Alphabetical
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April 13, 2011
Set:
A while ago, our baseball team played an opponent we should have probably defeated, but we made some costly errors. The following day I was doing my devotion from “The Daily Light Journal” by Anne Graham Lotz. The title was “The Fruit of the Spirit Is…Joy.” That prompted me to think about the joys that had come through even in our team’s struggles: the salvation of a teammate, the development of many young players, the ability to lose and continue to practice hard. The list goes on and on.
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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.
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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.
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June 14, 2013
Set:
Last night, when my two year old stood on his bed in a playful mood, I encouraged him to jump to me; but did not put my hands out . . . yet. His face went from joy to fear as he looked at the elements. The bed was high—the floor was low.
As an athlete, we can be filled with indecision at times. We want to step up to help the team, but fear and doubt hold us back. In basketball, a coach will put a player on the floor to shoot, but if he or she hesitates, the opportunity passes away. Why do we fear and doubt when the coach has confidence we can do the job?
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May 10, 2007
Set:
When I was playing professional lacrosse, I was the only Christian on my team (as far as I knew). I was outspoken about my faith during my four years of playing, and I never had another player share with me about their faith in Jesus. I felt God had placed me on the team to be a light. As the token Christian player, my teammates selected me to do the team prayer. Usually, if it was a big game, I would have a player say something like, "Pray a GOOD one Dan. This is a huge game!" The mentality was that a "good" prayer would lead us to victory; a "bad" prayer would lead to defeat.
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May 09, 2012
Set:
When I was playing professional lacrosse, I was the only Christian on my team (as far as I knew). I was outspoken about my faith during my four years of playing, and I never had another player share with me about their faith in Jesus. I felt God had placed me on the team to be a light. As the token Christian player, my teammates selected me to do the team prayer. Usually, if it was a big game, I would have a player say something like, “Pray a GOOD one Dan. This is a huge game!” The mentality was that a “good” prayer would lead us to victory; a “bad” prayer would lead to defeat.
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October 20, 2013
Set:
I love to watch the big guys at our football practices. Today many of them are almost 300-pound giants whose names will never be called out over the speakers at games. In the winter they spend time in the weight room getting bigger and stronger and building the stamina they need to push against the opposition. At practices they spend time working on their footwork and making sure that every step puts them in a position to make a solid block. Their names don’t show up in the stat sheets for yardage or touchdowns, but no team will ever win without them.
John the Baptist could be considered as the greatest lineman Jesus had in front of Him. John's actions were never about seeking glory for himself but about doing everything he could to clear the way for Jesus.
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November 29, 2013
Set:
Back when I was in college, I would always get excited about Thanksgiving break and getting to go home and be with family. I would be excited for turkey, football, and, of course, sleeping. What I found, however, was that I tended to rely on those activities to refuel me over the break. I would find myself thinking that if I could just get through the week before, then I would have rest and fun with my family.
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January 02, 2013
Set:
It’s hard to simplify life. Narrowing the focus seems impossible. Over this past year, you may have been asked hundreds of times, “How is it going?” Your response was probably something like, “I have been SO busy!” You never hear someone say, “I’ve had so much time on my hands, and I’m looking for something new to do.” That person doesn’t exist.
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January 13, 2013
Set:
In yesterday’s Impact Play, we talked about the value of a one-word theme for the year. Now, if you are like me, you have done your fair share of year-end goal-setting, but, as time goes by, you begin to feel guilty as you fall short of the goals. For me, I got so frustrated at one point with the whole process of resolutions that I boycotted the whole idea and avoided setting any goals at all. That didn’t work either. Instead, I just felt guilty about being the slacker who didn't set any goals. In both cases, I always wound up feeling defeated.
