“NO PAIN. GO GAIN.”

When it comes to pain, few of us know what it really means.

In athletics, we hear the saying, “No pain, no gain.” quite often. Whether it is plastered in bold black letters on the wall of your gym or if it is just something you make your mind scream while you lift weights to block out the sound your own muscles are making, it is a saying that makes people push to bring about change. When the pain of pushing yourself makes you contemplate giving up, you sometimes need that reminder that without pain, nothing will happen. So when you lift that weight-laden bar, lean forward to sprint out another lap, or inhale to show the water who is boss, you know you are creating a change. The process hurts. You may fall and get injured, you might loose what you thought you would win, and you might end up making a sacrifice but in the end: change found its way to your body and mind.

Change. Pain. Sacrifice.

Sound familiar?

When Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us, He brought change. Through His pain, we received gain. While His wrists hung onto the rope He was tied to, He endured pain that truly brought gain. While He carried that cross, His muscles pleaded for an end, but His heart and mind told Him, “No pain, no gain.” He took each blow, He took a crown of thorns, He stayed vulnerable while nails were driven through His hands. The hands that healed the world. And He willingly did all of these things to make a change. Without His sacrifice, we would never have the gift of eternal life. We wouldn’t have the chance to know God in such a personal way without the Son of Man pushing past His pain so that we could swim in the gain we were given. Luke 22:43-44- “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Change. Pain. Sacrifice.

This shows up in our spiritual walk as well. We want so desperately to be closer to God and we want life to go so well but we aren’t willing to endure change to bring change. We would love to say we’re perfectly in communion with God and that we have it all figured out, but in the end, we all need change. You’ll have to set time aside, and to some that is quite a request. You’ll have to be vulnerable before God, that too seems intimidating. But in time, change will come and we will experience gain through struggle. Psalm 139:23-24- “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Change. Pain. Sacrifice.

Are you willing to go for it? To stick it out and be victorious? Christ showed us the ultimate example:

NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

2012
06/01
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Reviewing The Play

“It appears that a player fouled another but we referees can’t seem to agree on a call. What do we do?”

“That didn’t look like a touchdown, but the coach is challenging that. How do we know what’s right?”

Review the play.

When it comes to athletics, mistakes can be made. Maybe a referee didn’t call something or maybe the outcome of a play was unsure. When something like this happens they will watch the video footage from that play over and over again until they seem sure of an answer.  They put on headphones to block out distracting sounds and they get inside of curtains so that they will be completely uninterrupted when they are trying to focus. They play the footage in slow motion, zoom in and analyze it. Watch the play, restart the film and watch it again. This is how decisions are made.

In our walk with Christ we can become unsure about different choices and circumstances. When we hit that wall of confusion and we can’t seem to find an answer to our problem we need to learn how to review the play. Life is full of choices that you have to make. Maybe you have been in a situation where you didn’t see God’s leading because you were distracted by something else or you thought He spoke something but you weren’t completely sure so you were left feeling confused. Reviewing the play is the best way to get the right answer. Now it isn’t like you can just go watch film from your life that will magically point out what you are supposed to do, but it really can be that easy.  All you have to do is review the play through God’s word. Get alone with Him and seek after His will. Block out what is distracting you so that you can be focused on finding the truth. Guard your ears and eyes so that you can remain attentive to the Lord. He knows you and loves you (Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.”). He set you apart before you were born. So even when you feel like you missed something and you are totally unsure of what to choose or what is the right path dive into God’s word and look for an answer, He will reveal it to you. Hebrews 13:5- “For God has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.’” Read it, zoom in on the true meaning of it and then read it again! Be open to hear from Him.

2012
05/04
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Mid-Game
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A COMEBACK FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS

In 1981 Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns duked it out at Caesar’s Palace for the World Welterweight Title. Although Sugar Ray was the WBC champion going into the fight, his opponent held the WBA title and was undefeated. The fight began as it was expected to: Hearns rapidly closed in on Sugar Ray. Hearns’ long reach and sharp jabs gave him a significant lead by the end of round five as Sugar Ray tried to get a few blows in by throwing punches from a timidly fearful distance. With Hearns’ arms opening wider and wider to receive the title, a bruised and battered Sugar Ray tightened his fists. With his vision more than likely impaired by a swelling under his left eye he threw a left hook to the chin that would change the history of boxing.  In the following two rounds Sugar Ray’s refusal to be defeated screamed louder and louder with each swift throw of the fist. But then in an un-fairytale-like turn of events, Hearns began to come back. He won rounds nine through twelve on all three scoreboards. With the way things were going, the world believed that they were watching the un-doing of Sugar Ray Leonard. Hearns had the upper hand, and although Sugar Ray put up a good fight, it was possible that it wasn’t enough.

Sound familiar? When mankind fell, the world was destined to lose. We may have put up a good fight to become victorious over sin but it just wasn’t enough. Great spiritual leaders arose and set the gospel back into motion, but we never fully conquered the power that sin had on our lives.

Now back to Sugar Ray, round thirteen proved to be a moment that left the sports world breathless. He came explosively into the ring. With a furious combination of punches she sent Hearns through the ropes. Round fourteen rolled around. After completely uprooting Hearns’ lead, Sugar Ray threw an overhand right that swept Hearns into a swirl of defeat. Then Sugar Ray unleashed a combination of punches that would forever alter the way boxers looked at the game. A fire to win reignited in Sugar Ray as he threw each blow with determination and confidence. With Hearns still against the ropes, Sugar Ray continued to throw hard-hitting punches. It got to the point that referee, Davey Pearl, had to come and stop the fight. Sugar Ray Leonard was crowned the Unified World Welterweight Champion and the boxing world ignited with amazement.

When we were down and looked like we were going to lose, (John 19:30-“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”) our Heavenly Father gave us a fighter, Jesus Christ. He took each blow for us (Isaiah 53:5) and right when Satan thought he won, Jesus unleashed “a combination of punches” that freed us from death. When Christ died on that cross for us, the fight looked like it was done. But he didn’t stay down; he came back with fury and resurrected to set all mankind free. His friends ran to the now-empty tomb and rejoiced when they stood in its emptiness. In John 20:6-8 we read: “Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.” Jesus Christ was declared the champion (Revelation 1:5- “and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”) and Satan was forced to sulk back to his corner of defeat.  If that isn’t an ultimate comeback, I don’t know what is. The tomb was empty; the underdog came out on top and will forever reign in glory. His love was what walked Him to the cross, His passion is what slid His lifeless body off of that cross and his power is what rolled that stone away. Our God is ALIVE!

“The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as He said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.” –Matthew 28:5-6

2012
04/05
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…And When You Don’t Want To Practice…

Sports are tough.  And you truly have to be dedicated to your sport if you really want to improve. But where does improvement start? Practice. To a lot of athletes practice can become a drag and instead of being excited about improving, we dread what improving will cost us. We focus our minds solely on ourselves. “What am I going to have to give up to become better?” or “How much time will this practice take from me?” These are thoughts that innocently go through our minds. We want to be superstars on the field or court, but we don’t want to have to make some changes. We want to be able to run down the field of court faster than anybody else, but we don’t want to do running drills. We want to have the cleanest shot, but we don’t want to stay after practice to try to improve. We see this over and over again in our culture. We want to labor like slackers and receive like the hardest workers. This mindset will slow us down more than anything. Now shift your focus onto your spiritual life. Do you feel like you aren’t in the place that you should be in? So many of us go through that, but we never try to work at it. We want to desperately to be closer to God, but we don’t want to show up for church. We want to have more wisdom for our daily lives, but we don’t even glance at our Bibles. We want to have pure lives, but we don’t want to live a life that the world doesn’t promote. You see, our apathy is killing us spiritually. We want improvement, but improvement comes through change. If you want something to get better, then you need to change what is holding you back from getting it. Not trying will make you the player that quits because working is “too hard”. As believers on Christ we can do all things, nothing is too hard for us because Christ equips us with the strength we need to carry out those tasks. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. With this strength given to us, we can live pure lives (“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2) and we can bring ourselves closer to God. So when you don’t feel like showing up to church or reading your Bible, remember God has never fallen away from you. You have fallen away from God. And with that, it is your responsibility to get back to him. Your coach is waiting for you to come to practice. He can’t force you to come, but if you want to get better, lace up your shoes and get started.

2012
02/28
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Man-to-Man Defense

To be a good basketball player, you need to be able to play through a man-to-man defense. You have to be able to handle uncalled fouls and you need to stay focused on running the offense. Your defender will more than likely push you around a bit and they will definitely try to keep you from getting the ball. When you just can’t seem to shake this persistent defender, your coach will probably have a team-mate of yours set a screen for you so that you can get free. This is the exact play God ran when he sent Jesus to us. Satan was guarding mankind in a tight man-to-man defense; he wanted to keep us under control.  And  no matter what we did to try to beat our defender (whether it was with a jab-step or v-cut) we just couldn’t do it on our own.  So our coach sent a player into the game who could get a screen like no one else could. This player was like a brick wall. And the coach knew that no one could get past this pick. So while Satan was fouling us and keeping us contained (“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.” John 10:10a), Jesus set a screen and took the blow for us so that we could be free. John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” So just from this one screen we are free to get the ball and our defender no longer has the ability to have any control over us. We can run freely to the ball without a defender to slow us down. Now this is an amazing thing, but God had more to this play than what we thought. He is always looking out for us. After Jesus set us free with a screen, He rolled to the basket. This “screen and roll” gives us the option to pass the ball to our team-mate so that they can score and secure a victory. See, on its own the screen was great! The Son of God set us free and we were no longer held by Satan, but then he took it one step further. A play within a play. He defeated our defender, then He came to our aid to help us have victory through Him by His resurrection and the gift of free salvation. So when you feel like Satan is constantly trying to keep you from a victory, remember Jesus already set you free of your defender. He took every foul, just for you. And with this freedom, you are in store for a jaw-dropping win. So go into that battle knowing that your defender has already been defeated.

2012
01/18
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Free Agent Signed to Unlikely Team.

With the NBA lockout being over there has been a lot of talk about free agents, trades and money. Whether you follow basketball news or not, I’m sure you have recently heard about this subject at least once. The idea of a free agent is that when a player fulfills their contract, they are then allowed to go whichever team they choose. The “higher-ups” of a team will meet and decided who they would like to pursue during the draft. When they come to a decision, they present their offer to the player(s) of their choice. To acquire this player, that player must agree to the transaction. When you look at this process does it strike you as familiar? Well it should. Let’s go back to the first draft…it was about two thousand years ago. A coach saw his team, but knew something wasn’t right. He needed an all-star player to come and rescue this team from the losing that ultimately brought them down. So He scouted for the best of the best. And He found Him. The one he needed turned out to be his only son. He proposed the draft and this Player agreed. This is exactly what happened when God sent His only son to Earth for us. This…Being who was so far above us was given to us, just so that we might have victory through Him. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son. That whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Although this world looked hopeless, God saw what one draft could do. So when you are thinking about the incarnation of Jesus, remember this: The Player was willing to be drafted (Jesus was willing to come to Earth for us), and the Coach has your best in mind (He gave His only son so that we might live). So get your game faces on and gear up for a winning streak!

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

2011
12/20
CATEGORY
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Pushing Past.

Do you know someone who is dedicated to their exercise? Not just committed but DEDICATED. I have often seen the same people running past the same place every day. What gets me is that most people don’t continue with their daily exercise if it is cold or rainy. This person, however, doesn’t let that stop him. He is an older man, white hair and all. Occasionally I wonder how he has enough energy to run every day, but somehow he does. Sometimes I will go outside and it will be cold and rainy, but then I still see this man doing his daily exercise as if it were sunny and seventy outside. When I thought about this odd situation I thought about the strength and endurance this person possessed. It became more of an inspiration to me rather than the oddity it once was. I thought about how his perseverance probably made him stronger over the course of time and that this running became easier because of his dedication. In our lives sometimes it rains. Occasionally it might snow and too often a storm comes. When bad weather fits our lives we tend to want to duck out of our situation in hopes that it will get better instead of trusting on God to get us through it. If only we could have the perseverance like that man that runs in all kinds of weather. What if we stuck it out in the difficult times? We would become stronger. Although the winds and rains make us uncomfortable, the next time we run in that kind of weather we will have more experience on what to do. In James 1:3-4 it says “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” In this we can see that if we can just keep running it will ultimately pay off in the end. We serve a God that is capable of the impossible! When the weather becomes unbearable, God knows just how to help us as we continue to run. Lace up your shoes and grab a rain jacket; it’s time to become stronger than we ever thought we could be.

2011
12/09
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When The Clock Runs Out
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Face Down On The Ice. I’m Not Moving.

The other day I was at my town’s civic center watching the 4-6 year old hockey team’s practice. I was fascinated by the fact that some of these young kids could skate faster than I ever could. While most of the players stayed on their feet, a few stumbled a lot. One kid in particular, my brother, was face-first in the ice for a good 5 minutes. He would fall and get so tired from getting up that he would just stay lying on the ice until he had enough strength to get up. When this burst of strength to get up came, he would skate about two feet then fall again. I could just see his disappointment in the way his little body lay exhausted and motionless on the ice. He was done. He had had enough and did not want to get back up again, for fear of falling another time. Just them a coach skated by and held his hockey stick still so that my little brother could pull himself up off of the ice. He would skate a couple of short strides with this new-found confidence, then fall again. Time after time the coach would come by and hold out his hockey stick to help my brother up. In the exact same way, when we fall we get tired. When this world knocks us on our face, we eventually get tired of trying to get back up. But when we are face-first in the ice and have no desire to try to get up, our heavenly coach skates by and holds out that stick as an opportunity to get back on our feet. Daniel 8:17: “He said, ‘Understand that this vision has to do with the time of the end.’ As soon as he spoke, I fainted, my face in the dirt. But he picked me up and put me on my feet.” God doesn’t have a limit to how many times He can help you up, and He isn’t too busy with other players to be there for you. Like any earthly coach, God wants nothing but the best for his players. When we fall and stumble, He is there to help us get our confidence back and get moving. So when your face is down on the ice and you think that it trying again isn’t worth it, look up, your coach is already there with a way up.

2011
11/21
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Executing The Unexpected.



On Sunday October 23,2011, The New Orleans Saints had an amazing game. They completely devastated the Colts with a 62-7 win. This win got the Saints and their fans ready for the next victim: the St. Louis Rams. With starting quarterback Sam Bradford out with a high left ankle sprain, the Rams put faith in their second-string quarterback A.J. Feeley. The game started and the Rams were off to an impressive start. Steven Jackson scored two touchdowns! The stadium was on their feet, watching the unexpected unfold. At half time the Rams had scored 17 while they held the Saints at 0. With the encouragement from the now- World Series Champs (The St. Louis Cardinals), the Rams didn’t hold back. They ended up winning the game 31-21. Who would have thought that that would happen? That win was the first of the Rams this season and not even die-hard fans saw it coming. When things like this happen, it’s amazing and it makes for an awesome story! In our lives, God is on our side. With Him we can do the unexpected! Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” When the odds are stacked against us, and our opponent is coming off of an impressive win, we will still prevail through God. Just like the Rams were expected to lose the game, we are expected to crumble from the harsh blows of Satan. But also like the Rams, we will prevail and take home the ultimate victory when the clock runs out. We will be faced with obstacles, much like STL did when Bradford was injured, but we will still come out on top. Never doubt the power of God in the issues you deal with, He is far bigger than whatever you are struggling with. When life gets tough and our “season” isn’t looking good, God will help you pull out an unexpected win.  Judges 20:27b “And God said, ‘Attack. Tomorrow I’ll give you victory.’”

2011
11/02
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When The Clock Runs Out
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F I N E D.

In the NFL, as in every sport, players are held to a high standard. When a player displays inappropriate conduct or unsportsmanlike behaviour they can be fined. This is a way for the “higher-ups” to keep their athletes in line. When a player does something wrong, most of them immediately think, “Great, I wonder how much the fine will be…” Something amazing about our God is that when we mess up we aren’t slapped with a fine. We are not ejected from the field, and we are not traded. He offers us this incredible gift: grace. This grace is not a wimpy little thing that can only handle trivial situations. This grace, HIS grace, is sufficient for everything we do. Whenever you watch a game, and you see a player make inappropriate gestures or go a little to far when it comes to justifying themselves to the referee, what do you normally think? It’s likely that many of us will let our minds wander to “What is going to be the punishment for that?” Given the fact that we live in a broken world, we tend to seek for the bad instead of the good. You see we don’t think “I’m sure he will formally apologize for that.” No; we go right to “Oh, that’s going to cost him!” God doesn’t do that to us! And we should be thankful for that. When we do something that would give a bad reflection of the One we serve, we are given the gift of grace. In Corinthians 12:9 it’s layed out clearly, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” In Isaiah 55:6 it says that God is “lavish with forgiveness”. So when we have done something on the field of life that might trip us up, we can know that when we repent, His grace will cover us. He is loving (1 John 4:16) and doesn’t seek to hurt us, but to heal us. Play smart, and press toward the ultimate goal. But do remember: when you mess up, repent. His grace is sufficient.

2011
10/25
CATEGORY
Mid-Game
When The Clock Runs Out
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