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Be in the Right Place

June 08, 2009

Set:

David found trouble because he was in the wrong place. At the season when kings go off to war, he was at home. We cannot afford to be in the wrong place when we understand the eternal consequences. Our daily decision making is too crucial to have a momentary lapse in judgment. David’s lapse led to a lifetime of heartache.

God had chosen David, given him position, promise, and a plan—and made him the greatest king to ever live. God has great plans for us as well and provides His Word to help keep us in the right place. Scripture tells us that we must: (1) hide the Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:1-3); (2) understand temptation and ask God to help us be obedient (Psalm 119:37-39); and (3) remember who we are in Christ (2 Samuel 12:7-8).

Spirit Stick

January 29, 2010

Set:

Hockey Chat: Wood, aluminum, carbon composite, fiberglass. Hockey sticks are made up of all kinds of different materials. It takes time and practice, but once you find YOUR stick, you know it and use it with confidence. You puck handle and shoot the best you can with your stick. Have you ever broke a stick and had to grab a different one quickly. Right off the bat you know it’s not going to work well. Your not use to it. It’s not yours. You have to play with it before you get comfortable using it regularly.

Stronger for Christ

October 16, 2010

Set:

As coaches, what do we expect from our athletes if we want to improve their performance? If they are going to be champions in the weight room, we expect them to be torn down. We expect them to push beyond their boundaries. When they do that, their bodies rebuild stronger than before. How do our athletes get faster? We put them on a treadmill, increase the incline, and again push them beyond their boundaries, beyond their comfort zones. Again, when their bodies recover, they are faster. Sometimes the increase is small but they are faster.

The Team and the Body

August 20, 2010

Set:

As coaches, we are supposed to teach our players about the game and about life lessons. Sometimes, the reverse happens and our players teach us a valuable lesson. The day before my first home football game of the season, my senior quarterback boldly stood up in front of the entire team and coaches and quoted the above Scripture.

Asking for Help

January 13, 2010

Set:

Why is asking so hard for some of us? Whether it’s for a ride to the airport, a few dollars for lunch, or financial support for FCA camp, many of us avoid asking for things we or others need.

Of course, there are times when even the most self-sufficient among us is willing to swallow our pride and plead before “the throne of grace.” I have personally witnessed the humbling of coaches, players, and fans when difficult circumstances turned them into fervent prayer warriors. Sometimes the difficulty is momentary, such as during a game when the team is down by a point with a few ticks left on the clock and the least-talented shooter is on the free-throw line. Who among us hasn’t uttered a prayer in times like these?

If you have to ask...

May 07, 2009

Set:

I have a patch with the IronMan Triathlon symbol in the center. Around the outside it reads, “If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand.” There’s a certain truth to that statement. I know; I’ve asked. I did one, and now I know. But it is something you can’t understand until you have been there and had a chance to look at it from the other side of the mirror, so to speak.

Spreadin' the News

January 19, 2010

Set:

Hockey Chat: 2008-2009 season marked the first time in the 82 year franchise history that every game of the Chicago Blackhawks was televised. This moved was a big change from the “blackout” ruling that had been in place from earlier ownership. With the new ability to watch the games came a great interest in the sport making the Hawks games the highest attended of any hockey venue for the entire season.

Strength in Numbers

September 22, 2009

Set:

There is more than one person who mentors me and speaks into my life. If I have an issue, I have five mentors on whom I can call, and they all give me different perspectives. It takes many advisers to win the war. That doesn’t mean we should ask 100 people for advice. But there’s some godly counsel that you can have around to pour into your life, and it will keep your steps straight. That’s what happens with strength in numbers. That’s why I believe in accountability. If some issues are popping up, we can all come together in agreement and pull each other out of a bad situation. That’s a powerful thing. A lot of times, we don’t get enough people around us. We might just have one.

How Do You Define Success?

October 13, 2010

Set:

In the arena of sports where score is kept and there are always winners and losers, how do you know whether or not you are successful? While much of the world defines athletic success in terms of wins and losses, legendary coach John Wooden writes in his book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success that “success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.Within this framework, each person becomes the only one who can ultimately judge his or her own success.”

True Greatness

November 22, 2010

Set:

Who’s the best? Who’s number one? Who is the greatest? These are all questions we ask in our culture—all very important questions. As a coach, I’ve spent much time and energy trying to persuade young people to work in order to win a game, to determine who is best on a playing field.

Ask almost anyone in America who is great, and they will answer with names of those who score touchdowns, hit balls a long distance, and slam dunk basketballs; people who sing great songs or are great actors; strong people; powerful people who tell others what to do; people who can have anything they want, go anywhere they want and do anything they want to do. Such is greatness as we define it in our time. And then along comes Jesus, who changes everything.

Integrity

July 01, 2009

Set:

Most know the story of Job and how he lost all of his children, property, and possessions. What was he like
before he lost it all? He was blameless, had complete integrity, feared God, and stayed away from evil. I believe that athletes and coaches often live dual lives—one way on the field and another off the field. We justify it saying they are two different areas of our lives that shouldn’t cross over. Job wasn’t like that. Job was blameless. No one could accuse him of wrongdoing. If he did wrong someone, he kept a short account and asked forgiveness.

Finger Pointing

January 15, 2010

Set:

Hockey Chat: We’ve seen it at every level. From the pee-wee’s up through the professionals. As much as skaters on the same team try to move fluently and work together, there is always some moment in some games where two guys on the same team cross paths and trip each other up. The lack of proper communication or the way they communicated caused them to run into each other. One misjudged the other and they both wound up in the same space and down on the ice.

The Hope You Have

November 04, 2010

Set:

In our culture, sports figures are elevated to star status and placed on lofty pedestals. Coaches feel great pressure to compile winning records. Yet, in spite of this trend, I believe God calls us as Christian coaches to focus on matters of the heart such as the spiritual lives of our players and fellow staff members. With every interaction, we have the opportunity to be a witness for Christ.

Pray Like Birdie

December 17, 2009

Set:

Birdie Pitts served Christ for all of her 92 years on earth. On August 9, 2001, she went home to be with the Lord. She was my first official FCA prayer warrior when I started with FCA almost 20 years ago. Little did I know, however, that Birdie had actually started praying for me 11 years before I even joined FCA. I was in eighth grade when I first met two buddies, James and Tim (Birdie’s grandson), at a summer camp in New York. Not only did I make two lifetime friends at that camp, but I also made a commitment to full-time ministry.

God’s Word Is Perfect for Coaches

April 30, 2010

Set:

Coaches have it tough. Let’s be honest. There’s a stigma that we are all ex-jocks and not very good classroom teachers. There are many stereotypes about coaches: “They are teachers who get all the breaks without really working hard in the classroom…They get to miss faculty meetings…They eat meals with their teams that are paid for by the school…They sit down all day and hand out worksheets to their students…They think winning ballgames is the most important thing in the world.” For some coaches, these stereotypes may be true, but I know many where that is not the case.

Don’t Stop Believing

September 08, 2009

Set:

In sports, every time we compete there’s the possibility of defeat as well as the opportunity for victory. So much would be lost in this world if throughout history, people had succumbed to their fear of defeat and not fought for what they believed. Yet the possibility of defeat often keeps us from fighting, from moving toward what we desire and believe.

Comfort Cycle

January 05, 2010

Set:

Hockey Chat: There is a technique play in hockey know as “cycling”. It’s a matter of one guy skating with the puck then passing it off to another player, moving the puck in the same way while the first guy takes the second guy’s position. Sounds confusing? It’s much harder to defend than to understand. The premise is to skate until you get in trouble and then pass the puck back. When that guy skates and gets in trouble, you’ll have skated back to be open so he can pass it to you. The constant helping out the guy in trouble becomes a “cycle” that draws the defense and helps keep control of the puck.

Hope – Part II

May 08, 2009

Set:

Yesterday, we talked about hope. And we used words that can actually serve as an acronym for the word itself: H – history, O – optimism, P – Promise, E - Eager Expectation.

Knowing what Christian hope is can be a great thing. But what should it produce in us? In the sports world, hope is necessary in spurring a team to do great things. Without hope, why would we as athletes endure what we do? If we cannot achieve our goals, why would we endure the hardship of preseason training? Why would we waste hours studying film, learning our skills, pushing our bodies beyond what we thought possible? Why would we choose to follow a game-plan if we knew it was going to fail? The truth for most of us is that we wouldn't.

Proverbs 13:3

September 10, 2010

Set:

Hockey Chat: On November 2 of 2002, Tie Domi took a penalty and then let his emotions take his whole team out of the game. His mouthing off and cursing at referee Brad Watson landed Domi a gross misconduct penalty and an accompanying fine of $200. The Maple Leafs were scored on during the penalty and stayed back on their heels to lose the game 5-2. His words cost him and the team a loss.

Second Effort

September 19, 2010

Set:

I had the great privilege of knowing Prentice Gautt, who passed away March 17, 2005. He was a wonderful human being. Prentice Gautt was the first black athlete to play football at Oklahoma University. He began playing there in 1956. He was two-time all conference in both 1958 and 1959. Not only was he a great runner; he was a fierce blocker.

The Mentality of a Man

August 04, 2010

Set:

PICTURE THIS: Its Wednesday morning July 28, 2010. Its 6:30 AM, time for my morning run. It’s raining. Its decision time…to run or not to run that is the question. Put up or shut up, go hard or go home, don’t be a punk were some of the thoughts that ran through my mentality as mind kept reminding me that it was raining. OK Chad, what’s it gonna be?

The Race

November 10, 2010

Set:

Perhaps more than anyone else, we coaches can appreciate the athletic imagery used in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to “run the race” that is set before them, and from his words we can draw four encouragements as we run the spiritual race of faith set before us.

What did you call me?

October 12, 2009

Set:

It seems as if everyone who plays sports picks up a nickname at some point. Coaches love to give nicknames. One coach I know gives every player he coaches a nickname.

One definition of the word "nickname" is that it is "a descriptive name given instead of the one belonging to a person." It can be cute, funny, short, rude, defining or obvious. You either love your nickname or hate it. My dad's nickname growing up was Horse, because he worked like one. My nickname was Bean, because I loved baked beans as a kid.

Interceptions

June 03, 2010

Set:

During football, soccer, and hockey games, the course of the game can change quickly. Success is often the result of an interception that leads to a score and victory. God can also intercept our life. When we think that everything is going wrong, God finds a way to get our attention. It may be by a circumstance or someone He strategically puts in our life. The next time you see a defensive player intercept a ball or a puck, watch and see what happens next. They are congratulated by their teammates and the change of momentum will often lead to a score and victory. When it is needed, don’t be surprised if God intercepts your life.

Good Grief

May 05, 2010

Set:

“Good grief.” I guess Charlie Brown started that phrase. He might have been referring to a pitiful-looking Christmas tree, a materialistic doghouse designed by Snoopy, or a wild scheme by Peppermint Patty. I’ve used the phrase, too. We kick off on the first play of the game, and it is returned by our opponent for a touchdown. Then they kick off to us, we fumble, and they return the fumble for another touchdown. Thirty seconds have run off the clock, and we are down 14–0. Good grief!

Let me ask this question: Is grief ever good?