Search

You Are Here > Popular content / Popular content

Popular content

Archive | Alphabetical
Newest | Most Popular

He Chose Me

May 10, 2010

devotional
Set: 
I was in my second year of high school when Turk walked into the wrestling room. I did not have any idea who he was, but he didn’t look very impressive: short, round, bald, about fifty years old, and smoking a cigar. I inwardly laughed when
my wrestling coach told me that he wanted me to wrestle this aged man. I thought I would have to be careful not to hurt the old fellow. We lined up on the wrestling mat, and I went to reach for him. I don’t remember much after that, except in the next moment I was flying. I was airborne. Flying through a haze of cigar smoke was mildly exhilarating, but that was tempered by my awareness that I had to land some time. Turns out this dried-up old man had wrestled in the Olympics twice.
 

Trusting in God's Plan

June 29, 2007

devotional
Set: 
A remarkable African American track and field athlete, Jesse Owens, overcame many difficult obstacles throughout his life in order to achieve all that he did. After a poor childhood and living during a time in which blacks received little respect, he persevered as he developed the talent that God gave him. Owens competed in the "Hitler Olympics," the Olympics in which Hitler planned on proving that the Aryan race was superior. However, after Jesse Owens became the first American to win four gold medals in a single Olympics, even German fans were complimenting his accomplishment. Because Jesse Owens was faced with challenges in his life, he became a great success.
 

Counting on God

November 08, 2010

devotional
Set: 

Sam is a promising, young basketball player. He has all the skills necessary in order to play varsity at his school, but recent injuries and other setbacks have gotten in the way of his hoop dreams. In fact, he just found out he has a stress fracture in his shin, which is news that, at 16, can be heartbreaking. Even though Sam has an unbelievable support system at home, this setback has been incredibly difficult for him to handle.

In life, there aren’t many guarantees. We may have the best game of our life today and then have the worst tomorrow. The only thing we can do is obey our calling to be faithful and do our best for God’s glory.

We Give It All

April 11, 2010

devotional
Set: 

I was listening to a song the other day. It's called "Give It All" by the band Rise Against. I usually listen to it for my warm-ups in sports. Everytime I listen to it, I get in my head, I'm going to give my all on this match, game, run, or whatever. But I got to thinking the other day, do we really give it OUR all?

The Right Race or the Rat Race?

April 11, 2006

devotional
Set: 

The first race I ever ran was a marathon. Talk about starting with a bang! I always played team sports and raced until I ran the dreaded 26.2-miler. It was an incredible experience my body will never forget. I learned firsthand the four key aspects to every race, and they all can be related to our spiritual life.

The race is against the competition. There were thousands of competitors I wanted to beat and who wanted to beat me. In the same way, when we run the race for Christ, we have three main competitors: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Each one intends to prevent us from crossing the finish line.

Confidence

February 12, 2007

devotional
Set: 
I recall one of the worst wreslting matches of my career. During the match, I got absolutely mauled by my opponent--absolutely torn up. Later, I learned that he barely had any more experience than I did. What had made the most difference in his overwhelming victory was the fact that I had been almost sick with nervousness before the match. When it came time to wrestle, I was timid, weak and scared of the guy.
 
In sports, everyone searches for confidence. People may find their confidence in their technique, strength, athleticism or preparation. Wherever they find it, athletes often need a feeling of confidence to prepare them for competition; and often, confidence can make all the difference in a game.
 

JUST DO IT

January 07, 2009

podcast

So much truth is packed into such a short statement!

Making Things Right When You're Wrong

August 10, 2010

devotional
Set: 
A few months ago Andres Galarraga pitched a one-hitter for the Detroit tigers that will forever be known as the infamous “should’ve been a perfect game”.
 
Umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly called batter safe when replays showed that the runner was clearly out.

Stay the Course

November 12, 2007

devotional
Set: 

After inheriting a team that had won only four games the previous two years, Ron Zook set out on a course to turn the University of Illinois football program around. While the record didn't change as quickly as Coach Zook would have liked, winning just two games in each of his first two years, the 2007 Illini have won eight games including wins against No. 5 ranked Wisconsin and No. 1 Ohio State. "If you believe in something, and you know you're doing the right thing, you've just got to stay the course," Zook said.

Play the B.U.G.

December 01, 2008

devotional
Set: 

Even as the words float off the end of my tongue, I realize that I have blown it. This kind of situation usually involves me saying negative words to my teammates or others. It’s so easy for me to become the “cut-down king.” It doesn’t take much, and it could involve something as simple as calling someone a name.

You know the routine: You cut one of your teammates down, and your other teammates laugh. You may try to justify your unkind remarks with the fact that everyone does it, but the truth is that those reckless words cut. They pierce like a sword and cause damage.

Stick with It

July 14, 2010

devotional
Set: 

This morning when I stepped outside my door for my daily run, I was greeted by the crazy heat and humidity of a Midwest July morning. Usually the heat doesn’t affect my running as much because I run during the coolest part of the day right before sunrise. But today, it was like someone forgot to turn on the air conditioner. It was over 80 degrees and, boy, was it humid.

Counterfeit Christian

December 29, 2009

devotional
Set: 

So many times we hear the word hypocrite and automatically think bad things. Ask someone why they don’t go to church, and they will often say that it is because the church is full of hypocrites. In his article "Two-faced People," Tim Stafford states that a hypocrite might be called a counterfeit Christian. That comparison really sheds light.

Why do people create counterfeits? Because what they are replicating is valuable. No one fakes a traffic ticket or a bad report card. They fake $20 bills. Stafford goes on to say that people will pretend to be rich or great football players but not child-beaters. And in the same way, people will pretend to have a relationship with God because they see it as something valuable.

Fight for Your Brothers and Sisters

April 16, 2008

devotional
Set: 

About 10-12 years ago, my wife started running. In that time she has run about a half dozen half-marathons, one full marathon and uncountable 5 and 10Ks. She usually competed in these events with a friend or family member, and in years past, it wasn’t me. I was a tennis-only athlete with a few medals on the mantle. Because I had never competed in endurance sports I couldn’t understand why she would always want to run with someone. I had always competed to win. I couldn’t understand wanting to run with another.

The Mark

November 02, 2007

devotional
Set: 

"Looks like you went to the football game," noted an office associate. The unsolicited observation instantly caused the accused to wonder how in the world his office associate had known. He was right, as the football fan had gone to the local junior varsity game the night before. But how in the world had his colleague known that he'd been at the game? "How did he know where I was last night without being told?" he thought. 

Fancy Footware

January 27, 2010

devotional
Set: 

Hockey Chat:  Oh the skates!  A premium fitted boot with a sharp blade can have you moving across the ice with fancy footwork. Try a loose boot with a dull blade.  You’re better off playing barefoot.  Having a fitted skate gives you peace of mind knowing that you can get where you want to go confidently.  If you tell your feet to move, you’ll dig in the ice and make the play. 

Having a Plan

May 12, 2010

devotional
Set: 
As coaches, we should never go into a game without a plan. We need to put our athletes in the best possible position to be successful. At Swansea High School we try to have a plan for every situation so we are not caught off guard. Planning ahead allows us to handle adversity when it hits in the form of an injury or giving up a big play. John Wooden once said, “Either you overcome adversity, or it overcomes you.” The only way to overcome it is with a solid plan.
 

Awestruck

November 01, 2008

devotional
Set: 

In 1996, I went to my first professional golf tournament. Lush green grass, beautiful colors and the world’s best golfers took center stage at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I watched several groups tee off and was amazed at how far they hit the ball.

As I walked the course, I came to a hole where there was quite a buzz. People were crowding in to see a young golfer hit the ball—a young man named Tiger Woods. I, too, greatly admired this young, talented golfer. Tiger took it all in stride. He showed amazing composure for such a young player.

Job 36:8

September 10, 2010

devotional
Set: 

Hockey Chat:  I watched a Chicago Wolves game on a Friday night, and saw a team in disarray.  They did not play like the first place team they were.  Instead they were walked on through the entire game, giving a whopping 50 shots to Peoria and 7 of those went in.  After the game, their goalie who was one of the team leaders, Fred Brathwaite, gave the guys an earful on what went wrong.  He told them what they needed to hear.  The very next night they turned the tables and put up 47 shots and got 8 goals against Rockford.  Back to the kind of hockey those guys were known for.

Working for God

February 16, 2007

devotional
Set: 
I walked into the weight room scared to death. I had decided to walk on at a Division I school. Ever since third grade, it had been my dream to go to the NCAA Tournament, but as high school ended, no offers came. My mom and I sent letters to several Div. I schools, and Mississippi State University was the first to send me something back. After I visited the campus, I knew that was where God wanted me. And as I walked into the weight room that day, my dream lay right in front of me.
 

Press On

August 25, 2006

devotional
Set: 
On August 11-12 I traveled to Camp Randall Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison to watch one of my favorite activities: the Drum Corps International World Championships. For those of you who may not be familiar with the activity, I will describe it as "the ultimate intensity of marching music." While not an official sport, I can tell you from experience, both as an athlete and as a former participant in this activity, that you work just as hard during a summer on tour with a drum and bugle corps as you do during an athletic season. These young people, ages 15-21, spend 2.5 months traveling across the country in a bus, sleeping on gym floors, marching and playing outside 10-12 hours a day and for what? Perfection.

Little Guys

January 02, 2012

devotional
Set: 

We don’t often hear of Apelles or the Christians who lived in the household of Aristobulus. Most of us read quickly past these names and never give much thought to who they were or what their role was in the church at Rome. Yet, to Paul, they were important enough to be mentioned in his letter to the Romans. This tells us that in Christ’s service, the “little guys” are as important as the “all-stars.”

Whatever

March 28, 2007

devotional
Set: 
Why do we play sports? What is our priority? Whom are we playing for? These are questions we each struggle with as players and as coaches. If we search our souls, I believe that each of us will find that we all desire to win and that we each play for some personal reason beyond "the team," whether it be for personal glory, personal gratification, etc. 
 
But when we gather together to play as a team, those who thrive have the ability to do two things: 1) put aside their personal goals and priorities, and 2) align themselves with team priorities. Great team victories have been achieved by groups of individuals who determined their priorities and submitted to their team goals.
 

Sweat Equity

November 01, 2008

devotional
Set: 

A mutual respect exists among athletes. To some degree, as athletes we all have a single-minded, committed lifestyle that is laced with adversity. This is the price we pay to excel. An athlete’s identity and purpose hinges on his or her performance, but what happens when adversity strikes?

What we see as adversity, God sees as opportunity. In Genesis 38–39, we read the story of how Joseph was sold into slavery by his own family and then imprisoned for 13 years for a crime he did not commit. But Joseph stood firm. “What men meant for evil, God used for good,” he said (see Genesis 50:20). Joseph was right: Years after being sold into slavery, he became second in command over all of Egypt!

Galatians 5:13

September 10, 2010

devotional
Set: 

Hockey Chat: When a player is called up to the big leagues of the NHL he has got the chance to make a name for himself and an impact on the hockey world.  He knows it’s his big break.  Years of training had lead up to this and now he’s been called upon to be the best player he can be.  But if he uses that chance to be a puck-hog or run up the penalty minutes, he has not used his big opportunity wisely and he’ll be a big let down to the ones who believed in him.

Sprint Ahead

April 09, 2007

devotional
Set: 
In our daily lives and our athletic venues we face many giants. Maybe it is an opposing team that you are playing, and the critics give you no chance of competing with the "giants," much less beating them. Or maybe it is your job, your finaces, your past or even raising your kids. Regardless, the giants in our lives are there to do one thing: intimidate us and steal the hope that God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
 
David told Saul in 1 Samuel 17:32, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine." But still, many people ran from the giant, Goliath. It says in 1 Samuel 17:24, "When they saw the man they all ran from him in great fear."
 

Browse by Type

Featured Resources

Browse By

Ministry

Sport

Book of the Bible

FCA Bible Topic