Hockey Chat:  Part of being on a NHL team is meeting up to high standards of play.  Those who do not perform up to that level are separated from the major league team and sent away.  Part of being a great team is maintaining a great group of players.  Those that are not, are gone.

Hockey Chat:  A battle for the puck is what the game is all about.  What teamwork is about is getting in there and helping your teammate win the puck.  There is that thankful feeling when the play moves on because of the support that your buddy gave in a time of need.

Hockey Chat:  Passing is a key in the game.  Have you ever seen someone try to go end-to-end around 5 attackers only to get stripped before he’s able to get a shot off.  Players that try to do it all to get the glory usually lose it all and are left empty.  What’s all that hard work for if it gained nothing?

Just prior to pregame warmups during my rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the officials introduced himself to me as the father of a friend of mine. After a brief chat, he suggested I let him know if I was having any trouble in the game. Not thinking too much of his comment, I thanked him and joined my teammates for drills.

I was reading a statement by Tom Glavine recently. He said, "I went through the 'don't do this' syndrome at certain times in my career when facing certain batters. I told myself not to hang a curve ball. Sure enough, I did. Now I focus on 'Do this.' It's a significant difference."

How many times have we been done in by the "don't do" mindset? When we diet, we mess up by thinking so hard about what we can't eat that we crave and then give in to the foods we are trying to avoid. Hitters go up to bat thinking, "Don't strike out!" only to have their minds so laser-focused on what not to do, they forget to tell the mind what to do. In the end, what they were trying to prevent becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As student-athletes we are pressed from all sides; to be a better at our sport, to get better grades, to get the best paying job after graduation, and even to look a certain way in order to be attractive to this world. We challenge ourselves physically, academically, and socially, but how often do we challenge ourselves spiritually? How often do we step out of our comfort zone to please God and not men? In the moment it seems as if playing time, grades, and our social life means everything. But the short-term happiness that comes from our worldly accomplishments is fleeting and of no comparison with the everlasting joy we will receive when we please our Father in heaven.

History always repeats itself because man fails to learn from his failures. Therefore, we do well to remember historical events such as the Holocaust, the Civil War, and the Israelites’ forty-year wilderness wandering. The Bible tells us why the world is like it is: sin. The Bible has much to say about the blessings that come as a result of obeying and the curses, or consequences, that occur as a result of sin. We find these truths from Genesis to Revelation. God certainly forgives the sin of those who belong to Him through Jesus Christ; however, there are still consequences to be faced. Are God’s people today settling down comfortably in the society in which we live, casting out our distinctive Christian focus?

Man, I am a workout-aholic. Can I get an amen from anyone else out there? Ever since I was in high school I’ve lived by a motto I read on a t-shirt: “Somewhere, someone is working out. And when you meet her in head-to-head competition, she will beat you.” I think somewhere along the line I adopted that as my personal mantra (especially when I started running), and I have been a gym rat ever since.

All-star quarterback Jack Kemp and his teammates boycotted the 1965 AFL All-Star game in New Orleans “as a statement against the racial climate in the city.” Jack’s black teammates were not treated with the same respect as he and his white teammates, and because they were a “team united,” they did something about it. As a result,the game was moved to another city.

As athletes, coaches, and sports fans, how often do we strike up conversations about our favorite teams or sports? If you’re like me, I could talk for hours about my passion for endurance sports or even my love for the Atlanta Braves. But how often does the Lord creep into those same conversations with friends, coworkers, teammates and family members? The truth is that many of us like to stay in our little boxes and only speak about the Lord on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. I have to remind myself that the “Great Commission,” given by Jesus Himself, didn’t give any timetable or day of the week.

Hockey Chat:  Wood, aluminum, carbon composite, fiberglass.  Hockey sticks are made up of all kinds of different materials.  It takes time and practice, but once you find YOUR stick, you know it and use it with confidence. You puck handle and shoot the best you can with your stick.  Have you ever broke a stick and had to grab a different one quickly.  Right off the bat you know it’s not going to work well.  Your not use to it.  It’s not yours.