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Devotional
May 31, 2009
Set:
Every year I look at the schedule during the pre-season and start to calculate wins and losses. We can beat them . . . We’ll probably lose there . . . This one is a toss-up . . . We’d better beat them! I’m sure all of us lie in bed at night and dream about championships and MVP awards. What’s exciting to me is that God can do immeasurably more than even those things.
In Ephesians 3:20, Paul wrote, “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think—according to the power that works in you.” How much can we ask or imagine? How big are our dreams? No matter the dream, God’s reality is even bigger!
Devotional
July 13, 2009
Set:
You have to admit that the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” has a fantastic concept. The show should be called “Extreme Transformation” because they identify a huge need and then, not only fill the need, but also go way beyond it. When they finally tell the driver to move the bus no one ever casually says, “That is exactly what I thought it would be. Thanks for meeting my expectations. Not bad work.” No, their expression tells it all. They are blown away. And, it’s hard for those of us watching not to tear up a little when we see their responses.
Devotional
January 05, 2009
Set:
I’ve been out of college for two years now. I haven’t changed much (at least I’d like to think), but there is one aspect of my life that I’ve let slip: my physical workouts. I did all right in the summer and fall, but once the winter months came, I wanted to stay inside where it was warm. After a long day at work I didn’t want to exert any more energy than I already had. Unfortunately, this way of thinking became a habit, and I could feel my body losing all the muscle and stamina I had worked so hard to gain. Still, I made excuses. “I’ve done my time,” I reasoned. I gave my body everything I had for eight years straight, pushing it through multiple sports in high school and college.
Devotional
April 03, 2009
Set:
The college baseball season is in full swing, and I am spending many hours on a bus and away from my family. Unfortunately, my daily devotionals usually take a hit during this time of the year.
One night in the spring of 2008, God called me on it. I relish the opportunity to read to my daughters. My wife and I make it a priority to read at least one Bible story to them each night. One evening, as we finished reading, my oldest daughter noticed me closing the Bible and setting it on the night stand next to her bed. She asked why I closed the Bible, and I told her that we were done reading for the night and that it was time to go to bed. She said, “Daddy, I know but I would like the Bible to stay open. Please don’t close it.”
Devotional
February 02, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Wood, aluminum, carbon composite, fiberglass. Hockey sticks are made up of all kinds of different materials. It takes time and practice, but once you find YOUR stick, you know it and use it with confidence. You puck handle and shoot the best you can with your stick. Have you ever broke a stick and had to grab a different one quickly. Right off the bat you know it’s not going to work well. Your not use to it. It’s not yours. You have to play with it before you get comfortable using it regularly.
Devotional
April 08, 2009
Set:
John the Baptist was the man! He was the herald prophesied by Isaiah — the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He was the great baptizer of the people, the one who drew crowds everywhere he went. Yet he knew a time would come when his “star status” would diminish.
Fast-forward to 2009. Tyler Hansbrough, the reigning NCAA Player of the Year, had to make a choice for the sake of his team. In order to help his team attain their goal of a national championship, he would need to take a "back seat" to Ty Lawson. His scoring average fell, and he graciously passed the mantle of leadership to Lawson. When asked about the shift in his role, Hansbrough repeatedly said, “I'll do whatever it takes to help this team get to the championship."
Devotional
March 08, 2010
Set:
Discipline is the responsibility of a coach to his team. A well-disciplined team is more than likely to be a successful team. However, the way in which a coach disciplines is crucially important. Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden knew discipline was vital, but he also knew there is a fine line between discipline and punishment.
Devotional
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: I imagine the first invention of hockey must’ve been pretty boring. One guy sort of figuring things out. But when he got his buddies together and got a game going, it was a good time. Hockey is definitely not an individual sport. If you’ve ever been out skating alone you know the excitement when someone else shows up to play. It’s that kind of dynamic game.
Devotional
January 22, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Could you imagine what the scores would be like if goalies weren’t allowed to wear any equipment. We’ve got some talent between the posts during our skates but they thank much of that to the equipment they put on. Not only does it help to stop the pucks, it stops the pain as well. Going out there unequipped would be disastrous. Sure they would stand there for a few minutes and maybe even grab a slow sliding puck with their bare hands. But as the attacks keep coming, their lack of preparedness would leave them broken down. Every player has equipment to keep them safe. It helps them stand their ground and play hard.
Devotional
July 01, 2010
Set:
Teresa was one of those athletes who was all spirit, gifted with more determination than natural talent. But her Christian faith and love for soccer had a powerful effect on my other public high school players. If I needed a surge of enthusiasm to flow through my team, I looked to Teresa.
On a difficult practice one day, Teresa struggled to finish a long distance run. As I jogged to the end of the line to encourage her, she glanced upward and shouted, “Take me now, Lord Jesus, take me now so I don’t have to finish!” We both laughed so hard we were through running in no time!
Devotional
April 28, 2009
Set:
Michael has the potential to be a good player, but he gets so frustrated with his game. He doesn’t understand why his coach always wants him to change his shot and other parts of his game. Finally, he had a talk with his coach. Suddenly things became clear to him, and his improvement took off. His coach simply told Michael what he needed to do in order to get better and how those changes would help him in years to come.
Devotional
April 17, 2008
Set:
Anyone who knows sports knows that turnovers and missed opportunities, especially in the game of basketball, spell disaster. This was never more apparent than in the championship game of our holiday tournament, when our starting point guard had 11 turnovers before halftime, and our team faced a 12-point deficit. The message for her was simple at halftime: “What could you do with 11 more possessions? Could you score the 12 points we need? Perhaps dish out 6 assists to overcome the deficit?”
Devotional
September 06, 2010
Set:
Our small town high school football team had a record-breaking season last year. We finished 11–1, and ranked eighth in the state. This year our record is 0–6.
As coaches, we have all had the dreaded “rebuilding” season, the one where the most you hope to gain is respect for your efforts and sportsmanship. Even the best programs have rebuilding years. The best teams experience slumps. As coaches, we find this is a frustrating time. We get angry. We do not understand how we can do well one year and so poorly the next. We vent our frustrations on the players, our assistants, and even our families.We say and do things we later regret.
Devotional
March 07, 2008
Set:
While I sat by my computer on Wednesday, the FCA Daily Impact Play popped up. Every once in awhile FCA will rerun a devotion from the past if it still relates to the present. To my surprise, a devotion I had written two years ago resurfaced. And as I read what I had written, I immediately started to weep.
Devotional
February 05, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: The Sabers and Fylers had been battling in a 2-2 tie in overtime. RJ Umberger (Philly) had been taking some hits from heavy man Brian Campbell (Buffalo). RJ had shrugged off getting roughed up before and didn’t think much as he grabbed the puck headed up ice with 8 minutes left. But just as he got to the blue line, with thoughts of skating up ice and scoring on his mind, Campbell met him hard in what RJ thought was open ice, and laid him out. Always, always keep your head up when skating up. You can watch the video here HEADS UP.
Devotional
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: There are treasured skaters out there on the ice. We can play for ourselves and have a great game and still walk away losers. Or we can share our treasured skills with the team and win every time. One of my favorite teams was the Florida Panthers when they first made it to the playoffs years ago. Although they had some great players, not a single one of their players were in the top 20 of the NHL goal scorers. They all stored their treasures in the team not themselves and made it to the finals. Where they stored their treasure, they made it while all the great individuals were eliminated.
Devotional
November 01, 2008
Set:
What enters your mind as you read the verses above, knowing that God hates the behaviors listed there? Do you find yourself thinking of times, perhaps even recently, when you have done something that God abhors? It’s interesting (and convicting) that the Lord puts shedding innocent blood and spreading strife among brothers in the same list. To the world, shedding innocent blood is certainly considered much worse than creating conflict. But just what does it mean to stir up “trouble among brothers”?
Devotional
June 10, 2010
Set:
Which is a better description of our frame of mind in competition: joy and peace or anxiety and rage? I’ve known competitors from both camps; and I know which ones were more successful and better teammates.
Though many coaches pursue their sport in anger, full of anxiety and rage, this Scripture presents another alternative. If we go out in joy and are led in peace, we find the course of life more pleasant and we receive great favor from those around us. Joy, or more simply emotional stability, is important during competition as we experience the inevitable swings of momentum from one team to the other. If we go out in joy, we have the emotional stability to react appropriately to each situation that arises.
Devotional
November 11, 2008
Set:
A week has gone by since it all finally finished. Another election has come and gone. Historical, yes. Life-changing? Time will tell. But I was reminded of a simple truth we see every day, but one that many seem to forget. It is in our pockets, in our wallets, in our banks. It’s not our money, but something inscribed on it. It is the phrase “In God We Trust.”
The Psalmist teaches us a very good lesson. That all our hope, all our trust, all our reliance is to be in the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Doubts and fears will come. Our current economic status has many wondering what is next, but do we truly put our trust in God? This goes far beyond who was elected to office at any level. It drives deep into the core of who we are.
Devotional
August 03, 2009
Set:
Throughout the time that my dad was ill, the one saying he continually said was, “Enjoy every moment that we spend with each other, and take life day by day.” I accepted his challenge, and we enjoyed our last year together on this earth with great passion and enthusiasm. We got to fit so much into a year, and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.
Devotional
July 08, 2010
Set:
Have you ever been in a situation where you thought you were going to be honored, but the honor was given to someone else? Have you ever taken someone else’s seat and been asked to move? It’s embarrassing, to say the least.
Devotional
April 15, 2010
Set:
Three empty crosses lay grotesquely across Golgotha’s barren and desolate knoll. The sun-dried blood, the convulsed earth, the litter of a mob all told the gruesome story of crucifixion. They had deserted Him, later found His tomb empty, and were now cowering in a house with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. In this house Jesus appeared to them.
Devotional
November 25, 2010
Set:
When the world tends more and more toward darkness in deeds and spirit, sometimes we like to qualify how good or bad our actions or deeds are. We say things like, “I know I shouldn’t be doing that, but at least I’m not…” Does it really matter what word or phrase goes in the blank? The more we allow small amounts of evil to permeate our lives, the more Satan takes over. Give evil an inch, and the evil one will take your soul.
Devotional
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Broadcasting your pass is looking at the guy you are passing to in such a way that is so apparent that it’s where you’re going to pass to. Not only has your receiver seen your pass, but the opponents defense has as well and they have a good chance to read the play and pick it off. Quick passes and drop passes are a swift way to dish the puck off without getting picked off because your foes didn’t see it coming.
Devotional
August 16, 2009
Set:
Staleness is the first sign of decay. Avoiding getting stuck in a rut is key to any training schedule. All training regimes get old unless changes are made. The body plateaus and needs a new stimulus or it won’t improve. All exercise routines need variety. No matter how hard we work, we need change.
Spiritually we also need to be challenged, or we go stale. There is nothing spiritual about sitting in the same pew for 30 years. Recently I asked a man who ran a retreat center if he had seen any other retreat centers lately? He replied with an air of conceit that he had been too busy ministering and had not seen any other center in 10 years. His center had that sad stale smell.
