In the spring of 1999, I met Brian Beltramo at an FCA sponsored Arizona Cardinals coaching clinic. At that time FCA coach’s ministry didn’t exist. Over the next couple of years Brian and I developed a solid relationship. But, every time we got together it seemed as though Brian was always concerned with getting my football players to the next FCA event, something, frankly, that I was less than excited about. I was a Christian, yes, but first, I was a coach.
During that time in my career, I was focused on me and my professional advancement. I was the Head Football Coach at a 5A school and I wanted to do everything within my power to build the program so we could win more so I could get a better job. My priorities, in order, were football, friends, family, then faith.
I was successful in accomplishing the goals I had set (both the intentional goals and unintentional ones). My football team progressed and I was offered the opportunity to start the football program at a brand new high school…from the ground up, nobody else’s problems to fix. I eagerly accepted and moved into my new position…and 3 months later I lost my marriage when my wife announced that she was leaving me. The priorities in my live were wrong and the consequences began to show.
Coincidentally, it was about that time that FCA coach’s ministry was hatched in Arizona. Brian’s focus changed from what I could do for him (getting my athletes to FCA events) to what he could do for me. He was ministering and serving me. Brian didn’t stop caring about kids, but the focus of his ministry changed. His mentorship helped guide me through two years as a single parent, my remarriage and into our school’s first varsity season. I began to shuffle my priorities and my life began to be transformed. My priorities began to change and I now have my life in the proper order; faith, family, friends, football.
The seeds that Brian planted in 1999 were finally sprouting. The Legacy Builder’s Bible study series came out and we started a study at 6 a.m. with a dozen coaches at my school. We were getting spiritual food. And, more importantly, we started to realize that the more we were fed and ministered to as coaches, the better we as coaches fed and ministered to our players. There was a definite "trickle down effect". I became less concerned with turning our young men into good football players and became more concerned with modeling Christ in my coaching and turning my players into believers.
In the last two-plus years, Coaches Ministry has exploded at La Joya High School and there is an impending explosion in the entire State of Arizona. In addition to our early morning Legacy Builder’s Bible Studies, on our campus we have gathered to pray and lay hands on a coach who was fired. We have prayer walked our lockerrooms, weight room, training room, practice and game fields. We now hold a weekly Friday chapel for our student athletes. Last season every Varsity football player in our program watched "Facing the Giants" and was presented an opportunity to receive Christ in my backyard the night before our first ever State Playoff game. This year, in an attempt to get out of our comfort zone, and expand our Chrisitan influence to people outside of La Joya High School, my coaches and I now extend the invitation for post game prayer to the opposing coaches after our Varsity football games. In a sentence we have "found a way to fit football into our Christianity". We are Christians who coach, rather than coaches who are Christians.
The transformation that has occurred is most certainly a God thing and to His name be the glory. But the tool that God chose to use was FCA Coaches Ministry and Brian Beltramo. God sure is smart.
