Alphabetical
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May 16, 2005
Set:
There is a beginning and an end to all things here on earth. After making the cut in 142 consecutive PGA tournaments over a seven-year period, Tiger Woods' streak came to an end at the 2005 Byron Nelson Championship. "I just had a tough day," Woods said after making a bogey on the final hole to miss the cut by one stroke. "Things I don't normally do, I did today."
After becoming a Christian, the Apostle Paul found himself entrenched in a war with the sin in his life. We sometimes think that after surrendering our lives to Christ the battle with sin will subside, but that's not the case. That is actually when the real struggle with sin begins because that is when we become more aware of our own sinful nature.
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December 17, 2010
Set:
Every team has them. Most of us have even played the role ourselves, but no one really likes to. It’s the role of the bench-warmer.
There are only so many players who can play at one time, and every team has players who sit on the bench more than they play in the game. But does this make them any less of a team member than one of the starters? No way! The role of a bench-warmer is simply different than that of a starter. Bench-warmers have big roles in contributing to practices, developing team spirit, and in giving necessary breaks to the starters.
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April 27, 2010
Set:
Most sports are made up of teams. And after playing on many different teams, athletes often remember the ones that were real joys to be a part of. For me, it was freshman year in football when everyone was enthusiastic. Everyone wanted the group to do well, and the seniors were just awesome guys--the kind of people who had a genuine interest in all of the underclassmen. They truly set an example for motivation and effort. We saw this in a lot of different forms: the lineman blocking especially hard for the quarterback, the amount of encouragement from the sidelines, the seniors who would talk to the freshman in the halls, and their all-around good attitudes.
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March 26, 2012
Set:
How do athletes prepare themselves? They train, eat right, rest and then do it all over again. They must constantly watch what they do with their bodies, what they take in to them, how they work them and how often they rest them. That preparation makes a huge difference in how they compete.
Staying hydrated is a perfect example. Athletes know that without proper amounts of water or sports drinks, they will not be able to compete at their highest level. It’s the same with training. If an athlete’s body is not fit for competition, chances are, he or she isn’t going to compete as well as if they had trained harder.
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July 27, 2011
Set:
I recently had the "pleasure" of running my 3rd 5K. A good friend of mine was also running the race, and at the beginning, I decided I was going to try and keep her pace since we have similar times. I soon realized her pace was a bit faster than mine, so I then decided I would make sure to keep her in my sights. This worked out great for a while and I kept pushing along, making good time (for me, at least). We then got to a weird turn and suddenly I didn't see her anymore. My pusher had disappeared, and it made me feel a little lost and like I wasn't going to be able to finish.
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December 16, 2010
Set:
As the father of a high school senior who is currently faced with some difficult but exciting decisions about his future as a college student-athlete, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about how he’ll make his final decision on such an important issue.
There are many things to consider when you’re looking to find the school that represents the right fit for you. In my son’s case, he’s listed academic quality as his most important priority, but after that, things like quality of campus life, his future coach, tuition costs, etc., all come into play.
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October 15, 2009
Set:
In high school, a few of my football teammates shared a pre-game ritual. Before each game they would sit down in the locker room. The first guy would wrap his left wrist with a roll of tape and hand it to the second guy. The second guy would wrap both of his wrists (left first) then hand back the roll. The first guy would then finish his wrap on his right wrist, and hand back the roll again. He would then get up, move to the other side of his taping partner and toss the roll to a third guy. This guy would then put the roll in his locker until the following week . . .to do it all again. These guys swore by this ritual. Did it work? We went undefeated in the regular season, so the ritual must have worked, right? But in the playoffs, we went down in flames. What good was it then?
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December 01, 2008
Set:
From the PeeWee Leagues to the professional ranks, there is one constant truth when it comes to coaching: Practice makes perfect.
No better example of this time-tested principle can be found than with Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Tony Dungy. Known for practicing what he preaches (although saying the soft-spoken leader preaches would be somewhat of a stretch), Dungy has taken his disciplined methods beyond the football field and into his personal life. That’s why he is such a strong proponent of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ four core values.
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April 24, 2008
Set:
I have a handful of life principles. One that I see played out over and over again is just how much competition reveals a person’s heart. In the heat of competition, true colors are shown. It is hard to hide your heart when you are sweating and giving it your all. Everything seems to come out, and sports have a way of exposing the truth. That can be really good or really bad, depending on what is in your heart.
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September 28, 2010
Set:
A key determinant of success in sports is something we refer to as “heart,” which is an invisible quality that comprises the soul, strength, and mind of the team. Although we cannot see or measure it, we also cannot win without it. While every coach knows that the team must have heart, it is often difficult to cultivate. Heart is also the most elusive factor to quantify when recruiting or evaluating an athlete; the best of coaches are perplexed by it. Even the prophet Samuel, when given the opportunity to pick King Saul’s successor, was fooled by appearance and overlooked the important heart issues.
