Alphabetical
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February 02, 2010
Set:
The Israelites had not had a reason to celebrate for a very long time; they had lived in slavery to other nations for about one hundred fifty years. In fact, Nehemiah’s brother called his people, the Israelites, a disgrace (Neh 1) But now, God had done a new work in their midst, and the people of Israel were thankful and filled with joy. Nehemiah 12 describes a national celebration in which they dedicated the rebuilt wall and celebrated the victory of God. To make sure they celebrated with gusto, Nehemiah brought the best musicians and singers to lead them in worship with “thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres” They celebrated joyfully, because “God had given them great joy” (Neh 12:27, 43).
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November 14, 2013
Set:
There are many times in life where we may feel like the world is all on our shoulders. Stress levels soar, and you become so depressed that you feel like nothing could make you feel better. I, myself, have had this feeling countless times. Being a student-athlete in college is a completely different lifestyle. You are completely on your own when it comes to studying, and on top of studying for your classes, you have practices and competitions to prepare for. You definitely challenge yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally every week.
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August 16, 2009
Set:
Staleness is the first sign of decay. Avoiding getting stuck in a rut is key to any training schedule. All training regimes get old unless changes are made. The body plateaus and needs a new stimulus or it won’t improve. All exercise routines need variety. No matter how hard we work, we need change.
Spiritually we also need to be challenged, or we go stale. There is nothing spiritual about sitting in the same pew for 30 years. Recently I asked a man who ran a retreat center if he had seen any other retreat centers lately? He replied with an air of conceit that he had been too busy ministering and had not seen any other center in 10 years. His center had that sad stale smell.
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May 25, 2005
Set:
In working with a college Huddle, I hear many struggles and things that the athletes are going through. The pressures of athletic competition are tough, and many athletes turn to the wrong things. They hide their struggles in various places--the internet, a bottle or other things much worse. But they need to know that there is hope!
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December 28, 2006
Set:
I dialed a number and got the following message: "I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes."
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May 09, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: “That’s how the Cup changes everything.” This was the marketing message for 2008 year from the NHL, being repeated over and over about how everything in the game is elevated because of the quest for the Cup. It’s gone from just playing hockey to playing for the Stanley Cup.
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September 09, 2013
Set:
As my foot touched the line for what seemed like the 1,000th time that practice my mind sank into a deep misery. “Why are we doing this?” I thought. “My legs feel like rocks! This is torture!” Whether you’re an athlete who knows this battle or a coach who knows how frustrating it can be to motivate your players, I think we’ve all forgotten the “why” at times when enduring the hardships of athletics.
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November 29, 2009
Set:
King Josiah was just eight years old when he began to change his world. Even at such a young age he decided to live in the ways of the Lord and do what was right in His eyes. I wonder if we are doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord at our age.
God asks us to change our lives—our worlds. If we think about it, our personal lives are pretty much our world. We feel like the world is falling apart when we are having difficulties. We do have the power to change a world—our world—when we rely on Christ, “not turn[ing] to the right or to the left.” And I believe that we can have an impact on others as well when we do “what is right in the Lord’s sight.” Don’t just read it!
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October 06, 2004
Set:
John was the man. He was the star of every team he played on at his school. Had the best car, the best girl, the best of everything. On the outside, he lacked nothing. Everybody wanted to be like John. His lifestyle was fast and furious. He played hard and partied hard as well. Most people thought it was good to be John. But John was not content. He knew he was missing something in his life. After practice one Wednesday, Bill, a teammate of John's, invited him to come to FCA that night. Bill thought John would never come, but he showed up. John heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, and it made him think. He asked Bill if he could come to church with him that Sunday as well. Something was happening in John's life.
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April 07, 2008
Set:
One of Coach John Wooden’s favorite Bible figures is Job. That might seem an odd choice for the man known for leading the UCLA Bruins to a record-smashing 10 NCAA men’s basketball championships, producing a slew of All-Americans and developing NBA stars such as Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul Jabbar), Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard, Marques Johnson and Henry Bibby.
But for the people who know Wooden best, the choice isn’t the least bit surprising, as can be extracted from one of the Bible’s most straightforward passages: “There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of perfect integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1).
