Let's Hear it for the Boy!!

CJ made Red-Team Player of the week this week for the high school football team!!! Now I know you must be wondering what that is....so I'll try to explain (from what I know). Like most high school football teams, varsity is where it is at. In our area we have a freshman team, JV and varsity. Our varsity does not have any starter who aren't seniors (except for when the varsity QB was hurt than they called the JV QB up). For JV, you have your starters--mostly Juniors with a handful of Sophomores). They now take these starters from JV, called the red team, and they practice with varsity. The idea is for red team to be the opposing team. When varsity wins (which they do most of time) their real game, red team is recognized. It is felt that they have prepared them sufficiently. One player on the red team gets recognized as player of the week. This week it was CJ.

His coaches had some really great things to say. It has already been said that they expect him to be a starter next year for varsity (he's a sophomore this year). This is a little funny considering this summer he didn't expect to get any playing time this year. He had it all figured out. Varsity had there star QB. JV 's QB was already picked out too from the year before. He went into this year figuring he would get no playing time at all during a game. But see, that just goes to show you that with God, anything is possible.

After the first real game of the year the Varsity QB got hurt and was going to be out for some time. When this happened everyone moved up in the line. The JV starter now became the Varsity starter and CJ moved into starting QB for JV. He expected this to last only a few games...2 at the most. However, the Varsity star stayed out longer than expected. 2 weeks turned into 4. When the varsity starter came back to practice CJ thought for sure he was done with starting himself...but do you know what happened....PRIDE.

No, not pride on the part of CJ, but Pride on the part of the original JV starter. He got a taste of varsity and he didn't want to go back. He would rather sit on the sidelines during a varsity game and have no playing time at all than play a full game at JV!!! He said so himself. He said he had "better things to do on a Saturday than play JV". Well you don't have to ask CJ twice to step in. He was more than happy to stay doing what he loves. Playing the game.

Last night was a special night for CJ. He got to have 6 plays in last nights varsity game!!! He played a few different positions. HE LOVED IT!!! He came home very excited to play under Friday Night Lights.....and I think it helped that he played against the city that we use to live in. Oh, BTW, he really couldn't play anymore than he did in Varsity. State rule is if you play 10 plays at the varsity level you are ineligible to play that week at the JV level.

One last thing to say. I am proud of my son. He works hard to keep his body in shape and takes his sports seriously. But you know what I am even more proud of.....his new found perspective of it all. A few years a go all he did was think about sports morning, noon and night. He got up watching Sports Center and went to sleep listening to sports radio. He wanted to be a professional sports player in either football or baseball. But something has changed in him over the last year. He is now open to God's direction in his life. Now don't get me wrong. He STILL wants to be a professional sports player but he is open to the possibility that he might not be. This is HUGE...VERY HUGE!!! He knows that God may take this all away from him someday....and he is okay with that. My boy is growing up. Not just age wise but growing in the Lord. Not too long ago he sent me an email and I noticed his signature quote at the bottom.

"If I'm only remembered as a good athlete, I've done a bad job with the rest of my life."

I am proud of you CJ for the young man of God you are turning into. Love ya!!