Sports Challenge

DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS THAT AFFECTED JIM MEETING WITH PLAYERS AND COACHES ON THE SMU CAMPUS PART OF THE YEAR, FACETIME AND ZOOM WERE USED WHEN PERSON TO PERSON WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THOSE SAME TWO MEANS OF COMMUNICATION WERE USED TO MEET WITH FORMER STANFORD AND SMU GRADUATES HE HAS MENTORED IN PRIOR YEARS, AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPORTS MENTORS WHO CONTINUE TO COME TO HIM FOR MENTORING. IN ADDITION, OTHER SPORTS MINISTRY LEADERS CHOSE TO DRAW ON HIS FIVE PLUS DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN MENTORING HIGH-PERFORMANCE ATHLETES. OTHERS IN THE FIELD HAVE EXPRESSED THAT NO ONE IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE HAS THAT LENGTH OF EXPERIENCE FROM WHICH TO DRAW. JIM'S BOOK, THE POWER OF ONE-ON-ONE, PUBLISHED BY BAKER BOOKS IN 2014, HAS BEEN WIDELY ACCEPTED AND PUBLISHED IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES ALREADY. THE BOOK REVEALS THE PROVEN PRINCIPLES JIM HAS USED OVER SEVERAL DECADES TO ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS IN A ONE-ON-ONE SETTING ON HOW TO UTILIZE THE PRINCIPLES JESUS USED TO CHANGE THE WORLD. FROM THOSE MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE JIM HAS LEARNED THAT ATHLETES WILL NOT OPEN UP THE DEEPEST ISSUES IN THEIR LIVES IF A TEAMMATE OR SOMEONE ELSE IS INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATIONS. THEREFORE, HE PROVIDES A SAFE, PERSONAL SETTING FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WISH TO MEET WITH HIM ALLOWING THEM TO FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS WITH WHICH THEY MIGHT BE STRUGGLING SPIRITUALLY, WITH FAMILY ISSUES, IN THEIR SPORT OR IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH A SIGNIFICANT OTHER.