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February 05, 2013
Set:
What is your most powerful athletic tool? Is it the strength of your bench press, the drive from your leg squats, or your speed and agility? These are all important, but I think the most powerful tool is simply the ball. Think about it. Who is the most dangerous person in basketball? The man with the ball. The ball is needed to score—to win! Without the ball, Tiger Woods is just Eldrick; Michael Vick, just Mike; and Rocket Clemens, just Roger. It is what’s done with the ball that makes champions.
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February 04, 2013
Set:
While watching an NFL game I saw something that made me scream out. I hollered a saying that everyone, especially sports commentators, uses when there is an incredible play. "Are you kidding me???"
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February 03, 2013
Set:
Former Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne said, “I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big players.” Maybe when it comes to football, big players do make the difference in prayer. In the game of life, I’ve discovered the bottom line to getting prayers answered. As I look back on the times God has answered my prayers, I know why I got the answer. It was because I prayed the right prayer. I was specific with God when I prayed.
In Malachi 3:10 the Lord says, “Test Me in this way…See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.” Here we see the power of God to provide when we test Him. The way to test God is to be specific.
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February 02, 2013
Set:
Bottom line -- it is hard to serve others in the arena of competition. I remember the one great story that happened in 1976 at a Special Olympics track and field event in Spokane, Washington. During the race, one contestant took a tumble, and one of the other athletes turned back to help the fallen one. They both finished the race and crossed the finish line together. This was a classic example of a one competitor serving another in competition.
What does it mean to serve others when competing? If it had been you in the situation abover, would you have turned to go back? When it comes to serving others as an athlete or coach, there are 4 P's at the Heart of Serving that God can use in our lives: Power, Purpose, Plan and Passion.
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February 01, 2013
Set:
In this Bible story (Ac 4:1–13), we see courage on display in the lives of Peter and John. These great men were thrown into jail for speaking the truth and performing a miracle. When asked about their ministry, Peter boldly gave the glory to Jesus, not himself, and proclaimed that salvation was found only in Christ. This boldness could only be explained because they had experienced a personal a relationship with their Lord.
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January 31, 2013
Set:
After leading the nation in total offense and passing yards per game last season, University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum was all set to lead the Cougars to another great run in 2010. That all changed, however, when in just their third game Keenum suffered a season-ending knee injury that forced him to the sideline for his senior season. As a man of faith, the injury forced Keenum to rely on the Lord in new ways and to fully trust in the Lord’s ultimate plan.
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January 30, 2013
Set:
As a girls’ basketball coach, I remember one game last season in which my best player was having difficulty making lay-ups and playing defense. When I pulled her out of the game and asked her what was wrong, she said she hadn’t eaten anything and was hungry. I quickly sent an assistant coach to purchase a candy bar and a sports drink for her. Once she ate the snack, she was able to come back in the second half and perform well for a few minutes. Before long, however, the hunger pains returned. The snack hadn’t been enough.
When my player was hungry, I thought that giving her a convenient snack would satisfy her enough to make it through the game. What I didn’t consider, however, was that the quick fix was not enough to sustain her energy.
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January 30, 2013
Set:
It's absolutely crazy what athletes go through in the NFL Scouting Combine. A few days of testing that will most likely determine if they are drafted or have a future in the NFL.
There are training facilities across the country that help those NFL hopefuls prepare for Combine's physically challenging events including the vertical jump, 40-yard dash, 3-cone drill and bench press among others.
In addition to the drill work, these facilities do a number of tests including putting athletes in a "bod pod," to test the body's fat count, as well as doing electromagnetic testing of the nerves and joints. There are nutritionists, orthopedic surgeons and even interview coaches.
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January 29, 2013
Set:
I heard a baseball coach give instructions to his player on base, telling him the same thing at least three times. Finally, the coach said in a sarcastic tone, “Do you understand what I mean?” His player acted as if he never heard his coach. An important skill in being a great competitor and successful in life is the ability to be teachable. We can’t be teachable if we think we know it all.
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January 28, 2013
Set:
Matt, an FCA student-athlete, was drafted out of high school in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He shared an interesting concept with me. He said that during warm-ups, the pro players did something called fake hustle. When running, they would move their arms faster than normal and over-exaggerate their legs up and down, but they were not running faster. From a distance the coaches thought they were hustling and giving 100%, but actually they were faking it.
