Tag Archives: athletes

Rudy Tomjanovich

October 14, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Rudy Tomjanovich, the former basketball coach of the Houston Rockets and more recently the Los Angeles Lakers experienced an unusual event in 1973. As a robust twenty-five-year old, Rudy was playing for the Rockets.

In the middle of a close game, a fight broke out at center court. Rudy rushed over to the unfolding conflict, running at full speed, to try to break it up. Just as he arrived, a player whipped around and without looking, swung as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, the punch landed right in Rudy’s face. It was labeled the “punch heard around the world”. The blow fractured Rudy’s skull, broke his nose and cheekbones, and nearly killed him. Although Rudy was sidelined for months following the devastating punch, he eventually recovered.

One day after Rudy recuperated, a reporter asked him, “Rudy, have you ever forgiven the player who wounded you so badly?” Without hesitation, Rudy said immediately, “Absolutely, I’ve totally forgiven him.”

The reporter shook as his head as though he was perplexed. “Come on, Rudy, that guy nearly killed you. He caused you all that pain. He stole part of your career. Do you mean to tell me you don’t have any anger, any hatred or bitterness toward him?”

Rudy smiled, “I don’t have any at all.” The reporter stared at him in disbelief. He finally asked, “Rudy, tell me, how do you do it? How could you possibly forgive that man who hurt you so badly?”

Rudy replied, “I knew if I wanted to move on with my life, I had to let it go. I didn’t do it for him. I did it so I can be free.”

We often fail to consider the residual effects of unresolved conflict in our lives.

Ephesians 4:31, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice”.

From Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen, pp. 160-161.

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

Our “Destined to Win” series is a great follow up for youth who are new Christians or to emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum / Small Group Study has a sports theme and is great for athletes and works well as a tie in to the Olympics.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Object Lessons

Sports Equipment

July 3, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A variety of sports equipment. Possibilities include: (a baseball mitt, baseball, bat, and baseball cap), (soccerball, soccer shoe, shin guard), (golf club, golf ball, putter, golf tee), (table tennis table, ping-pong ball, racket, net), (basketball, basketball net), (chessboard, chess pieces), (Chinese chess pieces and board), (tennis ball, tennis racket), (croquet set), (swimming fins, goggles, swimsuit, skull cap), (bowling ball, shoes, and glove) and various balls and equipments from other sports. While using actual equipment will make the lesson more exciting, if you can’t obtain the different sports equipment you can write the names of the items on note cards.

Activity
Have children or youth group the items together. As a children’s sermon make believe you are playing the different sports, but use the wrong equipment. For a fun youth lesson, actually play a sport with the wrong equipment.)

Debrief
While we may be able to play with the wrong equipment, we are NOT going to break any records. If I hit a basketball with a golf club it will take me forever to reach the hole and when I reach the hole the ball won’t fit! While some small items like a baseball cap may not make a difference, other equipment may be impossible to use for the wrong game. Imagine running a race in flippers. If you want to be successful and victorious you need to use the right equipment.

Application
Solomon tried a lot of things in life. While some of them worked for a while, his relationship with God was the only thing that could let him be successful and victorious spiritually.

Alternate Application
Applied to Spiritual gifts, God gives us each gifts with a purpose. Like a piece of sports equipment, We each have our own role to play in this game called life. We are not all called to play the same game or even to use the same gifts and skills. If we try to serve God in ways for which we were not created or for which he did not intend for us to serve, we may be able to function, but we will be far from our potential in Christ.

Alternate Application
While some of the wrong equipment may work for a while, you won’t realise your true potential until you use the right equipment for the right task and are pursuing the right goal. For Paul, (Phil 3:12 – 16 ) there was only one goal that mattered. His relationship with God was the only thing that could let him be successful and victorious spiritually. We have to make sure that in life we are playing the right game and pursuing the right goals.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

Creative Teaching Ideas

Tiny Olympics

May 1, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Long rope. (Towels or bedsheets can be tied together to make a rope.)

Activity
Don’t tell the youth or children why, but they must send their 10 littlest (smallest) people together for a very special task. Once the kids or youth have selected their smallest, reveal the rope and tell them you are going to having a “Tiny Tug” of war. After a couple of tries and encouragement to the winning team ask the losing team if they think they will win? But this time help them. Of course with the teacher on their side they are sure to win.

Application
While things may seem difficult or impossible to us, when God is on our team we can do anything.

Variation: Mini Olympics
Mini tug-o-war: Get a rope about 1 meter long and make the markings on a table. The catch is the participants may only use one hand to pull the rope and may only use a thumb and index finger to grab the rope. Done in this way, the deciding factor is not the strength or weight of the person, but the strength of their grip with the two fingers.
Mini Javelin Toss: Usw a straw and only two fingers to toss it
Mini Shotput: Use a ball bearing or marble and flip it with your thumb
Mini hockey: Use a tabletop and a carrom seed or checker disc and straws in a person’s mouth to move it the seed through the goals
Thumb wrestling: Gripping fingers so only the thumb is raised extended, participants try to hold the other persons thumb down using their own.
Synchronized Twirling: Dexterity competition twirling a pencil through fingers
Relay race: moving a coin on the top of your hand, from top of thumb to the pinky and back using only once hand;
Marathon race: rolling a coin the farthest distance;
High Jump: Flipping a coin in the air using the thumb and index finger

Application
Many times we think we must be big and powerful to do things. We think we can only help if we are strong. But even if we are not strong enough and powerful enough or big enough we can still help others by pointing them to God who is all strong and powerful.

This creative teaching activity uses games to remind children or youth that the Christian faith is not a “I can’t” religion. It is always a “I can” religion. The assurance is found in Phil 4:13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” In this passage we are promised the strength to deal all adversties of life – trials and temptations. This power is given to us as long as we are in Christ.

Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Devotional, Object Lessons

Slow Leaks

March 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

So many of the sports we play today involve little round objects which we hit, kick, drive or dribble toward a goal. We have basketballs, golf balls, tennis balls, and soccer balls, just to name a few.

Many men my age prefer golf. With golf, the objective is to a hit a little ball into a little hole from half-way around the world. Personally I find golf more an exercize in frustration rather than enjoyable recreation.

I have a preference for basketball. With basketball you can take a much bigger ball, get as close as you want to the hole, and jam it down the hole if you have the vertical leap to do so.

While golf requires expensive club memberships, green fees and a heavy collection of golfclubs, all I need is a basketball and a short trip to the nearest basketball court – which happens to be free.

Unfortunately my basketball has developed a little bit of a problem. It doesn’t quite bounce like it once did. Instead of bouncing into action as it once did, it generally hits the ground with a dull thud. Without a forceful push from an outside force, it is perfectly content to just sit there. And even when pushed pushed, It seems tends to roll off the court and spend the day simply lying around.

You can’t tell by looking at it, but over time my basketball has gone flat. I can’t point to a specific point in time when it lost its bounce. I can’t find any teethmarks from the neighborhood dog or punctures from angry players. The real problem is that the basketball leaks!

Yet now that I have discovered the problem, the solution is quite simple. I take out my trusty air pump and give it a periodic refill.

Yet what is true of my basketball is also true of us as Christians. There was a time when we all had a spring in our step and bounced into action when a spiritual goal was placed before us. But something has changed. We probably can’t point to a specific event that took the air out of our Christianity, but our spiritual life is now flat. We have the same problem as my basketball– we leak! Mediocrity is rarely the result of a blowout, but more often the result of a slow leak.

So how do we get that bounce back in our step? How do we change that dull thud into high flying goals? Instead of rolling away from His heavenly court and sitting in spiritual stagnation, we draw near to God and let him fill us with his presence. “Be ye continually being filled.” (Eph 5:18b)

Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

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