Devotional
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August 17, 2009
Set:
FCA Camp was awesome again this year. If you’ve never been to one, I highly encourage you to check one out in the future!
What makes FCA Camp so great? What is it about camp that we miss when we leave? Why do we want camp to last longer than a week? Think about it: FCA Camp offers an environment in which we are encouraged to be in God’s Word, to freely Worship Him, to enjoy fellowship with His people and to spend time with Him in Prayer. For one short week it seems that we can push away the things of this world and focus entirely on Him. We are truly abiding in Him. And when we abide in Him the things of this world fade away. Relationships are sweeter, worship is more focused and prayer seems richer.
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August 16, 2009
Set:
Staleness is the first sign of decay. Avoiding getting stuck in a rut is key to any training schedule. All training regimes get old unless changes are made. The body plateaus and needs a new stimulus or it won’t improve. All exercise routines need variety. No matter how hard we work, we need change.
Spiritually we also need to be challenged, or we go stale. There is nothing spiritual about sitting in the same pew for 30 years. Recently I asked a man who ran a retreat center if he had seen any other retreat centers lately? He replied with an air of conceit that he had been too busy ministering and had not seen any other center in 10 years. His center had that sad stale smell.
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August 14, 2009
Set:
This summer I was helping out a summer program with a series of outdoor trips. On one of the trips, we went whitewater rafting in the morning and then whitewater kayaking in the afternoon. Oh, and the river was a scorching 52 degrees. One of the other leaders and I wanted to go down the major rapid at the end while holding a sign in hopes of getting our picture on the display board.
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August 11, 2009
Set:
Almost every week this summer, I have been working with junior high boys trying to help them improve their basketball skills. The range of ability between sixth and eighth graders is pretty wide, and their physical size can be an even bigger gap. But we have one boy, Max, who doesn’t let his size bother him at all. In every drill and scrimmage, he uses what the Lord has given him to the best of his ability and tries to improve. It is such a joy to watch him play because he wears out his opponents with his speed and quickness. As an athlete, Max refuses to let what he can’t do get in the way of what he can do.
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August 06, 2009
Set:
It was a beautiful day in the Windy City. A hot dog, a Pepsi and a ballgame at Wrigley Field. . . What could be better? The game was going just as I wanted it to go. My team was scoring run after run, but the crowd was turning ugly. People were getting upset and starting to leave. Finally, after he'd had just about enough, the little boy sitting next to me pulled on my sleeve and asked, "Mister, who are you cheering for anyway?" You see, I am Reds fan, and the Reds handled the Cubs that day pretty easily. I left the game a happy fan.
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August 05, 2009
Set:
It was 5:56 in the morning, and I was barely awake. I knew this was going to be a challenge, but I couldn't remember the last time I woke up this early consistently. Maybe four years ago in college? See, for quite some time, I've been a slacker, a poser. I'd get up to head to work, and if I had time I'd cram down some Bible verses, toss up a few prayers and start the routine to the office.
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August 04, 2009
Set:
All athletes start a sport with the best of intentions. They want to work hard, stay disciplined and become better. However, at times, athletes become distracted and allow themselves to be sidetracked or pulled away from their goals. Too many times they look back and wonder what happened to their good intentions and make excuses. But pride, selfishness and other factors are usually to blame.
Samson was a great man. He was focused, driven and he had the best of intentions, wanting to serve the Lord. However, he had one major distraction: Delilah. She tried everything she could do to sidetrack him from his faith, his pursuits and his walk. Eventually, she got him to cut his hair. Thus, Samson lost his strength and ultimately his life.
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August 03, 2009
Set:
Throughout the time that my dad was ill, the one saying he continually said was, “Enjoy every moment that we spend with each other, and take life day by day.” I accepted his challenge, and we enjoyed our last year together on this earth with great passion and enthusiasm. We got to fit so much into a year, and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.
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July 31, 2009
Set:
Water is important. Throughout the ages, it has been a vital part of human culture. Look at the most ancient civilizations, like Egypt, and they are guaranteed to be built around water.
Now look at your life as an athlete. More than likely, you also have to build your athletic program in some way around water so that you won't get thirsty or dehydrated. It may not be a river, or a pool, but I'm sure there's at least a water bottle involved.
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July 30, 2009
Set:
The life of a young person today is much different than it was 10-20 years ago. But as our campers share this week with their Huddle Leaders, it is obvious that the same problems are still there and are big as ever. Trying to figure out what life to live proves to be troublesome for many of them.
