Alphabetical
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December 09, 2011
Set:
Scripture is the basis of our faith. But, sometimes, I think we get so caught up in life that we start to look at familiar verses and almost label them as cliché. As sad as that sounds, we hear verses like John 3:16, Philippians 4:13 and Jeremiah 29:11 and simply pass them by or say to ourselves, “Oh, I’ve heard that a thousand times.” While that may be true, it doesn’t take away the relevance of Scripture!
A high school coach of mine once said that when things go wrong, it is important to go back to the basics—to the foundation of the game—and to re-establish a routine. He was talking about softball, but I think this relates to our faith in a profound way.
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August 09, 2013
Set:
The foundation for success in any sport relies primarily on the mastery of fundamentals. Champion athletes spend time perfecting their skills by focusing on fundamentals. At times it may seem trite, but to error fundamentally could produce devastating miscues! It doesn’t matter at what level you compete, ignore the fundamentals and your performance will suffer.
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November 06, 2013
Set:
Cal Ripken Jr., who broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-game record (Gehrig’s 2,130 to Ripken’s 2,632 straight games in the lineup), credits his father, Cal Ripken Sr. for the mentoring, coaching, and example to break the record. Junior remembers that his father had many mottoes and pronouncements. One of his favorite sayings was: “Do two million little things right, and the big things take care of themselves.” His point was to take pride in the fundamentals.
All of us face the game of life each day with its tests and temptations. Being a Christian doesn’t guarantee that we will never have problems. But as Christians, we have biblical guidelines and fundamentals to help us have victory over our trials.
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February 07, 2014
Set:
At the beginning of a new year many people set goals, and for the first several weeks they stay on track to achieving them. Sadly, many people get derailed even though we intellectually know what coaches, personal trainers, teachers and mentors tell us: that there is payoff when we persevere.
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September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: When a coach sends his players out there, he is sending them to do the best for him. If the player was to go out there and played just with consideration for the other team, he’d be letting down his coach. But good players go out there and play for the guy standing behind there bench, and that will always clash with the opposition.
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September 03, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: What if you were to get to spend a month with Wayne Gretzky (or Martin Brodeur for you goalies) and they spent day and night giving you tips and coaching? That would make you pretty great. But if the month was over and you went back to playing your way and forgetting everything you had been taught, losing your talents you had been just gained. It would seem foolish. Like a waste of a great opportunity.
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September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: When a player is called up to the big leagues of the NHL he has got the chance to make a name for himself and an impact on the hockey world. He knows it’s his big break. Years of training had lead up to this and now he’s been called upon to be the best player he can be. But if he uses that chance to be a puck-hog or run up the penalty minutes, he has not used his big opportunity wisely and he’ll be a big let down to the ones who believed in him.
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June 07, 2013
Set:
Take a deep breath … Can you smell it? The air puts a special swagger in your step … Can you feel it? Today is not any other day. It is GAME DAY! Game day is a special day. Thoughts and feelings rush through your mind as you wait for the game to arrive. I can still feel, hear and see the home crowd at our season opener in basketball as if it was just yesterday. The songs played by the band, the smell of popcorn in the air, the sounds of people moving around, anxiously awaiting for what this year's team will give the crowd. Every player and coach works for one thing: game day. Game day is about preparation mentally and physically for the battle ahead. Game day is here now. Let the game begin!
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February 08, 2014
Set:
In sports, how many times have we heard someone tell us to get our game face on? It’s a saying that’s used to bring up the idea or feeling of focus. When a person has their game face on they are ready for competition. They’re ready for the trial ahead of them and prepared to give their all. They are totally 100-percent focused.
As athletes or coaches, most of us would at one time or another in our careers have put on a game face of our own in sports, but what about as Christians? Have we ever thought about a spiritual game face?
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March 17, 2013
Set:
Rich and I are very competitive friends. We are like brothers in so many ways. We both love to serve and work hard at it. He is in the restaurant industry, and I am in sports ministry. We both serve on the Welcome Team at church and lead small groups. A common phrase when working together is “game on.” This basically means we will do all we can to serve others the best we can.
As servants of Christ, Rich and I both understand that we are to love others as brothers and sisters in Christ, holding them in the highest of regard. This truly becomes evident when we practice these habits with nonbelievers. When we strive to outdo each other in honoring others, this bond will hold any team together whatever problem arises.
