灵魂规划师

Jared Zwerling

MEET ROCK STAR PASTOR CARL LENTZ， SPIRITUAL GUIDE TO DURANT， MELO， NBAS ELITE.

认识一下大人物卡尔·兰茨牧师，他是杜兰特、安东尼等等NBA顶级球员的精神向导。

"There are only two times when Im talking： balling and preaching，" Lentz said.

“我只在两种情况下说话：打篮球和布道。”兰茨说。

So who exactly is Carl Lentz？

那么，到底谁是卡尔·兰茨？

He is one of the most connected people in NBA circles—but not for the reasons you may think. Hes not an agent， business representative or in any way connected to players financially. You could even pass him for a fashion stylist or rock-band member with his scruffy beard， half-shaved head and slickedback Mohawk， ripped jeans and leather jackets， graphic T-shirts and tattoos representing his family and faith.

他是NBA圈子里人脉最广的人——不过原因和你想的可能有些不同。他不是经纪人，不是商务代理，和球员在经济上也没有任何联系。从他不修边幅的胡子、半剃光的脑袋、乱糟糟的莫西干发型、破旧的牛仔裤、皮夹克、印着图案的T恤造型，以及代表他家庭与信仰的文身上，你也许会把他当做时尚设计师，或摇滚乐队的成员。

A former college baller at N.C. State in the late 1990s， Lentz is one of the most sought-after pastors in the country. His base is New York Citys nontraditional Hillsong Church， which attracts a younger congregation with its liberal style and musical sermons.

上世纪90年代末，在北卡州大当过球员的兰茨，如今是全美范围内最受欢迎的牧师之一。他的本部是纽约市非传统的希尔桑教堂，他用自由的风格和音乐式的布道，吸引了更加年轻的教众。

This past December， before his 36th birthday， Lentz was named to Esquires "37 People Under 35 Who Are Reshaping The World，" along with the likes of LeBron James， Beyonce， Channing Tatum and Mark Zuckerberg. The story called Lentz "the hipster Joel Osteen，" a pastor whos even befriended Justin Bieber and many other celebrities who attend his church.

过去的这个12月，在他36岁生日前，兰茨被《时尚先生》杂志评为“37个35岁以下重新定义世界的人”之一，和他一起入选这个名单的，还有诸如勒布朗·詹姆斯、碧昂斯（歌手）、钱宁·塔图姆（演员）和马克·扎克伯格（facebook创始人）。那篇文章将兰茨称为“嬉皮士版的乔尔·奥斯汀”，后者也是牧师。兰茨甚至和贾斯汀·比伯都成了朋友，而且前往他教堂的人中很多都是他的名人朋友。

"I speak the same language as them. Its a huge advantage for me，" said Lentz， whos also close with some NFL players.

“我和他们说着同样的语言，对我来说这是一个巨大的优势。”兰茨说，他还和一些NFL球员关系密切。

As much as his words may inspire players hearts， Lentzs down-to-earth， relatable approach—bridging the gap between the court and the church—wins over their heads.

就像他的言语能激励球员一样，兰茨平易近人的行事方式——将球场与教堂联系在了一起，也赢得了球员们的心。

"Hes definitely relatable，" Durant said. "He came to me as a friend first， and I can say that he genuinely cares. We just grew from there， and then our relationship as far as being attached to the church. I went to church growing up， but I didnt really pay attention， honestly. I knew the basics. I just wanted to learn more and grow as a man， and he taught me a lot about the Bible and learning from God.”

“他绝对能引起共鸣。”杜兰特说，“他主动和我成为了朋友，我可以说他是发自真心的关心。我们从那开始发展，我们之间的关系都和教堂相关。从小到大我一直都去教堂，但说实话，我没真正认真听过。我知道基础的东西，我只是想更多地了解，成长为一个男人。他教会了我很多圣经以及如何从上帝身上学习的经验。”

"What you find with people who are really famous is that often theyre isolated，" Lentz said. "They have so much money that they cant trust anybody， or anybody that tries to help them always has a hook trying to get something from them. So our [churchs] big advantage is we dont need anything from[them]， and were not pursuing anybody except for whos in front of us.”

“你能从那些真正很有名的人身上发现，通常他们很孤独。”兰茨说，“他们的钱太多，所以不能相信任何人，或者任何试图帮助他们的人总是想从他们那里得到一些东西。所以我们的教堂最大的优势，就是我们不需要他们的任何东西，我们不会去追逐任何人，我们只关注眼前的人。”

One of the first things Lentz did when he moved to New York in the fall of 2010， to open Hillsong， was attend a Knicks game. Shortly after， a local pastor named Rex Duval introduced Lentz to former Knicks All-Star Allan Houston. Then came Tyson Chandler and other team members.

2010年秋天为了开办希尔桑教堂而搬到纽约后，兰茨做的第一件事，就是去看了一场尼克斯的比赛。没过多久，一个名叫莱克斯·杜瓦尔的当地牧师介绍兰茨认识了前尼克斯全明星球员阿兰·休斯顿。接下来他又认识了泰森·钱德勒和其他球员队员。

"Hes my mentor and provides consistency in my life，" said Chandler， who turned to Lentz last season when he was dealing with a serious family situation， flying to and from games to be with his loved ones. "To see someone who doesnt want anything and just be there for you during a time of need is the most valuable thing that someone can give.

“他是我的导师，为我的生活带来了一致性。”钱德勒表示。二年前钱德勒面临着严重的家庭问题，他需要乘飞机在爱人与比赛之间来回奔波，为此他寻求了兰茨的帮助。“看到一个人什么也不要，只是在你需要的时候支持你，这是一个人能给予的最宝贵的东西。”

Through his Knicks friendships， Lentz was there for Jeremy Lin during his historic run in 2012. One day， while heading to his wedding anniversary dinner， Lentz made a detour to pick up Lin and bring him along to answer his questions about the gospel and Christianity.

通过他的尼克斯关系，2012年在史诗般的林疯狂期间，兰茨成了林书豪的后盾。有一天，在他参加自己的结婚纪念日晚宴时，兰茨还特意绕道接了林书豪，并回答了他有关教义和基督教的相关问题。

"Hes pretty remarkable，" Lin said. "He definitely helped me through that time in my life. To receive that much attention， fame and power all overnight is very contrary to the gospel， because it talks about humility and giving God the glory. So while society was talking about how great I was， I had to really fight back and really remember that God gave me the blessing thats here because God wanted me to be here. Carl helped me understand that. Its still an ongoing process that I have to continue to work through.”

“他相当出色。”林书豪表示，“在我人生的那段时间，他绝对帮助了我。一夜之间得到那么多关注、名气和权力，这和教义正好相反，因为基督教说的是谦虚，一切荣光属于上帝。所以在社会谈论我多厉害时，我必须反击，我必须记住是上帝给了我祝福，因为上帝希望我在这里，我才能站在这里。卡尔帮助我理解了这些。这是一个仍然在继续的过程，我必须继续努力下去。”

In November 2013， Metta World Peace asked Lentz to be the pastor for the funeral of his half-sister， Shalice. "It was a special honor for me to do that，" Lentz said. "It really impacted me.”

2013年11月，慈世平邀请兰茨担任他同父异母姐姐沙丽斯葬礼的牧师。“对我来说这是一个特别的荣誉。”兰茨说，“这真的影响到了我。”

The Knicks are only one focus of Lentzs service. Five years ago， he became friendly with current Cavaliers forward Mike Miller. They met through their mutual friend， Adam Harrington， who was Lentzs teammate at N.C. State and is now the shooting coach for Durant and the Thunder.

尼克斯不是兰茨布道工作的唯一关注点。五年前，他和现骑士前锋迈克·米勒成了朋友。两人通过共同的朋友亚当·哈灵顿认识，哈灵顿是兰茨在北卡州大的队友，现在还是杜兰特和雷霆的投篮教练。

"Meeting Carl has really changed my life in a lot of ways，" Miller said."Hes really made me a better father， a better husband， a better friend， a better teammate. He has the unique way of bringing light to every situation， and its been a blessing to have him in my life. I really consider him basically my life coach. Carl is and will be a big shift in the culture of the NBA. I introduce him to as many teammates as I possibly can just because I know what kind of impact hes had on my life.”

“认识卡尔真的改变了我生活的很多方面。”米勒说，“他让我成为了一个更好的父亲、更好的丈夫、更好的朋友、更好的队友。他有特殊的方法，能在任何情况下给你带来希望，我的生活中有他，这是上天的恩赐。我基本把他看作我的人生指导。卡尔现在，将来都会为NBA的文化带来巨大的提升。我会尽量多地向队友介绍他，就是因为我知道他对我的生活带来了什么样的影响。”

When Miller and other players are in NYC for a weekend game and it fits their schedule， they will bring along some of their teammates to one of Hillsongs six services on Sunday at Manhattan Center—one block from Madison Square Garden. This season， Miller and James Jones brought Kyrie Irving. Fields came with Greivis Vasquez. During All-Star Weekend， several players attended Hillsong.

当米勒和其他球员到纽约市打周末的比赛时，如果时间合适，他们会带着其他队友参加希尔桑教堂周日六次的布道活动。这个教堂就在曼哈顿中心——距离麦迪逊广场花园只有一个街区。本赛季，米勒和詹姆斯·琼斯带凯里·欧文去了。兰德里·菲尔兹带着格雷维斯·瓦斯奎兹。全明星周末期间，不少球员去了希尔桑教堂。

Lentz met Durant after a March 2013 game at MSG. They talked that night for 30 minutes， and Lentz said theyve been in touch every day since through phone calls or texts. Lentz even baptized Durant in 2013 in the Thunder All-Stars pool at his Oklahoma City home.

2013年3月在麦迪逊广场花园的一场比赛后，兰茨认识了杜兰特。那天晚上他们聊了30分钟，兰茨说，从那之后，他们每天都会通过电话或短信联系。2013年，兰茨甚至在杜兰特位于俄克拉荷马城家里的泳池里为他进行了施洗。

Lentz was with Durant during All-Star Weekend， and helped him learn from his media outburst when he told reporters， "You guys dont know shit."

全明星周末期间兰茨和杜兰特在一起，帮助他从自己在媒体面前失态的事件中吸取经验，杜兰特那时对媒体说：“你们这些家伙真的狗屁都不知道。”

Lentz said the two biggest issues that he helps players deal with are"taking care of their family and trying to find peace in the middle of turmoil.”

兰茨说，他帮助球员应对的两个最大问题，就是“照顾自己的家庭，并试图在混乱中寻找平静。”

What message does he emphasize the most？

他强调最多的是什么信息呢？

"Dont get caught dreaming so much about the future that you miss the power of the present，" Lentz said. That has a special meaning in his connection to players.

“不要过多地梦想未来，这样你就会错过‘现在的力量。”兰茨说。在他与球员的联系中，这有着特别的意义。

"I tell them， Use basketball， dont let basketball use you， because it will milk you for all youre worth and squeeze you dry， " he said. " If youre going to be famous， use your platform. If youre a Christian， your life should be about helping other people. Becoming a better man makes you a better player."

“我对他们说：‘利用篮球，不要让篮球利用你。因为它会压榨你的所有价值，把你榨干。”兰茨说，“如果你会出名，利用你的平台。如果你是基督徒，你的人生关注的应该是帮助他人。成为一个更好的人能让你成为一个更好的球员。”

Lentz also talked about how whenever hes about to pray for someone in a hospital， Durant will always—even before hes about to take the court—send him a text message for the patient saying something like， "Hey， man， its Kevin Durant. Carl says youre going through some stuff. Keep your head up， much love.”

兰茨有时候会带着球员去纽约市的Bowery Mission地区为无家可归者赠送食物，他称赞球员们在社区中“比人们所知道的更为活跃”。他说大卫·李会抽时间前往不同城市的儿童医院。他说到了桑迪飓风过后，钱德勒是如何在尼克斯的训练结束后，一路开车到皇后区的洛克威海滩给那些需要的人们送食品——他甚至浑身湿透来不及换衣服。兰茨还提到了，无论何时他需要为医院里的某人祈祷时，杜兰特都会给予帮助，他甚至会在上场比赛前给病人发条短信，写着类似”嘿兄弟，我是凯文·杜兰特。卡尔说你正在经历一些问题。打起精神，爱你”的字眼。

Its a regular paying job， with plenty of pro bono acts of kindness—many that have changed the lives of NBA players.

这是一份收入普通的工作，包括很多免费的善举——而其中却改变了很多NBA球员的人生。

"This is the life I pursued and have a passion for—serving others without getting anything in return，" Lentz said. "Im very happy doing what Im doing.”

“这是我追寻的生活，这是我激情所在——服务他人，不求回报。”兰茨说，“我很高兴做我在做的事情。”