One of God’s greatest gifts to us is that he is willing to direct our paths. He has prepared a way for us, but we must be willing to follow it. It is easy to say we want to take God’s path, but it is just as easy to get off course.
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Resurrection

New coaches are often brought to a team in hopes of resurrecting a hurting or weak program. The coach will likely implement a new approach to whatever has been the source of the team’s problems, and the rebuilding process gets underway. After a while the team may regain hope for a better season and the hope of brighter days. However, no matter how good our team becomes, we will be disappointed if set our eyes on a successful season. That’s because life itself on this earth is often more characterized by “losing seasons” than by great victories. Therefore, Christians learn to put their hope in brighter days that transcend life here and now.
The Big Push

I recently had the "pleasure" of running my 3rd 5K. A good friend of mine was also running the race, and at the beginning, I decided I was going to try and keep her pace since we have similar times. I soon realized her pace was a bit faster than mine, so I then decided I would make sure to keep her in my sights. This worked out great for a while and I kept pushing along, making good time (for me, at least). We then got to a weird turn and suddenly I didn't see her anymore. My pusher had disappeared, and it made me feel a little lost and like I wasn't going to be able to finish.
How Big Is Your Jesus?

I once was leaving my office late after a challenging day. Just as I was locking the door, a student whom I barely knew asked if he could speak with me for a few minutes. My initial thought was to ask him to come back tomorrow. I’d already worked later than usual and I was tired, but I noticed something in his eyes, so I unlocked my door and invited him in.
Headwind

Betrayed

In the Psalm 55, we find King David in anguish because his third son, Absalom, has spearheaded a revolt. One of David’s most trusted advisors also betrayed him by giving Absalom advice on how to successfully dethrone his father. In this time of lamentation, David gives us a good example of how to handle the wounds from a confidant.
Matthew 6:1

Hockey Chat: Yup, that new guy on your team just blew the play. And guess what, you probably will be in the wrong place at the wrong time and make the wrong move too. Don’t criticize your teammates for the same things that you do…. making mistakes. Just watch an NHL game and you could play arm chair coach all night. It’s easy to say in hind sight what they should’ve done but much harder to actually be there doing it.
Change Your World

King Josiah was just eight years old when he began to change his world. Even at such a young age he decided to live in the ways of the Lord and do what was right in His eyes. I wonder if we are doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord at our age.
God asks us to change our lives—our worlds. If we think about it, our personal lives are pretty much our world. We feel like the world is falling apart when we are having difficulties. We do have the power to change a world—our world—when we rely on Christ, “not turn[ing] to the right or to the left.” And I believe that we can have an impact on others as well when we do “what is right in the Lord’s sight.” Don’t just read it!
Foundations

The fall of 2005 brought a record number of hurricanes to the Atlantic Basin, several of which impacted the coastline of the United States. After Hurricane Katrina struck first the Florida coast, then the Gulf states, the nearly total devastation of coastal communities was shocking. Of the many images seen in the aftermath, one news photograph stood out, capturing a makeshift sign rising out of the rubble displaying an address and name, acknowledging the location of the family’s former home. All that was recognizable was the foundation, giving testament to the location where reconstruction after total loss will begin.
In One Ear

I read a newspaper article last year about a professional baseball player who couldn’t seem to make the necessary adjustments needed in his approach to hitting. The player contended that his hitting was fine, but many of his current and former coaches disagreed. They pointed to the fact that his batting average had continued to decline and that he was striking out at an alarming rate.
In one game, the player might have 3 hits, but in the next 4 games he wouldn’t get a hit, striking out 9 times. It’s not that the player didn’t have good coaching—one of his previous coaches was a former batting champion. The problem was that he wasn’t doing what the coaches were asking. James 1:22-24 says:
Finding Identity in the Right Place

All my friends and I are turning 16 this year and, let me tell you, that’s a big one. I always know who’s just had a birthday, not because their school locker is decorated or because of that faint scent of butter cream frosting on their breath, but because of something far more significant: that shiny new driver’s license burning a hole in their wallet! Hey, that is a milestone in a kid’s life. And that little piece of plastic pretty much tells it all. I mean, it tells your height, your weight, your eye color—everything you’d need to know about a person. But, if you ask me, even with all that information, a lot of kids in my generation are having a serious identity crisis!
Time Out

When our athletes become unnerved, out of breath, and in need of a break, we know it’s time to reenergize, refocus, reward, and reassure. Something as simple as a water break helps players reenergize and get going again. They are thirsty for water, just as our thirst for God requires that we take time-outs to be reenergized by Jesus Christ.
Good Grief

Change Up

Hockey Chat: “That’s how the Cup changes everything.” This was the marketing message for 2008 year from the NHL, being repeated over and over about how everything in the game is elevated because of the quest for the Cup. It’s gone from just playing hockey to playing for the Stanley Cup.
How Do You Define Success?

In the arena of sports where score is kept and there are always winners and losers, how do you know whether or not you are successful? While much of the world defines athletic success in terms of wins and losses, legendary coach John Wooden writes in his book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success that “success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.Within this framework, each person becomes the only one who can ultimately judge his or her own success.”
The Blessing and Responsibility of the Word

Recently I sat in on a home school history session with my wife and three kids. The subject was Europe's transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance period of history, and focused on the huge impact that Gutenberg's movable type printing press had on civilization. For those who are not aware of the history, Johannes Gutenberg created the first movable type printing press in 1456. Prior to that, all books were painstakingly written by hand - one by one - including Bibles.
The Divine Surgeon

I was a high school sophomore awaiting surgery to repair torn cartilage in my knee. In walked a young orderly with a razor to shave my leg. Before long, the blood began to flow. He was unskilled, and his razor was dull. Fortunately, the next day was different. The surgeon was skilled, and his scalpel was sharp.
Surgery is always painful, but its purpose is to heal. To be successful, the surgeon must be skilled. I once saw a documentary on a surgical technique to reduce an enlarged heart. The surgeon literally sliced off a quarter of the heart and sewed it back together, where upon it began beating again! Would you want a medical intern doing such a procedure? I think not.
Be All You Can Be

Rafer Johnson’s dream of a good life hinged on his athletic ability, even though he’d been told that a birth defect would prevent him from participating in athletics. He chose to deal with the defect as a simple setback rather than as a deal breaker. With the help of coaches and family, he not only won his battle but was declared the world’s greatest athlete when he won the 1960 Olympic decathlon.
Humble

Hockey Chat: There are some guys that have used the same gear for years. They suit up in the same old outdated stuff, work hard, practice, and skate great. Then there are others who buy the newest and the best only to struggle when they hit the ice. Even though they have the best gear, they lack the skills and knowledge to be a great hockey player.
Prayer Works

A man named Guy Dowd was once given the National Teacher of the Year award. One of the turning points in his career came, he said, when he was frustrated and couldn’t seem to reach his students. God impressed upon him that he should pray more for them. Each morning Guy would arrive early to pray with his students, sitting down with different ones each day. Over time Guy began to notice a difference not only in the way the students responded to him, but also in the way he taught and responded to the students. Prayer changes our attitudes and helps us see people as God sees them. When we can see people through God’s eyes, it makes all the difference.
Second Effort

I had the great privilege of knowing Prentice Gautt, who passed away March 17, 2005. He was a wonderful human being. Prentice Gautt was the first black athlete to play football at Oklahoma University. He began playing there in 1956. He was two-time all conference in both 1958 and 1959. Not only was he a great runner; he was a fierce blocker.
Asking for Help

Why is asking so hard for some of us? Whether it’s for a ride to the airport, a few dollars for lunch, or financial support for FCA camp, many of us avoid asking for things we or others need.
Of course, there are times when even the most self-sufficient among us is willing to swallow our pride and plead before “the throne of grace.” I have personally witnessed the humbling of coaches, players, and fans when difficult circumstances turned them into fervent prayer warriors. Sometimes the difficulty is momentary, such as during a game when the team is down by a point with a few ticks left on the clock and the least-talented shooter is on the free-throw line. Who among us hasn’t uttered a prayer in times like these?
Hope – Part II

Yesterday, we talked about hope. And we used words that can actually serve as an acronym for the word itself: H – history, O – optimism, P – Promise, E - Eager Expectation.
Knowing what Christian hope is can be a great thing. But what should it produce in us? In the sports world, hope is necessary in spurring a team to do great things. Without hope, why would we as athletes endure what we do? If we cannot achieve our goals, why would we endure the hardship of preseason training? Why would we waste hours studying film, learning our skills, pushing our bodies beyond what we thought possible? Why would we choose to follow a game-plan if we knew it was going to fail? The truth for most of us is that we wouldn't.
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