Alphabetical
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April 24, 2013
Set:
In Matthew 8:19-22, it would seem that Jesus was heartless and uncaring with the disciple. The reality was that Jesus had need of him at that moment, but the young man’s current condition or situation kept him from committing to God. What present situations or conditions keep us from God? What will we miss by not following Him today? What have we already missed by not choosing Him before?
The sweet reality is that God knows us and is well acquainted with our circumstances and conditions. If we always waited for the most appropriate time to come to God, we may never come at all.
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February 12, 2014
Set:
In the 2011 Stanley Cup finals it should have been a night of celebration. It was a great series between two excellent teams: the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. Instead, the nation woke up the next morning to news about massive violence in Canada as a result of their team’s defeat.
What a great reminder of why we as Christians are called to bring Christ to the world of sports. It’s not called the “universal language” for nothing. Sports are a huge part of our culture, and they impact it in so many ways. Even a single game can impact an entire city like Vancouver and have results that ripple through the lives of both sports fans and bystanders.
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April 30, 2012
Set:
Why do you practice? Is there really a purpose in it? The answer is yes.
My baseball coach always asked us a question after we got done practicing: “Why do we practice?” And in typical form, we would all yell, “TO GET BETTER!” But practicing isn’t just for athletes; it’s for Christians, too.
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December 13, 2010
Set:
As a baseball coach for twenty years, I often had to maximize the skills of my players and play “small ball” since my teams were not always blessed with great power. Consequently, the sacrificial bunt was an important part of our offensive arsenal.
Amazingly, the sacrificial bunt, which should be one of baseball’s easiest skills to master, was for some players the most difficult. Most of the players could square around, get the bat out over the plate, and with a relatively loose grip, let the ball hit the bat. But some failed because the player was not willing to “sacrifice” himself and give himself up to move his teammate forward.
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December 16, 2010
Set:
For four years I watched my little girl, Julianna, walk, run, and twirl her way through our church. For thirteen years I watched another girl in our church, Kindra, live her entire life confined to a wheelchair. One Sunday, Kindra’s mom brought her to church with a new spring outfit. I noticed that there were new shoes, but they sat in Kindra’s lap. After the service, Kindra’s mother gave the shoes to my wife with the request that our daughter wear them. For the next few services, I observed the mom watching Julianna move about the church property in the shoes that Kindra could not wear.
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October 25, 2012
Set:
During the 2012 Summer Olympics, the world watched as US athlete Gabby Douglas claimed gold in the all-around portion of the gymnastics competition after anchoring the team’s run to a gold medal two nights before. When interviewed immediately after the competition, Douglas flashed her trademark smile, then displayed a depth of maturity rarely seen: "I give all the glory to God. It's kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to Him, and the blessings fall down on me."
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January 14, 2013
Set:
Everyone wants to be a winner, whether it’s in sports or life in general. Cindy Todd, a world waterskiing champion, spoke about winning. She said, “When I first read Philippians 3:14, which tells us to ‘pursue…the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus,’ I was reminded of a waterskiing competition. Everyone aims toward a prize. We all want it, but only one person gets to win. God has given me a talent for waterskiing, but thanks to Him, I’m a winner in another way. I have been cleansed of sin through the blood of Jesus. I have received salvation by God’s grace. This is the most important victory in my life, and it’s a victory we all can have. ‘…Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Ac 2:21).
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December 22, 2010
Set:
I had the privilege of working with Texas high school football coach GaryGaines, best known as the former head coach of State Football Champion Odessa Permian High School as spotlighted in both the book and movie, Friday Night Lights. Gary would often muse, “Coaching would be the perfect profession if only it did not involve the massive highs of winning or the bottomless depths that come about from losing. The extremes are too huge.”
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May 11, 2010
Set:
There is an article I’ll probably keep my entire life. It’s an article about a coach whose team had made it to the state title game, only to learn they had an ineligible player. The coach had a decision to make—keep the information quiet and prepare for the championship, or contact the state association and have the season end on a forfeit. The coach maintained his integrity and informed the state.
In today’s verses we learn that David led the nation of Israel in two ways. One way was with a pure heart, a heart of honesty and integrity. I’m sure David—but more importantly God—would be greatly pleased with the pure heart exhibited by
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August 23, 2006
Set:
As athletes we really don't like losing, do we? And we love winning. We always strive for a winning season or perfect record, no matter what it may take: pain, blood, sweat and maybe even tears.
This is sort of like life. There will be winners and there will be losers. But as Christians who stand up for God and are saved through the shed blood of Jesus Christ we will end up having the overall victory. We will defeat Satan and all his demons and live eternally in heaven.
