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Chaplaincy 101
Getting Cut: A Good Thing?
Set:
After the third preseason game of an NFL team, many players find out where they stand in trying to make the cut. One such player, Jason, found out some bad news. Before his third game, he was told that he was cut. Jason drove home, obviously disappointed in not making the team.
Out of the Alternative: Part 2
For many years and generations, our society has been losing a most valuable ingredient: our men. Why do we see so many insurmountable problems? Why do we see so many perversions come to be accepted as “normal” and “natural”? I believe that most men don’t know what it means to be godly men and fathers. And women long to be women, but when men run away from their responsibilities women are left confused, as well. We must reach a place of brokenness before God to find our true identities.
Playing Time
Set:
A coach looks at his players’ strengths and weaknesses and decides who will play and how long they will be in the game. He or she often will take players out of the game to get some rest or to give someone else some playing time.
When I played softball in college, our shortstop had a very positive, contagious personality. When she was out of the game, you could tell the difference on the field. The game of life is no different. When a loved one leaves the playing field, they are dearly missed. For those who believe in Christ as Savior, this is a welcome call home. The rest of the “team” will miss them dearly, but they can find peace in knowing that the Creator, our Coach, has a plan.
Building Blocks
Through the eyes of the world, athletic success is easily defined. It’s a simple pass-fail test that asks only one question: did you win it all? But the University of Nebraska volleyball team sees things differently. Despite its tremendous on-court success, the Cornhuskers remain a team that has learned to go deeper than wins and losses in order to define greatness. But the lesson didn’t come at an easy price.
Fit 4 Ever: Is Creatine Safe?
In last month’s article we opened up a discussion about the safety of over-the-counter (OTC) supplements. This month we will focus on one of the most popular and high-profile supplements: creatine.
The use of creatine by athletes at the professional and amateur levels has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. Sales of creatine products have grown from $30 million in 1995 to nearly $500 million in 2005.
Consuming Madness
Set:
March can be a time of spiritual renewal and testing. Depending on your area of the world, you may be encouraged by the promise of spring and new life as your surroundings begin to change. But there are also distinct temptations that come with the new season. For example, participating in St. Patrick’s Day parties this week probably tempted a few out there. Then there are also various temptations that come with the NCAA Tournament and the thousands of bracket pools.
Firm Foundation
It all started in the fall of 2000 when Todd Knutson began to settle into his new role as an FCA area representative in Sioux Falls, S.D. Like most new staff, Knutson sought means to raise funds for his ministry through the usual support letters and individual visits. But he knew there had to be another way.
One Sunday afternoon he attended an open house where he picked up the brochure of Dan Lemme, owner of C-Lemme Custom Homes, LLC. What he read surprised him.
Fit 4 Ever: Stressed Out
It's almost impossible to find anyone who isn't feeling the pressure these days.
Stress doesn't care if you are young or old; it has the ability to weigh you down regardless of age, gender, race, political affiliation or socio-economic status. In fact, all studies confirm this.
Stress is something we all seem to have in common.
FCA Training Update
“…train yourself in godliness, for, the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way...” –1 Timothy 4:7-8
Here within Paul’s wisdom to Timothy lies the driving force behind the FCA Institute: to train excellence in sports ministry. Just as extensive preparations are needed to compete at the highest athletic level, FCA wants their staff to receive a first-rate sports ministry education to better equip them to serve the sports community.
Staying True
It might sound crazy, but tearing my ACL in January 2001 was a good thing. At the time, however, I wouldn’t have agreed.
The timing was horrible. My dream was to play in the WNBA, and, with just five months until the draft, I knew the injury would cost me my dream. But God was faithful, and, despite the doctor’s report that I would sit out an entire season, the Indiana Fever took a chance on me with the third overall pick.
It might sound crazy, but tearing my ACL in January 2001 was a good thing. At the time, however, I wouldn’t have agreed.
Making Courageous Choices
Set:
Sometimes I wonder why it is so difficult for coaches to be still and listen. We have no problem knowing how to lead, direct others or give commands. But to whom do we look when we need direction? Who helps us make tough decisions?
We don’t have to look far in Scripture to find a leader with similar challenges. Joshua was a brilliant military leader and had a strong spiritual influence, but his success came because he had learned whom to go to when he faced difficult choices. Joshua knew that unless he first submitted to God, he would never accomplish what he’d been given to do. So when God spoke, Joshua listened and obeyed.
The Wright Way
Standing tall at 6’ 7”, Adam Wainwright is an intimidating figure — something that certainly plays to his advantage as a Major League pitcher. But get him talking about his daughter, and you’d never know that the 25-year-old makes a living paralyzing big-league sluggers with his breaking curveball. In fact, when talking about little Baylie Grace, Wainwright barely resembles the man who struck out Detroit’s Brandon Inge for the final out of the 2006 World Series, giving the St. Louis Cardinals their first World Championship since 1982.
The Stream of Encouragement
Set:
Have you ever noticed how we tend to judge ourselves based on our intentions? Even if our actions were wrong or the outcome was bad, we still give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Why is that? I think it is because we know that our intentions were good. Most of the time, we were trying to help others or trying to do the “right thing,” so even if it didn’t turn out right, we still encourage ourselves.
Bitterness
Set:
The psalmist tells us that his heart’s bitterness caused him to act more like an animal than a man. Sometimes when competitors are displaced by injury or illness, they experience great frustration, isolation, loneliness, and a myriad of other emotions. Those emotions can lead one to thinking and acting senselessly. The pain associated with losing may even drive some to foolishly medicate their pain and grief. Wise coaching can short-circuit that process and keep the team from painful consequences.
Fit 4 Ever: Put Your Health to the Test
“It makes me feel good that FCA cares about it’s people!”
That was a common statement after a week of clinical exercise testing at the FCA World Headquarters in November. This effort, led by the FCA Health & Fitness Ministry, was designed to help our FCA team improve its health so that everyone involved could have the strength and energy necessary to perform at the highest level. FCA President Les Steckel put it best: “We believe that our initiative to serve our people on the front-edge of ministry will define us as an organization that genuinely invests in the personal and professional development of its people.”
Chip Ingram with Ron Brown
Bible teacher Chip Ingram describes what it means to be an authentic Christian athlete or coach.
#87 - StVRP - Matt Capps, Brian McNeely & Les Steckel
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Matt Capps, former college football coach Brian McNeely & FCA President Les Steckel.
True Success
Set:
According to society’s standards, a coach’s status is based on his or her win-loss record. Unfortunately, a coach’s personal worth is often tied into this same evaluation. The scoreboard is a clear-cut way to determine playoff selections, but it is a dangerous barometer for a coach to use as the measure of personal success.
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