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February 08, 2014
Set:
In sports, how many times have we heard someone tell us to get our game face on? It’s a saying that’s used to bring up the idea or feeling of focus. When a person has their game face on they are ready for competition. They’re ready for the trial ahead of them and prepared to give their all. They are totally 100-percent focused.
As athletes or coaches, most of us would at one time or another in our careers have put on a game face of our own in sports, but what about as Christians? Have we ever thought about a spiritual game face?
February 20, 2014
Set:
It was August 1984, at Alamo Heights High School. I burst into the middle of the locker room and yelled, “Who are we going to beat this week?” The room erupted and players and coaches celebrated like we had just won the championship, before we had even played a game! During that excitement my life changed direction. Louie Reiniger, one of our players, got in my face and yelled, “Coach, will you come to FCA tonight?”
January 17, 2014
Set:
When you’re in the midst of a situation that seems hopeless in sports or in life, how do you respond to your doubts and frustrations? As Christians, we all tend to think that doubt should never come to our minds. I mean, we believe that God can do anything, right?
First, let’s all step back and realize that we will constantly deal with the doubts in our human nature, but it’s how we respond to them that makes the difference. In Luke 5:8, Simon Peter responds to Jesus with a tone of frustration and doubt. Jesus had asked him to let down his fishing nets into deep water, but Peter responded by stating they’d already worked hard all night and hadn’t caught a thing.
March 01, 2014
Set:
Ready. What does it take to be ready for your season to start? It takes physical training—a lot of it. But it also takes an extensive amount of mental training. What will you do when you step up to the line or into the box? The mental part seems trivial sometimes because we mostly like to trust what we can see and feel, which is the physical part of the game. But when it comes down to the wire and the game is on the line, it’s the battle 6 inches between our ears that either says, “I’m done; I can’t,”, or “I’m strong enough. Bring it on.”
March 10, 2014
Set:
Competitors love to have goals, and they pursue them with everything they have. Nothing will get in their way! They will give their all—all the time. They will not give up or give in. And they will not give out. They are relentless.
“It’s hard to beat relentless.” – Jay Bilas
Relentless is everywhere these days. There is a Relentless energy drink, Relentless Nike running shoe, Relentless movie, “Relentless” country album, and even a Relentless steak and lobster restaurant.
As we unpack this concept of relentless competitor, there are several good one-word definitions of relentless:
February 09, 2014
Set:
As a certified athletic trainer, I have spent many hours watching football practices and games. I pay especially close attention to all of my linemen (the big boys on the front line). It’s amazing how you watch these young men get down and block, all for the sole purpose of creating holes for the running backs or protecting the all-important quarterback. These linemen perform blocks and pulls throughout every practice and game, yet we rarely ever hear their names being called out on the loudspeakers telling of the great job they are doing.
December 11, 2012
Set:
One of my favorite parts of sports, as a player and later as a coach, is the pre-game locker room speech, especially those given before a big championship game.
As you know, there are several famous pre-game speeches from great coaches, and I'm sure you can recall bits and pieces of some of them. One of my personal favorites is from Herb Brooks, head coach of the 1980 USA Hockey Team. Prior to one of the team's biggest games, Brooks said, "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here at this moment. You were meant to be here at this game." And as you probably know, that USA hockey team went on to defeat the Russian hockey team in one of the great wins of all time.
January 16, 2014
Set:
In a Business Week poll, employees were asked “Are you one of the top 10 percent of performers in your company?” A whopping 90 percent of all employees said yes, including 97 percent of the executives! But the math does not compute. Ninety percent of us can’t be in the top 10 percent. So, what is going on?
April 21, 2014
Set:
Have you ever been nervous before a big game? Have you ever felt like quitting an event before you even got started? The first time I competed in the Boston Marathon, I didn’t think I belonged in the race. As I sat on the starting line, in my mind I was yelling at my coach, I don’t belong in this race! I’m not strong enough!
However, one of the most amazing things happened to me that day. Although on the starting line I doubted my ability to even finish the famous Boston Marathon, 26 miles later I had won the race and broken the world record by almost seven minutes! I was stronger than I thought I was!
March 01, 2014
Set:
Growing up in Buffalo, New York, hockey was my sport. I started skating pretty early in life, and it quickly became my dream to play in college and then in the NHL. As seasons went by, I scored more goals and had more assists, and I started getting recognized for my ability to play the game I loved. In high school, I played on multiple teams, winning two national championships and a gold medal at the Empire State games. My senior year, I captained my team to a perfect 40-win season, which resulted in the National Junior B Championship.
As I look back on those years, I find myself asking, “Was I the leader that my teammates and coaches deserved? Was I following the example that Jesus Christ had provided for me when He was leading His team of disciples here on earth?
February 05, 2014
Set:
When I was 13 years old, I entered a city-wide track meet. My younger sister was a talented sprinter, so my parents and I wanted to see if I had the gift too. We lived in a city east of Chicago, and, as I entered the track and went to check-in for my race, I noticed I was probably one of two white kids in my heat. I also noticed that everyone else around me was a lot taller and bigger. At just over 5 feet and 115 lbs., I was what most parents and coaches call a "late bloomer."
February 22, 2014
Set:
No matter what sport we play or coach, each one of us has been given specific gifts. Whether we compete at the middle school, high school, college or professional level, each one of us has been given gifts. When we put those gifts to use according to God’s purpose for them, great things happen.
God is the giver of every good thing. No matter where we are at in our athletic life, God gave us what we are using. He is the reason we can run, jump and throw. He is the reason we can swing a racquet, club or bat. There are even some world-class athletes who don’t run, but still use God’s gifts of athleticism. For instance, did you know that this year’s Boston Marathon was covered in less than two hours by an amazing athlete in a wheelchair?
April 09, 2013
Set:
Hopefully at some point in our lives, we have had the blessing of receiving a powerful and lasting message from God when we least expect it. Mine happened over a series of four key events in a single year.
January 3rd - My wonderful wife, Vickie, and I had just returned from a trip with our football team at Northern Illinois University to the International Bowl. By the end of the trip, I felt sluggish and stepped on our bathroom scale to discover I was heavier than I had ever been. It was definitely time to do something about that.
February 11, 2014
Set:
When I was in eighth grade, my world got turned upside down. My dad was a pastor, and when he got a new job, we moved from a small town where I was comfortable, had friends, and felt like I made a difference, to a little bigger town where I had to “prove myself” all over again. I greatly feared being insignificant and wanted to do anything I could to set myself apart. So, I did what I knew best: I played sports thinking that would give me the value I wanted. As it turned out, I did achieve success, but it didn’t have the lasting value I thought it would. I wound up being labeled as a show-off and dealing with an entirely different problem—all because I thought I needed to prove myself and achieve worldly significance.
March 01, 2014
Set:
Last weekend I attended a three-day coaching clinic. It's always exciting, rejuvenating, and enlightening to listen to accomplished coaches explain their football "x's and o's." I always leave with more knowledge than when I arrived.
The day after the clinic I heard a sermon about bearing fruit and how the Lord expects us to grow spiritually. We all have to age physically, but growth and spiritual maturity are optional. In my life, I see such parallels between coaching and our spiritual walk, and between this clinic and the sermon.
December 09, 2012
Set:
Coaches work hard to get the job done for their programs, but the head coach spends even more time in preparation for his or her meetings with staff in order to plan for the year ahead. And it's not just the season preparations that need to be done, but also pre-season, post-season and summer workouts to consider. The head coach must think of everyone in the program and blend every person together for the success of the next year.
March 19, 2014
Set:
For years social psychologists have been studying “crowd” or “mob” psychology in which they study how a group’s mentality differs from that of the individuals within the group. One theory that has emerged is the idea that people react differently in a group than when they are on their own. For instance, during criminal incidents, research shows that if there is a large number of people around, men and women will be less likely to intervene because they think someone else will assist. People take their cues from others in the area and think, “If they are not getting involved, neither am I.” And that kind of group thinking takes place every day.
April 04, 2014
Set:
Once while battling through some of the more stressful moments in coaching, I picked up a devotional seeking comfort. It was early in the morning, and I was hoping that the writing for that day would speak directly to my situation.
March 03, 2011
Set:
The 2010 Winter Olympics provided many wonderful, heart-warming stories about overcoming obstacles and having great perseverance. Sadly, we also were given a few painful life lessons as well. One of them involved the Netherlands’ Sven Kramer, arguably the greatest long-distance speed skater in the world.
Last Tuesday, as he was on his way to setting a world record in the 10,000-meters, something went wrong. It seemed he had skated eight laps in the wrong lane. The video replay revealed a confused Kramer being told by his coach to change lanes, which he eventually did. However, his coach had been mistaken; Kramer was in the correct lane at the time. The mistake cost him a gold medal and a world record performance.
January 25, 2010
Set:
Today, the entire state of Louisiana is asking one question: “Who dat?” It’s part of the celebration surrounding their Saints’ 31-28 overtime victory against the Minnesota Vikings in yesterday’s NFC Championship game.
As the Saints marched through this season to where they are now, much attention has been given to their quarterback, Drew Brees. He’s been on magazine covers (including the January issue of FCA’s Sharing the Victory) and in thousands of interviews. His story is remarkable—one that clearly shows the power of God at work in his life, both on and off the field.
August 29, 2012
Set:
Have you ever gone to a restaurant that serves bread before the meal and, when the bread got to your table you just stared at it? Say you have just worked out and you are incredibly hungry. Everyone in the restaurant can hear your stomach growling, but all you do is just sit and stare at the bread. People around you start talking to each other and asking questions like, “Why are you just staring at the bread? Eat it!” But you just sit and stare, wondering why you aren’t satisfied.
October 08, 2013
Set:
In ancient times, a soldier was only as good as the equipment he had. His only source of protection was his armor and his sword. In ancient warfare, there wasn’t the option to carry out attacks from miles away like we can today. It was always up-close, in a large crowd with hand-to-hand combat, and you needed armor that could protect you from every side.
January 02, 2014
Set:
During a losing season or bad game, it’s easy to give up on each other. When a teammate breaks team rules, the question arises: Can we count on this player whose conduct or performance is below our team’s standards? When we blow it, will our teammates give up on us?
Peter made a lot of mistakes. He made claims he could not back up; did things without thinking of the consequences; talked when he should have listened; and lied, cried, and almost died because of his immaturity. But Jesus never gave up on him, and he became a world-changer.
June 07, 2013
Set:
Take a deep breath … Can you smell it? The air puts a special swagger in your step … Can you feel it? Today is not any other day. It is GAME DAY! Game day is a special day. Thoughts and feelings rush through your mind as you wait for the game to arrive. I can still feel, hear and see the home crowd at our season opener in basketball as if it was just yesterday. The songs played by the band, the smell of popcorn in the air, the sounds of people moving around, anxiously awaiting for what this year's team will give the crowd. Every player and coach works for one thing: game day. Game day is about preparation mentally and physically for the battle ahead. Game day is here now. Let the game begin!
February 06, 2014
Set:
I once talked with a gold medalist. She was a champion of champions, a record holder, a true finisher. As she described all the races she had won, I was most fascinated by the one she had lost. She had started this race much like all the rest, set in her lane waiting for the gun. She had asked the official where the finish line was, and he assured her that she would finish where she started. So the race began and she quickly moved into a position that would easily qualify her for the next round. However, as she approached the end, she eased up and coasted to the finish line, only to be suddenly overtaken by a lurking opponent.
