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March 26, 2014
Set:
A successful partnership is a key in any sport, no matter how many athletes are playing at once. Let's think about basketball specifically. You start with a pick-up game of two-on-two. In that situation, you must work hand-in-hand with your teammate (partner), in order to prevent your two opponents from scoring, and you must find a way to score yourself. Usually, in order to become efficient partners, you have to play a few games together to figure it out. And the more you play together, the better your partnership becomes.
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March 25, 2014
Set:
The Final Four was and always will be one of the most exciting sporting events. Even if you are not a basketball person, it is awesome to watch March Madness as it narrows down 68 teams into four core teams. This makes me think about FCA's Four Core. Not four core teams but four core values. FCA's desire is that all our relationships will demonstrate a steadfast commitment to Jesus Christ and His Word through our values of integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence.
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March 24, 2014
Set:
All through the NFL playoffs, I spent much time scanning the various channels and listening to the experts’ analytical approaches to each matchup: who was going to win, who should win, who won't win and why it was important to win at all. When it comes to what is truly important, I think of the FCA Coaches Mandate, which offers a different take on importance.
After reading this, the concept takes on a different meaning, depending on where you are in your life and your faith. Read it here.
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March 23, 2014
Set:
Last year, the youth football team I coach won the championship in double overtime, and this Saturday, as the new season starts, we will begin the quest of defending our title. We have essentially the same players we had last year, only this year, we have the confidence behind us to believe that anything is possible if we do three things: think we are talented, athletic, smart and victorious; give 100 percent of our effort in everything we do; and believe in our hearts that God will be with us.
As we gear up to defend the title, I’m reminded that my job as a coach is not to be satisfied with producing a winning record, but with producing winning athletes. To accomplish that goal this season, I will be asking my players six questions:
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March 22, 2014
Set:
The power of Thanksgiving is in the action.
After every practice and every game, Jessie would approach me before leaving the field and utter one small but powerful sentence: “Thank you, coach!” During the entire two years she played on our high school girl’s lacrosse team, she never missed a single day of saying those three powerful words. Jessie understood the value of gratitude, and she wanted to make sure I knew that she did not take a single practice or game for granted. Jessie not only had an attitude of thanksgiving, but she also put it into action.
Be the one.
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March 21, 2014
Set:
How many times do we see football players cross the goal line and do some sort of celebration? Either they try to bring attention to themselves through some crazy stunt, or they point to the sky in order to bring attention to someone else. In those situations, we Christians get all excited and say, “Look! They are giving God the glory.” Maybe they are, and maybe they’re not. The only person who knows for sure is the one with his finger in the air.
These days it seems like even humble acts are brought under the microscope. Even players who seem humble, or intend to be, wind up diving into pride. It’s hard to be humble when everybody around you is feeding your ego.
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March 20, 2014
Set:
Just give up. There is incredible power in giving up. In fact, it should become a daily practice for all of us. If more athletes and coaches would give up, the sports world would be better off.
OK, maybe you don’t agree with me so far. You probably think I’m crazy. But I’m not talking about giving up as in quitting. I’m talking about giving up our rights and control and surrendering them to the Lord. You see, God hates the “quitting-giving-up,” but He loves the “surrender-giving-up.” What does God truly want most from us? For us to give up our lives for the sake of His Kingdom. Our whole life, we are taught to hold on tight to what we have earned, to protect and defend what is ours and not let people take advantage of us.
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March 19, 2014
Set:
For years social psychologists have been studying “crowd” or “mob” psychology in which they study how a group’s mentality differs from that of the individuals within the group. One theory that has emerged is the idea that people react differently in a group than when they are on their own. For instance, during criminal incidents, research shows that if there is a large number of people around, men and women will be less likely to intervene because they think someone else will assist. People take their cues from others in the area and think, “If they are not getting involved, neither am I.” And that kind of group thinking takes place every day.
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March 17, 2014
Set:
It is easy to praise and worship the Lord when our team is scoring touchdowns, making three-pointers and scoring goals. But often we find ourselves in positions where things are not working out quite the way we would like. It is during the tough times that we have the greatest opportunity to reflect God’s light and love.
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March 16, 2014
Set:
The Monday after our Saturday game was not easy. We had lost again. We eventually lost all nine games that season—a tough year. If you had asked our players how the year went, they would have said they were disappointed that we didn’t win a game. But the Lord put something on my heart.
