But He also made me fast ..... Part 1

This year, our Mal is playing Freshman Football, and he is good at it! Actually, he is great at it and shows hints of NFL caliber greatness. He hopes to play NCAA football at UVA, and I believe he is in the right school, in the right program, with the right coaches to see that come into manifestation. We only hear great things about him from the coaches. He's playing on Special Teams, and is on the scout team as a Defensive End/Linebacker. Scout team is the nice way of saying third string. The fabulous news is, the coaches love his initiative and heart and see daily improvement ........ UVA on the horizon ...... and things look really promising .....

However, this hasn't always been the case.

Two years ago, Mal played in the county league, and, for an entire season Dad and I spent nearly every practice and game pulling our hair out from the side lines. Half speed, half hearted, ba doo pa doop .... blah blah blah effort at every practice and temper temper when he wasn't in every play on game day ..... this went on ALL SEASON LONG!!!!! We were so frustrated it was unbelievable!!!!

Soooooo, last year, Dad decided to Coach .... the thinking was maybe we weren't involved enough ...... maybe Mal would pick up the pace if Dad was there with him in a leadership/coaching role, as opposed to just being there as Dad.

Hmmmmmmmmm ............

Big excitement when he found out dad was coaching ....... Big excitement when the gear was issued ....... Big excitement when practices started ...... but then ...... when the season started, I noticed that same ho hum look on his face ....... not good! So, I had a heart to heart with him on the way to school the morning after the first game. To my amazement, he was afraid that if he played football, he couldn't be an actor. And EVERYONE knows without doubt that God sent this boy down here to be an actor. We have known it as long as he has been able to speak.

So, from the hip, I blurt through a laundry list of professional football players who have also had careers as actors ..... The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brian Bosworth, Terry Bradshaw, Brett Favre and the clincher ..... Michael Strahan, who he knows personally ..... and that seemed to ease his hesitation a bit. That, plus, I explained to him that Dad and I have never told him he could only do one thing. That we would never limit his abilities or opportunities.

BUT THEN ........... thank God for Pastor Jay, the Holy Bible, Elijah and his Chariot of Fire!!!!!

The way to successfully walk and talk in Malcolm's world is through the silver screen. He is Mr. Movie Man! And, very casually in a teaching series during last season, Pastor Jay made a reference to Chariots of Fire being one of his favorite movies, and how he believes one of the greatest lines in any movie .... ever .... is when the leading man, who was running track in the 1924 Olympics to the dismay of his missionary family, says ..... "God made me with a purpose, but He also made me fast".

With one line in a Sunday Service, one line from an Academy Award Winning Movie ...... Malcolm heard God speak to him clearly and without question for the first time ....... and played IRON MAN football for the Ravens for the entire season. The only player to do so, and he was awesome in it!!!!!!

From The Sidelines,

Kalena Watching