Say Yes to the Call with Tyler Smith (Re-Air)

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

• How one basketball game changed the trajectory of Tyler’s life
• The difference between confidence and arrogance — and why Tyler says confidence is a game-changer
• The importance of setting aside time and removing distractions to focus on writing
• Tyler’s advice for the writer who feels God’s call but wrestles with self-doubt and a busy schedule

Reflecting on a Life-Changing Basketball Game

Between youth ministry, sports writing, and high school basketball coaching, Tyler lives what he calls a seasonal life: his focus tends to change depending on the time of year. Many people would find it extremely challenging to make time for more writing alongside all of those other commitments, but Tyler says writing — and in particular, telling and engaging with stories — is something he’s always enjoyed. 

“We as humans connect the most with stories,” Tyler says. Pointing to Jesus as the greatest Storyteller of all time, Tyler adds that, no matter the setting — be it listening to a sermon or watching a sports match — he’s always drawn into other people’s stories and always looking for a story to tell. 

That’s why he begins his book, Searching for Seven, with the story of a high school basketball game that ultimately changed the direction of his life. During this game, Tyler was not playing well and had been arguing with his coach. “I remember sitting at the end of the bench thinking, ‘This is not looking good for my career in basketball. I’m not where I wanted to be.’” 

But then, just when Tyler thought he was finished playing for the night, his coach put him back in the game — and he played better than he ever had before. Thanks to his performance that day, his basketball career took off, and a few years later, Tyler was recruited to play basketball at a Bible college. 

Although Tyler thought he was only attending that college to play basketball, God had other plans. The opportunity to work in youth ministry one summer turned into a long-term calling. But without that one high school game where Tyler found renewed confidence and his basketball career changed, it’s possible he might never have ended up at the Bible college that led him to youth ministry. 

Finding Confidence in God

Tyler’s story is a valuable reminder for us all. In the moment, we don’t always see or understand what God is doing. But sometimes God is working behind the scenes to put the pieces together and bring about a greater good than we could possibly imagine. 

Additionally, Tyler’s story reminds us of an important distinction between confidence and arrogance. While we should always keep in mind that our gifts and talents come from God, it’s also important to believe that we are capable of accomplishing great things with God as our strength. 

What matters is that “we are putting our confidence in God, recognizing where the abilities come from,” Tyler says. “That's a game-changer: when I can face every day and every challenge knowing He's got my back, He's put me in this position. And it's not really my ability, it's what He's given. And I'm going to use that ability through Him.”

Making Time & Space to Write

Tyler says he had the idea to write his book several years before he actually started working on it in earnest. “I knew at some point it was going to happen,” he explains, “but life is busy. There's a lot going on. And so for many years, I did not make the time to start writing.” 

Instead, Tyler would write down notes and ideas here and there. He had a general idea of what he wanted to write about and which stories from his life he wanted to include, but it wasn’t until later that he made a conscious decision to set aside time to write. 

When he decided it was time to focus on his book, Tyler took weeks off from work and used the time he would normally have spent at his job working on his book in