Alphabetical
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November 05, 2012
Set:
Every time my family goes to a Baltimore Ravens football game we get caught up in signaling and chanting “Move those chains!” every time the Ravens get a first down. At first glance you might think, ‘big deal…they moved the ball ten yards.” But first downs lead to touchdowns.
The player or team that practices, prepares, and performs with the most consistency generally outplays their opponent. And when we “move the chains”, we create and sustain momentum. Consistency leads to excellence and is fueled by self-discipline.
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January 20, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: There are some great stories of come behind games. Times when teams were down and out but worked their way back to score goals and win. Sometimes its after they come out of the locker room and just play like a new team. Sometimes it’s putting aside the fact that you just lost 3 straight games in a best of seven series. In the final playoff series of the 1942 NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs did just that and went on to beat the Detroit Redwings the next 4 games and hoist the Cup.
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October 04, 2011
Set:
“Mr. Irrelevant” is an award that started in 1976. It is given to the very last player selected in the NFL Draft. The 2009 “Mr. Irrelevant” award went to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop, who has helped the Chiefs each season since the draft. In 2009 he was pick number 256 in the last round and was given a trophy—the Lowsman Trophy, which is a spoof off of the Heisman Trophy. This trophy actually depicts a player fumbling the ball!
At the draft, he was even given an official NFL jersey with the number 256 and “Mr. Irrelevant” on the back. Can you imagine getting tagged with the title “Mr. Irrelevant”? Basically, people are saying you are not important. I’ve been called many names over the years, but I would struggle with this one.
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January 08, 2014
Set:
The phrase “my bad” is used by many, especially among young people. The phrase is used in reference to a mistake that someone has made. In some athletic settings, the phrase is almost a guarantee when a coach asks a player about a particular situation. The problem is that the phrase is almost like a “get out of jail free card” in Monopoly. When a player uses “my bad,” there appears to be no accountability for his or her actions.
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May 31, 2010
Set:
In the previous devo "My Strength" I talked about how the dog (enemy) came out of nowhere at an angle and speed in which Abbie only had a few split seconds to react to the attacking dog. Ephesians 6:16 talks about “taking the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.” But a shield is only as effective as the soldier who is trained properly to use it. And even the greatest skilled soldier after numerous years of training and preparation can still be struck by the enemy’s flaming arrows if it is shot by a highly skilled enemy just like Abbie was attacked by the dog.
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May 31, 2010
Set:
In the previous devo "My Stronghold" I spoke about how Abbie overcame her fear of the dog’s (the enemy’s) ankle biting and harsh bark and stopped taking the ‘scenic route’ by deciding one day to charge directly toward the enemy.
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May 31, 2010
Set:
There is a nice country dirt road loop in which my chocolate lab Abbie and I run to do our training runs that is just over a mile long. Along this route we also have a few homes and dogs that are usually friendly and don’t bother us, but there is one particular home that has a dog and for whatever reason doesn’t particularly like Abbie.
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February 21, 2012
Set:
I love ESPN’s Top 10 Plays of the Day. There’s something about sports highlights that makes me want to lace up the shoes and put on the jersey again! Even though ESPN’s is my favorite Top 10 list, there are many others out there. Certainly, David Letterman made it famous with his comical late-night list. But did you know that God created the original Top 10 list a long time ago? It’s called the Ten Commandments.
