The psalmist tells us that his heart’s bitterness caused him to act more like an animal than a man. Sometimes when competitors are displaced by injury or illness, they experience great frustration, isolation, loneliness, and a myriad of other emotions. Those emotions can lead one to thinking and acting senselessly. The pain associated with losing may even drive some to foolishly medicate their pain and grief. Wise coaching can short-circuit that process and keep the team from painful consequences.

A coach looks at his players’ strengths and weaknesses and decides who will play and how long they will be in the game. He or she often will take players out of the game to get some rest or to give someone else some playing time.

When I played softball in college, our shortstop had a very positive, contagious personality. When she was out of the game, you could tell the difference on the field. The game of life is no different. When a loved one leaves the playing field, they are dearly missed. For those who believe in Christ as Savior, this is a welcome call home. The rest of the “team” will miss them dearly, but they can find peace in knowing that the Creator, our Coach, has a plan.

Athletes love to be called great. At least I do. It has been awhile since I have heard those words on the field of competition, but I do hear it from my kids every once in a while, so I got that going for me. If you truly are the best, then you are called the greatest of all time. Only a few have reached that level of success, and they are certainly in their respective Halls of Fame.

I think every true competitor has a secret desire to be great, and that is okay. That shows drive and passion. My question isn’t whether or not you are great or even if you have that desire. My question is would you rather be great or grateful?  

March Madness has arrived. How did these 64 teams and 64 head coaches arrive in the tournament? Some teams had it easy, some had a tough road, and still others charted new territory as they brought their team to the tournament for the first time in years. Early in the season, many coaches had to decide if they were going to dance to the madness or become miserable as their hopes were dashed by defeat after defeat. One such Coach took the road from misery to March Madness to ministry. Lorenzo Romar, head coach of the Washington Huskies, found the right road to take.

The sport of bull riding is what some call “the toughest sport on dirt.” It involves riding a twisting, bucking, angry bull for what every rider hopes will be eight seconds—a virtual eternity when seated on 1,800 pounds of raging power.

One common denominator among bull riders is fear. The Lord says in Isaiah that we have nothing to fear because, by the glory of God, He will help us through anything we face. And that means anything from the possibility of missing clutch free-throws to the potential of getting trampled by a bull.