Recently I was invited to be an honorary coach for the Trinity Christian College women’s basketball team. Theo Owens is the head coach...and he is also my friend, brother, and a Timothy dad. Theo has been around basketball his entire life, and we know a lot of the same people in Illinois basketball circles. I was very excited (and impressed) when Trinity hired Theo for this role. I believe in him and support his vision for the program. Go Trolls!

If you’ve ever been a guest in a team’s locker room or even invited backstage for a performance, you know it is “sacred.” I was able to give a pregame challenge/devotion, lock arms with the team for prayer, listen intently to the game plan for the upcoming contest, and I enjoyed talking with members of the team and assistant coaches during warm-ups. I was even introduced as an honorary coach as the starting line-ups were announced! Given the restricted number of people in attendance, my introduction over the PA system wasn’t exactly met with thunderous applause...but it was awesome! I was in the huddle...part of the team.

The Trolls were able to stay ahead throughout the game and started to build a commanding lead in the 4th quarter. Coach challenged the ladies to separate themselves further from the opponent and build the margin. Ultimately the Lady Trolls went on to secure a convincing victory. During the course of the game, I found myself fully engaged as I sat on the bench in this honorary role. I cheered for the team, gave a few tips to players as they came off the floor, enjoyed visiting with one of the injured players sitting next to me, and learned quite a bit about each individual personality as well as the culture of the team. (All the while, I didn’t argue any calls by the referees.) From start to finish, this was an amazing experience. I loved it! Thank you, Theo, for including me as such a special part of the team.

My hope and my prayer is that we all feel this way about Timothy...that every family feels a part of the huddle—key members of the team. This is our 6th consecutive year of enrollment growth. Out of all of the new students we have enrolled this year, all but two have registered for next year. Regardless of when your journey with Timothy began, each family plays a critical role in our success. We have the most extraordinary people here at Timothy. Our community has remarkably different backgrounds and stories. It is a distinction of our school, and it is my bold conviction that it makes us stronger. And together, the collective force of the Timothy community will continue to accomplish great things for the glory of God.

Press on, Timothy.