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August 17, 2006
Set:
As an athlete how many times have you wanted to quit, or just stop and give up? I know as a cross country runner there are times when it's just too hot, and I don't want to run, so I stop and walk, even though I know it will only put me at a disadvantage later. It's just so tempting when that person who's usually behind you passes you, or someone in front of you starts walking. It's times like these when we need something many of us lack: perseverance and endurance.
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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.
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August 03, 2006
Set:
I was flipping through the channels on my TV the other day and came across a softball game that was in the top of the final inning. The visiting team was down 3-4 with runners on 1st and 2nd and a full count to the batter. The pitch. . . The batter hit a line drive past the shortstop, and then as the left fielder charged the ball to make the throw to home, she picked up her glove too soon and the ball rolled underneath allowing both base runners to score. That put the visiting team up 5-4--a score by which they would win. After the game, the announcers were talking about the winning pitcher, saying, "She didn't pitch great, but she pitched good enough."
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August 02, 2006
Set:
In basketball, each player has a cylindrical vertical space on the court. This means that when they jump for a rebound, the vertical space of their body is their's as long as they jump straight up. If an opponent enters this space and makes contact with them, an official can call a foul. Conversely, if they leave their vertical space and make contact with an opponent, they can be called for a foul.
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August 01, 2006
Set:
Time for some calisthenics. Stand up. (Seriously, get out of your chair!). Tuck your chin to your chest and jump as high as you can, keeping your chin there. Now, lift your head up, pick a point on a wall or something a couple feet above your head and jump again.
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July 24, 2006
Set:
Most sports have a playbook or a set of rules to follow for their program. This book tells how things will be done on and off the field for success in the system. As a player, if you follow these guidelines, you should have success in the system. I recently heard one coach refert to his playbook as his "bible." Obviously, he highly values the book.
As we read through Psalm 119, we find many verses that reference God's Word. The author of the Psalms repeated over and over that God's Word guided him. He understood that God's Word was the only playbook he could follow that could give him true, absolute direction for his life.
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July 21, 2006
Set:
Summer is flying by so fast! This revelation hit my oldest son the other day when he realized that he hadn't spent much time with his father in the past few months. So, I took him to lunch. He was full of information and wanted to tell me everything at once. During the conversation, however, he got quiet and thoughtful for a second and his normal sports questions stopped. "Daddy," he asked, "who is your role model?" I didn't have to think long. That was an easy one.
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July 20, 2006
Set:
There's a scene in the classic baseball movie "Major League" in which the team is having a bad flight on a below-standard airplane. During that scene, pitcher Eddie Harris, who professes to be Christian, notices his Buddhist teammate, Pedro Cerrano, crossing himself. Instead of rejoicing in the fact that Cerrano is looking towards Christ in this time of struggle, Harris berates him with these harsh words, "Oh, now you come around. He isn't fooled."
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July 19, 2006
Set:
It seems like when you're in a conversation and you have nothing else to talk about, the weather always comes up. For a large majority of Americans, another popular topic of conversation seems to be sports, especially when they are running out of things to say. We find sports an easy topic, kind of a comfort zone.
