We all have a calling to fulfill on our lives. I believe we are called, generally speaking, to be the hands and feet of God on earth. It really helps us as an organization when we are in the presence of people who understand their own spiritual gifts and earthly talents. If that’s you, please reach out to us to discuss how we can work together.

If you are unsure about your gifts and talents, and would like to discover them try what I did. I discovered mine by answering these four questions:

What do you laugh about?
What do you worry about?
What do you cry about?
What do you dream about?

Your answers to these questions may help you identify your God given gifts and talent and lead you to find your purpose in life. You may also discover that you are a good fit for L.E.A.D. .

3. BE PRESENT

One of the best ways to help L.E.A.D. is by simply showing up to our games and cheering us on. We all know the power of money and we can always use it to further our mission, but there is so much power in encouragement. It speaks volumes to our Ambassadors when people they may know only in passing, or even those they may not know, take the time to show up and watch them compete. At least that’s what I experienced growing up playing baseball. As a child, I dreamed of playing pro-baseball in front of fans that were cheering me while, in a sense, as their hero, I was empowering them. I even practiced signing my autograph for hours as an inner-city Atlanta elementary school student so I’d be ready when the day came.

Our young Ambassadors are creating a new normal for themselves by participating in L.E.A.D.’s program, and they are succeeding. They are dreaming new dreams. They are whittling away at staggering statistics that had

them, too often, mired in nightmares of being incarcerated. Those night-mares are turning into dreams of high school and college graduation, and sustainable careers and families. 100% of L.E.A.D. Ambassadors graduate from high school. 95% of our Ambassadors attend college and 90% on scholarship. 5% of L.E.A.D. Ambassadors enlist in the military.

Your presence at our games and other events is a powerful message to the Ambassadors that the community supports them, and cares about them. We see “pep in their step” after games that are more fully attended. Click here to attend an upcoming L.E.A.D. game or event and show your support for L.E.A.D. Ambassadors.

4. BE A PARTNER

L.E.A.D. is much more than a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. We are a Methodology and a Movement.

L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) is a place where mentors find it is safe, as do the mentees, to show themselves because they find that engaging with our Ambassadors is enlightening and empowering. I find this to be true each time I interact with them. I am able to be vulnerable and admit that I don’t have all of the answers they may need as they work on self-empowerment. I can go even deeper with them, and let them know that sometimes, during low times, even I can fall short of motivating myself.

Further, I always have lots of questions for the Ambassadors. Since we’ve created a culture that promotes honesty, I can ask them questions and they can authentically respond with how they feel. The manner in which these discussions take place allows me to serve them in a way that they need instead of in a way that I think they need, and those interactions reinforce trust.

L.E.A.D. promotes honest discussion and nurtures trust among its mentors and mentees. We welcome mentors. To find out more about becoming a partner in mentorship click here. We also welcome financial donations to sustain our Methodology and Movement. To make a recurring financial donation click here.

For decades older fans, coaches and casual observers have suggested three reasons to explain the sharp decline of Black boys in baseball:

• Black boys aren’t as athletic as they used to be. 
• Black boys refuse to practice on their own. 
• Black boys have lost the ability to think critically. 

I’m the first to admit, Black boys need to take responsibility for their own success. However, years of first- hand experience has completely persuaded me that reversing the above “reasons” will not magically level the playing field. In my opinion, the problem exists largely because Black boys face three elusive pitches that they just can’t seem to hit:

First the fast ball — White Is Right! This is the fastest pitch most black boys will ever see. It comes right down the plate in the form of the decision to play for a white coach versus a black coach. Individually this decision appears inconsequential but collectively it adversely affects the Black talent pool. Black boys are inclined to think the grass

is greener on the other side- meaning White coaches provide better instruction, more favor with scouts and a shield from the label that Black boys are lazy and not coachable. As a teenager, I was guilty of deciding that White was right. At the time, it was a selfish decision to protect my ego. Fleeing from my fears, I abandoned my community and planted the seeds of my talents in a garden that wasn’t mine. As a result, there was no harvest for the upcoming generation of Black boys. That cycle continues. Instead of thinking legacy, many Black boys are consumed with winning. 

That brings me to the second pitch, the change up— Winning Is Everything! The reduced speed and deceptive delivery of the change up confuses black boys timing. At an age when they should be intensely focused on self-development, they focus on winning games instead. Anxious and afraid they won’t have access to scholarships or major league scouting opportunities, black boys make the fatal mistake of equating wins with self-worth. The relentless pursuit of winning brings on an identity crisis causing them to bankrupt their personal identity in exchange for the identity of their team. Their “win now” obsession becomes the very thing that causes them to lose big later.

Finally, the curve ball. This is the most dangerous pitch of all. Hope Is Enough! Black boys filled with the illusion of hope sit and wait for the world to come to them. For a short time they spin forward through life like the threads of a curve ball but inaction suddenly drops them on a downward path toward their fate.

The true culprit for the decline of black boys in baseball

Photo by Jason Getz

is an all-star pitcher with the name HISTORY stitched on it’s back. History continues to throw elusive pitches past Black boys whose experience and exposure not only cause them to strike out in baseball, too often they strike out in life. This blog comes from the heart of a man who bleeds baseball. I’m in search of solutions that will preserve the future of the game I love. If you could wave a magic wand (or bat) what would you do to get more Black boys back into baseball? I invite you to disagree with me.

These are the values that I’ve learned and adopted and that have served me well over the years:

Excellence – fulfilling expectations
Humility – not thinking of yourself less so that you can serve others more
Integrity – doing the right thing even when you can do the wrong thing
Loyalty – doing the right things for the right reasons, even if they’re not popular
Stewardship – protector of your values and people
Teamwork – being your best within a group of people that are being their best for a specific purpose

I’ve never been tempted by drugs – never a dope boy – but I’ve experienced other temptations. There are plenty of opportunities for all of us to make bad choices. They are in an abundance daily.

One of the values I work hard to preserve is my integrity – doing the right thing even when I can do the wrong thing. I’ve found plenty of opportunities to do the wrong thing that given time will erode my integrity, if I let them; and know that it can be broken over time by perpetuating bad habits. For instance, I have a bad habit of browsing my phone while in the presence of my wife and daughters. I know better, but choose to do it anyway. Not only do I miss opportunities to connect with the most important people in my life, but I am also whittling away at one of my core values – integrity – by putting it in conflict each time.

Thankfully, the ladies of my life check my bad habit, and sometimes they do it with words that hurt my heart. They tell me that I care more about my phone than spending time with them. However, I’ll take the hurt because it gets my attention and makes me realize I am making the wrong choices for the goals and commitments I’ve made. Their words are a game changer, and for that I am grateful.

As you can see I am not perfect. Far from it. Like everyone, my values are constantly challenged. When they are, I rely on my family, friends and faith to keep my commitment strong.

All of us have the ability to dream; those who can tout significant achievements or those with disadvantageous circumstances. As leaders in our community, how do we foster the dreams of those most in need? How can we be dream enhancers instead of dream stealers for our disadvantaged youth? How can we show them what is possible?

• Dare to dream, because it takes courage
• Recognize that when you dream, you will encounter obstacles
• Enlist others to help you reach your dream, you were not designed to go it alone
• Dream Big – because when you do, big things happen.

I’m great at what I do as a coach and a mentor because it’s my calling from God and I am responding to the call. I know it’s my calling because of the GREAT EIGHT™.

What is your calling? Ask yourself these GREAT EIGHT™ questions daily for just 30 days to find out.

Remember – significance starts with a dream. Become significant – start dreaming.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” http://bible.com/59/rom.8.28.esv

Don’t be deceived. Not only have I not always been a servant-leader on purpose, I didn’t want to be one. I saw people who were serving others as being weak at times. Giving of myself in exchange for money was my paradigm until 2007 when I was convicted.

I listened to myself speak to people in a way that caused me to pause and say, “You know what, C.J., you’re selfish and arrogant. But you knew that all ready about yourself. The crime is that you aren’t doing anything about it and it will be your downfall.”

Looking back on that conversation with myself was a second base moment. The good news is that I arrived there after making a stop at first base, where I was pointing fingers and blaming everybody else for my failures.

Second base in our maturation process is where we become convicted by our hostile responses to things that legitimately and illegitimately cause us to get angry. You realize as a principle that anger only hurts you and not the person that caused it.

In fact, our body temperature rises when we are angry (up to 90 percent of our body is water). So, basically, we’re cooking our organs when we’re angry. Realizing this at second base allows us to become proactive to prevent ourselves from being angry more times than not.

Austin and I with Georgia Governor Nathan Deal

me to ask myself with boldness, “What do you want to do with your life C.J.? How are you made? What makes you unique?

This transformation doesn’t happen in my life without my experiences at first and second base.

I developed a clear mission in life at third base to be significant by serving millions and bringing them into a relationship with Christ, starting with Kelli and our daughters, Mackenzi and Mackenna.

Simply fulfilling this mission was a success for me.

I then established a clear mission for my businesses and success was based on fulfilling it. Failure became feedback and taught me how to make adjustments that led to more success. I became very distinctive among many of my peers. I began to serve as a role model of excellence, which I define as meeting expectations.

What I enjoy the most about being at home plate is the ability to be predictive. Those who I serve need me to often times provide answers to questions they don’t even know to ask.

As a philosophy, I seek God daily, so that I can be obedient to His commandments. This is great for me, because now I don’t have to exist aimlessly in the world trying to figure out what to do, who to serve and how to serve them.

Baseball is like life in that we don’t want to strike out or be stuck on a base. You can’t score if you’re striking out and stuck. We have to do things and/or have help from others to move around the bases.

The key to winning is to touch home plate a lot.

Your Guide

First Base
1. What are some of the most common things said to you that trigger an attitude of anger?
2. What are some of the most common things done to you that trigger an attitude of anger?
3. How does being angry make you feel?

Second Base
1. How does it feel when you are right?
2. How does it feel when you are wrong?
3. Who are the people that you trust enough to correct you when you are wrong?

Third Base
1. How do you define success?
2. How have you achieved success within the last 48 hours?
3. What do you have to give to the world?

Home
1. Who’s your role model and why?