Alphabetical
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May 02, 2014
Set:
How often have we watched a football game in which one team is leading by six points with a few minutes left, and they decide to go into a “prevent defense”—allowing the other team to march down the field, throw short passes, and score a touchdown in the closing seconds? Or a basketball game in which they double-team the post player who has been scoring all the points, only to have that little point guard who hasn’t made anything all year, hit consecutive three-point shots and win the game? I call those unintended consequences or unexpected results.
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March 18, 2010
Set:
THUD. One. The fierce bite of the whip sunk into Jesus' back.
THUD. Two. A 350-pound Roman guard, unleashing the power of every muscle in his body.
THUD. Three. A short pause, to let the blood ooze and the pain sink in. Forty times would surely kill Him, so they went one less. Then the nine tails. Nine ropes holding the sharpest things they could find. Rusty nails. Baked glass. Jagged razorblades. They all plunged into Jesus' back, mercilessly ripping Him apart and tearing His skin to shreds with force no NFL lineman could hope to muster. They found the roughest thornbush with thorns three inches long pointing in every direction, and they forced it onto His head and ground the thorns into his skull.
That was the easy part.
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March 20, 2009
Set:
It was the final game for the eighth grade I.H.M.-St. Casimir Eagles boys basketball team, one in which they could capture the league championship of the City-Wide Catholic Youth League. For the previous three seasons, this talented group of young men and their devoted coach had achieved success but had always narrowly lost in the final games of the tournament. But this year, in their final game together, their hopes were high. It seemed to be their year, and everything seemed to be lining up for the perfect ending to their basketball career.
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September 01, 2006
Set:
Our school's football team began a voluntary conditioning program three weeks before the official start of the season. The program ran four days a week and saw nearly every returning player and many trying out for the first time attend every session--not because they were told they had to, but because they wanted to be there.
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May 18, 2009
Set:
In a pro basketball game in South Africa, I drove the baseline and dunked on the guy guarding me. I then stole the inbounds pass and dunked it again. After that, I received a pass from a teammate who stole the ball on the next ossession and yet dunked again. I had three dunks in a span of about 60 seconds. However, in that same game I also was dunked on and fouled the guy on the play. As it was my fifth and disqualifying foul, I went to the bench to watch my team lose the game.
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April 27, 2012
Set:
I love to run. It allows me an extra opportunity to connect with my Creator. It’s more than just seeing His beauty in nature, so much more! The longer I run, the more I hear His voice. Is it the physical exertion? Can it be the steady cadence? I think it’s more about just being quiet.
I hit the road taking my usual route. I crave the familiar. I run it many times each week and know it well. Halfway through, I prepare for my least favorite part: a sizable hill with a nasty bend. I’m tired and, yet, I’m far from done. In order to tackle this ascent, I need the Lord to carry me.
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April 05, 2013
Set:
The other morning my phone alerted me to a new message. When I checked the screen I saw the following message: "Bible – Update Available". Now even though I realized that I was being alerted to a digital update for my smart phone Bible application, it is what I heard later in the day that made me think twice about the alert.
As I traveled to work, the talk radio show I had tuned in was replaying an interview between talk show host Piers Morgan and Saddleback pastor Rick Warren. During the interview, Mr. Morgan made the following statement:
"…the Bible and the Constitution were well intentioned, but they are basically inherently flawed. Hence the need to amend it...it’s time for an amendment to the Bible."
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December 13, 2012
Set:
Our lives are so much bigger than what we can or cannot do on the playing field. Sometimes people think that the star athlete will be the best leader because of their athleticism. Or we think, Wow, if that person were a Christian they would have so much impact because they’re so popular and athletic.
The man who wrote 1 Peter 1:24 had an eternal impact even though he was what some would call a “spiritual scrub” or a “spiritual walk-on.” Peter was not the most popular, well- educated, or most athletic disciple. (Notice in the Book of John how he lost in a foot race with John to Jesus’ tomb.)
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May 11, 2013
Set:
Have you ever received a note or a phone call at just the right time? I did today. I had just arrived at Northwestern for my weekly visit to their football team when my phone rang. I had no clue who was calling because it was shown as a "private call." What happened next was a much needed blessing in my life today.
The man on the other end, Randy, shared with me how my devotionals have helped him through some tough times recently. I share this not to pat myself on the back, but to let you know a simple truth: if God has given you a gift (which He has) use it for His glory.
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February 22, 2014
Set:
No matter what sport we play or coach, each one of us has been given specific gifts. Whether we compete at the middle school, high school, college or professional level, each one of us has been given gifts. When we put those gifts to use according to God’s purpose for them, great things happen.
God is the giver of every good thing. No matter where we are at in our athletic life, God gave us what we are using. He is the reason we can run, jump and throw. He is the reason we can swing a racquet, club or bat. There are even some world-class athletes who don’t run, but still use God’s gifts of athleticism. For instance, did you know that this year’s Boston Marathon was covered in less than two hours by an amazing athlete in a wheelchair?
