August 2015 - Casualties

This newsletter has primarily been used over the years to highlight victories. We have seen sport used as an effective platform in advancing the gospel in restricted contexts (where sports professionals are welcomed but missionaries are forbidden). Sport has served as a universal key that has overwhelmingly succeeded in unlocking the doors of different cultures, languages, and systems. We have continually shared stories of fruit being produced among some of the most difficult soil this world can offer.

But the reality is that the countries where we primarily work are unreached for a reason. It’s difficult. Travel logistics, government permits, corrupt politicians, and broken infrastructures, not to mention the principalities and powers not eager to give up their dominion over these regions, make progress painfully slow.

Recently, an Uttermost affiliate working in an Islamic country communicatied he was about to be blacklisted by the government for refusing to bribe high-ranking officials. Years of work, dozens of relationships, and layers of networks, potentially lost. One signature on an official document could change the trajectory of a family’s life and potentially, a country’s destiny.

There are real casualties in this war and it is appropriate and even necessary to pause and grieve when failures and set backs occur. Eternity is at sake, and what could be more important than this?
The Scriptures don’t go out of their way to explain pain and suffering. They offer little insight into the origins of heartbreak and devastation. The Bible simply claims that suffering is not random, and it’s not unchecked. The pain believers face has real value and will ultimately be used for the advancement of God’s glory and His people’s joy.

In the garden, our Savior, the founder and lead missionary of our faith, was overwhelmed and  physically devastated, sweating blood to the point of death. A corrupt government, armed with false charges and under the cover of darkness, ended His ministry. But what was thought to be the darkest hour of Christianity was actually the platform for our salvation.

Jesus always brings life out of death. May it be so again.

“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him...” Job 13:15
 
Bubby Bryan, DOC
Uttermost Sports

July 2015 - All Star Performance (or lack thereof)

I played football in college. Well, played is a generous word, I practiced - shall we say - football in college. Never the less, I was on the team and my life completely revolved around it. I studied game film, lifted weights, choked down protein shakes at 5am, all of it. And I did it 100 miles per hour.

Even though I was a minor part of the program, the program was a major part of me. My identity was completely tied to it. So when my career unceremoniously ended after a knee injury, my whole world came crashing down.

That was ten years ago. My 31-year-old heart still carries the baggage that my 21-year-old knees couldn’t.

So this week, as I was sitting on my couch, feeding my 3-month-old son a bottle and watching the ESPYs – a familiar voice crept back into my head.

“You’ve never accomplished anything.”

I watched Odell Beckam Jr. win the award for Best Play. I watched Steph Curry win for Best Male Athlete. Instead of enjoying highlights and montages of the world’s most gifted athletes, I was consumed with a voice that kept telling me I peaked in college – and that peak was actually pretty small. In a matter of seconds, my athletic regrets ballooned to consume the size of my salary, the square footage of my house and the condition of my car.

Life is about performance. Earning. Advancing. Improving. This is how the world works; everything is a line on the resume. Sports are no different. They’re just sexier. Wins. Championships. Records. Trophies. The entire reason ESPN exists is to document and commentate on these things.

Non-scholarship walk-ons, stay-at-home moms, CEOs, algebra teachers, communication directors, we’re all in the same boat. We preform in order to be accepted. The only difference is how we keep score.

This is why the gospel is the most counter intuitive philosophy the world has ever known. Everything else says, “Not enough, keep trying.” The gospel says, “It is finished.” Everything else says, “Get better or else.” The gospel says, “Come to me and I’ll give you rest.”

On my worst days – when I’m convinced that if my knee held up I would have won the Heisman – I am comforted that God actually prefers the underachievers. He is drawn to the prodigal, the outsider, the child, the poor – those who have nothing to barter with.

Jesus takes the unqualified, the junior varsity, the amateur and says, “these are my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus gives the verdict before the performance, and that makes me want to go 100 miles per hour again.


Bubby Bryan
Director of Communications
 
 
 
 
 

June 2015 - The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game

Soccer is a beautiful game. It’s a simple game with a minimalist structure that elevates athletic creativity like few other sports. This simplicity, this purity, is what makes soccer globally adored. From the multi million-dollar stadiums of the first world to the dirt floors of the third, soccer is a beloved part of life.

But the beautiful game has an ugly side. FIFA - soccer's international governing body has been accused (again) of accepting bribes and payoffs. Soccer’s greatest asset - its universal appeal - capable of capturing the hearts of both posh London suburbs and broken Nairobi slums has been monetized, packaged and sold to corporate sponsors, state governments and political lobbyists under the table. Corruption charges have persisted for years and it was only after the FBI had the jurisdictional opportunity that any legitimate charges were filed.

Meanwhile, FIFA is still flush with cash and is operating business as usual, not that it cares to spend any of it on its female competitors. Field conditions at the Women’s World Cup has been an issue for months, something the men simply wouldn’t stand for. The response from FIFA has essentially been “be grateful for what you’ve been given.” FIFA is the textbook definition of corruption. Prostituting its best assets, refusing obvious improvements and corrections, then denying and redirecting blame.

Corruption is the word that Genesis uses to describe our world after sin entered. FIFA is a microcosm of that. What once was pure and good has been tainted and broken. Corruption continues because wicked people benefit and we’re all wicked. Everyone sells out, everyone turns a blind eye, its what we are now, part of the corruption. Reforms, elections, investigations, and transparency wont change anything because those efforts remain internal and therefore will never be free of the original corruption.

But there is hope. There is hope for those who understand that our salvation is not a series of internal reforms. Our salvation is an external, incorruptible person who exists outside of our broken world and yet loved it so much that he entered into it and got his hands dirty.  He became corruption so that we could become pure again. In a world of never ending headlines about scandal, evil, tragedy and pain, this is really, really good news.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
 
Bubby Bryan
Director of Communications

May 2015 - Through Him Who Strengthens Me

 The doctrine of union with Christ is not as popular as it should be, despite the fact that it is the New Testament’s primary summary of salvation. All the benefits and blessings of salvation - forgiveness, justification, sanctification, joy, peace, patience - all result from our attachment to and association with Jesus. The Apostle Paul is constantly referring to our union with Christ. Seemingly every sentence he writes ends with “in Christ,” “with Christ” or “through Christ.” Our life has been hidden with Christ (Col. 3:3) and now the Father no longer sees our sin, only Christ’s righteous obedience, substituted on our behalf. Therefore it is not only possible but rational that we should live out of our new, true identity and not our old, dead selves.

Perhaps one of the more famous verses that expresses the results of this doctrine is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” These famous words assume that nothing can be accomplished in our own power; it is only through our unique connection to Jesus that infinite possibilities are opened up to us.

It's understandable then, that Philippians 4:13 has always been a favorite among athletes and coaches. Union with Christ and its resulting strength could come in handy - particularly during Over Time or Game 7. And while maintaining a church-planting ministry despite persecution & hunger (Paul) and outshooting Memphis in the second round of the playoffs (Steph Curry) are not necessarily synonymous, they are very much intertwined in the mission strategy of Uttermost Sports. Either way, the fact remains that our union with Christ is our only source of hope... and it’s the only one we need.

Jesus was condemned, abandoned, and forgotten so that we could be freed, adopted, and empowered. Everything we need can be found in, with, and through Christ who gives us strength.
 

Bubby Bryan
Director of Communications
 
 
 
 
 

April 2015 - Workers are Few

 

There is a good chance that before the next edition of this newsletter is published my son will be born! My wife is 36 weeks along, which means that most of my evenings and weekends have been spent accumulating baby stuff – an unceasing, boundless, infinite amount of baby stuff. Clothes, bottles, diapers, car seats, cribs... the list of things this kid needs is endless. He already has a small library of books and a stash of toys!

For what?

My little dude can’t see, much less read, and he certainly can’t play with anything yet. So what’s the deal with all these toys? Well, apparently, this is how humans learn. Now, he won't be building Lego towers or shooting Nerf hoops for a while, but he will learn to grasp, cling, squeeze and chew on stuff. Infants are constantly learning the basics of dexterity and movement. Essentially, they learn through play, however clumsy and messy it may be. And in our sport development work we have seen communities built the same way - through play. How do opposing parties, tribes, and races learn to live together? They play, however clumsy and messy it may be.

Nelson Mandela once famously said, "Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire.  It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.  It speaks to youth in a language they understand.  Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.  It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers."

We are seemingly wired from birth to operate this way. So it makes sense that sport has historically (and literally) been the level playing field where on a small scale, people see how leadership, teamwork, sacrifice and effort can work in the real world. Sport development capitalizes on the relational nature of sport as well as each country's national zeal for athletic achievement in order to provide the optimal avenue for missional access to unreached peoples. Playing sports (everything from Olympic level basketball to recreational Frisbee) unites people and does so uniquely because it simultaneously carries a high market value and is still considered low risk. And in a restricted context, you cannot ask for a better platform than an industry that is both high visibility and low scrutiny.

Sport has, time and time again, proven to be effective in building relationships and fostering peace - the two essential prerequisites of gospel conversations. Many of the countries where we serve have infant churches, infant governments, and infant structures. The list of things these countries need is endless, but just like my little boy... they need to play.
 
 
Bubby Bryan
Director of Communications

March 2015 - Play

There is a good chance that before the next edition of this newsletter is published my son will be born! My wife is 36 weeks along, which means that most of my evenings and weekends have been spent accumulating baby stuff – an unceasing, boundless, infinite amount of baby stuff. Clothes, bottles, diapers, car seats, cribs... the list of things this kid needs is endless. He already has a small library of books and a stash of toys!

For what?

My little dude can’t see, much less read, and he certainly can’t play with anything yet. So what’s the deal with all these toys? Well, apparently, this is how humans learn. Now, he won't be building Lego towers or shooting Nerf hoops for a while, but he will learn to grasp, cling, squeeze and chew on stuff. Infants are constantly learning the basics of dexterity and movement. Essentially, they learn through play, however clumsy and messy it may be. And in our sport development work we have seen communities built the same way - through play. How do opposing parties, tribes, and races learn to live together? They play, however clumsy and messy it may be.

Nelson Mandela once famously said, "Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire.  It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.  It speaks to youth in a language they understand.  Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.  It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers."

We are seemingly wired from birth to operate this way. So it makes sense that sport has historically (and literally) been the level playing field where on a small scale, people see how leadership, teamwork, sacrifice and effort can work in the real world. Sport development capitalizes on the relational nature of sport as well as each country's national zeal for athletic achievement in order to provide the optimal avenue for missional access to unreached peoples. Playing sports (everything from Olympic level basketball to recreational Frisbee) unites people and does so uniquely because it simultaneously carries a high market value and is still considered low risk. And in a restricted context, you cannot ask for a better platform than an industry that is both high visibility and low scrutiny.

Sport has, time and time again, proven to be effective in building relationships and fostering peace - the two essential prerequisites of gospel conversations. Many of the countries where we serve have infant churches, infant governments, and infant structures. The list of things these countries need is endless, but just like my little boy... they need to play.
 
 
Bubby Bryan
Director of Communications
 
 
 
 
 

February 2015 - Church and College

Church and College

It’s been about a month since the end of the college football season and my annual depression is officially in full swing. Incidentally, it’s been about a decade since the end of my own college career. Those were the days – play all day, party all night, squeeze in some class in the middle. Good times. My mind often wanders back to those days. I think this is why I enjoy college football so much – it is nostalgia as much as sport. I don’t think I’m alone here. College sports are a multi billion-dollar industry. How else do you explain the money, time, and energy people pour into consuming a product produced by amateurs... at schools they never even attended?

Where does this passion and interest come from? I think the answer is profoundly spiritual. I think the ‘itch’ that college ball scratches is directly connected to how God designed the Church to operate. I’m convinced the romance and nostalgia of the college experience taps into something holy, something for which we were designed.

Here’s what I mean: think back to what was great about college. It was a time when friends were family – roommates, fraternities, sororities, and intramural teams, all of it was designed to revolve around relationships. Dorms had unspoken open door policies, apartments had communal fridges, life was lived together, and isolation simply was not a viable option.

For many of us, college was a time of great freedom along with comforting oversight. Seniors showed freshmen the ropes. Professors, advisers, and coaches all provided direction and guidance. The campus was a safe place to learn and ask questions. We were expected to take the basics taught to us and study and reflect on them, exploring new angles and insights.

Life was also lived with a goal in mind. We were all being trained to be sent out. Even those of us who changed majors nine times were being tutored to use our gifts to make the world beyond campus better. At the end of the day, a university’s reputation is based on the accomplishments of the alumni outside of the classroom and we all somehow knew that something was expected of us. Our collective identity was not as current students as much as it was as future doctors, teachers and engineers. Most universities (underneath several layers of Latin and pretentiousness) claim this type of mantra as their operating principle. Harvard’s research, service and leadership development all emanate from their search for “veritas” (truth) and the University of Texas believes that “what starts here changes the world” (not including getting blown out by Arkansas in bowl games apparently).

Are these not the same elements that marked the early church? They took care of each other, pooling their resources to make sure everyone had what they needed. Their Christian walk was defined by the their devotion to the mission of their Savior – not just information about Him.  And like any good university, their success was measured by the number of people that were sent out, rather than the number that would sit through it. 

College was a place where we could be intimately known, encouraged in our gifts and sent out to play our part in a mission that was bigger than any of our individual pursuits. And for many, college was as close to the family of God as they have ever gotten and they ache for it every Saturday afternoon.

Perhaps its time for the Church to go back to school.
 
Bubby Bryan                                                                                 

Uttermost Sports
 
 
 
 
 

January 2015 - 1.5-0

1.5 - 0

Our office received an email last week about a Turkish football team that is currently sitting at 1.5 – 0. That’s right. One and a half wins and zero losses. Due to poor lighting, the team was only able to squeeze in a half of their second game before darkness forced the teams off the (soccer) field. The team will try to complete the second half at a later, better-lit date.

A 1.5 in the ‘win column’ is probably the single greatest metaphor for American football in Turkey. On one hand, American football or “contact football” (believe it or not, Uncle Sam is not always the most popular guy in every part of the world) is a growing, niche sport in Turkey. College and club teams are popping up all over the country and becoming more and more organized each season. The fact that records are kept at all speaks to the development of this sport. On the other hand, games that are being played on a poorly lit field that was designed for something else entirely speaks to how far is still left to go.

This is the reality of sport development. The strides we’ve made serve to underscore the steps that lie ahead of us. For every success, there are setbacks. For every win, there are losses.
Sometimes the wins come like a flood – seemingly overnight we see change and momentum. Other times there are seasons when nothing works, games are cut short, equipment isn’t right, cultural barriers are too great. We’re scratching in the dirt, hoping for a harvest.

Thankfully, the Psalms paint a picture of the Lord’s faithfulness during seasons of obvious blessing as well as desperate need. “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!”

Undefeated, defeated or 1.5 and 0. He is faithful.

 
Bubby Bryan                                                                                  

Uttermost Sports
 
 
 
 
 

December 2014 - Already but Not Yet

Already but Not Yet

Throughout the ages, theologians have disagreed about most things. Various biblical interpretations and ecclesiological emphases have lead to countless denominations and traditions. Remarkably, one of the few areas that Christian thinkers virtually all agree on is that our present world is an interim place. Everyone affirms that we live in this unique space of “already but not yet.” And while we can’t come to a consensus on what this space should look like, we all concur that we are somewhere between its inauguration and its fulfillment.

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus ushered in a new kingdom, one that had been conceived and cultivated generations before Him though the patriarchs and the prophets. But what these fathers and preachers could only point to, Jesus accomplished. His cry of “it is finished” was not the completion of a kingdom but the launching of it. Jesus’ work – his incarnation, execution and resurrection – would be rallying point of humanity. It would be the central, historical act that would not only be remembered in the future, but shape the future.

In Isaiah 11, the prophet writes about a kingdom where peace, justice and righteousness are normative. He writes about a kingdom that is so massive, so pervasive, it would engulf the whole earth the way the waters cover the sea, and it would be led by a little child.

In the West, we get a tiny glimpse of this coming reality at Christmas. Directly or indirectly, intentionally or not, an entire culture - the national consciousness - is inundated with songs of a kingdom that began in a manger. No sporting event, no TV show, no presidential speech captures the attention of a people like the centerpiece of this ancient holiday.

To be sure, this attention is perverted and skewed. Commercialization and materialism obscures our view and this attention is seasonal at best. But that’s why it is only a partial, regional, temporary peek into what will one day be a total, permanent, global kingdom, where “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb.” It will be as prevalent and obvious as water in the sea.

This is not theoretical. This is not hyperbole. This will happen. From Benghazi, Libya to Ferguson, Missouri and every hamlet and metropolis in between. The weight of God’s glory and the joy of His gospel will fully saturate and satisfy us all and everyday will be like Christmas because God. Is. With. Us.

“He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:3-4
 
Bubby Bryan             

Uttermost Sports
 
 
 
 
 

November 2014 - Who is Jack Trice?

Who is Jack Trice?

Iowa State plays their home football games at Jack Trice Stadium, a name whose origin meant nothing to me (I assumed, like countless other college stadiums, it was in honor of some athletic department mega-donor). Until last weekend, my only experience with the state of Iowa was through Kevin Costner’s portrayal of Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams – which, turns out, is pretty accurate corn-wise. I also vaguely seem to remember that Star Trek’s Captain Jim Kirk was from Iowa, but he’s also fictional, leaving my legitimate Iowa knowledge still at zero. Regardless, some friends and I jumped in my car last Friday and road tripped the 10 hours to Ames to see OU play Iowa State. The Sooners won big, and we had a blast but what stood out was a story that I had never heard before about this stadium’s namesake.

In 1923, Jack Trice became the first African American athlete to represent Iowa State College (now Iowa State University). Now, I fancy myself an amateur college football historian and was a little embarrassed that I had not heard of this man before. Clearly he must have been an All-American or Heisman trophy winner, holding multiple school records to warrant having a stadium named after him, so it bothered me that such a noteworthy piece of college football trivia had eluded me. But given my complete ignorance of all things Iowa, I decided to do some research.

The reason I (and probably you) have never heard of Jack Trice is because he only played in one game. On October 6, 1923 the Iowa State football team traveled to Minneapolis to play the University of Minnesota. Trice, a tackle, sustained severe injuries but continued to play, insisting his health was manageable. Trice’s injuries were not due to inadequate 1920’s football equipment or the basic wear and tear of a violent sport. Trice’s injuries were because of repeated targeting by Minnesota players intent on harming a black player. Jack Trice died two days later.

Ninety years later, the school still carries the weight of this injustice. Despite being brutally attacked during the game, Trice refused to quit and leave the field. His unjust death far outweighs his actual resume in Ames. That says something about the human heart. Titles, trophies, rewards – these things fade, but death stays with you. It changes you. Death means something.

Perhaps this is what is so compelling about Jesus. He had no title, no platform. He was born into poverty and was raised in a carpenter’s shop. And when he died, he only had 120 people united around his message. But two thousand years later, it is his sacrificial death that has grabbed the hearts and minds of billions of people.

Great teachers come and go, great leaders and thinkers change countries and governments; but there was only one man who was the embodiment of these brilliant, counter-cultural, ground breaking ideas who also laid down his life for his enemies.

May we live and work as people who embrace Jesus’ sacrifice for us so that we may sacrifice on behalf of others.
 
Bubby Bryan
Uttermost Sports
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

October 2014 - #dohardstuff

#dohardstuff

One of the most amazing ideas in Scripture is that God became a human. This is a paradigm-shattering thought. Divine, holy power chose to explain Himself through fragile skin, calloused hands, and ultimately, spilt blood. More amazing still, is that this god-man not only became human but became a human servant. He was not a general or a king or a celebrity. He was a baby, born into poverty, groomed by years of obscure construction work and buried in a borrowed tomb. The God of All Things came to serve, not to be served. This is not a coincidental byproduct or a peripheral attribute; this humble servant is the visible representation of the invisible God, the exact imprint of His true nature. This is not simply descriptive of our Savior; it is prescriptive of our calling to follow Him.

The Church is designed, in the image of our Lord, to be a family of missionary servants, which is, by definition, someone who does what is hard or unpleasant on behalf of someone else. Therefore, the Church bears the burden of dying to our ambitions and embracing the agenda of Jesus, who did nothing on His own, but only did what He saw His Father doing.

Therefore, it is the job description of the Church to do the hard things that the world is unwilling or uninterested in doing. Loving children that are not our own, loving widows that are not related to us. Taking care of the poor, feeding the hungry, and washing the feet of those who walk on top of us. We are called to believe paradoxical truths that will always place us in the minority and force us to swim against the cultural current.  Our holy texts are filled with hope and encouragement – not in case we suffer, but for when we suffer. The Father not only sent the Son as a sacrificial example, but He also sent the Helper because we are expected to do hard things.

Because of this, there is no village that is too remote, no context too dangerous, no government too oppressive, no task too menial. The Church is pioneering by nature. We are a sent people. We do not give up because there is no bridge; we build bridges. We adapt, we grow, we contextualize. We are the special forces of the world. We are the first in and the last out. We live differently than the world so that we may serve the world.

We do not accept that there are “closed” countries, as if borders and legislation contain the power to restrict the Spirit. The gospel is for all peoples and we are their servants, slowly, faithfully building relationships, establishing trust, and getting our hands dirty where others won’t. We are advocates, shepherds, and protectors because God, who is the only one who can sit in a high place and condemn us, being rich in mercy, has come low to advocate, shepherd and protect us. We can do no less. We do hard stuff.

Bubby Bryan
Uttermost Sports
 
 
 

September 2014 - All Things Possible

All Things Possible
 
           All things are possible when we put our minds to it. Isn’t that what we are all taught from the time we are small children, especially if we play sports? When playing sports, this is usually the bottom line that most athletes believe in. If their minds are set to the right outlook, the right attitude, and the right motivation then they can achieve any goal and overcome any obstacle.
            We hear it over and over again in press conferences, and we read it over and over again in articles: how an athlete achieved an amazing feat because they set their minds to it. Their accomplishments become inspiration for athletes everywhere, telling even the youngest athlete that they can achieve anything. It is all possible if you work hard enough and believe in yourself.
            This is the exact mindset of Ibrahim Hamadto, an Egyptian table tennis player. There should not be anything unusual about my mentioning this athlete’s confidence in his own athletic ability, but there is something distinctive about him. Hamadto is a para-table tennis player who still competes nationally even though he does not have arms. A train accident when he was 10 caused him to lose both of his arms, and he began to train relentlessly and tirelessly for three years trying to find a perfect way to play the game he always loved.
            His determination paid off when he made it to the World Team Table Tennis Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan, where he competed against numerous other professional athletes from all over the world. When Hamadto is asked over and over how he overcame the enormous odds against him, this is what he says:
 
"I believe that nothing is impossible, as long as you work hard."
 
            Hamadto’s determination is representative of the adaptive sports community as a whole. Men and women surpassing expectations despite physical limitations are not exemplary but normative. In many cases, these athletes not only overcome their own physical limitations but do so in environments where adaptive sports and Paralympic organizations are not readily available or valued.
             Sports has proven over and over again to be a tool that the Father continues to use to break down barriers between rich and poor, male and female, black and white and even able-bodied and disabled.
             He came to create one family, one tribe, one people. A people with nothing in common other than the familiar refrain that “once we were broken and now we’re healed, once we we’re lost but now we’re found.”
 
“His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross...” Ephesians 2:15-16
 
G.A. Uttermost Summer Intern
Bubby Bryan Director of Mobilization
 
 
        

August 2014 - Walls that Come Tumbling Down

Walls that Come Tumbling Down
 
            As a lover of sports, I often wonder what drives an athlete to be successful at their chosen sport. What gives a football player the stamina and endurance to play for four 15-minute quarters without stopping? What gives a soccer player the strength and energy to run an average of six miles during just one game?
            What can honestly give a human being strength, determination, attitude, and perseverance to keep pushing even when their bodies, thoughts, or circumstances tell them they cannot go on any longer?
            Nadia Nadim, a soccer player who was born in Afghanistan then moved to Denmark, plays for Fortuna Hjorring at the professional level and she is also a member of Denmark’s national team. Nadim spent the first 12 years of her life in Afghanistan, where she secretly learned to play soccer inside a walled-off garden. Her father would teach her how to handle the ball even though it was not acceptable for girls to participate in sports.
            The walls would soon become a common trend in Nadim’s life, always serving as a barrier of some kind. But she learned from a young age that a wall can only define her life in a negative way if she lets it. After she fled Afghanistan and arrived in Denmark, she and her sisters would play pick-up games of soccer where the only concern was being able to enjoy themselves. Soccer became their outlet. On the field, no walls existed for Nadim and her sisters because the obstacles the walls once represented were surmounted. They found joy in playing soccer. And her carefree style of playing comes across in every match she plays.
            In the same way, we cannot allow our flaws and imperfections to keep us walled in. When our hearts, our lives, our circumstances remind us of how flawed we truly are, and they put us inside our own minds and we become trapped by everything the devil himself wants us to believe. At this point, we have forgotten that God never meant for us to be perfect. We must remember that sometimes our flaws are the only things that can effectively make us fall into the arms of Jesus in realization that we cannot handle anything on our own.
            In the same way that Nadim overcame her walls, choosing to let them shape her care-free style and learn to enjoy every second of playing, we must overcome our walls as we choose to let them be the one thing that can effectively remind us of just how much we are in need of a Savior.
            But back to my original questions. What makes an athlete, an imperfect human, so capable of pressing forward beyond any obstacle? In some ways, it is similar to what gives us as Christians the strength to overcome our challenges: the knowledge that we can either let our obstacles and challenges hold us back, or we can choose to let them push us forward. Pushing us either to a goal on the soccer field, or into the loving arms of Jesus.

G.A.
Uttermost Summer Intern

July 2014 - Pray For Terrorists

Enemy is a strong word. It carries a weight that’s more permanent than opponent, more violent than antagonist. An enemy has examined the data, weighed the cost and decided that there is enough hatred to systematically set energy and resources against you. An enemy wants to kill your family and then destroy any remnant that your culture ever existed.

Enter ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), the newest terror group on the international landscape. ISIS has made a name for itself by militarily conquering cities across eastern Syria and western Iraq in pursuit of a pure Islamic state, completely devoid of any Western influence. By invading Mosul and making off with 400 million dollars in stolen assets, ISIS has instantaneous brand recognition within the world of jihad as well as international media outlets. Their brutality even has al-Qaeda (their parent organization) reportedly distancing themselves from the group that now controls massive portions of the region.

Just to recap, a new terror organization is spreading across the Middle East so effectively, that even the guys who planned 9/11 think their tactics are too extreme. And now they are flush with almost half a billion dollars.

They have our attention.

To ISIS, Americans and the West are enemies. This is disorienting and terrifying. How are we to respond to this kind of hate? How do we handle enemies like this?

Its clear that Jesus would have us love our enemies. He insists that we turn the other cheek. It’s fair to point out that Jesus’ instructions were intended for interpersonal ethics and probably not foreign policy (although its equally fair to point out the colossal failure of any type of foreign policy in bringing peace and stability to the Middle East) but perhaps Jesus’ words were meant to shed light on our condition as much as improve our condition.

We are called to love our enemies, pray for our enemies, serve and sacrifice for our enemies. This is not a national defense strategy as much as it’s an accurate depiction of what was done for us. While we were sinners, traitors, rebels — enemies — Christ died for us. Praying for terrorists is not an act of counterterrorism. Praying for terrorists is an act of theological clarity. It is a cognitive exercise that proves you understand the biblical description of your own depravity. Praying for terrorists is an act of humility and gratefulness that a perfect, holy God would lay down his life for his enemies, both Islamic militants like ISIS and American consumers like you and me.

Enemy is a strong word. And it is precisely because it's a strong word that grace is an amazing word.

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation...” Col. 1: 21-22
 
Bubby Bryan
Uttermost Sports
 
 

June 2014 - Futbol, Ramadan and Futility

Last week, the World Cup kicked off to an estimated viewership of over 3 billion people, including 94 million Americans (most of whom are totally faking it). Almost half of the world’s population is completely fixated on the 32 national teams playing in Brazil.

Next week, 1.6 billion Muslims will participate in Ramadan, a month set aside in the Quran specifically for prayer, fasting and work aimed at pleasing Allah. Other than the massive numbers of people involved, these two world events seem to have little in common.

But what we are actually witnessing this month, are two of the most overt expressions of religion humans can offer. These are not new, in fact we have been doing these things from the beginning. Deep down we all know we’re broken, even if we don’t have the language to articulate it. We know that we’ve fallen short of some standard and that somehow, things are not as they should be. So this shame or at least this discontentment, has led us to cover up with something else in order to improve our status in the middle of this brokenness.

Historically, people have gone about this in two ways: One is to hide under a man-made, pseudo-spiritual camouflage and the other is to work based on a religious merit system.

We hide our true identity underneath an assumed identity that we believe to be more attractive or protective. Instead of nakedness, we cover ourselves with fig leaves; in place of shame, we manufacture reasons for pride. How else can you explain the passion - immense joy and extreme agony - of sports fans? This goes well beyond a simple love of the game, well beyond even patriotism. We’ve tapped into something religious -- a deep, spiritual desperation to be attached to something bigger than ourselves in order to be to be glorified by association. Even Nike’s and Adidas’ World Cup campaigns of “risk everything” and “all in or nothing” echo the innate, spiritual significance of this tournament.

The second way we attempt to cover ourselves is through work. Our inherent sense of guilt or indebtedness leads us to attempt to earn our way out, to pay back what we owe. This is the basic operating principle of all religion, Islam included; I obey so that I might be found acceptable (forgiven). I pray, fast, follow the rules, so that I might be attached to something holier than myself.

Its important to understand that these two attempts are not wrong so much as they are simply impossible to achieve. The inclination to attach ourselves to something beyond our finite grasp is right, as is our impulse to become clean and free.

This is the setting that the Gospel must be dropped into. This is the cultural framework that makes the basic operating principle of Christianity so completely bizarre and counter intuitive. Because of what Jesus did, you are already accepted. There is no more guilt by association -- there is only love by association. There is no longer a need for debt payments -- it has already been paid for. There is no need to find a national badge of honor, you are already accepted and loved by the King. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection accomplished what millennia of human idolatry and works could not.

This is good news for soccer hooligans, Muslims, and guys who are simply counting down the days (65) until real football begins...

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Cor. 5:21
 
Bubby Bryan
Uttermost Sports
 
 
 

May 2014 - Saints and Sinners

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is a profound statement (intentionally or not) paraphrasing the first chapter of Ecclesiastes. For thousands of years, the human heart has been bouncing from one thing to another, looking for ways to justify itself. Countless combinations of money, power and sex have been, and will continue to be tried -- all in vain.

Astoundingly, to everyone except the writer of Ecclesiastes, this includes the privileges and luxuries of being a billionaire in Southern California. Clippers owner Donald Sterling apparently also needed white superiority tied to his identity in order to satisfy his soul.

His recorded insinuation that black people are essentially sub-human and should not be publicly interacted with is awful, hateful, ignorant and stupid. But it’s hardly shocking and certainly not new. There is no limit the heart is not willing to go to get what it wants.

The NBA’s reaction to these comments was swift and severe. The public outcry was loud and ruthless. There is no place for racism in this world, especially a league in which 70% of the workforce is black.

Yes and Amen.

We can all agree that racism is wrong; it’s a damnable offense, no matter what belief system you subscribe to.

But what virtually no one agrees on is the fact that being vocally anti-racism is not enough to justify your heart either. Our hearts - all of our hearts - are wicked, perverted, deceptive and evil. We are prone to self-righteousness just as much as, if not more than racism. Condemning other people’s sin (accurately or not) is arrogance.

Racism is clearly breaking God’s law that all peoples have inherent worth and dignity. But self-righteousness is clearly assuming God’s role as judge, condemning those whose offenses we consider to be the most egregious.

Donald Sterling’s only hope for forgiveness and renewal is the Gospel. But the same can be said for Mother Teresa. Saints and sinners, rule followers and rebels -- all of us only have one hope: that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to pardon both racists and legalists like you and me.

That is our only hope for salvation; we’ve tried everything else and come up short. There is nothing new under the sun.

Its comforting to know the more things change; we have something that stays the same.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1

 
Bubby Bryan
Uttermost Sports

April 2014 - Game Changer

I’ve been a Houston Astros fan my entire life... which is to say I’ve been miserable for 30 years.  It all started before I was even born. My dad moved to Texas the day after graduating from high school in Tennessee and, not knowing a soul and lacking any better option, literally drive around Texarkana in his Datsun B210 listening to the Astros play-by-play on the radio. Thus, a family tradition of baseball futility was born.

Unlike the Cubs, who somehow managed to carve out a niche for themselves as the lovable losers, and the Indians, who at least had the foresight to turn their frustration into a decent movie franchise, the ‘Stros have just been plain bad. Sure we made it to the Dance in ‘05, when our 7 (count ‘em) 7 All-Stars couldn’t seal the deal against the White Sox. We’re just a woefully lackluster operation that routinely masks the absence of any actual celebration with marketing misdirection like changes to the uniform and the logo.

What my beloved Astros need is a hero – a savior. We need someone with the heart of Craig Biggio, the head of Tony La Russa, the talent of Babe Ruth, and the juice of Barry Bonds.
The simple truth, however, is this: that player doesn’t exist and even if he did exist, the Yankees would sign him for a bazillion dollars and steal him from us anyway.

Here’s the thing about saviors: It doesn’t really matter what they said or did if they aren’t around anymore. Case in point - you know what is completely unhelpful to the Astros' pitching staff? A 67-year-old Nolan Ryan. You know what else is unhelpful? Nolan Ryan in 1981. Seriously, neither one of those guys can help us win today.

This is why the resurrection is paramount for Christians. Jesus was great. He healed many people and taught wonderful things; but He also claimed to be God. That makes Him either right, crazy, or evil. Those are your options. Either 1) He was who He said He was and we should all worship and obey Him; 2) He was nuts and should be disregarded and forgotten; or 3) He’s wicked and was rightly put down. Any way you slice it – any conclusion you come to – it doesn’t matter if He’s dead. I mean, that no-hitter in 1981 was awesome, but it’s completely irrelevant against the Royals this week.

But if Jesus is alive, if He has conquered death, then that is a game changer. That proves he was and is supernatural. He has more authority than death. That is really, really good news for my soul. Because there is a natural bent in me that always leads me toward evil. There is a natural inclination in our culture that always pushes us towards selfishness and injustice. But if Jesus is supernatural then my soul can rest easy. He has battled larger demons than these... and He won.

He is risen. That changes everything.

Bubby Bryan
Uttermost Sports

March 2014 - Perfection is a Statistical Impossibility

The chances of filling out a perfect NCAA tournament bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Even if you factor in historical trends, regional advantages, and seed match-ups (a 16 seed has never beaten a number 1 seed, for example) your odds only improve to a meager 1 in 128 billion. These are the ridiculous truths that make March... well, madness. This is why my wife, who picks her bracket based on uniform colors, will have roughly the same amount of success as the experts on ESPN. There are simply too many possible outcomes, too many variables and too many factors beyond anyone’s control to account for accurately.

There is something humbling about an event where the world’s foremost experts – people who make their living by studying the intricacies of college basketball – are in relatively the same boat as novices who have never even seen a college basketball game.

This is the reality we live in. Our professions, families, even our callings, operate in a fallen, sinful world. Perfection (on any scale) is a statistical impossibility. This is what it means to be human, to be finite. Because of this, producing, performing, and grinding away to attain perfection is not dedicated, zealous and faithful work. It’s actually blind arrogance.

It’s a mindset that assumes you have the power, energy and expertise to crack a 1 in 9.2 quintillion-sized problem. Who, exactly, do you think you are?

This is why God commands (not suggests) a Sabbath. It’s His way of saying that even if you didn’t need food, sleep or help and you actually could work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... you still couldn’t achieve perfection.

This is the foundation of our religion. Every other religion says, “this is what you must do to reach God.” But Christianity says, “this is what God did to reach you.” We are the only religion that says you are not saved by your work, you are not saved by your effort; you are saved by Jesus’ work, by Jesus’ effort.

Our infinite God took on finite flesh in order to achieve a standard we continually miss. Straining for perfection or atonement or recognition screams, “that’s not true, I can do it! I’m good enough to defy those odds!”

So take a day off, turn off your phone, go for a walk. The most spiritual thing you can do this week might be taking a nap. The Kingdom will advance because the King is on his throne – not because you’re at your post.

This March, may your actions reflect that you believe you are saved by grace and not by work. May your heart rest in God’s generosity and sovereignty and not be hardened by your own achievement and effort. Your bracket isn’t going to be perfect anyway.

“And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness...” Romans 4:5
 
Bubby Bryan
Uttermost Sports

February 2014 - Olympic Truce

Roughly one third of the world’s population identifies themselves as Christian. It should be noted that in many cases, that is a political and social affiliation rather than a spiritual one but nevertheless, Christianity remains the world’s largest religion. Lagging just behind Christianity and growing at a frenetic pace is Islam, which claims about a quarter of the world’s population. Research shows that globally, Christianity is flourishing in the South (Latin and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific) despite declines in the West (Europe and North America).  Meanwhile, Islam is growing in both numbers and influence throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. Geographically, it seems the two dominant spiritual forces of our day are destined to clash in Africa.

For years, Christianity has had an established presence in many sub-Saharan countries (there are more Protestants in Nigeria today than Germany, for example), while North Africa is still heavily influenced by its proximity to the overtly Muslim Middle East. Because of Africa’s vast natural resources and improving infrastructures, (it is now home to 6 of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world) the race for the soul of Africa has been fierce. There have been violent clashes as Muslims aggressively advance southward.

The only answer for the poverty, violence and oppression of this continent is the Gospel.  But Muslim extremists won’t lay down their arms simply because that’s true; if anything, they will become more aggressive. The Gospel is foolishness to those who don’t know Jesus. Outside of a miracle (which by definition is rare), the Gospel will need time to be planted and peace to grow. The Gospel doesn’t exist in a void.  It never has. The Gospel came down, wrapped itself in flesh and lived among us. In the same way, Africa will not be healed through Gospel proclamations alone, but rather, through missionaries who make their home right in the middle of the mess.

Uttermost Sports is positioned to do just that. Sports are not theoretical; they are, by definition, hands on, social events with an uncanny ability to stop wars. Recently, the Olympic Committee reinstituted the Olympic Truce; a program based on the 9th century story of warring kingdoms that called for peace so those participating in the Games could travel without fear. Centuries later, countries with major disagreements, fragile political alliances and violent histories still find a way to come together on a global scale and enjoy the fruits of world-class athletics.

Because of Africa’s long history of violence, corruption and neglect, it is natural to think that sports are not the right tool for this job. There needs to be urgent political and economic reforms, leadership development and so on. But before these needs can be met, there needs to be peace, space for relationships and trust to develop, a neutral playing field, quite literally.

Perhaps those days are gone. Perhaps the Olympic Truce is just a quaint story based on antiquated foreign policy. Perhaps sports-based missions are too weak to make any impact. But the truth of the matter is, we live in a world where there is an Argentine Pope, a black President and a Jamaican Bobsled team, and we serve a God who tells the lame to walk and makes the blind see. We are in good hands.

 
Bubby Bryan
Donor Relations

January 2014 - Resolutions

I have a love/hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions.  Part of me loves them – the fresh starts, clean slates, new horizons…all that good stuff.  It’s refreshing and inspiring.  The other part of me – the pessimistic, angry part – hates them.  They remind me of the pile of books on my nightstand, still unread from 2012 much less 2013. They remind me of the 20 pounds I gained rather than the 10 I said I would lose. (Full disclosure: I’m literally eating a Reese’s Pieces as I type this.)  Fine. Whatever. I came up short and I probably will next year too. But the ‘do your best,’ ‘dive on in,’ ‘keep on truckin’ and ‘chase every rainbow’ articles have already been written a thousand times and apparently hasn’t helped much.

There are really two sure-fire ways to ruin 2014.  One is to drown in your failures and let the setbacks and mistakes dominate your identity.  The good news that you’re an orphan who got welcomed into the family of God can be just a tired, Christian cliché if you want, but it’s true whether you use it or not, so we might as well own it and press into this new creature-ness that Paul writes about.  Christ came for the quitters, the chubby underachievers, the procrastinators. So go ahead hit the gym – yes.  Make your book list – amen. But when you come up short, remember the Gospel. We’re saved because of what Jesus accomplished, not what we did.

The other way to make a mess of 2014 is to fulfill your resolutions, achieve your wildest dreams, and then make the unbiblical assumption that now you have arrived.  The truth is that even the noblest resolutions are at best temporary and at worst vain. In the same way that allowing your failures to define who you are contradicts what the Almighty has already declared you to be, allowing your successes to define you does the exact same thing. Don’t let good things, admirable things, awesome things produce a pride that says my worth is based on what I have done. God opposes people like this.  A wise man once said, “No one is too bad for Jesus.  A lot of people think they are too good for Jesus.”

So friends, in 2014, may you lose weight and save money, may you quit smoking and start jogging; but regardless, may 2014 be the year that Jesus completely overwhelms you with the news that He loves you regardless of your response.
 
Bubby Bryan
Donor Relations