The problem: Good men who are ready to lead are few and far between in this day

in age. Both in athletics and in life. The examples and messages received from media and the world are when you want to, how you want to instead of committing to lead as men of integrity and character. Mission: To equip high school athletes with the tools necessary to lead their teams boldly, to fulfill their potential, collectively and individually, and to become men of commitment, integrity, and character through development in leadership, mental and physical toughness, and spiritual strength. Those who love it just a little more Its not about you Football is a microcosm of life If you cheat in your training, youll cheat on your wife Take the bullets in the chest Im looking for strong backs and willing hearts Its about being better when you walk out Wherever youre at, be all there Youre either getting better or youre getting worse Putting money in the bank Its a great day to die Toughness and Leadership Academy Focus first on the natural leaders-- captains and unity council One morning a week physical and mental toughness workout (early-- 5:00AM?) Combining crossfit-type exercises to promote physical exhaustion and mental toughness Strict attendance to promote commitment One evening a week leadership lab and character development training session (school, home) More relaxed atmosphere promoting relationships and friendships Strict attendance for commitment TLA Gear-- Nike drifit shirts/shorts Crossfit certification? Dog Tags Key emphases: 1. Commitment/loyalty 2. Integrity 3. Service 4. Its about the cause-- its about something bigger than yourself

5. 6. 7.

Accountability-- Stu Weber quote Conflict and problem solving Teamwork

I remember a professor of mine walking into class briskly, placing his things on the table in front of him and sternly looking at our class and forcefully saying, Its not about you, stop acting like it! I had been a Christian at that point since the summer before my sophomore year of high school, a good five years earlier. At the time I was hanging with Christian friends, doing Christian things, attending a Christian school, and generally happy and excited about my plans for my life in the upcoming years. Woah... I said to myself as I tried to regain my consciousness. Where did that come from? He must be having a bad day... But that wasnt it at all. The church-- the world today needs Godly men who are able and willing to lay down their lives in order to reach others, he continued. So stop holding on to your lives and let go! Ok double woah... These words hit me like a quick right hook in a heavyweight fight and left me in a daze. Die to myself? What does that even mean? The world that we live in today leaves one jumbled and confused in a whirlwind of messages that we receive thousands of times each day through the means of billboards, magazines, radio, television, internet, celebrities, friends, family, and pretty much anywhere we place our eyes or direct our ears. Although there are a few exceptions here and there, the frightening majority of them tell us one kind of message: its all about you. Do what you want to do, when you want to do it, with whom you want to do it with. After all, youre all that matters. Its ok, you do whatever you think is right. You never know until you try it. You dont need to worry about anyone else. Morality is only what you decide it is. Theres even a magazine on the bookshelves thats entitled You. Such a bombardment leaves one with the feeling that the world is centered around them, that they deserve something from others, and to be successful means living selfish lives at the expense of those around them. The attitude is one that states, its my life, and nobodys going to tell me how to live it. Sometimes, it takes a sucker punch from a professor in a class to snap us out of the stupor that the world leaves us in. The Christian life is one that calls us to a life totally other than what the world is telling us. Its a life where we are to treat others as better than ourselves and humble ourselves in humility to imitate the humility of Christ. Its a life that calls us to give of ourselves rather than take. Its a life that calls us to a holiness that is first demonstrated in Christ. Its a life that calls us to die.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, For I have been crucified with Christ and it is not longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live for the one who loved me and gave himself for me. What a statement! Were talking about some high stakes here. Were not just talking about losing some money, or possessions, or popularity, or approval. Were talking about full surrender of our lives. Of course, not in a literal physical sense where we stop breathing and our hearts stop beating. Rather, the cost is much higher than that. It is, instead, giving up our entire being for Christ. Our plans. Our comfort. Our desires. All of it we offer up to our God on the throne for him to take so that he can replace it with his plan, his comfort, and his desire. Then, and only then, if we allow ourselves to be crucified with Christ, can we truly live. Pretty radical huh? You bet it is. But if youve been in the church for any significant amount of time you have probably heard this before. I know I had before that beat down happened in that college classroom. But as soon as the world starts driving the nails into our feet and our hands and causing our world to be shaken, we hop down from the cross and run back to the only thing we know, can control and be comfortable with-ourselves. We are dealing with a false truth that somehow makes its way into our minds that following Christ will make everything feel better and its all downhill from there. At the first sign of trouble, we wonder how we could be in such circumstances when God is on our side. We are reminded of Gods comforting and sustaining love, grace, and mercy, but forget why we need comfort and sustenance. Its because of our ugly sinful nature that we are all born with-- rebellious toward God from birth. John Stott says, It is only up against the inky blackness of night... The sin in our lives is real and present but the glory and brightness of Gods grace and love outshines the darkness to shed light on the beautiful forgiveness and eternal life that God has so graciously given his children. This is all that truly matters. But what does our sin mean while we are still alive on this earth? What does it mean that we are crucified with Christ when it was Christs crucifixion, death, and resurrection that has really washed all our sins away as the hymn writer says? Unmistakably, Paul means that this life on earth is sure to mean pain and discomfort. If he didnt mean that, he surely would not have used the language that he does in Galatians 2:20. Crucifixion was the most gruesome, bloody, long, and painful death given to criminals. In between the few recorded statements we have in scripture that Jesus uttered on the cross, the air was probably filled with screams and shouts of pain up to the point that he breathed his last. After all, he was fully God and fully man. The moans, screams and shouts of our savior up on the cross mixed in with the jeers, taunts, and accusations of the world watching must have been undoubtedly deafening. But this is the life we are called to. The safe, comfortable, and familiar life that we are somehow told will accompany following Christ is nowhere on the agenda.

When we make a decision to follow Christ, that means leaving our lives of sin behind. However, the sin that is found in us continues to bring us down and cause us to fall because we are lured away and enticed by our own evil desire (James 1:15). You see, the devil knows what will trap us and pull us away from God so, just like a fish, he baits us with the things that he knows we cant resist. Then, when we take the bait, he lures us in and snatches us up and soon the temptation has become sin-- rebellion toward God. But God, upon our decision to follow him, wants us to begin to root out the sin in our lives and to choose him over the bait-- to pass up the worm on the hook and rather be content in his freely given grace, mercy and love. But a life full of gluttonous actions toward that bait wont go away without a fight, and soon our sinful appetites tell us its not worth it and the stomach pains and cramps become almost unbearable. It is at this point that we begin to let ourselves be crucified with Christ to the world. This process is not safe, after all, it is crucifixion. C.S. Lewis writes in one of his books in the Chronicles of Narnia series about the first time that a group of children see the powerful and fierce lion named Aslan. Aslan is portrayed and developed into the Christ-figure throughout the series, and the majestic characteristics that Lewis gives him evoke a sense of awe just reading about him on the page. One of the most powerful lines, in my opinion in the book, is when one of the children, awestruck, looks at Aslan from a distance and asks frighteningly, Is he safe? Safe?, came the answer, of course hes not safe, but hes good. The life of Jesus was not safe. The lives of those who follow Jesus are not safe. Paul, a man and apostle committed to the proclamation and spread of the good news of Christ You inevitably become who you pretend to be. Screwtape letters-- peaks and troughs, sexual temptations