Interview with Travis Reeve

CNG radio for today's culture and time was Drew's come together is reasoned, relevant content, apologetics, worldview and answers to the questions that you need to know need to know. Welcome to truth for a new generation radio and now the man who preached in 50 states and 50 days speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarlane of the Bible speaks of believers, as the body of Christ, a great big family. People all around the world and their different backgrounds, different journeys, but what leaders have in common is that got the Lord Jesus as their Savior, they trusted Christ for salvation and then God's big family are people that he works in and works through and one of the most beautiful things is how God is changing the world through people and you know the Lord could've written the gospel message in the sky in a God could've put John 316 on the leaf of every tree he could've done that port so beautiful about Christianity is God takes just ordinary people and number one changes their life and saves their soul and he fills people with his spirit and his word begins to change our life unit. Romans 12 verse two says that we bring every thought captive under the Lordship of Jesus and then God begins to work through us and God does things in life that really count for eternity.

And so we welcome you to today's edition of TMG radio truth for new generation Alex McFarlane here, and as always I'm on the road traveling around America and you know we made a lot of people a lot of people that are just very inspiring and unforgettable and I was here in Clara Texas and at the home of some dear friends the Reese family and Ray Reese, a dear friend was found about Travis Rees are EE the Travis Ralph who is at Clara high school and he is the head football coach and is the athletic director and he's doing some things that are just just inspiring and I wanted we made a couple of phone calls us that I've got have Travis on the radio ship and so folks the person you're about to meet is being used by God to touch the lives of young people he's being used by God to make a difference in a whole lot of ways and he's a busy coach and a busy public figure in this town, but he took some time to be with us and Travis as was a thanks man thanks for all you do for the kingdom.

But thanks also for taking 30 minutes to visit with us today on TMG radio, you bet it's a great honor to be here with you and the you know what it's excited about Tobin out of his way to well before we talk about football and and the small group ministry that you doing in leadership that you're imparting the young people want to hear little bit about your story end up where you from and and how did God bring you to this part of your journey. I was born in San Antonio Texas in the live there till I was in eighth grade before we moved to Victoria.

I was so saved at the age of 10. At the end of a revival service and moved to Victoria. My dad was a football coach and he took the head coaching job at Victoria high school and so I went to high school and Victoria graduated from there and and then I actually in my in my coaching career started off with him at Victoria high for year one up to Plano West when Plano West open in the Dallas Fort Worth area and I coach William Loeb at their coastal time in San Antonio rejoined him here and coral as office coordinator for six years left to go to Churchill. As Antonio came back as the head coach and this is been my seventh year as a coach your coral. What is gonna be pretty special.

In Clara, you coached and worked with your dad and now you're the head coach that's got to be pretty meaningful. It is, you know this is a great place for those who don't know of about coral coral is a places got great tradition in terms of football and athletics in the state of Texas and so it's a great honor number one to be the cochair, but also just to be a member of this community. This is a community that still honors God that still allows us to upgrade before football games allows me and in our coaching staff to talk about to Christ with our kids and how that's becoming more and more rare, but that's one of the things it makes us a unique place. Will you know it really is and Travis. It's been my privilege as an evangelist to be in a couple of thousand churches in different cities. I love America but is true with all my heart. Coral is a very special place for those who may not know your Texas geography outside of Austin. I guess were about 90 miles from Austin were near Victoria, Texas, and Dr.I've been here. This is my third trip. It is a very wonderful town and so if if the life is transferring you somewhere and you find yourself in Texas.

This is a good place to be, folks, I sure you but let me ask you this year. Coach year in academics and athletics but your I see a person like you and your in the lives of young people tell us a little bit about the use of the 21st century how things might be different from when you were growing up. Travis will I think you know the youth are similar in their different. I think some of the things that have changed is not necessarily the kids, it's the expectations and the what is accepted and not accepted in all culturally surrounding those kids and so they're hearing a lot of different messages now that had a lot of different mixed messages and soul in athletics. We, you know, athletics, and in my opinion is a tool to make a difference in kids. It's it's a tool of influence, and so we go we want to use that influence to teach them know what the truth is in and it may be to squash some of those things that they here that are supposed to be true that, necessarily, are true and we spent a lot of time doing that for those just tuning and were talk with Travis Rees at Clara high school in Texas. This is TMG radio Alex McFarlane here we take a brief break and we come back were going to hear about some exciting stuff. God is done in the sports program here through countries but something that can be replicated anywhere that is really ministry a small group ministry and I'll let him explain the stating you don't want to miss this if you care about the future of the country and you care about young people as we do. You don't want to miss the next few minutes of TMG radio station back after this from.

I am a watchman ministries. Here's today's I am a watchman minute Tennyson wrote more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of one of the most familiar prayers in the Bible is the Lord's prayer the prayer begins with the words our father, aren't you glad Jesus said we could pray our father he didn't say my father as if God would only listen to him and he didn't say pray to a father, as if God was one of many.

Jesus didn't say pray the father as if God existed but had no interest in having a relationship with the common man know Jesus directs us to pray our father, we can pray to the one who loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. Prayer matters through a live chat service and prayer request portal.

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You of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children, your pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarlane encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum.

The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity. I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children. The spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids the book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask the book study guide and video series. You'll find it@afastore.net that AFA store.net you know Romans 116 says for. I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. That's what your kids need before they go to college. That's the theme for the 2019 TMG Christian apologetics youth July 29 through August 2 at Camp kale North Carolina speakers include of course Alex McFarlane along with Daniel Ritchie, Andy Lawrenson and Vicki Addison exciting worship every night, and rocksolid teaching every day. And yes, it's a summer camp with all the summer camp activities. Your kids would expect the TMG Christian apologetics youth camp July 29 through August 2 at Camp kale to learn more and to register, call 800.

Yes, God, one 800 yes God in the number one or email info and truth for a new generation.com for apologetics, resources, books by Alex McFarlane and to find out where Alex is speaking. Visit truth for a new generation.com welcome back TMG radio Alex info if you were going to continue our conversation with Travis Reeve here in Clara Texas, but I want to remind you folks coming up soon is the summer youth worldview camp that we do every year. TMG camp is coming off and out last year with 50 fourteenths from nine states this year. I know it's late but you still got time July 29 to August 2 to be down on the coast of North Carolina, at Camp kale's beautiful and I will get to do all the fun camp stuff zip lines and kayaking and all that, good stuff, but will have 15 sessions on the gospel on discipleship leadership worldview and let me challenge you to invest a week that will count for eternity there going to be great speakers nationally known youth speaker Andy Lawrenson will and Mickey Addison from the American family radio network in the urban family talk network can be amazing, great food, great fun. Great memories but great change of life as we talk to your youth about their walk in the witness for Christ. You can go to truth for a new generation.com that's truth FL war truth for a new generation.com or my own website Alex McFarlane.com. Either one will get you to the same place. Listen, if, if, like ourselves, you care about God and country you care about the future of America. Maybe consider the youth camp in the summer. That's a little different where we equip young people to know what they believe, why they believe it and they can go back to school, standing strong for their faith and so go to truth for new generation.com to learn more. Well, somebody who I just have a great respect for who God is using to train young people and I am talking with Travis Reeve I'm hearing about their journey and you know when when I meet people. God is using in a great way like Travis Reeve I'm just inspired and I hope this inspiration will touch your life as well because what he's doing.

God wants to do through you, my friends, you can make a difference in so we can resume our conversation Travis before we go too much farther.

There might be people listening and they say yeah I know God is using a Travis Reeve but you know he's he's a superstar and I'm just an ordinary person and I wish in our community.

Things like this could happen but you know God uses somebody else, not necessarily me what you say to the person who's wondering if the Lord could actually use their life.

You know, I think that I think if you make yourself will until the Lord is going to use you and you know it in my profession as a coach, you know it's a lot of times it's all about wins, wins, wins ride out how much you went out window championships and things like that and I can tell you the other way that the Lord is is used or began to use me is about three years ago we were 13 and one and and and work order finalist and that we had a great season bought by most measures, but as I was traveling to Colorado with my family just felt like what did we really accomplish.

Besides, you know, winning a bunch of games that's not gonna matter to the kids that we work with when they graduate, and that God was just, talking to me at that time in and out and I thought about you know what is it that, why is it that I coach. Why is it that we work with young kids and and the answer is to make a difference. You know to to make a positive change in their life or or to make a positive impact, and in so as I thought about what impact are we making us thought about why hope that we made this impact.

I hope we may that impact think I kind of revealed to me like you delete he said it will do they know how to run the inside zone, which is one of our offense of place. Of course they know how to run the inside zone because we spend a lot of time teaching and that will then why don't you feel like you want to be as certain that you've made an impact.

And so it was really an aha moment for me and I came back to our staff. After the Christmas break, and asked the same question they have the same answer why hope we make this impact, we may that impact an answer for us was is that we had to begin to be intentional about making an impact.

And if we were going to make an impact. We need a plan for Woody to devote time to it is needed to become our number one priority. So from that time on within our program. It it became less about the wins and losses, and it became more about how we make an impact today and I will think that it has to be in the realm of sports to do that. I think it no matter what what walk of life that you're in what your number one priority and is if your number one priority is to make a difference for Christ. He will find a way to use you and in if you get caught up in all the other pressures and stresses of life in the ward about more about those things you may tend to them well, but you may miss the boat on what God really has intended for your life and and so since then we've we've instituted a program work where we devote a tremendous amount of time and energy to try to make a difference in our kids lives in and we've seen a lot of really positive results from the gods really use that time to do blessed not only us but our kids and men at will.

And that's true unity, and in the course of investing in people we get the blessing don't let him you've got a small group ministry or leadership training model to me about that.

Well, what we done is we start with a mission statement that we came up with a mission statement and basically that you know we want to make a difference in kids through their experience in an athletics which got have a plan to do that and so what we started doing was we started with an with Tony done G's uncommon manhood book and in so that's got like 33 chapters and we started that spring semester and in and we said forward. I do this as we go.

What where we need to change you change it. The word on get started and Celeste, we did and we started with the book uncommon manhood in each one of our coaches will took that and in and we did a lesson or two a week and so we would do that on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Wednesdays we would split up into what we call family groups and so each one of our coaches is got about 12 kids and that's just a time where we can eat week follow-up on the lesson, but we pour our ourselves into them in and we would bring in the speakers to come and talk not about football but just about their success in life.

Their faith, whatever the case may be in and we added a community service component to it as well. Will we go out in the community and we take our kids a lot of different places and and so we we've built on that we we've expanded that since the start of that about three years ago. That's kind of the basis and so our mantra that we, taken on his uncommon men when and out we we want our kids and our coaches to do things in an uncommon way, whether it's on the field, whether it's in the classroom, whether it's in the community, whether it's art with our our walk with Christ.

We want to do things that are uncommon in our society today because really that's what you get if you want to be successful in so that's kind of what we've this, we started listening to TMG radio Travis Rees and were gonna come right back without one more segment, so she don't want to miss this as we conclude our time talking about imparting truth, love, leadership in the gospel to young people stick to TMG radio as we take a break, let me tell you about 310 three books that will answer questions that come your way from others or even yourself about the Christian faith. Number 110 answers for skeptics today. Skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity, and straightforward faith in this book you will learn how to answer intimidating questions. Identify the roof issues behind those questions and dismantled the spiritual bombshell dropped by nonbelievers. Those usually end up just being a puff of smoke, number 210 answers for atheists were Alex looks at the philosophical assumptions at the root of atheism and agnosticism exposing logical historical and conceptual fallacy. Alex shares clear explanations of beliefs and biblical answers to those questions that often leave you stumped, but no more in number three.

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You'll earn more than a degree in the satisfaction of seeing what you can accomplish and what God can accomplish more than 600° options from associate 100% online more of discover God's truth through every degree at liberty University where we train champions for Christ, go to liberty\exploit. To learn more at liberty\exploit. Learn more in the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism. Alex McFarland is a voice you can trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to the truth for a new generation radio Alex McFarland here back with TMG radio talked with Coach Rees here at Clara high school in Texas and before we get too much for what you give the website as you got a unique URL for your website. So, tell us what that is. Gobbler sports.com and gobbler sports like a turkey.com and what is that, in reference to well coral is the turkey capital the world.

Now, Worthington, Minnesota Mike that beg to differ. And that's a whole other story but but we are we are the coral gobblers and there's a rich history of gobbler farms in industry here and Celeste will regular mascot from that's very cool and you and I were talking before the show and you mention Proverbs 23 seven as a man think it's in his heart so is he. And that's a great verse. What is that verse say to you as a leader Travis what I think it it says a lot it you know it's the way that you see yourself is going to determine know the way that you live your life and so you know you were talking earlier about making an impact. We talk to our kids about. If you see yourself as a is a good player. You're gonna work like you're a good player. If you see yourself as a successful person you're gonna make successful choices and that but if you see yourself as being inadequate as something less than what God created you to be. That's when you begin to make bad choices. That's when you begin to cut corners and I think a lot of times that's what keeps us from making a difference in people's lives no matter what walk of life. We come from, is that we think will I can't make a difference.

I'm not in a position to make a difference. You know the thing that started this whole thing within our program didn't start necessarily with me. It started with with an assistant coach, a first-year assistant coach name West contra very strong Christian exactly. I got not a coaching to be in this in seminary. Now he's going into the ministry, but it this movement started with him so I didn't start with the head coach didn't start with somebody that was it in a a lot of authority.

It just started with somebody who lived out his faith boldly and that's that's that's a awesome message for all of us here when I look at you I think about Matthew 633 now, folks. Let me explain. If you could see the office the outer office. The interoffice there's more trophies here than at Canton, Ohio or Cooperstown put together. I mean really, but you know the thing I appreciate about you is that you put Christ first. No Matthew 633 says seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be added every coach would love to see the hallway of trophies that God is giving you under you just won the four a Division II state championship in Texas. I'm guessing that's a pretty big deal. That's a huge deal. It's been it's been a great year. Absolutely God blesses. I think God's given you all of the success because like Matthew 633 you did put Jesus first sports success came and I know your you note value.

Part of this community, but I thought I believe God's bless you with all of this because you put him first.

Absolutely, you know, we've had we've had a lot a lot of success and especially here recently but before that, you know that this is my seventh year's the head coach my first three or four years as a coach I spent more time worrying about we can win enough games we can you all the all the pressures of that that the world puts on you and I it even though I knew that God put me here. Is it for a purpose of making a difference in kids. I was putting out on the back burner because I wasn't trusting him with letting him take care of those things me worry about serving him first and it wasn't me.

Once he began to transform my heart and in remind me that he's here with me and that in that. Don't worry about all other stuff you just worry about serving me.

All of a sudden things begin to fall in the place doesn't necessarily mean you don't want to state championship year every year or things of that nature, but you are going to begin to realize the purpose that he has for your life and you know God's work in in unbelievable ways. Much, far beyond football within our staff with our kids in it comes from. You know what he wants to do. But you got a bit. You gotta put him first before he can really work in the way that he wants. He wants to work in your life and it's just been a blessing to see what he's done now in my life and the lives of all those that are involved with our program within our community. I would say one of the thing. Our community is. I guess it affords a unique community in that we still pray for football games. You know it's okay to talk about God in school that's very rare in today's time, but I can't help but think that the reason one of the reasons why this is a blessed community and there's been such success here in a lot of areas not just in athletics is because God has blessed a community that is willing to put him first and willing to honor him and that's that's that's been a blessing of being a part of this community. Whether it's sports, life our family our career or certain their walk with the Lord talk to me. What are the character traits the separate adequate to excellent coach the audience. You've got right now on in their own life. Moving from the nominal to the exceptional what we try to boil that down into four things and in I told you that are our program's mantra is uncommon. Men winter uncommon people when when you begin to look at the boys and the girls side of it is from doing things in an uncommon way and there's really four things in there are four core values relentless effort and so you know, God calls us to give everything we got no matter what we do and so given everything you have and whatever it is that you doing in life. Number one true toughness mess, not necessarily the physical toughness of of football, but that's been able to withstand the trials of life and being able to stand taller get up off the mat when you been knocked down in God's here to help us do that.

I will have to do it in our own power and being committed to preparing yourself when that opportunity comes being in our in our Christian walk being committed to spending time with God on a daily basis that you know through prayer and through Bible study being plugged in and out to him and the last thing is power. The family and you know loving each other. Caring about each other, putting others first being difference makers went when you do those things God's gonna bless you for it is good. Bless those around you and out you know in our Christian walk. God gives us the church that you know in the church being the people and fellow believers to support us when when we need support and to encourage others when they need encouragement.

So if you if you I think if you live by those four things you will be successful, indeed. I'm inspired hate work that at a time that coach Reeve.

I want to say thanks for being with us on P&G radio. Thank you for what you doing for our country for young people, especially for Christ our Lord.

Thank you. It's been an honor to be here with you today and thank you for what you do as well. God bless you folks. Thanks for listening through three new generations. Why featuring a multitier conference tour and student led club program to equip teenagers and those who lead them to live for God creatively communicating a compelling Christian worldview to the next generation TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland ministries PO Box 10231, Spero, NC 27404. That's PO Box 102310 NC 27404 call us at 877 yes, God one. That's 877 yes, God in the number one or give online@truthforanewgeneration.com.

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