“The Power of Association” (Ready to Worship S12E1)

August 7, 2020

Ready to Worship Season 12, Episode 1 for Friday, August 7, 2020

John Wooden was one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. In his last 12 seasons with the UCLA Bruins, he won 10 national championships. At one point, he won seven championships in a row. In one stretch, his team won 88 consecutive games. Wooden’s teams were phenomenal. Once in an interview, Wooden was asked about the importance of team chemistry and association. In answering the question, Wooden said, “Let me tell you about one of the greatest players I ever coached.” The reporter expected to hear a story about Kareem Abdul Jabbar or Bill Walton. Instead, he heard a story about Swen Nater. Who? Swen Nater! Let me tell you a little about Swen. Swen was born in the Netherlands, orphaned, and grew up in Southern, CA. When I say grew up, I mean grew up. Swen grew to nearly 7 feet tall. Everyone who saw him thought one thing – basketball. After much encouragement, he tried out for his high school team. Sadly, even at seven feet, he failed to make the team. He was clumsy and awkward. His dream seemed to be dead. However, after high school, a coach from a nearby community college spotted Swen. The coach struck up a conversation with Swen and explained that seven footers were hard to find. The coach offered Swen a free education if he’d give basketball another shot. Swen agreed. With a lot of work and two years of coaching, Swen became one of the five best centers in the JUCO system. Scholarship offers from four year schools began to come in. His coach at Cypress Community College encouraged Swen to consider UCLA. Swen remarked that they had not shown any interest in him. Besides, they had won five championships in a row and didn’t need him. After much persuasion, Swen agreed for the coach to make a call on his behalf. The junior college coach made the sales call of a lifetime. He said, “Coach Wooden, it appears that you have one scholarship left for next year, and I have your player sitting on my bench.” Wooden asked what made him so sure. The answer surprised him. “Coach Wooden, here’s your problem. As I look at your roster, you have one of the best players in college starting at center – Bill Walton. But what you don’t have is anyone big enough to compete against him – in practice. You need my big guy to make your big guy better.” To make a long story short, Wooden agreed. He gave Nater the final scholarship for that year. It made Walton, the Bruins, and Nater better. All three would tell you that it did. Walton was expected to be the first overall pick in the NBA draft. His selection was no surprise. Nater’s selection was. He became the first ever to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft without starting a game as a senior. That is the power of association. Spending time with the right people matters. Consider some verses with me:

Psalm 119:63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Proverbs 22:24-25 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. 1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Over and over again, the Bible encourages us to spend time with the right people. We need to spend time with people that will make us better. One of the saddest things about the pandemic has been the fact that it has hindered many Christians from spending time in worship together. God knew that we needed each other (Heb. 10:25). I am convinced that many of us now realize this more than ever. As we get ready to worship this week, let’s be thankful for the association/fellowship that we have with other Christians. The time that we spend together makes us all better.