Alphabetical
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January 09, 2012
Set:
The Lord corrected Samuel’s natural inclination to judge people by their outward appearance—their height, weight, and other physical features. He called Samuel to look more deeply into people’s heart, as God does.
In the world of sports, it is easier and quicker to make judgments by what we see. Everyone who walks on to the field of competition immediately sees where the largest players are. What cannot be so easily seen is the nature of a player’s heart. Qualities like courage, perseverance, love, and loyalty cannot be observed by a glance. These are qualities of the heart and require a deeper look into the player and his values.
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August 06, 2013
Set:
As a child, I dealt with the embarrassment of having to wear glasses and braces. And to make matters worse, I had problems with my hearing which required me to wear a hearing aid and affected my speech. You can imagine the name-calling that ensued. I remember one day on the way home from school, I was so frustrated that I took off my hearing aid and threw it into a ditch. Needless to say, my parents weren’t too happy about that.
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February 14, 2014
Set:
The song “Overcomer” by Mandisa is one of my favorite songs. But it’s more than just an emotional and spiritual pep-rally. As believers in Christ, the attitude of an overcomer is the one we are to walk in every day regardless of circumstances. Romans 8:37 (NIV) says that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
It’s easy to feel this way when it seems like everything is under control. Our relationships are great, we have good health, we’re doing well in school or at work, we’re excelling in our sport, etc. However, circumstances will change. And what we do when that happens makes all the difference.
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January 11, 2009
Set:
As this young leader was about to lose his daughter, Jesus gave him three steps to overcome fear—a process that applies to us as well. (1) “Don’t be afraid.” This phrase is mentioned 365 times in Scripture. (2) “Only believe.” Believe that Jesus is more than capable of handling any situation. (3) “She will be made well.” When we obey His teaching not to be afraid and believe He is capable of handling any circumstance, we will come out just fine.
Whether you are facing a larger opponent, an opponent with a better record, or an opponent from a larger school, follow these steps and God will help you with your fear. Remember, God doesn’t care about the scoreboard as much as He cares about the attitude of your heart.
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July 23, 2010
Set:
The Hall of Fame football coach of the Green Bay Packers once said, “Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.” Many times I have looked at overwhelming obstacles in my life and have felt like there was no chance of victory. However, I have learned that no matter how big an obstacle is, I serve a God who gives me victory in spite of overwhelming odds. Caleb and Joshua wanted to conquer the people of Jericho when the rest of Israel was afraid.
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November 25, 2013
Set:
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that without love nothing we are and possess nothing. This is a fundamental truth of Christianity. It’s so simple and yet so complex. We can say we believe it but our relationships with others will reveal whether or not we really do.
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February 27, 2007
Set:
After nearly one year of controversy off the field, the Duke lacrosse team returned to action in their 2007 season opener and defeated Dartmouth 17-11 in front of a crowd of 6,500. Rape allegations caused the university to suspend the team from play in March of 2006. The lacrosse program was reinstated later that June, and upon returning to practice, senior captain Matt Danowski was overflowing with thankfulness for the opportunity to compete again. "I can say personally I definitely appreciate it more. I took it for granted. We took going to the national championship game for granted. And playing games on Saturdays in front of fans, I took that for granted."
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July 26, 2010
Set:
One of the greatest things I have experienced as an athlete and now as a coach is the development of a team by the groups that have truly understood this concept. A true team does not happen simply because a group of players are organized into a unit. The true team consists of individuals who take ownership of their responsibility to work together and strive for the same goals. In this situation, individuals place the team above their individual aspirations.
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May 12, 2014
Set:
It’s all about power these days. We have Power Bars, Powerade®, Power Play, Power Training and Power Ratings. The world of sports is addicted to power. Bigger, faster and stronger is the ticket.
Strength training for any athlete is essential—you need to be an athlete of power. We know what an athlete of power looks like physically, but do we know what an athlete of power looks like spiritually? God wants us to be an athlete or coach of spiritual P.O.W.E.R. This is not power that the world offers, but the kind of power that only comes from God. What kind of athlete do you want to be? It’s time to P.O.W.E.R. up.
P - Pursue Purity
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September 01, 2010
Set:
I will never forget watching Reggie Miller score eight points in the last thirty-two seconds of a 1995 Eastern Conference NBA playoff game in Madison Square Garden. Miller’s “never say die” heroics in the closing seconds gave the Indiana Pacers a thrilling two-point victory over the New York Knicks. Throughout his eighteen-year career with the Pacers, Miller was the picture of persistence. He didn’t make every clutch shot he took, but he never stopped shooting them. In an interview following his final NBA game, he summed up his career by saying, “I tried. I showed up for every game and I tried.”
