Scripture
“A joyful heart is good medicine…”
PROVERBS 17:22a
Quotes/Color
“Each and every year, we want our plays to grow academically and athletically, but also spiritually and in character.”
Scott Drew
“One thing a lot of people have said when they watch our team play, is that you can tell there’s genuine love for one another… You can’t fake that. The love and joy they have for each other is definitely a key to our success.”
Scott Drew
“My name is now Christian, but my name used to be Graceless.”
John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress
“Put first things first and you’ll get seconds thrown in. Put second things first and you’ll lose the whole thing.”
C.S. Lewis
Context
When I was first growing up as a little guy, Baylor sports were absolutely brutal. We won a couple of games a year in football, if that. And the men’s basketball was atrocious. I remember vividly watching ESPN with my cousins as a youngster and some Baylor Basketball highlights flashed on the screen. “Oh my gosh, it is Baylor!!!” We lost our minds. Couldn’t believe they were showing us on TV. We were so bad, there was never any reason to show us!
Well.
It turns out. This particular time we were so bad… There was a reason to show us. We were on ESPN because we had had one of the worst starts to a game in the history of college basketball. Our opponent had put up 20 some odd points to start the game before we got our first bucket.
We were so bad. That is what we got excited about.
To make matters worse, there was a terrible scandal within the men’s basketball program in 2003. One of our players, Patrick Dennehy, was actually murdered by his teammate. The team was busted for drug use. And they got in trouble for improper payments to players and recruiting violations. It was an absolute nightmare. The team was awful, and as bad as they performed, the state of the program was even more ugly by a long shot.
Following these events, Baylor was given penalties by the NCAA one step short of the “death penalty.”
We were allowed to retain our basketball program. But would be severely hamstrung in recruiting, would only play Big XII opponents for the foreseeable future, and we were banned from making March Madness. Not that we could have made the tournament in our wildest dreams in the first place…
Things were bleak.
I even remember attending the homecoming parade the year after this scandal surfaced. Morale was low and Baylor was just trying to power through and get back on the right track. At the parade, a group of people were handing out stickers. I got one, and it said this…
“Bear with us.”
Ouch.
Some More Context
That’s when Scott Drew took over the program. At its absolute valley.
Scott is an incredible Christian man. He attended the church I grew up at. I remember seeing him around and being so excited to see big Baylor basketball players at my church on Sunday mornings. Scott brought them there.
He was determined to not only restore Baylor to being a respectable basketball program, but also instill an entirely new character into the entire program.
His motto over the years become this: Play with a “Culture of J.O.Y.”
J stands for Jesus – He always comes first
O stands for Others – Put others before yourself
Y stands for Yourself – Put your own priorities and your own ego last
He took the program’s culture from embarrassment to joy over 20 years… And it just so happened to work.
In one of the most beautiful stories in sports history (biased), Scott Drew took nearly the death-sentenced, condemned Baylor Bears to a National Championship victory 20 years later. From national disgrace to national champion.
Along the way he shaped character, led young men to Christ and healed the program with J.O.Y.
“A joyful heart is good medicine.”
Application
Joy cures. Putting Jesus first and yourself last is a healing balm to a hurting world.
Like Baylor’s program before Drew came along, the world is in desperate need of joy and J.O.Y. (putting God first and yourself last).
I love the redemption of the story of Baylor’s Basketball program because it shows you what happens if you reintroduce God to the picture and put Him where He should be (first).
Jesus First, Others Next, Yourself Last
You’ll be tempted to only pursue results in life. Whether that be wins (in the case of basketball) or money, status, or whatever it may be for you instead of wins. But God made the world and He ultimately knows how it should work… If you put those things first in your life, you’ll find they never come. Or if they do, they’re hollow. Said well by C.S. Lewis,
Put first things first and you’ll get seconds thrown in. Put second things first and you’ll lose the whole thing.
Start with Jesus. Be faithful to putting him first in your life.
Then don’t forget to put others above yourself. Others are made in God’s image. And the Son of Man came to serve, not be served. Put others’ interests above your own.
Then… put yourself.
If you follow this order, you’ll bring healing joy to a world that needs it.
Something to Chew On:
- Think about your own priorities… Do you put Jesus first, Others next then Yourself in your life? J.O.Y.? Or are things in a different order for you?
- What would it look like to put Jesus first in your life and allow “second things” to fall behind in priority?
- What “second things” do you value above Jesus?
GreatValue Proverb:
Bring a “Culture of J.O.Y.” to life