So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2nd Timothy 3:17
In the game of football nothing is more exciting than a long touchdown pass or a long touchdown run, unless there is a penalty that negates the score. While the team is celebrating the touchdown the coaches are always looking for the yellow flag on the field. It is comforting to quickly scan the field and find no yellow flags on the ground. But there is nothing more demoralizing to a coach and the team than to hear the words, “Flag on the play”.
Without the yellow flags thrown by the referees, the games would be total chaos. As a coach, I know there is a constant battle between coaches and referees. For every call they make, one coach thinks he is brilliant and the other thinks he is the most ignorant person on the planet. But, I also know that only with the rules of the game can the players be protected from many terrible injuries. The rules allow the game to continue play after play. Without the rules, the game would stop every time one player became angry with another. And without the rules of how a player should conduct himself on the field, the young men would never learn the many difficult and valuable lessons of football. I have often found it ironic that the young men on the field, involved in an emotional and intense game, are expected to conduct themselves much more appropriately than the adults in the stands. On most Friday nights around this country, the people watching the contest, could learn many valuable lessons from the young people involved.
What if our world had people walking around, dressed in referee uniforms and throwing yellow flags for each inappropriate action, word, or thought? In those moments, when someone is stretching the truth about themselves to impress a potential employer, the referee could throw the flag at them. He would announce in front of everyone, “Personal foul. Making yourself sound better than you really are! 15 yard penalty and loss of job”. What if every time an inappropriate word came from our mouths or while we were gossiping about someone, a yellow flag was thrown? The referee would say, “Trying to make yourself look good by tearing someone else down! 15 yard penalty and loss of respect”. Worst of all, what if a yellow flag was thrown at us for each thought we allowed to dwell in our mind that is not pleasing to God? I am afraid the referee would hurt his shoulder throwing so many flags at me!
The young men on the field on Friday nights, have within them, the mental toughness, emotional control, and the discipline to play the game and represent themselves according to the rules. They have been equipped with these tools and because of them, they are capable of playing the game of football. The players who do not possess these skills usually find themselves on the sidelines. As Christians, we are also thoroughly equipped with the skills and strengths necessary to live each moment for our Lord and Savior. Sure, there will always be those moments and situations in life that cause us to become angry, lose our temper, or say things we regret later. But, just like the football player who has to play an emotional game without allowing his emotions to control his actions, we also have to do the same in our lives. In those moments when all around us are becoming angry, reacting inappropriately to a situation, or allowing selfish desires to control their actions, we have to step back and ask God how He wants His Son to be revealed through us. I believe God uses every moment of our lives, both big and small, to teach us to trust Him more, how to show His Son more in our lives, and to draw someone closer to Him. When we look at our lives as thousands of tiny moments, created by Him, we begin to respond to people in a better way. We are equipped with everything we need for every moment of our lives.
Chad
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Where were you?
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12
Every year, on the anniversary of the tragedies of September 11th, I make my students watch a video that talks about the events of that horrible day. I also talk to them about always remembering the moments in time when others have suffered and, for this day, when the world changed forever. My students were not even born when the World Trade Center was attacked. They have heard the stories but I always worry that this event will slowly become another part of our history. Is it because it did not affect us and we were not harmed? I explain to them that, although they were not yet born, the events of 9/11 had a tremendous impact on their lives. Life changed drastically on that day and the world will be forever different. I am not talking about simple things like getting through an airport quickly or having to fill out government paperwork. I am talking about the fact that we continue to be at war against terrorists, one man does not trust another just because of his nationality, or the fact that there is tremendous evil in our world. After my students watch the video I am always pleased with the respect and concern they show. They know more about the events than I give them credit for knowing and they actually make some very smart comments. I always talk to them about placing themselves in the position of the family members of the victims of 9/11. I think we see the people and the world in a different way when we do that. Suddenly we have compassion for their loss, and although we may not totally understand, there is a part of us that feels their grief.
As I left for work early this morning, I was reminded of where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001. I had told my wife and three year old daughter goodbye for the day and had dropped my seven year old son off at his school. While driving to work, I heard the news reports as they began. First, the reporters did not understand the magnitude of what had happened and were reporting it as an accident. Soon, their tone of voice changed drastically. I remember I stopped at a gas station and went inside to watch on a TV with several other men and women. I hurried to my school and sat all day with students as we watched the events of the morning. I remember thinking about how drastically the world had changed for my children. I was also thankful that our lives had not changed as drastically as the over 3,000 people who lost their lives and the hundreds of thousands who lost friends and family.
I think our Heavenly Father expects us to feel compassion towards people whether they are a stranger or our closest friend. I know today is 18 years since the horrible tragedy that our country faced on September 11th of 2001 but don’t ever forget what people endured on that day. Also never forget that although evil is in this world and is at work every day, our God is stronger. He also makes us strong to battle the evil that may face us.
Every year, on the anniversary of the tragedies of September 11th, I make my students watch a video that talks about the events of that horrible day. I also talk to them about always remembering the moments in time when others have suffered and, for this day, when the world changed forever. My students were not even born when the World Trade Center was attacked. They have heard the stories but I always worry that this event will slowly become another part of our history. Is it because it did not affect us and we were not harmed? I explain to them that, although they were not yet born, the events of 9/11 had a tremendous impact on their lives. Life changed drastically on that day and the world will be forever different. I am not talking about simple things like getting through an airport quickly or having to fill out government paperwork. I am talking about the fact that we continue to be at war against terrorists, one man does not trust another just because of his nationality, or the fact that there is tremendous evil in our world. After my students watch the video I am always pleased with the respect and concern they show. They know more about the events than I give them credit for knowing and they actually make some very smart comments. I always talk to them about placing themselves in the position of the family members of the victims of 9/11. I think we see the people and the world in a different way when we do that. Suddenly we have compassion for their loss, and although we may not totally understand, there is a part of us that feels their grief.
As I left for work early this morning, I was reminded of where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001. I had told my wife and three year old daughter goodbye for the day and had dropped my seven year old son off at his school. While driving to work, I heard the news reports as they began. First, the reporters did not understand the magnitude of what had happened and were reporting it as an accident. Soon, their tone of voice changed drastically. I remember I stopped at a gas station and went inside to watch on a TV with several other men and women. I hurried to my school and sat all day with students as we watched the events of the morning. I remember thinking about how drastically the world had changed for my children. I was also thankful that our lives had not changed as drastically as the over 3,000 people who lost their lives and the hundreds of thousands who lost friends and family.
I think our Heavenly Father expects us to feel compassion towards people whether they are a stranger or our closest friend. I know today is 18 years since the horrible tragedy that our country faced on September 11th of 2001 but don’t ever forget what people endured on that day. Also never forget that although evil is in this world and is at work every day, our God is stronger. He also makes us strong to battle the evil that may face us.
Chad
Saturday, June 22, 2019
"It's just too hard"
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2nd Corinthians 12:10
During the long and hot summer months of a coach’s life, we are often faced with young men who decide, for various reasons, to no longer play football. It has become so regular for me lately that I hardly listen to the excuse. I do try to find out the underlying reason for a young man’s decision and often try to change his mind, although their minds have already decided before our conversation. I remind them that at some point in their life they will be a 50 year old man and will look back over their full life and recount every decision. One of these decisions will be the one they are making while sitting in my office. They may be able to convince others that the coaches did not like them or they were being mistreated, but they will not be able to convince themselves. They will always wonder why they could not withstand the difficulty. After all, that is what makes football and life thrilling. Sure, an easy day with little to worry about is needed by many of us but we remember the difficult days and hard decisions because we either learned something about ourselves or proved something to ourselves.
Most of the young men who decide to stop playing football say things like, “I am going to concentrate on another sport or academics”. Some say they simply do not enjoy the game and want to spend their time on other activities. Some stop playing because they have met the “Love of their life”, and hope to spend every moment outside of the classroom with her. All coaches know that when it comes to coaches vs. girlfriends, the girls are undefeated. A coach has never won out over a pretty girl!
One particular young man dropped by my office a few days ago and asked if I had a few minutes to talk. I told him yes and we moved into my office to talk. I knew what the conversation would be about but asked him what he needed. He went on to tell me that he had decided to quit football. I encouraged him to think very carefully about the decision he was making and ran through my normal speech about the experiences and opportunities he would be missing over the next few years of his life. It did not seem to have any impact so I asked the young man, “Why?” I had never heard his answer before although I know it is the real reason for most young men quitting football. He said, “It’s just too hard”. I talked to him about how so many people in this world quit one thing and then it becomes very easy to quit the next difficult thing in life. People often get excited about a new activity, don’t experience immediate success, and quit just before the best part begins. Quitting becomes easy and before we know it we have lived a life of quitting during difficult moments. And we miss the opportunity to find out what we are made of and how our Heavenly Father will give us the strength to continue. I felt like I was giving a great argument but I could tell by the look on his face that he was not buying it and had already made his decision.
I am afraid his statement of, “It’s just too hard”, says much more about his personality than it does about the game of football. I believe we have found ourselves as part of a society that not only accepts quitting but continues to make it easy to quit. I pray I am wrong about this, but I am afraid that young men and women who quit because a sport is too hard will also quit in more important moments of life. What if the young girl who was the love of his life becomes hard to love? Will he quit on her? What if after the excitement of having a child wears off and the difficult moments of parenting come along, will he quit on being a father? What if he gives his life to our Heavenly Father, but it becomes too hard to live as a follower of Christ? Will he quit on his relationship with his Savior?
One of my favorite quotes comes from a speech given by President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy stood before a huge crowd on September 12th of 1962 and spoke about our nation’s goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. He spoke about the people who question this goal by asking, “Why the moon when it would be much easier to reach other goals?” President Kennedy goes on to say, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade, not because it is easy, but because it is hard”.
Our Heavenly Father knows our lives will be full of difficult moments and days when we feel as though it is, “Just too hard”. He also promises to give us the strength to continue because He wants us to find out what comes at the end. The end of a playing career when we are thankful we did not quit and, most important, the end of a life lived for our Savior and an eternity spent with Him. I wish I could have convinced this young man to continue working through the hard days and trusting God to give him the strength every moment.
Chad
During the long and hot summer months of a coach’s life, we are often faced with young men who decide, for various reasons, to no longer play football. It has become so regular for me lately that I hardly listen to the excuse. I do try to find out the underlying reason for a young man’s decision and often try to change his mind, although their minds have already decided before our conversation. I remind them that at some point in their life they will be a 50 year old man and will look back over their full life and recount every decision. One of these decisions will be the one they are making while sitting in my office. They may be able to convince others that the coaches did not like them or they were being mistreated, but they will not be able to convince themselves. They will always wonder why they could not withstand the difficulty. After all, that is what makes football and life thrilling. Sure, an easy day with little to worry about is needed by many of us but we remember the difficult days and hard decisions because we either learned something about ourselves or proved something to ourselves.
Most of the young men who decide to stop playing football say things like, “I am going to concentrate on another sport or academics”. Some say they simply do not enjoy the game and want to spend their time on other activities. Some stop playing because they have met the “Love of their life”, and hope to spend every moment outside of the classroom with her. All coaches know that when it comes to coaches vs. girlfriends, the girls are undefeated. A coach has never won out over a pretty girl!
One particular young man dropped by my office a few days ago and asked if I had a few minutes to talk. I told him yes and we moved into my office to talk. I knew what the conversation would be about but asked him what he needed. He went on to tell me that he had decided to quit football. I encouraged him to think very carefully about the decision he was making and ran through my normal speech about the experiences and opportunities he would be missing over the next few years of his life. It did not seem to have any impact so I asked the young man, “Why?” I had never heard his answer before although I know it is the real reason for most young men quitting football. He said, “It’s just too hard”. I talked to him about how so many people in this world quit one thing and then it becomes very easy to quit the next difficult thing in life. People often get excited about a new activity, don’t experience immediate success, and quit just before the best part begins. Quitting becomes easy and before we know it we have lived a life of quitting during difficult moments. And we miss the opportunity to find out what we are made of and how our Heavenly Father will give us the strength to continue. I felt like I was giving a great argument but I could tell by the look on his face that he was not buying it and had already made his decision.
I am afraid his statement of, “It’s just too hard”, says much more about his personality than it does about the game of football. I believe we have found ourselves as part of a society that not only accepts quitting but continues to make it easy to quit. I pray I am wrong about this, but I am afraid that young men and women who quit because a sport is too hard will also quit in more important moments of life. What if the young girl who was the love of his life becomes hard to love? Will he quit on her? What if after the excitement of having a child wears off and the difficult moments of parenting come along, will he quit on being a father? What if he gives his life to our Heavenly Father, but it becomes too hard to live as a follower of Christ? Will he quit on his relationship with his Savior?
One of my favorite quotes comes from a speech given by President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy stood before a huge crowd on September 12th of 1962 and spoke about our nation’s goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. He spoke about the people who question this goal by asking, “Why the moon when it would be much easier to reach other goals?” President Kennedy goes on to say, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade, not because it is easy, but because it is hard”.
Our Heavenly Father knows our lives will be full of difficult moments and days when we feel as though it is, “Just too hard”. He also promises to give us the strength to continue because He wants us to find out what comes at the end. The end of a playing career when we are thankful we did not quit and, most important, the end of a life lived for our Savior and an eternity spent with Him. I wish I could have convinced this young man to continue working through the hard days and trusting God to give him the strength every moment.
Chad
Thursday, April 18, 2019
"Some people did some things"
“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Matthew 27:23
"Some people did some things"
This quote has made its way through the media outlets for the past few weeks and has stirred up many emotions from several different people. I do not know the lady who originally made this statement but, when I realized she was talking about the tragedy of 9/11, I was shocked by how casually she was speaking. She spoke as though it was an everyday event with little lasting consequences. I have thought about her statement for a few days and have been reminded of a few other events throughout history when some people did some things. Some people in Nazi Germany did some things and over 6 million members of the Jewish population were killed affecting the lives of millions of family members for generations. Millions of others lost their lives fighting in a World War to save countless others. Some people did some things in the past few years and their horrific actions have left a scar on the Roman Catholic faith that will possibly last forever. Their actions not only affected the victims of their crimes but have caused possibly millions of others to lose faith in their savior. At a point in the history of the United States, some people decided that one man was more deserving of the blessings and liberty our country has to offer because of the color of his skin and did some things. Those “things” caused generations of people to suffer through the racial prejudices that continue to cause a divide in our country. Toward the end of Jesus’ life on earth, He and Barabbas stood before Pilate as the Governor asked the people, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” The people, many who had witnessed Jesus’ miracles, did some things and all cried out, “Crucify Him”.
As Christians we are also called to, “Do some things.” We are called to go into the world and show our love of Jesus through our thoughts, words, and actions. We are called to pray for those in our lives, even the ones who we disagree with or consider an enemy. Even the people who, “do some things” we don’t agree with. These things we are called to do by our Heavenly Father will never make the news, we will never be known to the masses of people, and our name will not be known all over the world. However, the impact of the simple things we can do will last forever and will have eternal consequences for the many people we interact with each day. As a coach, I can pray daily for the young men who have been placed under my care. I can pray for their health as they play a crazy game but, more importantly, I can pray for their eternal salvation. I can pray for their lives to be forever changed by the saving grace of our Heavenly Father. No one will ever know the words I speak on behalf of these young men, but God is faithful to answer my prayers.
I believe God is calling all believers to also do some things. Not the kind of things that make the news or will be remembered throughout history, but the kind of things that will change a person’s life for eternity.
Let’s do some-thing!
Chad
This quote has made its way through the media outlets for the past few weeks and has stirred up many emotions from several different people. I do not know the lady who originally made this statement but, when I realized she was talking about the tragedy of 9/11, I was shocked by how casually she was speaking. She spoke as though it was an everyday event with little lasting consequences. I have thought about her statement for a few days and have been reminded of a few other events throughout history when some people did some things. Some people in Nazi Germany did some things and over 6 million members of the Jewish population were killed affecting the lives of millions of family members for generations. Millions of others lost their lives fighting in a World War to save countless others. Some people did some things in the past few years and their horrific actions have left a scar on the Roman Catholic faith that will possibly last forever. Their actions not only affected the victims of their crimes but have caused possibly millions of others to lose faith in their savior. At a point in the history of the United States, some people decided that one man was more deserving of the blessings and liberty our country has to offer because of the color of his skin and did some things. Those “things” caused generations of people to suffer through the racial prejudices that continue to cause a divide in our country. Toward the end of Jesus’ life on earth, He and Barabbas stood before Pilate as the Governor asked the people, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” The people, many who had witnessed Jesus’ miracles, did some things and all cried out, “Crucify Him”.
As Christians we are also called to, “Do some things.” We are called to go into the world and show our love of Jesus through our thoughts, words, and actions. We are called to pray for those in our lives, even the ones who we disagree with or consider an enemy. Even the people who, “do some things” we don’t agree with. These things we are called to do by our Heavenly Father will never make the news, we will never be known to the masses of people, and our name will not be known all over the world. However, the impact of the simple things we can do will last forever and will have eternal consequences for the many people we interact with each day. As a coach, I can pray daily for the young men who have been placed under my care. I can pray for their health as they play a crazy game but, more importantly, I can pray for their eternal salvation. I can pray for their lives to be forever changed by the saving grace of our Heavenly Father. No one will ever know the words I speak on behalf of these young men, but God is faithful to answer my prayers.
I believe God is calling all believers to also do some things. Not the kind of things that make the news or will be remembered throughout history, but the kind of things that will change a person’s life for eternity.
Let’s do some-thing!
Chad
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
"Standing in the fire but never feeling the heat"
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
The past year of my life has been full of many first time experiences. After taking a position as a head football coach my life suddenly turned upside down with hiring a staff, meeting a new team, being presented with everyone’s list of problems, not knowing how to fix many of them, and several others I cannot list. It has been quite an experience so far and I am even more thankful for the many men I have worked for in the coaching profession who taught me by their example. Each day has brought it’s individual problems, needs, and concerns. Along with taking on the responsibility of being the head coach of a new team, my wife and I decided it would be a good time to begin the renovation of and the addition to a new house. We have spent the past year in a temporary house with our dresser in the dining room, boxes of items for the new house scattered throughout, and clothes jammed into closets and piled on spare beds. My wife has done an amazing job of coordinating the construction and making the difficult decisions about the house, all while I was away at work. Needless to say we are ready to finally settle into our new home in a few weeks and get our lives back in order. At least the amount of order a coaching family can expect. It has been a year of having to constantly focus on several issues at once and make the correct decision about each. We also continue to remind each other of how blessed we are to have lives that are filled with young people, new friends, and new and old challenges. We are also blessed to get to go through all this excitement together.
I was in church yesterday and I heard someone say, “Standing in the fire but never feeling the heat”. When I heard these words I thought about the past year my wife and I have spent together. A year full of blessings mixed in with challenges that forced us to step outside of our comfort zone. A year full of days filled with emotional ups and downs only to be reminded of our Heavenly Father who is ever present through the ups and the downs.
I know in my life, and I am sure in yours also, we become so discouraged by the flames that we forget our Heavenly Father is always walking before us, protecting us from the heat. After all, the flames of a fire are beautiful, when you are a safe distance away, but the heat is what pushes us away and keeps us from going further.
My prayer today was for God to give me the courage to not run from the flames and the faith to trust him to protect me from the heat.
Chad
James 1:2
The past year of my life has been full of many first time experiences. After taking a position as a head football coach my life suddenly turned upside down with hiring a staff, meeting a new team, being presented with everyone’s list of problems, not knowing how to fix many of them, and several others I cannot list. It has been quite an experience so far and I am even more thankful for the many men I have worked for in the coaching profession who taught me by their example. Each day has brought it’s individual problems, needs, and concerns. Along with taking on the responsibility of being the head coach of a new team, my wife and I decided it would be a good time to begin the renovation of and the addition to a new house. We have spent the past year in a temporary house with our dresser in the dining room, boxes of items for the new house scattered throughout, and clothes jammed into closets and piled on spare beds. My wife has done an amazing job of coordinating the construction and making the difficult decisions about the house, all while I was away at work. Needless to say we are ready to finally settle into our new home in a few weeks and get our lives back in order. At least the amount of order a coaching family can expect. It has been a year of having to constantly focus on several issues at once and make the correct decision about each. We also continue to remind each other of how blessed we are to have lives that are filled with young people, new friends, and new and old challenges. We are also blessed to get to go through all this excitement together.
I was in church yesterday and I heard someone say, “Standing in the fire but never feeling the heat”. When I heard these words I thought about the past year my wife and I have spent together. A year full of blessings mixed in with challenges that forced us to step outside of our comfort zone. A year full of days filled with emotional ups and downs only to be reminded of our Heavenly Father who is ever present through the ups and the downs.
I know in my life, and I am sure in yours also, we become so discouraged by the flames that we forget our Heavenly Father is always walking before us, protecting us from the heat. After all, the flames of a fire are beautiful, when you are a safe distance away, but the heat is what pushes us away and keeps us from going further.
My prayer today was for God to give me the courage to not run from the flames and the faith to trust him to protect me from the heat.
Chad
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