In sports, every time we compete there’s the possibility of defeat as well as the opportunity for victory. So much would be lost in this world if throughout history, people had succumbed to their fear of defeat and not fought for what they believed. Yet the possibility of defeat often keeps us from fighting, from moving toward what we desire and believe.
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Integrity

Most know the story of Job and how he lost all of his children, property, and possessions. What was he like
before he lost it all? He was blameless, had complete integrity, feared God, and stayed away from evil. I believe that athletes and coaches often live dual lives—one way on the field and another off the field. We justify it saying they are two different areas of our lives that shouldn’t cross over. Job wasn’t like that. Job was blameless. No one could accuse him of wrongdoing. If he did wrong someone, he kept a short account and asked forgiveness.
The Hope You Have

In our culture, sports figures are elevated to star status and placed on lofty pedestals. Coaches feel great pressure to compile winning records. Yet, in spite of this trend, I believe God calls us as Christian coaches to focus on matters of the heart such as the spiritual lives of our players and fellow staff members. With every interaction, we have the opportunity to be a witness for Christ.
Hope – Part II

Yesterday, we talked about hope. And we used words that can actually serve as an acronym for the word itself: H – history, O – optimism, P – Promise, E - Eager Expectation.
Knowing what Christian hope is can be a great thing. But what should it produce in us? In the sports world, hope is necessary in spurring a team to do great things. Without hope, why would we as athletes endure what we do? If we cannot achieve our goals, why would we endure the hardship of preseason training? Why would we waste hours studying film, learning our skills, pushing our bodies beyond what we thought possible? Why would we choose to follow a game-plan if we knew it was going to fail? The truth for most of us is that we wouldn't.
God’s Word Is Perfect for Coaches

Coaches have it tough. Let’s be honest. There’s a stigma that we are all ex-jocks and not very good classroom teachers. There are many stereotypes about coaches: “They are teachers who get all the breaks without really working hard in the classroom…They get to miss faculty meetings…They eat meals with their teams that are paid for by the school…They sit down all day and hand out worksheets to their students…They think winning ballgames is the most important thing in the world.” For some coaches, these stereotypes may be true, but I know many where that is not the case.
What did you call me?

The Race

Perhaps more than anyone else, we coaches can appreciate the athletic imagery used in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to “run the race” that is set before them, and from his words we can draw four encouragements as we run the spiritual race of faith set before us.
Second Effort

I had the great privilege of knowing Prentice Gautt, who passed away March 17, 2005. He was a wonderful human being. Prentice Gautt was the first black athlete to play football at Oklahoma University. He began playing there in 1956. He was two-time all conference in both 1958 and 1959. Not only was he a great runner; he was a fierce blocker.
Pray Like Birdie

Comfort Cycle

Hockey Chat: There is a technique play in hockey know as “cycling”. It’s a matter of one guy skating with the puck then passing it off to another player, moving the puck in the same way while the first guy takes the second guy’s position. Sounds confusing? It’s much harder to defend than to understand. The premise is to skate until you get in trouble and then pass the puck back. When that guy skates and gets in trouble, you’ll have skated back to be open so he can pass it to you. The constant helping out the guy in trouble becomes a “cycle” that draws the defense and helps keep control of the puck.
Proverbs 13:3

Hockey Chat: On November 2 of 2002, Tie Domi took a penalty and then let his emotions take his whole team out of the game. His mouthing off and cursing at referee Brad Watson landed Domi a gross misconduct penalty and an accompanying fine of $200. The Maple Leafs were scored on during the penalty and stayed back on their heels to lose the game 5-2. His words cost him and the team a loss.
The Mentality of a Man

PICTURE THIS: Its Wednesday morning July 28, 2010. Its 6:30 AM, time for my morning run. It’s raining. Its decision time…to run or not to run that is the question. Put up or shut up, go hard or go home, don’t be a punk were some of the thoughts that ran through my mentality as mind kept reminding me that it was raining. OK Chad, what’s it gonna be?
Self Sacrifice
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When most sport seasons end, numbers get crunched. It’s easy for coaches to get caught up in the numbers game, especially as the media highlights our career wins, our titles, and our Coach of the Year awards. However, any true coach knows records are not the important thing; what matters is having the opportunity to work with athletes, to make a difference in their lives. Coaches, like players, make a lot of sacrifices to develop winning teams, but most will tell you those sacrifices and successes are for the athletes, for the joy of watching players mature and grow.
The Smallest of Tasks
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At soccer practice, it was always understood that the freshmen were the ones who would always help clean up by collecting soccer balls, cones and pennies. That’s just what they were supposed to do, kind of like a rite of passage.
After long practices, it always seemed like nobody wanted to collect the sweaty pennies or run all the way to the far corners of the muddy field to collect the balls and cones. Then, one day, our coach gave the freshmen a break and asked the older players to help pack up. We looked around, thinking it was a joke. This wasn’t our job! Why should we be stooping so low? We were above the task. In reality, it seemed we were looking after our own interests, and not the interests of the entire team.
One Called Alongside
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Before Jesus left His disciples and returned to heaven, He promised that He would send them a “Counselor” or helper, the Holy Spirit. The word helper in the Greek means, “one called alongside.” He stands beside us to help us. That’s why we, as Christians, fight no battles and face no problems alone.
Interceptions
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During football, soccer, and hockey games, the course of the game can change quickly. Success is often the result of an interception that leads to a score and victory. God can also intercept our life. When we think that everything is going wrong, God finds a way to get our attention. It may be by a circumstance or someone He strategically puts in our life. The next time you see a defensive player intercept a ball or a puck, watch and see what happens next. They are congratulated by their teammates and the change of momentum will often lead to a score and victory. When it is needed, don’t be surprised if God intercepts your life.
Oops I Did it Again
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Most of you have probably heard the greatly catchy, but annoying Britney Spears song "Oops I did it Again". The lyrics of this song go something like "Oops I did it again, I played with your heart". The song stresses the idea of not only making the same mistakes over and over, but leading someone into thinking we like them more than we actually do. Unfortunately our lives as Christians look much the same.
Living Sacrifice
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Last year, I was on the junior varsity basketball team. Our record was 23-4. It was the best record our coach had ever had. However, he was not pleased with us all of the time. He continually told us that even though we were winning games, we had not played to our full potential. He told us we had yet to play a full four quarters at our hardest. Just because we beat other teams the coach believed we were not living up to the standards he had for us on the court.
The Sharpest Tool in the Shed
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If a person tried to build or repair something without the proper tools, it would not take long until he became tired and gave up in frustration. In this passage a group of men were building a place to live and cutting trees for lumber. As one of them was chopping, the ax head flew off the handle and fell into deep water. He could have gone on and beat the tree with the handle alone, but his time would have been futile without the ax head to do the work. A sharp ax is what is needed to chop down a tree.
The Time is NOW
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Hockey Chat: April 22, 2008, four teams played hockey knowing that by the end of the night, only two of those teams would be going on to the next level. It was time to shine and give it all. There is no “next game” to fall back on. Time to show the true spirit. It was two “Game Sevens”. San Jose and Philadelphia advance to the next round and for Calgary and Washington, the season was over.
Good Grief
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“Good grief.” I guess Charlie Brown started that phrase. He might have been referring to a pitiful-looking Christmas tree, a materialistic doghouse designed by Snoopy, or a wild scheme by Peppermint Patty. I’ve used the phrase, too. We kick off on the first play of the game, and it is returned by our opponent for a touchdown. Then they kick off to us, we fumble, and they return the fumble for another touchdown. Thirty seconds have run off the clock, and we are down 14–0. Good grief!
Let me ask this question: Is grief ever good?
Ephesians 6:14 Continued
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Hockey Chat: The chest protectors that goalies wear are nothing short of phenomenal. They allow for 100+ miles per hour vulcanized rubber biscuits to bounce off them with no pain to the goaltender. That keeps him confidently in the game.
Creating a New Normal
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Most coaches have heard the phrase “the coaches’ widow.” Among football coaches, that phrase is explained with the following admonition: “Kiss your wife in August and tell her you’ll see her in December.” That’s the motto that most coaches live by in our culture. Funny thing is, Christ never challenged us to do what “most people” do. As Christians, we are called to live to a higher standard—to create a new normal in our culture.
Proverbs 29:11
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Hockey Chat: Many penalties in a hockey game aren’t just blatant attacks from the opponent for no reason. Often there was a little something more to the story. There was some bad blood built up along the way. That’s why most fights happen later in the game. The emotions are boiling over and they give in. In many penalties, the one who loses control is the one who makes is anger apparent and gets called for it.
Coming Home
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Hockey Chat: After winning the Stanley Cup in 1924, Montreal Canadiens players on their way to a victory party stashed the trophy in the trunk of their car. Part way to the festivities, the vehicle had a flat. The players removed the Cup to get at the spare, changed the tire and drove away leaving the Stanley Cup perched on a snow bank. Only when it came time to drink champagne from the Cup did they realize they didn't have it Cup with them. They drove back to where they'd changed the tire, found the Cup sitting there patiently waiting for them, and hastily reclaimed it.
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