25 Excerpts from Justin Sullivan

1. Who is my spiritual “go to” guy? Be a model for other people. Help my team understand who Christ is. Justin Sullivan 3/4/02

2. Christians live in two worlds: The world we can see and the world we cannot see. View life with spiritual eyesight. Part of my Christian walk needs to be spent learning how to be quiet enough to listen to God’s spirit. Growth in my life will take place by making mistakes through prayer. I can do this. Justin Sullivan 3/5/02

3. Be humble, not full of pride Justin Sullivan 3/6/02

4. Go to God with all my troubles no matter how big or how small. Pray and believe that God will do what He says. He will. Justin Sullivan 3/7/02

5. I am here and broken because I understand the nature of my sin. I have a broken heart about it and I am ready to return to You Lord. Give me guidance in all things. Justin Sullivan 3/8/02

6. When reading the Bible, read it aloud. This will help with my concentration. Read the Bible every day. Justin Sullivan 3/9/02

7. God’s heart is for the helpless. Ours should be as well. Who we are depends on the choices we make. Treat everyone with kindness, especially the less fortunate. Go out of my way to help others today. Justin Sullivan 3/10/02

8. Be there for others during tough times. Just my presence may help them. God is always there for us. In times of trial, God will clear a way for us. Justin Sullivan 3/12/02

9. Never forget God’s glory. Obey God in all things. Justin Sullivan 3/13/03

10. Remember God is on our side and will cause our persecutors to fail. Look to God in all things and do all for God’s glory. Justin Sullivan 3/14/02

11. Standing for God and integrity may be costly in the short run, but it is prosperous in the long run. Justin Sullivan 3/15/02

12. Listen for God’s voice in all things. Spiritual growth builds on spiritual experience. Have faith in God and do my best even when less will qualify. If I don’t do this, I am not being grateful. Justin Sullivan 3/16/02

13. Trust God regardless. Be faithful, even when others are not. Justin Sullivan 3/18/02

14. Faith is our wager on God. Doubt is not the opposite of faith but an element of it and overcoming doubt is a way of strengthening my faith in God. There will come a day when we will all see God face to face. This is when we will understand things fully. It is the nature of faith to look beyond itself and the tension that doubts bring always exist with faith. When God’s word asks me to believe something that’s simply beyond belief, I get to decide if I will trust my five senses or have enough sense to believe in Him. Justin Sullivan 3/19/02

15. Stay open to God’s will. Go to Him for help in accomplishing it. Justin Sullivan 3/20/02

16. Faithfully wait for God’s direction and destination in our lives. Be patient. 3/21/02

17. Don’t seek the spotlight but if God wants you noticed, don’t say no. Justin Sullivan 3/22/02

18. I want to have faith like the Centurion in Matthew 8. Our faith will never be betrayed. Give God the throne to rule my life. Justin Sullivan 3/23/20

19. Go to God no matter how big or how small the tremors in our lives are. God definitely wants to hear your prayers in detail because by doing this, you are better able to know your own needs. Anything can happen when you have faith in God. 3/24/02

20. God, be with me in everything. Get everything done. Unless repentance includes conversion, it is not worth much. Prayer and confession lead to no avail if the sin continues. 3/25/02

21. Don’t forget the power of touch. Don’t get caught up in tradition and miss the true purpose of our faith. Remember the lost. Justin Sullivan 3/26/02
22. I don’t always have to see to believe. Have unseen faith in God. Justin Sullivan 3/26/02

23. What are my little ways of showing Christ’s love to others? Thinking of how to serve God and others is time well spent. Purest joy can come from the most simple deeds of serving. God doesn’t regard deeds greatess by magnitude, but the love by which it is done by. Justin Sullivan 3/27/02

24. Embrace Conviction. Justin Sullivan 3.28/02

25. Lord, provide me with a testimony that glorifies you. Help me to avoid pride when giving my testimony. Justin Sullivan 3/30/02

Here is a quick pic of Eric and I on the border of Mexico.

Justin Sullivan's Journal - A Life Worth Following

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

In life there are people who live exceptionally and set incredible examples for others to follow. I am in the process of writing a spiritual journal dedicated to the memory of a young man named Justin Sullivan who lived an exceptional life and set an incredible example for other people. Justin was an exceptional athlete, an exceptional student and an exceptional competitor. Though these qualities enabled him to stand out, the thing that made Justin’s life worth following was his exceptional walk with Jesus Christ.

The target audience of this journal is athletes. Though others would benefit from this forty day experience, this journal is designed to capture the eye and the heart of the athlete. The contents will lead participants to embrace six habits observed in Justin's life. I believe that the establishment of these habits will guide participants down the road to building a life that is worth following. It will not be easy or convenient. It will require thought, time and discipline resulting in supernatural benefits for those who walk this road.

The journal is laid out over eight weeks with the intention of each participant spending five days a week significantly engaging the Lord. Though individuals could effectively go through this journal, it will be most effective in a group setting either in FCA Huddle groups, Youth community groups, or even Father/Son studies. Each journal comes with a bracelet made from the seam of a baseball to serve as an accountability reminder to follow through with the eight week commitment.

The following is the breakdown of the journal.

o Twelve of the forty days will be spent studying the entire Sermon on the Mount.
o Five of the forty days will be spent walking through an exercise in prayer.
o Five of the forty days will be spent engaging in a meditation and journaling exercise.
o Six of the forty days will be spent in a section entitled “Time with a Giant”. In this section, participants will walk through character lessons lived out by Justin.
o Seven of the forty days will be spent memorizing Ephesians 3:14-21.
o Five of the forty days will be spent in practical assignments leading the participants to put action to their time with the Lord.

You may be asking, do we need another journal targeting athletes? The answer to that question is an absolute YES. The platform that athletes are given in our culture today is simply amazing. The best way to reach athletes is through the example of other athletes. The message of Justin Sullivan’s life was so strong that not even his death could stop it. All of us involved in this project believe that Justin’s story should be told in a way that points people to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. The creation of a spiritual journal based on the practices observed in his everyday life is the best way to communicate Justin’s contribution to the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately in our day, many people choose to count the days of their lives rather than making their days count. In eighteen years Justin made his life count. His example will inspire young men and women to use their athletic gifts for eternal trophies, rather than those which collect dust on a mantel.

I just wanted to invite you to pray for us as we walk through the journey of writing this journal. I pray that it will be ready to distribute August 2006.