Devotional
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May 05, 2010
Set:
“Good grief.” I guess Charlie Brown started that phrase. He might have been referring to a pitiful-looking Christmas tree, a materialistic doghouse designed by Snoopy, or a wild scheme by Peppermint Patty. I’ve used the phrase, too. We kick off on the first play of the game, and it is returned by our opponent for a touchdown. Then they kick off to us, we fumble, and they return the fumble for another touchdown. Thirty seconds have run off the clock, and we are down 14–0. Good grief!
Let me ask this question: Is grief ever good?
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May 05, 2010
Set:
Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Ben Zobrist wasn’t drafted by Major League Baseball out of high school. In fact, he wasn’t even offered a baseball scholarship to play in college. Yet, after attending a skills showcase the summer after his senior year, one college coach saw potential in Zobrist and offered him a position on the team.
Now one of the brightest young infielders in the game, Zobrist has experienced a divine path to success—both on the field and off. Just before the start of the 2010 season, Zobrist sat down with FCA’s Sharing the Victory magazine to talk about that career, his family and, most importantly, his faith in Jesus Christ.
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May 04, 2010
Set:
Recently I sat in on a home school history session with my wife and three kids. The subject was Europe's transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance period of history, and focused on the huge impact that Gutenberg's movable type printing press had on civilization. For those who are not aware of the history, Johannes Gutenberg created the first movable type printing press in 1456. Prior to that, all books were painstakingly written by hand - one by one - including Bibles.
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May 04, 2010
Set:
"Nobody's perfect." A phrase we hear all of the time.
Everyone knows that no one can be completely perfect, so we use it as an excuse when we mess up. We often settle for less than what we are capable of because we think it is impossible to be perfect. But in Matthew 5 Jesus commands us to be perfect, just as God is perfect. "How can that be?" we ask. "How are we supposed to be perfect?"
We know all to well Romans 3:23, that all have sinned and fallen short, and we focus on the fact that humans are sinners. But did Paul not say that God would not tempt us past what we could handle? And did he not say that I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength?
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May 03, 2010
Set:
Do you know the difference between a chicken and a pig? When it comes to a breakfast of ham and eggs, the chicken is a contributor but the pig is committed! The chicken only leaves a part of itself, while the pig has to die.
The difference between being an all-star and a benchwarmer usually has less to do with talent and more to do with the level of commitment you're willing to give to your sport. Those who succeed literally leave it all on the field because they're deeply committed to their sport and their team's success. Winners are usually found lifting weights or watching video of their opponents after the game. The rest go home to pursue meaningless activities.
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April 30, 2010
Set:
Coaches have it tough. Let’s be honest. There’s a stigma that we are all ex-jocks and not very good classroom teachers. There are many stereotypes about coaches: “They are teachers who get all the breaks without really working hard in the classroom…They get to miss faculty meetings…They eat meals with their teams that are paid for by the school…They sit down all day and hand out worksheets to their students…They think winning ballgames is the most important thing in the world.” For some coaches, these stereotypes may be true, but I know many where that is not the case.
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April 30, 2010
Set:
Former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had arguably the greatest college football career of any player. He was awarded the Heisman Trophy, set a record for most touchdowns scored in a career, and he led the Gators to two BCS National Championships. Tebow’s trademark look during his college days was the eye-black strips (used by athletes to fight the sun's glare in their eyes) he wore with Bible Scripture references written on them. He was never ashamed to talk about his faith in God, which oddly caused many to question his mental toughness.
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April 29, 2010
Set:
All coaches know that to give their athletes or their team the best chance at success or reaching their goals, three things are needed: discipline, training, and a game plan. The game plan simply means to use one’s strengths to exploit the opponent’s weakness. A good game plan is a must. Often, we fail because of the wrong game plan or simply a faulty one.
Life is a competition. We meet challenges every day that present opportunities to help us be successful. We also construct game plans for daily life. We must know our strengths and weaknesses, our opponent (Satan), listen to our coach (Jesus Christ), train hard, and have discipline to reach our goal of knowing Christ.
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April 28, 2010
Set:
It appears that our hearts are the repositories for both confidence and fear. When we feel overmatched by a seemingly superior opponent, it’s our heart that keeps us from fearing him. When it seems like everything is going badly, when all the momentum has swung to the other team’s bench, it’s our heart that brims with confidence in spite of it all. A coach’s heart is the key that enables his or her team to compete strongly.
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April 28, 2010
Set:
There are times in baseball when it seems like nothing goes right. You drop a fly ball, you strike out, you ground into a double play, your team gives up a bunch of runs. . . None of those are very encouraging, and people usually get mad and throw fits in those cases. You see this in the pros all the time. Managers especially can throw some of the biggest fits if an umpire doesn't make the call that they want. You would think that adults wouldn't throw fits!
Athletes and coaches often think that winning is everything, but truthfully, it is not. A person's attitude--win or lose--helps determine true winners and losers.
