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January 01, 2009
Set:
When Steve Fitzhugh picks his friends, he does so very methodically, carefully and selectively. There are certain qualities he looks for in people, and he takes an almost formulaic approach to all potential relationships. And he teaches others to do the same.
For instance, Fitzhugh says the primary quality of a close friend is that he or she is like-minded in his or her faith. The individual must have accepted Jesus as his or her Savior and must have made a long-term commitment to following Him. But that’s just the beginning of Fitzhugh’s laundry list, which also includes trust, confidence and character.
April 05, 2011
Set:
Last night, at the age of 68, University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun became the oldest basketball coach to ever win an NCAA men’s basketball championship. In his team’s 53-41 win over the Butler Bulldogs, Calhoun earned his third title in his 39-year coaching career.
Calhoun’s milestone reminded me this morning about a man in Scripture whose age also made history. His name was Abraham, and, at the age of 100, he and his wife, Sarah, who was only 10 years younger, gave birth to their son, Isaac. While Abraham and Sarah had known for many years that God promised them a child, they couldn’t see how that would happen in their old ages.
February 02, 2010
Set:
The Israelites had not had a reason to celebrate for a very long time; they had lived in slavery to other nations for about one hundred fifty years. In fact, Nehemiah’s brother called his people, the Israelites, a disgrace (Neh 1) But now, God had done a new work in their midst, and the people of Israel were thankful and filled with joy. Nehemiah 12 describes a national celebration in which they dedicated the rebuilt wall and celebrated the victory of God. To make sure they celebrated with gusto, Nehemiah brought the best musicians and singers to lead them in worship with “thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres” They celebrated joyfully, because “God had given them great joy” (Neh 12:27, 43).
September 19, 2006
Set:
If you knew when your last practice, last game, last hoorah would be, how would it affect your situation? Many athletes have had to face this early in their blossoming careers. Men such as Bo Jackson, Darryl Stingley and many others. Would you do things differently as an athlete or coach? Brian is one such athlete who may have seen his last play. A standout safety, who walked on, earned a scholarship and now is a fifth-year senior. Last year he missed the entire season (except for the bowl game) because of ACL surgery, and he was counting on this year to be his best. On the Monday before they opened their season, Brian hurt his ankle. At first it looked like a sprain, but over time it has become much worse. Brian's football career may be over.
April 18, 2009
Set:
I remember playing football on the playground as an 8 year old. When I was quarterback, I only had one play—the “Hail Mary.” I would tell everyone, “Go long!” My friends would try to tell me they were open short, but I wouldn’t hear them. I wanted to go long on every play. Of course, going long back then was about 10 yards, maybe 15 if you had a good arm like mine. I would drop back to pass, fling the football as far as I could, and hope one of my teammates would come down with it. I thought any play that didn’t result in a touchdown was a failure. I didn’t care about field position or time of possession; I just wanted to score as fast as possible. Obviously, that wasn’t the best strategy for success.
August 01, 2006
Set:
Time for some calisthenics. Stand up. (Seriously, get out of your chair!). Tuck your chin to your chest and jump as high as you can, keeping your chin there. Now, lift your head up, pick a point on a wall or something a couple feet above your head and jump again.
May 02, 2008
Set:
Today, the FCA family is celebrating the life of one of its heroes. Longtime FCA teammate Ed Britton went home to be with the Lord this morning, leaving behind him an unsurpassed legacy of faith, passion and life. Anyone who came into contact with Ed, even for the briefest of moments, was left with an impression of Christ and a fresh desire to make an impact for Him. No one could leave an encounter with Ed without being completely fired up for Christ and ready to go out and make a difference in the world! He was truly one of a kind, and we will miss him so much.
April 05, 2013
Set:
The other morning my phone alerted me to a new message. When I checked the screen I saw the following message: "Bible – Update Available". Now even though I realized that I was being alerted to a digital update for my smart phone Bible application, it is what I heard later in the day that made me think twice about the alert.
As I traveled to work, the talk radio show I had tuned in was replaying an interview between talk show host Piers Morgan and Saddleback pastor Rick Warren. During the interview, Mr. Morgan made the following statement:
"…the Bible and the Constitution were well intentioned, but they are basically inherently flawed. Hence the need to amend it...it’s time for an amendment to the Bible."
January 25, 2010
Set:
Sports are a big thing for me. My whole year pretty much is revolved around sports. The time I do have between seasons, it's usually really busy with working and such, but you also have to have time for friends and family too. I got to thinking the other day, if I prayed, and asked for God as much as I played sports, where would I be? I am pretty sure that my relationship would be 10X stronger, even stronger then it is now. I am sure a lot of people think the same way though.
October 30, 2007
Set:
Game four of the 2007 World Series featured a pitching match-up of two men who had faced more pressure than their current big stage could offer. Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox and Aaron Cook of the Colorado Rockies both had life-threatening illnesses they had to overcome in order to make it to the pinnacle of baseball. "I don't think it's a coincidence," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "I think this game drips with irony. I believe in a lot of different venues that God's fingerprints are all over a lot of things if we are able to open our eyes and recognize it."
May 05, 2010
Set:
Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Ben Zobrist wasn’t drafted by Major League Baseball out of high school. In fact, he wasn’t even offered a baseball scholarship to play in college. Yet, after attending a skills showcase the summer after his senior year, one college coach saw potential in Zobrist and offered him a position on the team.
Now one of the brightest young infielders in the game, Zobrist has experienced a divine path to success—both on the field and off. Just before the start of the 2010 season, Zobrist sat down with FCA’s Sharing the Victory magazine to talk about that career, his family and, most importantly, his faith in Jesus Christ.
July 05, 2006
Set:
As the final whistle blew in Ghana's 2-0 upset of the Czech Republic during the World Cup last month, John Mensah, a Ghanaian defender, got down on his knees and revealed a t-shirt with Jesus on it. In 2004, Brazilian midfielder Kaka' sported a t-shirt reading "I belong to Jesus" over the top of his jersey when his club team, AC Milan, won the Serie A title in Europe. There are countries in the world today where these athletes would be tortured, jailed or possibly even killed for their acts of faith. Both Mensah and Kaka' were able to do these things because they live in countries where they have the freedom to express their belief in God.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: With the NHL expansion in the late 1960s and the emergence of skilled players like Wayne Gretzky, enforcers became more common. Their role was to try to knock those skilled guys on the other team off of their game. The enforcers were poor at nearly everything else because their main role was to hunt down the good guy and get ‘em and they spent their ice time doing just that.
January 01, 2009
Set:
Trust is a funny thing. It takes years to build but can be destroyed in an instant. Trust requires honesty, communication, loyalty and proven moral integrity. It is one of the foundational elements behind every great team.
Andy Pettitte knows all about the fragile nature of trust. He has spent his entire life building up trustworthy relationships with his family, his friends, his teammates, the baseball community and the public at large. Yet a single seemingly insignificant misstep can open the door for doubt, which often then results in a certain measure of distrust. In today’s society, it doesn’t take much for a cynical public (and an even more cynical media) to question one’s integrity and chip away at that bedrock of trust.
January 15, 2010
Set:
Hannah made the varsity tennis team as a sophomore, eventually beating Mindy, a senior, for the number two singles spot. Hannah became very arrogant in her new position of power, bossing her teammates around and telling them to do things for her. When Mindy did not budge, Hannah became angry. She would do anything to make Mindy look bad in front of the coaches. Mindy did not retaliate; she went about her business playing doubles in her final year. Hannah would not let up. Her dislike for Mindy turned into hate, and she tried to get Mindy kicked off the team. Does this sound familiar?
March 15, 2011
Set:
Are you busy? I bet you are! Games, practices, work, meetings and other important things consume our days. We get so busy we sometimes forget what is truly essential. Recently I have been reminded that there are two things I have been neglecting or forgetting to do for my family. And while I can build a great plan to succeed in life, if I'm not leading and caring for my family, emptiness will surely follow.
August 31, 2009
Set:
“Touch the line!” is a phrase that athletes hear constantly, a call to run a sprint the right way. In my own personal experience this phrase has often been followed by the dreaded “that one didn’t count.” Needless to say, no one likes to run more than they have to.
Why would a coach make an athlete run again just for missing a line? I mean really, sometimes it’s only a matter of inches. The answer has to do with hard work and discipline. A coach never wants to see a player cut corners. He or she wants every player to realize their full potential, even if that means focusing on seemingly minor things. The same is true of our Heavenly Coach.
June 29, 2006
Set:
Being a soccer player and longtime fan of the sport, I get excited every four years when the World Cup roles around. This year it seems that there are more people watching the competition. One of my teachers had the game on at school during the United States' crushing loss to the Czech Republic. For the rest of the day people kept coming up to me and commenting about the team's poor performance. It bothered me to see people who had never followed the sport making such judgmental comments after watching the team play only once. I didn't think that it was fair for them to pass judgment after watching a single competition.
June 20, 2007
Set:
I love sports-themed movies like "Facing the Giants," which I highly recommend. It is an inspirational story of courage, faith and the power of God's word. I am sure each of you can recall one of your own favorite sports movies, as well.
June 21, 2010
Set:
I had to laugh when I realized what I did. Thankfully nobody was around to see my boneheaded move. As a frequent traveler, I am in out of airports and hotels all the time, which means I’m also in and out of a ton of different restrooms. I began to run out of patience as I kept waving my hands back and forth to trigger the motion detector that should have turned on the water. After about 30 seconds of this, I thought the sink was broken. When I started to move to the next sink, though, I noticed a strange looking thing called a handle on top of the faucet. I was busted. With a simple turn of the handle, I had my water.
June 24, 2010
Set:
As athletes, a majority of us are constantly searching for two things when it comes to increasing our athletic performance:
- Things that make us better.
- Things that make us worse.
Athletes who are serious about reaching their full potential are always looking for that next exercise, diet or drill that will help them increase their performance. Similarly, athletes are also on the lookout for things that will inhibit or corrupt their performance (bad habits, poor attitudes, wrong diets, etc.) so that they might be able make changes and achieve their full athletic potential.
August 21, 2006
Set:
This is quite possibly my favorite time of year for sports. The baseball season is heading toward its peak, the football season is beginning anew, basketball is on the horizon, and my favorite, high school cross country, is taking off, as well.
My family has been looking forward to this cross country season with much excitement and anticipation. This is the year our two sons, Joel and James, get to run on the same team. (Joel is a senior, and James is a freshman.) So far, Joel has had considerable success in his high school career having qualified for the state meets in both cross country and track a total of five times.
March 05, 2007
Set:
Can you hear it? It is coming. Can you feel it? It is almost here. A weekend in which David's meet Goliath's, underdogs battle the overrated, and one team becomes the giant-slayer of the year. Yes, it is March Madness: the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Sixty-five teams enter, and only one will win. But even though there is only one champion, there are many great stories of triumph along the way.
December 21, 2010
Set:
Webster’s dictionary defines victory as “the winning of a battle, war, or any struggle.” The definition of winning is “to finish first.” Is it possible to gain a great victory and still not finish first? Which is more important: victories or wins?
April 11, 2006
Set:
I don’t know about your neighborhood, but when I was younger we had the “do over.” Remember? You took a swing and your foot went out from under you. You mis-kicked the ball in a kickball game because you slipped on some wet grass. What were the first words to come out of your mouth? “Do over!!”
Did you know that God gave us a “do over”? Paul wrote the church in Corinth that when they accepted Christ they became a new creation. Well, thousands of years later, the same is still true for us. When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, we become a new creation.
