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After a tough loss on Sunday, I really didn’t feel like being very positive. It took me awhile to get out of the locker room because I didn’t want to talk to anybody, let alone face people who would inevitably ask that question, “Did you win?” I shut myself up in my room and didn’t move for a few hours, feeling like not only was I a failure, but also the whole day was as well.
A few weeks ago, my basketball coach asked me to consider playing junior varsity instead of varsity. At that time, I made the decision that if he ultimately decided to put me on JV, I would quit playing basketball and concentrate all my focus on softball and cross-country. Just a few days ago, he asked me to play JV basketball, for my own sake--"To get more playing time." It was a tough choice, but I decided to decline his offer, hang up my sneakers and pick up a softball glove.
Have you seen the Nike commercial where the pro athlete leans into the microphone and proclaims, “My better is better than your better”? In this commercial, top-tier athletes from a variety of sports are shown performing some serious training and drills, all with the goal of bettering their game. It’s a commercial advertising Nike’s SPARQ gear—SPARQ stands for Speed, Performance, Agility, Reaction and Quickness. But the commercial serves as more than just an ad for Nike to sell a product. It’s also a reminder of the effort it takes in the off-season to prepare for what lies ahead.
We are all familiar with the story of Jonah being swallowed by the giant fish. But, what is intriguing to me is that in the four chapters in the book of Jonah, he goes through four different phases with God. In chapter 1, Jonah is running away from God. In chapter 2, he is running to God. In chapter 3, he is running with God. And, in chapter 4, he is running ahead of God. I believe that in our Christian lives we all go through these phases as coaches and athletes.
The Lord corrected Samuel’s natural inclination to judge people by their outward appearance—their height, weight, and other physical features. He called Samuel to look more deeply into people’s heart, as God does.
In the world of sports, it is easier and quicker to make judgments by what we see. Everyone who walks on to the field of competition immediately sees where the largest players are. What cannot be so easily seen is the nature of a player’s heart. Qualities like courage, perseverance, love, and loyalty cannot be observed by a glance. These are qualities of the heart and require a deeper look into the player and his values.
Edwin Moses glided fluidly over the track of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. He had no idea he was being watched by someone who had no idea who he was. The power of his stride captivated the observer who was dazzled. Though the spectator didn’t know the runner, he was awed by what he saw.
The observer was playing tennis with a friend and asked, “Who is that?”
”That’s the Olympic hurdler Edwin Moses,” the friend said. “Allegedly he practices over here because Oglethorpe has the best track surface in the area.”
Most historians believe that modern tennis emerged sometime around the mid-1850s and was based on a similar French game that was invented as far back as the twelfth century. Since that time, the sport has evolved at a rapid pace. From a greater emphasis on power to the size and consistency of the racquets—outside of the rules and prevailing etiquette—there isn’t much left today that resembles the original discipline. Maybe that’s why doubles tennis is so intriguing. There’s something about it that makes you wonder if that’s how the game used to look and feel—with a high value placed on serving and volleying, finesse and creativity.
Looking for ways to make healthy decisions for your family? Try these tips!
Paul writes in Romans and Jesus says in John that we are not to be of "this world" and in effort to doing so University of Mary FCA is taking on the BIG Challenge. I know what most of you are thinking... what is this BIG Challenge?
One of the highest viewed tv shows in America is called "Biggest Loser" which if you didn't know deals with people losing the most weight. Doctors have been telling us time and time again that being BIG is not a good thing, but here at UMary we think the opposite. BIG stands for Bring Incredible Glory, and that we what we are striving to do... not alone, but together in Christ. Which is where our verse of the year comes into play, "
If you are pursuing excellence, identifying and implementing best practices from the best performers will help get you there!
When I was in high school, I was recruited to play for a prominent summer baseball team. It was a boost to my ego. However, early into the season it was obvious that my coach cared more about the reputation of the team than he did for the players. He’d say things that sounded helpful, but were in truth criticisms, such as “I am only trying to make you a better player,” or “This will give you better exposure for the future.” He wasn’t fooling anyone. Athletes have x-ray vision into a coach’s heart. We knew that all he cared about was winning, and it affected our performance. I noticed later that this team fielded a different roster from year to year. Nobody wants to play for a coach like that.
Death is always a difficult topic to grasp. Whenever someone dies we always wonder, where was God when they died, and why did He let it happen to them? From movie stars, professional athletes, and other celebrities to firefighters, police officers, and loved ones; our hearts are filled with grief and for a while everything pales in comparison to our loss.
This morning when I stepped outside my door for my daily run, I was greeted by the crazy heat and humidity of a Midwest July morning. Usually the heat doesn’t affect my running as much because I run during the coolest part of the day right before sunrise. But today, it was like someone forgot to turn on the air conditioner. It was over 80 degrees and, boy, was it humid.
The first race I ever ran was a marathon. Talk about starting with a bang! I always played team sports and raced until I ran the dreaded 26.2-miler. It was an incredible experience my body will never forget. I learned firsthand the four key aspects to every race, and they all can be related to our spiritual life.
The race is against the competition. There were thousands of competitors I wanted to beat and who wanted to beat me. In the same way, when we run the race for Christ, we have three main competitors: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Each one intends to prevent us from crossing the finish line.
Hockey Chat: Martin Brodeur was a one great forward of his young age, skating hard and scoring goals. Those of you that know Marty as the goaltender from the New Jersey Devils think I’ve got the wrong guy, but not at all. He started skating when he was 3 years old and played to put pucks in the net. He was a forward for the early years of his hockey days. That all changed one day when he was 6 and the goal tender for his team didn’t show up for a game. Coach asked told him to get in net and he’s been stopping goals ever since.
I became a baseball fan during the magical season of 1961. I lived for the trek to the mailbox for the morning paper. Turning to the sports section, I would devour the scores, especially those of the New York Yankees, where the nation focused on the home run race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. These two players fascinated me. Though Maris won the home run race that year, Mickey Mantle was my hero. He moved with grace and hit with power, and his statistics were incredibly impressive.
As I grew older, however, I learned of many poor choices made by Mantle. His decadent lifestyle and forty-year abuse of alcohol had shortened his career, prevented him from reaching his full potential, and clouded his mind.
Despite losing yesterday’s Super Bowl to the New York Giants, Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady seems—from the outside looking in—to have everything: money, fame, a high-profile girlfriend, a winning team and Super Bowl rings. But what about on the inside?
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
-Philippians 3:14 (NIV)
Isn’t it funny how we always pray when we want something? Think about it. Almost every time people want to win a game or match, they pray before it’s time to play. Then, after that prayer is done, the “God part” is done, and it’s time to put their game faces back on. If they win, they’ll probably even go party after.
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