Beginning in April 2020, the “B” Association will include devotionals in its spring and summer bi-monthly membership newsletters.
The devotional below was authored by Ahmad Washington. A former Baylor football player (’94-’96), Ahmad is the Lead Advisor to the President of Waco’s Methodist Children’s Home and the Worship Director of the Hip Hop service at First Methodist Church Waco. He is also the founder of MovementUp, a motivation service that uses rap and hip hop music to reach young people. Ahmad is married to current “B” Association Board Member and former Track All-American Jennifer Jordan Washington. They reside in Waco with their two children Jade (13) and Jace (9). Learn more about Ahmad and MovementUP at www.movementup.net.
Romans 1: 9-10
God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about His Son. One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.
One of the skills that is essential for great athletes to have is the ability to “adjust in the pocket.” Yes, planning and preparation is a key to greatness, but when things happen on the field or on the court that the plan did not prepare you for, the ability to adjust in the pocket is a skill that makes the difference between victory and defeat. The Apostle Paul was a man who had to learn to make adjustments in the pocket of life as he followed the will of the Lord. In the above mentioned scripture, Paul shares with the church in Rome that he had greatly desired to visit them and had even prayed that God would allow it. Each time in route to connect with the church in Rome, God redirected Paul to Macedonian, Troas, Philippi, and some other locations. Instead of taking those Divine assignments with a negative attitude, instead of complaining, Paul adjusted in the pocket and continued to put his desires into the hands of the Lord while doing the will of the Lord. Many of you reading this have no doubt gotten a crash course in adjusting in the pocket during the global pandemic. I pray that we can have an attitude similar to the Apostle Paul. After regrouping from the initial shock, stress, confusion, and fear of it, that we would then give our cares and prayers to the Lord and that we would seek Him about how best to do His will in our families, in our communities, in our nation, and in this world. God bless each of you. Sic ’em Bears!!!!
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Ahmad Washington’s devotional really inspired me! I love his analogy of athletes adjusting in the pocket to life’s unexpected challenges is spot on. Like Paul, we often have our plans, but sometimes God leads us in unexpected directions. It’s all about how we handle those redirections. As a student, I have a lot of plans ande it is hard not to turn from my way. I read some reviews on paperial.com/reviews that show me how improve my performance. During these times of uncertainty, Ahmad’s message about trusting in God’s plan and adapting to change is so relevant. Sic ’em Bears indeed.