Some Sundays feel like a mountain top. You walk into church heavy, you leave lighter. The worship hits. The sermon speaks right to where you are. You remember who God is and who you are. For a moment, everything feels clear again.

Then Monday shows up. The alarm clock. The inbox. The traffic. The kids needing breakfast. The meetings. The pressure. The news. The long list of things that do not slow down just because you had a powerful Sunday.

That is why this series exists. Selfless Ambition Between Sundays is not just about what happens in the room on Sunday. It is about what happens after the music fades. It is about real faith in real life when nobody is clapping, when nobody is watching, when it is just you and the grind of the week.

And here is what I want you to remember as you step into another week. Sunday reminds us God is real. Monday reminds us God is near.

A lot of people believe in God as an idea. A higher power. A distant ruler. The One who is up there somewhere. But the heartbeat of our faith is not a far away God. It is a God who came close.

A God who stepped into the mess. A God who took on skin and walked our streets. A God who did not shout love from a distance but moved toward us when we were at our worst.

If you read the Gospels with open eyes, you see it over and over. Jesus is not just showing up in temples. He is showing up in kitchens, boats, streets, funerals, and workplaces. He sits at tables with people who feel unworthy. He touches the sick. He listens to the overlooked. He stands near the grieving. He meets fishermen in their ordinary routines and turns their work into a calling.

He does not wait for people to get their lives together before coming close. He comes close first. Then He helps them rise.

That matters because many of us still live like God only draws near when we are doing well. When we have been consistent. When we have been pure. When we have been strong. When we have been faithful enough to deserve it.

But the story of Jesus says something different. He came near to the doubter. Near to the ashamed. Near to the exhausted. Near to the one who had tried and failed and did not know if they could try again.

That is why Between Sundays can be a holy place. Because the week exposes our cracks. It reveals where we are anxious, impatient, insecure, or worn thin. And those are not places God avoids. Those are the places He moves in.

So if your week starts messy, you are not disqualified. If your heart feels heavy on Monday, you are not alone. If you feel like you are barely holding it together, you are exactly the kind of person Jesus came close to.

The challenge is not that God is far. The challenge is that life is loud. Most of us do not miss God because He is absent. We miss Him because life is loud. Our attention is scattered, our hearts are sprinting, and we do not notice the way He is already near.

So what does it look like to live with a God who came close? Not religious performance. Not a checklist. Not trying to manufacture feelings. Just attentiveness.

Here are a few simple practices, nothing fancy, just real. Think of them like turning your face toward Someone who has already stepped into the room.

First, take sixty seconds before you touch your phone. 

Not ten minutes. Not an hour. Sixty seconds. Before the scroll. Before the headlines. Before the comparisons. Just breathe and whisper, Jesus, thank you for this day. Lead me in it. That one minute changes the posture of your whole morning. It reminds you that you are not walking into Monday by yourself.

Second, ask a question throughout the day: Jesus, where are you in this moment?

Not just in the big moments, but in the small ones. In the meeting that feels tense. In the car line. In the quiet frustration. In the unexpected joy. In the conversation you do not want to have but need to. You will be surprised how often that question opens your eyes to His presence.

Third, practice gratitude as awareness. 

Not as a forced smile. As a way of seeing. Thank you for this breath. Thank you for this person. Thank you for this chance to try again. Gratitude is not just being polite to God. It is recognizing that He is already with you in the ordinary.

None of this is about earning closeness. It is about noticing it. You do not have to manufacture nearness. You just have to turn toward the One who already came near.

And when you believe God is near, it changes everything. You lead differently. You do not lead from panic because you know you are not alone. You do not lead from ego because you are anchored in something deeper than applause. You do not lead from fear because you trust the One walking beside you.

You love differently. You become more patient because you have received patience. You become more forgiving because you are being held by mercy. You become more courageous because you know your life is not carried by your strength alone.

Between Sundays is where faith gets real. It is where love becomes action. Where prayer becomes posture. Where worship becomes work. Where the God you celebrated on Sunday becomes the God you walk with on Tuesday afternoon when nobody is around and your heart is tired.

So whatever your week looks like, hear me on this. You are not chasing a distant deity. You are walking with the God who came close. The God who steps into your Monday. The God who meets you in your weakness. The God who does not flinch when life gets messy. The God who already moved toward you long before you ever moved toward Him. Keep turning toward Him. Keep opening your eyes. Keep walking Between Sundays.

Thanksgiving Dinner Serving Hundreds With Dignity
In Alton, Illinois, Abundant Church and The Salvation Army opened their doors and their hearts for a community Thanksgiving meal that served about 400 people. Volunteers welcomed everyone the same way, no questions asked, just family style care and a seat at the table. The pastor said it plain and powerful, “Because of Jesus, we are family.” That line stuck with me. This is the Gospel with sleeves rolled up, food on plates, and dignity served right alongside the turkey. Source: The Telegraph

Police and Youth Volunteers Give Away Thousands of Turkeys
In New York City, the NYPD partnered with youth volunteers and the New York City Police Foundation to distribute more than 3,000 turkeys and chickens to families ahead of Thanksgiving. It happened precinct by precinct, block by block, with officers and young people working side by side to serve neighbors who needed a little extra help this season. Whatever your view of headlines, this is what hope looks like at street level. People choosing service over noise, and making sure families can gather with something on the table. Source: New York Post+1

This week at the table, ask one simple question:

“Where did you notice God being close to you this week?”

Not just in big moments, but in ordinary ones. In the morning rush, the car line, a hard conversation, or a quiet win. You might be surprised how quickly your family starts naming places God was already near.

Then take sixty seconds together before everyone moves on. Each person shares one everyday thank you to Jesus. A breath. A meal. A friend. A fresh start. We are not earning His nearness. We are noticing it.

And in Sports …

Club ball season is here, and the gyms across Wisconsin are already alive. The music is louder, the competition is sharper, and the energy feels different when the future of the girls game steps on the court. AAU season will arrive in the summer, but the foundation for that run is being built right now. Club ball is where the work shows up. AAU is where it all gets tested.

This watchlist is not exhaustive. It is simply a list of 50 players who are standing out right now. Without question, some young ladies are not on this list who deserve to be. That is the nature of the game. These players are only in eighth grade. Things change. Players grow. The story keeps being written.

But what this list does give you is a strong snapshot of some of the top young players in Wisconsin in the class of 2030. You will be hearing these names again. Some sooner than you think.

What excites me most about this group is that they are still becoming who they will eventually be. They are learning, working, failing, rising, and finding out what their game looks like when it is tested. That is the beauty of club ball and AAU. You get to see these young women before the spotlight hits. You see the foundation being laid in the winter and spring, and then you watch it sharpen in the heat of summer competition.

So we’ve put together a closer look at the players who make up this watchlist. Each one brings something different to the floor. Each one plays the game with pride, fire, and promise.