Devotional Archive - December 2008
-
December 28, 2008
Set:
Athletes are like snowflakes. They come in all shapes and sizes. Many are similar in their traits and looks, but no two athletes are the same, just like snowflakes. That is what makes them so unique. Each have their qualities that, when combined with a group, can make a difference in the outcome of an event.
Do you know that God made you like a snowflake? I know what you're thinking. "Did he just call me a flake??" Well, if the shoe fits. . . Just kidding. But seriously, God made you like no other. Even twins who look identical on the outside have something that makes them different. In the Old Testament, the Psalmist writes, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made. . ." That makes us uniquely different!
-
December 15, 2008
Set:
“Probably the biggest things I learned were just the power of patience and perseverance, and knowing that everything God does, He does for a reason. He knows what He’s doing. It’s not our job to question what He’s doing with our lives. He has a purpose for it, and we just have to trust Him and know that His plan is the right way.”
University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford spoke those words to FCA’s Sharing the Victory magazine earlier this season prior to becoming the latest Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday night. They were lessons that Bradford had learned from experience.
-
December 03, 2008
Set:
I had the blessing of seeing 2012 Olympian-hopeful Michelle McKeehan break the national record in the 200 IM at the Indiana State Swimming High School finals. After breaking the national record with a time of 1:58:06, McKeehan received an encouraging standing ovation from every person in the packed Indianapolis natatorium, including her opponents.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
Even as the words float off the end of my tongue, I realize that I have blown it. This kind of situation usually involves me saying negative words to my teammates or others. It’s so easy for me to become the “cut-down king.” It doesn’t take much, and it could involve something as simple as calling someone a name.
You know the routine: You cut one of your teammates down, and your other teammates laugh. You may try to justify your unkind remarks with the fact that everyone does it, but the truth is that those reckless words cut. They pierce like a sword and cause damage.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
From the PeeWee Leagues to the professional ranks, there is one constant truth when it comes to coaching: Practice makes perfect.
No better example of this time-tested principle can be found than with Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Tony Dungy. Known for practicing what he preaches (although saying the soft-spoken leader preaches would be somewhat of a stretch), Dungy has taken his disciplined methods beyond the football field and into his personal life. That’s why he is such a strong proponent of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ four core values.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
Excellence. That power-packed word can be found in catchphrases and taglines, heard in motivational speeches and printed on huge banners. It has been written about in countless books and has inspired major motion pictures. Athletes are especially fond of the word “excellence.” The pursuit of it drives them to practice and train long hours. It compels them to discipline their bodies beyond the capacity of an average human being.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
Throughout Les Steckel’s 20 years as an NFL coach, he made stops in San Francisco, Minnesota, New England, Denver, Tennessee (via Houston), Tampa Bay and Buffalo. One place the president and CEO of Fellowship of Christian Athletes never coached was in Oakland, but something about that organization will always stick with him.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
Numbers. In sports, they often mean everything. Even the seemingly most inconsequential numbers can spell the difference between winning and losing — the difference between a gold medal and a silver medal, the difference between a championship and second place, the difference between greatness and mediocrity.
Numbers are especially important to professional athletes because things such as a league-leading scoring average or a consistent number of home runs can result in high-dollar contracts and job security.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
When Jean Driscoll was a teenager, she had all of the same negative ideas about wheelchairs as everyone else. They were cumbersome and limiting, and using one meant the end of any shot at a normal life. And that’s exactly how she felt when, as a high school sophomore, she was forced to use one herself.
“I thought my life was over,” Driscoll candidly says.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
One athlete’s career-threatening injury is another athlete’s blessing in disguise. At least that’s been the case for Major League Soccer veteran and four-time All-Star Chris Klein, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in 2001 and his left ACL in 2004.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
Depending on to whom you’re talking at the time, conversations about the King will likely invoke numerous topics. When it comes to rock and roll, there’s no doubt that immortalized crooner Elvis Presley fits the bill. Then you have the King of Pop, a nickname commonly given to iconic entertainer Michael Jackson.
History has also provided us with numerous real-life kings, including such notable biblical leaders as King David and King Solomon and such well-known English rulers as King James I (known for his commissioning of the King James Version of the Bible) and King Henry VIII (infamously known for his many wives).
But within the world of sports, only one image comes to mind when that nickname is uttered: NASCAR legend Richard Petty.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
To hear Ryan Hall nonchalantly describe his winding journey as a long-distance runner isn’t much different from watching him glide with apparent ease through treacherous hills and valleys en route to the finish line. But just because he makes it look effortless doesn’t mean his path to competitive greatness has been without a fair number of trials and tribulations.
“I’ve had a really rocky journey,” Hall says. “The hardest thing is picking yourself up after a shattered dream or an injury or when you know you didn’t give your best.”
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
When Chris Byrd hears the iconic pop-culture phrase “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” he can’t help but crack a smile. And not for the reasons you would assume, coming from the former World Boxing Organization (WBO) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight champion who also happens to reside in Nevada’s self-proclaimed Sin City.
“For me, I put Christ first,” Byrd says. “I still do the same things I’ve always done. I stay home when I'm training, so I can be in church and not in some secluded place. I want to live my life like I live every day. I’m a boring guy. I don’t do anything. I don’t know what happens in Vegas. I don’t know anything about this city.”
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
By most accounts, Kay Yow shouldn’t be one of the greatest women’s basketball coaches of all time. History alone presents many reasons why her rise to legendary status was improbable at best.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
Mixing faith and athletics has always been a tricky proposition. Some believe the two are inseparable, while others don’t think God has—or even cares to have—a place in the sports world.
In 2001, the folks at Catholic Supply decided to throw their opinion into the public arena by releasing a series of statuettes that depict Jesus playing various sports (baseball, golf, tennis, hockey, and so forth) with adolescents. These figurines quickly became a big hit but also took plenty of shots from the media and the entertainment world—in particular from Conan O’Brien, who regularly included them in innocuous comedy bits on his late-night talk show.
-
December 01, 2008
Set:
When people think of excellence in higher education, Oxford University is often mentioned. That’s because some of the world’s most foundational philosophical ideas in government, religion, sociology, literature and business have been intellectually designed and developed by men and women who attended its various colleges. Luminaries such as John Wycliffe, Adam Smith, John Wesley, William Penn, J. R. R. Tolkien, T. S. Eliot, Margaret Thatcher and C. S. Lewis are just a few notables to have walked Oxford’s hallowed halls.
But anyone who believes brilliance can only come from places like Oxford, Cambridge or perhaps places in America like MIT or the Ivy League schools fails to recognize the simplicity of wisdom.
