Excellence

“Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence… is a tragedy” -Joe Paterno

At the start of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., the U.S. hockey team was little more than an afterthought.  The Soviets were seeded No. 1, and deservedly so. They had won five gold medals and one bronze in the previous six Olympics. The U.S. team was seeded seventh.  The Soviets unleashed 30 shots in the first two periods to the United States’ 10. One dramatic save after another by goaltender Jim Craig kept the U.S. team close.  Mark Johnson scored with one second remaining in the first period to tie it at 2 all, but the Soviets led 3-2 after two periods.  Team member John Harrington was quoted later as saying, “We’d played 40 minutes, they were just one ahead, but we were younger. We wanted to take it to ‘em!“

Johnson tied it again 8:39 into the third period. At the 10 minute mark, Mike Eruzione, team captain, took Harrington’s pass from the corner and unleashed a shot past a Russian defenseman and through the goalie into the net.  The explosion of cheers was deafening, and most of the 10,000 fans began a chant of “USA! USA!” that did not end for the final 10 minutes.  At the final buzzer, against seemingly insurmountable odds, the U.S. team was victorious.  After the game, coach Herb Brooks pulled a yellow card from his pocket with the scrawled message on it that he had read to his team just before the game:

“You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here.”

What’s interesting is that the U.S. team was not playing to win the gold medal. That game was two days later (which they won). They were simply putting it all on the line against the best team they had ever played.  If you have ever seen the movie “Miracle”, you will remember the portrayal of young men with unyielding determination to excel, to be excellent, to be the best they could be.

Our faith-walk is no different. The Apostle Paul says, that like an Olympian runner, we are to strive in life to “press (earnestly endeavor to acquire) on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phillipians 3:14 ESV)

Consider these other verses of challenge in your journey to excellence:

“Whatever you hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NASB)

“But as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you…” 2 Corinthians 8:7 (ESV)

“And he (Jesus) said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your mind.’” Matthew 22:37 (ESV)

In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul admonishes the church in Corinth to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord” (ESV). The word translated “abounding” (perisseuo) literally means outstanding… doing over and above… excelling.

No matter what, do your best. Be your best. Strive for excellence. Excel!! And always keep your heart and mind centered on Him. It will turn your life around!

Source: AACC

Are These Guys For Real?

This country is in The Worst Financial Crisis In History and what is the senate doing? Working on College Football and a playoff system, are you kidding me? I mean I'm a college football fan and I hate the system the way it is now, but for the senate to be wasting their time on this is totally ridiculous. Read Story Here.

A Man of Faith

I am a sports fan, and a fan of men of character. Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has been that for me and for countless Americans who admire him not just for his victories on the field but in life. Living in the public eye isn't always easy, but coach Dungy has inspired millions through his response to personal tragedy and professional success alike. A role model first and coach second, Dungy will have a legacy of service that outlasts any football record or championship. For seven years in Indiana, he used his celebrity platform to promote adoption, prison ministry, family values, outreach to the poor, and simple Christian decency.

As his own pastor said, Dungy came to Indianapolis with the understanding that "faith would come before football" and he managed to exceed expectations in both. In his retirement, coach Dungy said, "I remember... saying that our goal was to win... but that we needed to win the right way, we needed to win with the right kind of players that... our young men and women in this community could look up to and say, 'I want to be like him, or him, or him.'"

As Coach Dungy leaves a league that he made better simply for being in it, I thank him for his impact. May this new chapter for the Dungy family be the start of something even greater for the Kingdom he has so admirably served.

Source: FRC

Play Ball!!!

Yesterday I had the opportunity of going to a Marlins game. It's the first time this season that I go and by the looks of it I picked the wrong day to go. The Marlins got crushed by the Braves, but I had a great time, I went with Pastor Pedro and his dad Pedro sr. I tell you there is something about going to a baseball game that takes me back to when I was a kid. Anyways there is nothing like spending time with friends eating peanuts telling stories and watching baseball. It doesn't get much better than that.

This is Strange

For the last couple of days I have been reading about a very interesting man. What make this guy so interesting is that he is a double amputee but he is also an athlete, yep you read right, he is a runner. He is able to compete because he wears prosthetic racing legs called "Cheetah Blades." Because of this he has earned the nickname the "Blade Runner." He's so good that he was a gold medalist in 2004 at the ParaOlympic games in Athens, and at the South African National Championships last year he finished second in the 400 meters, but get this he was running against able-bodied runners. Anyway, now the IAAF has ruled that this guy is ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics because according to them the prosthetic racing legs give him a clear competitive advantage. Wow that is in credible. I mean what are the odds that a double amputee could actually have an "unfair" advantage in a sport such as running? What are the odds that a man can loose both of his legs, yet have the will and mental toughness to become a champion runner who is actually good enough to compete in the Olympics? These questions make me think of the verse in the book of the prophet Jeremiah which says: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11). So what we may think that is a coincidence or an unfair advantage is simply what the Lord has intended for us all along.

They Have Arrived!!!

Kyle Busch nabs Toyota first Cup victory with Atlanta win; Stewart second. This sport has been dominated by domestic brands. Now we will experience a foreign invasion. Check out the top ten:
1. Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. Tony Stewart, Toyota
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
4. Greg Biffle, Ford
5. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
6. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
7. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
8. Matt Kenseth, Ford
9. Brian Vickers, Toyota
10. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet
Full Story Here.

True Texan

Former Miami Dolphin linebacker Zach Thomas has agreed in principle on a contract with his home-state Cowboys after meeting with team officials at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Finally he will get the chance to win a championship. And the best thing about it is that he is coming to play for my FAVORITE team DA BOYS. Full Story Here.

Remembering Bowie Kuhn

Yesterday saw the passing of Bowie Kuhn, the commissioner of baseball from 1969-1984, one of the most tumultuous (and prosperous) eras in the history of the sport. Kuhn was committed both to the integrity of the game and to its expansion, traits that left him in conflict with many of the game's most interesting characters, like Charlie O. Finley the owner of the Oakland A's and George Steinbrenner owner of the Yankees, but ultimately left him with the respect of them all. What is less well-known is Kuhn's lifelong commitment to family values and the sanctity of human life. He served in leadership roles for various nonprofit entities that foster these enduring values.

Super Sunday

As I write this the super bowl game just finished, and the Indianapolis Colts are the new champions. It wasn't the best superbowl game that I have seen but it was entertaining. The Colts dominated totally, and Peyton Manning had a great game and now the monkey is off his back all the critics that said he couldn't win the big game will now have to look for someone else. I think they already have the next victim in Rex Grossman the bears quarterback, I've been an apologist for Rex the past few weeks, but tonight he was exposed, he played a terrible game, I won't say that he caused his team the game but he sure was a contributing factor.

Anyways, the best part of the whole game was the trophy presentation, to see the owner and the coach of the Colts give all the honor and glory to God, how awesome is that. Well another football season is over and all we can do is wait till the next season starts and hope that our favorite teams will make it to the biggest football game of all. Congrats to the Colts.

Won marathon, but lost citizenship

Just two days after winning the Tiberias Marathon and speaking about how "people should live together in harmony," Kenyan-born runner Mushir Salem Jawher was stripped of his Bahraini citizenship Saturday for competing in Israel. Full Story Here.

SEATTLE - Unbelievable.

How else can you explain it? An entire season of ups and downs, filled with sprinkles of both hope and disappointment, came crashing down to a bitter end Saturday night at Qwest Field in Seattle.

The Cowboys had their chances to win. Instead, they're going home empty-handed with a 21-20 defeat to the Seahawks in the NFC wild-card game, one that for me will surely linger long into the off-season.

How ironic, quarterback Tony Romo seeing so many of his passes dropped all season long. Yet, during the most crucial play of the season to this point, it was Romo coming up with the biggest drop of all.

Romo, also the holder on field goal attempts, simply dropped the snap on Martin Gramatica's 19-yard field goal attempt that would've given the Cowboys a two-point lead with 1:24 to play and the way the defense was playing a date to play next Saturday.

"It's just a heartbreaker, as you could imagine," a dejected Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells said afterwards. "It was just a mishandled snap. It seemed like a good snap. I don't really know what happened after that." That last part of his quote seems to sumarize Parcell's season. In my opinion he always looked like he didn't know what happened.

Just like that, Romo's magical season - one that started when he entered the starting lineup in mid-season, won five of his first six starts, led the Cowboys to the playoffs and earned an improbable Pro Bowl selection along the way - came to an unbelievable ending, with Romo on the wrong end of such an important blunder.

To say Romo was emotional afterwards would be a complete understatement. The young quarterback sat at his locker with his head buried in his hands for several minutes. Despite encouraging pep talks from both Terrell Owens and owner Jerry Jones, Romo said nothing could erase the stinging pain he felt after the game.

"I don't know if I've ever felt this low before," Romo said in the post-game news conference, doing everything possible to fight back tears. "I take responsibility for this. I cost the Dallas Cowboys a playoff win. And that's going to sit with me for a long time.

"I'm just in shock right now. I just didn't get (the snap) down. Everything happened pretty quick after that. All I know is that I didn't get it down. Obviously, that cost us the game."

Another football season ends in dissapointment for my Boys but there is always next year. "Go Boys".