Many times on the Christian journey, we sense God calling us to do something. Sometimes, though, the task seems too great or our resources seem too small. Other times, God’s call can feel overwhelming and cause us to doubt whether we really heard Him at all. Thankfully, He has given us His Scriptures to speak directly to our fears and doubts when it comes to matters related to His call.

I was playing in a volleyball tournament, trying to apply what Scripture commands us Christians to do: seek the Lord, not just in our quiet times, but in every aspect of our lives. That principle goes along with the goal to not be conformed to this world, but to be conformed in the image of Christ Jesus. 

As the game began, I began to talk with the Lord right there on the court. I started by telling Him where I was at, what I was feeling, how I didn't want to lose the game. I was completely honest with Him and told Him that I was playing to impress the cute guy who had just walked through the door. I told Him how I didn't want to let down my teammates, and I shared how I wanted to impress the other girls on the opposing team.

As coaches, we spend long hours watching film--film of our practices or film of our opponent. We spend countless hours on the telephone talking to recruits or high school coaches. Our day starts before the sun comes up, and sometimes we don't get home until our children are sound asleep.

The Lord has appointed us to become coaches, and how honored we are! And now with the season nearing its end, the "silly season" begins. Yes, the silly season. When, for the next month or so, there will be many firings and hirings. Numerous coaches will be removed from their jobs or snatched up to take others, and thousands of coaches will be left wondering if they even have a job or where the next paycheck might come from.

My first college football coach had three rules. 1: Walk on the sidewalk. He said if we were supposed to walk on the grass, God would not have created concrete for us to walk on. 2: Don’t wear your hat inside. Wearing a hat inside will make you lose your hair. 3: Do whatever Coach tells you to do. Rule #3 pretty much covered everything else in our lives.

Like every set of rules, there were both good and bad consequences depending on whether or not we followed them. One positive consequence was that a young man could end up with an NFL contract after playing football for Coach. One negative consequence was that a young man could find his scholarship taken away the third time he broke the team rules—any of them.

Have you ever had a day when the internet just isn't working well? When the internet is slow, it really gets on my nerves. And do you ever want to go to a site, and the site says "Page can not be displayed"? The internet isn't always reliable.

Ever have a day when your shot isn't falling? When your muscles are sore and won't work properly? Have you ever sprained an ankle or torn an ACL? Our bodies aren't always reliable.

Ever had a teammate turn their back on you? Have you ever been disappointed by a friend? Have you ever let someone down yourself? People aren't always reliable.

So what's my point?

One of my favorite things about John Wooden’s coaching was that he taught his players each year to put on their socks and tie their shoes properly. You’d think college-aged athletes could already do this, but Wooden took nothing for granted. He paid attention to the little things, which made the big things come more easily for his teams over the years.

Of course, Coach Wooden wanted to teach his players a lesson: If they were going to play in his program, they had to put aside what they wanted to do and follow his plans for the team. That discipline in the small things gave his teams great results, as they won 10 national championships and set an example for the rest of us how the little things make the biggest difference.

Coaches like having things done their way. They will let their assistants teach some, but with the important things, the head coach will usually take the lead. Coaches teach young athletes and pound their game plan into their heads over and over again until it becomes second nature. It’s just what they do.

As coaches and athletes, when it comes to sharing Christ with our team, why do we leave it up to the youth pastor or chaplain or someone else? Moses was given a game plan by the Lord to teach the Israelites. The Lord told Moses, “I am giving you the words to teach them.” It was on the shoulders of Moses to pass God’s Word on to generations to come. Moses knew he had to succeed for the Lord.

This is the last week of regular season play for my college softball career as Saturday is Senior Day. It is easy to get caught up in the memories, emotions, and everyday battles that consume a softball player, and a Christian for that matter, on a daily basis. I can choose to look at the hard times, the practices that made me cry out in frustration, the blood, sweat, and tears of the game, or the victories that I have experienced over the years.

When was the last time you heard someone repeat something you said? It happened to me last night. While coaching my son's little league team, I told one of the other coaches that I thought we could win the game because we had more talent than our opponents. My son overheard my comment and, well, it got repeated a little differently than when I had said it. The next thing I knew, my son had gathered several of his teammates together and was telling them, "We will kill this team! My dad thinks they stink!"

After the proverbial, "Oops," I gathered my troops and gave them my best Lou Holtz impression. I told them that the opposing team could easily beat us if we were not careful. Eighteen runs later we walked away victorious.

Lo-debar was a frontier town east of Jordan that controlled a crucial plateau. Although a remote place, Lo-debar was an important route to the interior of the Bashan-Giliad area. Lo-debar was strategically located but not a desirable place to live. It was a town belonging to the tribe of Gad, a tribe that was committed to aiding the king of Israel whenever he needed help. Lo-debar was the town where the Philistines killed King Saul and his son Jonathan, and it became a Philistine stronghold. Later it became the headquarters of King David during the rebellion of his son Absalom. All things considered, it was not the most desirable place to live.