Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah 40: 31 (KJV)

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12: 1b-2 (NIV)

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
II Timothy 4: 7 (NKJV)

They were both great leaders in faith and the world of sports.

Both great examples of embracing the importance of family, of mentoring and adding value to the lives of all others God entrusted to them.

Bill Carr, former Athletic Director of the University of Florida, who when he became the Athletic Director at age 33, was the youngest AD of all major universities at that time. 

Mike Martin, former Head Baseball Coach of Florida State University, who served as the Head Coach at FSU for forty seasons, retiring in June of 2019 as the all-time winningest coach in collegiate sports with 2,029 wins.

Both stepped from here into the arms of their God in Heaven for all of their eternity.

Mike on February 1, 2024, and Bill on February 3, 2024.

Visionaries for Christ—who found and lived out their identity in the Christ they loved and served. 

Two men who claimed the power for their lives in the power of the Cross of Christ. 

Men who stood for right even when they stood alone—because they stood with Christ. 

Men whose integrity marked their lives both publicly and privately.

Men whose lives were stabilized, empowered, lifted, and directed in their journey through all they faced in life, through their belief in the eternal promise of the power of the Cross.

Be lifted, as they were, by these words from the song, “The Power of the Cross,” written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend—

“Oh to see the dawn of the darkest day, Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten then, nailed to the cross of wood.
This the power of the cross, Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross…
Now the day light flees, now the ground beneath,
Quakes as its maker bows his head, Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life, Finished, the victory cry.
This the power of the cross, Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh to see my name written in the woods, for through your suffering I am free,
Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live, won through your selfless love.
This the power of the cross, Son of God slain for us,
One above, one across, we stand forgiven at the cross.”

Two men. Giants in the world of sports. 

But not in their minds or hearts. 

They were simply privileged to be servants of their Christ, walking with Him in the power of the Cross, serving and impacting the world around them for good.

In His Name–Scott

Be lifted by this awesome performance of “The Power of the Cross” by the California Baptist University Choir and Orchestra.