It was an honor to hop on the ABCA Podcast with @CoachB_ABCA and represent @taylorbaseball. Give it a listen!

"Failure is a learning opportunity. Failure is growth." Growth doesn't happen when everything goes right. It happens when players are given the opportunity to fall short, learn from the experience, and have coaches who help them get back up and move forward. The goal isn't to eliminate failure. The goal is to use it as part of the development process. Watch this full presentation at ABCA.org/videos or in the My ABCA app!

Child sponsorship is most effective when it’s rooted in local leadership 🤝🏼 SCORE is honored to partner with trusted local ministries that know their communities & walk alongside families every day. Would you consider sponsoring a child today? 💛 scoreintl.org/sponsor/

The countdown is on—November Baseball is just 127 days away! ⚾️ Join us for an unforgettable week of baseball, fellowship, & service in the DR. Click the link below to learn more! scoreintl.org/november-baseb… #ShortTermMissions #SCOREDR

Darkness Disguised as Light “And he said, ‘Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.’” — Luke 11:46 Growing up as a pastor’s kid came with a lot of blessings. Because of my dad’s influence and the way he pointed me toward Jesus, I’m far more like Christ today than I would have been otherwise. Watching someone faithfully follow Jesus up close is a gift. At the same time, growing up in the church helped me understand why some people criticize Christianity. I saw people who were quick to point out sin and brokenness but much slower to step into that brokenness with grace and mercy. They thought they were shining light, but often they were creating more darkness. The message wasn’t always spoken, but it was felt: “You’re only a good Christian if you don’t mess up.” That message turns the Gospel into performance instead of redemption. It makes following Jesus more about perfection than being made new through His grace. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Christian environments, and for that I’m grateful. I’ve been surrounded by many people who reflect the heart of Jesus well. But coaching college baseball and doing life with 40-plus young men every year has shown me something else. Sometimes the places where the light should shine brightest can unintentionally create the deepest shadows. I’ve watched young men believe God’s love for them is tied to their behavior. That He loves them more when they’re doing well and less when they’re struggling. That’s not the Gospel. I’ve been on both sides of this. I’ve carried shame because I thought my failures changed God’s view of me. And I’ve also been guilty of placing burdens on others that Jesus never intended them to carry. I’ve seen shame bury people. I’ve seen legalism suffocate growth. And I’ve seen grace bring people back to life. What God continues to teach me is that when someone struggles or falls, our response shouldn’t be to create distance. It should be to move closer. Not to excuse sin, but to walk alongside them as Jesus transforms them. That’s what Jesus was confronting in Luke 11. The Pharisees were good at identifying problems but unwilling to help carry the weight. They spoke truth but often lacked compassion. Jesus did the opposite. He spoke truth boldly, but He also stepped directly into the mess. He walked with broken people and carried burdens they couldn’t carry themselves. Discipleship is messy. It’s slow. It’s imperfect. It involves mistakes, setbacks, and hard conversations. But that’s the work. If we’re going to point people toward Jesus, we can’t stand at a distance and tell them where they’re wrong. We have to be willing to get in the trench with them. Because if our light causes people to feel more shame than hope, more burden than freedom, then maybe what we’re calling light isn’t shining quite as brightly as we think. Truth and grace were never meant to compete. Jesus embodied both. And if we’re going to represent Him well, we must do the same.