A Coach's Diary

Competition can bring out the best in people and the worst in people. Everyone loves a good rivalry because it's intense and exciting.  Great opponents bring the best out of us. They push us harder and farther than we can push ourselves. They force us to rise to the occasion. It is important to appreciate and respect our opponents because they push us to be the best that we can be. And it's important to remember that even in the middle of the toughest battles if you are a follower of Jesus, and to do as Jesus did. You can be the fiercest competitor and still be a good person. BE A GOOD PERSON AND DO GOOD THINGS Goodness is defined as the quality of being morally good or virtuous, but goodness  is more than being a nice, kind, and polite model citizen. Goodness is an excellence of character that actively and intentionally works from the inside out and is seen and felt by everyone that you come in contact with. Goodness is about being a good person, but it is also about being a ...

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30). I sometimes feel stress and anxiety from sports. It can be a lot of pressure having to compete every day, and that pressure can increase with success. Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin said that years ago, his team started to have success but they would fall short in the playoffs, and that would bring him to a low point. He said that a conversation with his wife changed the way he coaches. Coach Corbin's wife said, "If you are going to live and die with your success based on the last game, you are going to die a miserable person. You are going to have to find other ways to value what you're doing as a coach." He needed to change the target by removing the scoreboard and winning. I need to change my TARGET. But what needs to be the TARGET? In Matthew 28:19, Jesus had returned from the grave and was spending His final days with His disciples when He said, " Go therefore...

Don't spend your time just being busy - spend it being FRUITFUL.  Make sure that you spend your time on stuff that actually benefits you and your life and not just staying busy. Be a person of purpose so that you can leave a legacy and so that you do not have to look back with regret for not doing different things with your time. We all have the same amount of time, and it is all the time that we need.  We spend our time just like we spend money - on what we want, on what we value, and on what we think is important -  and when we spend our money and our time - we can't get it back.  So make sure that you are spending your time on something that will bear good fruit in your lives. Take responsibility for how you are spending your time.  What you do is your choice, and when you control the fundamental aspects of your life, you can have the time, headspace and creativity to chase greatness.