Salvation by way of a Basketball

In 1993 we moved into a new house with our four young children ages eight, five, three, and nine months. Next door lived a family of non-believers with two children, one a teenager and one a pre-teen—all of whom loved sports.

On the other side of us, two houses down, lived another family with twins, who were also pre-teens and had accepted Christ. These four older neighbor kids were built-in baby-sitters to my kids and, because we lived in the middle of the block, they came over to our house a lot. It wasn’t long before I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to witness to the two unbelieving kids.

At first it was hard because their mother, Donna, and I had so many opposing views.  Abortion, for instance, was one issue on which we disagreed: she believed it was okay in certain situations and I believed it was never right. My normal nature would have been to argue with her, trying to prove my point. But the Holy Spirit in me knew this was pointless because Donna wasn’t a believer. That I was able to keep my arguments to myself was a miracle itself.

Conversations continued, however, between Donna’s daughter Ashley and me, culminating one day when Mitch and Kate, the twins two-doors down, and Ashley came over. Mitch and Kate had told me beforehand that they had accepted Christ as their Savior in their bedroom at home one night. Both of them were sure they knew Jesus and could tell the story of their conversion.

As we sat talking, I asked Mitch to tell me what had happened to him the night he accepted Christ. He said, “I asked Jesus into my heart one night with my mom sitting on my bed. Then later I was baptized at church.” I then asked Ashley if she had ever had this experience. She said she had not and looked down rather sheepishly.

Not long after they had all left, Mitch came back and asked, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” 

“Yes,” I replied, “because Ashley needs Jesus too.”

This conversation backfired, however, when Ashley told Mitch later that she didn’t want to come back to our house anymore because I talked about church too much. I thought I had really failed, but God knew differently.

I went to a conference on witnessing soon after and told the conference speaker that I was witnessing to this family and that I did not know how to approach them again. I will never forget what she said to me: “It is pretty selfish of you to think that you are the only one who can lead them to the Lord.” This was not the response I expected at all, but I went home and prayed about it. That’s when the Lord showed me to pray for a Christian sports figure to come into this family’s life. So on May 2, 1996, I began to pray that they would all be saved and that a Christian sports-figure would come to witness to them.

In 1997, Clint, the oldest son, began his high school basketball career. As God would have it, a local pastor who played college basketball was one of the coaches. Through Pastor Matt, Clint became very interested in going to church and asked his whole family to go. At the time, the church met in a home so Rick, the father, was reluctant to attend but Donna and the kids went ahead.

After going one Sunday, Donna was especially troubled with what she had heard. She always had a traditional faith, but it made no real difference in her life. So when confronted with authentic faith and a new worship style, she became confused and scared. She didn’t go back for several months, but she kept digging into the Word for herself. Eventually she, along with Clint and Ashley, were saved. 

Donna and the kids went back to church and grew by leaps and bounds. Donna’s heart was changed dramatically. She said to me one day in our driveway, “I’m just living for Jesus now; I don’t care what anyone thinks.” She also changed her thinking on abortion and several other key issues.

In about a year, because of the change Rick saw in her and their children, he became a Christian too.

Since Donna is now a vibrant Christian, together we are praying for the rest of her family and friends to come to know Jesus too. Several have already accepted Christ as a result.  

I will never again think that I am the only one who can lead someone to Christ. I might need the help of fellow believers, or a pastor who loves sports. Nevertheless, I will always believe that prayer changes the hearts of men and I want to be a part of that on a regular basis.

It is the earnest prayer of a righteous man that makes tremendous power available (James 1:16). That power is in us and for us who believe (Ephesians 1:19), and that power will save the lost like it saved my neighbors, even if it comes by way of a basketball.