He received the handoff, and moved towards the line. They had him cornered, pinned in the backfield for a big loss. But next thing you know, Barry Sanders wiggled his way through all the defenders for a touchdown. Left standing in his dust, the linemen had to think, "We had him trapped! There's no way he could have gotten out of that jam." More often than not, Sanders did get out of the jams, and that is what made him such a special player. A modern-day football Houdini, Sanders broke through many traps set before him and turned calamity into celebration. All it took for Sanders was a small opening.

Athletes today live in a “me first” society. Many like to be served, not serve. Some professional athletes lead the way on “me first!” Yet, we hear stories of some who put others in front of themselves. Jason is one of those athletes. He has learned the art of “you before me.”

Paul teaches us that we can be very selfish. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul explained that others are more important than ourselves. This is not to put us down, but to lift the needs of others higher. A dear evangelist friend of mine, Aidan McKenzie, once said, “If there are two people in the room and you are one of them, guess who is more important? It’s not you.” That is something good to live by.

The story of Texas Rangers' outfielder Josh Hamilton has been well-chronicled. Major League Baseball’s first overall draft pick in 1999, his career and future was derailed by drug and alcohol addiction beginning in 2003. In his own words, he hit rock-bottom on Oct. 5, 2005 when he stood on his grandmother’s porch, having nowhere else to turn after going on a drug binge. She took him in and under her care Hamilton’s heart was opened to God’s love and how much he needed Him to heal the brokenness in his life.
 

It appears that the sports world has been overtaken with the “somebody-owes-me-something-because-I-am-somebody” attitude. The big 10-dollar word for that attitude is “entitlement.” It is the belief that we deserve some reward or benefit because of who we are. Somehow we think everyone owes us, and that we owe nothing in return. If you watch SportsCenter, it sometimes sounds more like CrimeCenter. So many athletes think they can do anything they want—that they are above the law.

I love to run. It allows me an extra opportunity to connect with my Creator. It’s more than just seeing His beauty in nature, so much more! The longer I run, the more I hear His voice. Is it the physical exertion? Can it be the steady cadence? I think it’s more about just being quiet.

I hit the road taking my usual route. I crave the familiar. I run it many times each week and know it well. Halfway through, I prepare for my least favorite part: a sizable hill with a nasty bend. I’m tired and, yet, I’m far from done. In order to tackle this ascent, I need the Lord to carry me.

She was a cute and happy kindergartener in the very first PE class I taught in 1987. I knew she would grow up to be quite a young lady. Seventeen years later, Kristen is a senior playing basketball for a Christian college in Indiana. Coming off an outstanding high school career, Kristen has had a hard time finding success at the next level in most people's eyes. You will not find a harder worker or a more disciplined ball player than this young lady, but for some reason her number is not called too many times. Many players in her situation would have quit by now, but not Kristen.