“So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” – Galatians 6:9 It’s common practice for me to go to the sports section on Friday mornings to check out the high school football matchups for the evening. Normally, I’m looking for the best games involving undefeated teams or contests that involve a great offense going against a great defense. While going through this process recently, my attention was diverted to an article highlighting a game bet...

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” – Mark 12:30 Being fit is one thing, being an athlete is another. Experts say that thirty minutes of exercise at a comfortable pace four times a week will make us fit. So two hours a week of running, walking, biking or swimming will allow an individual to maintain a basic level of fitness.

“People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.” – Ecclesiastes 9:12 Coaches and their families are not immune to tragedy. Life can change in a moment.

“My people have been lost sheep.  Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains.  They have lost their way and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.” – Jeremiah 50:6 Yogi Berra was a Hall of Fame baseball player with a Hall of Fame wit.  He had a gift for saying the smartest things in the funniest ways.  As a result, Yogi became one of America’s most beloved philosophers.  Berra played for a true dynasty in baseball history, the N...

“But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” – James 1:6 My faith was wavering. As I watched my unpredictable punter jog onto the field, doubt washed over me with every step.

“I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear.” – Psalm 143:4 Spiders, flying, heights, storms and snakes are only a few of the fears that paralyze us. Others include loneliness, rejection, fear of the unknown and fear of failure. We all face fears of some kind.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth." – 1 John 3:18 Before Arnold Palmer won The Masters in 1960, he agreed to play in an exhibition the week following The Masters. After winning the tournament, Palmer’s agent received a call from the organizers of the event. They assumed that Palmer would either not be coming or his fee would be significantly more.

“Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16 Every one of us can recite the names of coaches that have had an impact on our lives. These men and women believed in us and instilled the confidence in us to attempt things we didn’t think we were capable of. If you were creating a Mt.

“Stephen, brimming with God’s grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them.” – Acts 6:8 Charles Blondin was a great French acrobat who became a legend by crossing the entire width of Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He did it pushing a wheelbarrow, another time blindfolded and yet another walking backwards. Blondin’s greatest achievement however, was crossing the falls with another man on his back.

But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 “Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.” – Proverbs 4:25 Regardless of the level you coach, teaching athletes to minimize distractions is important. Anyone that has ever coached youth sports knows what I’m talking about. I remember a baseball game in which two of my 8-year old players got into a fight in the dugout arguing over who was going to put on the extra set of catcher’s gear.

“For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 In the world of sport, each new season brings excitement and hope.