|
PICTURE THIS: Its Wednesday morning July 28, 2010. Its 6:30 AM, time for my morning run. It’s raining. Its decision time…to run or not to run that is the question. Put up or shut up, go hard or go home, don’t be a punk were some of the thoughts that ran through my mentality as mind kept reminding me that it was raining. OK Chad, what’s it gonna be?
October 10, 2010
Set:
In 1979, as a Christian follower for fourteen years, I awoke to find my world crumbling. I had tried to be a good coach, a good provider, a sharing Christian, a church deacon, and a well-conditioned athlete. But I learned a great lesson that day. Sometimes I can be doing God’s work and not God’s will! I had been trying to do God’s work, but His will was for me to love my wife more.
I turned to my Bible and immediately turned to the verse above, 2 Timothy 3:1–5. I knew this was written for me. Immediately I read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in order to know Jesus and His words. I said, “If I was an apostle with Jesus in His time—what would I have thought?”
September 10, 2010
Set:
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.
December 17, 2009
Set:
Birdie Pitts served Christ for all of her 92 years on earth. On August 9, 2001, she went home to be with the Lord. She was my first official FCA prayer warrior when I started with FCA almost 20 years ago. Little did I know, however, that Birdie had actually started praying for me 11 years before I even joined FCA. I was in eighth grade when I first met two buddies, James and Tim (Birdie’s grandson), at a summer camp in New York. Not only did I make two lifetime friends at that camp, but I also made a commitment to full-time ministry.
June 05, 2009
Set:
At soccer practice, it was always understood that the freshmen were the ones who would always help clean up by collecting soccer balls, cones and pennies. That’s just what they were supposed to do, kind of like a rite of passage.
After long practices, it always seemed like nobody wanted to collect the sweaty pennies or run all the way to the far corners of the muddy field to collect the balls and cones. Then, one day, our coach gave the freshmen a break and asked the older players to help pack up. We looked around, thinking it was a joke. This wasn’t our job! Why should we be stooping so low? We were above the task. In reality, it seemed we were looking after our own interests, and not the interests of the entire team.
August 02, 2010
Set:
Most of you have probably heard the greatly catchy, but annoying Britney Spears song "Oops I did it Again". The lyrics of this song go something like "Oops I did it again, I played with your heart". The song stresses the idea of not only making the same mistakes over and over, but leading someone into thinking we like them more than we actually do. Unfortunately our lives as Christians look much the same.
September 23, 2010
Set:
When most sport seasons end, numbers get crunched. It’s easy for coaches to get caught up in the numbers game, especially as the media highlights our career wins, our titles, and our Coach of the Year awards. However, any true coach knows records are not the important thing; what matters is having the opportunity to work with athletes, to make a difference in their lives. Coaches, like players, make a lot of sacrifices to develop winning teams, but most will tell you those sacrifices and successes are for the athletes, for the joy of watching players mature and grow.
April 30, 2010
Set:
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.
May 09, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: April 22, 2008, four teams played hockey knowing that by the end of the night, only two of those teams would be going on to the next level. It was time to shine and give it all. There is no “next game” to fall back on. Time to show the true spirit. It was two “Game Sevens”. San Jose and Philadelphia advance to the next round and for Calgary and Washington, the season was over.
May 09, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: After winning the Stanley Cup in 1924, Montreal Canadiens players on their way to a victory party stashed the trophy in the trunk of their car. Part way to the festivities, the vehicle had a flat. The players removed the Cup to get at the spare, changed the tire and drove away leaving the Stanley Cup perched on a snow bank. Only when it came time to drink champagne from the Cup did they realize they didn't have it Cup with them. They drove back to where they'd changed the tire, found the Cup sitting there patiently waiting for them, and hastily reclaimed it.
June 06, 2010
Set:
Before Jesus left His disciples and returned to heaven, He promised that He would send them a “Counselor” or helper, the Holy Spirit. The word helper in the Greek means, “one called alongside.” He stands beside us to help us. That’s why we, as Christians, fight no battles and face no problems alone.
February 08, 2010
Set:
Last year, I was on the junior varsity basketball team. Our record was 23-4. It was the best record our coach had ever had. However, he was not pleased with us all of the time. He continually told us that even though we were winning games, we had not played to our full potential. He told us we had yet to play a full four quarters at our hardest. Just because we beat other teams the coach believed we were not living up to the standards he had for us on the court.
September 30, 2010
Set:
If a person tried to build or repair something without the proper tools, it would not take long until he became tired and gave up in frustration. In this passage a group of men were building a place to live and cutting trees for lumber. As one of them was chopping, the ax head flew off the handle and fell into deep water. He could have gone on and beat the tree with the handle alone, but his time would have been futile without the ax head to do the work. A sharp ax is what is needed to chop down a tree.
September 02, 2010
Set:
One of the most damaging aspects of sports today doesn’t happen on the field. The media, team members, and many others all take part in this meaningless act. It is called gossip. People love to tear something or someone apart with their words. They would rather say what they heard about others than search for the truth. I have seen more teams ruined by gossip than by performance.
February 08, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: There are the guys on the team that wear the “C” on their sweater representing that they are the Captain. They’ve given their best at putting forth the qualities of a leader. The management of the team sees those actions and gives this prestigious reward to the top man who has earned it. It’s an honor given to them because of what they gave to the team.
January 21, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: There is only one true Stanley Cup. It is authenticated by the seal of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the bottom of the Cup which can be seen when winning players lift the Cup over their heads.
February 25, 2010
Set:
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.
Featured Resources
-
Video
-
Promotional
-
Bible Study
-
Wallpaper
Browse By
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic
|
