Facing the Unknown??? Three Keys for Managing Uncertain Situations
Have you ever found yourself in unknown situations before???
Athletes
Maybe you've experienced:
Slumps
Loss of playing time
Troubles in relationships
Coaches
Maybe you've experienced:
Unknown trajectories of a season
Hardships in your job
Marriage troubles
Recently, I was facing unknown situations.
At first, I was grappling and wrestling with the unknown.
Eventually, this prayer came to mind and perhaps you can adopt it as well through the unknown situations in your life.
The prayer consisted of three parts
1. Clarity
That I may have clarity for what GOD was calling me to do.
2. Cooperation
That I may cooperate with whatever GOD was calling me to do.
Whether I needed to perform an action ...
Or if I needed to wait, surrender, and be still.
3. That GOD's Glory May Be Revealed Through This
At the end of the day, we know that GOD is working all things for your good because He has called you according to His Purpose.
Trust GOD with all your heart, leaning not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will lead you on straight paths.
During those unknown situations when your life seems to be filled with insecurity, know that you can rely on the Ultimate Source of security, and He will sustain you through it, and you will experience a transformation far greater than anything you could have imagined before.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of traversing the unknown situations in your life, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Maximize the Fall Season: How to reap the harvest in your game and your life
What do you like most about Fall?
Going back to school
Watching your favorite teams
The changing of the seasons, colors, and weather
Throughout many cultures and traditions, Fall was symbolic of reaping the harvest and gratitude.
For Your Game
Now what I want to ask you is ...
How are you reaping the harvest in your game?
How are you reaping the rewards of all your efforts:
In the weight room and on the practice field
Developing chemistry and cohesion with your teammates
Breaking down game film and creating game plans and strategies
And ...
Are you grateful for your game?
Are you grateful for the opportunity to:
Lace up the shoes
Compete with your teammates and players
Put your talents on display in front of a stadium of fans
For Your Life
I also want to ask you ...
How are you reaping the harvest in your life?
Are you storing up treasures on Earth, like:
Greed
Fame
Power
Control
Or are you storing up eternal treasures in Heaven like the fruits of the Spirit?
And ...
What are you grateful for in your life?
Are you grateful for all the blessings you receive in every moment?
The opportunity to live and breathe
The beauty of the birds, trees, and nature
The chance to have loving relationships with those around you
How are you reaping the harvest in your game and in your life?
How are you grateful for your game and in your life?
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of reaping your harvest with gratitude, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Unlock Your Potential: The key to lose your self and realize your potential
Don't you wish you could play at your highest potential all the time?
That'd be great wouldn't it!?!
I hear it in the world of sports all the time ...
People say something like:
"I wish there was a way I could always play at my best ...
There are fleeting moments when I play outside my mind,
But most of the time all that potential feels like it's locked inside me ...
And I wish there was a way to let it out!"
Once I read some words from a man who I think had some wise words to say:
"Whoever wants to save their life will lose it ...
But whoever loses their life will find it."
This is so true in the world of sports.
Many of us are looking for that key that will unlock our potential and enable us to play at our best.
But it's not until we lose our:
Own individual sense of self
Own individual stats
Own individual performance
And surrender into the flow of the game and our teammates that we paradoxically play at our highest potential.
We fall in line with the flow of the game and the game seems to come to us effortlessly.
This is also true in life.
Many of us are looking for that key that will unlock our potential and enable us to live at our best:
Who are we?
What is our purpose?
What are we made to do?
But it's not until we lose our:
Own individual sense of self
Own individual wants, needs, and desires
Own individual incessantly searching for our purpose
And surrender into the flow of life and in service to the Body of Christ that we paradoxically live at our highest potential.
We fall in line with GOD's Will and our calling and purpose seem to come to us effortlessly.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of releasing your own individuated and separate sense of self, and falling into alignment with your highest potential, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Kickoff the Season: How to experience a fresh new start in life
Have you ever gone through seasons in your life where you feel like you are going through a slump?
Nothing seems to go your way
You can never seem to find a break
Contrast that with the seasons of your life where everything feels like it is flowing naturally:
It feels like you experience a fresh start
You feel like you are breathing in new life
Of course, today is the first major Sunday for the NFL season and all the teams are experiencing a fresh new start:
Teams that did well last season look to have another amazing year
Teams that did not do well last season are on an even playing field with a record of 0-0
You get to have a fresh new start as a Christian
In our walks of faith, we have an opportunity to experience a fresh start each and every moment.
Christ gives of the breath of life:
Life of abundance
Redemption
Salvation
Allow yourself to receive this breath of life that Christ offers you in every moment ...
And may GOD's love and peace fill you ...
And His Spirit of power fuel you.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of having a season of a fresh new start in Christ, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
My Take on Week 1: How to persevere for a championship season
Have you ever felt other people define you based on a single performance?
Of course, this is the opening weekend for college football ...
And what always amuses me about the opening week is how the sports analysts from major networks absolutely overreact from Week 1.
They make their predictions for who will win the championship and which top tier teams will fall off the radar, just based on one performance.
However ...
Great teams are not defined by a single game.
Rather, great teams show up week after week for the entirety of the season.
Athletes and Coaches
You are not defined by one game:
By one loss
By one dropped pass
By one missed block
By one missed shot
You are also not defined by one win:
By one heroic catch
By one pancake
By one goal before the horn sounds
In Life
The same is true in the Game of Life.
You are not defined by one performance:
By one failed test
By one lost job
By one broken relationship
You are also not defined by one "win" in life:
By one passed test
By one made job
By one new relationship
But if you show up day in and day out for the long term, you will reap great dividends and rewards beyond your imagination.
My Encouragement to You
Show up consistently day in and day out for GOD every day, representing Jesus Christ for the long haul, and you will experience joy, peace, fulfillment, abundance, and opportunities you would have never foreseen.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of releasing your identity based on a single performance and showing up consistently over the long haul, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Game Changing Habits: Optimize your routines in these 4 areas
It's that time of year when kids are going back to school.
During this time of year, the topic of routines comes to my mind.
People are getting back into their normal routines and rhythms.
However, I don't want you to simply go back to a normal routine.
Instead I want you to develop habits that will enable you to become a better human being.
Today, we are going to talk about:
Four areas to implement habits into your routines to help you become a better human being.
Sleep
When people get back into routines, sleep unfortunately is the first thing they let go.
Sleep is vitally important for all areas of your life:
Your game
Your joy and happiness
Your mind and spiritual faith
Make sure you are placing an emphasis on getting high-quality sleep every night.
Your Mind
For those of you in school, this will be easy because you'll have many opportunities to expand your mind.
But don't just learn the material to do well on a test.
Learn the material to learn more about yourself as a person:
Understand how the Kreb's cycle can help you become a better athlete
Understand how the themes in Lord of the Flies can help you transcend temptation and have compassion
Understand how repping out algebra problems correlates to repping out basic skills so you can improve the fundamentals of your sport efficiently
If you are a coach (and not simultaneously a teacher), find ways you can expand your mind as well:
Learn something new
Dive into problem-solving, strategizing, and planning
Take breaks in your day to relax your mind a free it from daily stressors
Your Game
Once again, if you are in your competitive season, this will be easy.
You'll be working on your game daily with your games, practices, and competitions.
But if you're out of season, see how you can still sharpen your tools.
If you play basketball, work on ball handling drills 5-10 minutes before school.
If you play baseball, invite some friends to have some batting practice and play catch.
If you are a coach and out of season, see how you can work on your game as well:
Do the behind the scenes work that no coach enjoys doing 🤣
Stay in touch with your players and parents to keep them up to date
Have barbeques or cook-outs with your team to keep the camaraderie strong
Your Spirit
See how you can enhance your spirit.
As a side story ...
Monks commit their lives to monasteries so they can grow closer to the LORD.
Many monasteries operate on system of bells.
When a bell rings, the monks stop what they are doing, say their prayers, and go to their next activity.
Isn't that a lot like school???
You can make your school day a mini monastery!
When the bell rings to end class, stop what you're doing, take a quick breather, say a prayer, do a brief reflection, and go to your next class.
You can also adopt a habit of doing a quick 1-2 minute devotional first thing in the morning while eating breakfast.
Recap
Sleep- Make this a priority to enhance all other areas of your life
Your Mind- Understand how what you are learning relates to you as a human being
Your Game- Compete if you are in your competitive season, sharpen your tools if you are out of season
Your Spirit- Find easy ways throughout your day to increase your continuous connection with GOD and fortify your faith
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of implementing habits that will enable you to become a better human being, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
Are You Being Overlooked??? How to remain powerful and confident to be an inspiration
Have people ever judged you and not believed you will reach your aspirations?
I can't say I've met Timothy before, but if I had, I think we'd have a lot in common.
Paul's Letters to Timothy
During Paul's two letters to Timothy, he tells Timothy to not let people look down on him because he is young, and to realize he was not given a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-control.
He told Timothy to look beyond others' judgments and to persevere in using his gifts, which would help him not only be inspired himself, but would also inspire others.
My Story
Growing up, I was very often looked down on because I was small and looked young.
People didn't believe I would reach my athletic aspirations.
Sometimes I took their words to heart and doubted myself.
When I did this, I neglected to use my gifts.
But other times I realized I wasn't given a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-control, and I persevered in using my gifts, which helped me to be inspired myself and inspired others.
My Advice to You
Do others judge you?
Do they say that you are:
Too small
Too weak
Too slow
Or not good enough?
Look beyond their judgments.
Realize you were not given a spirit of fear ...
But one of power, love, and self-control.
Persevere in using your gifts.
And not only be inspired yourself, but also inspire those around you.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of realizing you have a Spirit of power, love, and self-control, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
