All Archive - December 2003
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December 31, 2003
Set:
I spent the past two evenings watching a lot of high school basketball at the annual Vandalia Holiday Tournament. The South Central Cougars won the tourney, and in a most dramatic fashion, I might add. Monday night, one of the Cougars hit a 3-pointer just shy of half court with no time left, banking it in to help his team beat the hosting Vandals by one point. The very next night, the Cougars played in the championship against the No. 1 seed — the defending champions from Pana High School. The game went into overtime. The score was tied with 1.3 seconds left when, for the second night in a row, that same Cougar drained a baseline jumper. They won by two.
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December 29, 2003
Set:
Every once in awhile you find an athlete who has the right stuff. Talented on the field, in the classroom, with their friends, and everybody's All-American. Northwestern University has such a young man. His name is Jason Wright. I just watched Jason finish his football career the other night in the Motor City Bowl where he helped his team by gaining 336 all-purpose yards and was named Co-MVP of the game. His team came up short that night, but football is just what Jason does, it is not who he is. Jason learned a long time ago that his significance is found in Jesus Christ. His religion is not football, his truth is not his football playbook. He lives to serve Jesus Christ. His Bible is the ultimate "playbook" for his life.
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December 22, 2003
Set:
She was ready to leave the locker room when a couple of friends called her over. "Try these," they said, as they offered her some small pills. "They give you energy and help you play better." Would she take the pills or turn them away?
Sound familiar? This is happening in our locker rooms, schools and hang-outs all over our communities. Student-athletes are fighting the social battles to get ahead and fit in. Many give in to the dare of this peer pressure.
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December 19, 2003
Set:
Do you like to speak in public? What about in front of many adults? What about speaking in front of your school board? Three students at a local middle school did just that the other night to defend why they thought FCA should be allowed in their school. For three months, this school board tabled the decision to allow FCA to start, but these students stood their ground and continued to pursue the school board until they allowed them to speak. These brave students had to stand tall for their faith.
