I am always amazed at how disciplined wrestlers are. They say no to the goodies brought to class for birthdays and only eat a small portion of huge holiday meals. Wrestlers watch every item that goes into their mouth and weigh the pros and cons of each bite when cutting weight to qualify for their weight class. Then, after the season ends, they go back to a less regimented lifestyle.

As athletes, what we put into our bodies is very important. The pregame meal may be the most important meal we eat during the day. We have to make sure we get enough energy to last through the entire competition. This is our last chance to get the fuel we need.

In John, Jesus talks about a different kind of fuel. He tells us of work that will actually GIVE us energy instead of using it. Doing God's work will give us the fuel we need in order to succeed in the game of life. But just what is this work that we should be doing? In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells us very plainly: We are to go out among the nations and build His Kingdom.

A while ago, my best friend, Heather, and I participated in an urban scavenger hunt-style race. The goal was to solve 12 challenges faster than any other team. Each challenge consisted of solving a riddle and getting yourself to the solution (by foot or public transportation only) and taking a photo. For example, we had to take a photo of ourselves in front of the second oldest building on the campus of a local college.

How many times has a coach handed us a playbook or drawn a play diagram for us on the board? How many of us ever take our playbook home and look at it before bed just so we have an idea of what is going on? If we don’t understand the plays from the playbook, how many of us ever take the time to ask the coach about the plays and how to execute them properly? I used to be one of the guys who thought he’d learned something just by looking over his playbook.

As Christians many of us do the same thing with our Bibles. We pick them up here and there and look for the right “play” for our situation, or we skim them over hoping that we will gain wisdom by reading without going into depth.

I was training for a marathon—the beautiful, romantic, epic Paris Marathon. But, because I am a follower of Jesus, each morning begins with God, reading His Word and seeking His heart for the day. From there, I head off to work, where I run on my lunch breaks and then do my long runs on Saturdays.

After Christ, my family is the second-most important thing in my life. Normally I train with my wife, and we relish the time together. This time around, however, my training was going far better than I’d dreamed!

A coach looks at his players’ strengths and weaknesses and decides who will play and how long they will be in the game. He or she often will take players out of the game to get some rest or to give someone else some playing time.

When I played softball in college, our shortstop had a very positive, contagious personality. When she was out of the game, you could tell the difference on the field. The game of life is no different. When a loved one leaves the playing field, they are dearly missed. For those who believe in Christ as Savior, this is a welcome call home. The rest of the “team” will miss them dearly, but they can find peace in knowing that the Creator, our Coach, has a plan.

It was just a matter of time. But even though it was inevitable, we saw it coming. My kids had a pet rabbit for many years. They loved the rabbit and took great care of it. However, over the years, as activities increased and life got busier for three growing children, it become difficult for them to find time to feed the rabbit. I covered for them occasionally, but the rabbit simply did not get the food it needed. One day, we went to the cage to find a motionless rabbit. It had died. The kids didn’t mean to starve it, or even want to see their pet die. But when you don’t feed a rabbit, it dies.

I think there’s something inside each of us that says we can stand on our own—that we don’t need others. From the youngest athlete to the oldest, many of us have the mentality to do things by ourselves. We are self-disciplined and independent. I once heard an athlete say, “We would have a great team except for all my teammates.” Yes, we talk team, but we value self.

As athletes, we all experience fear. Whether it’s the fear of injury, fear of failure, fear of disappointing others, it doesn’t matter. It comes in all forms!

When I was 17 years old, I was a highly recruited Division I football prospect out of California. On the last play of the last game of my high school career, I pinched my spinal cord and was paralyzed from the waist down. At that point, I wasn’t even worried about losing my scholarships; I was more afraid of never being able to walk again. Thankfully, God laid His healing hands on me. I raised my hands in my wheel chair and prayed to Him, telling Him that I would, just as it says in Psalm 23:4, “fear no evil, for thou art with me.”