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The game is on the line; the next play can make or break the outcome. The quarterback drops back in the pocket and throws deep into the end zone. Many players jump for the ball, but the receiver comes down with it right by the line. Did he have his foot down in bounds? The line judge signals touchdown, but before the extra point is kicked, the referee waves his arms and says, "The previous play is under further review." Off he goes to find out what the decision will be.
When five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe retired from competitive swimming at the age of 24 he said, “breaking records wasn’t as inspiring as it should have been.” As a teenager, Thorpe splashed into the swimming scene and swam to 13 world records from 1999 to 2002, becoming an international star after dominating at the Sydney Olympics.
Even with all the success, he realized the medals, titles, records, and accomplishments did not last long. The fans went home. The cameras were turned off. And Ian was left with an empty feeling that success cannot fill. The external stuff fades quickly. It is never enough.
Cancer is a powerful enemy, and I believe God calls us to be aggressive as we fight it–both in prayer and action. At one moment we are called to trust and surrender, and in the next to take up arms and fight. That’s what it means to be aggressive: daily doing battle in the heavenly realms, prayerfully asking God to move and do what only He can do. During our fight, we need God to do surgery inside us at the heart and soul level. We need Him to change our internal environment, both spiritually and physically.
One of my favorite childhood memories came on my eleventh birthday, March 15, 1972. I received a gift that would set me head and shoulders above everyone else in the neighborhood. It was something that would make me the envy of all my friends. I received the coolest bicycle in the world—a real “big boy” bike. I’m telling you, it was so shiny and bright! It had a white frame with a blue glitter banana seat, blue glitter handles, and tassels. It was indeed the envy of all my friends. To top it off, it had blue tires. That bike made me the coolest kid in the neighborhood.
Coaches are famous for using sayings and quotes to get players pumped up for whatever sport they’re playing. I have a friend who hangs signs with different sayings all over his team’s locker room. One sign in particular really resonates with me. It’s the one posted just above the door that leads out of the locker room. It says, “Discipline is not what I do TO you; it is what I do FOR you.”
"'For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
As Carly Schumacher’s collegiate career nears its end, the middle blocker reflected on how she’s grown as an athlete and follower of Christ during her four years at Saint Louis University. The Clinton, Ill., native has learned through leading the FCA Huddle and the tragic death of a former teammate that what she’ll remember most are the relationships developed and lives touched for the Lord.
FCA is pleased to present a unique opportunity for farmers and ranchers to become involved in giving to FCA through the STEER program. FCA partners with STEER, Inc. in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Download the PDF brochure below to learn more.
Key Verse:
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must [forgive]. Above all, [put on] love—the perfect bond of unity.
Colossians 3:12-14
FCA encourages donors to consider other unique giving opportunities beyond cash as a means to impact the ministry. Much of the world’s wealth is tied up in assets rather than available in cash. Donors can be good stewards and leave a legacy through estate planning and the donation of non-cash assets.
Download the PDF below to learn more!
I was in the gym training for a competition when I heard a few guys talking about how they were going to compete in a bodybuilding contest one day. “Hmmm,” I thought to myself. “How many times have I heard people TALK about what they were going to do ‘one day’?”
How often do we talk about things we are going to do, want to do or dream of doing and then never do? All too often. I personally have made it a goal not to fall into that category. In my life, I have learned that, when I talk about accomplishing a task, the Lord expects me to follow through.
One of the most effective things a coach can do is pray for the players and coaches involved in their program. Typically the sports prayer is for no one to get hurt, and for everyone to do his or her best. Those are good prayers. Today’s verses also give us the confidence to move on to much deeper levels of prayer for those around us—prayers that land in the direct center of God’s will and prayers for the people around us to come into a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus.
A Christ-following coach may be the only Christian with which some players and coaches have contact. As a result, a Christ-following coach may be the only person praying for the salvation of these men and women.
Endurance means putting one foot in front of the other no matter how things are going. At the London Marathon, a lot of the hard parts of that race were talking myself through the rough patches. The marathon is a good analogy for life in general. You’re going to go through those rough patches where you don’t feel good. You can either get down on yourself and cave in and start doing poorly, or you can tell yourself you’re doing great and you’re going to do your best no matter how you’re feeling or how slow you start. I really had to mentally coach myself through some rough patches in that race, and I think that’s the big part of endurance. Tough times are inevitable. They’re going to come.
When an athlete reaches the pinnacle of a sport, the new pedestal changes their vantage point. No longer are they looking up to others; everyone is looking up to them. It’s a powerful shift that alters every aspect of their lives.
What’s interesting about Lauren Cheney, though, is how far from that observation shift she lives. As one of the stars of the U.S. women's national soccer team, Cheney has, by contrast, spent most of her life looking up to and learning from others. Only recently has she realized that, while she’s been focused on others, the world has been focusing on her.
Growing up, sports were my life. No matter what the season, I had a ball in my hand. When I got to high school, I realized that I had to train with more focus and intensity. I needed to get bigger, stronger, and faster.
Over 95% of an athlete’s time is spent training and less than 5% competing. Training prepares us for game time. We make sacrifices to get better. Tim Tebow says “hard work always beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Some athletes want the results without the work, but that’s not the way it works. Our desire needs to be matched by our do.
What should we do when our friends repeatedly make the same sinful mistakes? Some would say, “I cannot change them.” Others would say, “That’s just who they are,” and even, “They will never listen to me.” However, if these friends are followers of Christ, we need to hold them to the commitments they made in Christ. They need to hold us to the same standard as well. We all need accountability. When someone feels he/she does not need it, that is the beginning of great trials ahead.
UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close isn’t intimidated. Even though it’s her first season at the helm of a major college program and the first head coaching job of her career, Close believes she’s equipped for the challenge. For the past 18 seasons, she’s gained confidence and skill by assisting some of the top coaches in the game, and thanks to their influence—and more importantly the power of the Holy Spirit—Close has learned more than just the X’s and O’s of basketball. She’s learned how to help young women pursue excellence in all areas of life—including matters of faith.
The world’s definition of excellence is just based on performance. As soon as you’re not performing, no one in the media wants to talk to you anymore, and it’s easy to get down on yourself. It’s all wrapped up in performance. It’s like building your house on the sand. It’s very changing and fleeting, and eventually it’s going to be gone because no one is always on top of his or her game. When you find your identity in Christ and in what He’s done for you, it’s the unchanging, sturdy rock that you can always stand on. You can have a much healthier perspective on yourself and in life in general and in where your hope lies. When I’m not performing well, I lose my hope. I lose my joy. I get down. I get depressed.
In his 25 years of coaching, Mercer University Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Hoffman has seen it all. From high school to the pros, men’s hoops to women’s, he’s experienced everything from the highs of national titles to the lows of losing seasons. But one constant for Hoffman amid the many changes has been his focus on Christ—the One who placed him in each coaching seat to share His glory and love with every player and coach along the way.
Many times as athletes we get caught up in the competition and forget the reason as to why we are actually competing. Many of the role models today are looked up too because they are full of pride and want to exalt themselves. However, God calls us to a higher standard and demands that we exalt Him and humble ourselves. Just as talked about in John 3:30, “He must become greater; I must become less.”
Charlotte Smith’s illustrious collegiate playing career included a national championship, a Final Four Most Outstanding Player award, and a retired jersey in the rafters at the University of North Carolina. Now, after nine years assisting her former coach, Sylvia Hatchell, Smith is in her second year calling the shots at Elon and looking to replicate the same on-court success she experienced years ago while imparting God’s wisdom and love to her players from the bench.
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