thefinishline 06/07/10
The Real Deal
By Andrew Knox
I had no greater privilege during my tenure as a Sports Reporter for CBN than having the opportunity to interview John Wooden. I waited for Coach at his favorite diner, and the cameras rolled as we ate breakfast together and I peppered him with questions about his career, insights on leadership and his faith. As anyone will tell you who has spent time with Wooden, he was not just a coach or leader, but considered himself a teacher. He mentioned, when it was time for the game, he would prefer to watch from the cheap seats instead of the bench. Wooden wanted to observe and see if his players had learned anything during the week in practice. He said, “Once the game starts, it’s up to them to take what they learned” from the teacher.
Isn’t our faith journey like that? As we study the Word of God and we spend time with the “Teacher,” He prepares us for the upcoming test or challenge we will be faced with. God is ever present, always in our midst to help encourage, but we have a responsibility to put the Teacher’s instruction to use.
You’ll have to search long and hard for anyone who met Wooden to mention anything negative about him. There are some people you meet in life that you simply do not want to leave their presence. Some folks just seem to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit of God. Coach was one of those people. As humble as they come, he showed that spending time in the presence of the Master produces fruit no man can take away. His records are sure to stand forever, but it’s amazing his accomplishments are always mentioned a distant second to his amazing character and humility.
I had no greater privilege during my tenure as a Sports Reporter for CBN than having the opportunity to interview John Wooden. I waited for Coach at his favorite diner, and the cameras rolled as we ate breakfast together and I peppered him with questions about his career, insights on leadership and his faith. As anyone will tell you who has spent time with Wooden, he was not just a coach or leader, but considered himself a teacher. He mentioned, when it was time for the game, he would prefer to watch from the cheap seats instead of the bench. Wooden wanted to observe and see if his players had learned anything during the week in practice. He said, “Once the game starts, it’s up to them to take what they learned” from the teacher.
Isn’t our faith journey like that? As we study the Word of God and we spend time with the “Teacher,” He prepares us for the upcoming test or challenge we will be faced with. God is ever present, always in our midst to help encourage, but we have a responsibility to put the Teacher’s instruction to use.
You’ll have to search long and hard for anyone who met Wooden to mention anything negative about him. There are some people you meet in life that you simply do not want to leave their presence. Some folks just seem to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit of God. Coach was one of those people. As humble as they come, he showed that spending time in the presence of the Master produces fruit no man can take away. His records are sure to stand forever, but it’s amazing his accomplishments are always mentioned a distant second to his amazing character and humility.