Day 1
As an athlete, I need to understand God’s definition of glory and why He deserves it all. Competition is not about me. Life is not about me. I must die to myself and fully understand the power, majesty, and authority of God.
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All Archive - April 2006
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His Glory - "It's Not About Me!"
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His Goal - "It's About Serving!"
Day 2
God’s goals for me as a competitor are to play to honor Him and to live to honor Him. I am to bring Him joy in all I do – on and off the field of competition. That is the challenge.Warm-Up
What do you need to do in order to become the best athlete you can be? What specific goals would you need to set in order to achieve this? In order to play at your best, you need to set goals in areas of your life other than sports. List some goals in the following areas of your life: athletics, academics, and spirituality.Workout
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His Glory- It's Not About Me!
Set:At the end of the game, the win or the loss falls on the coach. The coach receives the glory or the blame associated with the game. In the game of life, Jesus is our Coach. But, unlike in sports, Jesus can only receive glory. No blame is associated with Him because He is perfect. He is holy. He is everything that we are not.
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It's About Love
Set:Rulon Gardner and Dremiel Byers were both vying for one spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic wrestling team. Gardner was the 2000 Olympic gold medalist and 2001 World Champion and Byers the 2002 World Champion. Gardner won a pair of 2-1 overtime matches at the Olympic trials, and Byers laid down his pride and went to Athens to help prepare his friend for another gold medal run by serving as his training partner. Gardner came home with the bronze medal and a gold medal friend. Would he have done the same for Byers? No doubt about it! -
Care Casting
Set:As an athlete your job is fairly simple in some ways – just listen to the coach and do what he or she tells you to do. But this doesn’t guarantee success because the coach does make mistakes and will at times fall short in his or her instruction.
Of course a driven athlete would never be completely satisfied with what only one coach has to say. The driven athlete may go to a better coach and seek advice or read a book for additional input, or even watch a video to gain some direction.
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Do Over
Set:I don’t know about your neighborhood, but when I was younger we had the “do over.” Remember? You took a swing and your foot went out from under you. You mis-kicked the ball in a kickball game because you slipped on some wet grass. What were the first words to come out of your mouth? “Do over!!”
Did you know that God gave us a “do over”? Paul wrote the church in Corinth that when they accepted Christ they became a new creation. Well, thousands of years later, the same is still true for us. When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, we become a new creation.
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What Will You Give?
Set:The 2005 Northwestern College football schedule appeared to have a misprint on it, showing two games scheduled for October 8. It was no mistake, though, and the Division III school became the first to play two football games in one day, knocking off Trinity Bible College and Macalester College 59-0 and 47-14 respectively.Prior to the first game, one group of players was asked to come up to the chalkboard and answer the question, “What will you give?” Players wrote things like intensity, love, respect, etc. Then senior defensive back Dan Pazurek approached the board and wrote, “All the glory to Jesus Christ.” -
And Now For Your...
Set:It is copied in gyms all over the country. It started back in the 80’s in an old beat-up stadium in downtown Chicago. Basketball fans all over can still hear these words in their heads, “And now the starting line up for your Chicago Bulls.” These words echoed as Pippen, Grant, Cartwright, Armstrong, and Michael Jordan were announced. High schools and colleges today still imitate these now-famous words.
Our theme verses for camp this year are basically a prayer and some closing thoughts, but I wonder how they would sound blaring from the loud speakers of heaven down to earth when the Lord returns and we enter heaven. Who might get the job of announcing it to all? It might sound something like this …
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Humility to God?
Set:On the surface it sounds pretty easy to humble yourself before God, but in reality it’s tough. To humble ourselves before Him means to be subject to Him. But we can’t see Him, so we forget He’s watching. Sometimes we can’t hear Him, so we forget He’s speaking. We can’t always feel Him close, so we forget He never leaves or forsakes us. So you can see why it is tough to humble ourselves before Him. Just because we can’t always see, hear, or touch God doesn’t mean He isn’t mighty. God is mighty. He is able to destroy entire nations if He so desires, as illustrated in many Old Testament stories like the one in which He gave the Israelites the highly fortified city of Jericho. (Read more about it in Joshua 6.) -
The Right Race or the Rat Race?
Set:The first race I ever ran was a marathon. Talk about starting with a bang! I always played team sports and raced until I ran the dreaded 26.2-miler. It was an incredible experience my body will never forget. I learned firsthand the four key aspects to every race, and they all can be related to our spiritual life.
The race is against the competition. There were thousands of competitors I wanted to beat and who wanted to beat me. In the same way, when we run the race for Christ, we have three main competitors: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Each one intends to prevent us from crossing the finish line.
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Waiting.. Not an Easy Job
Set:“The wait is finally over. The White Sox have won the pennant.” Many people in the organization have had to wait a long time to get to the World Series. Every person on the team and each fan would say it has been worth the wait, but it wasn’t easy in the process. Waiting is one tough job! In sports today, players and teams are waiting … waiting patiently for their time to shine.
In God’s Word, Isaiah wrote in chapter 40 that waiting is a good thing. The word “wait” does not measure time spent, but rather it is a process of strengthening until fulfillment. Let me suggest three reasons why we must wait on the Lord:
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Taking a Stand
Set:The Indianapolis Colts battled back from a 21-point deficit against the New England Patriots in their November 30, 2003, game. The Colts found themselves down by four points with less than three minutes to play and moved the ball deep inside Patriots’ territory. They had a first down and goal at the twoyard line. However, without their goal-line offense, the Colts were stopped short on four straight plays, preserving the eighth straight win for New England. It was an impressive goal-line stand by the Patriots’ defense. -
Training Time
Set:“Some of my vivid images of Jerry Rice are him working out at the Pro Bowl. Here you are, after he wins the Super Bowl, he’s played in front of 500 million people. Less than a week later, he’s out there running wind sprints to play in what is our only exhibition game,’ says NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on ESPN Classic’s SportsCentury series.Jerry Rice is arguably the best wide receiver in the history of football. Rice had a reputation for training hard. He understood the benefits of taking care of his physical body so that on the field he could perform at a level that surpassed everyone else. He understood the power of training. -
No Compromise
Set:On February 16, 2005, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled what little was left of the 2004–- 2005 hockey season exactly five months after the NHL lockout began. No compromise was reached between players and owners, and the NHL received the shameful distinction of becoming the first professional sports league in North America to miss an entire season due to a labor dispute. -
In Everything
Set:The debate over steroid use on the college, professional, and Olympic levels is growing. Allegations of steroid use have cost many athletes their jobs and their lives. When their first priority is to honor and glorify self, some athletes will go to extreme measures. Their hope is in themselves and in pursuing their own glory. If they fail, they feel worthless. Their worth is tied up in being the best no matter what the cost. -
His Grip - "It's About Love!"
Day 3
God loves me and desires to protect me. His grip on my life will guide, shape, and mold me.Warm-Up
List three times when you felt you were placed on the bench or you faced adversity within your sport. (The situations do not need to be physical. Examples: The time you were yelled at by a coach or parent, or the time you questioned whether the Bible is the true word of God.)
Sports Adversity
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3.Workout
1. Share with everyone in your group how these adverse situations made you feel. -
His Ground - "It's About Power!"
Day 4
When I step onto His field, there is power. Power comes through Jesus Christ. We can experience this power when we play and live on His ground. Everything I do should start on His ground.Warm-Up
Identify and describe your favorite place to compete (field, court, pool, arena, track, etc.).Workout
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