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Basketball in March — it's really good. I was thinking yesterday about what drives us to "madness" in March. I'll tell you the secret (hardly) … it's because everything is on the line. From high school playoffs to the NCAA Tournament, it's "do or die" for every team. Win and move on — lose and be done. The season is at stake with no second chances. This inescapable fact loads every game weight and consequence. Everyone gives it all they've got, lest it be their last chance.
I don’t mean to get personal or be nosy, but how are your investments and where are they held? Most things we invest in are temporary and sometimes risky. That’s why God wants us to make wise, lasting investments in things of eternal significance. “God did not create us for time; He created us for eternity.”1 Therefore, let’s invest in relationships. At the end of our lives, our wins and losses, our bank accounts, stocks, retirement account, and social security income won’t mean much. Our relationships, however, will be the crown jewel of our lives. Relationships with our families, friends, and most importantly with Jesus Christ will be the true measure of our wealth.
Ever wonder what it takes to live a godly lifestyle in a Major League Baseball clubhouse? According to MLB stars Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts and Luke Scott, it takes courage, strength, accountability and faith.
Today, instead of reading a 4-minute devotion, watch one! Check out STV magazine’s online video to learn how these three athletes stand strong for the Lord in a faith-challenging environment. Simply click on the video link below, then answer the questions and read the related Scripture verses. Finish by praying and asking God to help you live a lifestyle that brings Him glory in every way.
http://fcaresources.com/video/stv-interviews-godly-living
Recently while I was fasting for a major FCA event we were hosting, I came to the realization that fasting was much like carbohydrate loading. As a marathon runner, I have used various forms of this tactic before my races. One way to “carbo load” is to deplete your body of energy-producing carbohydrates (sugars) for a few days, and then on the day before the activity, consume primarily carbohydrates. The idea is to use your maximized energy sources when you need them for your competition.
Why is it that we must test and prove everything we hear? It’s hard to live by faith because we want to feel in control of life. When we speculate on how many stars there are, we establish space programs to go prove it. If someone tells us that the paint is still wet, we must touch it to see for ourselves.
In today’s world men and women are bombarded with choices, and the decisions they make will deeply impact the rest of their lives. In order to make wise and life-producing decisions, people need truth. Instead, what they see all around then is cynicism and hypocrisy. What’s missing in our society is honesty, fairness, faithfulness, and humility.
The gym was packed with screaming fans. You could cut the tension with a knife. It was late in the fourth quarter and Luke had just come into the game—his first game as a varsity player. With time slowly ticking away, the ball was passed to him. He began to dribble toward the basket and . . . bounced the ball off of his foot and out of bounds. I am so out of place, Luke thought. Why did Coach put me in the game?
As athletes and coaches we know a lot about disciplining our bodies, but there is one muscle we often neglect to discipline: our tongues. Our gifts and skills may allow us to achieve athletic success, but our ability to maintain that success and honor God with it has much to do with how we use our words.
Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created..." How did He create? By speaking. Throughout the next few verses of the chapter, it is revealed that God did not simply act, He used words to establish creation. “And God said…” This gives us the earliest demonstration of the power of words. Later, when "the Word became flesh" and Jesus came to live among us (John 1:14), we read that He used words to fight the temptations of Satan by declaring the Word of God (Matthew 4).
Sometimes I believe English is the first spoken language in America, and “dishonesty” a close second. I often hear people say, “To be honest with you . . .” Does that mean that in previous conversations, they were not telling the truth? To have a successful team, to be a champion on and off the court, honesty must exist!
In today’s world many people seem to have forgotten about this wonderful word "thankful." Some of us are thankful when times are good, but as soon as anything bad creeps into our lives, this word tends to be thrown to the curb.
There are many things in life that just do not go the way we think they will, but we must remember that this is God’s path for us. I know that when the going gets tough it’s hard to be thankful, but God says to give thanks in all circumstances.
Over the past several years, our family has joined in the annual FCA challenge of picking a word of the year. Every January, FCA sends out a series of Impact Play devotions asking readers to pray about a one-word theme for the year and letting God work through it in many ways.
In 2012 my word was prayer. I thought perhaps God would grow the depth of my prayer, bring people into my path who needed prayer, or maybe answer a big prayer, but I had no idea that He would bring me to my knees in a whole different way.
“Thank you, sir.” Square feet and shoulders . . . dribble, dribble . . . spin . . . dribble . . . spin . . . bend knees . . . shoot. That is my routine for shooting a free throw. Early in my career my coaches instilled a need for routine whenever our team stood at the line. A routine mentally prepares us for the task ahead. Free throws can come at any point in a game with varying degrees of pressure. I can still feel the pressure after missing a shot—people either let out a sigh of relief or disappointment.
I’ve been blessed to accomplish some amazing feats that only a handful of female basketball players have achieved. During my career, I’ve been honored to play on an NCAA National Championship team, a WNBA Championship team and an Olympic gold medal team. At Notre Dame, I hit the game-winning shot and was voted the 2001 Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. With the Detroit Shock, I was named the 2003 WNBA Finals MVP.
Everything in me wanted to be the fast marathoner that my bib number said I was. The big “B” on my bib, which indicated that I had qualified for a fast start corral, got tons of comments from other runners and made me feel pretty special. I even started to believe that my month off from running wouldn’t matter and that I’d be blessed with a 3:30 marathon simply because I’d done it before. Let me explain…
Chris is an awesome long snapper. He never misses a snap. Punt, kick, he's always on the mark. This fall, he started to come down with a condition that made him extremely dizzy and faint. It was an inner ear disorder that causes vertigo. Vertigo is a sensation of dizziness that makes you feel like you are being whirled around in your environment. And it is definitely not a good condition for a long snapper in football.
This is an agonizing time of the year for college football coaches and fans. Star high school athletes are making decisions that will determine where they will spend the next four years of their lives. They are taking official visits to college campuses around the country and are being given the royal treatment. Each school hopes that the recruit will commit to signing with them, and many do long before the official signing date. Even with commitments declared, college coaches continue to pursue these athletes, causing some to change their minds and sign with other schools. Recruits can state that they are a "soft" commitment to a school and continue to make visits to other campuses.
Many of us struggle with the constant pressure to be perfect within athletics. We get caught up seeking unreliable affirmation through our performance, so when things don't go our way many times we feel discouraged.
Tryouts are a great example. We work day in and day out to prove we ARE worthy of a spot. Summers we run sprints in the heat, nights we lift in the weight room and it feels like every second is spent honing our skills.
All that work leads to the moment tryouts finish and we run to the gym door to see if our name is one of the few listed on the final roster. Usually making the cut is a long process that requires hard work, focus and countless hours of training. To win a spot on the roster YOU have to earn it.
Jesus chose the disciples as His team—all twelve of them—and all twelve failed! When Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested, the disciples ran away into hiding. They started out wanting to defend Jesus, but fear took over. Jesus predicted this would happen, yet still wanted these men on His team.
We all fail. As athletes we will blow an assignment, strike out, or miss a shot. When this happens will the coach still want us on the team? Truthfully, sometimes yes and sometimes no. But if we keep trying and do not give up, we are more likely to keep our spot on the team.
Athletes must know their purpose on the team. For example, the purpose of an offensive lineman is to protect the quarterback and create space for the running back. The purpose of a pitcher is to prevent a batter from getting a hit. On the soccer field a goalkeeper’s purpose is to keep the ball from landing in the net.
Just as athletes have a purpose, each coach has a specific purpose as well. An assistant coach may be in charge of one aspect of the team, such as serving as an offensive coordinator. Perhaps his job is to lead the team in prepractice stretches. Head coaches have a responsibility beyond atheletic training; they are called upon to mold and shape the lives of young people.
Why do you practice? Is there really a purpose in it? The answer is yes.
My baseball coach always asked us a question after we got done practicing: “Why do we practice?” And in typical form, we would all yell, “TO GET BETTER!” But practicing isn’t just for athletes; it’s for Christians, too.
1. Pray. We would not let even one day go by without discussing strategies, plays, tips for improvement, or game plans with our players and staff. We must adopt the same attitude toward our prayer life and not approach any decision, day, or activity without first seeking God.
2. Read the Bible. Coaches expect players to be prepared for any situation that may confront them during the game. God expects the same of us. He wants us to read our “playbooks” daily so that we are equipped to play the game of life.
God knows and directs all that happens in our lives. How foolish it is for us to contend with our Creator.
Jeremiah illustrates how God, at times, allows His children to experience brokenness in order to renew their original purpose. Jeremiah 18:3-7 states, “I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel. But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do. The word of the Lord came to me: ‘House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?’—this is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand.’ ”
It has been proven that even identical twins have different DNAs. If that is the case, what is God telling us about our uniqueness? I believe He is telling us to be different, not to conform to the world’s standards, to be in the world but not of the world. I know this is hard and seems to be a paradox, especially in a world where we are told to be a team player—not an individual—or to play, coach, or live for our own agendas.
Everyone wants to win. As coaches, we are probably more conscious of winning than most. After all, many times our livelihood rides on winning and losing. But we must be careful that our desire to win does not become our only emphasis with our athletes. We cannot push our players to win “at all costs.” The great coach John Wooden once said, “I don’t know whether always winning is good. It breeds envy and distrust in others and overconfidence and lack of appreciation very often in those who enjoy it.” How important it is for coaches to walk that fine line between wanting their teams to succeed, and acting as though winning is the only thing.
This past December I attended a high school basketball game—not an unusual event for the month. But what was unique about this game wasn’t what took place on the court, but what I witnessed on the bench. One of the players who had started in the previous game wasn’t starting this night. As a matter of fact, he only played about a minute in each half. The player was obviously disappointed when he came out of the game after only being in for a minute. He even politely asked the coach, “What did I do?” I could read the coach’s lips as he replied, “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Disappointed, the player took his spot on the bench.
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