Last night, at the age of 68, University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun became the oldest basketball coach to ever win an NCAA men’s basketball championship. In his team’s 53-41 win over the Butler Bulldogs, Calhoun earned his third title in his 39-year coaching career.

Calhoun’s milestone reminded me this morning about a man in Scripture whose age also made history. His name was Abraham, and, at the age of 100, he and his wife, Sarah, who was only 10 years younger, gave birth to their son, Isaac. While Abraham and Sarah had known for many years that God promised them a child, they couldn’t see how that would happen in their old ages.

My youngest daughter and I recently ventured out on a three-day backpacking trip. Our biggest concern was finding water on our second day. We had a water-purifying pump with us, but if we didn't find any water, the pump would be useless.

Days before the trip, I had prayed that we would find enough water to get us through. When we made it to our camping area, we found a water hole that was 2'x1' with about eight inches of water in it. We had enough water for the evening, but we weren't sure we’d have enough for the next day. That night we were hit with a thunderstorm, and it rained through the night. The next morning, we found that our water hole had become a raging brook. We even had a hard time crossing it!

Whether it is your first year in sports or you have been involved in athletics for many years, I think it is safe to say we all have heard the saying; "It's only cheating if you get caught."  I have never really been a rule breaker in sports. Now, I say "never REALLY" because I am certain I have broken rules on occasion in my days of playing sports. More than likely it was because I probably did not even know of the rule I was breaking.

To hear Ryan Hall nonchalantly describe his winding journey as a long-distance runner isn’t much different from watching him glide with apparent ease through treacherous hills and valleys en route to the finish line. But just because he makes it look effortless doesn’t mean his path to competitive greatness has been without a fair number of trials and tribulations.

“I’ve had a really rocky journey,” Hall says. “The hardest thing is picking yourself up after a shattered dream or an injury or when you know you didn’t give your best.”

Depending on to whom you’re talking at the time, conversations about the King will likely invoke numerous topics. When it comes to rock and roll, there’s no doubt that immortalized crooner Elvis Presley fits the bill. Then you have the King of Pop, a nickname commonly given to iconic entertainer Michael Jackson.

History has also provided us with numerous real-life kings, including such notable biblical leaders as King David and King Solomon and such well-known English rulers as King James I (known for his commissioning of the King James Version of the Bible) and King Henry VIII (infamously known for his many wives).

But within the world of sports, only one image comes to mind when that nickname is uttered: NASCAR legend Richard Petty.

Are you busy? I bet you are! Games, practices, work, meetings and other important things consume our days. We get so busy we sometimes forget what is truly essential. Recently I have been reminded that there are two things I have been neglecting or forgetting to do for my family. And while I can build a great plan to succeed in life, if I'm not leading and caring for my family, emptiness will surely follow.

Hannah made the varsity tennis team as a sophomore, eventually beating Mindy, a senior, for the number two singles spot. Hannah became very arrogant in her new position of power, bossing her teammates around and telling them to do things for her. When Mindy did not budge, Hannah became angry. She would do anything to make Mindy look bad in front of the coaches. Mindy did not retaliate; she went about her business playing doubles in her final year. Hannah would not let up. Her dislike for Mindy turned into hate, and she tried to get Mindy kicked off the team. Does this sound familiar?

I had to make a tough decision in my senior year of high school. Coming out of basketball season, I had to decide between playing baseball or running track. My junior year, I had played baseball because we didn't have enough boys to fill a track team. My senior year, however, presented a dilemma. If I ran track, there would be just enough to have team. If I didn't, there wouldn't be a track team that year. When I approached my baseball coach about it, he told me that I would never do anything in track and that his baseball team would probably be going to the state finals. My decision was simple after that. I chose track.

Every morning at the FCA National Support Center in Kansas City, we circle up in our Hall of Champions for a time of prayer at 8:30 a.m. We come together to pray over our FCA staff, athletes and coaches across the country; about events in the ministry; about things going on in the world; about personal requests—just whatever needs to be prayed for that day. During our time, we also read a Psalm of the week. What better way to kick off a time of prayer than by reading such real and authentic passages, many of which display raw emotions of every kind?

“Dad, maybe you will win next time.” These words have been spoken to me a few times from my kids after a tough loss, usually followed by a big hug. At five and seven years of age, they really don’t care if I win or lose. They just want a hug, and most of the time I need it more than they do. In coaching football, wrestling, and track, there is always a game or two each year that doesn’t turn out according to plan. And these words from my kids always seem to help the healing begin and it also puts “the game” in perspective. Wins and losses that matter to us coaches don’t really matter to our children. They are still trying to figure out the real game, “life.” They love us, no matter what, with unconditional love.

I’ll never forget the first day of football camp at the small college I attended. I’d come hoping to be a part of a winning program and perhaps even a national championship. Our head coach had scheduled a team meeting. As he reviewed the goals, he pulled out the video of last year’s national championship—a game we had lost. I then expected him to share his plan on how we would make it back to the national championship game and win.

Instead, he did something I would never forget: he threw the video to the ground, stomped it to bits, and told us if our only dream was to win a national championship, then we had set our goals too low!