Devotional
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August 09, 2007
Set:
Several athletes reached milestones in their athletic career in the past few days. Bonds hit #756, A Rod hit #500, Tom Glavine won is 300th game, and Tiger won another tournament for the third straight year. These athletes have accomplished amazing things in their careers and will continue to break records and set new milestones until their time in their sport is finished.
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August 07, 2007
Set:
This summer I volunteered as a Huddle Leader at an FCA sports camp. I learned that God can use anyone with an open heart in ways I couldn't even begin to imagine. Coming into camp I thought that the only way God was going to use me was to speak His word through me in my Huddle. Boy, was I wrong. God had another plan.
In the last couple of years, God has blessed me with the gift of excitement. Absolutely everything fills me with joy, whether it be a smile, the clouds in they sky or just the smell of fresh air. God fills me with an insane amount of energy, and I just can't keep it in. He gives us so many little blessings every day, and I just cannot help but want to share them with everyone around me.
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August 06, 2007
Set:
Competition. . . That is what drives coaches and athletes. I loved playing basketball. To this day, I love competing. Throughout our lives, competition takes on different forms. I love keeping score when playing golf with buddies, and I love recruiting high school players to the college ranks knowing full well that other schools are talking to the same players. I have always thought of competition as a good thing. I like the battle. I especially loved "the big game," in which the competition always seemed intensified. Giving 100% is easier against a rival, and over the years, I have observed that competing against an arch rival has the ability draw a team closer to one another.
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July 31, 2007
Set:
Picture this: It is the bottom of the eighth inning. There is one out with men on first and second. Your team, down by three, desperately needs a hit to stay in the game, and you are next up to bat. Do you give up or do you rise to the challenge?
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July 26, 2007
Set:
Successful teamwork is a key to winning in almost any sport, no matter how many athletes are playing. Let's think about baseball specifically. You start with a game of four-on-four. In that situation, you must work hand-in-hand with your teammates in order to prevent your four opponents from scoring runs, and then you must find a way to score runs yourself. Usually, in order to become effective teammates, you have to play a few games together in order to figure it out. And the more you play together, the better your team becomes.
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July 23, 2007
Set:
Did you hear that?
I couldn't get to sleep last night. There were too many thoughts racing around in my mind, bumping into each other, forgetting where they were supposed to be, getting all jumbled and confused. Then one thought walked out of the nonsense and stood still, clear, fully complete: God is always listening.
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July 19, 2007
Set:
One of the easiest things to do in sports is to make excuses for a bad performance. Usually, the officials get blamed for our poor performance or lack of execution. Making excuses is an easy way for us to not take responsibility for our actions.
In the same way, as Christians we sometimes make excuses for the sins we commit. It is easier for us to blame others instead of taking responsibility for our actions. Let's look at some common excuses Christians make and what we should do instead of making excuses.
(a) "I won't get caught."
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July 06, 2007
Set:
Every day we impact the people around us. Others see our actions and hear our words, and that causes them to form opinions regarding who we are. We do that same thing with the professional athletes we watch. The athlete who makes a scene with his temper is perceived differently than the player who is conscientious of his actions and keeps a level head.
But because of the world we live in, professional athletes also are followed away from the game. The media watches their every move and tells us immediately if they make a mistake.
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July 02, 2007
Set:
Last week, my mighty Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim got swept by the lowly Kansas City Royals, a team of young, no-name players who came in and shut down one of the hottest teams in baseball (at least they were before last Monday). When the Royals arrived they were 30-46 and owners of the second worst record in the majors; and at 49-27, the Angels held the second best record in the majors. To top it off, the Angels hadn't been swept at home since 2005. But it happened. It's history. It's in the record book. David slew Goliath.
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June 29, 2007
Set:
A remarkable African American track and field athlete, Jesse Owens, overcame many difficult obstacles throughout his life in order to achieve all that he did. After a poor childhood and living during a time in which blacks received little respect, he persevered as he developed the talent that God gave him. Owens competed in the "Hitler Olympics," the Olympics in which Hitler planned on proving that the Aryan race was superior. However, after Jesse Owens became the first American to win four gold medals in a single Olympics, even German fans were complimenting his accomplishment. Because Jesse Owens was faced with challenges in his life, he became a great success.
