Coach Turner’s Personal Testimony
Until November of 1970, I don’t know what my status was with God. Was I a Christian? I honestly don’t know. I was exposed to Christian teachings from a very early age. I came out of that period of my life with the concept of Christianity as man living a certain life style—merely a list of do’s and don’ts. On into high school and college, my life began to revolve around athletics. I set my goals high, and any discontent in my life was attributed to my failure to obtain the lofty standards I had set for myself. Anyone who wants to be a good athlete lives a structured life. I set a standard that I knew I should follow, but in reality, I often failed. Peer pressure, and an emptiness in my life often caused me to stumble. Later as a coach, I put in limitless hours to develop my teams. My goals and approach to coaching were very idealistic. I stressed winning, but it was winning as a total development of the individual. After nine years of coaching from elementary through college, I accumulated enough information to draw some conclusions.
The main one was that competitive athletics, properly administered and conducted, can make a positive contribution to a person’s total development not possible by any other means. But, this will not provide a foundation for life and living, I saw great athletes and coaches whose lives were empty shells—something was missing.
One evening, I heard the testimonies of three former drug addicts who had been liberated from their old lives into new life by accepting Jesus Christ. This triggered a reaction in my mind. First, Christ had solved a humanly unsolvable problem. Second, true Christianity is a personal relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ. Third, Jesus Christ has to change a person from within. God’s word says it this way, “If any man be in Christ, behold he is a new creature; old things have passed away, and behold new things have come (2nd Corinthians 5:17). Jesus Christ was the missing element in their lives, and He seemed to be missing in my own life too. That same evening, I made a commitment to give Jesus Christ first place in my life.
From that day until now, I have not let up in my efforts or time invested in what I am doing. If anything, I am working harder because of a new found freedom and motivation. My contentment does not depend on my circumstances, but on my relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the knowledge that I’m living and coaching for Him. I no longer live by a man made code of ethics, but respond to the motivation within my heart. I’m able to have a love and concern for others that is not based on any performance or standard that they have to meet. It is because they are unique individuals created in the image of God. My priorities are now in order. The foundation of my life is now a living faith in God through Jesus Christ. There is a quality of love in my family life that was not possible before. I have a commitment to my profession, not as a goal in itself, but as a way of life that makes a verse from the Bible a reality daily--
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord, rather than for Man (Colossians 3:23).
If you would like to find out more about the Christian faith and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ please feel free to read more.
http://www.4laws.com/
The main one was that competitive athletics, properly administered and conducted, can make a positive contribution to a person’s total development not possible by any other means. But, this will not provide a foundation for life and living, I saw great athletes and coaches whose lives were empty shells—something was missing.
One evening, I heard the testimonies of three former drug addicts who had been liberated from their old lives into new life by accepting Jesus Christ. This triggered a reaction in my mind. First, Christ had solved a humanly unsolvable problem. Second, true Christianity is a personal relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ. Third, Jesus Christ has to change a person from within. God’s word says it this way, “If any man be in Christ, behold he is a new creature; old things have passed away, and behold new things have come (2nd Corinthians 5:17). Jesus Christ was the missing element in their lives, and He seemed to be missing in my own life too. That same evening, I made a commitment to give Jesus Christ first place in my life.
From that day until now, I have not let up in my efforts or time invested in what I am doing. If anything, I am working harder because of a new found freedom and motivation. My contentment does not depend on my circumstances, but on my relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the knowledge that I’m living and coaching for Him. I no longer live by a man made code of ethics, but respond to the motivation within my heart. I’m able to have a love and concern for others that is not based on any performance or standard that they have to meet. It is because they are unique individuals created in the image of God. My priorities are now in order. The foundation of my life is now a living faith in God through Jesus Christ. There is a quality of love in my family life that was not possible before. I have a commitment to my profession, not as a goal in itself, but as a way of life that makes a verse from the Bible a reality daily--
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord, rather than for Man (Colossians 3:23).
If you would like to find out more about the Christian faith and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ please feel free to read more.
http://www.4laws.com/
