Great story about Jarrod Lovette

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http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2007/07/21/sports/00lovette.txt

Published - Saturday, July 21, 2007
Jarrod Lovette finds peace by turning life over to God
By KIRK BEY / La Crosse Tribune

If you listen to the sermon, you'll hear Jarrod Lovette start to cry.

He had held up quite well until he was nearing the end. That's when the approximately 80 people at Grace Church in Atlanta saw Lovette tear up. He had shared his faith with others before. He had shared his belief that God is the way to true happiness and was always there for everyone, no matter what.

But as Lovette delivered his sermon, titled "Truth Issues," he realized how what he was saying pertained to his own life. And it moved him.

"Sometimes I can't hold back," Lovette said.

Give Lovette an hour, and he'll give you the uncensored truth of his life. How a 6-foot-10, 30-year-old man can find contentment after years of, as he puts it, "not living the good life."

How a young man who had had so much joy playing basketball for Blair-Taylor High School in the early and mid-1990s can once again have fun playing for the Elkhart (Ind.) Express of the International Basketball League.

Lovette, who is playing professional basketball for the first time since a brief stint with the La Crosse Bobcats of the CBA during the 1999-2000 season, no doubt will be smiling tonight if the Express defeat the Portland Chinooks in the IBL championship game.

Most of all, Lovette will share his belief that he wouldn't be where his today without his faith. How his relationship with God has blessed him with many riches. A beautiful wife. A home in Winona Lake, Ind., home of Grace College, and a job as the men's basketball team's strength and conditioning coach. An opportunity to attend the school's seminary and pursue his dream of being a missionary.

It doesn't matter if Lovette is speaking to people he knows, as he was that December day when he preached to members of the Grace men's and women's basketball teams in Atlanta, or complete strangers. He believes in what he says.

"I think everyone can relate to aspects of Jarrod's testimony," said Lovette's wife, Jennifer. "There are times in our lives when we all want to do our own thing. ... That's when we get into trouble."

Spreading 'The Word'

If you listen to Lovette, you'll know he would have regretted not saying anything.

He was back on the basketball court in 2005 as a member of Athletes in Action, an organization that promotes sports ministry. He was more than five years removed from playing with the Bobcats, and more than six years removed since depression and panic attacks had forced him to leave the Marquette University men's basketball team his senior year. Mike Sigfrids, AIA's tour director and an acquaintance of Lovette, tracked him down in St. Louis Park, Minn., where he was working as a personal trainer, and convinced him to play.

Lovette found himself in Duluth, Minn., on this particular summer night for an exhibition game against Minnesota-Duluth — and not particularly happy to be there. He had gotten food poisoning. He was hampered by a sprained knee and ankle. His coaches had to talk him into even suiting up. He had to talk himself into giving Minnesota-Duluth's players a post-game testimonial, the reason why he was a Christian.

But something happened as Lovette began speaking.

He told his audience about the mistakes he had made during his time at Marquette, and the years after he graduated. The way he had dabbled in drugs, including marijuana and cocaine.

For the first time, he shared that he had attempted suicide in December 1998, leading to his departure from Marquette. He returned for one game in January 1999, but a panic attack during a game against DePaul ended his college career. He graduated in 1999, but since then he had drifted from job to job — substitute teacher, bartender, disc jockey, counselor for troubled juveniles.

Lovette was crying — something he says to this day he regrets doing — by the time he had finished. But then one of Minnesota-Duluth's players approached him. Told him he, too, had attempted suicide. He wasn't a Christian, but Lovette's story had resonated with him.

"Right then was when I felt ashamed," Lovette said. "God wanted me to share what I had gone through in my life, and I had almost gotten in the way of that."

So Lovette vowed never to let that happen again. He had stopped taking drugs in 2003. But now, he knew faced a more important challenge.

"That was the one moment that I wanted to tell the earth about Christ," Lovette said. "I had talked such a good game before that because of the way I was brought up. A lot of people who knew me before probably wouldn't believe I'm the person I've become."

True love

Grace College was the first stop on AIA's 2005 tour, and Jennifer Lovette, then Jennifer Kessler, was there to watch the game.

Her father, Jim, had been Grace's head coach for nearly 30 years. She had been a fixture at home games since she was a little girl. The fact she was in her late 20s and older than her father's players was starting to make her feel a little uncomfortable.

Jennifer noticed that Lovette had graduated from college the same year that she had. She thought he was a nice guy when they were introduced after the game, but he sure didn't talk much. Their next conversation, over the telephone, lasted four hours. He told her she could call him again if she wanted. She told him he could call her. It took Lovette five days to do so.

Lovette had left his job in Minnesota, and had planned to play professional basketball in Australia. But he returned to Winona Lake to see Jennifer during Christmas break. He told her everything about his past on their second date, but she wasn't scared away. She remembers praying for a sign to show if Lovette was indeed her soulmate.

Only Lovette and Jennifer know what happened next. But they were talking marriage on their next date. They were engaged three months later. They were married on June 3, 2006.

"I hated that (the notion of a whirlwind courtship) because I'm such a logical person," Jennifer said with a laugh. "But after everything lined up I definitely knew we were a match. You have to know the person you're going to marry."

Lovette knows he's happy. Not only did he find a home in Indiana, he also found the love of his life.

"When you get to be as old as we are, you no longer date just to date," Lovette said. "You know what you're looking for and pursue it."

Fun on the court

Look at the Express' roster, and you likely will recognize very few players. Wisconsin Badgers fans might remember Rashi Johnson and Glen Worley, who were solid players for Michigan State and Iowa, respectively. But all have come from the CBA, American Basketball Association or the NBA D-League.

Lovette signed with the Express after meeting coach Daimon Beathea through an acquaintance. He says he's not the player he was at Marquette, where he averaged 11.4 points a game his senior year before leaving the team. Still, he's averaging 11 points and 6.5 rebounds a game despite being 285 pounds (25 over his desired playing weight) and hampered by a quadriceps injury.

"Now I can play with a smile on my face again, and it hasn't been that way for me since I was in high school," said Lovette, the Tribune's Player of the Year in 1995. "It (the atmosphere in Elkhart) is definitely similar to the way it was at Blair-Taylor. I'd probably be enjoying it more if I was in better shape."

However, Lovette isn't afraid to say he's never been healthier spiritually. And that makes him happy.

"If I was talking to you three years ago, I would have told you that I was content," Lovette said. "But now, I can't say loud enough how blessed I feel about where I'm at and who I'm with. I experience God's grace every day."

[Eye]

http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2007/07/21/sports/00lovette.txt

An outstanding article on Jarrod Lovette in today's La Crosse Tribune. Well worth five minutes of your time. Learned a few things and did a little introspection.