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In the parable of the talents, the ruler blessed three of his servants with different talents, and they were to do something with them. One buried his and didn’t do anything with it and the ruler came back and basically said, “Wicked man. You didn’t do what you were supposed to do.” Of the other two—one multiplied his talent a little bit and the other maximized his to the fullest. That’s where I feel like I sit.
God truly does make His strength known in whatever way He sees fit—whether through point-blank pows to the face or in subtle hints. In my case, it has been both.
When I came to Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan., God blessed me with the rare opportunity to play college baseball at a school that also helped cultivate my faith and personal ministry. It had always been a dream of mine to play baseball at the college level, but, if things had gone according to my own plan, I would have become just another face in the crowd. Thankfully, God has always put me in the place I needed to be—surrounded by the right people, challenged in appropriate times, and nurtured by His supreme love.
Walking through the halls of the Auburn football office, you can almost feel it. there’s something different about this athletic complex — something bigger than just sports.
Make no mistake about it, these Tigers have the same on-the-field mission as every other football team in the country. They want to win. But unlike most other teams, their definition of a “win” isn’t restricted to a scoreboard.
How does strength and flexibility training improve one’s game? In what ways is a team better because of that training?
Hebrews 12:12-13 states, “strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but healed instead.”
Certainly each player is able to compete at a higher level when he or she is stronger and more able to withstand injury. Thus, we hear the admonition to strengthen our “tired hands” and “weakened knees.”
Chapel – Power, Love and Self-control
1 – To compete strongly today and throughout the season, three qualities will be required – Power, Love and Self-control.
• These are powerfully described in II Timothy 1:7 (read the text aloud).
I love to watch the big guys at our football practices. Today many of them are almost 300-pound giants whose names will never be called out over the speakers at games. In the winter they spend time in the weight room getting bigger and stronger and building the stamina they need to push against the opposition. At practices they spend time working on their footwork and making sure that every step puts them in a position to make a solid block. Their names don’t show up in the stat sheets for yardage or touchdowns, but no team will ever win without them.
John the Baptist could be considered as the greatest lineman Jesus had in front of Him. John's actions were never about seeking glory for himself but about doing everything he could to clear the way for Jesus.
Every morning, I have a routine once I get to the office.
1. Fire up the computer - 8:00 A.M.
2. Delete the spam from my e-mail account (while eating a couple pieces of toast).
3. Head to “Morning Glory,” the corporate prayer time of the FCA National Office.
4. Transition into prayer time with the Communications/Marketing Department.
5. Edit and send out the daily Impact Play e-mail devotion.
6. Start the day - 9:30 A.M.
I’ll be honest. Prior to writing this story, bullet point number five wasn’t that much of a landmark in my day.
It’s called the “sweet spot.” Every batter in baseball knows where it is. They dream about the sound the bat makes when they find it. From 5-year-old T-ball players to 25-year-old Major League All-Stars, every one of them wants to find the sweet spot. But it’s not just for baseball. Have you ever seen the look on a basketball player’s face when they know their shot is going in? Watch highlights of Michael Jordan from back in the day or of LeBron James now, and you’ll see what I mean.
The Boston Red Sox shocked the world last fall with their first World Series victory in 86 years. As the competition for this year’s championship heats up, and the Sox prepare to make a run at another title, STV is giving you a look inside through the eyes of outfielder Trot Nixon.
You don’t see it much anymore, but when sports teams used to be really bad, fans would wear paper bags over their heads during games. They were at the game, but ashamed of their team and didn’t want anyone to know who they were.
Jesus did many miracles and amazed people daily. No one saw this more than His disciples. They were front-row fans, so to speak. One day, Jesus told them that if they truly believed who He was, they would not be ashamed of Him and His message. Like the fans of old, one of His disciples, Peter, became ashamed of Jesus to the point of publicly denying Him—not once, but three times!
Since the beginning of time, love stories have been told and retold. Typically, they go something like this: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl live happily ever after.
I once heard of a pitcher who was nervous about starting a play-off game. The position players were steering clear of him, and the pitching coach was at his wits end over the pitcher’s behavior. The head coach finally got wind of what was going on and marched down to the clubhouse to talk to the pitcher. He looked the pitcher in the eye and said, “Son, either change your behavior, or change out of your uniform!”
I’ll admit it . . . I love to watch NASCAR. I am fascinated by the speed of the cars and the drivers who work all week to prepare for a race every Sunday. What would happen if they just came to the track on Sunday without doing anything to their cars all week? Or what if they let some other carmaker try to use outside parts on their car? They would do poorly and probably wouldn’t finish the race. These cars are high-maintenance, bought and conditioned as finely-tuned machines to perform at peak abilities when it is time to go.
A centurion named Julius was charged with escorting the imprisoned Paul to Rome. They sailed against Paul’s advice, hoping to reach a new destination before winter. The gentle breeze that blew in encouraged their voyage but then they became trapped in a tremendous fourteen-day storm, costing them their cargo and almost their lives. The majority of those on board had urged the trip forward, and the captain made the mistake of listening to public opinion.
We have all seen the shirts that say “Football is life, the rest is just details.” I used to own one of those shirts a long time ago. And football wasn’t the only sport they made into these shirts. I have seen basketball, golf, fishing and so on.
As a Christians and athletes, our shirts should say “Jesus is life, the rest is just details.” In Matthew 24:35, He says that Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will not. This means EVERYTHING: massive stadiums, gyms, buildings, earth, etc. Jesus and His Kingdom are the only things that will remain.
As athletes, most of us have experienced victory on the playing field, in the gym, on the road, etc., whether on a team or as an individual. Although we may not remember all the victories, we can probably recall how we felt during that time of victory. It was overwhelmingly satisfying, wasn’t it?
As athletes, most of us have also experienced defeat—maybe even more than victory. And just as we can remember the feelings of triumph, we also remember those of loss—the sadness, disappointment and remorse. Just plain defeated.
This verse is part of Christ’s Great Commission. As followers of Christ, this is an awesome commandment and responsibility we all share. My question is, how often do we go, but only halfway?
As athletes, we are constantly around teammates, competitors, and others who don’t know Christ. We go to practices, competitions, and social events where we are surrounded by people in need of a Savior, yet end up only going halfway—showing up, but not engaging them in what is most important to us: Jesus Christ. What stops us from going the whole way? Sometimes it’s simple forgetfulness or distractions, sometimes it’s fear, and sometimes it’s a lack of confidence or willingness to be different.
An imprint is permanent mark. It means to engrave, etch, impress or inscribe. I remember as an eight-year-old, I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride my older brother's motorcycle. I wanted to show him how "big" I was, so I took off with reckless abandonment! Around 100 yards down the dirt road, my front tire hit a hole that I never saw. As I flew through the air, my life passed before my eyes. I landed in a ditch, and the motorcycle landed on my back! Ouch! Thankfully, as a result of being in the ditch, the only part of the motorcycle that was touching my back was the muffler. As the muffler burned through my shirt and my flesh, I experienced a world of hurt. My brother rescued me and I was forbidden to ride his bike again.
Coaches want to tell their athletes exactly what needs to be dsone and have confidence they’ll do it. Athletes want coaches to be direct. They want to know exactly what play to run. They don’t want surprises. Knowing exactly what is expected is how athletes focus on what they have to do.
David gave Solomon this kind of direction in 1 Kings. David knew his time on earth was almost up. He knew Solomon would need to focus in order to prepare for what was coming. David gave Solomon very direct expectations for his life.
We can take these same directions and apply them to our lives today. When we take “Coach” David’s to-do list and apply it to our lives, we will have the focus we need to succeed in the game of life.
My dad loved to engage God daily and passionately challenged others to do so as well. It had not always been that way. Eighteen years ago he was an overcommitted businessman who would squeeze in a two-minute devotion in his car before running into his office. That changed when Brad Curl saw that my dad, who was on many ministry boards, was skimming with his devotions. To get his attention, Brad grabbed my dad and said, “Ed, stop playing with God. You are a Christian leader. Start diving into God’s Word and get serious! No more giving God leftovers!” That day marked my dad. No more two-minute devos! My dad’s life transformed as he feasted on God’s Word first thing every morning.
Sometimes I have this dream about a big game. I’m prepared, ready, yet something’s missing. It could be I forgot my shoes, have the wrong uniform, or something is preventing me from getting into the game. The familiar dream began after a career-ending injury. You never know what the next day may bring, so play each day for the Lord. Adversity comes in various ways. Injuries are an area most athletes have to deal with at one point or another. Many are lucky and with God’s help play through an injury. However, it is hard to suffer an injury that requires rehabilitation or may take us out for the season. Satan brings thoughts of, Why me? Why give me this talent and take it away? Thoughts of quitting creep in.
A special tree grows each year in every sport. It’s called the coaching tree. Throughout the history of sports, wesee a list of coaches who have been trained by other great coaches, who, in turn, continue the legacy to form an incredible tree. Bob Knight, Pat Summitt, Knute Rockne, Tommy Lasorda—all have great coaching trees because at one time or another, they committed themselves to being taught and they gained the knowledge they needed to pass along to others. Basketball coach Dean Smith is an example. His coaching had many branches that stemmed out to high school, college, and professional ranks and included coaches who had been and still are following in his footsteps.
For Auburn Offensive Line Coach Jeff Grimes, coaching wasn’t part of the immediate plan when he graduated from the University of Texas-El Paso in 1990 and finished a successful football playing career. But when a nudge from the Holy Spirit led him into the profession, Grimes embarked on what has now turned in to a high-impact coaching career filled with bowl games, All-Americans and recently, a BCS National Title. For Grimes, though, no gridiron achievements can outweigh the spiritual impact he makes as a man of God.
In 2007, God reached approximately 340,150 kids on 6,803 campuses through the hard work of 830 FCA staff members across 50 states. That’s 340,150 students who heard the Word of God in their own schools, were influenced by their Christian teachers and coaches and learned how to compete for Christ. That’s 6,803 campuses that facilitated a light for Jesus and allowed a Christian group to organize on their school grounds.
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