I love it when respected people in the spotlight give a shout-out to the Lord. As the 2017 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament progressed, I noted that a few players thanked God or “the Lord Jesus Christ.” When South Carolina made it into the Final Four, Coach Frank Martin praised/thanked his family and the team, saying, “God has put incredible people in my life.” When Gonzaga got into the finals, starting guard Nigel Williams-Goss said, “All glory to God.”
Somewhere along the way, there was a mini documentary about a Christian college that uses a basketball program to help guys who are in difficult homes/circumstances. At the end of the report, one broadcaster said it was one of the best basketball stories he’d ever seen. Well-known writer/broadcaster Seth Davis added, “Doing the Lord’s work.” And Buzz Williams (Virginia Tech head coach, who was a guest on the panel this day) said, “My tithe this month—it’s going there!”
On another day, sportscaster Clark Kellogg was previewing an upcoming game. He said (my paraphrase), “There’s a verse in the Bible that says a man’s hunger makes him work hard. [It’s Proverbs 16:26.] This team has a hunger to win, and I think they’re gonna be ready to play hard in this game.”
All to say, some people do manage to bring the Lord into their conversations—in very natural ways—and it doesn’t hurt their image one bit. Hmm . . .
