“Stacking W’s!” That’s the phrase Army football coach, Rich Ellerson uses to encourage the West Point cadets that make up his team. Coach Ellerson took over the Black Knights in 2009 and has dedicated himself to reviving the historic program. His enthusiasm is infectious and he’s making an impact. To say coaching football at a service academy is challenging would be an understatement. Playing football is only a small part of the cadet’s day. Juggling the academic and military training can be overwhelming both mentally and physically. Coach Ellerson encourages his players to not only accept the challenge, but embrace it. By “stacking W’s”, Ellerson calls for his players to perform all their activities with a winning attitude. He pushes them to win in the barracks, win on the parade field and win during summer missions, to be a cadet in everything they do. “Winning is a habit and you’ve got to do it all day. You can’t just flip a switch on Saturday.” Good advice from a wise man.

What about “stacking W’s in our faith walk, what would that look like? When asked how we prioritize our lives, we usually respond by listing faith, family, career, health, and on down the line. That can be difficult. When we start putting our lives in categories and ranking importance, it gets messy. It doesn’t take long for faith and career or family and health to come into conflict. One solution might be to commit them all to the Lord. Why not put God at the center of our faith, our family, our career, our health and every compartment of our life. Why would we want the God switch flipped on Sunday’s only? What about letting God illuminate our life seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day? Why not have His power ON all the time! Have you committed all your activities to God? What’s keeping you from “stacking W’s with Jesus?

Lord, I want to commit more of my life to You. Show me the areas I need to change so that I can be obedient to Your plans through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.