You Are Here > Popular content / Popular content
As Christians, our ultimate purpose on earth is twofold: to bring honor and glory to our Lord and Savior, and to share His goodness and love with others. So often we forget that people are watching us and that God has commanded that we be a light to a lost and dying world. When I think of “letting my light shine,” I think of three ways that, as a coach and Christian man, I try to do that every day.
Hockey Chat: You’ve seen hockey players try to argue there way out of penalties saying that it was just a little hook or they just slashed at the puck not the opponent. They try to minimize the offense. Fact is, when they are called for penalty, it’s a penalty. If they say they just barely hit the guy with their stick, they still are called for slashing. If plead that they just nudged the guy head first into the boards, they still get called for boarding just as if they slammed him. When the ref sees a penalty, regardless of the degree, he calls it.
Team Hoyt has completed 216 triathlons, 65 marathons, 718.6 milers and 81 half marathons. The team consists of a father and a son, Rick and Dick Hoyt. For 25 years, Dick (age 65) has been racing with his son Rick (age 45). People do this stuff all the time though right? What makes their story so amazing?
Rick Hoyt was born with his umbilical cord caught around his neck, causing the oxygen supply to his brain to be blocked. At eight months, Rick was labeled as a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Doctors told Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt that their son would never live a normal life; but they were determined to prove them wrong.
Recruiting at the collegiate level is not an exact science. As coaches travel around the country looking for athletes to fill their rosters, they look for players who are not only talented, but who are willing to dedicate and commit themselves to being the best they can possibly be. Likewise, as coaches, we are committing to players to help them become the best they can be. We are promising to equip them for success.
Through adjustments and adversity, know there is a loving Lord whose arms are wide open:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
-John 3:16 (NIV)
Through trials and pain, know there is a Lord ready to comfort:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles. . ."
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
Through struggles and despair, know there is a Lord in whom you can confide:
When I was 9 years old, I got a new pair of shoes and immediately wanted to race everyone in my neighborhood because I thought they would help me run faster. On one particular day, I dusted everyone who dared to step to the starting line, except one person . . . my own mother! “On your marks…Get set…Go!” I ran as fast as I could, and I even had a small lead. But when I decided to turn back and smile at my friends, my mom blew right past me! Can you imagine how embarrassed I was to get beat in a foot race by my own mom? That was also the day I found out Mom had run track in college at the University of the Pacific. (I joke that she should’ve been disqualified for having an unfair advantage!)
It’s been a while since I was in high school, but I still vividly recall one day during my junior year. It was the day my coach called me into his office and told me he was moving me from fullback to tackle. As a sophomore, I had weighed 200 pounds and was pretty fast. I gained 35 pounds over the summer and was a little slower at that weight. The coach told me I was too good of a player to sit on the bench, but that I was now too slow to be a running back. He asked me to make a personal sacrifice and move to a new position on the line so that I could help the team have a chance at the conference title.
Do you ever find it hard to sleep at night because your mind is racing and dwelling on things that you have absolutely no control over? I think that we are all prone to struggle and deal with worry. It's probably why Jesus told us not to worry in Matthew 6:25-34. My daughter Amber and I recently led a small group seminar at an FCA summer camp in Kentucky. What really impacted me was how practical this was to the students who attended. We began by asking those who attended our seminar to "Write down one to three things that you worry about on an ongoing basis."
Hockey Chat: Having 5 guys on the ice makes a team. Having 5 guys on the ice that are working together and covering each other makes a winning team. When we say that our position is just on Offense or someone else is a Defenseman, we are cutting away that we are all a team. Whichever color jerseys have the puck determines whether we are all on offense or defense. It’s when we complain or argue that “it’s not my position so it’s not my fault” we all fall down.
Hockey Chat: There are a lot of superstitions and traditions that the NHL players have. On the Blackhawks, John Madden used to change his laces every single time he skated. Patrick Sharp always wears his headphones with his iPod on before the game. Brian Campbell doesn't like anyone touching the knob of his stick before the game, or he has to re-tape it. Brent Seabrook gets ready at the exact same time every game. Tomas Kopecky during warm-ups always spits on all four faceoff circles. But regardless of whatever superstitions these guys have, there core ability is what makes them great players.
As Christians, we are told over and over again that our bodies are the temples of the Lord, meaning that our physical bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” It’s a truth that we should take seriously, and we should let it motivate us to care for our physical bodies, keeping them in good health. As athletes and coaches, we usually don’t have a problem with this since it’s part of our nature and our daily routine.
Is it possible that one man could have changed Mike Tyson’s problem-filled boxing career? Tyson believes his former trainer, mentor, and legal guardian Cus D’Amato, who died before he won the title in 1986, would have changed things. Tyson said, “It would have been totally different. Cus once told me, ‘You’re the kind of person who has to get hurt to learn.’ I didn’t understand he was talking about life…in the fight of life I am a pug, a palooka [a second-rate prize fighter].”
Recently, a good friend of mine was stopped at church and asked by another church goer why I had attended a football game rather than going to the men's retreat at my church. This person knew I was involved with FCA and was the football chaplain at the school, but he was frustrated that I choose football over these men, and he expressed it to my buddy. My friend came to my aid quickly. He talked with this other man and quietly told him that ministry can take place in many places.
There are mornings when we awaken with a heavy schedule bearing down upon us. When that happens, we are tempted to skip prayer and Bible reading and head right into our work. However, the very opposite response is really what we need. When we are feeling pressured by our schedules, that is the very time when we ought to pause and pray. The more we have going on in our lives, the more we need God to give us wisdom to accomplish one task at a time. It’s comforting to know that God cares about every aspect of our lives.
Hockey Chat: On the business side of hockey, it’s all personal. Although the good players create a fun game to watch, many teams (all that I know of) spend time with the community as well. In turn the community spends money on tickets and merchandise which in turn goes back into the players salaries. Both the players and fans appreciate each other and enjoy the relationship. If the players were rude and disowned the fans then the fans would fall away and not support the team.
Hockey Chat: A goal on a break away is a sweet play to watch. But even better is when the team works together and through a series of good moves and great passes they get a goal. When all these elements fall into place it makes for a truly good play and tough puck for the goalie to stop. A half-hearted toss at the net is no real challenge for the goaltender.
Hockey Chat: The game of hockey takes both aggressive work and smooth moves. To be too aggressive all the time will get you in the penalty box. Trying to be too smooth and passive all the time will just plain land you on your backside when you get into a battle. There are plays that call for the moves and plays that take extra hustle. It’s important to be ready for both.
This weekend, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will lead his team onto the field to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. In a recent interview with FCA’s Sharing the Victory magazine, Brees talked about faith lessons from the field.
Today, the Daily Impact Play will feature part two of Sharing the Victory’s four-part video study series based on the interview. Click the video link below to watch the clip and then answer the questions. Finish by reading the related Scripture and asking God to work in your heart as a result of what you’ve learned.
Watch the video
Hockey Chat: You can score a lot of goals playing hockey without an opposing team skating against you. Nobody to knock you down either. When you get into a game you find that goal is not just to get the puck in the back of the net, but to get past your opponents first and foremost. It is then that you realize what the game is really about.
Hockey Chat: With each earnest effort on the ice, we get better. Skating gets you down the ice. Stick handling helps you get the puck down the ice. Shooting helps you get the puck in the goal. One builds on the other. A good work ethic in each area will build you up for the next skill to keep you playing good all around.
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic