A Special New Year's Resolution

Thought you may want to read this. Enjoy...

P.S. We start spring practice January 14th. No need to rush since we don't start our indoor season until February 1. All the athletes have been working hard during the break and look forward to coming back in good shape.

A Strategy for Change in the New Year
January 8, 2008

Accept Responsibility for my life.
Our culture believes “Nothing is my fault.”
Galatians 6:4-5: “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.”

Believe I can change.
Nothing will happen in 2008 that you can’t handle. God can help you change.
Philippians 4:12-13: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Clarify what is really important.
“What do I value?”- make this your prayer list. “What do I want to change?”
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 16:25: There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death…the laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.

Don’t wait to begin.
Do it know! Life must be enjoyed under imperfect circumstances. Live life to its fullest and don’t let less than ideal circumstances dictate a negative mood. Work to maintain a positive attitude in any and all situations!
Ecclesiastes 11:4: Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Personal Development Goals for 2008
*Luke 2:52: Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and favor with men.

Intellectual: What do I want to Learn?
Proverbs 19:8: He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.
Physical: What will improve my health?
Proverbs 17:22: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Spiritual: What will deepen my relationship to God? – What one thing?...
1 Peter 3:17-18: It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the spirit.
Social: What will be my ministry to others?
1 Peter 4:10: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides.
Ephesians 6:10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Season of Life
A football star, a boy, a journey to manhood
By: Jeffrey Marx, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

The following excerpts are from a wonderful book that I was lucky enough to receive as a present for Christmas. I actually read it in about 3 days because it was so good. I want to share a few aspect of the book that I believe you might enjoy should you be reading this summary.

The following was written on a board prior to a football game the high school team was about to play. Prior to each game, the head coach lead a short devotional/lesson for his players to focus on the task at hand of making them men capable of treating others with dignity and respect at all times:

The decision.
A man…built for others.
A man…built for himself.
For those with no voice, no position, no privilege, no power, no authority, you be those things for them.
Seek justice.
Encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless.
Plead the case of the widow.

Joe Ehrdman, a former professional football player and a main character in the book (one of the football coaches and an ordained minister) offered his take on masculinity:

Joe’s code of conduct revolves around four “strategic masculinity traits” that form what he calls “the moral and ethical foundation” of a man built for others.
He accepts responsibility.
He leads courageously.
He enacts justice on behalf of others.
He expects God’s greater rewards.

On the concept of leadership, Joe said: “It’s gotta be based on some kind of moral, ethical foundation. You can’t just go with the flow in life. There’s a broad road and a narrow road, and you have to learn how to courageously stand up on some kind of foundation, some kind of principle, make decisions, be a leader, and go that way. It take courage to lead in the right direction…and especially at the age of the boys on our football team (high school). In the midst of all the peer pressure, the whole social setting, it takes tremendous courage to stick to the right values because they’re often gonna find themselves at odds with the rest of their peer group.”