Alphabetical
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December 28, 2011
Set:
As a sophomore in junior college, playing baseball was the primary way I found value in life. However, when it turned out that I wasn’t cutting it on the baseball field, my coach told me to consider trying football. He’d often said that “we reap what we sow” during his talks about how Jesus Christ could impact our lives and even our baseball careers. Personally, my motivation had always been self-centered and about me. But I was now facing the end of something I had depended on since childhood to get the affirmation I craved. The Holy Spirit had been calling me, though, and later that day, I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord.
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October 12, 2009
Set:
It seems as if everyone who plays sports picks up a nickname at some point. Coaches love to give nicknames. One coach I know gives every player he coaches a nickname.
One definition of the word "nickname" is that it is "a descriptive name given instead of the one belonging to a person." It can be cute, funny, short, rude, defining or obvious. You either love your nickname or hate it. My dad's nickname growing up was Horse, because he worked like one. My nickname was Bean, because I loved baked beans as a kid.
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March 14, 2014
Set:
The fastest kid on my track team was an imposing figure. He was 6 feet tall and weighed 170 lbs. He was absolutely ripped and had thighs like tree trunks. When he ran, he looked like a gazelle. He had all the makings of a top-class sprinter, but there was one thing he lacked: commitment. He missed practices, showed up late for meets and had a hard time finishing workouts. Although he possessed all of the physical tools, he rarely gave his all.
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April 18, 2011
Set:
Johnny was a new student at his school. His parents had taken new jobs out in the suburbs far from his old home in the city. Johnny stood out in the crowd, and he was left alone more often than not. Johnny’s skin color was different than that of most of the students, and he also talked differently. He felt like he was in a foreign country even though he was only 50 miles from his old school. It wasn’t long before he started to despise going to school every day. “Everyone hates me there,” he would tell his folks. That certainly appeared to be true. Except for one boy…
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August 05, 2009
Set:
It was 5:56 in the morning, and I was barely awake. I knew this was going to be a challenge, but I couldn't remember the last time I woke up this early consistently. Maybe four years ago in college? See, for quite some time, I've been a slacker, a poser. I'd get up to head to work, and if I had time I'd cram down some Bible verses, toss up a few prayers and start the routine to the office.
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November 01, 2008
Set:
After injuries to ligaments in both knees cut his 2001 and 2002 seasons short, Oklahoma quarterback Jason White wanted desperately to get back on the field with his teammates. “For a while, it didn’t seem like it would happen,” White said.
White not only got back on the field in 2003, but he also led the Sooners to a 12-1 record and won the Heisman Trophy, the highest honor in college football. When reflecting on the grueling rehab that he had gone through to get to this point, White said, “I’d go through it all again.”
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April 28, 2009
Set:
Michael has the potential to be a good player, but he gets so frustrated with his game. He doesn’t understand why his coach always wants him to change his shot and other parts of his game. Finally, he had a talk with his coach. Suddenly things became clear to him, and his improvement took off. His coach simply told Michael what he needed to do in order to get better and how those changes would help him in years to come.
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December 02, 2012
Set:
As athletes and coaches, we have a tendency to dream big. We dream of championships and of finding success on the field or court. But sometimes we forget that we are already champions in Christ, and that God has big dreams for us of His own! Just what are some of those dreams?
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November 01, 2008
Set:
What enters your mind as you read the verses above, knowing that God hates the behaviors listed there? Do you find yourself thinking of times, perhaps even recently, when you have done something that God abhors? It’s interesting (and convicting) that the Lord puts shedding innocent blood and spreading strife among brothers in the same list. To the world, shedding innocent blood is certainly considered much worse than creating conflict. But just what does it mean to stir up “trouble among brothers”?
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November 19, 2007
Set:
Recently, a good friend of mine was stopped at church and asked by another church goer why I had attended a football game rather than going to the men's retreat at my church. This person knew I was involved with FCA and was the football chaplain at the school, but he was frustrated that I choose football over these men, and he expressed it to my buddy. My friend came to my aid quickly. He talked with this other man and quietly told him that ministry can take place in many places.
