Earlier this season, I took my middle school baseball team to practice with the high school varsity. It was good for my kids to practice on a higher level and to see how high school differs from middle school. At the end of practice the varsity coach gave them a "pep talk" about life and baseball using five key points of competition. While I had used some of the same points in my own speeches, I found that they captured my attention in a new way when I heard them from another coach and saw how they got the attention of the kids. The points that this coach made would work for any sport, and they also translate well to our spiritual lives.

Point 1: Effort. If we want to be better Christians, we must do the things that make us better Christians. We must read our Bibles, pray, follow Christ's example and attend church regularly.

Point 2: Desire. We have to turn off the Xbox and pick up a Bible every now and then. We know the names of every contestant on American Idol, the stats of our favorite teams, and the lyrics of our favorite songs, but how many Bible verses can we quote? Do we know what God’s Word says about the tough questions in life?

Point 3: Responsibility. We can’t hide behind excuses. True winners accept responsibility. If you aren't what you ought to be, why not fix it?

Point 4: Consistency. Bad habits develop naturally; you don't usually have to do anything to develop them. Just do something "any ol’ way" and you'll develop bad habits. Everything in life that's good and worth having requires effort, and following Christ is no different. You live as close to the Lord as you decide to.

Point 5: Repetitions. Reps are the only way to correct bad habits. We must keep doing the right things because they are the right things to do.

This week, let's pray for each other and ask God to work in these areas of our lives. Serving God is exciting, and we should be pumped about it! Today, let’s focus on Him and expect things to happen!