Continued Influence

When I played football at Hope College we played at Riverview Park, a city owned facility North of campus with a perfect view of a swamp!  It was quaint.  The stands on the North side were covered!  Hope students filled the stands on the South side that were about five yards behind the visitor’s bench.  It led to some interesting exchanges!

              

The city built a brand new Municipal Stadium adjacent to Hope’s campus in the late 70’s which has been the home of Hope College football ever since.  The field was also shared with local high school teams and was made available for other events for the city of Holland.  Each year, as the football season wore on, the field deteriorated from overuse.  If it was a rainy fall the games looked like they were being played in a mud bowl.  It was at the best embarrassing, and at the worst possibly dangerous.

              

This year Hope College bought the stadium from the city.  This was much to the city’s relief in that they could no longer afford to maintain the facility or make necessary improvements.  Hope immediately installed artificial turf and made necessary upgrades to other aspects of the facility.  It is beautiful.

              

Last week Hope announced that the stadium would be named the Ray and Sue Smith Stadium in honor of Ray Smith’s 25 years of service as Hope’s football coach.  Ray holds Hope College, MIAA, and national Division III coaching records.  It is a well-deserved honor.

              

Through God’s providence Ray Smith came to Hope College as football coach my sophomore year. He had an immediate impact on the football program, but more importantly on my life personally.  Ray was more than a coach.  He was a role model and a mentor for me of what it meant for a man to be a fully-devoted disciple of Jesus Christ.  He talked the talk and walked the walk.  God used Ray Smith to shape me into the person I am today.  Ray Smith challenged me to take my faith more seriously and he demonstrated God’s belief in me and my gifts with his own belief in me and my gifts. 

              

When I was wrestling with the decision of leaving teaching and coaching and entering ministry, Becky and I met with Ray and Sue to get their opinion. They started to cry.  My first thought was that the thought of me in ministry was so painful that it brought them to tears.  Ray and Sue told us that they had been praying that I would go into ministry for two years!

              

Ray asked me to join his coaching staff when I returned to Holland for seminary after one year of teaching.  He believed that I could coach at the college level and coach people that had been my teammates two years earlier.  He and Sue have constantly encouraged me in my ministry.  We remain good friends and play golf together several times a year.  I remember the influence Ray had on my life and try to influence others similarly in my own ministry.

              

God puts people in our lives at certain times when we need them the most.  He did that for us with Ray and Sue Smith and I thank God for their influence every day.  I encourage you to remember the people God has used to influence your life and to let them know how much you appreciate that influence.

Next time you get to Holland, visit Ray and Sue Smith Stadium!