Alphabetical
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March 27, 2012
Set:
As athletes, what we put into our bodies is very important. The pregame meal may be the most important meal we eat during the day. We have to make sure we get enough energy to last through the entire competition. This is our last chance to get the fuel we need.
In John, Jesus talks about a different kind of fuel. He tells us of work that will actually GIVE us energy instead of using it. Doing God's work will give us the fuel we need in order to succeed in the game of life. But just what is this work that we should be doing? In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells us very plainly: We are to go out among the nations and build His Kingdom.
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December 07, 2009
Set:
At the beginning of this soccer season, we had a good combination of experienced/inexperienced starters and substitutes. I thought we were right where we needed to be. We jumped out to a 3-0 record. But then we lost a key forward due to a broken leg, and, two weeks later, our leading scorer broke his ankle. Fortunately, my players took it upon themselves to step it up. The bad thing was that each player did what he thought the team needed. They stopped listening to coaching instruction, stopped playing as a team and relied on their own individual talents. The season started to fall apart, and they found themselves at 3-4. It was time to rally the troops!
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October 11, 2011
Set:
As coaches and athletes, we face adversity every day. Specifically for coaches, this adversity seems to come not just from the opponents on our schedules, but from a variety of sources. And whether we are dealing with players’ circumstances, injuries, parental issues, or whatever, we all need to have some reassurance or confirmation that we are doing a good job.
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May 30, 2013
Set:
As much as we can predict and plan for life, we never know how things are going to play out. We see this all the time in sports. That’s probably one of the reasons that sports are so great—they’re completely unpredictable.
What a great metaphor for life, too. It’s the same way. How many times are we taken by surprise in a day? From little things like unexpected phone calls or traffic jams, to big, life-altering bombshells like deaths and natural disasters. We just never know what’s coming.
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March 21, 2011
Set:
One guarantee every coach can make each season is that at some point the season will come to an end. Coaches see dozens of athletes go through their programs. The truth is that we only have these kids for a short while. What mark will we make on them? What little excellences will they take with them as a result of our influence? Will they have developed skills and talents? Will they have learned the value of teamwork? Will they be more disciplined because of what we taught them? These are great questions that any good coach will ask when evaluating his or her effectiveness as a coach. As Christian coaches, however, we need to be asking ourselves an additional set of questions. Have our athletes been affected for eternity? Have we spent time praying for them?
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November 27, 2012
Set:
In sports, it is so easy to focus on what is seen. Statistics and I have a love-hate relationship. I love to look at them when mine are good, but they invade my thoughts when they are bad. I try to keep from even glancing at them anymore, but most of the time curiosity kills the cat. The two statistics that haunt me are my batting average and my ERA. Neither has been up to my standards as of late.
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February 04, 2012
Set:
Anyone who has been either a player or a coach knows the value of encouragement, yet all too often we are quick to point out the mistakes and failures of others rather than their successes and the things they do well. Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement,” was a person who grasped the enormous value of blessing others with words. He came alongside believers in the midst of trials and troubles of all kinds, and he encouraged them to press on and to be all that God had called them to be.
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March 21, 2007
Set:
I recently read Rick Warren's book "Better Together" for a series our church was going through. In it he discussed how important it is to share our faith, be a witness and show the love of Christ. One of the analogies he gave was this: "If you knew the cure for cancer or aids, and you kept it a secret, telling no one while millions continued to die, would that be loving? Of course not. If you knew the key to extending human life by 50 years, would you want to share it with others? Of course you would. But as believers who've learned the way to eternal life, we have an even more important, longer lasting, and urgent message to share with the world, and love leaves no choice. Because love cares about the destiny of others."
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December 06, 2009
Set:
I love sports movies, but my all-time favorite is "Hoosiers." It might have something to do with my being a former Indiana high school basketball player, and the movie was filmed in the 80's when I was in college. One scene stood out in the movie to me. In one game, Hickory (the high school) was in need of a sub, and the coach didn't have anyone to put in the game except Ollie the manager. So coach put him in late in the game, and Ollie got fouled and had to go to the line for two free throws. The crowd was yelling, the opposing team was taunting, and Ollie's knees were shaking as he stepped to the line.
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March 30, 2013
Set:
Athletes desire great things. This desire drives them to compete, pursue, and strive toward their ultimate goal for the season. I call this the “want” to achieve. The trouble comes in a team sport when the “wants” of different athletes don’t match. The goal of a coach is to get the entire team to “want” the same thing and strive toward that end.
Paul had quite a resume in life. He was a who’s who of people of his time, but his desire or “want” in life was much different than others of his day. All the accolades others aspired to, Paul did not want. He was focused on one area only: the desire to know Jesus Christ better each day.
