Devotional
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July 20, 2006
Set:
There's a scene in the classic baseball movie "Major League" in which the team is having a bad flight on a below-standard airplane. During that scene, pitcher Eddie Harris, who professes to be Christian, notices his Buddhist teammate, Pedro Cerrano, crossing himself. Instead of rejoicing in the fact that Cerrano is looking towards Christ in this time of struggle, Harris berates him with these harsh words, "Oh, now you come around. He isn't fooled."
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July 19, 2006
Set:
It seems like when you're in a conversation and you have nothing else to talk about, the weather always comes up. For a large majority of Americans, another popular topic of conversation seems to be sports, especially when they are running out of things to say. We find sports an easy topic, kind of a comfort zone.
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July 18, 2006
Set:
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning means you're willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else." To reach ultimate success in athletics an athlete must realize that there is always room for improvement and that the harder you work, the more successful you will become.
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July 17, 2006
Set:
Mark was an average athlete. He couldn't run particularly fast, jump extremely high or lift much weight. But something clicked during the summer between his sophomore and junior year. He went from being a very average player into the best player in school history. What was the difference? What made the change?
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July 10, 2006
Set:
While she may disagree, many people believe that Mia Hamm is the greatest female soccer player of all time. Her resume' could certainly back up the claim: four NCAA championships, two World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, and, oh yeah. . . she is the all-time leading goal scorer in international soccer history--male or female. Admittedly, her competitiveness is part of what has gotten her this far, but on the verge of her final World Cup in 2003 she said, "I'm trying to make relationships my first priority. In the end the medals never say, 'I love you.' They tarnish and collect dust."
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July 06, 2006
Set:
"I'd die for this. This is what we live for," said Pat Hurst. Any idea what she was talking about? Golf. Hurst made the comment after she and Annika Sorenstam were deadlocked after 72-holes at the 2006 U.S. Women's Open, forcing an 18-hole playoff the following day. Sorenstam won the playoff, and her 3rd Open title, by four strokes over Hurst.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Until you find something worth dying for, you're not really living"? Paul certainly understood that. Throughout the New Testament we see examples of the fact that his life was not only lived for Jesus Christ, but he ultimately died for Him, as well.
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July 05, 2006
Set:
As the final whistle blew in Ghana's 2-0 upset of the Czech Republic during the World Cup last month, John Mensah, a Ghanaian defender, got down on his knees and revealed a t-shirt with Jesus on it. In 2004, Brazilian midfielder Kaka' sported a t-shirt reading "I belong to Jesus" over the top of his jersey when his club team, AC Milan, won the Serie A title in Europe. There are countries in the world today where these athletes would be tortured, jailed or possibly even killed for their acts of faith. Both Mensah and Kaka' were able to do these things because they live in countries where they have the freedom to express their belief in God.
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June 30, 2006
Set:
Bethany Hamilton was once ranked as the best amateur teen surfer in Hawaii. In October 2003, however, she lost one of her arms to a tiger shark while surfing. The story of a beautiful and talented teenager losing an arm to a shark made national news. As the world watched the story unfold it saw Bethany display something that kept her from being depressed and sinking into a life of self-pity. She had a relationship with Jesus Christ, and that transcended the tragedy she experienced.
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June 29, 2006
Set:
Being a soccer player and longtime fan of the sport, I get excited every four years when the World Cup roles around. This year it seems that there are more people watching the competition. One of my teachers had the game on at school during the United States' crushing loss to the Czech Republic. For the rest of the day people kept coming up to me and commenting about the team's poor performance. It bothered me to see people who had never followed the sport making such judgmental comments after watching the team play only once. I didn't think that it was fair for them to pass judgment after watching a single competition.
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June 28, 2006
Set:
How many of us today are aware of somebody who just doesn't like us? We all have people in our lives who try to put us down. As athletes, we encounter others who seek to break our confidence. Even more so, as Christians, we face individuals who do not understand our faith or our love for Christ and who, therefore, fear what they do not know.
