Alphabetical
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December 27, 2012
Set:
Every once in a while we encounter an opponent in competition who, by all accounts, is unbeatable, and it prompts fear in our team. Some opponents seem to grow larger and larger as we approach game day. The media reports and general word-of-mouth discussions depict them as giants. How should we approach such an opponent?
Your opponents on the athletic field are worthy of your respect. They are not, however, worthy of fear! The work of God’s Spirit within us does not bring fear. It brings courage.
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August 04, 2010
Set:
My first year of coaching was with a football program at a small Christian school. I believe there were only 20-22 players on the team. We were lacking size and had average speed. With only so few players, most of the starters played "iron man" football. A few players played the whole game on defense, offense, kick off and kick return. Would you be willing to bet those players were both physically and mentally spent by half time, much less the end of the game?
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October 11, 2006
Set:
Not long ago, Mike Tyson resurfaced in the news. He had begun fighting and training once again, and large crowds were gathering just to see him practice. Tyson has been out of the ring for some time, and reporters were airing past clips and interviews with him. One thing he said in a past interview that had been filmed after a loss really struck me. With sweat dripping off his face, Tyson responded to a reporter's question about what would happen to him next, "I don't know, maybe fade into oblivion."
Tyson, the one-time world champion, whose name is known all over the world, stated after a defeat that he would just fade away.
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April 22, 2014
Set:
This was our time. My college basketball team had been in the middle of a rough losing streak, but now we found ourselves in a close game with a rival team on their court. This was our time.
After a series of tough foul calls, we were still within reach--down by three with one minute to go. During the timeout, all my coach asked of me was to get open on the wing and skip it to my teammate coming off of a fade screen. No way could I mess this up for my team.
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November 01, 2008
Set:
It doesn’t matter how good or how bad you are at sports. God is love. It doesn’t matter whether you have all A’s or all F’s on your report card. God is love. But what exactly is love?
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV).
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July 16, 2013
Set:
Jesus chose the disciples as His team—all twelve of them—and all twelve failed! When Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested, the disciples ran away into hiding. They started out wanting to defend Jesus, but fear took over. Jesus predicted this would happen, yet still wanted these men on His team.
We all fail. As athletes we will blow an assignment, strike out, or miss a shot. When this happens will the coach still want us on the team? Truthfully, sometimes yes and sometimes no. But if we keep trying and do not give up, we are more likely to keep our spot on the team.
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October 30, 2013
Set:
A soccer player falls in the penalty box after being tackled. She gets back up, walks to the referee who is pointing to the penalty spot, and explains that she just dove to avoid the tackle and there should not be any foul called on the play.
After signing his scorecard, a golfer notices an error, reports it to the officials and gets automatically disqualified after winning the tournament.
Even though her first serve was called inbound, a tennis player, knowing that her ball was out, overrules the line judge’s call and gets ready to second serve.
A baseball centerfielder admits that he caught the ball just after it touched the ground and tells the umpire that the batter should now be on first base, not out.
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March 29, 2010
Set:
King Saul and his son Jonathan faced a life-threatening crisis with the Philistines, but they handled the dilemma in very different ways. Jonathan responded in faith by trusting God in spite of the odds (1 Sm 14:1–14). God came to Jonathan’s aid by sending great confusion into the Philistine camp, and the Israelites were thus enabled to defeat the more powerful Philistine army without a casualty (1 Sm. 14:15–23).
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April 23, 2012
Set:
Another grueling workout… I have just finished leg presses with 10 plates. As I grab the sides of the press machine to steady myself as I get up, I can feel my legs shaking. It is not the normal shake of someone who has worked out hard. It is the shake that comes from the nerves in my body struggling through multiple sclerosis.
I look around the gym as I try to get my mind to coordinate my legs to move and I see the other bodybuilders working out. They are all healthy. They stand strong and steady on their legs. They don’t hold onto the machines to keep from losing their balance. There is no effort in walking from machine to machine.
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January 22, 2007
Set:
Commitment, sacrifice and hard work are terms synonymous with two former major league baseball players who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn. Not only did they make it in on their first ballot election, but also by two of the highest voting percentages in the history of the Hall's election process. These two players mirror each other in many ways. They both played with the same team their entire careers; they both played in the majors for more than 20 seasons; both hit more than 3,000 hits; and both remained faithful to their cities, organizations and families during their careers. The induction will be a well-deserved honor for each man, indeed.
