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This Major League Baseball season has been tough on me. I've had to watch my favorite team battle through the first half of the season being devastated by injuries. This team, which was predicted by some to win the World Series, is now near the bottom of its division. They desperately need their All-Star players to return so that they can compete to win their division. These players aren't helping the team win by sitting on the bench.
David believed in both personal and corporate worship, and therefore his public life reflected his private life. In fact, David’s love for God affected the worship of an entire nation. We read in 1 Chronicles 16 how the nation of Israel brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and as a result, David called upon key worship leaders to sing and make music to the Lord. “On that day David decreed for the first time that thanks be given to the LORD by Asaph and his relaives” (1 Ch 16:7). Given that David was a musician and songwriter and Asaph was a worship leader, the psalm in 1 Chronicles 16 is filled with praise and thanksgiving. It was set to music and sung before the people.
As a student-athlete in high school, the only thing that I liked about myself was my basketball ability. My self-worth was based completely on my performance on the court. Although I knew Christ, it took a lot of painful losing and poor performances for me once I got to college to realize that my self-worth was very skewed.
After I began to read the Bible more, I realized that none of the verses showed that God loved me any less based on my performance. I did, however, find many verses based on how God viewed me as His child.
Most fans who go to a football game come, watch the game, eat tons of food, cheer for their team and leave either happy or dejected. But what goes on behind the scenes? Did you know that some people involved in the game spend almost half the day to ensure everything goes as planned? It's true! Student-managers and trainers spend countless hours in preparation and post-game clean up with no fanfare, no autographs to sign, and no one waiting to outside the locker room for a post-game interview. Why do they do what they do? It's their job!
Season tickets for your team: $100
Hot dogs and sodas for the game: $20
Game programs: $10
Watching your team kick a last-second field goal: Priceless
FCA Bible: $8
Team FCA Kit: $25
FCA Camp: $335
Leading a student-athlete to the Lord: Priceless
Noah's Ark: Many trips to Home Depot for gopher wood
Prodigal son’s share: Half of Dad's estate
Selling out our Savior: 30 pieces of silver (like Judas) or our daily denial (like Peter)
Grace and forgiveness from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Priceless
Satan's promise: Everything you desire
Society's pleasure: Instant gratification for the moment
Sin's price: Death
Savior's purpose and plan: Eternity with HIM!
If you’re running to win but you have only earthly goals in mind, it will be short-lived. It will be a withering type of thing. You have to have spiritual goals in mind. Things do get in the way of being excellent. Some of those things are pride and self-centeredness but you still have to do everything as unto the Lord. You have to try to keep those types of thoughts out. You have to understand what’s spiritual and what’s long lasting. I’m reminded of the Scripture passage about the guy who had the barns, was very blessed, and said he was going to build bigger barns and store all of his wares. But God said to him, “You’re a fool because all these things will be taken from you this very night.” Where is your soul?
In 1992, the Olympic Games were held in Barcelona, Spain. Athletes from around the world gathered as they did every four years to compete against the best from every country. One such athlete was Derek Redmond. Representing England in the 400 meters, Redmond was a sure medal contender until his semifinal heat. The packed stadium was filled with the anticipation of a great race from this champion runner. The gun went off, and the race was moving along well with Redmond in the lead … until it happened. Halfway down the back stretch, Redmond collapsed on the track with a pulled hamstring. Medical staff rushed toward him, but he fought to his feet. Derek Redmond had only one thing on his mind … finishing the race.
As coaches, our jobs do not end with the final game of the season. Even out of season we are recruiting, reviewing game films, and developing a plan for the next year. We set goals and requirements for our athletes—all to prepare them for competition.
God instructed Moses to receive the Ten Commandments, “Cut two stone tablets…be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before Me on the mountaintop” (Ex 34:1). Throughout the Old Testament, God gave instructions on preparing sacrifices, being prepared for battle, preparing food, and preparing to build the temple.
The life of a coach goes something like this: gets up early, goes to office, teaches class or watches film, meets with other coaches, has a lunch meeting, goes over more film, reviews scouting reports, teaches more class, prepares for team meetings, has team meetings, has team practice, has follow-up meetings with coaches and players, and finally leaves for home. Once they get home, they review homework, chat with their spouse, spend time with kids, read a bedtime story, make a couple of calls, and finally eat dinner.
Obviously, the life of a coach is a busy one — sometimes too busy. But is something missing? How could anything more possibly fit into that busy day? What is missing is vitally important, eternally important. This is where the squeeze comes in.
Life demands toughness. I thought it was tough being a student. Then I got a real job. Tough! I thought it was tough playing in the NFL. Then I got married. Tough! I thought it was tough being married. Then I had kids.
Tough!
Under Armour sports performance apparel has become one of the hottest brands in sports. The company has “engineered” apparel for athletes to protect them from the cold, the heat and the turf. They even offer performance underwear! Athletes from the NFL to NASCAR—and even members of the military—wear Under Armour gear in order to protect themselves from the elements and to enhance performance. I have to admit that I rarely train without it! And my boys even wear it under their football, baseball and lacrosse equipment.
When I was playing professional lacrosse, I was the only Christian on my team (as far as I knew). I was outspoken about my faith during my four years of playing, and I never had another player share with me about their faith in Jesus. I felt God had placed me on the team to be a light. As the token Christian player, my teammates selected me to do the team prayer. Usually, if it was a big game, I would have a player say something like, “Pray a GOOD one Dan. This is a huge game!” The mentality was that a “good” prayer would lead us to victory; a “bad” prayer would lead to defeat.
Four teams. Three great games. One champion. The madness was definitely present at the Final Four this year. People everywhere, parties all night, drinking out of control. Was the madness about basketball, or bigger than that?
The Hall of Fame football coach of the Green Bay Packers once said, “Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.” Many times I have looked at overwhelming obstacles in my life and have felt like there was no chance of victory. However, I have learned that no matter how big an obstacle is, I serve a God who gives me victory in spite of overwhelming odds. Caleb and Joshua wanted to conquer the people of Jericho when the rest of Israel was afraid.
Several years ago, as a senior on the baseball team, I had climbed the ladder and put in my time until it was finally my chance to be a starter. Each year I had been competing with older guys and had never ended up winning the job. This year, though, I was the oldest and most experienced, so I got the opportunity.
Last summer at FCA Captain’s Camp, high school athletes were pushed to their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual limits. Thankfully, my job was simple – I was the “Waterboy”. When I was a high school athlete, waterboys were often treated as the “least” important part of the team. They did the job no one else wanted to do.
But Jesus never views those who play a seemingly “small” role as unimportant. He never looked down on those who served behind the scenes or did the jobs nobody else wanted. In fact, Jesus flips that concept on its head. He says the least among us will be the greatest. Those we consider great – the best players, the best coaches – will only be considered great in God’s eyes if they serve like the Waterboy serves.
Part of the challenge in life is it is so daily. As a competitor, it is a battle not to treat today’s practice as just one more in what feels like an endless amount. It seems the only competitors who really value each workout are those who realize there isn’t an infinite amount: those returning from injury, at the end of their final season or especially those who have been told they do not have long to live. These individuals truly make each day count.
John Lucas sat at home and watched the Final Four and then watched his program at Baylor fall apart right before his eyes. Shortly after — due to a special NCAA ruling — Lucas got the chance to transfer and play immediately. He chose Oklahoma State, finished as a 3rd team All-American and now is preparing his game for the finals this weekend. Lucas got what we all desire at times … a fresh start.
On a recent run I was confronted by the two things I hate most in my training – wind and hills. The run started with a strong wind in my face, but the course was flat. Although I don’t like wind, I learned to accept it because it makes me stronger. My second challenge was just ahead – a 7/10 of a mile incline with a gradual elevation of about 110 feet. Not too bad in itself, but with the headwind and going for time, I needed all of my energy.
During my ascent, I thought about life and how we all have “hills” and “headwinds.” I thought about how I deal with them, how I can make improvements, and how I can be a better example to others when faced with difficulties. I also thought about whether or not I invite God into my life when I encounter these situations.
Over the past few years, the technology for swim gear has improved drastically. During the Olympics in the 70s, the average male swimmer probably had swim trunks bought from a local department store, and he didn’t bother wearing a swim cap or shaving. Today, we have technology that makes swimsuits resemble shark skin for less resistance, which shaves the important hundredths of seconds off one’s time.
He knew it could be his day. He had been there before, but today would be different. Phil Mickelson finally landed his first major tour victory after 46 attempts. Draining an 18-foot putt on the final hole of the tournament could not have made it any sweeter. He had waited for a long time for this victory, and it was worth the wait.
I just returned for a powerful FCA weekend retreat at the FCA National Conference Center in Marshall, Ind. God was alive and well and moved among the college students who attended. Kenn Kington did a great job of presenting the gospel and offered an invitation on Saturday night to accept the Lord for the first time. No show of hands. No "Just as I am." Just men and women making things right with their Creator during this special time. Kington encouraged all who made a decision to tell others about praying to invite Jesus into their hearts.
The next morning during our Huddle time, one of the young men shared how a teammate of his gave his life to the Lord, but he was surprised. He thought since this young man came to FCA that he was a believer.
A few years ago, while coaching at a small college, I recruited a young man named Luke. I had several knowledgeable people tell me that Luke would not make a good basketball player for our team. To my knowledge, Luke may not have had any other schools approach him about playing college basketball. I was told there were several other players that would serve our program better.
There are about a million things I loved about John Wooden's coaching, but one of my favorite things was when he taught his players each year how to put on their socks and tie their shoes properly. Now, you would think that college-aged men could do this on their own, but Wooden took nothing for granted. He paid attention to the little things of the game. I believe this is what made the big things come easier for his teams over the years. He always took care of the little things.
Just before the start of the 2004 baseball spring training, St. Louis Cardinals' slugger Albert Pujols signed a seven-year, $100 million contract with the team. After hitting like no other major league ballplayer in history in his first three seasons, the Cardinals wanted to make sure he remained in St. Louis for many years to come. Pujols assured them that, "The money … won't change the way I play baseball."
There are many times in life when outside influences tempt us to compromise our character. Things like money, power and fame even in little doses can bring about greed, immorality and pride in our lives that puts distance between us and God.
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