Every day it sits on my desk as a powerful reminder. It tugs on my soul with a convicting message that seems to say, “Be careful. Do not let your life be like this.” The object is a gorgeous leather Bible with all the extras, including gold tipped pages. It’s real nice. But the reason I don’t want my life to be like this Bible is that when you crack open the pages, you discover that the pages are blank. Yup—not a single word or letter. It appears to be the Bible of all Bibles on the outside, but it contains nothing of God’s message on the inside. The fake Bible had actually been a sample sent to me by a publisher so that we could get an idea of a cover we wanted for a future FCA Bible. The sample just needed blank pages to fill the inside.

In my first year as a football coach, I was unsure of what to expect. But I went into the season with one goal: being satisfied not with producing a winning record, but with producing winning athletes.

Billy Graham once stated that one coach would influence more people in one year than the average person would in a lifetime. This was an idea I took to heart. At the beginning of the season, I had no idea who my players were or what their backgrounds were like, but I did know one thing: while they were on my team they were going to learn not only about football, but about life and God.

My daughter likely receives more scrutiny playing sports than some other children do. As a parent, I tried to motivate her to be more aggressive and to play harder and use many tactics to do so. I tried having heart-to-heart conversations and even tried bribing her with a steak and shrimp dinner. I thought I had tried everything, but then I came up with another great idea. I would put her on a “Hustle Contract.”

The purpose of the Hustle Contract was to set some expectations for her effort. In my heart, I knew God was saying that He had a different, better way to do this. But I didn’t listen. I went ahead with the Hustle Contract anyway.

On a recent run I was confronted by the two things I hate most in my training – wind and hills. The run started with a strong wind in my face, but the course was flat. Although I don’t like wind, I learned to accept it because it makes me stronger. My second challenge was just ahead – a 7/10 of a mile incline with a gradual elevation of about 110 feet. Not too bad in itself, but with the headwind and going for time, I needed all of my energy.

During my ascent, I thought about life and how we all have “hills” and “headwinds.” I thought about how I deal with them, how I can make improvements, and how I can be a better example to others when faced with difficulties. I also thought about whether or not I invite God into my life when I encounter these situations.

"Not Too Young." It’s the theme we pull from this verse in 1 Timothy in which Paul speaks to young Timothy. Do you know that it is a lie we sometimes buy into that we are too young to make a difference? But we need to realize that many young people in the Bible did amazing things for God. Little David defeated Goliath. King Josiah, at the age of 7, made a difference in Israel. And don't forget about the young boy who had two fish and five loaves.
 
The young man with the fish and bread in particular gives an interesting example. This boy who had very little made a huge impact when he gave what he had to Jesus. He didn't have much, but Jesus took what he had and fed 5,000 people with it!
 

Common interests, passions, experiences, and skills naturally draw people together. We all enjoy partnering with others with whom we can identify. When someone says, “I know how you feel,” and you believe that he really does, a bond is formed. David and Jonathan are examples of two men who experienced that deeper connection; they were, “one in spirit,” drawn together by a shared faith (1 Sm 14; 17). Both men trusted God when no one else did, and as a result, David and Jonathan were key in God’s plan to defeat the dreaded Philistines. Both men trusted God even though the odds were not in their favor.

In any sport, we as athletes are susceptible to adopting a number of bad habits that can hinder us from becoming the best athletes we can be. Whether it is a sloppy technique or poor reads, any bad habit prevents us from becoming the “perfect” athlete that each of us strives to become.

Recently, I was serving as a course marshal for my school's cross country meet. That basically meant that I stood at a certain place and made sure the runners went the right direction. The high school students had to make three laps, so I saw all of them three times.

One particular runner was fourth-from-last on the first lap. On the second lap, he was last, and I thought there was no way he would even finish. He was struggling to breathe with each step he took. On the final lap, as he approached me, a man from the sidelines joined him and completed the race with him. The man was definitely not dressed to run as he was in street clothes, yet he stayed with the runner to the end. Perhaps without the man running beside him, this runner might not have finished.