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King Saul and his son Jonathan faced a life-threatening crisis with the Philistines, but they handled the dilemma in very different ways. Jonathan responded in faith by trusting God in spite of the odds (1 Sm 14:1–14). God came to Jonathan’s aid by sending great confusion into the Philistine camp, and the Israelites were thus enabled to defeat the more powerful Philistine army without a casualty (1 Sm. 14:15–23).
Coach Scott was a great offensive line football coach. As a 10-year-old aspiring right guard, I learned from him the basics to being a great blocker: elbows up and out with hands tucked in. It was the “old school” way to block, which didn’t involve the use of hands—just stick your elbows way out so the defensive player couldn’t get by. For me, a good game required making sure no one ever got around me and never got a tackle. Not exactly a simple job. It took an incredible amount of work and effort to keep others from advancing toward the ball.
Most historians believe that modern tennis emerged sometime around the mid-1850s and was based on a similar French game that was invented as far back as the twelfth century. Since that time, the sport has evolved at a rapid pace. From a greater emphasis on power to the size and consistency of the racquets—outside of the rules and prevailing etiquette—there isn’t much left today that resembles the original discipline. Maybe that’s why doubles tennis is so intriguing. There’s something about it that makes you wonder if that’s how the game used to look and feel—with a high value placed on serving and volleying, finesse and creativity.
In 1996, I went to my first professional golf tournament. Lush green grass, beautiful colors and the world’s best golfers took center stage at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I watched several groups tee off and was amazed at how far they hit the ball.
As I walked the course, I came to a hole where there was quite a buzz. People were crowding in to see a young golfer hit the ball—a young man named Tiger Woods. I, too, greatly admired this young, talented golfer. Tiger took it all in stride. He showed amazing composure for such a young player.
Last week I got to go to Austin, Texas, to interview Colt McCoy for the December issue of Sharing the Victory magazine and our online video ministry. In my line of work, I get to sit down with Christian athletes and coaches on a regular basis and talk about their faith. It’s a dream job, of course, and one that I thank God for every day.
In all of these interviews, I meet a lot of different personality types. There are hard-nosed, intense guys who convey that in their passion for the Lord. Some are more reserved and shy, yet incredibly sincere. Others are just straight-forward, no-nonsense athletes who tell you like it is. It’s such a unique opportunity to see how God’s body has many different parts that function as a whole unit for His glory.
How many times have you heard it said that an athlete is “in the zone”? You know exactly what that means. Every athlete wants to get in that zone. When we’re there, we don’t feel any pain. We don’t feel exhaustion. We feel pretty close to unbeatable.
One problem with us today is that we often forget we own nothing. Talent, leadership ability, and even the very lives we live are God’s property.
Job lost all he had through no fault of his own. As he struggled to understand why, it became clear that it was not meant for him to know the reasons. How he reacted is paramount—He worshiped God! Today we tend to worship depending on how well life is treating us. Job exemplified a very valuable principle—worship is the lifestyle we lead, not the momentary prevailing mind-set.
Walk it Out. We have to live out our theology through action.
Obey. Every Christian has been called to obedience. Job was known as a man of integrity because he obeyed God.
Baseball immortal Ty Cobb, one of the greatest hitters of all time, was also a base- stealing “demon” during his playing days. In his autobiography, My Life in Baseball, the True Record, Cobb admitted that often he would use trickery to fool his opponents and steal a base.
Coach Sleepy Thompson coached football at my high school for 32 years. His teams boasted 29 winning seasons, 12 conference titles and three undefeated seasons. Coach Thompson had a gift for taking whatever boys came through the door (including myself) and turning them into winners. He coached in such a way that took the entire team to a higher level of competition.
Personally, I’m fascinated by what makes a great coach like Sleepy Thompson. The word “coach” actually comes from the word “stagecoach,” implying that they take passengers from Point A to Point B. Coach Thompson knew where he wanted his teams to go, even though players like me didn’t have a clue. His Point B was very well-defined, and we had a clear destination.
Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan. They stood out as great NBA players, but they had a certain quality that did not show up in the box score. It was the ability to make the players around them better. They added value to their teammates, and they could see the bigger picture. Success for them was inevitable.
Likewise, Jesus calls us to see the bigger picture of His kingdom as we influence others for His sake. Every day, we encounter fellow coaches, students, players—even our family—who might need our help so that they can get to the next level, not just for their sake but for His.
When Laura Wilkinson says she used to be a very quiet and shy person, it’s a little hard to believe. That’s because these days, the outgoing, personable world-class diver is one of sport’s most outspoken Christian athletes.
Wilkinson is also very articulate when it comes to matters of faith. She strives to live with integrity in an effort to maintain solid footing on the broad platform that worldwide notoriety as an Olympic gold medalist has afforded her.
“I’ve had to learn to speak up for God in my life,” Wilkinson says. “I’ve realized that if He has a presence in my heart, He needs to have a presence in everything. If He’s really the center of my life, He’s really going to be involved in everything.”
The Lady Bing trophy is awarded to a player for the most sportsman like conduct. This is the only sport that actually gives an award for playing within the rules. Sounds ridiculous? Not really considering it’s the only sport where fighting is generally expected and only punished by 5 minutes of offsetting penalties. The point is that to play in such a tough field, and still keep courteous to those who generally don’t deserve it, deserves to be acknowledged and rewarded.
I was getting ready this morning, minding my own business when I heard a proclamation from outside my house. It was loud. It was proud. It was my 4-year-old son singing at the top of his voice, “I’m in the Lord’s Army. Yes, sir!” He was sitting with his light saber in hand singing his praise to the General of the Heavenly Host. When we play sports, we go into battle. Sides are drawn, boundaries set, and the battle begins. No matter what the sport, we choose whom we will compete for and against. It is no different in our walk with Christ. Every day we battle against evil. We are in a war for our souls. God wants us to choose a side.
We can all recall a time in our coaching careers when things were so good we didn’t want them to end. We wanted that winning feeling to last for days, but it was soon gone. Jesus had similar days, and we read about one of them in the text above.
Coaches challenge players to set goals, both for themselves and for the team. One way to reinforce this practice is by maintaining a written journal or list of expectations. The great Apostle Paul had goals, too, one of which appears in his letter to the church at Philippi. Paul’s goal was to know Jesus more. If we made Paul’s goal one for ourselves and our players, what would be the result? Would the daily challenges of our jobs, the pains of failed relationships, or the sorrows of daily tragedies seem as unendurable if we knew “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings”?
There had not been an undefeated Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew did it in 1977. Fans watching the 2004 Kentucky Derby saw a Pennsylvania-bred horse named Smarty Jones, with a trainer and a jockey who were both rookies, end the 27-year drought by winning the race, running the horse’s record to 7–0. Jockey Stewart Elliott later said:
"It is just unbelievable. We bunched up a bit on the first turn but things turned out great. It was a good trip. I crossed the wire and I can’t explain it; there aren’t words to describe it. At the three-eighths pole, I knew I had a loaded gun underneath me. I was just going to sit until he straightened up and switched leads. He really went to running."
Jeff Hart, a retired offensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts, knew that in order to be able to handle the opposing linemen, he needed to concentrate on every play. After breaking from the huddle, Jeff would look at the goalpost in the end zone, which symbolized for him the cross of Christ and reminded him of who he was really serving. He would then commit the next play to an audience of One. This focus and devotion allowed Jeff to play at his best and helped him to keep perspective. Whether professional or not, every athlete and coach faces a variety of challenges. Adversity comes to all of us at some point in life and requires that we focus on what is most important. Whether it’s a difficult situation with a player or a series of losses, we will have struggles.
While a health “detox” can help restore vibrant health, don’t follow in Oprah’s footsteps!
If you listen to people, being thankful is not a very common attitude. They complain about their classes, their jobs, their practice schedules, their parents (or kids), their friends, the weather, their teammates, and on and on it goes. In the world, it is easy to complain because everybody does it. Yet, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be thankful. That is no easy task when everyone around us is doing the opposite. It is just easier to fall in with them and do the same thing.
When I decided to set my goal of being the first person with multiple sclerosis to compete in an NPC bodybuilding competition, I knew I would need help, but I never knew how generous and selfless so many people would be.
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