Powell - Proven player: the instruction manual to building character in sports and life

PROVEN PLAYER

Praises for

PROVEN PLAYER

Living on your own for the first time at college is one of the most confusing times in a young persons life. Proven Player is a great way to help navigate that time by keeping you in Gods word, helping to remind you that its His approval we should seek.

Casey McGehee , Major League Baseball Player (Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Yankees, Miami, and the Detroit Tigers)

Proven Player is a book for leaders. A leader needs to have all the qualities that are presented in this book. This book is a must read for coaches, anyone who is looking for a leader on a team and anyone in a leadership position. I am convinced that to be a great leader you must possess the proven player characteristics.

Peggie Gillom-Granderson , Former Head Womens Basketball Coach at Texas A&M as well as Assistant Coach for the 2000 Womens Olympic Gold Medal Team

Proven Player allows a player who has faith in Jesus to lead their team through times of adversity.

Cody Core , Wide Receiver for Cincinnati Bengals

NASHVILLE

NEW YORKMELBOURNEVANCOUVER

PROVEN PLAYER

THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL TO BUILDING CHARACTER IN SPORTS AND LIFE

2018 JOHN POWELL

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

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All scripture references were derived from the English Standard Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

ISBN 978-1-68350-435-1 paperback

ISBN 978-1-68350-436-8 eBook

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017901533

Cover Design by:

Rachel Lopez

www.r2cdesign.com

Interior Design by:

Bonnie Bushman

The Whole Caboodle Graphic Design

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Proven Player was an idea which came from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is to Him that I dedicate this study for the purposes of furthering His Kingdom here on the earth.

I first met John Powell when he was the football chaplain at the University of Mississippi. His heart for young men to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ was evident in all our conversations. John has invested his life and energies in equipping young men for life on and off the field. This book is a practical resource for personal use, use by a Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle leader a coach investing in his or her team, athletes from all sports, or a youth pastor seeking to minister to young athletes. Small groups would find these studies a useful tool for discipleship and disciple making

The principles in this book are simple, practical and doable. They are foundational to having a renewed mind and heart. These truths are easily transferable. Once you get them in your spiritual DNA, you can easily impart them to others.

John Powell is helping us live out 2 Timothy 2:2, The things which you have learned and heard and seen in me, these impart to faithful men who will teach others also.

Michael Catt

Sr. Pastor, Sherwood Church, Albany, Georgia

Executive Producer, Sherwood Pictures

I would like to acknowledge the following people for their impact on my life, which in turn, impacted the development of Proven Player .

Ron Powell, my dad, who from an early age spent countless moments with me on football fields and basketball courts as he taught me the concept of hard work and self discipline.

Tim Enochs and Bruce Tollner for their inclusion of Proven Player in their book On the Clock.

Hugh Freeze and Ross Bjork along with the coaches, players, and support staff from the 2014 Ole Miss Football season.

My mentor Mike Sparks for his constant life lessons and friendship. Pamela Hall and Lindsay Dawkins who helped as my editor and graphic designer.

Michael Catt for his friendship and willingness to be a part of Proven Player .

Morgan and James Publishing Company for allowing the production of Proven Player .

Mike Haynes, P.A. Pratt, Larry Shanks, and Vic Wallace who made several deposits in my life as my coaches from junior high through college.

Lastly, my wife Holly along with my children Joanna, Ezra, and Jotham as they walked with me through many long seasons and late nights. Love you!

PROVEN PLAYER was first introduced in the book On the Clock by Bruce Tollner and Tim Enochs. It was mentioned as one of the resources that had great impact on and brought change to the main character, Adam Alfords, life. Each chapter contains an excerpt from On the Clock to show how an athletes life can be transformed as he or she puts the life principles of PROVEN PLAYER into daily practice. On the Clock can be purchased at ontheclockbook.com.

I f most people were honest, we would all acknowledge the inner struggle we have to prove ourselves. We can see this struggle in our ordinary, everyday lifestyles. Whether you are a parent trying to raise your children in a proficient way or a businessperson given a challenging project that others doubt can be done. What about the desire to prove yourself as an athlete to your coaches, teammates, and fans? The list can go on and on. The Proven Player series is designed to help any person overcome the inner struggle to prove oneself. In this devotional, we are going to look at 12 biblical principles derived from the acrostic PROVEN PLAYER .

P = Passion Philippians 3:3-4, 7-9

R = Resilient 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

O = Opportunistic Matthew 19:16-30

V = Value Matthew 13:44-48, Isaiah 49:14-16

E = Eternal Perspective Psalm 143:3-5

N = Network 1 Corinthians 15:33, Ecclesiastes 4:12

P = Persistence Luke 18:1-8

L = Lead Philippians 3:17, Matthew 23:11

A = Alert 1 Peter 5:8-9

Y = Yield Romans 6:13

E = Excellence Colossians 3:20-24

R = Resolve Galatians 6:1-10

Peter Alford had a passion for music and Adam Alford had a passion for football. However, the most important passion they had was their love for each other.

Excerpt from On the Clock

For wewho worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the fleshthough I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh alsoBut whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith Philippians 3:3-4, 7-9