“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it 
when it’s in your power to help them.”
— Proverbs 3:27

Whenever I coach, I love to bring the players together after every practice and game to create an environment of encouragement with the Shout Out Drill. Regardless of how they played, we always start with the positive. We allow the players to speak words of life and refreshment into their teammates about what they saw during the practice or game. It only takes one or two minutes, but the dividends are priceless. It is one thing for coaches to encourage their players, it is another thing to allow their teammates to do it. Allowing players to brag on each other develops great team cohesion and chemistry.  

I saw Cameron hustle on the triangle drill. 
Billy got water for us during the timeout. 
Lindsay played tough defense and had a great interception.

The Shout Out Drill is a powerful way to bless and inspire teammates to give their best and to recognize others efforts. Unfortunately, we love the Tear Down Drill that criticizes, demeans and judges others. The Shout Out Drill creates an environment of trust and confidence, and at the same time, creating a culture of blessing.

In Proverbs 3:27, we are commanded to not withhold blessing. I was greatly impacted when someone lived out this verse. I wish I knew his name, but it happened so fast and unexpectedly that I didn’t get his name. Several months ago, I was at the International House of Prayer with our staff for our quarterly prayer day. We structure the day with personal and group prayer, and we needed a room for our group prayer. When I talked to the front desk to ask for a private prayer room, I shared that our FCA staff needed a room for two hours. He graciously gave us a room, but for some reason he asked how long I worked with FCA.

“Almost 30 years,” I responded. From behind the desk, he jumped to his feet, grabbed my hand and shouted out, “Wow. Thirty years of faithfulness. Praise God! You have been impacting lives for 30 years! Thank you. God is using you. Keep serving well.” I was speechless. He did the Shout Out Drill in the moment. And it blessed me and marked me. His words will fuel me for years to come, and I will never forget him, even though I don’t know his name!

We should do the Shout Out Drill all the time—with our family, friends, teammates and coworkers. It will create a culture of encouragement and blessing. Others will be blessed. You will be blessed. God will be blessed. That’s a triple blessing! 

“Lord, I never want to without good from those that deserve it. Open my eyes so I can see the good others are doing around me, so that my words will encourage and bless them. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”