Devotional
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March 12, 2014
Set:
What do we do to quiet our minds and keep perspective about life? Where do we go to relax, reflect, and meditate? How do we stay true to who we are when everybody is praising our teams and us? The Scripture above explains how Jesus accomplished this.
Jesus had a unique quality in His life that most of us miss. He valued solitude over popularity. In quiet reflection, free from the flattering crowds, He maintained clarity of thought about who He was, His values, and His life goals. He knew that it is easy to pander to a crowd of flattering people. He was more concerned with pleasing His Father in heaven.
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March 11, 2014
Set:
Paul uses the phrase “one thing” to bring focus and clarity to his calling. This phrase appears five times in the New International Version of the Bible—once in the verse above in Philippians and four times in the Gospels:
In Luke 10:42, Jesus says to Martha, “only one thing is needed.”
In both Luke 18:22 and Mark 10:21, Jesus tells the rich man that he still lacks “one thing.”
In John 9:25, the blind man who was healed by Christ tells the Pharisees, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
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March 10, 2014
Set:
Competitors love to have goals, and they pursue them with everything they have. Nothing will get in their way! They will give their all—all the time. They will not give up or give in. And they will not give out. They are relentless.
“It’s hard to beat relentless.” – Jay Bilas
Relentless is everywhere these days. There is a Relentless energy drink, Relentless Nike running shoe, Relentless movie, “Relentless” country album, and even a Relentless steak and lobster restaurant.
As we unpack this concept of relentless competitor, there are several good one-word definitions of relentless:
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March 09, 2014
Set:
As a coach and a player it can be a challenge to have the right attitude. Many times we will say of a player, “He needs an attitude adjustment,” or “Her attitude stinks,” or especially, “If he had the right attitude, he could be a great player.”
Sometimes when we are experiencing winning, we can have a prideful or cocky attitude that is not pleasing to God. Sometimes we need to be humbled, and that humbling can be quite painful.
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March 08, 2014
Set:
As I was recruiting this past winter and helping our staff assemble a basketball team for this upcoming season, I was struck by the thought of how a basketball team has distinct similarities to our churches and communities. In order to be successful, our basketball team must be made up of athletes with diverse talents. If we put a team of all post players or point guards on the court, we would have a tough time winning.
And in addition to having a variety of talents, it is also important for the team to be made up of athletes who understand their roles on the floor. It will not do our 5-10 point guard much good to play the post, nor will it serve our team well if our 6-7 post player decides to handle the ball and shoot three-pointers.
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March 07, 2014
Set:
As a result of pride, athletes can easily live for their personal agenda. Pride can make players want to play more often, cause others to fall short of their talent, and lead some to take all the credit for a win. Pride prevents a team from reaching its maximum potential. Jesus laid down His agenda for us; in fact, He laid down His very life. Certainly on a much smaller scale, but true nevertheless, a team will never reach its goals unless its athletes lay down their personal agendas for the sake of the team as a whole.
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March 06, 2014
Set:
My son’s “fifteen and under” AAU basketball team scrimmaged a “seventeen and under” team and were losing badly. Although it was painful to watch, I noticed two distinct styles of play that greatly affected the outcome.
Our team’s guards repeatedly dribbled through obvious traps in the opponent’s defense. Our coach switched players, changed the offense, and diagramed simple plays to run, but often the player with the ball tried to dribble into oncoming pressure. Each player had different mechanical problems. One dribbled with his head down and another wouldn’t use both hands. Our coach spent all his time trying to correct mistakes.
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March 05, 2014
Set:
Like most of you, I grew up playing sandlot football on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. In my neighborhood games, we would regularly change the quarterback. This made for some interesting play calling, but very little success. Quite often the quarterback would say, “everyone go deep,” or “let’s just throw short passes and get first downs.” As we matured and began playing organized football, we understood the importance of a playbook.
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March 04, 2014
Set:
I don’t usually listen to the radio in the car while I’m driving through the suburbs of Chicago. Typically I try to spend my time praying for FCA needs, Huddle Coaches, student-athletes and other family concerns. But one day, I decided to tune in for some music, and I was so glad I did. I heard a song that pierced my heart in a powerful way. If you listen to Christian radio, you’ve probably heard it. It’s the song by Matthew West called “The Motions.” The chorus goes like this:
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March 03, 2014
Set:
Carly was a tenacious defender, but couldn’t shoot well. One thing I loved about Carly was if the basketball was available, she would get it. Because most of her shots didn’t go in, she learned what most players don’t: stop pouting and go get the ball! Carly was queen of the court in our 11-man break drill. In it, whoever got the rebound continued playing in the drill. Carly stayed in one day for 11 trips up and down the floor. She got 11 straight rebounds. Not bad for only being 5’6”.
