Former NBA Assistant Coach Greg Hendricks
Former Pro Basketball Player & Rock Church Campus Pastor Greg Hendricks stops by the Yard for some laughs, games, and stories about how God took a selfish kid from the streets of San Diego and transformed him into a servant pastor.
This week’s awesome guest and co-host is Pastor Greg Hendricks. Greg grew up skating through the streets of San Diego and early on found his way to sharp-shooting success at Morehead College and around the world as a professional three-point specialist.
Over “WalMart Bounce and Score”
As a three-point specialist in the 90’s, Greg had the opportunity to work with the Seattle Supersonics, including a young Ray Allen, who would go on to become one of the Association’s top three long range shooters of all time.- Professional athletes often train for specific events or shots for a single key moment that may not arrive for several years… it all comes down to thorough preparation.
- Missing a shot is not a stumbling block, but merely an opportunity to learn.
- One time, Greg conned a basketball game barker at the County Fair into winning two huge prizes with his sharp shooting abilities.
- For Greg, it’s fun to see NBA action on TV again, but this past week’s games looked more like summer league scrimmages without the stars running up and down.
- When it comes to the “Bubble Season of 2020”, not only do the NBA players need to acclimate to the new rules and arena scenarios, but so do us viewers… it’s going to be weird for all of us.
- The “Bubble” will be tested when players have family emergencies or other circumstances that pull them outside in the middle of the remainder of the 2020 season.
- The NBA seems to be blazing a trail for the NFL and other professional sporting leagues on how to deal with COVID-19.
- Greg was raised without an earthly father, but his Heavenly Father helped heal that wound.
- Without a dad, Greg turned to sports as a kid to fill his time and find approval – first through baseball and skateboarding, then basketball.
- Sports became his “community” and eventually led to him being the first person in his family to go to college.
- Greg didn’t have professional aspirations, but merely dreams of playing for a D1 college and not spend his life flipping burgers.
- Greg started out his collegiate career at D2 Cal Poly Pomona, but had aspirations of going to D1, but the NCAA rules then mandated that he spend time at a junior college in between, which landed him at College of the Desert in Palm Desert.
- While in Palm Desert, his game escalated and he was heavily recruited by D1 powerhouses all over the country… but most importantly, it was in Palm Desert that Greg met his wife!
- Greg didn’t even have a relationship with God at the time – all he knew was that there was some sort of a “higher power” out there. Yet he clearly remembers saying to God, “If you’re real, I’m tired of running around with all these chicken-heads… give me a woman that I can call my wife.” And, two weeks later, the woman who would one day become Greg’s wife came knocking on his door.
- In addition to basketball and shepherding believers as their pastor, Greg’s entrepreneurial side has moved forward with Kingdom Collective Apparel. Greg loves wearing fresh clothes with a great message, so every element of Kingdom Collective clothing has intentional messaging at its core.
A Little Bit More About Greg Hendricks:
- As a pastor, Greg is continually learning how to rid himself of his own baggage and plans in order to follow God’s lead in his life.
- After playing all over the world: Brazil, England, Mexico, China, the Ukraine and the “alphabet soup” of American NBA-feeder leagues, Greg realized that his hoop dreams had ended.
- Wondering what was next in his life while working a graveyard shift, Greg stumbled upon an online service from The Rock Church and surrendered himself to God’s will that very night.
- It was at that powerful moment that Greg ENCOUNTERED God. Not “experienced” God’s presence, but truly ENCOUNTERED God, which led to his total transformation as a servant of the Almighty God.
- LET THAT BE AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO ALL PASTORS WHO ARE OFFERING ONLINE SERVICES IN 2020!
- Greg was afraid that as he gave his life to Christ, his former non-Christian relationships would rot away… but to the contrary, they flourished, growing toward Christ, with even more, better, and deeper relationships to follow!
- Greg learned to harvest relationships with a “Deposit Mindset” rather than a “Withdrawl Mindset”.
- Greg has learned to be authentic – even in his weaknesses and past struggles – in order to lead people to deeper understandings of what God wants for their lives.
- By being transparent, repentant, and renewed, we take the devil’s bullets away from him.
Scriptures:
…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) (Like never before, the “ends of the earth” can be reached via online Christian messages!)
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You can also find more encouraging words from other Yard teammates here!