As athletes, what we put into our bodies is very important. The pregame meal may be the most important meal we eat during the day. We have to make sure we get enough energy to last through the entire competition. This is our last chance to get the fuel we need.

In John, Jesus talks about a different kind of fuel. He tells us of work that will actually GIVE us energy instead of using it. Doing God's work will give us the fuel we need in order to succeed in the game of life. But just what is this work that we should be doing? In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells us very plainly: We are to go out among the nations and build His Kingdom.

Coaches like having things done their way. They will let their assistants teach some, but with the important things, the head coach will usually take the lead. Coaches teach young athletes and pound their game plan into their heads over and over again until it becomes second nature. It’s just what they do.

As coaches and athletes, when it comes to sharing Christ with our team, why do we leave it up to the youth pastor or chaplain or someone else? Moses was given a game plan by the Lord to teach the Israelites. The Lord told Moses, “I am giving you the words to teach them.” It was on the shoulders of Moses to pass God’s Word on to generations to come. Moses knew he had to succeed for the Lord.

The time-out. What a great tool! When you realize that your athletes are becoming unnerved, out of breath and in need of a break, a time-out is a great way to stop, reenergize, refocus, reward and reassure them. Something as simple as a water break time-out to reenergize your team is all it takes to get them going again. In the same way, our “thirst” for God requires that we take time-outs in our lives in order to be reenergized by our Coach, Jesus Christ.

If you’ve never heard of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, don’t feel too badly. Even National Basketball Association (NBA) point guard Luke Ridnour, the town’s most famous product, wouldn’t expect many people to know much (if anything) about his birthplace.

Even though its population is anything but tiny (as of the 2006 census, there were a little over 41,000 inhabitants), only those living in the northwestern United States tend to know much about the city that sits along the edge of the scenic Coeur d’Alene National Forest. And it was in Coeur d’Alene that Ridnour first fell in love with the game of basketball. He lived there until he was seven years old and recalls attending a Christian school where his mother was a teacher.