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Change Your Do - Inside Out: Part III
Every sport has them—those pesky but necessary “do’s and don’ts” otherwise known as rules of the game and rules of the team. No matter how much you sacrifice and how focused you are in aiming at the goal, your competitive dreams are put at risk the moment you do something that contradicts the rules. There are no shortcuts to success as an athlete or in life. Sooner or later, it will catch up with you.
Weakness
Set:
God blessed me with many accomplishments during my football career, but my greatest accomplishment actually occurred on the day my career ended. I didn’t see it that way initially, however. My whole life had been built on the dream of getting to the top in football, so the day I was forced to stop, I began a walk down a road to a life of destruction. I soon destroyed everything in my life and reached rock bottom. However, it was this path that brought me to my knees and made me powerful through my Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, this was actually the first time that I knew what it really means to be strong.
Embrace Each Moment
Set:
Recently, my teenage son had to do something that was way too grown up. He had to get up, put on a suit and head to a local church for a funeral. It was the funeral of a friend, another teenager. It was not an easy thing for him to do or to face at such a young age.
Sadly, he has walked this path before. Several years ago, another of his friends lost his life in a four-wheeler accident. In that service, my son and his eighth-grade football teammates served as pallbearers. They all wore their football jerseys to the service and stood at the casket with so many questions running through their minds. “Why? Why him? Why now?” It was an awfully young age to struggle with such questions and to endure the sadness of never seeing that friend again—at least not here on earth.
My Bad
Set:
The phrase “my bad” is used by many, especially among young people. The phrase is used in reference to a mistake that someone has made. In some athletic settings, the phrase is almost a guarantee when a coach asks a player about a particular situation. The problem is that the phrase is almost like a “get out of jail free card” in Monopoly. When a player uses “my bad,” there appears to be no accountability for his or her actions.
Not a Doormat
Set:
Characteristics of the world’s best athletes are: self-control, discipline, teamwork, an ability to focus and perform under pressure, intensity, teachability, and knowing how to win with grace. So why is it that when someone has a temper tantrum, gives a cheap shot, cheats, disregards a victorious opponent, and screams at a referee—it is rationalized as being competitive?
I recently met a man in his late 30s who was bragging about being kicked off the church sports teams. He assumed we would be impressed at his machismo. He faintly conceded that he was too competitive. I disagreed with him and suggested he was not competitive enough. Rather, he was indulging in selfish ambition, disrespect, envy, and lack of self-control. He needed to grow up.
Who (What) Am I?
Materials needed: sheets of paper, marking pens, tape.
A sheet of paper with the name of a person, place, or thing written on it (ie: 'Thomas Edison' or 'Giraffe') is attached to the back of each participant.
As each name is different from another, the individual participant does NOT know what person, place, or thing is attached to his or her own back; and, therefore, the participant must mill about the room asking only yes/no questions of the other participants to try to learn who is taped to his/her back.
The other participants can only answer 'yes' or 'no' to the individual's questions.
Example questions the individual participant might ask are: 'am I a basketball player?' ... 'do I live in America?'... 'am I a place?'.
Toughness
Set:
When I was eight years old, my older brother, Steve, younger brother, Bill, and I were heading home from playing baseball. Suddenly, some kid attacked Steve from behind. Six-year-old Bill picked up our bat and began to wail on Steve’s attacker. The kid took off, and we sprinted home. Soon, a knock came at our door. Knowing it was the enemy, we sent Mom. Swinging a rolling pin in her hand, she yelled for the kid to go home and never come back. He never came back because he knew the Elliotts were tough!
Following Instructions
Set:
In every sport, coaches teach their athletes what they need to do and how they need to do it in order to have success. As believers in Christ, this is what God does for us, as well through His Word, the Bible.
A coach is never happier than when an athlete experiences success by performing in a game what they were taught to do in practice. You've seen how excited the defensive line coaches get in football—jumping up and down, head slapping, chest bumping, high-fiving his athletes the moment after they made a big sack.
The Hustle Contract
Set:
My daughter likely receives more scrutiny playing sports than some other children do. As a parent, I tried to motivate her to be more aggressive and to play harder and use many tactics to do so. I tried having heart-to-heart conversations and even tried bribing her with a steak and shrimp dinner. I thought I had tried everything, but then I came up with another great idea. I would put her on a “Hustle Contract.”
The purpose of the Hustle Contract was to set some expectations for her effort. In my heart, I knew God was saying that He had a different, better way to do this. But I didn’t listen. I went ahead with the Hustle Contract anyway.
Drugs for Pain Study
Key Verse: "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." - 2 Corinthians 6:19-20
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Miles was enjoying his new relationship with God and going to church when Katrina hit New Orleans. How do you think you would respond to that type of tragedy in your life?
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Miles was angry with God after what had happened. When have you been angry at God? What was the reason for your anger?
Give Your All
Set:
How do we approach our sport(s)? Are they just games, or more than that? How hard do we work in practice? Do we give our all when striving to improve our game, or just try to make it through practice and do what it takes to keep the coach off our backs? The Bible gives us some encouraging words about work and practice.
My favorite verse related to hard work is Colossians 3:23. In reference to athletes, this verse is related to one’s chosen field of competition. How should we approach all that is related to our sport? The Bible is clear: enthusiastically or with all our hearts.
Pressure Release
Set:
We entered summer league basketball with a young team. Our inexperienced guards struggled to get our offense working, especially against a high-pressure, man-to-man defense, so one day in practice I tried a new strategy. I taught my players several pressure-release, back-door plays that changed our focus and took advantage of the defense. We’d invite the pressure so we could cut and score lay-ups, but my players were skeptical.
Train Right
Set:
Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” I have never met an athlete who didn’t want to win. Not one. But wanting to win and doing what is necessary to win are two different things. Even
Paid In Full
Set:
Several years ago, I received a letter from the American Honda Financial Corporation, the business from which I borrowed the money to pay for my car. The top line read, "OFFICIAL NOTICE THAT YOUR BALANCE HAS BEEN PAID IN FULL. " Since I had purchased this car just a few months prior, I knew there was no way that my last payment had payed for my car IN FULL.
I thought of my dad first, that he would be the only person who would do something like this. But when I called him, he said that he had not. I shared with another FCA staff member about the letter and asked him if he knew anything about it.
Run to God
- What is your initial response to sin in your life? Does your heart become hard or do you drop to your knees in prayer?
- Why do so many people run from God?
- When is a time you ran from God?
- Read James 4:7-9. List all the commands in the following verses? What will happen when we obey these commands?
- Brian talked about the daily battle it is to live a life over sin. Where do you battle the most each day? What is your current struggle?
- What does it mean to “submit to God”? Where do you need to draw near to God in your life?
- Pray and draw near to Him right now. Get in a position where you are at that you can totally focus on just you and God.
Home Stretch: Tobin Heath
I grew up in a very loving, Christian family that showed me from the beginning what true love was. Still, it took me a few years to realize that my faith didn’t revolve around my family, but around God—around who He is, and what He’s done.
The Boat Ride
This is read by a narrator while the actors act.
Jesus and his disciples had spent a long day of teaching and preaching by the lake and the evening had come. The disciples were tired and hungry. So tired and hungry they could barely stand up. Jesus said, “Men, let’s get in the boat and head for the other side of the lake. There’s a McDonald’s over there.” When the disciples heard this, they jumped up and down with glee, giving each other high fives and hugs. Then they boarded the boat, talking sailor talk.
After they all got on the boat and they were on their way, Jesus found a beautiful cushion and laid his head on it, because he was very tired. He went to sleep immediately. He slept soundly—so soundly he snored.
Our Identity in Christ
Set:
Whenever coaches are asked, “How are you?” we often reply in terms of our team: “We struggled early, but regrouped late in the season.”
Unfortunately, it’s too easy for coaches to become consumed with the team’s performance. If this occurs, our real identity can get lost in the pressure to win. Learning to separate athletic expectations from our true identity in Christ is an ongoing and significant challenge.
Fantastic Future
Set:
It was the biggest decision of my life: What was I going to be when I grew up? I was a junior in high school, and I felt like I had to decide what college to attend and what my major would be. And to those pressure-packed questions I added the anxiety of getting a high score on my ACTs. I remember thinking, "How can I make such big decisions? There are so many choices! How will I know what to choose?"
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