JB: What fruit of your ministry brought you the greatest joy? What brought me the greatest joy was seeing the light come on as each man came into a personal relationship with Jesus, and then seeing them grow and walk it out as a lifestyle. 3 John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Also, a number of the men I mentored have become pastors, “full-time” ministry staff, or elders in their churches, passing on the principles we studied together.
JB: Why do you think athletic ministry at Stanford is strategic? What do you dream would continue to happen among Stanford athletes? Almost everyone who has been accepted at Stanford is a leader, but athletes are unique because of the time they are required to commit to their sport as well as keeping up in the classroom. Other students respect that and look up to them. Also, many athletes I have mentored have gone into positions of leadership soon after graduation because of their intelligence, work ethic and knowing how to work within a team setting. I pray that Stanford athletes would continue to have a safe haven, both personally and in a group setting that allows them to get to know other athletes and build relationships with them in a spiritual context. There have been many female athletes who have “encouraged” a guy who wanted to date them to start meeting with me. As we continued to meet, they usually came to faith in Jesus, and I have performed many weddings that have come as a result.
JB: Jim, I count you as one of my dearest mentors. Would you chat about our friendship a bit? I cannot think of anyone I have ever known that I would rather have taken over my role mentoring the athletes at Stanford than Jim Black. He has the closest philosophy of ministry to mine of anyone in the circle of relationships I have been privileged to know through the close to six decades of ministry with which God has blessed me. His love for the athletes and commitment to teaching them the Scriptures as he walks out his faith in full view of them is special. My deepest thanks go to those of you who choose to join me in supporting Jim Black financially and in prayer! He honored me by allowing me to be the first to write a monthly check for his ministry with FCA!
JB: Jim, I’d love it if you would talk about what you are doing now and how it’s a continuation of your work at Stanford. How can readers contact you, partner with you, subscribe to your newsletter, buy your book, etc? Upon moving to the DFW area after the 2016 Rose Bowl, I began mentoring the mentors who requested to meet with me personally or on FaceTime. Shortly thereafter the football coaching staff at SMU in Dallas asked me to begin meeting with their players in the same role in which I had served at Stanford, so here I am seven years later at the age of 78 continuing to lead players to faith in Jesus and helping them to grow up in their individual walks.
My book, The Power of One-on-One, was published by Baker Books in 2014 and is available on Amazon if you are interested.
My contact information if you want to know more is:
2707 Cromwell Court Trophy Club, TX 76262
(650)799-5200 Mobile
Jim.stump7@gmail.com