Alphabetical
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April 20, 2009
Set:
I could not be more proud of my running buddy Ashley. Today, she takes a 26.2-mile victory lap around the city of Boston after months of training for the Boston Marathon. She’s worked through aches, pains, snow, wind, rain, fatigue and soreness. And now, the time has come to experience the results and rewards of the hard work.
What makes me even more proud (and quite inspired, honestly) is Ashley’s commitment to doing this wholeheartedly for the Lord. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is an amazing achievement and can become the source of great pride for many runners. But Ashley has seized the opportunity to point all glory to the Lord and to really press in and learn from Him during the process.
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September 27, 2013
Set:
We have all had bad days—days when we wondered what we were doing with our lives. For me, a bad day is when I feel I don’t want to be principal any more…a day when I say to God, “Remember me? I’m one of your boys—the coach. I’m the guy who wrote the books—the devotionals. Lord, is this supposed to be happening?” We’ve all wondered why Christians have to go through the storms of life. If we’re honest, we have a tendency to think that maybe some other folks in the world deserve tough times more than we do.
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January 07, 2011
Set:
Have you ever had a bad game? One in which your shots just weren't falling, or when you had a hard time completing a pass? How about one in which your pitches were off? The list could go on and on.
Everyone has had those games when, no matter how hard you try, it seems as if nothing goes your way. It's a part of athletics; it's a part of life.
No one likes to perform poorly, but it's in these moments when God is clearly seen. We must recognize that even our best efforts are ultimately useless without the Lord; we can accomplish nothing without Him. We can also learn another thing from these times--that all of our abilities, our talents, everything we have is a blessing and that they can all be taken away.
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June 30, 2013
Set:
You don’t see it much anymore, but when sports teams used to be really bad, fans would wear paper bags over their heads during games. They were at the game, but ashamed of their team and didn’t want anyone to know who they were.
Jesus did many miracles and amazed people daily. No one saw this more than His disciples. They were front-row fans, so to speak. One day, Jesus told them that if they truly believed who He was, they would not be ashamed of Him and His message. Like the fans of old, one of His disciples, Peter, became ashamed of Jesus to the point of publicly denying Him—not once, but three times!
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January 19, 2014
Set:
I love coaching. I love it so much that I could spend all of my waking hours at it. This all-consuming nature of my sport means that most coaches’ spouses are basically single parents. Too many end up divorced. My wife, Kim, would probably have left me if I had been a coach before now.
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October 09, 2008
Set:
When sports fans think about hockey—and in particular the NHL—there’s no telling what imagery might come to mind.
For some, hockey is all about the pinpoint passing skills. For others, it’s the forceful nature of the slap shot. Some might even reference the catlike prowess of the ever-alert goalkeepers, and their distinctive protective gear and colorful masks. Of course, most can’t talk about hockey without mentioning the bone-crushing cross-checks into the boards or those legendary (if not mandatory) nightly brawls.
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May 28, 2010
Set:
In my four years of college basketball, one particular weekend stood out to me more than any other. My teammates and I traveled down to Cookson Hills, OK, in the school’s two vans and loaded our luggage into the house where we would be staying. When we got there, however, we realized that the family we would be staying with had been stricken with the flu. We had no choice but to stay there, as other families already had teams they were housing.
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October 06, 2013
Set:
During a 2004 game against the Cubs, Alex Cora of the Dodgers fouled fourteen straight pitches before hitting a home run. That took determination, concentration, and an unwillingness to give up. Cora battled through tough pitch after pitch until he got one he could handle. Life is full of situations where it is easier to give up than battle until we get a pitch we can handle. How many marriages have been abandoned because one spouse wanted an easier life? How many athletes have been overlooked while new athletes were given time and attention? All too often, Christians have grown weary and given into sin, thinking, This temptation is too hard; I’ll get right with God later.
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September 27, 2010
Set:
This year, my son Caleb is playing freshman football at his school, and as he’s discovered, being one of 70 players is tough. He loves the game and enjoys certain drills in practice, but lately his teammates have been the bigger challenge for him. Two of the guys he considered to be his best friends have been verbally mocking him and putting him down. As a teenager, he expects that from some of the guys on the team but not his closest friends. All he wants to do is be his best and help his team in any way he can.
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August 31, 2006
Set:
Competitive toughness is something all athletes strive for. Tennis legend Chris Evert once said, "Competitive toughness is an acquired skill, not an inherited gift." The ability to be tough mentally and physically in sports today is something that athletes have to work for daily. For example, just because your parents may have been great athletes does not mean it will come to you, as well. You have to work on it.
