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December 16, 2004
Set:
Kobe Bryant said that Karl Malone was like a "big brother — a mentor," as well as a friend to him last year as he played alongside of him as part of the Los Angeles Lakers. This week, their relationship has blown up in front of the whole nation. In response to the fireworks, Charles Barkley said that these two "know better. They know to take care of these things in private and not let it out into the public."
In Matthew, Jesus says that we should approach those who have hurt us first and foremost in private — one on one. We should be honest and try to show them how they've upset us. Chances are we can work it out right then and there, as many conflicts between "brothers" are miscommunications and are readily forgiven.
February 08, 2007
Set:
In the world of Oklahoma Sooner athletics, Laura Tomes became a household name this past volleyball season. That was easy to understand considering the fact that, as the middle blocker, she led the OU to its best seasons in nine years, was a critical player in the school's first defeat of the University of Texas Longhorns, and helped her team to the Sweet 16 for only the second time in school history. Tomes played with a lot of heart on the court and easily found herself playing the role of the fan favorite.
October 07, 2005
Set:
In the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, sprinter Bob Hayes tied the Olympic record on his way to winning the gold medal in the 100-meter dash. Just a few months later, Hayes was dashing past defensive backs as a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. It was a radical idea at the time: taking a world-class sprinter and turning him into a football player. Hayes’s success altered defensive strategy and changed how football was played.
February 15, 2012
Set:
Words, like toothpaste, come out easily but can’t be put back in once they’ve come out. University of Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell learned this firsthand. He was forced to resign from his coaching position for making insensitive remarks. “I am deeply sorry for any pain or embarrassment I have caused any individual or the university,” Cochell said. The individual on the receiving end of Coach Cochell’s words forgave him for the incident and did not want him to resign. “We all say things that we don’t mean,” this person said. “He made a mistake.”
April 01, 2005
Set:
Last weekend's dramatic NCAA Regional Championship games have many of us bursting with anticipation for Saturday night's Final Four match-ups. What started as 64 teams has become four. On Monday night, only one will remain above them all.
August 02, 2010
Set:
The 2009-2010 Butler Bulldogs’ historic run to the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship was a Cinderella story that shocked America. They were overmatched in almost every game, yet they still persevered and defeated the odds. How did Butler accomplish what many national powerhouses failed to? Skill, determination, and school pride were factors in Butler’s success, but the true X-Factor was their coachability.
May 28, 2010
Set:
In my four years of college basketball, one particular weekend stood out to me more than any other. My teammates and I traveled down to Cookson Hills, OK, in the school’s two vans and loaded our luggage into the house where we would be staying. When we got there, however, we realized that the family we would be staying with had been stricken with the flu. We had no choice but to stay there, as other families already had teams they were housing.
April 11, 2006
Set:
“The wait is finally over. The White Sox have won the pennant.” Many people in the organization have had to wait a long time to get to the World Series. Every person on the team and each fan would say it has been worth the wait, but it wasn’t easy in the process. Waiting is one tough job! In sports today, players and teams are waiting … waiting patiently for their time to shine.
In God’s Word, Isaiah wrote in chapter 40 that waiting is a good thing. The word “wait” does not measure time spent, but rather it is a process of strengthening until fulfillment. Let me suggest three reasons why we must wait on the Lord:
February 08, 2005
Set:
As Christian competitors, we realize that God has called us to serve. But do we understand that we should be consumed to serve? Is there a consuming fire that burns in us to serve others around us who are hurting and to help those who need to experience the love of Christ through us?
October 25, 2012
Set:
As the quarterback drops back and throws, the receiver hesitantly extends his arms toward to the ball. Sensing a defensive player closing in, he’s not eager to complete the catch. His focus is more on protecting himself from the defense’s attack. In situations like this, when a receiver demonstrates partial effort in catching a ball, it can be said he has “alligator arms.” And likewise, our faith can be like having “alligator arms.” At times, we fail to take full advantage of our opportunities to grow in our relationship with Christ or share our faith with others because we are afraid of what the costs may be. We let fear of circumstances control us, because we prefer to stay safe in our “comfort zone” rather than stretching ourselves and trusting in God.
April 17, 2012
Set:
Anyone who knows sports knows that turnovers and missed opportunities, especially in the game of basketball, spell disaster. This was never more apparent than in the championship game of a recent tournament, when our starting point guard had 11 turnovers before halftime, and our team faced a 12-point deficit. The message for her was simple at halftime: “What could you do with 11 more possessions? Could you score the 12 points we need? Perhaps dish out 6 assists to overcome the deficit?”
April 11, 2005
Set:
In some ways it was an uncharacteristic win for Tiger Woods at the 2005 Masters. While entering the final 27 holes four shots behind Chris DiMarco, Woods stormed back with four straight birdies to turn the deficit into a two-shot lead. And just when it looked like he might run away with a big victory, DiMarco showed resolve by sticking with Tiger and sinking his par putt on the final hole to force a playoff. "This was one fun victory, but also a lot of work because I was playing with one heck of a competitor," Woods said. "He put up a heck of a fight."
October 07, 2005
Set:
There are two sayings that I have heard hundreds of times in my life. One is “You can’t tell a book by its cover,” and the other is an advertising statement that assures us “It’s what’s up front that counts.” I would like to take a little liberty with those two statements and apply them to the world of sports. I think that anyone who has played baseball can attest to the fact that “You can’t tell a baseball by its cover” and “It’s what’s inside that counts.”
December 05, 2012
Set:
After a game when one of my players did not follow my signal and steal second base, I went to talk with him: “I need second base; I don’t need a lead-off hitter to get to first. I need a lead-off hitter who can get to second. If you are telling me you can’t get to second, then I need to find another lead-off hitter.” “I’ll get you second base,” was the answer. “Good!”
October 07, 2005
Set:
I was in graduate school when the dean from a Christian college where I was working asked me to coach the women’s field hockey team (the team’s head coach had fallen ill). Although I loved playing field hockey, I had never considered coaching. But the players were due to arrive in two days, the dean looked desperate, and I didn’t have the heart to say no. I knew the game like a close friend—how hard could it be?
September 28, 2012
Set:
It was an ancient custom to shoot an arrow or cast a spear into the country which an army intended to invade. We see this in college football when the Florida State Seminole rider hurls the spear into the ground or when the USC Trojan warrior pierces the soil with his sword.
An open window in the pasage above symbolizes a variety of opportunities that come to us during the course of a competitive contest. The release of the arrow in this opportune moment is our ability to capitalize on the opportunity and turn into a surge of momentum for the team. The bow and arrow represent the strategic development of our talents and deployment of our assignments.
April 12, 2005
Set:
As the time winded down at the end of the Illinois/Louisville game in the 2005 NCAA Final Four, the celebration began. Players began to jump up and down, coaches started to walk towards each other to exchange pleasantries, and one player stood alone. Roger Powell, Jr. stood at the foul line focused on one thing.
Historically, as found throughout scripture, when victory was won in battle the people of God gave praise to the Lord. But many kings and warriors over the years also chose not to give proper praise to God for His goodness in battle. They chose to celebrate how great they were instead of how great God was in the victory. This is still a fault of many today.
April 18, 2011
Set:
Johnny was a new student at his school. His parents had taken new jobs out in the suburbs far from his old home in the city. Johnny stood out in the crowd, and he was left alone more often than not. Johnny’s skin color was different than that of most of the students, and he also talked differently. He felt like he was in a foreign country even though he was only 50 miles from his old school. It wasn’t long before he started to despise going to school every day. “Everyone hates me there,” he would tell his folks. That certainly appeared to be true. Except for one boy…
September 28, 2009
Set:
The day before last year’s Kansas City marathon, I was meeting with Chris Anderson, our National Director of FCA’s Endurance Ministry. I was fired up for the race but a bit anxious about trying to run a PR. As I was reflecting back on my training leading up to the race, I mentioned to him that I wished I’d done more long runs, more speed work, more conditioning, more everything. I was feeling the pressure. He smiled real big, leaned across the table and said, “Dan, at this point, the hay is in the barn. The race is tomorrow.
December 24, 2009
Set:
Elephants are some of the biggest, most powerful, and intelligent animals on the planet. And in certain parts of Asia, farmers still use elephants to do much of the heavy labor. Some countries even hold elephant festivals to
celebrate their strength and intelligence. These festivals always end with a tug-of-war between one elephant and
one hundred men—and you guessed it, the elephant always wins!
But amazingly, the only thing that elephant owners in Asia have to do to control an elephant is tie a rope to its right hind leg and a small wooden post in the ground. That’s it! The elephant won’t move, even though the wooden post and rope is like a toothpick and dental floss to you and me.
December 29, 2009
Set:
Fred was a very good player in my high school program. He could run, jump, dunk, and shoot. He had all the tools he needed in order to be successful. But Fred made a big mistake one day. He came out to practice late, and I did not see him until “it” happened. We were doing our warm-up drill involving lay-ups when Fred came down after a lay-up and turned his ankle badly. When I looked at his feet, I realized he was not prepared for the drill. Fred’s shoes were untied and not laced up tight for practice. He tripped over his laces, tore up his ankle, and missed the remainder of our season.
July 10, 2013
Set:
Following God even when you are in doubt is difficult. We often get caught up in the uncertainty of our future and forget Who is ultimately in charge. After Moses died Joshua was immediately made the Israelites’ “Commander in Chief,” and part of his responsibility was leading God's chosen people into the Promised Land.
When Joshua took his new position God instructed him three times to be “strong and courageous” as he led God's people into battle. Joshua had to boldly follow God despite the uncertainty of the future. And not only did he have to remain unwavering in his faith as the Israelites fought their adversaries, he also had to stay diligent to conquer the temptations that came along the way.
April 02, 2013
Set:
“We’re all brothers” is a quip we used to say in high school football. I loved the meaning of this statement—we’re all in this together and will support each other no matter what! I felt the love when it was shouted for all to hear. A brotherhood is not a neighborhood. A brotherhood is a group of people bonded together that faces obstacles together. A neighborhood is just a place we reside. A brotherhood is a union or fraternity that joins forces to win—just like a team.
December 01, 2012
Set:
A Division I basketball school entered its conference tournament as the number eight seed, which meant a low probability of making it to the NCAA tournament. Despite the odds, they achieved that goal by knocking off the one-, two-, and four-seeded teams, thereby earning entry into the NCAA tournament. As one team member summarized, “We put it together when it counted most.” We all know that falling short of our expectations leads to disappointment both on and off the court. However, if we, like that eighth-seeded team, keep looking forward to even a small hope of success, we’ll often be glad we did.
July 06, 2013
