CHURCH!

I'll always remember how we spent our off day in Branson.  We went to church!

I came to IWU last year anxious to learn about what made the program so successful.  I will never forget the first piece of advice I got from Coach Tonagel.  I was expecting him to tell me what players to recruit or what film to watch, but instead he said,“If you are ever wondering how you can help further our program, pursue Christ.”

On our day off between the Elite 8 and the Final 4, rather than sleeping in or watching film, that’s what each man in our program did.

Chills ran through my body as I turned and saw men of God on each side of me raising their hands in reverence to the Lord in worship.  Coach Dimmich was clapping his hands and ‘Big Daddy’ Josh Mawhorr was about to jump onto the front stage he was so excited to worship! 

The sermon that morning was about commitment. I was reminded of my commitment to my Savior and the identity that I have in Christ alone.  This tournament was not about our pursuit of winning a national championship – it was about pursuing Christ through basketball.

As I looked around and saw players, and parents and boosters all worshipping together, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.  Just as Coach T had told me on my first day on the job, there was one primary thing that every person in our program would do—Pursue Christ!

-Coach Jordan Delks