Beyond Sunday - Tailgate with Tang
Beyond Sunday, Week of September 8, 2024
“Tailgate with Tang”
Thoughts: What a blessing to hear Coach Tang share his life and his faith journey on Sunday. Of all the notes I took from his interview, two stand out most prominently for me.
The first was, “However you come to Him, it’s okay. He will get you right.” That fills me with gratitude that He meets me where I am, and gives me great hope that He will lead me into greater Christ-likeness. God uses whatever it takes to call His chosen. It also reminds me of the old truism, “God loves me just as I am, and He loves me too much to leave me that way.”
The second thing that resonated deeply with me was when Coach Tang said, “The doors of opportunity swing on the hinges of obedience.” I have found that to be profoundly true in my life. The more I obey God, the more I grow. The more I grow, the more opportunities He provides, opportunities to bless others, and for additional personal spiritual growth in me.
Read: Mark 4:37-40, John 14:27, John 16:33
• Coach Tang described a tense moment in his high school coaching career when he felt complete peace, and turning to his assistant said, “I love this!”
o Describe a time when you felt the peace of God in spite of the circumstances.
o How has God used intense moments and/or difficult circumstances to grow your faith?
Read: Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 1:6, 1 Peter 1:22
• These verses relate to those two quotes above from Coach. God uses every imaginable way to help us to come to Him, from whatever circumstances He finds us in, and then grows us to be more like His Son.
o What do you learn about God, His character, and His love for you from these passages?
o What do you remember about when God “began a good work in you”?
o How have your circumstances and your character changed since accepting Jesus?
o What doors of opportunity has God opened in response to your obedience?
Read: Acts 28:30-31, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, Colossians 4:6, 1 Peter 3:15
• Coach made the point that for him, coaching basketball is a platform for ministry. Wherever we live, work, or play can be a platform for ministry, presenting opportunities to share Jesus, and what He has done in us and for us.
o How do you feel about being an ambassador for Christ, and how could you grow in that role?
o What preparations have you made/could you make to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”?
o What does it mean to you to “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt”?
Read: Psalm 1:1-3, Proverbs 3:5-6, 11:24-25, Malachi 3:10
• “God’s principles work!” declared Coach Tang. To apply His principles, we must learn them through diligent study and practice. I enjoyed greatly seeing how excited Coach Tang became when he talked about getting God’s Word into himself through Scripture memorization.
o What principles of God have you seen at work in your life?
o What principles have you not yet applied, or do you need to apply more fully and consistently?
Pray: Praise God for who He is, His unchanging character and faithfulness. Thank Him for calling you to faith in Jesus. Pray Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." In your own words and according to your own needs, echo Jesus’s prayer of petition and total submission, “Father, if you are willing, …(put in your request(s) here)…; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Next Steps:
• We all need to surround ourselves with a community of others fully surrendered to God, a community that will support us as we walk closer to Him. Small groups for Fall 2024 are just beginning this week. Check the website here to see what groups might fit your schedule.
“Tailgate with Tang”
Thoughts: What a blessing to hear Coach Tang share his life and his faith journey on Sunday. Of all the notes I took from his interview, two stand out most prominently for me.
The first was, “However you come to Him, it’s okay. He will get you right.” That fills me with gratitude that He meets me where I am, and gives me great hope that He will lead me into greater Christ-likeness. God uses whatever it takes to call His chosen. It also reminds me of the old truism, “God loves me just as I am, and He loves me too much to leave me that way.”
The second thing that resonated deeply with me was when Coach Tang said, “The doors of opportunity swing on the hinges of obedience.” I have found that to be profoundly true in my life. The more I obey God, the more I grow. The more I grow, the more opportunities He provides, opportunities to bless others, and for additional personal spiritual growth in me.
Read: Mark 4:37-40, John 14:27, John 16:33
• Coach Tang described a tense moment in his high school coaching career when he felt complete peace, and turning to his assistant said, “I love this!”
o Describe a time when you felt the peace of God in spite of the circumstances.
o How has God used intense moments and/or difficult circumstances to grow your faith?
Read: Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 1:6, 1 Peter 1:22
• These verses relate to those two quotes above from Coach. God uses every imaginable way to help us to come to Him, from whatever circumstances He finds us in, and then grows us to be more like His Son.
o What do you learn about God, His character, and His love for you from these passages?
o What do you remember about when God “began a good work in you”?
o How have your circumstances and your character changed since accepting Jesus?
o What doors of opportunity has God opened in response to your obedience?
Read: Acts 28:30-31, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, Colossians 4:6, 1 Peter 3:15
• Coach made the point that for him, coaching basketball is a platform for ministry. Wherever we live, work, or play can be a platform for ministry, presenting opportunities to share Jesus, and what He has done in us and for us.
o How do you feel about being an ambassador for Christ, and how could you grow in that role?
o What preparations have you made/could you make to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”?
o What does it mean to you to “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt”?
Read: Psalm 1:1-3, Proverbs 3:5-6, 11:24-25, Malachi 3:10
• “God’s principles work!” declared Coach Tang. To apply His principles, we must learn them through diligent study and practice. I enjoyed greatly seeing how excited Coach Tang became when he talked about getting God’s Word into himself through Scripture memorization.
o What principles of God have you seen at work in your life?
o What principles have you not yet applied, or do you need to apply more fully and consistently?
Pray: Praise God for who He is, His unchanging character and faithfulness. Thank Him for calling you to faith in Jesus. Pray Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." In your own words and according to your own needs, echo Jesus’s prayer of petition and total submission, “Father, if you are willing, …(put in your request(s) here)…; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Next Steps:
• We all need to surround ourselves with a community of others fully surrendered to God, a community that will support us as we walk closer to Him. Small groups for Fall 2024 are just beginning this week. Check the website here to see what groups might fit your schedule.
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