Are You a Choker?

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  No serious athlete ever wants to be called “a choker”.   When the clock ticks down on the basketball court and the ball is in your hands and you throw a brick.  Or you […]

Watch your Life!

1 Timothy 4:16  Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Picture in your mind the captain of a team.  They take their job seriously, watching over each player on the team, making sure that they are making wise decisions: eating well, getting […]

The Counselor will Convict the World

John 16:8a  And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Coaching is critical, demands respect and requires athletes to put trust in them. Coaches have many functions including teacher, trainer, motivator, role model, friend and often counselor.  Great coaches counsel their athletes with what they need to hear.  […]

Sin: Lost in Translation

1 John 1:  8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. I coached soccer for many years, including many ages and levels from recreational to elite.  One of my fondest memories was coaching 4-to-5-year-olds.  I recall showing them how to properly pass a soccer ball […]

Paying our Penalty

Romans 5:15b   For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many. I recall once watching a clip from an NFL football game.  It was the Detroit Lions versus […]

Go and Make Disciples

Matthew 28:  19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Christians often struggle with their calling in life.  What is it that God has called me to do?  Where does God want me to be?  What level of schooling […]

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength

Nehemiah 8:  10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks…This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” What is the source of an athlete’s strength?  Perhaps they just have an unfair physical advantage in size, strength, or ability to process oxygen. David Epstein’s book […]

Keep Yourself from Being Polluted

James 1:27  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world I saw a picture of a mother and her young son walking through Tiananmen Square in Beijing China, wearing surgical masks over their mouth […]