Devotional
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July 27, 2011
Set:
I recently had the "pleasure" of running my 3rd 5K. A good friend of mine was also running the race, and at the beginning, I decided I was going to try and keep her pace since we have similar times. I soon realized her pace was a bit faster than mine, so I then decided I would make sure to keep her in my sights. This worked out great for a while and I kept pushing along, making good time (for me, at least). We then got to a weird turn and suddenly I didn't see her anymore. My pusher had disappeared, and it made me feel a little lost and like I wasn't going to be able to finish.
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July 25, 2011
Set:
Alcatraz. The very name conjures up thoughts of hopelessness. This prison sits on an island in the middle of the frigid San Francisco Bay, covered in fog and mystique. It's a foreboding place to visit, but a great place from which to escape.
A few summers ago, a group of FCA Endurance athletes joined about 1,800 others in the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon. We were taken on a boat to the island, and after they dropped anchor, they opened the side doors and yelled, “Go!” We spilled out like paratroopers into the black, choppy, 55-degree water and swam as fast as we could across the 1.5 mile channel. After that tiring swim, we then biked 18 miles of hills and finished off with an 8-mile trail run. It was an absolutely intense experience.
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July 17, 2011
Set:
When I was hired as the new offensive coordinator of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans in 1997, I knew that we had big challenges ahead. The Oilers had never made that exciting trip to the Super Bowl, so when the owners moved the team to Tennessee, it signaled a serious intention to reach new heights. Pursuing a road to the Super Bowl was only possible through the grace of God, which motivated a group of players and coaches to work unselfishly together as a team. While at training camp that season, we discovered several effective principles for building a championship team, and these same principles may be applied to our spiritual lives as well, if we’re willing to think beyond ourselves and dedicate our lives to the bigger purposes of God.
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July 06, 2011
Set:
Solitude is a topic that has been on my heart for a long time. It seems like solitude and silence in the presence of God has become optional for us in today’s productivity-driven society. Because we aren’t tangibly achieving anything we can physically see, we don’t think there’s use in it. Or, that if we do take time out to sit silently before the Lord, it’s a waste of time since we’re not getting better at anything or furthering any sort of progress.
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July 01, 2011
Set:
Most of us who get these devotions have heard THE story—the account of Christ and His life, death and resurrection, and how we are forgiven for our sins and saved by faith in Him. It’s the ultimate and greatest story of all time!
Well, a while ago, I was in Medford playing soccer. In our last game, I was a little too fired up and used some words that I don't want to mention again. Right before the game I had specifically said, "Lord, I’m playing for You." After the game was over I realized that I had completely gone back on my word and let myself get caught up in the emotions of competition.
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June 28, 2011
Set:
Every morning at the FCA National Support Center in Kansas City, we circle up in our Hall of Champions for a time of prayer at 8:30 a.m. We come together to pray over our FCA staff, athletes and coaches across the country; about events in the ministry; about things going on in the world; about personal requests—just whatever needs to be prayed for that day. During our time, we also read a Psalm of the week. What better way to kick off a time of prayer than by reading such real and authentic passages, many of which display raw emotions of every kind?
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June 15, 2011
Set:
After I had my blood cholesterol levels checked last week, I met with the doctor to discuss my results. Because I exercise regularly and eat well, I anticipated good results. As I expected, the doctor said my results were great and that he was very pleased. In fact, he said he wished that all of his patients had such positive results and that 90 percent of them didn’t.
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June 14, 2011
Set:
Over the past few years, the technology for swim gear has improved drastically. During the Olympics in the 70s, the average male swimmer probably had swim trunks bought from a local department store, and he didn’t bother wearing a swim cap or shaving. Today, we have technology that makes swimsuits resemble shark skin for less resistance, which shaves the important hundredths of seconds off one’s time.
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May 19, 2011
Set:
Earlier this season, I took my middle school baseball team to practice with the high school varsity. It was good for my kids to practice on a higher level and to see how high school differs from middle school. At the end of practice the varsity coach gave them a "pep talk" about life and baseball using five key points of competition. While I had used some of the same points in my own speeches, I found that they captured my attention in a new way when I heard them from another coach and saw how they got the attention of the kids. The points that this coach made would work for any sport, and they also translate well to our spiritual lives.
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May 17, 2011
Set:
I once overheard of a group of coaches discussing what they were going to do with a certain player who had problems following the team rules. He’d had plenty of issues, but the final straw came when they found out he was caught up in drugs. Some of the coaches wanted to kick the young man off the team, but the head coach did not. He justified keeping the young man on the team by telling this story…
