Most of you have probably heard the greatly catchy, but annoying Britney Spears song "Oops I did it Again". The lyrics of this song go something like "Oops I did it again, I played with your heart". The song stresses the idea of not only making the same mistakes over and over, but leading someone into thinking we like them more than we actually do. Unfortunately our lives as Christians look much the same.

Last year, I was on the junior varsity basketball team. Our record was 23-4. It was the best record our coach had ever had. However, he was not pleased with us all of the time. He continually told us that even though we were winning games, we had not played to our full potential. He told us we had yet to play a full four quarters at our hardest. Just because we beat other teams the coach believed we were not living up to the standards he had for us on the court.

When most sport seasons end, numbers get crunched. It’s easy for coaches to get caught up in the numbers game, especially as the media highlights our career wins, our titles, and our Coach of the Year awards. However, any true coach knows records are not the important thing; what matters is having the opportunity to work with athletes, to make a difference in their lives. Coaches, like players, make a lot of sacrifices to develop winning teams, but most will tell you those sacrifices and successes are for the athletes, for the joy of watching players mature and grow.

Hockey Chat:  Many penalties in a hockey game aren’t just blatant attacks from the opponent for no reason. Often there was a little something more to the story. There was some bad blood built up along the way. That’s why most fights happen later in the game. The emotions are boiling over and they give in. In many penalties, the one who loses control is the one who makes is anger apparent and gets called for it.

Hockey Chat:  After winning the Stanley Cup in 1924, Montreal Canadiens players on their way to a victory party stashed the trophy in the trunk of their car. Part way to the festivities, the vehicle had a flat. The players removed the Cup to get at the spare, changed the tire and drove away leaving the Stanley Cup perched on a snow bank. Only when it came time to drink champagne from the Cup did they realize they didn't have it Cup with them. They drove back to where they'd changed the tire, found the Cup sitting there patiently waiting for them, and hastily reclaimed it.

God doesn’t always work the way we think He should. Sometimes the things that we think are tragedies turn out to be blessings. In the Bible, Joseph serves as the perfect example of tragedy-turned-blessing. When Joseph received a dream foreshadowing his role to reign over his brothers, his brothers grew angry and sold him into slavery. When Joseph was later falsely accused of a crime and thrown into prison, it seemed that his dream would never come true.

When I played football as an 8 year old, I remember parents pulling their cars up and shining their lights on the field when practice ran late. As players, we saw the light.

As athletes we need to SEE the light. SEE stands for Sleep, Eat, and Exercise. This kind  of light deals with our God-created bodies. Many competitors train hard on the field, but not off it. As true  competitors, we need to get enough sleep, eat right, and exercise properly. These three physical anchors are extremely important.

When trying to SEE the light, we need to ask:

“How much sleep do I need?” Since the physical affects the spiritual and emotional, if we do not sleep, other areas of life will suffer. When we are tired, we cannot be the athletes God desires.

My dad was  a simple man. I know he did not have a resume or belonged any major civic, political or religious organizations or did things to impress the boss. I do know  that he got on his kness and prayed almost daily. He provided for his family, took pride in his work as a city employee and loved baseball. This July 25th he would've celebrated his 82nd birthday.

Hockey Chat:  Although hockey pucks are hardened by the vulcanization process in which they are made, the black biscuits are kept frozen during an NHL game to stop them from bouncing on the ice which gives better control.  Sometimes the refs swap thawed pucks out with chilled pucks during stops.  It takes a little extra attention to keep them hard but it makes for a better playing puck.

As a coach, I used to love preseason practice. (As a player I could have done without it.) I loved working with the players and coaches, the camaraderie of being part of a team, and the anticipation of opening night. Preseason was always electrifying.

Then came the first game. The scoreboard was turned on, and a new element was added—the element of stress.