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September 27, 2010
Set:
Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan. They stood out as great NBA players, but they had a certain quality that did not show up in the box score. It was the ability to make the players around them better. They added value to their teammates, and they could see the bigger picture. Success for them was inevitable.
Likewise, Jesus calls us to see the bigger picture of His kingdom as we influence others for His sake. Every day, we encounter fellow coaches, students, players—even our family—who might need our help so that they can get to the next level, not just for their sake but for His.
October 15, 2009
Set:
Last week I got to go to Austin, Texas, to interview Colt McCoy for the December issue of Sharing the Victory magazine and our online video ministry. In my line of work, I get to sit down with Christian athletes and coaches on a regular basis and talk about their faith. It’s a dream job, of course, and one that I thank God for every day.
In all of these interviews, I meet a lot of different personality types. There are hard-nosed, intense guys who convey that in their passion for the Lord. Some are more reserved and shy, yet incredibly sincere. Others are just straight-forward, no-nonsense athletes who tell you like it is. It’s such a unique opportunity to see how God’s body has many different parts that function as a whole unit for His glory.
December 29, 2010
Set:
We were in the regional finals of the Virginia high school golf tournament. I was a first year golf coach. My player, Gabe, was tied for the individual championship and was playing in the final round against the defending champion. He had just birdied the thirteenth hole to take a one shot lead with five holes to play.
I suddenly realized that I wasn’t sure what to say or do. Even though I had coached and officiated over a twenty-year period, I had never been a golf coach. Basketball and soccer were my forte. What strategy do you offer in a solitary sport like golf to a young man who must perform alone under pressure? Coaches are supposed to know everything and be ready in any situation. I felt I had little to offer.
December 01, 2008
Set:
When Jean Driscoll was a teenager, she had all of the same negative ideas about wheelchairs as everyone else. They were cumbersome and limiting, and using one meant the end of any shot at a normal life. And that’s exactly how she felt when, as a high school sophomore, she was forced to use one herself.
“I thought my life was over,” Driscoll candidly says.
November 01, 2008
Set:
In 1996, I went to my first professional golf tournament. Lush green grass, beautiful colors and the world’s best golfers took center stage at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I watched several groups tee off and was amazed at how far they hit the ball.
As I walked the course, I came to a hole where there was quite a buzz. People were crowding in to see a young golfer hit the ball—a young man named Tiger Woods. I, too, greatly admired this young, talented golfer. Tiger took it all in stride. He showed amazing composure for such a young player.
July 16, 2009
Set:
Coach Scott was a great offensive line football coach. As a 10-year-old aspiring right guard, I learned from him the basics to being a great blocker: elbows up and out with hands tucked in. It was the “old school” way to block, which didn’t involve the use of hands—just stick your elbows way out so the defensive player couldn’t get by. For me, a good game required making sure no one ever got around me and never got a tackle. Not exactly a simple job. It took an incredible amount of work and effort to keep others from advancing toward the ball.
September 12, 2006
Set:
The 2006 NFL kicked off with events in stadiums all across America commemorating the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. That was a day when football was put in perspective for players, coaches and fans, and opponents were united. "It was a sad day, but at the same time it was a day that brought this whole nation together," New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington said.
July 30, 2010
Set:
How many times have you heard it said that an athlete is “in the zone”? You know exactly what that means. Every athlete wants to get in that zone. When we’re there, we don’t feel any pain. We don’t feel exhaustion. We feel pretty close to unbeatable.
March 29, 2010
Set:
King Saul and his son Jonathan faced a life-threatening crisis with the Philistines, but they handled the dilemma in very different ways. Jonathan responded in faith by trusting God in spite of the odds (1 Sm 14:1–14). God came to Jonathan’s aid by sending great confusion into the Philistine camp, and the Israelites were thus enabled to defeat the more powerful Philistine army without a casualty (1 Sm. 14:15–23).
July 17, 2010
Set:
Baseball immortal Ty Cobb, one of the greatest hitters of all time, was also a base- stealing “demon” during his playing days. In his autobiography, My Life in Baseball, the True Record, Cobb admitted that often he would use trickery to fool his opponents and steal a base.
April 07, 2008
Set:
When Laura Wilkinson says she used to be a very quiet and shy person, it’s a little hard to believe. That’s because these days, the outgoing, personable world-class diver is one of sport’s most outspoken Christian athletes.
Wilkinson is also very articulate when it comes to matters of faith. She strives to live with integrity in an effort to maintain solid footing on the broad platform that worldwide notoriety as an Olympic gold medalist has afforded her.
“I’ve had to learn to speak up for God in my life,” Wilkinson says. “I’ve realized that if He has a presence in my heart, He needs to have a presence in everything. If He’s really the center of my life, He’s really going to be involved in everything.”
April 27, 2009
Set:
One problem with us today is that we often forget we own nothing. Talent, leadership ability, and even the very lives we live are God’s property.
Job lost all he had through no fault of his own. As he struggled to understand why, it became clear that it was not meant for him to know the reasons. How he reacted is paramount—He worshiped God! Today we tend to worship depending on how well life is treating us. Job exemplified a very valuable principle—worship is the lifestyle we lead, not the momentary prevailing mind-set.
Walk it Out. We have to live out our theology through action.
Obey. Every Christian has been called to obedience. Job was known as a man of integrity because he obeyed God.
July 14, 2009
Set:
A close friend who has known me for 20 years recently approached me with a comment and question that surprised me. He said, “I’ve been watching you closely for the past year, and you have changed. I see transformation in your life. What are you doing?” I was totally humbled and deeply thankful that someone saw a change. But I also quickly reminded myself that the positive change was not the result of anything I had done, but of what God had done in me. It was a tribute to the power of His transforming work. After explaining to my friend about a serious daily commitment to the morning disciplines of reading, studying and praying the Word of God, he asked for more details.
January 05, 2007
Set:
Okay, here's a little peek at my life. . . It's 7:25 a.m. on Thursday, December 28, 2006, and it's "showtime" for the Alamo Bowl/Alamo Cafe FCA Breakfast. The head table is filled with head football coaches, athletes, bowl dignitaries and pastors. The bands are playing, and at 7:30, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and the University of Texas Longhorns enter the ballroom to the delighted cheers of 600 local student athletes, coaches and bowl fans.
November 21, 2010
Set:
Jeff Hart, a retired offensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts, knew that in order to be able to handle the opposing linemen, he needed to concentrate on every play. After breaking from the huddle, Jeff would look at the goalpost in the end zone, which symbolized for him the cross of Christ and reminded him of who he was really serving. He would then commit the next play to an audience of One. This focus and devotion allowed Jeff to play at his best and helped him to keep perspective. Whether professional or not, every athlete and coach faces a variety of challenges. Adversity comes to all of us at some point in life and requires that we focus on what is most important. Whether it’s a difficult situation with a player or a series of losses, we will have struggles.
September 10, 2010
Set:
The Lady Bing trophy is awarded to a player for the most sportsman like conduct. This is the only sport that actually gives an award for playing within the rules. Sounds ridiculous? Not really considering it’s the only sport where fighting is generally expected and only punished by 5 minutes of offsetting penalties. The point is that to play in such a tough field, and still keep courteous to those who generally don’t deserve it, deserves to be acknowledged and rewarded.
June 01, 2010
Set:
Have you ever walked into a Sam’s Club or Costco and, all of a sudden, something comes over you? It’s like you are magnetically pulled to these beautiful rectangular boxes with vibrant colors showing on them that make the pictures look almost real. You are drawn closer and closer, and down deep inside you, the feeling arises that one of these things needs to be yours. OK, maybe it’s a guy thing, but the innate desire for earthly possessions can consume us from time to time. The gifts in our lives can overtake us if we’re not careful.
April 10, 2010
Set:
Each new season starts out with a team meeting. The coach gives the team rules and goes over the expectations for the upcoming season. The coach makes sure that there is no question about what will be expected out of the athletes.
God is the ultimate head coach. Just as a good earthly coach goes over the rules, so does He. God gave His “team rules” to the Israelites through Moses, and He expected them to be followed.
When our earthly head coaches expect us to follow the team rules, they generally set out a reward. The reward might be a letterman’s patch or pin, or it could be lessened conditioning in practice. Whatever it is, the head coach makes sure that we know the rewards for following the team rules.
April 24, 2010
Set:
Coaches challenge players to set goals, both for themselves and for the team. One way to reinforce this practice is by maintaining a written journal or list of expectations. The great Apostle Paul had goals, too, one of which appears in his letter to the church at Philippi. Paul’s goal was to know Jesus more. If we made Paul’s goal one for ourselves and our players, what would be the result? Would the daily challenges of our jobs, the pains of failed relationships, or the sorrows of daily tragedies seem as unendurable if we knew “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings”?
June 30, 2009
Set:
I was getting ready this morning, minding my own business when I heard a proclamation from outside my house. It was loud. It was proud. It was my 4-year-old son singing at the top of his voice, “I’m in the Lord’s Army. Yes, sir!” He was sitting with his light saber in hand singing his praise to the General of the Heavenly Host. When we play sports, we go into battle. Sides are drawn, boundaries set, and the battle begins. No matter what the sport, we choose whom we will compete for and against. It is no different in our walk with Christ. Every day we battle against evil. We are in a war for our souls. God wants us to choose a side.
September 26, 2006
Set:
Just when you think things can't get any worse, the tires fall off. That's what the United States learned at the Ryder Cup two years ago. After trailing by a daunting six points heading into the final day of the 2004 tournament, the wheels came off of the team's rally wagon as they suffered the worst defeat in Ryder Cup history to the Europeans, 18 1/2 to 9 1/2. Frustrated U.S. captain Hal Sutton said, "We're bleeding but we're not dead. We'll get back up, and we'll fight again."
February 10, 2012
Set:
We can all recall a time in our coaching careers when things were so good we didn’t want them to end. We wanted that winning feeling to last for days, but it was soon gone. Jesus had similar days, and we read about one of them in the text above.
November 27, 2010
Set:
We live all of our lives by faith, whether we realize it or not. We have faith that a light will come on when we flip the switch. We have faith that our friends and spouses will be faithful to their relationships. Managers have faith that players will perform as they hope. Players have faith that everyone on the team will perform. The Bible describes faith as “the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (Heb 11:1).
July 27, 2009
Set:
The Lord commands us to do many things. While some things come easily to us, others are tough to control. Every person has something different that he struggles with when trying to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. But obedience to God is the key to having an abundant life, as well as an abundant eternity.
November 01, 2008
Set:
There had not been an undefeated Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew did it in 1977. Fans watching the 2004 Kentucky Derby saw a Pennsylvania-bred horse named Smarty Jones, with a trainer and a jockey who were both rookies, end the 27-year drought by winning the race, running the horse’s record to 7–0. Jockey Stewart Elliott later said:
"It is just unbelievable. We bunched up a bit on the first turn but things turned out great. It was a good trip. I crossed the wire and I can’t explain it; there aren’t words to describe it. At the three-eighths pole, I knew I had a loaded gun underneath me. I was just going to sit until he straightened up and switched leads. He really went to running."
