Why is asking so hard for some of us? Whether it’s for a ride to the airport, a few dollars for lunch, or financial support for FCA camp, many of us avoid asking for things we or others need.

Of course, there are times when even the most self-sufficient among us is willing to swallow our pride and plead before “the throne of grace.” I have personally witnessed the humbling of coaches, players, and fans when difficult circumstances turned them into fervent prayer warriors. Sometimes the difficulty is momentary, such as during a game when the team is down by a point with a few ticks left on the clock and the least-talented shooter is on the free-throw line. Who among us hasn’t uttered a prayer in times like these?

I was a high school sophomore awaiting surgery to repair torn cartilage in my knee. In walked a young orderly with a razor to shave my leg. Before long, the blood began to flow. He was unskilled, and his razor was dull. Fortunately, the next day was different. The surgeon was skilled, and his scalpel was sharp.
 
Surgery is always painful, but its purpose is to heal. To be successful, the surgeon must be skilled. I once saw a documentary on a surgical technique to reduce an enlarged heart. The surgeon literally sliced off a quarter of the heart and sewed it back together, where upon it began beating again! Would you want a medical intern doing such a procedure? I think not.
 

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.

Rafer Johnson’s dream of a good life hinged on his athletic ability, even though he’d been told that a birth defect would prevent him from participating in athletics. He chose to deal with the defect as a simple setback rather than as a deal breaker. With the help of coaches and family, he not only won his battle but was declared the world’s greatest athlete when he won the 1960 Olympic decathlon.

During football, soccer, and hockey games, the course of the game can change quickly. Success is often the result of an interception that leads to a score and victory. God can also intercept our life. When we think that everything is going wrong, God finds a way to get our attention. It may be by a circumstance or someone He strategically puts in our life. The next time you see a defensive player intercept a ball or a puck, watch and see what happens next. They are congratulated by their teammates and the change of momentum will often lead to a score and victory. When it is needed, don’t be surprised if God intercepts your life.

In the arena of sports where score is kept and there are always winners and losers, how do you know whether or not you are successful? While much of the world defines athletic success in terms of wins and losses, legendary coach John Wooden writes in his book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success that “success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.Within this framework, each person becomes the only one who can ultimately judge his or her own success.”

Hockey Chat:  On November 2 of 2002, Tie Domi took a penalty and then let his emotions take his whole team out of the game.  His mouthing off and cursing at referee Brad Watson landed Domi a gross misconduct penalty and an accompanying fine of $200.  The Maple Leafs were scored on during the penalty and stayed back on their heels to lose the game 5-2.  His words cost him and the team a loss.

As coaches, what do we expect from our athletes if we want to improve their performance? If they are going to be champions in the weight room, we expect them to be torn down. We expect them to push beyond their boundaries. When they do that, their bodies rebuild stronger than before. How do our athletes get faster? We put them on a treadmill, increase the incline, and again push them beyond their boundaries, beyond their comfort zones. Again, when their bodies recover, they are faster. Sometimes the increase is small but they are faster.

My dad was  a simple man. I know he did not have a resume or belonged any major civic, political or religious organizations or did things to impress the boss. I do know  that he got on his kness and prayed almost daily. He provided for his family, took pride in his work as a city employee and loved baseball. This July 25th he would've celebrated his 82nd birthday.

Yesterday, we talked about hope. And we used words that can actually serve as an acronym for the word itself: H – history, O – optimism, P – Promise, E - Eager Expectation.

Knowing what Christian hope is can be a great thing. But what should it produce in us? In the sports world, hope is necessary in spurring a team to do great things. Without hope, why would we as athletes endure what we do? If we cannot achieve our goals, why would we endure the hardship of preseason training? Why would we waste hours studying film, learning our skills, pushing our bodies beyond what we thought possible? Why would we choose to follow a game-plan if we knew it was going to fail? The truth for most of us is that we wouldn't.

Most coaches have heard the phrase “the coaches’ widow.” Among football coaches, that phrase is explained with the following admonition: “Kiss your wife in August and tell her you’ll see her in December.” That’s the motto that most coaches live by in our culture. Funny thing is, Christ never challenged us to do what “most people” do. As Christians, we are called to live to a higher standard—to create a new normal in our culture.

Coaches have it tough. Let’s be honest. There’s a stigma that we are all ex-jocks and not very good classroom teachers. There are many stereotypes about coaches: “They are teachers who get all the breaks without really working hard in the classroom…They get to miss faculty meetings…They eat meals with their teams that are paid for by the school…They sit down all day and hand out worksheets to their students…They think winning ballgames is the most important thing in the world.” For some coaches, these stereotypes may be true, but I know many where that is not the case.