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August 05, 2011
Set:
St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Matt Holliday has learned a lot in his seven years as a major league outfielder, including many valuable lessons about what it means to compete for Christ. Today, we’re starting a four-part video devotion series based on Holliday’s recent interview with FCA’s Sharing the Victory magazine.
To access the video, click the link below to watch or download the clip. After you’ve watched the short video, take time to answer the questions below. Finish by reading the related Scripture and asking God to work in your heart as a result of what you’ve learned.
VIDEO LINK:
September 19, 2011
Set:
Coach Buckley’s football practices were brutal. I was only 11, but I still remember them to be grueling, agonizing and dreadful. The trademarked practices had tons of running and repetitive drills, all without scrimmaging! Many players wouldn’t make it through the practices without losing their lunch, and many of them quit. Even my best friend had his parents pull him from the team. But, even though the sacrifice was great, the return that season was sweet. We earned a perfect record and no team even scored on us! Our team, the Braddock Road Sharks, brought fear to all 11-year-olds who dared to play football.
December 13, 2012
Set:
Our lives are so much bigger than what we can or cannot do on the playing field. Sometimes people think that the star athlete will be the best leader because of their athleticism. Or we think, Wow, if that person were a Christian they would have so much impact because they’re so popular and athletic.
The man who wrote 1 Peter 1:24 had an eternal impact even though he was what some would call a “spiritual scrub” or a “spiritual walk-on.” Peter was not the most popular, well- educated, or most athletic disciple. (Notice in the Book of John how he lost in a foot race with John to Jesus’ tomb.)
February 03, 2013
Set:
Former Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne said, “I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big players.” Maybe when it comes to football, big players do make the difference in prayer. In the game of life, I’ve discovered the bottom line to getting prayers answered. As I look back on the times God has answered my prayers, I know why I got the answer. It was because I prayed the right prayer. I was specific with God when I prayed.
In Malachi 3:10 the Lord says, “Test Me in this way…See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.” Here we see the power of God to provide when we test Him. The way to test God is to be specific.
March 31, 2013
Set:
People can be in many loving relationships throughout their lifetime and never realize that true love is an action outside of emotion. Love takes skill, and like any skill it takes practice and attention to develop. In junior high I was enrolled in Tae Kwon Do for about three years. I loved it. I loved the discipline and skill involved. We learned all kinds of moves, refined them, then later put them to use in sparring.
October 29, 2013
Set:
After having a fairly rough day teaching, my wife calmly reminded me that I must see the children in the same light as God sees me. He is patient and loving with me, even though I am underserving of His favor. I must continuously remind myself that the children I teach and coach should be shown that same favor from me.
There are times that I simply want to lose all my cool and let those who are around me simply know how frustrated I am with them and how pitiful I feel they are. Does God feel that way towards me? I feel God is the most patient, forgiving, gracious being as He showed through Jesus Christ. Forgive them seven times? "Forgive them seventy times seven" Jesus says.
I pray I have that strength to be as patient and forgiving as He.
June 09, 2013
Set:
You may be familiar with the story of James J. Braddock, which was told in the film Cinderella Man. Braddock was a former successful boxer who lost everything he had in the Great Depression. He couldn’t get work (much less a fight), couldn’t pay his bills, and was running the risk of losing his children.
June 16, 2013
Set:
When do we feel like our bodies are wasting away and our strength is drying up? Maybe it’s at the end of practice, halfway through preseason, or with one week to go in a long difficult season. How can we have our hearts renewed and find the strength to press through such feelings? Second Corinthians 4:16 gives us such encouragement. Paul was aware of his friends’ perilous times and the physical toll it was taking on them. He identified with their plight.
It’s the nature of competition and long seasons to wear down our bodies. We can identify with these people and the outward wasting away of their bodies. The wisest among us also know how to be inwardly strengthened, day by day, in our hearts.
April 29, 2013
Set:
A personal journey with Jesus is like a football game in the sense that both require the active participation of the players. An athlete who gets in the game and competes for victory is like a Christian who seeks to demonstrate his faith with good works. James wrote, “Someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works” (Jms 2:18). Athletes who compete with all their heart make their coach proud, even if mistakes happen. A believer who walks by faith makes the Lord pleased, even if he stumbles, and God calls him a friend (Jms 2:23).
March 19, 2004
Set:
Paul reminds me of a great basketball player of the mid-80's who played for the Atlanta Hawks: Spud Webb. For you young athletes out there, Spud Webb is a 5' 7" man who had dreams of playing in a "Big Man's League." Did he make it? Did he ever! He was quoted as saying, "No one expected or imagined that a person of my size could win a slam dunk contest or make it into the NBA."
September 03, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Regardless of who your favorite team is throughout the year, if you’re a hockey fan you’ll tune into the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s the one time when hockey fans come together and follow the games that have become the icon of the ice hockey.
February 03, 2004
Set:
The see-saw battle between the Patriots and the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII came down to one play with 0:09 left in the game and the score knotted at 29. Patriots place kicker Adam Vinatieri came onto the field to try a 41-yard field goal to win the game. Earlier in the game he had missed a 31-yard chip shot and had another attempt blocked. Vinatieri was given an opportunity to redeem himself and this time he was right on target, giving the Patriots their second Super Bowl victory in three years.
November 01, 2012
Set:
I once heard of a man named Scott who calls himself a professional gate-crasher—and with good reason. He claimed to have attended 300 sporting events and concerts, including 25 World Series baseball games, all without paying a single penny. In fact, he wrote a book that describes 50 ways to sneak into concerts and sporting events.
Scott’s gate-crashing raises all sorts of ethical questions, but let’s talk, instead, about a higher issue. Think about what it takes to get into Heaven. Jesus said there was only one way to get in: through Him (John 14:6). The “ticket” is having a personal faith in Jesus as your Savior, believing that He paid the penalty for your sin and accepting His offer of forgiveness as a gift (John 3:16; Romans 6:23).
October 11, 2011
Set:
As coaches and athletes, we face adversity every day. Specifically for coaches, this adversity seems to come not just from the opponents on our schedules, but from a variety of sources. And whether we are dealing with players’ circumstances, injuries, parental issues, or whatever, we all need to have some reassurance or confirmation that we are doing a good job.
April 06, 2004
Set:
As athletes, we train to become faster and stronger. We try to bring as much power to our sport as we can. We may engage in a weight-training program. We may go out and run. We may attend a sports camp. But even more important than our physical training, is our spiritual training.
Consider a plain, ordinary light bulb. How much power does it put out? On its own, it puts out absolutely none. It has to be hooked to a power source.
May 27, 2010
Set:
Yesterday my fifth grade son lay at the top of the stairs, refusing to come down for breakfast before school. As the self-designated family barber, I was under fire from this 11 year-old for having cut his hair too short over the weekend. Now, he cried out, his ears stood out and looked stupid. Naturally, everyone was going to notice and make fun of him.
March 10, 2004
Set:
The University of Colorado has stiffened its recruiting guidelines for the school's football program amidst allegations of rape and other inappropriate activities during recruiting visits. When asked if the tougher guidelines would hurt recruiting, school chancellor Richard Byyny said, "It really doesn't matter. We want to have a model program. We want to make sure students understand they are here first for an education."
Putting stricter recruiting guidelines on the football team could cost the program and the school many rewards, as well as the financial incentives that come with them. Despite the potential cost, the university should be commended for implementing restrictions to try to restore some integrity to the program and the school.
June 24, 2013
Set:
On a dark rainy night I was driving in an unfamiliar place. As I made a turn, I was faced with cars driving in my direction. I had turned short of my road and was on the highway exit ramp! Fortunately, no accident took place and I was able to adjust my direction.
December 29, 2012
Set:
Of all the silly games I learned as a child, the one I remember best was a game some of the older kids in the neighborhood played, one we didn’t exactly discuss with our parents. “Knick Knocking” involved approaching a neighbor’s front door, knocking loudly several times and running away. Serious Knick Knockers would retreat to a nearby hideaway so they could watch the unsuspecting neighbor open the door and look all around for a visitor. Knick Knocking served as a great form of entertainment for the mischievous kids on our block.
May 19, 2011
Set:
Earlier this season, I took my middle school baseball team to practice with the high school varsity. It was good for my kids to practice on a higher level and to see how high school differs from middle school. At the end of practice the varsity coach gave them a "pep talk" about life and baseball using five key points of competition. While I had used some of the same points in my own speeches, I found that they captured my attention in a new way when I heard them from another coach and saw how they got the attention of the kids. The points that this coach made would work for any sport, and they also translate well to our spiritual lives.
February 06, 2013
Set:
How could God be both human and divine at the same time? This is an impossible question to answer from a purely human perspective, but the Bible provides us with all the answers we need as the Holy Spirit applies it to our hearts and minds. Understanding great truths like the incarnation and the Trinity is impossible for us. We often try to find ways to explain what God is like, but our explanations are never complete since our minds cannot grasp how amazing God is.
September 28, 2013
Set:
In 2008, I made my first U.S. Olympic Soccer Team. I was still in college, and I was one of the youngest players on the roster. I was also replacing star player Abby Wambach who couldn’t compete due to an injury.
Then in 2012, I was chosen for the Olympic squad again, but this time I was considered a veteran with several major matches under my belt, including the 2008 Olympic gold medal game and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. While both situations were very different, they were also very much the same. There was a great deal of pressure that came with the job.
August 16, 2012
Set:
“Because God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” – St. Augustine
We usually don’t like talking about our devotions, because we view it as personal and what works for us might not work for others. Even if we do share, others can take it as bragging or preachy! However, it is essential that we discuss not only what we are learning, but also how we are doing it. As teammates, we should encourage one another in our spiritual walks.
November 14, 2012
Set:
During a vacation trip to the beach this summer I went out for an early morning run. In the distance I caught sight of a young lady running the opposite direction about 20 feet from the shore. As she neared, I noticed she was an experienced runner as evidenced by her performance apparel, sleek figure and toned muscles. She was trudging through the soft “fluffy” white sand with strenuous effort. Her legs were literally bounding off the sand, but due to the inconsistency of the terrain, she was running shockingly slow. She was soaked in sweat, red-faced and labored in breathing. As I continued to run effortlessly on the wet, flat, firmer sand I thought about all the extra effort she was exerting by choosing to run on the distinctly opposite sand.
January 04, 2014
Set:
It was the same ritual before every basketball game: listen to the same song, read my “basketball prayer,” put on my lucky socks, and use my lucky hair tie. If I missed one of these pre-game activities, there was no way I would have a good game. I now find it amusing that my confidence as a high school athlete was so tied to these silly rituals. I thought my athletic strength depended on “good-luck” charms.
