Coach Wooden One-On-One (Hardback)

Questioning God

In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God nor did he question God. Job 1:22

My faith has never failed, but grief has been cause for me to question God three times in my life. The first time was when Nellie died. We had been married for 53 years. She was the only girl I ever dated. It took me a little more than two years to get past her death. I’ve never gotten over it.

The second was when my great-grandson was born with birth disorders. My granddaughter is very strong and I’m grateful for her, but the circumstance caused me to question.

The third was when my younger brother died. He was sick, but I didn’t think it was that serious. I was holding his hand when he took his last breath. It caught me by surprise. Again, I questioned God. I never doubted God’s existence or my relationship with Him, but in my grief, I questioned His actions.

I’ve always taught the importance of keeping our emotions under control, but we must deal with grief when it comes. Grief controlled me for a season, and that’s natural, I suppose. When grief passed, so did the questions. I was able to get back to the reality that God is far greater than I am, and to see that I must accept His actions, even if I do not understand them at the time.

— JW

During biblical times, the reaction to the loss of a loved one took a variety of forms. Mourning could include dressing in black, covering the head, wearing sackcloth, putting ashes or olive oil on one’s head, tearing one’s garments or hiring professional mourners to help with the wailing, weeping, crying and screaming. Not only was grief permissible, but it was also expected. Even Jesus wept: He cried over the death of Lazarus. Many of the expressions of the times were cultural rather than biblical. Through the centuries, whatever the outward expression, the inward act of grieving over significant loss is a human necessity. However, I’m glad we don’t do oil, ashes and sackcloth anymore.

Job is an Old Testament character who lost everything but his wife — he also got boils as a bonus. Despite all of this, Job did not blame God. He was doing just fine until what was left of his family and friends grew tired of waiting for improvement. “Curse God and die,” was his wife’s advice. Compassion wasn’t her gift.

After seven days of sitting silently with Job, his friends started grumbling, too. It was more than he could handle. Job finally caved in and asked God, “Why me? What’d I do?” God said, “Why not you?” Then He promptly took Job to the woodshed for a good talkin’ to and gave him a time-out. Job pleased God by repenting. Job had questioned God while he grieved, but he hadn’t tried to be God. Coach did the same thing when he grieved and questioned.

There is a big difference between screaming, “God, just what do You think You’re doin’!” and asking, “God, what’s going on?” God won’t tolerate the former. He understands and responds to the latter.

— JC

Father, forgive me when my lack of understanding raises questions I have no business asking. Deepen my faith and move me forward in my walk with You. Thank You, Lord.

John Wooden
During John Wooden's 40-year coaching career, his high school and college teams won over 80 percent of their games. As men's head coach at UCLA from 1948 to 1975, his Bruin teams claimed 10 NCAA national championships during his final 12 years, including seven in a row, and at one time won 88 consecutive games. Wooden holds a place in the basketball hall of fame as both a player (he was a three-time All-American at Purdue) and a coach (Indiana State and UCLA). Moreover, Sports Illustrated named him Coach of the [20th] Century. He is the originator of the Pyramid of Success and has previously written three books, Practical Modern Basketball, They Call Me Coach and Wooden. Coach Wooden and his wife, Nellie, had been married 53 years when she passed in 1985. Born in Indiana, "Coach" currently lives in Southern California, and at 92 years of age still lectures across the country.

Jay Carty
Jay Carty spent three years on John Wooden's UCLA coaching staff. He also coached two years at Oregon State (his alma mater) and played for the Los Angeles Lakers. After hanging up his basketball shoes, Carty entered ministry. For 25 years, he has been a traveling preacher and has written seven books, including Counterattack and Playing with Fire. Carty and his wife, Mary, live in Santa Barbara, California.

Win a basketball autographed by the legend himself, John Wooden!

"John Wooden taught us how to be the best we could be yet remain true to ourselves. Coach never asked us about our religion or our politics, he always felt that that was a personal issue. But it was impossible to not know that he had an intensely strong, unshakable faith in God and that he drew upon the Bible for many of the principles by which he lived. As a result, his sacrifice, patience and devotion are the greatest examples and influences I have had in my life. If you allow the insights and reflections in this book to have even a measure of the impact on your life that Coach had on mine, you will be on your way to becoming the best person you can be."
Bill Walton
Sports Commentator, Former NBA Star

"John Wooden is an icon who has spent ninety plus years desiring to represent God through his walk. His coaching expertise and philosophy for living life are well known. My friend Jay Carty has helped us get a glimpse of the Coach’s spiritual side. It’s a side worth seeing."
Tim LaHaye
Author, The Left Behind Series

"John Wooden dignified the game of basketball as a player, a coach and even more as a gracious and uncommonly wise human being. I consider it a privilege to have known him as a competitor and friend."
Coach Dean Smith
Legendary College Coach

"John Wooden is a legend who is also a gentleman. He has represented Christ well over the years. Other books have told us about his glory days at UCLA. Now we get to see more deeply into his faith. Thank you, Coach, for completing your legacy."
David Robinson
San Antonio Spurs, NBA All-Star

Chapter One

86,400 Seconds

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Ephesians 5:15-16

Time lost is time lost. It's gone forever. Some people tell themselves that they will work twice as hard tomorrow to make up for what they did not do today. People should always do their best. If they can work twice as hard tomorrow, then they should have also worked twice as hard today. That would have been their best. Catching up leaves no room for them to do their best tomorrow. People with the philosophy of putting off and then working twice as hard cheat themselves.

Most young people don't know how to work hard, and so many are satisfied with just getting by. I wouldn't settle for this second-best attitude from my players. I'd ask them, "If you do not have the time to do it right the first time, when will you find the time to do it over?"

I sought to help my players learn to work hard in three areas of life: Certainly, I wanted to help them get the most out of themselves physically, but I also wanted them to learn to work hard mentally and emotionally. I asked that their studies come first, basketball second and social lives third. This required them to have discipline. Physical conditioning, of course, was needed to play basketball, but it also helped them gain control in other areas. To do a good job on their studies, they needed to develop mental control. As a result, most of my players graduated. To avoid mistakes and stay focused, they also needed to have emotional control. Achieving that takes hard work. Control in all three areas helped my players keep focus in school, on the court and in life.

-JW

If every morning your bank credited your account with $86,400 but every evening canceled whatever part of the amount you failed to use, what would you do? Spend every cent-of course! Well, you have such a bank account-it is called time. Every day it credits you with 86,400 seconds. At midnight, whatever you failed to use is lost. A balance is not carried over to the next day and you're not allowed overdrafts. Each day the bank named Time opens a new account with you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. That is Christian comedian Robert G. Lee's take on time. I like it. It helps me put value into each day. The apostle Paul also had a take on time. He wrote to the Christians of a city called Ephesus and suggested that they make each day a masterpiece. A wise person, he pointed out, will make the most of his or her time. To truly make each day a masterpiece, we must first understand the Lord's will. If we are going to grasp His plan, then we need to know it, so a good way to start each day is reading the Bible. For greater understanding, pray about what you read.

You can't have a masterpiece if you spend time on frivolous activities or outright sin. Paul wrote about the problem of addiction to alcohol, but he could have added drugs, porn, food and online chatrooms to his list of detrimental time wasters. How many hours do you spend each day on these or other unhealthy habits? How could you better use that time? Finally, Paul urges us to be filled with the Spirit. Having God's power helps us say no to the bad stuff and yes to God's will. How will you spend your 86,400 seconds today? How can you make today a masterpiece?

-JC

Dear Lord God, I want today to be a masterpiece for You. I want to bring glory to You every minute of the day. May it be so.

Today's reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-3; Ephesians 5:15-20

Chapter Two

Forever Young

Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to those who have lived many years. Job 12:12

I try to read something every day. I always read some Scripture. Then I go to the newspaper. I first turn to the headlines on the front page to look for anything that's of interest. Then before going to the sports page-which many think I'd go to first-I look at the crossword puzzle. Later in the day I will work on that. Then I glance at the bridge hand. There was a time when I enjoyed playing bridge. I read these sections to keep up-to-date. Then I turn to the sports page. I skim it before breakfast and then read it thoroughly after I have eaten. The newspaper is not the only thing I read. I enjoy new books. I'll read at least one a month. There was a time when I did a lot more-that is when I could read faster and could retain better than I can today. Of course, all of my reading is the printed word-the old-fashioned way, I guess. The Internet is a nice idea, but it came along too late for me to take much advantage of it. While I am losing my abilities, and technology has zoomed past me, I'm not going to get upset. It's the natural, normal way of life. I accept the reality; nevertheless, I still want to operate to the best of my abilities. I will continue to do the best I can with what I have. I won't stand still. I will always try to move forward. I want to keep learning. I want to function as well as I am capable of functioning. Whatever comes out of that comes out of that. It will be a by-product of always striving to be the best I can be.

-JW

Baseball player Satchel Paige once asked, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?" Oliver Wendell Holmes put it this way: "To be seventy years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years old." I wholeheartedly agree and my grandkids will attest to that. I would hate it if there were anything my grandkids wanted to do that I was too stuffy or old to try. If my body won't let me do a particular feat, that's one problem; but if my attitude won't let me proceed, that's quite another. One of my great joys in life was chasing through the tubes and sliding down the chutes in a fun house with Anna, my granddaughter. I wasn't the only adult frolicking about, but I was the oldest and definitely the biggest. I didn't even mind sliding into the plastic balls and getting completely covered up. My grandkids think I'm fun. Ride roller coasters at Six Flags? Sure! Paint each other's faces, do projects with glitter, or color with the mega big box of Crayolas? You bet! Color outside the lines? Always! I'm definitely an out-of-the-box-type person. Not in a rebellious way. Not in a sinful way But life to the fullest is best lived outside the lines. Older people often have way too many lines. And I'm not talking about the ones they wear on the outside. In May 2002, at sixty years of age, I contracted a permanently paralyzed vocal cord. A virus killed it. After 25 years of preaching, it was all over in a moment. My work had also been my passion and my hobby. I could no longer do it. It would have been very easy to take the disability checks and retire. But that is not what Coach taught me. I decided the keep developing. This book is the result. I plan to continue to be the best I can be, no matter my circumstances or my age.

-JC

Heavenly Father, give me the courage to expand my boundaries, to learn to glorify God outside the lines and to pursue becoming all I am capable of becoming regardless of my age or circumstances. Amen.

Today's reading: Psalms 90:10; 92:14; Proverbs 16:31; Isaiah 46:4; Exodus 20:12; Psalm 34:12-13; Proverbs 3:1-2; 1 Peter 3:10-11

Chapter Three

The Greatest Word

Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God's law. Romans 13:8

Love" is the greatest word in our language. When we have love, many of our problems disappear. Differences are manageable when love has its way. I'm sure my regard for love comes from my reading of the Bible, specifically the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, which is my favorite passage. We can give without loving, but we can't love without giving. In fact, love is nothing unless we give it to someone. I like to visit the veteran's hospital and I go to children's hospitals as well. I've always had a particular love and empathy for children. I have cherished times when I have been able to hold a newborn in my arms. I especially remember holding astronaut Sally Ride and Stanford basketball coach Mike Montgomery when they were babies. I was pleased when the organizers of the Wooden Classic Basketball Tournament decided to give a portion of their proceeds to children's hospitals. Now they have money going to the Special Olympics, and that pleases me, too. Needs of children have a special appeal to me. Showing love for these children through these gifts makes me very happy. I know the money doesn't make all of their problems disappear, but it certainly helps make their lives better.

-JW

My grandchildren amaze me. When Matthew was six he hooked up a DVD player without any help and was watching a children's program when his dad got home. Yikes! I still can't program my old VCR. Anna has always had a way with words. When she was just four, she was talking about God with her mom. The conversation went something like this:

Anna: Nobody knows what God looks like except Grandpa Robbie. He sees His face. Do you think He'll have a round face like this? (Circles her own face with her finger.) With longer legs? Do you think God can hang upside down and touch the earth? He is the true God, so He can do anything! Is what I'm saying too precious so that you might have to cry? He's the true King; He'll never let us down. He won't fail us. He loves us. He won't even fail the parents. He loves the grandmas, grandpas, mommies, daddies, children, brothers and sisters. Even the people who are eighty. And the people who are gonna die. Right? He loves everybody. He even likes everybody. He's the one true goodest King. Do you know why?

Mom (Scrambling for a quick answer about the intrinsic nature of the goodness of God.): Because He is the creator and He is good. Anything that is good is good because it is like God.

Anna: That's right big mama! Give me five!

God is love. Anna understands the concept. Coach understands it, too. But it's not easy to grasp. The Bible is clear: On our own, we can neither love God nor love people the way God does. But we can experience His love, and we can get so close to God that He will love others through us. Coach has a close walk with God, and God loves people through him. Anna has the faith of a child, and God does the same with her. I can't hook up a VCR, and God still loves me and allows me to love others!

Is your walk with the Father so close that He regularly loves people through you?

-JC

Father, I want to allow You to love my neighbor through me with the same love that You love me. Amen.

Today's reading: Romans 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 John 4:7-5:3

Chapter Four

God's Plan

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

I haven't had any "God said" events that I can recall, but I have become aware of God's hand on my life. I can now look back to see that God was at work, especially in certain circumstances that at the time I thought were simply strokes of good luck. In 1944, during World War II, I had orders to board the USS Franklin in the South Pacific. My orders were canceled due to an emergency surgery. My appendix ruptured. During an attack, the person who took my place was at the battle station where I would have been, and he was killed by a kamikaze. Years later I had to travel from Atlanta to Raleigh for a summer basketball camp at Campbell College. I usually went on a Saturday, but I couldn't leave at that time because of a conflict. I had my ticket, but I had to cancel and book the same flight for the following day. The Saturday flight-the one I was supposed to be on-crashed and everyone on board was killed. Flying over the crash site the next day made me consider the spiritual nature of life. I thought deeply about God and His plans and wondered why He had spared me. One such incident might be considered luck, if a person believed in luck. But twice to be so overtly delivered from death caused me to pause and ponder. I could not dismiss it as a mere coincidence. No, it was more likely God's hand at work in my life than luck. He had plans for me.

-JW

With tears in his eyes Coach asked me, "Why does God allow awful things to happen, especially to children? Why the children?" The answer lies in the importance of our free will. I have to admit that theologically it is easier for me to explain why God rarely intervenes than why He sometimes does. God gave us free will-we get to make choices that matter-and He rarely violates the consequences of our choices. I know this does not fully answer the question, but the important point here is that God doesn't want to intervene, yet there are times when He does. Why? Perhaps it is because He has plans for us. Yet each of us has a free-will. How can we have a free will to choose our own way when God has plans for our lives? I don't pretend to have a clue as to how it all works. It's very confusing, but that's the way God does it. Isn't that just like Him? He loves acting in ways that will increase our faith-like making good out of bad. God doesn't promise to make all bad events good. But He does promise to make something good come out of a bad situation if we will love and trust Him. After preaching for twenty-five years, I contracted a paralyzed vocal cord. I haven't addressed an audience since May 2002.

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