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November 12, 2007
Set:
After inheriting a team that had won only four games the previous two years, Ron Zook set out on a course to turn the University of Illinois football program around. While the record didn't change as quickly as Coach Zook would have liked, winning just two games in each of his first two years, the 2007 Illini have won eight games including wins against No. 5 ranked Wisconsin and No. 1 Ohio State. "If you believe in something, and you know you're doing the right thing, you've just got to stay the course," Zook said.
July 22, 2009
Set:
Ever I since started playing football, I hadn't won one game. Not a single one! There was even one year that we didn't even score a point. The next year we didn't win a single game, but at least we scored. But, finally, on the last game of my middle school career, we won! We won, 64 to 0. It was amazing. It felt like we’d won the Super Bowl. It may not have been the best team in the league that we beat, but it was a win and I finally got to taste what it was like to win.
Losing is hard. And it certainly makes it difficult for us when it comes to practice. We find it hard to put forth any kind of real effort when aren’t seeing results. But, do we realize that in everything we do, we are to work as hard as we can for the Lord?
November 01, 2008
Set:
In 1996, I went to my first professional golf tournament. Lush green grass, beautiful colors and the world’s best golfers took center stage at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I watched several groups tee off and was amazed at how far they hit the ball.
As I walked the course, I came to a hole where there was quite a buzz. People were crowding in to see a young golfer hit the ball—a young man named Tiger Woods. I, too, greatly admired this young, talented golfer. Tiger took it all in stride. He showed amazing composure for such a young player.
March 09, 2010
Set:
After an All-American college basketball career at Kansas State University, Shalee Lehning experienced a breakout rookie season in the WNBA as a guard for the Atlanta Dream. Not only did she help the team set a franchise record in wins, but also ranked individually among the top 10 in the WNBA in total assists. Now between pro seasons, Lehning is serving as an assistant coach at her alma mater under Coach Deb Patterson.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: In the 95-96 NHL season something incredible happened. After not even making it to the playoffs the year before, the underdog of the season was a team in a state that didn’t have many hockey rinks and was hardly a place any NHL’r would imagine a good team would develop. Other teams may have laughed at the thought of this club being a contender but the Florida Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup finals only 3 years after they started up, a record at the time for start up teams to make it that far.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: You can be a great skater, shooter, and puck handler but that all means nothing if you don’t know the rules of the game. You’ll spend all your time in trouble for illegal hits or in the face off circle for skating offsides. Of course you have to follow the rules. It’s those who can a play good game within the rules are real hockey players.
February 10, 2012
Set:
We can all recall a time in our coaching careers when things were so good we didn’t want them to end. We wanted that winning feeling to last for days, but it was soon gone. Jesus had similar days, and we read about one of them in the text above.
September 27, 2010
Set:
Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan. They stood out as great NBA players, but they had a certain quality that did not show up in the box score. It was the ability to make the players around them better. They added value to their teammates, and they could see the bigger picture. Success for them was inevitable.
Likewise, Jesus calls us to see the bigger picture of His kingdom as we influence others for His sake. Every day, we encounter fellow coaches, students, players—even our family—who might need our help so that they can get to the next level, not just for their sake but for His.
April 16, 2008
Set:
About 10-12 years ago, my wife started running. In that time she has run about a half dozen half-marathons, one full marathon and uncountable 5 and 10Ks. She usually competed in these events with a friend or family member, and in years past, it wasn’t me. I was a tennis-only athlete with a few medals on the mantle. Because I had never competed in endurance sports I couldn’t understand why she would always want to run with someone. I had always competed to win. I couldn’t understand wanting to run with another.
October 15, 2009
Set:
Last week I got to go to Austin, Texas, to interview Colt McCoy for the December issue of Sharing the Victory magazine and our online video ministry. In my line of work, I get to sit down with Christian athletes and coaches on a regular basis and talk about their faith. It’s a dream job, of course, and one that I thank God for every day.
In all of these interviews, I meet a lot of different personality types. There are hard-nosed, intense guys who convey that in their passion for the Lord. Some are more reserved and shy, yet incredibly sincere. Others are just straight-forward, no-nonsense athletes who tell you like it is. It’s such a unique opportunity to see how God’s body has many different parts that function as a whole unit for His glory.
April 10, 2010
Set:
Each new season starts out with a team meeting. The coach gives the team rules and goes over the expectations for the upcoming season. The coach makes sure that there is no question about what will be expected out of the athletes.
God is the ultimate head coach. Just as a good earthly coach goes over the rules, so does He. God gave His “team rules” to the Israelites through Moses, and He expected them to be followed.
When our earthly head coaches expect us to follow the team rules, they generally set out a reward. The reward might be a letterman’s patch or pin, or it could be lessened conditioning in practice. Whatever it is, the head coach makes sure that we know the rewards for following the team rules.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: I watched a Chicago Wolves game on a Friday night, and saw a team in disarray. They did not play like the first place team they were. Instead they were walked on through the entire game, giving a whopping 50 shots to Peoria and 7 of those went in. After the game, their goalie who was one of the team leaders, Fred Brathwaite, gave the guys an earful on what went wrong. He told them what they needed to hear. The very next night they turned the tables and put up 47 shots and got 8 goals against Rockford. Back to the kind of hockey those guys were known for.
August 09, 2010
Set:
To kick off the summer vacation, my youngest daughter and I went on a 20-mile, three-day back-packing trip. I have been on several trips, but this was her first. We were hiking a section of the Monadnock-Sunapee Trail and followed their guidebook and trail markers for the three days of hiking. By following their book, we found shelters or platforms on which to spend the night and we found plenty of water to pump into our water bottles.
November 01, 2008
Set:
A mutual respect exists among athletes. To some degree, as athletes we all have a single-minded, committed lifestyle that is laced with adversity. This is the price we pay to excel. An athlete’s identity and purpose hinges on his or her performance, but what happens when adversity strikes?
What we see as adversity, God sees as opportunity. In Genesis 38–39, we read the story of how Joseph was sold into slavery by his own family and then imprisoned for 13 years for a crime he did not commit. But Joseph stood firm. “What men meant for evil, God used for good,” he said (see Genesis 50:20). Joseph was right: Years after being sold into slavery, he became second in command over all of Egypt!
February 16, 2007
Set:
I walked into the weight room scared to death. I had decided to walk on at a Division I school. Ever since third grade, it had been my dream to go to the NCAA Tournament, but as high school ended, no offers came. My mom and I sent letters to several Div. I schools, and Mississippi State University was the first to send me something back. After I visited the campus, I knew that was where God wanted me. And as I walked into the weight room that day, my dream lay right in front of me.
October 06, 2006
Set:
In the athletic world, motivation is an often-overlooked ingredient to winning. Games have been won by teams with less ability but with more motivation to go all-out. There is nothing more upsetting than to know you should have won a game, yet you didn't give it your all. Had you done so, the final score could have been different.
Why is this so upsetting? Because effort is something we all control, whether we give it all or just show up, happy to be there. The best motivation is always to play each game as if it were our last. Just as in life, we as athletes and coaches are not guaranteed another game tomorrow.
May 21, 2007
Set:
The Rebels and the Whales met in the second round winners' bracket of a double elimination softball tournament. In the bottom of the first inning the Whales had runners on first and third with two outs. The batter hit a shot deep into right centerfield that was sure to score two runs and give the Whales a two-run lead. However, the runner on first left too early and was called out. In the bottom of second inning with two outs and the bases loaded, a Whales player lined a seed into the left centerfield gap, which would have scored at least two runs, but the batter was called out for stepping on home plate. In the top of the third, a close call went the way of the Rebels, turning what could have been the third out into a six-run, two-out rally for the Rebels.
November 27, 2010
Set:
We live all of our lives by faith, whether we realize it or not. We have faith that a light will come on when we flip the switch. We have faith that our friends and spouses will be faithful to their relationships. Managers have faith that players will perform as they hope. Players have faith that everyone on the team will perform. The Bible describes faith as “the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (Heb 11:1).
February 22, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: There are a lot of superstitions and traditions that the NHL players have. On the Blackhawks, John Madden used to change his laces every single time he skated. Patrick Sharp always wears his headphones with his iPod on before the game. Brian Campbell doesn't like anyone touching the knob of his stick before the game, or he has to re-tape it. Brent Seabrook gets ready at the exact same time every game. Tomas Kopecky during warm-ups always spits on all four faceoff circles. But regardless of whatever superstitions these guys have, there core ability is what makes them great players.
February 09, 2012
Set:
Imagine fielding a ground ball, throwing it to first base, and no one is there. Imagine running the bases, coming into third wondering whether to keep running, and no base coach is around. We depend on our teammates and coaches to be there. When we commit to a team, we commit to be there—win or lose, good or bad. We depend on our teams, and they depend on us.
Off the field, life is similar. When times are tough, we expect our friends to be there. When we arrive home—needing a meal, support, and love—we expect our parents to be there. When I come home at the end of the day, I expect my wife to be there. More importantly, when life is good or bad, I expect God to be there.
April 27, 2009
Set:
One problem with us today is that we often forget we own nothing. Talent, leadership ability, and even the very lives we live are God’s property.
Job lost all he had through no fault of his own. As he struggled to understand why, it became clear that it was not meant for him to know the reasons. How he reacted is paramount—He worshiped God! Today we tend to worship depending on how well life is treating us. Job exemplified a very valuable principle—worship is the lifestyle we lead, not the momentary prevailing mind-set.
Walk it Out. We have to live out our theology through action.
Obey. Every Christian has been called to obedience. Job was known as a man of integrity because he obeyed God.
January 16, 2008
Set:
In last week’s NFL playoff game, Ryan Grant of the Green Bay Packers fumbled the ball away twice in the first few minutes of the game. Grant’s turnovers resulted in the Seattle Seahawks taking a commanding 14-point lead before the Packers, or Grant, knew what hit them. It would have been easy for Grant, a young player and first year starter for the Packers, to have his confidence shaken and to take himself out of the game psychologically. However, with focus and great intensity, he bounced back and ran like a veteran, racking up over 200 yards on the ground and helping the Packers to a victory over the Seahawks.
May 07, 2007
Set:
The NFL Draft is always a highly anticipated event. For Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn there was some uncertainty surrounding when his name would be called in the 2007 draft. Many experts felt he might go a low as 9th overall. But after he was chosen by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick Quinn said, "I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. I had a point in my head where I didn't think I was going to fall any further, and it obviously exceeded that."
January 20, 2012
Set:
Some athletes are motivated by challenge, others by the thrill of winning. Others still are provoked to excellence by the fear of losing. What motivates us to compete at our highest levels? How do coaches and teammates stir us to be our best? We’re certainly not all wired the same.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Being great at hockey skater is not instantaneous. Hockey coaches that teach young kids know that there are stages to learning. It’s starts with balancing on skates then to moving forward, skating backwards, and then eventually backwards crossovers. Each stage is difficult for the student but it builds them up and makes them better.
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