When I commit to the TeamFCA Competitor's Creed, I realize that "I am made to strive, to strain, to stretch and to succeed in the arena of competition." That is a bold and intentional statement. But I think all competitors truly understand what it takes to strive, to strain, to stretch and to succeed. We must stay hungry to grow and to learn in our sports. That hunger to know the game allows us to compete at new levels. In order to be a hungry competitor we must look at the physical, the mental and the spiritual. A well-balanced athlete or coach knows that it is critical to balance all three areas.

Sitting in a job interview I was asked by the president of the school, “Do you think you’re smart?” I had never been asked that in a job interview. Not knowing how to respond, I quickly said, "My mother thinks I am!" After the laughter stopped (and I got the job), he explained to me what he had meant. He told me the job would require great depth of knowledge, and the person hired would have to understand on how to attack the position effectively. The job required a great deal of discipline and dedication.

I don’t know about other neighborhoods, but when I was younger we had the “do-over.” If our feet went out from under us or we miskicked the ball in a kickball game, what were the first words out of our mouths? “Do-over!”

Amazingly, God gave us a do-over! Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that when they accepted Christ, they were a new creation. The same is still true for us. When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, we are a new creation. This means that no matter what our lives were like before we knew Christ or how many times we slip, we get a chance to do it again, completely free of charge.