Jake Morman

Believer in Jesus Christ as my Savior. Husband & Father. Teacher & Coach. Matthew 6:33

[Dan O'Donnell @DanODonnellShow]

New Berlin Eisenhower principal Matthew Buckley delivers one of the best high school graduation speeches you will ever hear: "Some of the most important things don’t fit into a gradebook.

"We don’t test you on whether you were a good friend. We don’t give a final exam on integrity. We don’t hand out report cards for how you treat people when nobody is watching.

"And yet, those are the things people remember."

[Taber Mongero @CoachTaberM]

To the Christian athlete/coach:

Remembering where our true identity rests can be challenging, especially when we are frequently met with expectations, wins and losses, performance, stats, injuries, and a multitude of earthly values/challenges that can fade/strip our joy, and make us quickly forget the gifts we’ve been given by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

A lot of us have heard the saying “Audience of One,” and a lot of us say it often. Which is great. However, it can be hard to remember the truth of that saying in the heat of everything. I remember in college specifically asking one of my community group friends at church (who now plays in the NBA) how he kept this a constant aspect of his life as an athlete because we face a lot of the same struggles as Christian athletes/coaches.

So, what is something we can do to help us remember this when we’re the man or woman in the arena?

What my buddy talked to me about, and what I ended up learning from him and implementing into my own life, was giving myself a constant visual reminder when I was on the field so I could actually remember the truth of it.

In the dirt by my feet at shortstop, I would write “AO1” before the first inning of every game and rewrite it as the game went on so it was always there. (When we played on turf, I would write it on my wrist tape or somewhere else.)

The point was that I looked down at some point before every pitch, and I wanted it to be somewhere I looked often, somewhere that blocked out all the noise, where I couldn’t see ANYTHING other than “AO1.”

This was my reminder that I had been given the platform and gift of baseball to honor Jesus, and that I wasn’t playing for the approval of a worldly audience that will find every reason to disapprove at some point. Rather, I was playing for an audience of ONE who already approves of me always and forever, no matter what happens in ANY baseball game.

The weight this took off my shoulders, and still does, is indescribable. It helps the former athlete and coach in me remember what the real purpose of this platform of baseball (or any sport) is: to know Jesus as my Savior and help make Him known to those who don’t know Him, and to use the gifts he’s so graciously given to honor him and nothing else. When I start to feel the weight of everything else, this helps free me, and I’m only free because of Him and the price He paid on the cross.

This changed everything for me when I fully understood AO1 and committed to remembering the importance of keeping that mindset. I hope it can do the same for you. It’s great to say it, but it’s even better to help yourself remember it as much as you possibly can.

[Danny @Truth_matters20]

Teach your kids the gospel!

[Keith Grabowski 🏈 Coach and Coordinator Network @CoachKGrabowski]

You can’t coach to please everyone.

Parents will have opinions.
Players will have opinions.

People will question decisions they don’t fully understand.

@CoachKurtHines’ reminder:
Live to an audience of one.
Listen to people.
Serve people.
Love people.

But don’t let every opinion become your compass.

[Coach Jeff Barnes @JeffBarnes52]

As an AD, one of the hardest things I witness our coaches deal with is a parent wanting it more than their child. Coaches use offseason work ethic, skill, athleticism, and what is most valuable to the team when determining playing time.

Parents often hear from their child that the coach does not like them, that it is unfair, or that favorites are being played. In many situations, the harder truth is that the child simply does not love the sport as much as the parent does.

That can lead to parents fighting battles with coaches that their child should be learning to handle themselves. One of the most important lessons sports can teach young people is how to communicate, compete, handle adversity, and advocate for themselves.

Playing time is rarely about one conversation or one moment. It is usually about consistency, effort, preparation, attitude, and trust built over time.

This has become an ongoing trend in sports today. The athletes who grow the most are usually the ones who learn to accept coaching, respond to challenges, and take ownership of their role instead of relying on others to fight their battles for them.

[Baseball Dudes Inc. 🇺🇸⚾️ @BaseballDudes48]

For my baseball folk out there…

Call it What You Want...

It doesn’t matter what you want to call it:

• Travel ball
• Select ball
• Tournament ball
• League ball
• City League ball
• Little League ball

It’s still youth baseball. It’s a hard game being played by kids. That alone is a challenge but then add in adult emotions and intentions of wanting to be “superior” and you have a recipe for disaster. Keep those expectations realistic.

Even though some of these kids have grown quicker than others, were born with different abilities than their peers, they are still kids. They will make mistakes (a lot), struggle with focus, look amazing one second then trip on nothing the next, have poor body language, tear up and do many other things that get under us adults skin.

Yep, they are kids! Funny thing is once upon a time we were them and did the same things, made off the wall comments, had squirrel moments and drove our parents, coaches and teachers crazy. So in reality, we get frustrated with them for the same things we did 🤔.

This is youth baseball. No matter how we want to spin it and give it a title that implies we are better than the others, I would slow down and remember that this phase in their lives is not about us. Not about our experience but all about them, their personal growth as young athletes and people and we are here to help them get the most out of it for as long as they would like to play them game.

In fact, we have an opportunity to enjoy something with them that many of us enjoyed growing up. And for a few of them, their ability will grow into something amazing which will lead to opportunities they dream of.

Grow the game!

[Tevin Macharia Mukabana @TevinMacharia]

SURRENDERING ALL TO GOD: THE PATH TO TRUE FREEDOM

In a world that glorifies control, achievement, and independence, the call to surrender sounds strange—even weak. But in the Kingdom of God, surrender is not a sign of defeat; it is the gateway to victory.

To surrender is to say: "God, I trust You more than I trust myself."
It is to lay down our plans, our pride, our preferences, and even our pain—at the feet of the One who knows the end from the beginning.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
— Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)

Surrender does not mean we stop dreaming. It means we hand over our dreams to the God who wrote our destiny before we were born.

Apostle Joshua Selman once said:
"It is in the place of complete surrender that you find the power of God made manifest in your life."

You were never created to carry it all. That burden? That pressure? That constant fear of what comes next?
Jesus says:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
— Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV)

Surrender is not a one-time act. It’s a lifestyle.
It’s waking up every morning and saying,
"Lord, not my will, but Yours be done."
It’s trusting Him when the path is unclear.
It’s obeying Him when the instructions don’t make sense.
It’s worshiping Him even when life hurts.

God does not ask us to surrender so He can take from us.
He asks us to surrender so He can give us His best.

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it."
— Matthew 16:25 (NIV)

When we surrender:

We exchange anxiety for peace.

We trade control for divine direction.

We lay down our weaknesses and pick up His strength.

Beloved, God doesn’t want just a part of your heart—He wants all of it.
The parts you show the world, and the parts you hide.
Your victories, and your failures.
Your past, your present, and your future.

He is trustworthy. He is faithful. He is good.

And when you give Him everything, you lose nothing of eternal value.
Instead, you gain Him—and that’s everything.

[Kevin Wilson @KWBaseball]

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

— Romans 10:9

[Jon Root @JonnyRoot_]

“I put everything in the Lord’s hands… At the end of the day, He’s in control.”
- Los Angels Angels OF Mike Trout on how his faith in Christ has helped him in hard times

(🎥: JesusOverBaseball/IG)

[The Daily Coach @TheDaily_Coach]

Dawn Staley on upholding the standards of your program, from her book, Uncommon Favor 📕

[Dot Richardson @CoachDot_LU]

Game day nerves? Pressure? The “what ifs”?
Take it to God first.
Before the first pitch… before the big moment… pray.
Lay it all down—your fears, your goals, your expectations.
Because the peace God gives isn’t based on the scoreboard.
It steadies your heart, clears your mind, and reminds you—you’re not out there alone.
Play with confidence. Play with peace.
#thepeaceofGod
#sportandfaith

[Matt Lisle @CoachLisle]

Holding people accountable to high standards is nothing to apologize for.
Failing to stretch them to their potential is.

[Next Level Baseball @nextlevelbb]

The opponents behavior should have nothing to do with your team behavior.
Playing with class is an all the time thing.

[G-PA @IndianaGPA]

They say a father is the one person who quietly roots for you to outgrow him—to go further, do better, and live bigger than he ever could. There’s something really powerful in that. 🥹💕

[Jake Morman @CoachMorman]

@anymanfitness Fasting

[USA Baseball @USABaseball]

The final out 🇺🇸

[USA Baseball @USABaseball]

Dream On. 🇺🇸

[USA Baseball @USABaseball]

Quarterfinal Gameday 🇺🇸

[John Ziegler @Zigmanfreud]

If you are longing for a simpler time that is now gone forever, this video will likely hit HARD…
🥲

[World Baseball Classic @WBCBaseball]

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!

KYLE SCHWARBER GIVES TEAM USA THE LEAD 🇺🇸