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December 27, 2012
Set:
Every once in a while we encounter an opponent in competition who, by all accounts, is unbeatable, and it prompts fear in our team. Some opponents seem to grow larger and larger as we approach game day. The media reports and general word-of-mouth discussions depict them as giants. How should we approach such an opponent?
Your opponents on the athletic field are worthy of your respect. They are not, however, worthy of fear! The work of God’s Spirit within us does not bring fear. It brings courage.
January 27, 2012
Set:
Sandi could tell you that your balance follows your gaze. He’d stopped his mountain bike just above a trail intersection. I was waiting for him on the trail below him and to his right. Being new to the kind of pedals that held his feet captive in metal clips, he focused on getting his left foot out before he lost all of his forward momentum. Proud of his success, he turned his gaze to the right to meet mine — and his weight followed his eyes. In slow motion he keeled over down the slope toward me, still unable to free his right foot from the pedal. He tumbled unhurt into an avalanche of late-autumn leaves, branches and his own bike.
June 29, 2013
Set:
What athlete does not want to be in a Hall of Fame? What little kid playing T-ball doesn’t dream of hitting the winning home run in the World Series? What sixth grader playing touch football at recess doesn’t dream of playing in the Super Bowl? It is in our nature to be driven competitors.
Our society has special places of honor for those who are above average. Whether it is dreaming of being inducted in Canton, Ohio, as a gridiron great or making it to Cooperstown, New York, as a hero of the diamond, everybody wants to be the best. The thing some athletes don’t realize is that they are already in God’s Hall of Fame.
July 18, 2013
Set:
There are some things that just set a coach off. Together those things make up what I call my "Hot List"--things that made me mad fast!
1. A lazy player.
2. Someone who is constantly late.
3. Those who would rather complain than try harder.
4. Those who blame everyone else and never take responsibility for their own actions.
These players really pushed me to the limit as a coach. Was there redeeming value in them? Absolutely. But rarely did they see it in themselves.
May 10, 2012
Set:
Back when I played “ankle-biter” football as an 8-year-old, I remember how parents would pull their cars up next to field and shine their car lights
when the practice was running late and it was getting too dark to see the ball. Our coach needed more light to teach us that big play that would win
it for us on Saturday. Four cars (eight lights) lit the practice field up like a Christmas tree! As little football players, we saw the light.
As athletes we need to S.E.E. the light. Not the car lights, but another kind of light. This light deals with our physical bodies that God created
for us to take care of, not abuse. S.E.E. stands for Sleep, Eat and Exercise. I meet so many competitors who train hard on the field of competition,
November 17, 2013
Set:
As a coach in a low-income school, I see my players go through very difficult times. Many have no father at home, and they endure a mediocre educational system in a drug-infested neighborhood. These kids have to work twice as hard just to break even. It is hard not to internalize the problems of our players. Because the environment in which they live provides little or no hope, we find ourselves wanting to step in to solve their problems. However, we typically find ourselves feeling helpless. From time to time coaches find themselves serving as father, mother, lawyer, mediator, and mentor to their players, surrogate roles that press down with lots of pressure and responsibility.
February 12, 2013
Set:
Football is a physical game and requires self-control by coaches and players. We know there are consequences when someone loses the ability to control himself or herself. When a coach or a player loses the ability to control his or her emotions, everybody loses. Not only is the one who lost control penalized, but so is the team.
As coaches, we are to be examples of self-control for our players and fellow coaches. It is very easy to allow our emotions to get the best of us at practice or during a game. The situation that causes us to lose it could be a controversial call by a referee, a blown assignment by a player, or something that we have absolutely no control over. The situation is not the important thing; it is how we respond.
June 14, 2013
Set:
Last night, when my two year old stood on his bed in a playful mood, I encouraged him to jump to me; but did not put my hands out . . . yet. His face went from joy to fear as he looked at the elements. The bed was high—the floor was low.
As an athlete, we can be filled with indecision at times. We want to step up to help the team, but fear and doubt hold us back. In basketball, a coach will put a player on the floor to shoot, but if he or she hesitates, the opportunity passes away. Why do we fear and doubt when the coach has confidence we can do the job?
May 09, 2013
Set:
What does a basketball coach look for in his players when he walks into the gym before practice or a game? Perhaps what pleases the coach most is to see his players continuing to hone the skills that contribute to the team playing their best—shooting, dribbling, and passing. It would be disappointing if he were to observe the players constantly working on the art of spinning the ball on their fingers.
May 24, 2013
Set:
If we tried to count on our hands the number of times someone let us down or we have let someone else down, we’d run out of fingers. We as humans fail miserably all the time. Thankfully there are promises in the Bible like the one in Psalm 103:12, which states, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
There is incredible power in looking at ourselves through the eyes of Christ. No matter the mistake, the loss, the pain, or the regret—in God’s eyes we shine brightly. When we feel inadequate, depressed, or ashamed; we should feel His presence. He redeems our life, rescues us from the pit and showers us with love and compassion. He satisfies our desires with awesome and wonderful things.
June 18, 2012
Set:
Recently, I’ve been struck by the simple way in which children think. This spring, I volunteered at a camp, and as part of the curriculum, we were teaching the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den. When we asked the kids questions, a young girl around 5 years old would always answer in the simplest way, but I could tell she understood the story better than most kids her age. When the group was asked how Daniel was saved from the lions' den, the young girl said something to this effect: “Daniel trusted that God would keep him safe because God loves Daniel.”
April 19, 2013
Set:
He had accepted his dream job as the head football coach in a highly successful school. He had always been successful. He won lots of games and championships in his first few years of coaching and now had just completed his first two losing seasons. He was hearing boos from the public, and his wife could barely take the unending criticism flooding from the stands about her husband.
May 02, 2012
Set:
One of the biggest hindrances to an athlete's performance is doubt. Wondering whether or not he or she is capable of doing the job. From the hitting drills of football to individual at-bats of baseball to the weight lifting of everyone, a major factor of success is being confident in the ability to do something.
February 06, 2012
Set:
This weekend Gary Brasher will attempt to accomplish something that most of us would never even consider, much less aspire to, when he completes a triple-iron triathlon. That’s a full iron-distance triathlon every day for three consecutive days! He will swim, bike and run his way over 422.6 miles in a 72-hour span! It is truly one of the most difficult sporting endeavors ever imagined.
August 09, 2013
Set:
The foundation for success in any sport relies primarily on the mastery of fundamentals. Champion athletes spend time perfecting their skills by focusing on fundamentals. At times it may seem trite, but to error fundamentally could produce devastating miscues! It doesn’t matter at what level you compete, ignore the fundamentals and your performance will suffer.
April 15, 2013
Set:
Rick Carlisle took over as coach of the Detroit Pistons and went on to become Coach of the Year because he directed his team to the NBA Eastern Conference finals in back-to-back fifty-win seasons. Unfortunately it wasn’t good enough. Carlisle was fired because the management of the Pistons decided to go in a different direction.
March 15, 2013
Set:
John was a great miler who liked to take the lead early in the race and run to victory. His coach was concerned about an upcoming race. John’s top opponent liked to come from behind to win.
When the race started, John raced to the lead. His coach told him to move to the inside of lane one, but John ignored him. Laps two and three, his coach said the same thing, but John only grew upset with him. On lap four, his coach was insistent, but John stayed firm.
March 22, 2013
Set:
“That’s never been done here before.” “We’ve never been to the state playoffs.” “We’ve never beaten them before.” How many times have athletes looked at past seasons as the standard for the current season? The past can be a great thing when kept in perspective.
January 30, 2012
Set:
What does it mean to be sitting on the sidelines? It means we’re not in the game. In sports, there’s a limited amount of athletes who can be in a game at one time, and there are many reasons why certain ones have to sit out: they are injured, they aren’t starters, they’re lower on the depth chart, they don’t quite have the skills, or they’re just fans.
But what about those times when we are healthy, skilled and highly capable enough to be in the game, but we still choose not to go in? This is rare, but it does happen. Maybe we’re afraid, not comfortable with a situation, or that we’re losing and don’t want to be blamed for it.
August 20, 2013
Set:
Sometimes we are up against opponents who may seem insurmountable, like an all-state player to guard or an all-conference tackle who has completely buried us in the past. Sports psychologists and coaches agree that the way we prepare for competition determines how we will perform in the heat of battle.
Daniel saw a vision of how the world was going to end and was so frightened he was shaking. An angel placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder and reminded him of a few things.
Don’t be afraid. That is a command, not a suggestion. Our training prepares us to meet any challenge. We may not overcome every opponent, but as children of God, we do not need to have fear. God treasures us. He loves us very dearly and will take care of us.
May 01, 2012
Set:
Years ago, when I ran track in college, I had the privilege of doing workouts with several elite athletes who trained at the same facility in California. One of the athletes in my workout group was a promising college freshman named Mark Crear. Three years later, I watched his career take off after he finished third at the NCAA finals in 1990. Over the the next 14 years, Mark emerged as one of the top hurdlers in the world. An Olympian with two Olympic medals, he held the No. 1 or 2 ranking in the world several times during that span. He is remembered most for taking the silver medal in the 1996 Olympics with a cast on his broken arm.
January 14, 2013
Set:
Everyone wants to be a winner, whether it’s in sports or life in general. Cindy Todd, a world waterskiing champion, spoke about winning. She said, “When I first read Philippians 3:14, which tells us to ‘pursue…the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus,’ I was reminded of a waterskiing competition. Everyone aims toward a prize. We all want it, but only one person gets to win. God has given me a talent for waterskiing, but thanks to Him, I’m a winner in another way. I have been cleansed of sin through the blood of Jesus. I have received salvation by God’s grace. This is the most important victory in my life, and it’s a victory we all can have. ‘…Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Ac 2:21).
June 28, 2013
Set:
We can all recall a time when we’ve competed to the point of total exhaustion, our bodies, minds, and souls fully spent in pursuit of a victory. How does one continue to compete at the point of physical breakdown and total collapse?
The writer of this psalm knew what it was for his flesh and heart to fail. He had totally exhausted the capacity of his body to fight, but had lived on. He had been to the very end of his heart’s ability to love, but found renewed strength of soul.
At the end of a body’s natural ability to compete, God is a limitless source of strength. When our hearts are poured out like much water, God is a river of life to the soul.
July 13, 2013
Set:
As a coach, it’s hard to make athletes understand that improvement takes place in the off-season. I would always get the same excuse about needing time off after a hard season. Work ethic is a big deal to a coach. Athletes who put in the work are always better off in the end.
December 05, 2013
Set:
Fifteen girls sat throughout the locker room avoiding eye contact with their coach. They had lost previous games but none this badly. Coach paced the quiet room finding his words. “What happened to this team?” Each word grew louder, leading into the speech the girls had heard before. “Three years ago we won state, now we can’t even win one game! I have never coached a team with less …” His words droned on, drowning the girls in further defeat.
