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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.
As long as we are involved in athletics, we are going to encounter adversity on a daily basis. An athlete will come face to face with failure, mistakes, and errors. As coaches, we will come face to face with pressures to win, compliance issues, ineligible players, and recruiting battles. As people we are tested on and off the field by sin and Satan. In almost all sports, there is a certain degree of defense needed in order to win the game. How do we as Christian coaches defend against Satan to become a champion in heaven?
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?
Have you ever heard the saying, “Whatever you’re looking for, you’re bound to find it”? It sure rings true today. The trouble is that many people are searching in all the wrong places.
What about us? What are we looking for? Are we looking for the good things in life? Proverbs 11 teaches that if we look for good, good things are bound to happen. But if we look for bad or evil things, watch out . . . We will probably find what we’re looking for. What about when dealing with friends and others? Do we look for the good in them or for something bad to use against them?
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.
A while ago I went on a training run with my wife to get ready for my first 5k race in over a year. It felt great to get back out on the road, and the run was pretty uneventful.
Later that night, we headed to a friend's house, and when I looked down, panic set in. My wedding ring was missing from my hand. I checked my pockets; nothing. I quietly walked outside to retrace my steps, and still nothing. When was the last time I'd had it? How could I lose the one thing that symbolized this important commitment in my life?
During our training run the weather had been cool, my hands sweaty. Somewhere, during the four miles of sidewalks, intersections and city streets, my wedding ring had slipped off.
French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “The human race is governed by its imagination.” For Bonaparte, considered a military genius, imagination enabled him to conquer most of western and central Europe. As leaders of this world through our joint inheritance with Christ, we too face many seemingly insurmountable foes. Fourth and long, down by three with four seconds left on the clock, an away match against the state champion—these obstacles pale in comparison to the matchless superiority of our Lord’s power.
Tom was not a good athlete, but loved sports. He could not dunk a basketball, but was a valuable member of the program. He could not spike a volleyball, but his impact on the team was greatly appreciated. Who was Big Tom? He was a servant and worked for buildings and grounds to prepare the gym before each contest.
In Romans 12, Paul lists spiritual gifts. One gift is out front where everyone can see and hear it. The other gift is behind the scenes and often goes unappreciated. Big Tom was a student worker who took his gift very seriously and made every effort to serve the Lord as he served our teams in Oklahoma. Each year teachers were awarded for their excellence in the classroom, but Big Tom went unnoticed.
How bad does it hurt to be rejected? We’ve all been there. We’ve all been rejected by teammates, family members, boyfriends/girlfriends, co-workers and bosses. And when it happens, it hurts!
I was reading in John 10 this morning, coming fresh off a rejection myself, and it struck me just how important it is for us to understand Jesus’ role as our shepherd during these times. In John 10:12, Jesus talks about a hired hand who doesn’t stick by the sheep through tough times. He abandons them because they aren’t his own, and he’s not committed to them. Why would he stick around to get eaten by a wolf himself when he’s not the true owner of the sheep? So, he flees the scene, leaving the sheep abandoned and vulnerable.
How many of you know if all your friends and family are saved? How many of you would have the nerve to simply ask each and every one of your friends and family, "If you died today, do you know 100% where you would spend eternity? My answer to both of those questions to this point would be, "No". These are questions that I spend a pretty fare amount of time thinking about, but can't muster up the courage to ask.
I’m not sure if this verse is true, I thought at first. After all, I had accomplished things in life long before I had trusted in Christ. Yet Jesus was clear: “You can do nothing without Me.” Those are hard words. In fact, there are many coaches who don’t believe in Christ, and they have been able to help players become better players and people. Many of them are coaches at prominent schools; they have great jobs, an abundance of material possessions, a terrific athletic program, and championship trophies. So what did Jesus mean when he said we can do nothing apart from him?
Athletes hate slumps. They’ll try anything to get out of those times when they can’t hit the baseball or make a foul shot or catch a pass. Some players will change bats or shoes or their routine. They will do whatever it takes to get out of the slump. As Christians, a spiritual slump can make us feel like we’ve been forsaken by the Lord. Like athletes in a slump, we can struggle with doubts, fears, and frustrations. We can even feel like we’re losing the battle.
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.
Every year I look at my team’s schedule of games during preseason and start to calculate wins and losses. One game I’m certain we’ll win, another we probably won’t, and still another will be a toss-up. Though each season is filled with uncertainty and challenges, the majority of coaches still dream about championships and most valuable player awards. What’s exciting to me is that God can do immeasurably more than all of those expectations combined.
Throughout the time that my dad was ill, the one saying he continually said was, “Enjoy every moment that we spend with each other, and take life day by day.” I accepted his challenge, and we enjoyed our last year together on this earth with great passion and enthusiasm. We got to fit so much into a year, and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.
A few years ago I was privileged to participate in the memorial service for a faithful servant, a dear friend and a former head football coach. More than two thousand of this man’s family, friends, colleagues, and student athletes attended the service. As I stepped into the pulpit of the church, I thought, Look at all these people. The grandstands are packed for him today. Everyone here is a cheerleader! What a great send-off for a coach, and a great testimony to a life well lived.
A recent response to the gospel illustrates how coaching in the inner city blesses me. While waiting with my junior varsity basketball team for an evening game, I sat on a shiny gym floor and leaned against its closed wooden bleachers. A girl from the track team, who had been attending our Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings, came and sat next me.
Have you ever had a change of plans? This week I was at a friend’s house planning to eat dinner and watch a movie and just relax. It had been a busy work day after a busy weekend, and I still had another conference the next morning. We wanted to just sit and relax for an evening, but God had other plans. My friend had forgotten that he had committed us to speak at another church opportunity. So, off we went.
God’s Word is very clear that when we have the opportunity to bring the Good Word, we are to seize the moment. Second Timothy 4 tells us to preach the Word whether now or later. When opportunity knocks, we are to speak out for Christ whether to a group of two or 200. We must take the chance to share about God with those who are willing to listen.
These words from the book of Ecclesiastes ran through my mind during my senior year in high school. We had just won the state championship the year before, but it seemed nearly everyone had already forgotten. The things of the world failed to satisfy my cravings for what was truly real, lasting, and meaningful in life. I was invited to an FCA Huddle meeting where Coach Patterson, one of the school’s football coaches, was scheduled to speak. At a time when I refused the wise counsel of most adults, the idea of hearing a coach’s speech attracted me. The advice of a coach has tremendous influence and power because most athletes are conditioned at a young age to listen to and respect their coach.
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: Chasing the puck is easy to do but a bad play to make. Imagine if you had all 5 skaters on your team chasing after the puck and nobody keeping to their positions. It would be a big mess. We all want to grab the puck and make the play, but we need to remain controlled and play our position to make the winning play for the team.
Our power lies not in our perfection, but in our pursuit. We are a results-driven people, especially athletes. Perfection is the goal and we do what it takes to get there, even if that means sacrificing what really matters. There is much good in wanting to perform well. However, tunnel vision comes when we place our worth, security, and joy in our idea of perfection. But we can never arrive at perfection. Perfection has no power because it leaves us empty. Pursuit, on the other hand, holds what is real. Pursuit says, “I’m not perfect, but I will do what I can with what I have in the moment I have been given, in the midst of where I am.” In pursuit we find God.
Hockey Chat: Mark Messier was a great goal scorer with 694 goals in his 20 years of playing. But he doubled that number with the passes he made that helped his teammates score time after time. His linemates knew that he was a great playmaker and were ready to grab goals of their own from his assists. His efforts won him and his teammates six Stanley Cups.
Over the past fourteen years, I have been a defensive coach in our high school football program. Specifically, I coach linebackers. In order to play linebacker successfully at our level, a player must make a total commitment to the expectations placed upon him. It requires an unwavering self-discipline.
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