Orioles Second-base man Brian Roberts confesses his steroid use and talks about how to overcome the mistakes you've made in the past.
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Hard Work
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Discussion:
- How important is your work ethic to your performance as a competitor?
- Who is to you an example of a strong work ethic? How is it seen in his/her approach to sport?
- Let’s read a couple of simple Proverbs that speak of work ethic. Proverbs 10:4, 12:24, 14:23, 22:29.
- Which one of these best illustrates your thoughts about hard work?
- Why would this be such an important factor for success in competition?
- How do we lead others to build a stronger work ethic for their sport?
Summary:
Coach with Power, Love and Self Control
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Wisdom for a Young Head Coach
Week 16
II Timothy 1:1-7
Discussion Questions:
Honor
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After 22 years of playing and coaching football, I won a championship ring while serving as team chaplain for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College football team. Under the leadership of Steve Campbell, that team finished number one in the national JUCO poll. They possessed a rare quality—honor. After every victory we gave God the glory. All year we honored our coaches, one another, our teachers, and parents. We made mistakes, but always came back to honor.
Prayer - Chapel
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1 – Many people misunderstand our purpose in conducting a chapel for our team.
- Some think that if we pray it will result in a win.
- Some think that if we go to chapel we are more likely to win.
- Some think that if we pray we get God on our side.
- So what’s the point?
- Does God even care about who wins today?
2 – Joshua 5:13-15 sheds some light on such questions (read the text aloud).
Living the Dream
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Orioles Second-base man Brian Roberts talks about priorities, decision making, and keeping God the center of your life.
Pair of Aces
They were highly recruited freshmen on the UCLA volleyball team when they first met — one a shy high-school standout, who quietly went about her business; the other a gregarious, fun-loving star, who quickly made friends with everyone she met.
Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan had never talked before their time as teammates at UCLA, but they certainly knew of each other.
True Glory
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Have you ever been on a team that has won it all? Winning a championship title is truly a position of glory. Really it is the only position of true glory in sports because you received the highest honor possible! No other team could make that claim.
Now, while we are on the earth, we can get a position of glory if we give our lives to Jesus Christ by receiving Him as Savior and Lord. God restores us when we give our sins to Him. God establishes us when we willingly say, “Here I am Lord...use me.” God strengthens us when we come to Him and ask Him for His care. God supports us when we face our enemies or problems.
Fire Up
Cut from the team. Knee blows out senior year. Lost the state title. Playing time disappears. Your mistake costs the team a win. As a competitor, all these things are considered tough trials. Add to that academic pressure or conflict at home and you can feel overwhelmed.
Hold the Line!
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Every football player knows the value of a good offensive line. There’s a mild disgust when a defensive back finds a hole and the play is over before the offense could produce something. That’s where it all starts—or ends. There’s something formed in the hearts of men/women when they stand shoulder to shoulder with their teammates; and the strength as a unit is greater than the sum of the parts. There’s a bond formed and a confidence forged deep in the soul.
Heart of an Athlete: Maggie Krick
Chosen Attribute: Joy
Dictionary definition: “The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.”
My definition: “To be genuinely content from the inside out.”
Self-Control
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Discussion:
- What part of your sport requires the most self-control?
- What happens if you play in an out-of-control way?
- Tell us about a player you know who shows great self-control.
- Let’s read about someone who demonstrated tremendous self-control. Read Matthew 4:1-11.
- How is Jesus’ self-control evident in this story? Over what factors does he exercise self-control?
- In what situations in your game do you struggle to maintain self-control?
- How might Jesus’ example here affect your approach to the game with respect to self-control?
Summary:
House Cleaning
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Clutter chokes out energy, creativity, and our ability to get things done! No big deal!
Heart of an Athlete: Rocco Grimaldi
In August, Sports Illustrated tabbed 16 athletes as their “Stars of Tomorrow.” One of those talented, young competitors was 17-year-old Rocco Grimaldi, who has accumulated a long list of athletic achievements even though he’s still in high school. This month, we discovered that there’s more to this young hockey phenom than great puck-handling skills. One thing? His desire to bring Christ to the world of hockey one teammate at a time.
Pain
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I'm sure you can remember some part of your physical training program that you thought was surely designed to kill you. Maybe it was a set of "gassers," or running the lines on the court, or a 10-minute run. These torturous drills were always at the end of a hard practice. My least favorite was a timed quarter-mile run at the end of a season-starting football practice. Coming around the last turn my legs would burn like they were on fire, and it would feel like someone had stabbed me in the side with a knife. I was certain the coach's goal was to kill us. But those coaches weren't overly interested in how much we hurt that day. They were looking ahead to the season and were getting us ready for not just our first game, but our last game, as well.
Dream On!
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When I was 8 years old, I did a lot of dreaming. My dad would take me to college lacrosse games, and I would stand by the field saying, “One day I want to play on that field!”
Underdogs
For the second year in a row, the Drake University women’s basketball team was the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference, but the Bulldogs have learned that preseason rankings mean nothing. When it comes to the season itself, anything can happen. And they mean anything. Last fall, Drake, a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, entered the season as a team loaded with talented veterans.
Bound For Glory
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Every team sets goals before the season. They work, strive, and stretch to reach those goals, but the reality is only one team wins it all in the end. Does that mean all the other teams were failures in their seasons? Not by any means. Most teams reach their goals each season. The key is to be focused on the established team goals as players pursue each game and contest. In this way each team is bound to end their season in glory.
Living Sacrifices
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Sacrifice is something most people never even consider, let alone complete. Let’s consider what it is to be a living sacrifice.
At the time of this writing by Paul, sacrifices were usually killed and laid upon an altar to be burned. The problem with “living sacrifices” is that they tend to crawl off the altar when it gets a little hot. We start with good intentions of making a sacrifice for our teammates, our family, or career, but when it gets uncomfortable we often snatch the sacrifice from the altar and lose the reward that comes from faithfulness.
Legacy
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Maybe you’ve heard the statement, “Tradition never graduates.” One of the keys to leaving a legacy is to treasure the past and the memories of our “founding fathers” whose shoulders we have stood upon. We must appreciate the important role that others have played in our lives.
While drawing strength from our past, we must also stay focused on a vision for our future. If we want to stay on the cutting edge of fruitful kingdom living, we must constantly review our ministry commitments, learn from our past experiences, and seek the best advice from others—all while humbly praying for God’s Spirit to guide us. To become more effective, coaches must also skillfully balance time and resources while carefully planning for the future.
The Trade Steve
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Senior Day - Chapel
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1 – This could be the last competition for some of our senior players.
- Many of us have competed together for years.
- On a day like this, what should characterize the attitudes of our most senior players?
- I see a great model at Joshua 14 and verses 7-14.
2 – Joshua 14:7-14 (read the text)
- Caleb is now 85 years old, but he’s not ready to retire.
- “I was faithful to what I was told.”
- “I’m as strong today as I was 45 years ago.”
- “Give me this mountain! I’ve heard there are giants there.”
3 – I wonder about our seniors.
A Bad Seed or a Shining Star?
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Pride is a state of mind vital for any champion to have—pride in yourself, your accomplishments, your team, and your school. But there is a flip side to pride—boasting and self-interest that can bring a championship-caliber team to its knees. So how does a coach ensure his or her team does not fall into the negative state of pride? Humility. Webster defines humility as modesty in self-examination and humbleness. For a Christian, the definition is simpler—to become like Christ. Jesus had every opportunity to boast and brag. After all, he was the Son of God.
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