Character Coach / Sports Chaplain Resources: April 2020

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Chapel – Men are Needed

Introduction: Who are the important men in your life?

Consider when you need those men.
Offer suggestions like:
· When making big decisions.
· When in trouble.
· When confused.
· When in need of guidance.
· When achieving greatly.
· When failing.
· When feeling thankful.
· When needing affirmation.

Men are needed, by all of us in the room, and by all those around us.

Prayer -

Read the Bible text - Philippians 1:21-24.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

The apostle was ready to leave this life and to be with Christ in Heaven. He was very aware, however that his friends in Philippi needed him. He, therefore, was committed to stay where he was, for their sake.

Men are needed:
· Men are needed by their friends.
o When they need someone to trust.
o When they need someone to encourage them.
o When they need someone to believe in.
o Men are needed by their friends.

· Men are needed by their parents.
o For their lives to have a legacy.
o For security.
o For a sense of family pride. “That’s my son.”
o Men are needed by their parents.

· Men are needed by the women in their lives – mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives.
o For security.
o For provision.
o For comfort.
o For stability.
o For courage.
o For direction.
o For confidence.

· Men are needed by their children.
o Your children need you. Hear these statistics:
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes.
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
o My son is 41 years old. He still needs me, and I need him.

· Today, Men are needed by their teammates.
o To compete.
o To battle.
o To overcome.

· We are men. We need each other. Let’s compete like champions. Let’s be the men we were created to be.

Prayer -

Chapel – Vision

1 – Your coaching staff and your senior leaders have a vision for your team. To be champions is a vision worth believing in and pursuing.

2 – Habakkuk 2:2-3 (read the text)

· Record the vision…

o Write it down.

o Talk about it with your teammates.

o How would you keep a vision like this in front of you?

· For an appointed time… Destiny.

o Do you have a sense that we’re on a track toward being a great team? That comes with vision.

· The vision is on the move without fail.

o What are some indicators of progress toward this goal for your team?

· It is certain…even if delayed.

o The delay has been long.

o Now it’s time to see the vision fulfilled.

Chapel – Unified

1 – Introduction – If we will compete in a unified way today, we will do very well.

2 – Take encouragement from this story in Genesis chapter 11. Read the text – Genesis 11:1-8.

· There are two main points to take from this text: They were one people and everyone spoke the same language.

· God Himself observes, “Now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.”

o God believes in the unlimited potential of unified people who communicate effectively. (Repeat)

o This is what God saw in these people and I see that in this team. Nothing you purpose to do will be impossible for you.

3 – In today’s game-

· Be unified! When adversity arrives:

o Don’t criticize teammates, rather challenge them.

o Don’t avoid failing teammates, embrace them.

o Don’t withdraw from others, encourage others.

· Communicate effectively! All day.

o In meetings

o In the locker room

o During pre-game on the field

o In the huddle

o During each moment of the game

o On the sidelines

o At half-time

o As we finish strongly

· Play today as a unified team, communicate wisely and effectively and we’ll witness first-hand the unlimited potential of our team.

4 - Prayer

Chapel – Team Unity

1 – Competitions like this one require tremendous team unity. Each one must bring his/her best to make the team all it can be.

2 – Think for a moment about how diverse your team is:

· Size

· Strength

· Background

· Ethnicity

· Skill sets

· Personalities

3 – Think about how the team is diminished if any one of you is at less than 100%.

4 – Think about how the team’s personality on the floor changes with each substitution. You are not interchangeable parts in a machine.

5 – Think about the factors which unify such a diverse set of people. These are most important.

6 – Ephesians 4:4-7 (read the text)

· One body / one Spirit / one hope of calling

· One Lord / one faith / one baptism

· One God / one Father

· Over all, through all, in all…

· But each one was given grace as a gift.

· Each one is uniquely gifted. All united, but not all the same.

7 – Today, your team will be most successful when each one brings the best of his/her unique giftedness to a unified effort with the whole team.

· You will be very good today as you play as one.

· Unified in purpose

· Unified in values

· Unified in strategy

· Unified in heart

Chapel – Suffering and Success

1 – This is the sort of situation a competitor dreams about.

· We’re playing for a championship.

· All the events of this season and our combined character have lead us to this day.

2 – Suffering and success – they go together.

· Throughout this season we have experienced plenty of suffering.

o Injuries, infections, illnesses

o Disappointing losses

o Players lost to other issues

· We have also experienced great success.

o Big wins on the road

o Players winning awards

o Come from behind wins

o Great achievements by the coaching staff

o A conference championship

· Suffering and success have been closely linked. That is normal and even proper.

3 – I see a similar situation in Romans 8:18 (read the text aloud).

· By comparison, the suffering is far surpassed by the success!

· The enduring success totally eclipses momentary suffering.

4 – Examples from this team’s life:

· The pain of pre-season conditioning is far outweighed by the thrill of powerful second-half comebacks.

· The worry and anxiety related to a teammate’s illness or injury is greatly surpassed by the joy of seeing him restored to our team.

· The discomfort from injuries, concussions, infections, and illness pales in comparison when laid along side the victory we’ll achieve this evening.

5 – I encourage you to view this day’s pain and suffering as investments in the victory that awaits us. Make those investments again today and we’ll celebrate our success together.

Chapel – Strength and Courage

1 – Today’s contest will require strength and courage for us to finish the day with a victory.

2 – Strength and courage are character qualities required for all of life and especially for competition.

· Joshua 1:9 (read the text aloud).

3 – Be strong

· Strong of mind (focus well and tune out crowd noise)

· Strong of body (prepare to finish the contest strongly)

· Strong of soul (to deal well with momentum swings)

4 – Be courageous

· Before a strong opponent (skilled, strong…)

· Before a hostile crowd (tune out distractions)

· Before difficult conditions (noise, trash talk…)

5 – Wherever you go

· You have competed well on the road

o Game at ….

o Game at …

· Today in __________ let’s compete strongly.

6 – The challenge for today is to:

· Be strong

· Be courageous

· Believe in your team and its destiny

Compete like a champion and you’ll be one

Chapel – Servant Leadership

1 – Today’s competition will require a tremendous amount of leadership for us to be victorious. It will require a unique type of leadership.

2 – This kind of leadership is best described in Mark 10:42-45 (read the text aloud).

· This is not the usual kind of leadership – it’s not about power or position.

· To be a great leader – make those close to you better.

o Communicate well

o Lead your unit

· To be the best leaders – make your whole team better.

o Even those who annoy you

o Even those outside your responsibility

o Even the coaches

· To be a Christ-like leader – sacrifice for the team’s greatest good.

o Sacrifice playing time to further a younger player’s development

o Play through pain

o Submit to the game plan

o Press through difficult situations

o Free your teammates to become all they were created to be

3 – Lead strongly today

· Be great leaders

· Be the best leaders

· Be Christ-like leaders

Chapel – Senior Day

1 – This could be the last competition for some of our senior players.

· Many of us have competed together for years.

· On a day like this, what should characterize the attitudes of our most senior players?

· I see a great model at Joshua 14 and verses 7-14.

2 – Joshua 14:7-14 (read the text)

· Caleb is now 85 years old, but he’s not ready to retire.

o “I was faithful to what I was told.”

o “I’m as strong today as I was 45 years ago.”

o “Give me this mountain! I’ve heard there are giants there.”

3 – I wonder about our seniors.

· Are you ready to be done or would you like to keep playing?

· I believe we can play well into the playoffs.

· We can do so if you will lead us with an attitude like Caleb’s.

4 – If our seniors can say at this day’s end:

· “We have done everything our coaches have told us,” then we will succeed.

· “We are just as strong as we were in pre-season,” then we’ll be winners today.

· “Give me this mountain, I’ve heard there are giants up there,” then we’ll play in the playoffs.

Chapel – Selfless

1 – Introduction – today we’ll talk about being selfless. That’s the direct opposite of being selfish or having a “Me First” attitude. Selfless people seek the best for others, before themselves.

2 – Read the text – Romans 12:3-5

· Every man among us.

o Don’t overestimate your importance.

o Think with sober judgment.

o God has given each of us a place on this team.

· Your body is made up of many parts, but it is one body. Each part has a particular function. Each part does what it alone can do.

· We are many in Christ and in this team, but we are one.

o When one succeeds, we all benefit.

o When one fails, we all suffer.

o When one achieves, we all achieve.

o When one acts selfishly, we all lose.

o When one is suspended, we as a team are lesser.

· All or goals remain within our reach.

· We can be as good and can achieve as highly as we want.

o If each one serves his team and teammates selflessly.

o If each one fulfills his role to its fullest.

o If each one will put the team’s best interest ahead of any selfish pleasures or foolish behaviors.

· We will be champions this year if we will choose to honor our team by being selfless.

3 - Prayer