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Coaches come with all types of personalities; some tend to yell more than others, while some favor a more laid-back approach. No matter their coaching technique, all have the same desire for attentive athletes.
Listening is vital in sports. If you don't listen, you don't learn. If you don't learn, you will never improve. The same is true in our walk with God. But how do you listen to a God whom few have ever heard speak?
"Why do you want to make it to the NFL?" That was a question I recently posed to three promising athletes. The first responded with an expected answer. He wanted the glory, fame and money that came with it. He wanted to be rich. The second player wanted to fulfill a dream of playing at the highest level and to help his family. The third player took time to think before answering.
My first three seasons as a varsity boys’ basketball coach were very successful. We won many games and advanced deep into the tournament each year. I remember having a very good attitude during those years. The next four years, however, weren't quite what I expected. My attitude deteriorated as I faced losing teams, losing jobs, moving my family and being rejected by friends.
Lost in excitement of the NCAA basketball tournaments is the fact that the college baseball season is now in full swing. In past years that meant I was spending many hours on a bus and away from my family. Unfortunately, my daily devotionals usually took a hit during that time of the year too.
As competitors, we understand the law of the harvest. What we sow or plant today will produce a harvest at a later time with a greater result. We understand that the training we do today will not produce results today, or even tomorrow, but will produce great results down the road. It will even produce something greater than the training itself. For example, in basketball, working overtime on shooting will produce not just a better shooter, but a better player for the team. The law of the harvest is about later and greater.
Scripture is the basis of our faith. But, sometimes, I think we get so caught up in life that we start to look at familiar verses and almost label them as cliché. As sad as that sounds, we hear verses like John 3:16, Philippians 4:13 and Jeremiah 29:11 and simply pass them by or say to ourselves, “Oh, I’ve heard that a thousand times.” While that may be true, it doesn’t take away the relevance of Scripture!
A high school coach of mine once said that when things go wrong, it is important to go back to the basics—to the foundation of the game—and to re-establish a routine. He was talking about softball, but I think this relates to our faith in a profound way.
When you go into a game, athletes have to think they will win. They can’t think they might win. They have to think they will win. If that happens on both sides, it means that there will be two teams entering the game thinking the same thing, and only one will get to live it out. No matter how much we wish we could all win, in the end, one of us will lose. And a big determining factor in who comes out victorious is the infamous game clock.
No matter how much we wish we could, we can’t put more time on the clock in any game. Each game we play is set up to be played in a certain amount of time. Whether it is counted by seconds and minutes or by innings or sets, each game has a set time frame. What we do in this amount of time determines the outcome of the game.
Picture this: It is the bottom of the eighth inning. There is one out with men on first and second. Your team, down by three, desperately needs a hit to stay in the game, and you are next up to bat. Do you give up or do you rise to the challenge?
I’m a fan of Coach John Wooden’s book, Pyramid of Success. Throughout my teaching and coaching career, I’ve shared with others how it has influenced my life in many helpful ways. Recently, during an FCA coaches’ Bible study, it occurred to me that the ideas that influenced me could just as easily be called the “pyramid of significance.”
Webster defines success as “an outcome or result; favorable or desired outcome; the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence.” The definition of significance reads, “Something that is conveyed as a meaning often obscurely or indirectly; the quality of being important.”
The unruly brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons made so many headlines. You know the story, so I'll spare you the details Yet, in response to the uproar, commissioner David Stern commented, "We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our games. One of our boundaries that has always been immutable is the boundary that separates the fans from the court. Players cannot lose control and move into the stands."
Hockey Chat: The Stanley Cup is the only trophy in professional sports that has the names of winning players, coaches, management and club staff engraved and passed to the new winner year after year.
Every now and again a coach comes along who, with a soft voice and humility, is able to inspire players to be greater than they thought they ever could be. Reilly Richey was such a coach. He displayed a quiet confidence and a gentleness of spirit that endeared him to everyone he met. The things that people saw in Reilly—the courtesy, respectfulness, love, and humor—reflected Christ in him. When they looked at Reilly, they saw a man who was all about Christ.
Each summer, Reilly would take me to a conference for coaches and their spouses sponsored by Professional Athletes’ Outreach. At the end of the “Coaches’ Time Out Conference,” we filled out a sheet that had the prompt, “As a result of the PAO Conference, I plan to…”
Have you ever had a bad game? One in which your shots just weren't falling, or when you had a hard time completing a pass? How about one in which your pitches were off? The list could go on and on.
Everyone has had those games when, no matter how hard you try, it seems as if nothing goes your way. It's a part of athletics; it's a part of life.
No one likes to perform poorly, but it's in these moments when God is clearly seen. We must recognize that even our best efforts are ultimately useless without the Lord; we can accomplish nothing without Him. We can also learn another thing from these times--that all of our abilities, our talents, everything we have is a blessing and that they can all be taken away.
According to society’s standards, a coach’s status is based on his or her win-loss record. Unfortunately, a coach’s personal worth is often tied into this same evaluation. The scoreboard is a clear-cut way to determine playoff selections, but it is a dangerous barometer for a coach to use as the measure of personal success.
“Coach, I couldn't make it to weight-lifting on time because I had to get my hair cut.”
Apparently there wasn't enough time in the day for this athlete to handle his busy schedule. It's not like there was any other time in the day he could have gotten a haircut. It must have been a life-or-death situation!
St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Matt Holliday has learned a lot in his seven years as a major league outfielder, including many valuable lessons about what it means to compete for Christ. Today, we’re continuing our four-part video devotion series based on Holliday’s recent interview with FCA’s Sharing the Victory magazine.
To access the video, click the link below to watch or download the clip. After you’ve watched the short video, take time to answer the questions below. Finish by reading the related Scripture and asking God to work in your heart as a result of what you’ve learned.
VIDEO LINK:
There is a story from the French Revolution that tells of a man who was seen running after a mob. As he moved quickly into danger, somebody screamed, “Stop! Stop! Don’t follow that mob!” He continued to sprint toward them, calling back, “I have to follow them! I’m their leader!”
In this Bible story (Ac 4:1–13), we see courage on display in the lives of Peter and John. These great men were thrown into jail for speaking the truth and performing a miracle. When asked about their ministry, Peter boldly gave the glory to Jesus, not himself, and proclaimed that salvation was found only in Christ. This boldness could only be explained because they had experienced a personal a relationship with their Lord.
While out on a run the other day, I thought to myself, "I need new running shoes." Not WANT new running shoes; NEED new running shoes. These things are terrible! They are several years old, have been worn down, used and abused. They are literally falling apart! Sometimes I think it would be healthier for me not to run instead of grinding it out with these things.
As the run went on, all I kept thinking about was the need for new running shoes, and soon I realized that there was a spiritual parallel here. Stay with me on this one.
You would think that after winning three Super Bowls in four years that Tom Brady and his bunch would be satisfied with their accomplishments. Not quite. In a post-game interview with Andrea Kremer of ESPN, Brady said that he was not content with what they had done. Happy? Yes. But there was room to grow and get better. I am sure there are Patriot players who will relax and relish in their victory, but Tom Brady will get back to work soon. He wants to accomplish more and more.
“In the beginning, God created…” These are familiar words to most people. We know the conclusion of this verse refers to the creation of the world.
Sometime in a humorous vein, those of us who love baseball will try to identify the Creator with our game by quoting the above as “In the big inning…” I believe there is an important lesson to be learned from the first five words in the Bible, one that relates more to those of us who live on the earth than to the earth itself.
Another signing day has passed in college football. The rankings are out and once again colleges like USC, Oklahoma, Florida State and Michigan have locked down the "best" high school athletes in the country. "Blue chippers," high school All-Americans and All-Stars have made their decisions, and now coaches and fans will begin to celebrate their recruiting "victories."
In 1964, Nepalese fighters known as Gurkhas were asked if they would jump from airplanes into combat against the Indonesians. Although the Gurkhas did not completely understand what they were being asked, they agreed to jump from the airplanes into battle. They asked that the planes fly slowly over a swampy area, no higher than 100 feet. When told their parachutes would not have time to open at that height, the Gurkhas replied, “You didn’t mention we would have parachutes.” Incredibly, they were willing to jump without parachutes! They were willing to pay the price and do it with passion.
It broke my heart a little that it wasn’t a bigger deal in the media. It was almost unnoticed as the third bullet point listed on the side of ESPN’s homepage on Monday. Barely a blip on the radar screen when compared to the Manning Bowl. But there it was in bright blue hyperlink text: “Denver Broncos WR Kenny McKinley found dead at his home.”
Reports stated that McKinley, who was on the team’s injured reserve after having knee surgery in August, made comments after his surgery about killing himself. The investigation details later stated that, “McKinley didn’t know what to do other than football” (ESPN.com).
When I was a freshman in college, I heard this a lot. It was a one-sided conversation from my coach, and it went something like this: “If you want to get in the game, don’t leave my side. Stay right next to me. When I need a defensive lineman, I’m only going to yell once.”
This was a great coaching technique. In fact, I liked it so much that I used it myself when I became a coach, and it usually resulted in one or two players following me around like lost puppies. Recently, when I read James 4:8, I was reminded of these days. This verse tells us that when we come near to God, He will come near to us.
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