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Most would agree that character is vital for success in any organization, team, or family, yet today’s news is filled with examples of bad character. Nehemiah was in the process of building a wall, but he recognized that if some character issues were not addressed, the completion of the wall would be insignificant. Rebuilding a physical wall was not all that God had called Nehemiah to do. God called Nehemiah to a much greater ministry—a ministry to the heart.
Sam is a promising, young basketball player. He has all the skills necessary in order to play varsity at his school, but recent injuries and other setbacks have gotten in the way of his hoop dreams. In fact, he just found out he has a stress fracture in his shin, which is news that, at 16, can be heartbreaking. Even though Sam has an unbelievable support system at home, this setback has been incredibly difficult for him to handle.
In life, there aren’t many guarantees. We may have the best game of our life today and then have the worst tomorrow. The only thing we can do is obey our calling to be faithful and do our best for God’s glory.
Late in 2002, Francisco Rodriguez burst onto the Major League scene as a 20-year-old fireball pitcher, and he promptly helped the Los Angeles Angels win the World Series. On September 13, 2008, he nailed-down the final three outs of the team’s win over the Seattle Mariners to earn his 58th save of the season, thus, breaking the Major League record. After the game, Rodriguez said that during the experience, he could feel the presence of his grandfather, who had passed away 10 years earlier. “I felt like he was right next to me,” Rodriguez said. “He's with me every day. I would give up anything to have him right next to me and enjoy this moment.”
Hockey Chat: Since 1905 in playoff games between in the NHL, MLB, and NBA there have been well over 800 playoff series. Within those series, over 230 teams have taken a 3 games to none lead. Only twice in the NHL (less than 1%) has a team come from behind three games to win the series. That means the team that gets ahead has a better than 99% chance of winning the series.
Hockey Chat: There are many players who are great in there own mind. They lead the team in ice time because they won’t line change. They lead the team in goals but have zero assists. They don’t have any penalty minutes because they never bother to play defense.
I recently had breakfast with one of my good friends, Dave Jenkins, and we were talking about the show “The Biggest Loser” and how so many people buy fitness equipment and then never use it. He shared this quote with me: ”The world has all these great intentions. Too bad most end up in the basement unused.” How true. Even in my own life, I’ve started to workout, lose weight and get back in shape many times only to stop way to soon. All those efforts fall into the “great intentions” pile.
Dean Karnazes, the ultra marathon runner, lost his sister in a freak accident. Perhaps the pain of this loss gave him great determination. He was a cross-country runner in high school, but afterward he set aside the sport until the age of thirty. His first run, after resuming, left him bruised and beaten, but he had found his sport. Now he does seventy-five-mile training runs once a month and, just for kicks, he runs at night. Karnazes runs in heat in the Desert Valley; he runs in snow on the highest peak in California.
The Apostle Paul reminded his Corinthian friends that athletes run in such a way as to win the prize (1 Co 9:24), but he used this example to illustrate the most
If we were to count on our hands the number of times someone has let us down or the number of times we’ve disappointed someone else, we’d definitely run out of fingers! Because we are human, we fail all the time, whether in relationships, careers, or daily disciplines. In fact, our life on earth seems full of opportunities to learn from our mistakes. So it’s a good thing we have promises like Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Hockey Chat: There are a lot of superstitions and traditions that the NHL players have. On the Blackhawks, John Madden used to change his laces every single time he skated. Patrick Sharp always wears his headphones with his iPod on before the game. Brian Campbell doesn't like anyone touching the knob of his stick before the game, or he has to re-tape it. Brent Seabrook gets ready at the exact same time every game. Tomas Kopecky during warm-ups always spits on all four faceoff circles. But regardless of whatever superstitions these guys have, there core ability is what makes them great players.
After a season of high school football and a season of coaching my oldest son’s YMCA basketball team, I now find myself coaching my two sons’ 10-13 year-old PAL football team. Our first game was Saturday, and we were winning 13-7, but we were looking at third and 18 from midfield. I looked at my 10-year-old quarterback, David, and told him “Bunch Left, Bootleg.”
Hockey Chat: Can you imagine during a game have a bunch of guys sitting on the bench. Then a skater comes up from your team ready to line change and every one on the bench just looks at each other. No one knows who is going to what position. Who’s up next? No pre-thought to what happens next, just confusion. Great teams know ahead of time who is going where and when. The coach has planned what line to go out next. He’s placed the players where they will be most effective and with others they will be effective skating with.
Hockey Chat: The game of hockey is captivating. It’s easy to get in the zone and get caught up with the game. Sometimes we get so enthralled we forget we have other players to pass to or we are running so high that when someone gives us a bump we take it as a personal attack. To win the game you have to play the game. When the focus moves from the game to you, both will lose. Professional players that try to be the lone-ranger hot-dogs are not needed on any team. Pro players that take dumb penalties are sent somewhere else where they can’t hurt the team by sending the rest of the guys out there short handed so often.
Hockey Chat: When a goalie is said to “Stand on his head” that means he’s making great saves for the team. This may have been derived after NHL President Frank Calder, referencing the 1918 rules change that allowed goalies to fall down to make a save, remarked, "They could stand on their head, if they wanted to." Basically it means they are giving their all to stop pucks.
John 3:16 is probably the most recognized verse in the entire Bible. Back in 70s and 80s you would see this verse at large sporting events all over the United States. However, it recently found a home in a different format. College and professional football players now write sayings, area codes, names and other things on their eye black for games. Throughout the past college football season and bowl games, several athletes made it very clear where they stood spiritually based on these marks. Probably most notable, Tim Tebow, from the biggest stage of college football, donned “John” on one side and “3:16” on the other in front of a national and worldwide audience.
Even as the words float off the end of my tongue, I realize that I have blown it. This kind of situation usually involves me saying negative words to my teammates or others. It’s so easy for me to become the “cut-down king.” It doesn’t take much, and it could involve something as simple as calling someone a name.
You know the routine: You cut one of your teammates down, and your other teammates laugh. You may try to justify your unkind remarks with the fact that everyone does it, but the truth is that those reckless words cut. They pierce like a sword and cause damage.
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