Former Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series MVP Ben Zobrist returned to Olivet Nazarene University to deliver a chapel message centered on courage, identity and Christlike leadership. Speaking in Centennial Chapel, Zobrist shared a message focused on what it means to live with conviction in a complex cultural moment. “This is a message about courage,” he said. “And today I really felt called to speak primarily to you young men.”
Zobrist acknowledged the tension many young men experience as they seek to follow Christ faithfully today. “We’re in a day and age where it’s very, very difficult to be a young man,” he said. “You are asked to stand in the gap and be a protector, but you’re also asked to be very soft and passive at times.” That tension, he explained, finds its clearest answer in Jesus. “We all know who our example is, the lion and the lamb. His name is Jesus. He embodies manliness and what it’s like to stand in the gap, what it’s like to be a servant and lay your life down better than anybody.”
Zobrist urged students not to disengage, but to rise to the responsibility before them. “I believe in you,” he said. “I don’t know if you believe in yourself sometimes, but I believe that you can step up. I believe that you can become something better than you are right now, more than you are right now, and we need you probably more than ever.”
Drawing from Scripture and personal experience, Zobrist pointed first to the courage to fight—not physically, but for what is right and sacred. “Do you have something that you care about enough that you are willing to fight for it?” he said. “When you see something happening that you know is wrong, for you to look the other way is cowardly. And that is not being a Christian. We are called to courage. We’re called to more.” He challenged students to step forward rather than wait for someone else. “Who’s going to step up? Who’s going to be willing to fight for something that matters?” he said. “To fight for your family, to fight for integrity, to fight for justice, to fight for people that can’t fight for themselves.”
He then turned to the courage to control oneself, emphasizing that true strength is not dominance, but discipline. “The guys that are actually the strongest are the ones that can regulate,” he said. “They are not regulated by the room. They regulate the room.” Referencing Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, he added, “He showed that even in his lowest moments when he had nothing left of himself, he was still able to say no.” For Zobrist, this is what maturity looks like—strength used wisely and under control.
Zobrist also spoke about the courage to care for one’s own soul, pointing to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said, quoting Scripture. “Even Jesus himself, the lion and the lamb, was overwhelmed at times.” Rather than ignoring those moments, he encouraged students to respond with intention and dependence on Christ. “If you want to lead anybody, prove it first by how you’re leading yourself,” he said. “We need to go to Jesus.” He challenged students to take responsibility for their growth. “Don’t be pointing the finger at everybody else,” he said. “That’s what weak men do… I gotta be better. I gotta grow.”
Finally, Zobrist addressed the courage to say less and become more. In a culture that values constant expression, he pointed to Jesus’ silence before His accusers as an example of strength. “Jesus didn’t feel the need to prove himself,” he said. “You want to know who the strongest man in the room is? The guy that doesn’t get defensive when someone accuses him.” Instead of focusing on outward perception, he encouraged inward transformation. “Instead of telling everybody about your life…how about we become something first in here?” he said.
Throughout the message, Zobrist returned to a simple idea that framed his challenge: “More Jesus, less me.” Making it personal, he added, “I need more Jesus, less Ben. And I’m guaranteeing you probably need more Jesus and less of yourself.” For Zobrist, that posture is the foundation for courage, leadership and faithfulness.
As he closed, Zobrist reminded students that courage is not about having everything figured out, but about choosing daily to follow Christ. “You guys are capable of it,” he said. “There’s a lot to try to figure out, but that being said, you’re capable of it. And I see it in you.” He pointed students back to the source of their strength. “We have a better shot because we know where to go to get filled up,” he said. “Why? Because we have Jesus.”
His final challenge was clear: “Guys. Prove that you’re in process. Prove it.”
Chapel services are streamed live each week on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday at 9:30 a.m., and the message portion can be replayed on-demand. Visit Olivet.edu/Chapel for more information.
