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Devotional

  • Such a Time as This

    October 19, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    We all know the story. It has been fantasized in the minds of aspiring athletes everywhere. It has been replayed continuously on driveways and vacant lots all over the world. Whether it’s one second left on the clock, the bottom of the ninth inning, or the last ten meters of a race, somehow the unlikely hero snatches victory from the jaws of defeat and basks in the adoration of the make-believe crowd.

  • Success

    October 18, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    Success is peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.

    When do we know that we have succeeded? When asking ourselves this question, we should forget what others think. They don’t know. We should be more concerned with our character than with our reputation. Our character is what we truly are, while our reputation is what others perceive us to be. As I have often said, having a good reputation doesn’t determine success. Neither do awards, accolades, or achievements.

  • Stronger for Christ

    October 16, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    As coaches, what do we expect from our athletes if we want to improve their performance? If they are going to be champions in the weight room, we expect them to be torn down. We expect them to push beyond their boundaries. When they do that, their bodies rebuild stronger than before. How do our athletes get faster? We put them on a treadmill, increase the incline, and again push them beyond their boundaries, beyond their comfort zones. Again, when their bodies recover, they are faster. Sometimes the increase is small but they are faster.

  • Stressbusters

    October 15, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    As a coach, I used to love preseason practice. (As a player I could have done without it.) I loved working with the players and coaches, the camaraderie of being part of a team, and the anticipation of opening night. Preseason was always electrifying.

    Then came the first game. The scoreboard was turned on, and a new element was added—the element of stress.

  • Strength of Integrity

    October 14, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    We never know when our past can be launched into the present. Owning a contracting company for twenty-one years in the same area in which I am an assistant coach can hold surprises. I have often coached athletes for whose parents I have done work. One of the items I emphasize to the athletes is personal accountability to yourself and your teammates. I also strive to run my business and base my life on the same principles. Whether it is with my employees, athletes, fellow coaches, friends, or family, the only way to uphold my integrity is through consistency in my values.

  • The Workout I Will Always Remember

    October 14, 2010

    The Workout I Will Always Remember
    Set: 

    Are you kidding me, Coach?” That was the thought running through my mind when my coach asked us to do some things I thought I’d never be able to do physically. Making the transition from a high school cross country runner to a NCAA Division II distance runner had been a challenge. There were more miles, more workouts and greater intensity mixed in with all the stresses of college life.

  • How Do You Define Success?

    October 13, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    In the arena of sports where score is kept and there are always winners and losers, how do you know whether or not you are successful? While much of the world defines athletic success in terms of wins and losses, legendary coach John Wooden writes in his book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success that “success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.Within this framework, each person becomes the only one who can ultimately judge his or her own success.”

  • A Poor Widow’s Example

    October 13, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    C.S. Lewis, one of last century’s most influential and prolific Christian authors, in writing about tithing said that if it doesn’t impinge upon one’s lifestyle, then he isn’t giving enough. The giving of money to the work of the Lord, he said, should involve some sacrifice.

  • The Streak

    October 12, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    The perfect season was in 1972 when the Miami Dolphins did the improbable. They won seventeen games (including the Super Bowl) in a row. People still call them one of the greatest teams of all time. On the other side of the coin, Northwestern lost thirty-four games in a row over a four-year period. The adjectives used to describe these teams were much different. Streaks—either you love them or you hate them. If you are on a roll and winning games, then everything seems to go your way. But if the steak is the other kind—the bad kind, the losing streak—then it seems the harder you try, the more small things grow into huge problems. When you have been on both sides, you learn the difference between winning and losing is very small.

  • The Stewardship in Sports

    October 11, 2010

    devotional
    Set: 

    Christian parents warn their children to stay away from harmful movies, television shows, peers, Web sites, and other such influences, only to dump them into the world of sports that typically contains all the negative things they have told their children to avoid.

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