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October 09, 2008
Set:
For nearly 30 years, Betsy King spent the majority of her time on the golf course. In most people’s opinion—whether sports analysts or average fans—she did some pretty significant things in a career that resulted in 34 LPGA Tour event titles, 6 major championships, and inductions into the World Golf Hall of Fame (1995) and the LPGA Hall of Fame (2000).
Yet while King was racking up every accolade available within the realm of professional women’s golf, a nagging doubt lingered about the importance of her role as an athlete and what life after sports might look like. Those thoughts were intensified after she read the book Half Time: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance by Bob Buford.
July 18, 2006
Set:
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning means you're willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else." To reach ultimate success in athletics an athlete must realize that there is always room for improvement and that the harder you work, the more successful you will become.
September 20, 2006
Set:
Detroit Lions wide receiver, Roy Williams wasn't the first person to "guarantee" a victory, nor will he be the last, when he assured that his Lions would emerge victorious against the Chicago Bears in week two of the 2006 season. Unfortunately for Williams, his comments ignited an already high-powered Bears defense to lead the way to a 34-7 thrashing of the Lions.
Peter was also known for being a little hasty with his words. When Jesus told the disciples that they would all turn their backs on Him Peter replied boastfully, "Even if all fall away, I will not" (
Mark 14:29). The fact is that Peter not only disowned Jesus once, but three times that very night.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Coach Jack Parker of the Boston University has helped to lift players to new heights and ultimately to the NHL. As Chris Drury, the Captain of the Bufalo Sabers said, “He is so revered. His name carries a lot of weight. He teaches things I still carry today.”
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).
November 29, 2006
Set:
The word "awesome" is used to describe so much in sports today. "Did you see that awesome catch?" "Did you see his awesome dunk?" "That home run was awesome!" And let's not forget the words of the modern-day philosopher Tommy Boy, "That was awesome." I looked this word up in the Urban Dictionary. It defines awesome as being "totally cool." It is what is called a "sticking plaster" word, which is something used by Americans to cover over the huge gaps in our vocabulary. It is one of the three words that make up most American sentences. And in sports today, that is definitely the case. Everything great is awesome.
May 13, 2010
Set:
If you had to guess, what would you say is the hardest thing to do in sports? Win a national championship? Go undefeated for a season? Maybe just winning your conference if the competition is tough. Or, you could say it is an individual action like sinking a hole-in-one or hitting a 90-mph fastball. To be honest, though, I would have to say that none of these is the hardest thing to do in sports. I personally think the toughest thing we can do is to play and coach like Jesus.
Now, hopefully we all understand that competing for and like Christ doesn’t involve being a doormat. The Bible I read doesn’t tell me to be a pushover for the competition. If we look at the verses from Philippians 2:1-4, we see a description of how we are to compete for His glory.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: We’ve all had the dreams of playing in the big leagues at sometime in our lives. For most of us, we’ve taken a different road in life but we are still grateful to be skating. So what if we never made it. We still love the game and enjoy playing it.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: There are many players who are great in there own mind. They lead the team in ice time because they won’t line change. They lead the team in goals but have zero assists. They don’t have any penalty minutes because they never bother to play defense.
February 16, 2010
Set:
There are so many qualities needed in order to have the heart of a champion: discipline, perseverance, dedication, endurance, focus, and the ability to overcome any obstacle. We all admire heroes who have made it to the top and have accomplished their goals and become champions. They have displayed the heart to withstand and endure to become great. But the more I understand greatness and what it takes to become successful, the more I see that there is one thing everyone must have to become a true champion—and that is a coach.
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?
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Being a great hockey player takes a great amount of work. To reach to a level worthy of playing in the big leagues, guys persistently work at their skills. Things that were once difficult become easier with practice.
December 28, 2009
Set:
If you have been on a team, chances are you’ve heard the phrases “Be a leader,” and “This team needs leadership!” Statements like those constantly remind us as players to work hard, demonstrate integrity, and display a model of intensity for other players.
May 09, 2010
Set:
In 1998 I started a long journey that I had dreamed about for most of my life—running a marathon. I made the commitment to run by registering for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. I was set to go but did not start running for a month. Crazy? I had a plan, my own plan. I began reading everything I could about running, or surviving, a marathon. I had never been to Washington, D.C., so I printed the course layout and studied every mile. I visually had a mental picture of each hill and the battles and challenges that were ahead. I started running on May 1 for the October marathon. I mapped out a plan for running, including weekly long runs, proper diet, and rest.
October 29, 2008
Set:
The night before a football game, our team has a gathering at the house of one of the seniors. His parents supply the food, and we have had these team dinners since before I can remember.
January 01, 2009
Set:
It’s usually a good rule of thumb to stay away from stereotypes and cultural clichés in order to avoid potentially embarrassing confrontations with the obligatory “exception to the rule.” But in Curtis Brown’s case, even he admits that a predictable portion of life in Saskatchewan—his native Canadian province—can be described in two words: farming and hockey.
Born in the small rural town of Unity, Brown grew up on a farm where he instinctively fell in line with the majority of his young friends. “What Canadians do is hockey,” Brown says. “I was probably about four when I started skating. I was just like the other kids. If you didn’t play hockey, you were definitely an outsider.”
November 12, 2010
Set:
This was my first year ever as a football coach. I was unsure of what to expect, but I went into the season with one goal: being satisfied not with producing a winning record, but with producing winning athletes.
Billy Graham once stated that one coach would influence more people in one year than the average person would in a lifetime. This was an idea I took to heart. At the beginning of the season, I had no idea who my players were or what their backgrounds were like, but I did know one thing: while they were on my team they were going to learn not only about football, but about life and God.
May 23, 2007
Set:
Recently, while preparing for a Sunday School class, I was reading a lesson on Jesus calling the tax collector into service. I was reminded of my high school baseball days. I remembered those games when we were tied 0-0 into the later innings and then the opposing team would score a run. As we ran into the dugout after the third out my coach would say, "That's alright. We had to score one to win, anyway." In a situation which many people would lose heart, our coach would offer us a different perspective to give us hope.
Let me say this: sin has a purpose.
October 25, 2009
Set:
Everyone has a bad day once in awhile. Even the greatest athletes struggle from day to day. A common phrase in baseball is "pick-me-up." This is said when a particular player needs a boost in spirit. And, truth be told, we all need a "pick-me-up" occasionally.
June 14, 2010
Set:
When I played college football, our coach insisted that we wear our helmets from the moment we left the locker room until the end of the game. We were only allowed to remove our helmets during half-time while in the locker room. He was adamant that our helmets stay on during the course of the game. I always complied, but thought this demand was a little excessive. Everyone understands the merits of wearing a helmet during competition, but few would understand the necessity of wearing one otherwise.
March 14, 2007
Set:
Every year, coaches will ask their teams what their goals are, what they hope to accomplish, how far they want to go, what their destiny is that season. The answers to these questions will help decide what is important to a particular team, but each player must fill in his or her own blanks as an individual and for the team. And not everyone will have the same answers or goals.
In life we face some similar questions that require us to fill in the blanks. In the book of Philippians, Paul challenges the people with four questions:
1. Who/What are you devoted to?
2. Who/What is your destiny?
3. Who/What is your desire?
4. Who/What is on display in your life?
March 07, 2007
Set:
Inside the octagon, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title-holder Matt Hughes has compiled a 43-5 record using a tactic he is known for called "ground and pound." Outside the octagon Hughes is known for being a down-to-earth, loving family man. "I've already done more in this sport than I thought was possible 10 years ago," he said in an interview prior to his victory over Chris Lytle on March 3, 2007. "My body tells me I've got two years left. It's getting harder each time to go train. I just want to stay home with Audra, work on the farm and watch the kids grow up. Being remembered as a UFC champ is important, but it's more important to be remembered as a good husband and father."
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: When a goalie is said to “Stand on his head” that means he’s making great saves for the team. This may have been derived after NHL President Frank Calder, referencing the 1918 rules change that allowed goalies to fall down to make a save, remarked, "They could stand on their head, if they wanted to." Basically it means they are giving their all to stop pucks.
August 11, 2006
Set:
As a child, many of us had one athlete we always loved to watch. Whether it was football, basketball, soccer, baseball or something else, there was one person we would watch closely in order to go out later and try to copy their moves or plays. For me, personally, it was and still is Steve Nash. This under-sized point guard always seems to make the pass that somehow gets through the three defenders in front of him. As I walked out onto the court the other day, I tried to imitate his shot and put myself in the mindset of someone who was a professional.
June 30, 2010
Set:
Man's laws don't always jive with God's laws or Spirit, just as God's laws are not subject to man's laws, doctrine or acts. But the fruit of the Spirit? These are all of God. Anything that is not of God is rebellious in nature. Do you have a rebellious spirit or one of God? Are you contentious or anxious when things don't go your way on the court? Do you live a confused life? Do you honestly prefer positives or negatives? Is everything in your life one big mess?
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