“To God Be the Glory,” Remarkable Lodge Grass Coach Steps Down

Back in March I told you about some incredible leaders I got to catch up with down in Lodge Grass, Montana. One of those men is Coach Josh Stewart of the Lodge Grass Indians.

We had Lodge Grass Basketball Coach Josh Stewart and NFL great Tuff Harris join us for a Christmas special back in 2020, and it's been so incredible watching his journey.

In case you missed it, Coach Stewart recently announced that he is stepping down as head coach. Here's the full announcement he shared on Facebook. (Sharing it here with permission)

Coaching Announcement:

"For those who have been inquiring, I will not be returning as the Lodge Grass Boys headcoach. Some of our LG Indians (players/former players) heard it first from me so I feel a little more comfortable sharing it here. I've always been intentional with my positive sharing with the community. This is part of it.
Thank you all for the kind words and support. My son and daughter will be in Billings school systems, and as it is their final two years of high school (Kaileys last), I want to be a proud dad in the stands. Toby made an academic decision to transfer as you have known, and he shared his gratefulness to the community. He loves his LG family and roots community, the best fans in the world, but he had to make a decision for his personal growth. I am proud of him for that.
Coaching is a call from the Creator, and I love being able to do it; so it won't be long before I'm back on the sideline somewhere (maybe back in LG idk). I do know that I've loved every moment of these past 5 years; with few bad days, and so many good days, it has been a wonderful experience and journey.
Although I'm leaving as coach, I'll be around to help in the community. We're working on building a One Shot Leadership training center in town. All of that is in the works, but in the meanwhile, I'll be doing individual and team skill work with some Multiply Your Talent leadership and basketball camps, some geared towards suicide prevention. More on that later. I will be around to cheer on our beloved Indians, but I don't want to hover over the program; I trust that a coach of significance will come in and keep the standard high, pushing the teams past their comfort zones, past their breaking points and into greatness.
Love you Lodge Grass! Big thanks to all of our coaches...couldn't have done this without you guys. Love y'all, especially my Mini Coach Jacoby.
To the parents, past champions, youth, elders, teachers, admin, board members, Vince in IT, all my family, loved ones and entire community.... THANK YOU! It takes a village. We did this together.
My mission was always this: PARTNER WITH PARENTS AND COMMUNITY TO RAISE UP YOUNG WARRIORS TO LOOK LIKE GOD and GIVE GLORY TO HIS NAME, WHILE TEACHING THE GAME AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL POSSIBLE TO GIVE THEM SKILLS TO BE CHAMPIONS IN LIFE.
From the jump, we said this in our first team meeting: “Wins or losses will not define us. Our character is what will define us. You’re modern day warriors, called into the kingdom for such as time as this. If you buy-in, remain coachable, and work extremely hard at Home, In the Classroom, and in the Gym, winning will happen. Wins will be a byproduct of your effort and hard work in all these areas. None of it matters if you refuse to love God and refuse to love people, that includes yourself. Use this game to build bridges for your self and others. Anything that comes to the team as far as wins, it will speak of your brotherhood and love for one another." Here in this image is what these boys have accomplished....
*TO GOD BE THE GLORY and to the boys be the credit!
Love,
Coach Stewart."