“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
Ed Schilling is an assistant coach at UCLA and owns a simple, yet powerful story about his coaching career. He talks about his experience going from a high school coach at Logansport High School in Indiana, to a D1 assistant at UMass and a Final Four appearance, to the youngest NBA assistant with the New Jersey Nets - in the span of only 310 days! It seems crazy to think about, but Coach Schilling expressed that his heart change to seek God with his whole life was the foundation of his journey.
Coach Schilling always speaks with prodigious passion and captures the hearts of those he comes in contact with. Every time that I hear the story of how Jesus Christ worked in his life, I leave feeling so blessed. He is a man who committed himself to seeking out the kingdom of God and was given awesome opportunities to glorify his Savior! Early on in his career he was always chasing something that didn't satisfy, but he finally made a decision to seek Christ and found himself very content coaching high school basketball in Indiana. Through his pursuit to know God, his life changed. Not only did his career begin a wild and crazy journey, but he experienced the power of the gospel in his life and the lives of those he was around. His story is truly remarkable and exemplifies the life we have in Christ!
This year, Coach Schilling was the recipient of the "Barnabas" Award given by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which honors a basketball coach who best exhibits a commitment to Christ, integrity, encouragement to others and lives a balanced life.