I WILL DO ALL THINGS… THROUGH CHRIST JESUS…
I had heard these words from Philippians 4:13 growing up, but it was not until I heard them come from the lips of a young man by the name of Brandon Cole that I truly believed them. When this small-town Arkansas recruit showed up to tryout that day in March 2003, I honestly heard a higher power speak through him. Words without action, without faith, are simply noise or marks on a paper. The first time I saw Brandon Cole step onto a college basketball court in that tryout, I saw the powerful words “I CAN DO ALL THINGS, THROUGH CHRIST JESUS, WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH” come to life. I saw fear run for the backdoor. I had honestly never seen the complete absence of fear in a basketball player. There was a confidence that was beyond uncommon, it was not from this world. Brandon’s confidence did not rest in himself, his jumper, or his toughness, it 100% rested in Christ Jesus.
Check out this video honoring Brandon
In 2013, God led me to use a story from a sermon about a man by the name of Charles Blondin, a French tightrope walker and acrobat, to be our team motto. Blondin toured the United States and was known for crossing the 1,100 ft Niagara Gorge on a tightrope. The story goes like this. Blondin pushed a wheelbarrow with his promoter in it across the tightrope at Niagara Falls. When he reached the other side, the crowd went nuts. He asked the crowd, “Do you want to see me do it again?” The crowd cheered. “Do you Believe I can do it again?”. The crowd cheered louder. Then Blondin asked the question, “Can I have a volunteer to get in the wheelbarrow?” Absolute silence from the crowd. The point of the sermon that day from the preacher was ‘Everybody Believes God Can, Few Believes HE WILL!’
To Brandon Cole it never seemed to cross his mind that God would not show up in and through him. Instead of saying “I Can”, Brandon was saying “I WILL Do All Things, Through Christ Jesus, Who Gives Me Strength”, then he would go out and do just that over and over again. What was even more special was that I watched him share that faith and confidence like no other as I watched one by one his teammates grow in faith and strength. He led and inspired our unseeded team to win battle after battle on our way to the 2005 NAIA Division I National Championship.
That was a miraculous accomplishment of a supernatural level. God is always good for a curtain call, He loves to validate His presence. Brandon went on to score an impressive 2378 career points, but that wasn’t the icing on the cake. That would show up in a David like sling shot Giant killing collegiate all-time record of 527 career 3-pt field goals that still stands today. I was simply blessed by God to be able to witness that accomplishment. Why? So, I could share it with you today. Is it any surprise that Brandon and his family today are missionaries in Mali Africa using basketball to share the love of Jesus?
Check out the list below of the top All-Level Four-Year College Basketball All-Time 3-PT Shooters. You might recognize a few names like Steph Curry, J.J. Reddick, and Fletcher Magee. Steph even has “I CAN DO ALL THINGS” printed on his Under-Armor Shoe design.
1. 527 – Brandon Cole – NAIA – JBU – 2002-06 – 39.6% (134 gms)
2. 526 – John Grotberg – D3 – Grinnell – 2005-09 (96 gms)
3. 516 – Jeff Clement – D3 – Grinnell – 1995-99 (91 gms)
4. 509 – Fletcher Magee – D1 – Wofford – 43.5% -2015-19 (134 gms)
5. 504- Travis Bader – D1 – Oakland – 40.5% (2010-14) (137 gms)
6. 497 – Steve Briggs – OKWU – NAIA D2 – (39.4%) (137 gms)
7. 457 – J. J. Redick – Duke – D1 – 2002-06- 40.6 (139 gms)
8. 451—Cameron Munoz, Mont. St. Billings,- NCAA D2 – 2003- 06, (99 gms)
NA. 414 – Stephen Curry , Davidson – NCAA D1 – 2006-09 – (41.2%) no. 13 on NCAA D1 List (104 gms)
Greatness reaches its highest level of greatness when it is passed on. Brandon Cole shared his fearless “Can Do, Will Do” faith with a young freshman by the name of Steve Briggs in 2005, that went on to play for me at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in 2007-10. He did so after setting out a season to help his family by working a midnight shift at Walmart. Cole passed on that same fearless faith that can do all things. He also passed on humility, leadership skills, confidence, and work ethic. Steve took those principles from Brandon and went on to lead his own team to the 2009 NAIA National Championship. Briggs was on track to break Cole’s 527 career 3-pt record his senior season, but when I asked Steve why he would not shoot in many of the games when we were comfortably ahead. He said, “Coach that record belongs to Brandon.” No matter how much I tried to convince him that Brandon would want him to break the record, Steve would simply respond with a smile and point to his teammates who shared the ball with him and got him open. When you combine fearless and meekness with the understanding that there is a power available called the Holy Spirit inside each of us, that is when God shows up and shows that He can and will do the impossible. I know I’ve seen Him do it over and over again. Fifteen years later, what Brandon Cole shared continues to be passed on from player to player in our program and all the way to the other side of the world in West Africa. That’s MY GOD! That’s OUR GOD!