Wisdom for Winning

Proverbs 3:9-10

2010-07-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and and your vats will overflow with good wine

Honor the Lord - Show your love, admiration, and respect

with your wealth -your talents and gifts

best part- Your absolute best, and not just "good enough". Putting your heart into it.

everything- Anything that you do.

If we follow this, we will be blessed.

Proverbs 22:10

2010-06-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too. Quarrels and insults will disappear.

"Motivation is easy. Eliminate the unmotivated." Lou Holtz

Proverbs 12:1

2010-01-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

To learn, you must love discipline; It is stupid to hate correction.

In order to get better, you MUST be able to take coaching. You must be willing to change.

Proverbs 10:17

2009-12-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.

Players who can take coaching will be successful. Players who are not coachable will not reach their potential.

There are two ways to respond when you are corrected.

Are you going to get Bitter?

or

Are you going to get Better?

Ecclesiastes 5:16-20

2009-11-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

And this too is very seirous problem. People leave this world no better off than whenthey came. All their hard work is for nothing-like working for the wind. Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud- frustrated, discouraged, and angry.

Even So, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. It is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life-this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

Process vs. results.

Too often we focus our lives and our joy on results (winning games, how much money we make, effectiveness). When the results aren't what we want, we are upset and we break our backs until we reach those goals we set. Some people work their whole lives and never see the results they want. On the other hand, other people do reach their goals and when they do they think, "What do I do now?" It usually isn't what they expected it to be. Like the passage says, it is like "living in a cloud, frustrated, discouraged, and angry"

However, things change when we enjoy the process instead of looking to the results. Enjoying the actual process of reaching your goals (the practices, the tough games) in the long term is far more rewarding. Like the passage says, "God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past."

Coach Frosty Westering sums this all up by saying, "The joy is in the journey."

Ecclesiastes 9:10

2009-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

If you're going to do something, do it well. Life's too short to waste your time going through the motions.

Proverbs 12:23

2009-05-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.

Any questions?

Proverbs 24:5

2009-01-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowlege grow stronger and stronger.

In an interview with 60 Minutes Pete Carrol said "The best team doesn't always win. The team that plays the best wins." Part of playing the best is knowing and executing your assignment. I have seen several good athletes who were not able to get playing time because they did not know what they were supposed to do. Teams that know and execute their assignments well usually have a better chance of winning than a team that freelances.

Do you know your assignments?
If not, what can you do to learn them?
What can you do to carry those assignemtns out?

Proverbs 13:10

2008-06-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.

Selfishness and arrogance lead to divisions to a team which will end up destroying it. Humility leads to unity on a team.

Proverbs 24:27

2008-06-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.

Don't wait until the season starts to start preparing preparation is a vital key to being successful

"Every battle is won before it is ever fought." - Sun Tzu

Proverbs 25:14

2008-06-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.

Talk is cheap. Don't talk about what you are going to do. Get started doing it.

Proverbs 24:16

2008-06-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.

Proverbs 24:10

2008-06-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.

If you fail under pressure, it just means that you have to work harder so that you are prepared for the next time you are under pressure.

Proverbs 24:33-34

2008-06-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

It's tempting to take plays off or to give less than our best in practice. But if we do that, it can cost our team dearly. I was part of a team where we didn't cover a punt with our best effort. It's only one play..right? The other team took it back for a touchdown, which ended up being the difference in the game. One play off coast us the game. Don't let that happen to you. Give your best effort every play, every day.

Proverbs 11:1

2008-06-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights.

In ancient times, someone would use dishonest scales to cheat their neighbor. In athletics, we should not cheat our opposition, but we are to play by the rules. God is delighted when we play fair.

Proverbs 4:25-27

2008-06-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Stay focused! There are a lot of distractions in athletics. Keep you eyes on the goal, make a plan to get your there, and stick to the plan. Don't let anything keep you from following that plan. If you keep the goal in mind, you are less likely to get sidetracked.

Proverbs 27:21

2008-06-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised

It's hard to get to the top, but it's even harder to stay there. Once you get that taste of success and everyone is cheering for you, how do you respond? Do you take it easy or do you still work hard? Do you prepare with the same intensityh? Will you stay focused? Will you still make sacrifices? How you respond to praise will reaveal what kind of person you are.

Proverbs 28:1

2008-06-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.

Godly players are not soft or weak. Godly players are as bold as lions. We do this by being strong, aggressive, and confident.

Proverbs 27:17

2008-06-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Great players make those around them better. Michael Jordan wasn't great just because he could do great things on the court. He was great because he made everyone around him better. Seek to be one of those players who make their teammates better.

On the other hand, a great player relies on his or her teammates. They know that they can't do it alone. They need their teammates to sharpen them as well.

Proverbs 17:17

2008-06-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

The true test of a teammate is who they respond to adversity. Will they stick with you when times get tough or will they bail? Determine to be the kind of teammate that your team can count on, especially in the tough times.

Ecdlesiastes 11:4

2008-06-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never do anything. If you are waiting for every call to go your way, the ball to bounce right, the weather to be favorable, you will never succeed. Prepare yourself to overcome obstacles not just avoid them because ther will always be obstacles to face.

Ecclesiastes 10:10

2008-06-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

Work smarter, not harder. Hard work alone does not help you develop your gifts. You only benefit while working hard at the right things, in the right way. Effort and efficiency are ingredients in successful athletes and successful team. Get the most bang for your buck! Work efficiently.

Ecclesiastes 10:11

2008-06-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer?

Unused talent is worthless. A snake charmer's skill doesn't do him any good after a snake has already bitten him. Similary our unused gifts go to waste when we don't develop them. Use your gifts before it's too late.

Proberbs 6:6-8

2008-04-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.

Like ants that have no ruler yet still work hard, we also need to be self-motivated. We shouldn't only work hard when someone is riding our butt. We should work hard all the time.

Proverbs 19:2

2008-04-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.

Enthusiasm is a great thing in sports. However when a team is enthusiastic, but not disciplined it leads to a lot of mistakes which as we know is lethal.

Enthusiasm when combined with great Effort and excellent Execution leads to successful teams.

Ecclesisates 7:10

2008-03-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise.

don't be one of these guys

"How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?... Yeah... Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind."

Don't get stuck in the past. Live in the present because you can't change your past and your present determines your future.

Proverbs 17:22

2008-03-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

A cheerful heart is good medicine,but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength

A negative attitude will paralyze a team. Positive attitudes go a long way in making sports an enjoyable and successful experience.

Proverbs 26:11

2008-03-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

As a dog returns to its vomit,so a fool repeats his foolishness

Foolish people repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Everyone will make mistakes. Wise players/coaches know how to learn from them, so they don't repeat their mistakes.

Proverbs 25:28

2008-03-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls

In anciet times, a city whose walls were broken down was extremely vulnerable. They were vulnerable to attack but also to wild animals. An athlete or a team without self control is also extremly vulnerable to their opponent and also to negative consequences (from the law or others). This is why being disciplined is important. If you are not disciplined, you will not reach your full potential.

Ecclesisastes 9:11

2008-02-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.

Talent does not always equal victory. The 2007 college football season proved that. Upsetes happen in sports all the time. What this means for you is that you are never so much of an underdog that you can't win. Weather conditions may help. One of the other team's star players could get injured or suspended. You just don't know what's going to happen, so you might as well give it your best shot.

Proverbs 20:4

2008-02-22T06:53:00.000-08:00

Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.

If you do nothing, you get nothing. That's how life works. This flies in the face of what many young people believe. I see it in school all the time. Students get upset when they are failing a class and they blame it on a teacher. However, when I see these same students in study hall, they are doing absolutely nothing. They do nothing, so they get nothing.

Proverbs 22:13

2008-02-22T06:49:00.000-08:00

The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!”

Lazy people always have an excuse to get out of work. Rather than finding a way to get it done, they constantly look for a way to avoid giving effort. If they put as much energy into working hard as they did finding excuses, they might be a good athlete!

Proverbs 13:19

2008-02-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.

Many athletes have dreams like winning the conference, making the playoffs, etc. However what many athletes don't have is the ability to sacrifice for those dreams. In order to achieve goals, athletes and coaches must get rid of those things that hinder them from reaching those goals.

Proverbs 14:14

2008-02-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

I absolutely hate to clean and I imagine that cleaning stables would not be a pleasant chore. If you don't want to clean stables anymore, you can get rid of your oxen. But if you do that, you won't have a large harvest. So it's either clean stables or a big harvest

There are many chores in athletics that aren't particularly pleasant (like conditioning). If you don't like to do it, you could skip it. It would prevent you from being sore or uncomfortable. However, you won't be likely to get a large harvest (playing well, winning).

Would you rather have a clean stable or a large harvest?

Proverbs 15:31-32

2007-07-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

This proverb shows the value of taking coaching. Uncoachable players rarely reach their full potential.

Proverbs 21:5

2007-06-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,but hasty shortcuts lead to
poverty.

With all of the buzz in the sporting news about steroids, this proverb seems to be especially pertinent. I see steroids as a hasty shortcut that may win you a few games, but in the long run, it will seriously hurt you. Many athletes have been successful without the use of performance enhancing drugs. They did it by working hard and being mentally tough.

Proverbs 16:3

2007-05-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

"Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed"

This proverb is fairly simple. When you surrender your plans to God, He will bring you success. Although, this doesn't necessarily mean success from our point of view. If you decide to put God first, it doesn't mean that you'll win games or championships. What is does mean is that you'll fulfill God's purpose for you life, which is what true success is all about.