Zack Cox couldn’t take it anymore. Frustration was flying at him from all directions like 90-mph fastballs from a pitching machine gone berserk. The game he loved felt more and more like a prison sentence. So he did what any athlete would do. He found a bathroom and broke down.
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Success vs. Significance
Set:
She was a cute and happy kindergartener in the very first PE class I taught in 1987. I knew she would grow up to be quite a young lady. Seventeen years later, Kristen is a senior playing basketball for a Christian college in Indiana. Coming off an outstanding high school career, Kristen has had a hard time finding success at the next level in most people's eyes. You will not find a harder worker or a more disciplined ball player than this young lady, but for some reason her number is not called too many times. Many players in her situation would have quit by now, but not Kristen.
Touchdown Jesus
The biggest season of Bobby Morton’s life began with tragedy. Morton, a fifth-year senior, and the Notre Dame football team entered this fall with perhaps greater expectations than any season since 1988, when the Fighting Irish won their last national championship. But on Aug. 22, only 11 days before the season opener at Georgia Tech, Morton’s 54-year-old father died of stomach cancer.
Fifty Years, One Mission
Set:
Looking back on the past weekend's FCA 50th Anniversary celebration, I can only think of one word: AMAZING. I am not sure how many people were there, but it does not matter, it was the spirit of fellowship, spirit of unity, and the Spirit of God that was present in Kansas City. All who attended were blessed in a great way.
Fit 4 Ever: It's Time to Train
My favorite scenes from the Rocky movies are the training scenes. They are vintage Stallone — the intensity, the discipline, the passion! I have vivid images of him punishing a side of beef, trudging through the heavy snows of Siberia and running mile after mile before the sun rises. Even though the outcomes of these fights were decided in the scripts, real-life outcomes are often determined by how we train and how we get ready for the inevitable storms of life.
#8 - StVRP - Pete Maravich, Micky Mantle, Bobby Richardson
This week, you’ll hear testimony of basektball great Pete Maravich, the story of Mickey Mantle’s faith conversion and 1960 World Series MVP Bobby Richardson.
Overcome Adversity
Set:
As a child, I dealt with the embarrassment of having to wear glasses and braces. And to make matters worse, I had problems with my hearing which required me to wear a hearing aid and affected my speech. You can imagine the name-calling that ensued. I remember one day on the way home from school, I was so frustrated that I took off my hearing aid and threw it into a ditch. Needless to say, my parents weren’t too happy about that.
Fit 4 Ever: Time for a Detox
One of the most popular movements in health and wellness today is the concept of “detox.” In fact, this spring, Oprah Winfrey completed her own 21-day detoxification program in an effort to rid her body of accumulated toxins and harmful substances, and in the process, she brought renewed national interest to the idea.
During her 21 days of physical cleansing, she completely avoided all animal products, caffeine, alcohol, bread (and gluten) and refined sugar. At first-glance, this may not seem like that big of a deal. However, the program that Oprah followed was based on a book called Quantum Wellness by author and new age spiritual counselor Kathy Freston.
My Wife, My Teammate
When I was first approached by FCA to submit an article for Sharing the Victory magazine, I was (#1) humbled, but also (#2) excited to be able to publicly appreciate my wife. Little did I know that this would be one of the most difficult things that I ever venture to do. God has more than taught me through this process, and I feel as if I would be dishonoring what I’ve been led to do if I didn’t write from the heart. Besides, there is no real victory without real authenticity. So, that being said, I’d like to share the following with you.
R U Fat?
Set:
I was approached the other day and asked if I was fat. Well, as a former athlete and coach who has put on a few since his glory days, I was taken aback. "I may be fat, but you're ugly," I kidded him. He laughed and responded, "Not that kind of fat!" I was interested to see how he was going to get out of this one.
He went on to tell me that the "fat" he had been talking about stood for Faithful, Available and Teachable. He told me that we need FAT people involved in the ministry. What a great thought! We most certainly do need FAT people in every area of life. Athletes need to be FAT. Coaches need to be FAT. Pastors need to be FAT. And the list goes on and on. The question now is ... Are you FAT?
Didn't See It Coming
Set:
John was a great miler. He always liked to take the lead early in the race and run to victory. His coach, however, was concerned about an upcoming race. John's top opponent would be one who liked to come from behind to win.
When the race started, like clockwork, John raced to the lead. His coach told him to move to the inside of lane one, but John ignored him. He liked to run in the first lane, but not always on the inside. Laps two and three, his coach said the same thing, but John only grew upset with him. John knew he had the lead — the victory was his. On lap four, his coach was more insistent that John move to the inside of lane one, but John stayed firm in the middle of the lane.
I have fought the good fight…
Set:
As March Madness winds down, we can clearly see the parity that exists at the highest level of college basketball. It’s been excited to watch the thrilling overtime victories and the games that have been decided by three points or less. Teams have matched up toe-to-toe, scraped, hustled and competed to extend their seasons for one more game. At the end of every game, one team has been left celebrating while the other has left empty-handed, perhaps stunned, that the game got away in the final ticks of the clock.
Mississippi Miracle
What's more impressive than Trinity University's 15-lateral play? The story of faith behind it.
Soil of the Subpar Season
On this day, you left nothing behind. Your sweat-soaked uniform provides the proof. As you stand alongside your teammates you can hear the sound of the exuberant crowd cheering. In time, your body will ache, but not now. Not just yet. It will be tomorrow before the cuts and bruises remind you of the painful, hard-fought game. For right now, posters wave and arms remain outstretched in celebration. These are the sights and sounds of victory. Unfortunately, they are not for you. Your supporters are silent and still; they are rocks among the waves of fans who have crashed the field to celebrate with the victors.
Start Right
There’s nothing better than getting the day started right - with a spiritual and physical jump start.
As You Pass through the Waters…
A Personal Story by Lindsey Kirchhoff
Natalie Ann came screaming into the world on July 28, 1986—18 months after me. Feisty and strong willed, Natalie proved right from the start that she was determined. She embodied the fearless character of Rudy Ruettiger—the hero of the acclaimed movie, “Rudy,” who defied the struggle and achieved his dream of playing football at the prestigious University of Notre Dame.
Beyond Ourselves
Set:
Due to Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints began the 2005 NFL season with more on their minds than winning football games. Katrina caused devastation not only in the lives of many Saints fans, players and families, but also to the whole city of New Orleans. In the season opener, kicker John Carney hit a 47-yard field goal with three seconds left to give the saints a 23-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers. “You don’t want to attach too much importance to it, you know, because it’s still just a football game,” Carney said. “But, sure, there was a sense that we were playing for more than ourselves today."
The Gap
Set:
Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden once said, “A leader’s most powerful ally is his or her own example. There is hypocrisy to the phrase ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ I refused to make demands on my boys that I wasn’t willing to live out in my own life.”
Too often as athletes and coaches, we desire to live a life we know we cannot live. What I mean is that we desire for our external life (the life everyone sees—wins and accomplishments) to be greater than our internal life (our thoughts and desires).
Triple Threat
“Expectations from last season ... coaching and playing in the NBA are so demanding ... the worst performance ... flashy clothes, the expensive cars and piles of money ... worst player in the game ... obviously fallen on hard times ... very inconsistent in their shooting...”
You don’t have to search to find remarks like these on the web or in the sports section of the newspaper the morning after any NBA game. They’re easy to find.
Slump
Set:
Tiger Woods doesn't win a tournament in a month. Barry Bonds doesn't homer in a week. Jeff Gordon doesn't win a race for a month. All of these are recent happenings. Sportswriters love this type of reporting because they get to go for the jugular. They break out the big "S" word — SLUMP. Sports fans and writers get used to the sports heroes performing day in and day out. When reality hits that these athletes aren't perfect, they feel like they have to make an excuse or that something must be terribly wrong with them. For the three examples above, I'm not sure if the word "slump" is right, but we all go through tough times in life and in sport.
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