticed, living ‘other worlds’ is what gets the heads turning. Live in the way that we were orignally designed to be, and you will experience the goodness God freely offers. If you don’t know how to live originally,  ask a trusted friend, and read the Word.

Living other world… what does that mean. It can be described visually as a fish swimming against an upstream current. While all other fish follow the current of the waves, this one particular fish is swimming against them, and that’s tough work! Not only does is have to swim against the weight of the water, but also around the other fish. Living in this way is how our lives will be set apart. Our goal in life is not to make our name great, it’s to make God’s name great, and the way we do that is living the way in which the Bible calls us live.

1. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

( Colossians 3:1-2 )