As Christian competitors, we realize that God has called us to serve, but do we understand that we should be consumed to serve? Is there a consuming fire that burns in us to serve others around us who are hurting and to help those who need to experience the love of Christ through us? We serve because the ultimate purpose of serving is to glorify Christ. Rick Warren said, “We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. In our self-serving culture with its ‘me first’ mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.” In the athletic world, everyone struggles to some degree with the “me first” mentality.

In 1954 Don Larson struggled through one of the worst seasons ever experienced by a pitcher. He won three games and lost twenty-one. Strangely enough, he was then traded to the best team in baseball at that time, the New York Yankees. Things got better for Don Larson. Two years later, he had a record of 11–5 and the team made it to the World Series. In game five Larson pitched perfectly; not one runner got to first base. Afterward Larson said, “It’s amazing…not long ago, I was a nobody, and now, everybody wants me.”

Hockey Chat:  Have you ever seen a guy who looked like the puck glued was to his stick.  It may have looked like it from his puck handling.  Those guys frustrate every defenseman.  They have such control of the puck that it’s nearly impossible to take away.  A poor puck handler will leave the puck behind every time.

When I first started working towards becoming a head coach, people wondered if I could do it. I wasn’t the type to yell at people. I wasn’t the type to get in people’s faces. They didn’t know if I could control the players. How would they respond to my coaching style? How would I handle being in charge of an entire team?

My style has always been one that relies on motivation, encouragement and teaching. I always want to help people get better. That’s the idea behind correction. It’s not about tearing people down. It’s about helping them improve. You have to let them know when they’ve done something wrong, but the goal is helping them became a better player and a better person.