Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Excellence Playbook: True Champions Talk about the Heart and Soul in Sports

D A N B RITTON

Executive Vice President of International Ministry, Fellowship of Christian Athletes

The NCAA Final Four tournament is an exciting sporting event. Even if you are not a person who likes basketball, it is awesome to watch March Madness as it narrows down sixty-four teams into four core teams. This makes me think about Fellowship of Christian Athletes Four Corenot four core teams, but four core values.

Core values are simply the way you live and conduct yourself. They are your attitudes, beliefs, and convictions. Values should be what you are, not what you want to become. The goal is to embody your values every step of the way.

Are your values just words, or do you actually live them out? Can others identify the values in your life without your telling them? Your values need to be a driving force that shapes the way you do life! Talk is cheap, but values are valuable.

When everything is stripped away, what is left? For FCA, it is integrity, serving, teamwork, and excellence. These Four Core are so powerful to me that I have made them my own personal values. So, I have to ask you, what are your values? What guides you? Let me share with you FCAs Four Core, which are even better than the Final Four!

Integrity

To have integrity means that you are committed to Christlike wholeness, both privately and publicly. Basically, it means to live without gaps. Proverbs 11:3 says that integrity should guide you, but that a double life will destroy you. You need to be transparent, authentic, honest, and trustworthy. You should be the same in all situations and not become someone different when the competition of the game begins. Integrity means to act the same when no one is looking as you do when all eyes are on you. It is not about being perfect, but, as a coach or athlete, you need to be the real deal.

Serving

In John 13:1215, Jesus gives us the perfect example of serving when He washes the disciples feet. He then commands the disciples to go and do unto others what He has done to them. How many of your teammates feet have you washed? Maybe not literally, but spiritually, do you have an attitude of serving just as if you were washing their feet in the locker room? You need to seek out the needs of others and be passionate about pursuing people who are needy. And, the last time I checked, everyone is needy.

Teamwork

Teamwork means to work together with others and express unity in Christ in all of your relationships. In Philippians 2:15, Paul encourages each of us to be one, united together in spirit and purpose. We all need to be on one teamnot just the team we play on, but on Gods Team! We need to equip, encourage, and empower one another. Do you celebrate and hurt together as teammates? You need to be arm-in-arm with others, locking up together to accomplish Gods work. There should be no Lone Rangers.

Excellence

To pursue excellence means to honor and glorify God in everything you do. In Colossians 3:2324, Paul writes, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters (NIV). The whatever part is hard, because it means that everything you do must be done for God, not others. You need to pursue excellence in practice, in games, in schoolwork, and in lifting weights. God deserves your best, not your leftovers.

It is tip-off time for the game of life. How will you be known?

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Philippians 1:27 NIV