As long as we are involved in athletics, we are going to encounter adversity on a daily basis. An athlete will come face to face with failure, mistakes, and errors. As coaches, we will come face to face with pressures to win, compliance issues, ineligible players, and recruiting battles. As people we are tested on and off the field by sin and Satan. In almost all sports, there is a certain degree of defense needed in order to win the game. How do we as Christian coaches defend against Satan to become a champion in heaven?
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Matthew 5:30

Hockey Chat: Part of being on a NHL team is meeting up to high standards of play. Those who do not perform up to that level are separated from the major league team and sent away. Part of being a great team is maintaining a great group of players. Those that are not, are gone.
Getting Held Up?

Just prior to pregame warmups during my rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the officials introduced himself to me as the father of a friend of mine. After a brief chat, he suggested I let him know if I was having any trouble in the game. Not thinking too much of his comment, I thanked him and joined my teammates for drills.
Romans 10:17

Hockey Chat: You may not remember Ned Harkness when you think of hockey’s greatest, but he truly was. His name is not inscribed on the Stanley Cup but it is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He didn’t run up the scoreboard with goals but filled the hearts and minds of the players with knowledge and passion.
Our Imaginations

French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “The human race is governed by its imagination.” For Bonaparte, considered a military genius, imagination enabled him to conquer most of western and central Europe. As leaders of this world through our joint inheritance with Christ, we too face many seemingly insurmountable foes. Fourth and long, down by three with four seconds left on the clock, an away match against the state champion—these obstacles pale in comparison to the matchless superiority of our Lord’s power.
Available

When we avail ourselves to God, He manifests more of His character in us, making the extraordinary become the ordinary, as in the story of Daniel. Success often follows obedience and trust in God. As a result of Daniel’s obedience, he prospered in his position and caused the hearts of the people to be turned toward God.
Available hands reflect an available heart. When we are prepared to let God use us, He is prepared to do remarkable things through us. God’s presence and help is available to us every moment and everywhere. He is always with us, listens to us, and pursues us with His love.
Down with the Idols

Man, I am a workout-aholic. Can I get an amen from anyone else out there? Ever since I was in high school I’ve lived by a motto I read on a t-shirt: “Somewhere, someone is working out. And when you meet her in head-to-head competition, she will beat you.” I think somewhere along the line I adopted that as my personal mantra (especially when I started running), and I have been a gym rat ever since.
Luke 9:24

Hockey Chat: Passing is a key in the game. Have you ever seen someone try to go end-to-end around 5 attackers only to get stripped before he’s able to get a shot off. Players that try to do it all to get the glory usually lose it all and are left empty. What’s all that hard work for if it gained nothing?
Luke 22:28

Hockey Chat: A battle for the puck is what the game is all about. What teamwork is about is getting in there and helping your teammate win the puck. There is that thankful feeling when the play moves on because of the support that your buddy gave in a time of need.
The Future Lies in the Past

History always repeats itself because man fails to learn from his failures. Therefore, we do well to remember historical events such as the Holocaust, the Civil War, and the Israelites’ forty-year wilderness wandering. The Bible tells us why the world is like it is: sin. The Bible has much to say about the blessings that come as a result of obeying and the curses, or consequences, that occur as a result of sin. We find these truths from Genesis to Revelation. God certainly forgives the sin of those who belong to Him through Jesus Christ; however, there are still consequences to be faced. Are God’s people today settling down comfortably in the society in which we live, casting out our distinctive Christian focus?
Finger Pointing and the Blame Game

As an English teacher, I instruct my students to look for symbols in literature. As a basketball coach, I often use symbols from literature to teach my players, such as in Genesis 3:11 where God asks Adam and Eve if they have eaten the forbidden fruit. Instead of telling the truth and asking for forgiveness, Adam blamed both God and Eve. When God asked Eve the same question, she blamed the snake. Since then, mankind has been pointing fingers and playing the blame game.
Starting Five

Many times we think about the starting lineup for an athletic team and how we as athletes work to make the cut. What about God’s starting five—not five people, but five direct commands from His Word.
Team United

All-star quarterback Jack Kemp and his teammates boycotted the 1965 AFL All-Star game in New Orleans “as a statement against the racial climate in the city.” Jack’s black teammates were not treated with the same respect as he and his white teammates, and because they were a “team united,” they did something about it. As a result,the game was moved to another city.
Warriors

Every team has them, and every team needs them—warriors. They display it on their faces—they’re ready to play! Their game faces are on, and they take the field ready for battle.
Zephaniah encouraged the people of his day to gather and pray. What great advice. I recently had the opportunity to see FCA warriors in action at a staff retreat. These warriors met early in the morning, some on their knees, some standing, most in chairs. They were prayer warriors—mighty men and women of God who truly knew what it meant to gather and pray.
The Great Commission

As athletes, coaches, and sports fans, how often do we strike up conversations about our favorite teams or sports? If you’re like me, I could talk for hours about my passion for endurance sports or even my love for the Atlanta Braves. But how often does the Lord creep into those same conversations with friends, coworkers, teammates and family members? The truth is that many of us like to stay in our little boxes and only speak about the Lord on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. I have to remind myself that the “Great Commission,” given by Jesus Himself, didn’t give any timetable or day of the week.
Focus on Doing

I was reading a statement by Tom Glavine recently. He said, "I went through the 'don't do this' syndrome at certain times in my career when facing certain batters. I told myself not to hang a curve ball. Sure enough, I did. Now I focus on 'Do this.' It's a significant difference."
How many times have we been done in by the "don't do" mindset? When we diet, we mess up by thinking so hard about what we can't eat that we crave and then give in to the foods we are trying to avoid. Hitters go up to bat thinking, "Don't strike out!" only to have their minds so laser-focused on what not to do, they forget to tell the mind what to do. In the end, what they were trying to prevent becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Proverbs 11:24

Hockey Chat: In the 95-96 season of the Florida Panthers, there was one thing truly amazing about the team that out scored their opposition night after night. Not one of their goal scores were in the top five in the league. Actually not even the top ten. You’d have to look deep into the 20’s to find the names of the Panther players. The reason for this was clear. It was the reason that one person had a personal record year. Róbert Švehla had a career high of 53 point, which 49 of those were assists…. And he was a defenseman! That team’s passing to each other helped them pass the opposition all the way to the finals.
Free to Be Our Best

As coaches and athletes, we put all of our hearts, bodies, and emotions into our endeavors. We’re instructed to “give it all we’ve got,” and as we do, we begin to understand what Paul was saying to the Colossian Christians.
What Are You Looking For?

Have you ever heard the saying, “Whatever you’re looking for, you’re bound to find it”? It sure rings true today. The trouble is that many people are searching in all the wrong places.
What about us? What are we looking for? Are we looking for the good things in life? Proverbs 11 teaches that if we look for good, good things are bound to happen. But if we look for bad or evil things, watch out . . . We will probably find what we’re looking for. What about when dealing with friends and others? Do we look for the good in them or for something bad to use against them?
Used For Good

Hockey Chat: In 1896, George Merritt of the Winnipeg Victorias was the first goalie to sport ordinary crickett pads during the Stanley Cup playoffs to help him stop pucks. Soon after, crickett pads were used by all goalies.
Grace for the Race

Who Are We Trying to Please?

As student-athletes we are pressed from all sides; to be a better at our sport, to get better grades, to get the best paying job after graduation, and even to look a certain way in order to be attractive to this world. We challenge ourselves physically, academically, and socially, but how often do we challenge ourselves spiritually? How often do we step out of our comfort zone to please God and not men? In the moment it seems as if playing time, grades, and our social life means everything. But the short-term happiness that comes from our worldly accomplishments is fleeting and of no comparison with the everlasting joy we will receive when we please our Father in heaven.
Slumps

Athletes hate slumps. They’ll try anything to get out of those times when they can’t hit the baseball or make a foul shot or catch a pass. Some players will change bats or shoes or their routine. They will do whatever it takes to get out of the slump. As Christians, a spiritual slump can make us feel like we’ve been forsaken by the Lord. Like athletes in a slump, we can struggle with doubts, fears, and frustrations. We can even feel like we’re losing the battle.
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