When the weather finally breaks after a long winter, everyone gets busy fertilizing the lawns, dusting off the golf clubs, cleaning up the patio furniture, and lighting up the grill. There is a genuine excitement in the air! If we stay in the house too long or if winter stays too long, we get cabin fever. Cabin fever is a condition of increased anxiety, tension, and boredom caused by living for some time in a confined space or an isolated area, especially in winter.

Hockey Chat:  Wood, aluminum, carbon composite, fiberglass.  Hockey sticks are made up of all kinds of different materials.  It takes time and practice, but once you find YOUR stick, you know it and use it with confidence. You puck handle and shoot the best you can with your stick.  Have you ever broke a stick and had to grab a different one quickly.  Right off the bat you know it’s not going to work well.  Your not use to it.  It’s not yours.  You have to play with it before you get comfortable using it regularly.

Hockey Chat:  The chest protectors that goalies wear are essential to protecting them.  They allow for 100+ miles per hour vulcanized rubber biscuits to bounce off them with no pain to the goaltender.  That keeps him confidently in the game.

Today, the entire state of Louisiana is asking one question: “Who dat?” It’s part of the celebration surrounding their Saints’ 31-28 overtime victory against the Minnesota Vikings in yesterday’s NFC Championship game.

As the Saints marched through this season to where they are now, much attention has been given to their quarterback, Drew Brees. He’s been on magazine covers (including the January issue of FCA’s Sharing the Victory) and in thousands of interviews. His story is remarkable—one that clearly shows the power of God at work in his life, both on and off the field.

As coaches, our jobs do not end with the final game of the season. Even out of season we are recruiting, reviewing game films, and developing a plan for the next year. We set goals and requirements for our athletes—all to prepare them for competition.

God instructed Moses to receive the Ten Commandments, “Cut two stone tablets…be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before Me on the mountaintop” (Ex 34:1). Throughout the Old Testament, God gave instructions on preparing sacrifices, being prepared for battle, preparing food, and preparing to build the temple.

Hockey Chat:  Could you imagine what the scores would be like if goalies weren’t allowed to wear any equipment.  We’ve got some talent between the posts during our skates but they thank much of that to the equipment they put on.  Not only does it help to stop the pucks, it stops the pain as well.  Going out there unequipped would be disastrous.  Sure they would stand there for a few minutes and maybe even grab a slow sliding puck with their bare hands.  But as the attacks keep coming, their lack of preparedness would leave them broken down.  Every player has equipment to keep them safe.  It helps them stand their ground and play hard.

De'Andre had it all: a great college basketball career behind him, a Master's Degree from a prestigious institution and an awesome job on Capitol Hill. He had the world by the tail. He thought he had it all on his own. Thinking he didn't need any help, he walked away from his faith and continued to thrive by the world's standards. But when the things of the world didn't fill him up, he decided that he needed more. He left his career to chase a dream. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as this is where his true adventure began. When his dream crumbled, he ran and hid. People offered help, love and care, but he was lost in the sin of the world. He had no desire to return home to Christ.

Hockey Chat:  In 1896, the Ontario Hockey Association stated the role of the goaltender in the rules: "The goalkeeper must not during play lie, sit, or kneel upon the ice” These rules held until goalies were given permission to drop to the ice with the start of the NHL in 1917.  The new rules gave them freedom from being penalized for dropping down and allowed them to better protect their goal.