Growing up, we looked forward to the Olympics and gathered around the TV to watch the best athletes in the world compete for honor and glory. While I do know the Olympic Games have had moments where athletes or entire countries have used the platform to take a political stance, what we saw in the opening ceremonies this year in Paris was disturbing and disappointing for Christians all over the world. Unless you have been off the grid and not paying attention, you must know what I am referring to: the controversial Last Supper mockery that was a part of the opening ceremonies in Paris. 

The social media world responded, and it did not take long for people on both sides to offer their opinions. Instead of reacting immediately, I took some time and scrolled through many platforms and news sites to try and figure out what was happening. What I think I saw in the images from the opening ceremonies was probably how most Christians felt, but the opposing views chose to double down or try and explain away what the rest of the world watched with some intellectual jargon that also slammed Christians in the process. 

Meet Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Paris Olympic opening ceremonies. On Saturday, when asked about the controversy, he did not deny what we saw but responded by praising France for allowing artistic freedom and the choice to love how they want. By Sunday, however, he and the Olympic Committee quickly tried to spin the reality in their favor amongst the outrage of groups worldwide. 

So, how should we respond? My gut response was to declare that we wouldn't be watching the Olympics because I can not support anything that would come close to openly mocking the Lord in that way. My wife, in her calm response, challenged me with a question: "Is that fair to the athletes who worked hard and had zero input on what went on?" 

Sports have a major impact on the world around us, and in many cases, they do not align with Christian values. While one response is to distance ourselves from anything that does not move us toward being more like Jesus, to take this response often would be to prevent us from being the city on the hill that God calls us to be. Instead, what if we embraced the condemnation of Christianity with love and sought to glorify Christ in all we do? 

The mission of B3rd Athletics is to help athletes, coaches, and spectators become more mission-driven in a world that does not accept our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sports is a great platform to not only spread the gospel message but learn how to pursue excellence while God uses our hard work and sacrifice to become saints. So after taking the time to think and not just respond, I have decided that we will continue to watch the Olympics to support the hard work of athletes around the world that truly might put God first in their life. But this does not mean I will stand by and allow anyone to mock the Lord in that way. What we saw was against the spirit of the Olympic tradition and it was and should be condemed. 

Coach Field

My wife and I are currently expecting our 7th amazing child from God, and I often get one of two responses. The first is the more common, how many kids are you going to have? The second is rare and today in meeting, another coach he expressed how cool it was that my wife and I did not stop at two or three like everyone else.

The reality is this, since deciding to take my faith seriously and stop going through the motions, "I" has not been a part of my vocabulary. Don't get me wrong, all of us will still struggle at times with selfishness but we should strive our best to B3rd and always put God and others above our own interest.

Living a life where you depend on him to guide your decisions and not your own personal desires is freeing. The more often I take control, the more problems I create. When we let God have the full control, everything seems to just make sense. This does not mean it will be easy, it just means life has a comfortable purpose with God.

We should be learning this when we participate in team sports. Whether you coach, parent, or play, removing the "I" and "Me" will make for a better team. A player that is looking outward and trying to make teammates better has more fun. The coach who exists for the sake of the kids, that coach has a purpose and joy in what they do. Parents who can be just as excited for the success of someone else's kid, that's a B3rd parent who's organization feeds off their positive energy.

My challenge to you is, remove the "I" and "Me" statements from your life and see what happens. Wake up tomorrow and live for God and others. This will fill you up and provide you a satisfaction that can't be purchased.

Coach Field

Founder of B3rd Athletics

When the Unites States of America was formed, the founding fathers were very intentional in making sure each citizen had religious freedom. The question is, what does this mean and how should it impact my coaching?

Freedom of Religion is the right of every person to live out their faith as they choose. It's not simply the freedom to worship, but the freedom to have our faith impact how we raise our kids, run our business, or for us coaches, how we coach.

Over the years in coaching, I feel we have become afraid of social acceptance and muted our Christian beliefs in the manner in which we coach. Part of becoming a B3rd coach is truly living your life where God is number one. If God is number one, He should be fully alive in everything that we do. This does not mean we have to be like a sidewalk preacher when coaching, but the young people we coach should know we are people of faith.

So what are some ways that our Christian faith can be present in our coaching, especially if we work at a public institution where it's often more difficult? One of my favorite authors and speakers (Matthew Kelly), says, "we should be walking billboards to the Christian life. " If you have a player that has no faith, do they want to be like you? Are you modeling what it means to be a follower of Jesus?

I know at times I struggle greatly in this practice. I get frustrated during the day and by the time I get to my players, all the joy I had in the morning is gone. Or other times my competitive nature takes over and my actions don't reflect my belief. This will happen to all of us, and while we want to work hard to grow and get better, these times can also be great teaching lessons for our players. Seeing an adult humbly apologize for poor actions, could be some of the best lessons they ever get.

Being a B3rd coach does not mean you have to be a pushover, toughness is a biblical truth. Being a B3rd coach means that you are required to live out your faith in every aspect of your life, especially in the way you teach and coach. Don't take for granted the religious freedom you have, the founding fathers were intentional about giving it to you.

Coach Field

Founder of B3rd Athletics