We are all familiar with the story of Jonah being swallowed by the giant fish. But, what is intriguing to me is that in the four chapters in the book of Jonah, he goes through four different phases with God. In chapter 1, Jonah is running away from God. In chapter 2, he is running to God. In chapter 3, he is running with God. And, in chapter 4, he is running ahead of God. I believe that in our Christian lives we all go through these phases as coaches and athletes.

I went to three high schools in four years, so you'd think I'd enjoy three homecomings. Truth is, having gone to so many schools, I never really got to know anyone all that well, and now—years later—I really don't feel like I have a high school to come home to.

Homecoming and Halloween often coincide. My favorite costumed-kiddos are the aliens. Whether it's Roswell-green or tin-canned space beings... they all remind me that—as a follower of Jesus—that's what I am: an alien... this isn't my home. Christians are here for a season... learning to love and calling out to other aliens to get ready for the home-coming.

Isn’t it funny how we always pray when we want something? Think about it. Almost every time people want to win a game or match, they pray before it’s time to play. Then, after that prayer is done, the “God part” is done, and it’s time to put their game faces back on. If they win, they’ll probably even go party after.

Have you seen the Nike commercial where the pro athlete leans into the microphone and proclaims, “My better is better than your better”? In this commercial, top-tier athletes from a variety of sports are shown performing some serious training and drills, all with the goal of bettering their game. It’s a commercial advertising Nike’s SPARQ gear—SPARQ stands for Speed, Performance, Agility, Reaction and Quickness. But the commercial serves as more than just an ad for Nike to sell a product. It’s also a reminder of the effort it takes in the off-season to prepare for what lies ahead.

Hockey Chat: When a coach sends his players out there, he is sending them to do the best for him.  If the player was to go out there and played just with consideration for the other team, he’d be letting down his coach.  But good players go out there and play for the guy standing behind there bench, and that will always clash with the opposition.

Any athlete engaged in athletic competition—whether individual or team competition—is aware that his or her well-conditioned and dedicated athleticism is the most important weapon of defense. Regardless of his or her size or the opposition, an athlete without properly conditioned athleticism is the prime target for an adversary.

Hockey Chat:  Since 1905 in playoff games between in the NHL, MLB, and NBA there have been well over 800 playoff series.  Within those series, over 230 teams have taken a 3 games to none lead.  Only twice in the NHL (less than 1%) has a team come from behind three games to win the series.  That means the team that gets ahead has a better than 99% chance of winning the series.