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September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Can you imagine during a game have a bunch of guys sitting on the bench. Then a skater comes up from your team ready to line change and every one on the bench just looks at each other. No one knows who is going to what position. Who’s up next? No pre-thought to what happens next, just confusion. Great teams know ahead of time who is going where and when. The coach has planned what line to go out next. He’s placed the players where they will be most effective and with others they will be effective skating with.
January 28, 2010
Set:
There seems to be a lot going on in our society today that makes people question God. From the simple, “My game is a wreck,” to the more complex, “I thought God was a God of love, so why would He allow this to happen in Haiti?” Everywhere we look, people are hurting and looking for answers. Sometimes friends try to comfort us and explain why God does what He does, but rarely does it pacify our pain and struggle.
April 07, 2008
Set:
Wendy Ward doesn’t know how it happened. All that matters is that she knows it did. She didn’t see her golf ball move, but when she realized that her putt no longer lined up, it was clear that the ball had rotated a mere “dimple or two.” Ward had already grounded her putter, and she immediately knew that the sometimes unforgiving rules of the game were about to cost her a stroke.
But this wasn’t just another average day at an average LPGA tournament. Ward was in the final group playing in the fourth and final round of the 2000 McDonald’s LPGA Championship at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware. She had entered the day in a tie for the lead with legendary golfer Juli Inkster.
March 03, 2010
Set:
When I was 17, I was a young, brash, three-sport athlete who took any challenge that came my way. My aggressive personality allowed me to “hang with the big-dogs” on the court, in the field and on the track. That personality, however, also caused many setbacks.
June 30, 2010
Set:
Now is the time for commitment. Today is the day of salvation. God wants you to know that 99 and a half percent won't do. If you've been a curious onlooker of Jesus and His cross for some time, then it's time to stop looking at the cross and time to get on it. Die to self, die to your own play book, die to your own game plan. Give it all to Jesus and take up Jesus life, His play book, and His game plan. Let Jesus take His rightful place as Coach of your life, not assistant coach as if you're still in charge, but as Head Coach where He is truly in charge.
July 08, 2010
Set:
After his recent passing, people around the world continue to remember the life and legacy of Coach John Wooden. He was a teacher, leader, coach and father figure to so many great players in his career. One unmistakable characteristic of Wooden was that those around him knew who was in charge. Just ask Bill Walton. Before one of his seasons at UCLA, he decided he wanted to play with long hair and facial hair. Walton walked into Wooden’s office and told him just what his plan was. Walton thought he was going to do things his own way.
In our service at church this week I was reminded about who should be calling the shots in our lives. Our pastor, James McDonald, told us that there are only two ways in life: our way or God’s way.
December 14, 2009
Set:
The days leading up to my first Ironman triathlon were filled with excitement. Of course, there were other, less positive thoughts, too. What if I got kicked in the face during the swim? What if I crashed on my bike? What if I wasn't strong enough to make it through the run and couldn't finish? As my husband and I were walking to check my bike in the day before the race, I saw a penny on the ground and picked it up. It was then that I remembered a story that I had heard. . .
July 20, 2006
Set:
There's a scene in the classic baseball movie "Major League" in which the team is having a bad flight on a below-standard airplane. During that scene, pitcher Eddie Harris, who professes to be Christian, notices his Buddhist teammate, Pedro Cerrano, crossing himself. Instead of rejoicing in the fact that Cerrano is looking towards Christ in this time of struggle, Harris berates him with these harsh words, "Oh, now you come around. He isn't fooled."
February 13, 2007
Set:
Football season is now over, and it's time to focus on the NFL draft. It's time to see which of our favorite college players will take that step up and make it in the big arena. Now, even if you're not a football fan, you likely know that the goal in the game is to get the football across the goal line to score a touchdown. In order to get there, a team must make forward progress either by passing or running the ball.
This concept also applies to life. The goal is to win, and the way to win is to score against the Enemy. To score against the Enemy, we must make forward progress.
Ways to score against the Enemy:
1. Surrender your life to Christ (salvation).
April 27, 2010
Set:
If we were to count on our hands the number of times someone has let us down or the number of times we’ve disappointed someone else, we’d definitely run out of fingers! Because we are human, we fail all the time, whether in relationships, careers, or daily disciplines. In fact, our life on earth seems full of opportunities to learn from our mistakes. So it’s a good thing we have promises like Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
April 19, 2007
Set:
In yesterday's devo, we talked about our own personal desire to love and serve the Lord, and how that will keep us focused on His game plan. Today, we'll focus on what role desire plays in others. Specifically, what do your words and actions inspire in those around you?
If we are seeking to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20), then our actions should have specific results. We should see the hunger for God's goodness and the thirst for the things of Heaven grow and develop in those around us.
April 08, 2008
Set:
I’m a proud alum today. Last night my University of Kansas Jayhawks won their first NCAA National Title in 20 years—and in pretty dramatic fashion, coming back from a 9-point deficit with about two minutes to go in the second half.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: The game of hockey is captivating. It’s easy to get in the zone and get caught up with the game. Sometimes we get so enthralled we forget we have other players to pass to or we are running so high that when someone gives us a bump we take it as a personal attack. To win the game you have to play the game. When the focus moves from the game to you, both will lose. Professional players that try to be the lone-ranger hot-dogs are not needed on any team. Pro players that take dumb penalties are sent somewhere else where they can’t hurt the team by sending the rest of the guys out there short handed so often.
December 13, 2007
Set:
I was recently at the state volleyball tournament in Yakima, Wash., for the 1A state title game. I traveled on a "rooter bus" with some of the students from the school. They had been such a supportive crowd all year, getting dressed up in crazy outfits and always being loud and supportive to our girls' team, which finished 4th in state. The volleyball team thinks that the fans had a lot to do about their success. That day, as I was watching our student body, who were dressed in crazy costumes and face paint, cheering as one, I got an image in my mind. What if. . . What if that was how we were to worship God and spread the Good News about what He has done?
December 01, 2008
Set:
Numbers. In sports, they often mean everything. Even the seemingly most inconsequential numbers can spell the difference between winning and losing — the difference between a gold medal and a silver medal, the difference between a championship and second place, the difference between greatness and mediocrity.
Numbers are especially important to professional athletes because things such as a league-leading scoring average or a consistent number of home runs can result in high-dollar contracts and job security.
November 01, 2008
Set:
I was at home one morning, just minding my own business, when I heard a proclamation coming from outside of my house. It was loud. It was proud. It was my four-year-old son singing at the top of his voice, “I’m in the Lord’s Army. Yes, sir!” He was sitting against the door with his light saber in hand, singing his praise to the General of the heavenly Host.
When you play sports, you enter into battle. Sides are chosen, boundaries are drawn, and the battle begins. No matter what the sport, you choose whom you will compete for and against. This is no different from your walk with Christ.
May 12, 2010
Set:
Lately I’ve been having some “if I” moments in my life. I love the TV show “The Biggest Loser” and wonder how, if I lost some weight, my knee might not hurt as much. But then I don’t change how I eat or exercise. Then I hear my friends talking about playing hoops on Saturday mornings and think that, if I try to play, I could get back into shape again. But then I never make the effort to try. My intentions are good, but my heart is not changing. What’s the deal?
December 14, 2007
Set:
Everyone knows the story of Job and how God tested him with some pretty serious stuff. Though at times Job questioned why everything was happening to him, he never really lost sight that God was in control. After Job was tested and was proven faithful, God granted him more than he had ever had.
August 05, 2010
Set:
Dean Karnazes, the ultra marathon runner, lost his sister in a freak accident. Perhaps the pain of this loss gave him great determination. He was a cross-country runner in high school, but afterward he set aside the sport until the age of thirty. His first run, after resuming, left him bruised and beaten, but he had found his sport. Now he does seventy-five-mile training runs once a month and, just for kicks, he runs at night. Karnazes runs in heat in the Desert Valley; he runs in snow on the highest peak in California.
The Apostle Paul reminded his Corinthian friends that athletes run in such a way as to win the prize (1 Co 9:24), but he used this example to illustrate the most
May 09, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Since 1905 in playoff games between in the NHL, MLB, and NBA there have been well over 800 playoff series. Within those series, over 230 teams have taken a 3 games to none lead. Only twice in the NHL (less than 1%) has a team come from behind three games to win the series. That means the team that gets ahead has a better than 99% chance of winning the series.
January 23, 2009
Set:
John 3:16 is probably the most recognized verse in the entire Bible. Back in 70s and 80s you would see this verse at large sporting events all over the United States. However, it recently found a home in a different format. College and professional football players now write sayings, area codes, names and other things on their eye black for games. Throughout the past college football season and bowl games, several athletes made it very clear where they stood spiritually based on these marks. Probably most notable, Tim Tebow, from the biggest stage of college football, donned “John” on one side and “3:16” on the other in front of a national and worldwide audience.
July 01, 2009
Set:
A few weeks ago my family travelled to San Francisco to support my dad in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. The athletes actually swam 1.5 miles from Alcatraz Island to the shore, completed an 18-mile bike ride and then finished with an 8-mile run.
December 05, 2006
Set:
"I know that he's a competitor. I know that he does it the right way, and I have respect for him to that degree. But I'm not going to sit here and pretend like this isn't personal between us. There's a lot at stake." That is head wrestling coach Tom Brands from Iowa referring to his counterpart from Iowa State, Cael Sanderson, prior to their December 3, 2006, duel meet. Both coaches are in their first year at schools where they each became wrestling legends and won multiple NCAA championships. This was no ordinary duel meet, and it lived up to the hype with Iowa winning 24-6 with seven matches decided by two-points or less.
June 04, 2010
Set:
I recently had breakfast with one of my good friends, Dave Jenkins, and we were talking about the show “The Biggest Loser” and how so many people buy fitness equipment and then never use it. He shared this quote with me: ”The world has all these great intentions. Too bad most end up in the basement unused.” How true. Even in my own life, I’ve started to workout, lose weight and get back in shape many times only to stop way to soon. All those efforts fall into the “great intentions” pile.
March 31, 2009
Set:
Once at a softball clinic for elementary-aged softball players, I shared how my accomplishments have not come because I was naturally great, but because I worked hard and didn’t give up. I implored them to do the same: Don’t give up. We shouted it a few times, then began working on skills. As I worked with the pitchers, one girl began complaining about the afternoon heat. I reminded her about our previous talk. She replied, “Yeah, but that was when I was sitting in the shade.” I humbly realized I was just like this little girl. How often do my intentions differ from my actions when things get difficult? We talk and believe big from the comfort of the shade; yet when things get hard, we retreat. That is not where our blessings and dreams are found.
