You Are Here > Resources
I was in graduate school when the dean from a Christian college where I was working asked me to coach the women’s field hockey team (the team’s head coach had fallen ill). Although I loved playing field hockey, I had never considered coaching. But the players were due to arrive in two days, the dean looked desperate, and I didn’t have the heart to say no. I knew the game like a close friend—how hard could it be?
One of my favorite Bible stories is David versus Goliath. David was small, weaker than most his age and, by the world’s standards, not prepared to play in the “big game” against the Philistines. If we had read the pregame report for this battle, David would not have been on the roster. But David surprised everyone. He was empowered by his belief in a God who could overcome any obstacle or challenge—even a Philistine giant!
Many of us learned the “Jesus Loves Me” song as children, but the last part always bothered me: ”Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; They are weak but He is strong.” To me, displaying weakness seemed to contradict the very goal of competition.
As I was learning to compete in athletics, the idea of embracing weakness seemed ridiculous. I thought that I had to renounce all that I had learned in the gym in order to become weak. I mean, who has ever been chosen for a team for being the weakest player? Who breaks into a starting lineup because she is weaker than her teammates? I wanted to be strong and display that power for anyone who cared to watch.
There are two sayings that I have heard hundreds of times in my life. One is “You can’t tell a book by its cover,” and the other is an advertising statement that assures us “It’s what’s up front that counts.” I would like to take a little liberty with those two statements and apply them to the world of sports. I think that anyone who has played baseball can attest to the fact that “You can’t tell a baseball by its cover” and “It’s what’s inside that counts.”
When I was a kid, our neighborhood basketball court—the kind with the chain nets—was the place where everybody went to play the best basketball. During the summers, top college and high school players packed the court.
Pray
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Clearing your mind and being quiet before the Lord
Asking God to settle your heart
Maybe listening to worship music
Asking God for a teachable heart
Read
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Examine
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.
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.
Pray
Begin by thanking God for the new day and then ask Him to help you learn from what you read. Prepare yourself by:
Clearing your mind and being quiet before the Lord
Asking God to settle your heart
Maybe listening to worship music
Asking God for a teachable heart
Read
Read the chapter below. You can either read below or read your physical Bible. Read it slowly, take it all in.
Examine
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.
No featured resources found
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic