Anything very special and good that happens in our life is a gift. We may work hard to reach a goal or develop the skills we already have, but we cannot give intellectual and physical skills to ourselves; they are gifts from God. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the […]
“Finish Strong.” It’s a phrase I often use when sending notes and messages to coaches and athletes during their playing season. This morning, I want all of us to be challenged to “finish strong” in our lives. The Apostle Paul started off his adult life highly educated and then became fiercely motivated to capture and […]
Once when I was going through a very difficult time, a Christian friend said, “you’ve got to give it completely to God.” At the time, it actually aggravated me because I saw his advice as a pious cliche. I saw it that way, because I wanted to fix the problem on my own instead of […]
Have you noticed that during interviews in sports, and especially political talk shows, it seems to be acceptable and almost encouraged that people interrupt and “talk over” one another’s comments? Quite frankly, this irritates me and I switch stations or turn off the TV or radio. I found this jewel in Proverbs 18:13: “He who […]
Early in my coaching career I admired certain coaches because of their success, charisma and knowledge of baseball. I quickly learned that by hanging out with them I was going to places that caused me guilt and shame and talking about things I knew was detrimental to my spiritual well being and my role as […]
How productive and rewarding would our lives be if we made it our goal to please God with every decision we make, every conversation we have and with the way we approach our work and the people have relationships with? My friend Steve Wigginton shared this with me yesterday: “After 6’9” five star basketball player […]
I watched 24 innings of baseball yesterday (only two games, one lasted 15 innings and over 6 hours!). Sometimes, it goes un-noticed what happens behind the scenes during and after a game: the umpires never sit, the grounds crew must drag the field, the trainers ice sore arms and treat injuries, the concession workers clean […]
Whether you are an executive, a coach, a teacher, a foreman or a parent, we want the best from ourselves and for those we lead. In demanding excellence in stressful situations, do we get louder or do we exude confidence? A wise man once said, “Words that soak into your ears are usually whispered…and not […]
Have you ever said something to someone, then almost immediately wish you hadn’t said it? I have. It has been said, “you cannot ‘unsay’ a cruel word.” The book of James is filled with wisdom. The 5th chapter is all about “taming the tongue.” In verses 5 and 6 he compares the tongue to a […]
“It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.” That’s a clever and interesting quote…until someone deceives us or hurts us very deeply. But, forgiveness is interwoven into the fabric of our faith. The One we follow, Jesus, is ‘all about’ forgiveness. There is a freedom that comes when we forgive…even when the […]