Devotional
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April 11, 2006
Set:
“Some of my vivid images of Jerry Rice are him working out at the Pro Bowl. Here you are, after he wins the Super Bowl, he’s played in front of 500 million people. Less than a week later, he’s out there running wind sprints to play in what is our only exhibition game,’ says NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on ESPN Classic’s SportsCentury series.
Jerry Rice is arguably the best wide receiver in the history of football. Rice had a reputation for training hard. He understood the benefits of taking care of his physical body so that on the field he could perform at a level that surpassed everyone else. He understood the power of training.
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April 11, 2006
Set:
On February 16, 2005, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled what little was left of the 2004–- 2005 hockey season exactly five months after the NHL lockout began. No compromise was reached between players and owners, and the NHL received the shameful distinction of becoming the first professional sports league in North America to miss an entire season due to a labor dispute.
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April 11, 2006
Set:
The debate over steroid use on the college, professional, and Olympic levels is growing. Allegations of steroid use have cost many athletes their jobs and their lives. When their first priority is to honor and glorify self, some athletes will go to extreme measures. Their hope is in themselves and in pursuing their own glory. If they fail, they feel worthless. Their worth is tied up in being the best no matter what the cost.
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October 07, 2005
Set:
Our family plays a great game at the dinner table called “Would You Rather.” We ask the question “Would you rather . . . ?” so that our children have to make a decision, such as, “Would you rather win a World Series or a Super Bowl?”
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October 07, 2005
Set:
While I was eating lunch one day in the teacher’s lounge, I overheard an office aide talking with her friend. The office aide could not understand how God could be God and Jesus at the same time—how He could be in heaven and on Earth at the same time! Her friend didn’t know how to respond.
I asked God to give me the words to help them understand this difficult concept, and the Lord, being gracious, brought an idea to my mind. So, feeling confident, I got up from my table and went to tell them about God and an apple.
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October 07, 2005
Set:
Of all the silly games that I learned as a child, the one I remember best was a game some of the older kids in the neighborhood played—one that we didn’t exactly brag about to our parents. “Knick Knocking” was the practice of approaching a neighbor’s front door, knocking loudly several times, and then running away. Serious Knick Knockers would retreat to a nearby hideaway so that they could watch the unsuspecting neighbor open the door and search for a visitor. This was actually entertaining to the mischievous kids on our block!
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October 07, 2005
Set:
I was in graduate school when the dean from a Christian college where I was working asked me to coach the women’s field hockey team (the team’s head coach had fallen ill). Although I loved playing field hockey, I had never considered coaching. But the players were due to arrive in two days, the dean looked desperate, and I didn’t have the heart to say no. I knew the game like a close friend—how hard could it be?
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October 07, 2005
Set:
In 1982, the Miami Dolphins football team faced the New England Patriots at Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Snow began to fall during the game, and by the fourth quarter the wintry conditions had contributed to a scoreless tie. But late in the game, the Patriots drove down the field and came within field-goal range, where a successful kick would likely win the game. The New England coach ordered a snowplow to clear a spot for the kicking team, enabling the kicker to set his foot firmly on the turf. As a result, he kicked the game-winning field goal.
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October 07, 2005
Set:
Sometimes I wonder why it is so difficult for coaches to be still and listen. We have no problem knowing how to lead, direct others or give commands. But to whom do we look when we need direction? Who helps us make tough decisions?
We don’t have to look far in Scripture to find a leader with similar challenges. Joshua was a brilliant military leader and had a strong spiritual influence, but his success came because he had learned whom to go to when he faced difficult choices. Joshua knew that unless he first submitted to God, he would never accomplish what he’d been given to do. So when God spoke, Joshua listened and obeyed.
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October 07, 2005
Set:
When I was a kid, our neighborhood basketball court—the kind with the chain nets—was the place where everybody went to play the best basketball. During the summers, top college and high school players packed the court.
