You Are Here > Popular content
When I was 13 years old, I entered a city-wide track meet. My younger sister was a talented sprinter, so my parents and I wanted to see if I had the gift too. We lived in a city east of Chicago, and, as I entered the track and went to check-in for my race, I noticed I was probably one of two white kids in my heat. I also noticed that everyone else around me was a lot taller and bigger. At just over 5 feet and 115 lbs., I was what most parents and coaches call a "late bloomer."
One of my favorite parts of sports, as a player and later as a coach, is the pre-game locker room speech, especially those given before a big championship game.
As you know, there are several famous pre-game speeches from great coaches, and I'm sure you can recall bits and pieces of some of them. One of my personal favorites is from Herb Brooks, head coach of the 1980 USA Hockey Team. Prior to one of the team's biggest games, Brooks said, "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here at this moment. You were meant to be here at this game." And as you probably know, that USA hockey team went on to defeat the Russian hockey team in one of the great wins of all time.
Last weekend I attended a three-day coaching clinic. It's always exciting, rejuvenating, and enlightening to listen to accomplished coaches explain their football "x's and o's." I always leave with more knowledge than when I arrived.
The day after the clinic I heard a sermon about bearing fruit and how the Lord expects us to grow spiritually. We all have to age physically, but growth and spiritual maturity are optional. In my life, I see such parallels between coaching and our spiritual walk, and between this clinic and the sermon.
Each person is given a farm animal, making sure that another person in the group has the same animal. The students close their eyes and make the sound of that particular animal. The object is for the students to find the other person with the same animal by listening for the same sound. Once the students have found each other, they should find out about one another and report back to the group.
This is a music skit. The characters say nothing, they just act out the song “Feel the Nails” by Ray Boltz or “Bright Eyes” by Kim Carnes. Have five or six people come out and line up with their backs to the crowd. Have two others come out with one person witnessing to the other. The person being witnessed to rejects the gospel. She then goes to the line of five or six people. One by one each person turns around and she gives them a hug. They each have a sign on their chest that says things like sex, drugs, pride, gossip, etc. They ALL form a circle with their hands and begin to walk around in a circle. The girl is soon thrown in and trapped by the sins. The one who witnessed to her tries to help, but fails.
When I was in eighth grade, my world got turned upside down. My dad was a pastor, and when he got a new job, we moved from a small town where I was comfortable, had friends, and felt like I made a difference, to a little bigger town where I had to “prove myself” all over again. I greatly feared being insignificant and wanted to do anything I could to set myself apart. So, I did what I knew best: I played sports thinking that would give me the value I wanted. As it turned out, I did achieve success, but it didn’t have the lasting value I thought it would. I wound up being labeled as a show-off and dealing with an entirely different problem—all because I thought I needed to prove myself and achieve worldly significance.
Living with the end in mind is key to my confidence today. If, as a coach, you knew the final score of the game was in your favor, how would you coach during the game? In the game of life and eternity, God is the champion, and victory is guaranteed. Daniel chapters 7 to 12 give us a glimpse into the future in which God will reign with all who believe.
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
Once while battling through some of the more stressful moments in coaching, I picked up a devotional seeking comfort. It was early in the morning, and I was hoping that the writing for that day would speak directly to my situation.
For years social psychologists have been studying “crowd” or “mob” psychology in which they study how a group’s mentality differs from that of the individuals within the group. One theory that has emerged is the idea that people react differently in a group than when they are on their own. For instance, during criminal incidents, research shows that if there is a large number of people around, men and women will be less likely to intervene because they think someone else will assist. People take their cues from others in the area and think, “If they are not getting involved, neither am I.” And that kind of group thinking takes place every day.
Hopefully at some point in our lives, we have had the blessing of receiving a powerful and lasting message from God when we least expect it. Mine happened over a series of four key events in a single year.
January 3rd - My wonderful wife, Vickie, and I had just returned from a trip with our football team at Northern Illinois University to the International Bowl. By the end of the trip, I felt sluggish and stepped on our bathroom scale to discover I was heavier than I had ever been. It was definitely time to do something about that.
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
Jack O'Halloran, a former professional goalie and expert goalie coach, discusses his new role as national director of FCA Canada.
Goal
To help students in dealing with the powerful media messages about alcohol and tobacco products. Students need godly wisdom to navigate through the turbulent times of today.
Key Scriptures
1 Peter 5:8; 1 Chronicles 12:32; Proverbs 3:21
Warm Up
Divide into groups of four or five. Give each group a pen and a piece of paper and ask them to write down as many ad slogans as they can in 60 seconds. For example: “I’m lovin’ it™” and “Just do it.” Ask two or three groups to share their slogans with everyone. Point out how these messages get stuck in our brains.
Watch
Coaches work hard to get the job done for their programs, but the head coach spends even more time in preparation for his or her meetings with staff in order to plan for the year ahead. And it's not just the season preparations that need to be done, but also pre-season, post-season and summer workouts to consider. The head coach must think of everyone in the program and blend every person together for the success of the next year.
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
Goal
Athletes need to realize that it must begin with faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord alone is able to forgive. They must have the wisdom to make the right decisions and have the strength to carry those decisions out. Athletes will be presented with the claims of Jesus Christ and will be challenged to make Him the Lord and Savior of their lives.
Key Scriptures
Hebrews 11:1-3; Hebrews 12:2-3; Galatians 2:20; James 2:17-19
Warm Up
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
Professional hockey player Dallas Steward discusses a wide range of topics from being tough on the ice to studying theology in seminary.
During a losing season or bad game, it’s easy to give up on each other. When a teammate breaks team rules, the question arises: Can we count on this player whose conduct or performance is below our team’s standards? When we blow it, will our teammates give up on us?
Peter made a lot of mistakes. He made claims he could not back up; did things without thinking of the consequences; talked when he should have listened; and lied, cried, and almost died because of his immaturity. But Jesus never gave up on him, and he became a world-changer.
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Ask yourself the following questions after reading your chapter for the day. Write your answers down in a journal or notebook you can use just for your time with God.
No featured resources found
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic
