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November 01, 2008
Set:
Throughout my years of training as a wheelchair athlete, I have found that memorizing and reciting Bible verses helps me in many ways. It helps me to stay focused, to get to sleep and to stay calm in anxious moments.
Prior to a race, I often recite a verse in my mind to calm my heart. I know that God is going with me as I race and that He will give me what I need on that particular day.
One of my strengths as a wheelchair racer is my endurance, but I’m usually slow off the start. I will never forget the time when one of my coaches shouted at me after a race about my slow start. “What were you thinking? Where was your mind, anyway?” she asked.
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November 01, 2008
Set:
How do you go on after experiencing the unexpected death of a friend and loved one? The Illinois Wesleyan University football team was faced with this difficult task after the death of 21-year-old offensive lineman and co-captain, Doug Schmied. Schmied passed away on August 24, 2005, after suffering complications from heatstroke.
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November 01, 2008
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November 01, 2008
Set:
January 16, 2004, is a date that may have significantly impacted the sports world for many years to come. Two 14-year-old athletes made a big splash in their respective sports. Michelle Wie played in the Sony Open on the PGA tour and missed the cut by one stroke, tying two men who had won major championships the previous year. Freddy Adu, in a move that shocked no one, was chosen as the top pick in the Major League Soccer draft by D.C. United.
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November 01, 2008
Part I
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=eb324b21ab200789f243
- Think of the people in your life who watch your example. How do you model Christ to them?
- In what ways do you lead them away from Christ?
- Read Titus 2. What category do you fall under?
- What does that passage say about how you should lead your life?
- What do you need to change as a result?
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November 01, 2008
Set:
As a member of the sports media, I hear quite a few stories about athletes who build their entire lives around their sport. They eat, sleep, breathe and live specifically to achieve their personal athletic goals. It consumes so much of their mind that they don’t focus on anything else.
But then something unexpected happens. It could be a variety of things: injury, illness, or whatever. Suddenly, they are stripped of the sport that had occupied so much of their time and energy. And when it’s gone, they’re left with nothing. Complete emptiness.
It is at this point that many athletes realize they need something more—something that can’t be found in trophies or medals, something that is eternal. And this is exactly where God wants them.
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November 01, 2008
Set:
On the second Sunday of every March, you will hear teams all over the country proclaiming how they should be invited to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. More than 30 teams get automatic bids through conference tournament championships, but 34 other teams have to be invited. These teams boast of the great things they have done—and how they deserve to be in the tournament.
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November 01, 2008
Set:
As I stood in the phone booth, tears came to my eyes. I had just called my parents to let them know that I would be flying home that night to Los Angeles. The Cleveland Cavaliers had become the third straight NBA team that I had failed to make.
How could this happen? I had such high hopes of realizing my dream to play in the NBA when I was drafted out of the University of Iowa, but it was becoming clear to me that dreams don’t always come true.
As the tears ran down my face, I thought that my days as a basketball player were over. I had lost my identity. Basketball was my life. What would the future hold now? I should have known that my future was in the hands of Someone bigger than myself. Yes, God was still in control, even if I was not aware of it.
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November 01, 2008
Set:
As competitors, it is often hard to guard our mouths. Carson Palmer, a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 NFL draft pick in 2003, signed a $49 million, 6-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. A total of $10 million of the deal was for his signing bonus.
However, that $10millionwasn’t contingent upon his great throwing arm, his intelligence as a quarterback or his great play-calling. It was contingent upon his tongue and whether or not he would say anything negative about his team, coaches or management. Basically, the $10 million signing bonus was a loyalty pledge in which Carson guaranteed that he would not be critical. If he ripped into his team, he lost the cash. This was quite an incentive for him to keep his speech positive and encouraging.
