the locker room . . . the upper room
"as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another"
proverbs 27:17
proverbs 27:17
this past week many of us experienced the true meaning of sports ministry. a group of 13 men from the united states (and 2 from the dominican) gathered together in santiago in honor of a Godly man and friend, Tommy Barnes, who passed away a year ago. although i only had the privilege of spending a week with Tommy, he seemed to be the type of person that challenged others to their core. based upon the stories his friends shared, he earned people's respect by the way he lived his life which allowed him to speak into your soul. several years ago, many of his friends were invited (..or told they were going to go) to the dominican republic to share their passion for Jesus and baseball. so, because of their love for Tommy, they went. on this trip, relationships were formed, love was shared, the Gospel was expanded and seeds were planted. today, 6 years later, the fruit is abundant while more seeds are being planted for the future.
the group representing Tommy came with great anticipation that the kids' baseball camp would go smoothly, they would win the adult softball tournament and the weather would be typical of the caribbean. so when their flight got re-routed to santo domingo (2 hours away from santiago) and they arrived at midnight without any of their bags you would think there would've been a sense of defeat in the air, but these guys were on a mission. the next day it rained all day long so the baseball clinic for 10-12 year old kids turned into a wet whiffle ball camp in the outfield of a local baseball stadium. the softball tournament got postponed due to rain and when the day finally came to play, they lost multiple games by 1 run and finished the week 0-6. disappointing right? not even close!
those of us that have played sports our whole lives could say that the locker room is a sacred place. what happens there stays there. this is where the coach really coaches, where teammates really bond and where emotions range from crying to jubilation to an occasional fight or two. when the glory days are over and we can't play sports anymore the days of the locker room are missed because those are the times when proverbs 27:17 takes place. the locker room was back in the lives of Tommy's crew this past week.
at the end of each day, rain or sunshine, win or lose, these 13 men went to the dorm and opened their hearts and challenged each other on what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. suddenly the locker room looked much like the upper room. i can only imagine what the disciples talked about while Jesus was sharing the last supper with them and giving them instructions on what they were to do after He was crucified. i can picture tears, heart ache, concern, fear, arguing. . . but i can also picture, after Jesus spoke, that the disciples felt empowered, challenged, encouraged, secure (as Jesus said, "you are those that have stood by me in trials. and i confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on the thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"). the same seemed to be true each morning as these men walked out of their dorm room ready to serve the people of the dominican another day. all of the sudden, only one thing mattered, the same thing that Tommy probably had in mind when inviting them all to the dominican several years back, the same words Jesus used while in the upper room, "I am among you as one who serves" (Luke 22:27).
as many of you know, there are 10 men (dominican and haitian) that work for our g.o. sports outreach team. we have been meeting every thursday for a few years now and we are studying the book Disciple by juan carlos ortiz. this book talks about what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. we too, the g.o. sports outreach team, live and act like we are in a locker room most of the time. we're always trying to understand what it means to follow Jesus and love one another and then extend that love and grace to those around us. this week, we saw what it looks like for a group of men to do just that. thank you Team TCB IV for showing us a living example of life in the upper room. we will continue to strive to sharpen each other as this journey of true discipleship continues. and, most of all, thank you Tommy for all of the seeds you planted throughout your entire life. your commitment to Christ lives in the lives of the baseball kids in the dominican as well as the lives of the men you discipled. we are honored and privileged to be on the receiving end of your hard work and faithfulness. as disciples, we will continue planting seeds.
banner in honor of Tommy Barnes
kids at baseball camp 
Team TCBIV
please pray for the sports staff as they continue planting seeds
check out the show from the trip
