Fw: The Crowd is Cheering for You!

Team:

Today's Coach is Adrian Rogers. Here Coach Rogers shows us Great People are Cheering for us. These are the Heroes of Faith. The Hall of Fame. Hebrews 11- 12:1

The Key ingredient they all had was Faith.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

We all go through Adversity at some point. You may feel the pressure of some situation right now.

Maybe it's a Class at school:
The Crowd is Cheering is for you!

Maybe it's a Job situation:
The Crowd is Cheering for you!

Maybe it's a Relationship:
The Crowd is Cheering for you!

Maybe it's a Death in the Family:
The Crowd is Cheering for you!

Maybe you Feel Lonely:
The Crowd is Cheering for you!

Maybe you feel Depressed and Anxious:
The Crowd is Cheering for you!

When we read Hebrews 11 we realize these great people all went through very tough times and came out Victorious and so will We.

If you are in a pressure situation right now remember a Crowd is Cheering for you. Hebrews 11-12:1

Most Importantly Jesus Christ is Cheering For You!

"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."
Rom 8:1

You are a Champion!

Just Go! Win the Day!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

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MAY 1
They're Cheering for YOU!

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

A soft-spoken woman went to a high school football game. She'd been quiet the entire game until there was a fumble on the field. The substitute quarterback, a little scrawny kid, picked up the ball and started running past the other players toward the goal.

And this little lady exploded! She jumped up and said, "Run, baby, run! Run, baby, run!" He was her son.

That's what the saints are saying, as they watch us on the playing field of life. They are cheering us on from the heavenly grandstand to "run with patience, the race that is set before us."

Do you need a lift today? Imagine a grandstand the size of heaven cheering you on to victory!
 

Fw: May 21 2011 - Prayer: The Hedge of

Team Ponder,

Great Message on "The Hedge of Protection" by Rick Warren's Church

God loves us so much He will protect us with a Hedge of Protection so the Enemy can't get to us. Hosea 2:6-7 Job 1-3

We may feel the Pressure and know he is attacking but God will protect us from the Enemy and in Gomer's case ourselves.

We may be in a Storm of Life but remember Jesus is in the Boat with us to Calm the Storm.

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Rely on God. Lean on God. Trust in God.

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" Isaiah 26:3

Have a great weekend,

Dad
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Saturday, May 21, 2011 Prayer:
The Hedge of Protection by Jon Walker

But I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block the road to make her lose her way. When she runs after her lovers, she won't be able to catch up with them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think "I might as well return to my husband because I was better off with him than I am now." Hosea 2:6–7 (NLT)

We can ask God to hedge our children in so they will find the right kind of friends but be protected from the wrong kind of influences.

When Gomer, the Old Testament prophet Hosea's wife, continued to chase after other lovers, God placed a hedge of thorns around her, keeping her from finding adulterous relationships and eventually driving her back to her husband.

Job, on the other hand, had a hedge of protection lifted from his life after Satan asked to sift him: "Haven't You placed a hedge around [Job], his household, and everything he owns? . . . But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face" (Job 1:10–11 HCSB).

A similar sifting, by removing the hedge of protection, is implied in Peter's life: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat" (Luke 22:31 NIV).

We can pray this hedge for our children and other loved ones. We can ask God to hedge them in so they will find the right kind of friends but be protected from the wrong kind of influences.

In the case of children who are prodigals, we can pray a hedge of thorns around them to protect them from friends who influence them in the wrong way.

The Bible says, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (James 5:16b NLT)

Fw: FCA Impact Play: “Five Key Points”

Team:

Today FCA has some great advice on how to keep on top of our game.

Five Steps to a Great Season:

Effort, Desire, Responsibility, Consistency and Repetition.

It's a New Beginning. A New Season!

God has Great Plans for us so let's take these five steps an own them.

"Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." J Wooden UCLA

Stay HUNGRY for Greatness!!!

You are a Champion!

This is it! This is our Destiny!

Just Go! Win the Day!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

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Five Key Points Thursday, May 19th, 2011

READY:  " Whatever your hands find to do, do with [all] your strength…" - Ecclesiastes 9:10

SET:  Last season, I took my middle school baseball team to practice with the high school varsity. It was good for my kids to practice on a higher level and to see how high school differs from middle school.

At the end of practice the varsity coach gave them a "pep talk" about life and baseball using five key points of competition. While I had used some of the same points in my own speeches, I found that they captured my attention in a new way when I heard them from another coach and saw how they got the attention of the kids.

The points that this coach made would work for any sport, and they also translate well to our spiritual lives.

Point 1: Effort. If we want to be better Christians, we must do the things that make us better Christians. We must read our Bibles, pray, follow Christ's example and attend church regularly.

Point 2: Desire. We have to turn off the Xbox and pick up a Bible every now and then. We know the names of every contestant on American Idol, the stats of our favorite teams, and the lyrics of our favorite songs, but how many Bible verses can we quote? Do we know what God's Word says about the tough questions in life?

Point 3: Responsibility. We can't hide behind excuses. True winners accept responsibility. If you aren't what you ought to be, why not fix it?

Point 4: Consistency. Bad habits develop naturally; you don't usually have to do anything to develop them. Just do something "any ol' way" and you'll develop bad habits. Everything in life that's good and worth having requires effort, and following Christ is no different. You live as close to the Lord as you decide to.

Point 5: Repetitions. Reps are the only way to correct bad habits. We must keep doing the right things because they are the right things to do.

This week, let's pray for each other and ask God to work in these areas of our lives. Serving God is exciting, and we should be pumped about it! Today, let's focus on Him and expect things to happen!

Fw: Step Forward

Team:

Great Message by Coach Mike MacIntosh.

In Mark 3:1-3 a man with a Withered hand came to Jesus and Jesus healed him.

Friends today God can heal our Withered Dreams and Goals and get us back in the Game with a new Future and Hope. Jer 29:11.

He can Heal our Withered Relationships and give us a Fresh New Beginning with Forgiveness and Grace.

Whatever is Withered in our Life God can and Will Restore it when we let Him.

Just Go! Win the Day!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

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And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."
Mark 3:1-3

Don't you just love the simplicity in Jesus' words to the man with the withered hand? All He said was "step forward." I bet it took a lot of guts for this man to stand up and step forward right in front of all those Pharisees and naysayers.

This man wanted to be restored so badly, though, he didn't care what anybody else thought; he knew he was in the presence of God and he wanted to be healed.

And so it is in your life. Maybe you don't have a withered hand, but maybe you have a withered heart. Or a withered checkbook. Or a withered marriage.

Whatever it is in your life that's been withered, Jesus is simply asking you to stand up and step forward. Bring all of those pressures and problems to Him.

Forget the critics and the naysayers, and any past failures that the enemy keeps in the forefront of your mind. Just step forward and let Him do the work in your life.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).

A New Beginning - A New Future

Team:

"All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them."
Magic Johnson LA Lakers

Friends, In Life God gives us New Seasons and New Beginnings. The Past is gone. The Future is Bright.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."(2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJ)

Last Season may have been challenging but this Season is Filled with New Beginnings.

Isaiah 43:18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."

A New Beginning to re-dedicate our Lives for God's Purpose and Plan. Jer 29:11

A New Beginning to Read His Playbook the Bible and Pray every morning.

A New Beginning for Thankfulness. Thank God each morning for 20 things.

A New Beginning to Keep it Simple.

A New Beginning to Prepare to Prepare for the New Season.

A New Beginning to Believe "All things are Possible."

A New Beginning to set daily,weekly, monthly Goals.

A New Beginning to turn off the enemy's recorder of negative thoughts of doubt, unworthiness and anxiety.

A New Beginning to stop beating ourselves up.

A New Beginning to Win the Day each Day.

A new Beginning realize we are not perfect. We all make mistakes and we can't dwell on it.

A New Beginning to be a Better Husband and Father. (I need this one Big Time!)

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1

A New Beginning to Turn On God's Recorder of A Future and Hope. Jer 29:11

  "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Today is Our New Beginning to Start a Great Future with our Creator and Offensive Coordinator Jesus Christ.

"Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Eph 3:20

Just Go! Win the Day!

Make it Count!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

Fw: Leadership from Within

Team:

"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates."
Magic Johnson Former Point Guard Lakers

Great message here by Mike MacIntosh on Leadership, Friendship and Persistence. Mark 2:3-4

Here Coach Mike shows what True Friendship and Leadership is all about. He also shows the Power of Persistence to defeat the enemy and get to our Savior.

Sometimes it is easier to Stand on the sidelines and watch the game. God did not call us to watch from the sideline he wants us to make a Big Play in the Game.
John Maxwell's Book "360 Leadership," shows this type of Horizontal Leadership when we Encourage and help our Teammates, Friends and Colleagues get in the game.

We don't have to be the CEO to be a Leader. We can Lead from the middle of a crowd just like the guys in this story did.
Can we find a Teammate to Encourage today.

Can we find a Teammate to lift up today.

Can we find a Teammate to take under our wing today.

Can we help a Coach or a Parent or a Boss delegate to us some of their priorities to us to help their "to do" list become easier for them?

(Jesus gave these 4 guys an opportunity to help Him reach this paralyzed Teammate).

The ultimate goal these guys were achieving was getting their friend to the one with the Answers for Life.

The same is true for us when we help out a Teammate, Friend and Colleague.

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Zig Zigler

Do the Right Thing!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

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Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
Mark 2:3-4

Here is Jesus in a house that's packed with people listening to His teaching. The doorways, the hallways, the living areas -- every inch of the house is filled with shoulder-to-shoulder people, all listening with anticipation to Jesus' every word. Suddenly, though, Jesus is interrupted by the pitter-patter sound of feet on the roof, and in an instant, a huge hole appears in the ceiling. Imagine the pandemonium that must have followed as four men lowered a bed through the roof -- a bed holding their paralytic friend.

Dust and rubbish everywhere, surely the owners must have been upset, and the crowd must have gone crazy. After all, they were already crammed and uncomfortable, and now this? Were they being attacked? Was the house still safe? Who would dare wreck a roof like this? No doubt, to do what they did, those four men on the roof sure had guts.

And faith.

You see, those four men must have loved their paralyzed friend dearly. Why else would they destroy a perfect stranger's roof, endanger an innocent crowd of people below, and even risk their own safety? It sounds a little crazy, and it is -- but it's love. Even more tellingly, it's faith. They must have had profound faith that Jesus would heal their friend.

What a great picture of what needs to happen in our hearts. Today, Jesus wants to clear away all of the tile and rubbish that's surrounding your heart and He wants you to lower yourself to Him, where He can touch you and heal you. Jesus wants to transform your life; He wants to bless you, and He wants to talk with you. But it takes faith. It takes risking the safety of the known, and trusting God for the unknown.

Is there a "rooftop" that is keeping you from Him today? Take a sledgehammer and remove it! Make a clear opening in your heart for Jesus to minister to you. Indeed, Jesus healed the paralytic -- and He can heal you.



Read Through the Bible in 1 Year
Today:
1 Samuel 20:1-25:44
Luke 24:36-John 1:51
Psalm 59:1-60:5
Proverbs 15:31-16:3

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Fw: Build it to Win-Eternity Starts Now!

Team:

There was a Builder who told one of his employees to build a Great Custom House for his New Development Project by the Ocean.

The Employee responded and built a Great House and was Finished in Record time. When he was done the Developer gave him the Custom House.

The Employee said, "if I knew it was for me I would have built it differently and taken more time to read through the Blueprints more carefully and done a Better job Preparing and Executing."

Friends, God is going to give us our Custom Mansion someday in Heaven and the Building project starts now.

God gave us the Blueprint to begin a Great Building. Let's build it as if we are going to live in it now because Eternity Starts Now! (ESN)

ESN Relationship with God - Build to Win!

ESN Family - Build to Win!

ESN Business Career - Build to Win!

ESN Workout / Hobbies - Build to Win!

Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

Friends, God Drafted you To be Great and to be a Great Asset to His Team because
He Believes in You.

ESN- Eternity Starts Now! When we Believe Eternity Starts Now we will Win in every area of our Life. Your Career will Explode because it's all about ESN with the Creator giving us Power to be the Best we can be.

With ESN we Lead others to be their Best as well. Your Team/Company will see Great Leadership and want everyone else to feel your Enthusiasm for Life with a Great Winning Attitude!

ESN - Eternity Starts Now!

Remember:

"It is the Nature of Man to Rise to Greatness if Greatness is expected of Him/Her." John Steinbeck ⁠         

"ALL GOALS ARE ACCOMPLISHED TWICE. FIRST IN YOUR MIND THEN IN REALITY!"
Doug Clark ev3 Western Area VP

Be Prepared to be Prepared!

Just Go! Keep It Simple

Make it Count! Make your own Luck!

Do the Right Thing!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

Re: Purpose and Goals

Rick
Thank you so much. Wade and I are very blessed to have you as a friend. Iron sharpens Iron. I really appreciate you always being there.
God Bless

TO
------Original Message------
To: rpponder.huddle@blogger.com
Cc: 9092384988
Cc: 9092470796
From: 6198842892
Subject: Fw: Purpose and Goals
"There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it." -- Napoleon Hill

-Define your Purpose or Goal

-Know what you Want

-A BURNING DESIRE to Get It

"Michael Jordan Shot 1000 jumpers a day, so I Shot 2000. He Perfected 1 New Move every off season, so I Perfected 2. No one will out work me." Kobe Bryant

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ⁠          

This is the Attitude the Great ones have.

It is all in our Attitude.

-Work Hard and a little bit more

-Have a burning desire and a little bit more.

-Have a Great Attitude and a little bit more.

- Do your Best and a little bit more.

-a little bit more, a little bit more.......

When we have God with us helping us achieve our Goals WATCH OUT! Nothing can Stop us!

"If God is For us who can be Against us."
Romans 8:31

Rick

Fw: Purpose and Goals

"There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it." -- Napoleon Hill

-Define your Purpose or Goal

-Know what you Want

-A BURNING DESIRE to Get It

"Michael Jordan Shot 1000 jumpers a day, so I Shot 2000. He Perfected 1 New Move every off season, so I Perfected 2. No one will out work me." Kobe Bryant

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ⁠          

This is the Attitude the Great ones have.

It is all in our Attitude.

-Work Hard and a little bit more

-Have a burning desire and a little bit more.

-Have a Great Attitude and a little bit more.

- Do your Best and a little bit more.

-a little bit more, a little bit more.......

When we have God with us helping us achieve our Goals WATCH OUT! Nothing can Stop us!

"If God is For us who can be Against us."
Romans 8:31

Rick

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Fw: Wilderness to Greatness!

Team:

Today's Coach is Pastor Chuck Swindoll. Coach Chuck talks about Humility here. He shows how Moses went from the next in line to be the Pharaoh of Egypt to a lonely secluded Sheppard Boy. Exodus 3:1

Sometimes God has to get us alone and away from our Dreams and Goals to Communicate His Real Game Plan. He did this with another Great Leader in the New Testament Paul.

Both Moses and Paul went on to be Great Leaders after their Wilderness Experience.

This may be you and me. Remember Friends this is where God gives us Strength. This is where He Prepares us to be Prepared for a Big Victory!

God will take you from Wilderness to Greatness.

"Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ⁠    ⁠   

Remember:

"ALL GOALS ARE ACCOMPLISHED TWICE. FIRST IN YOUR MIND THEN IN REALITY!"
Doug Clark ev3 Western Area VP

Be Prepared to be Prepared!

Just Go! Keep It Simple

Make it Count!

Do the Right Thing!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

Email ------

May 5, 2011 
A Major in Obscurityby Charles R. Swindoll
Read Exodus 3:1
The desert is a place of obscurity. Moses had to cope with being a nobody. All his adolescent and adult life, he had been a big-time somebody. The spotlight followed his every move, much as the contemporary spotlight follows Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry. Every time Moses stood, people looked up expectantly. Every time he addressed them, people stopped talking and listened. Every time he strolled through the streets, heads turned.
Sheep don't do that. You can say whatever you want, you can turn backflips while reciting poetry, and the flock won't be impressed at all. They'll go right on feeding their faces. As much as you and I may appreciate wool sweaters and wool socks, sheep are basically unintelligent and unresponsive animals. And Moses had the pleasure of their company for four long decades of his life.
Perhaps you identify with this situation. As you read, you're nodding your head. You are taking some course work in obscurity yourself; you find yourself struggling every day with the limitations you've had to endure. You have been forced by the very nature of the desert to give up many of the privileges, perks, and activities you once enjoyed and held most dear. Now you're "just getting by," subsisting on the absolute basics of life. That is God's plan, my friend. And if you would graduate from His school of the desert, you must take classes in obscurity; it is the first required course of the school.
Amy Carmichael, one of my favorite poets, wrote these words:
Before the winds that blow do cease, Teach me to dwell within Thy calm: Before the pain has passed in peace, Give me, my God, to sing a psalm. Let me not lose the chance to prove The fullness of enabling love. Oh, love of God, do this for me: Maintain a constant victory.¹
Here is the unvarnished truth: If you don't learn to live peacefully with obscurity, you will repeat that course until you do. You cannot skip this one and still graduate.
 
1. Amy Carmichael, from Rose from Brier (Fort Washington, Penn.: CLC Publications, 1973), 12. Used by permission.
Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Wilderness to Greatness.amr

Fw: FCA Impact Play: “Chosen”

Team:

Great message here: Coach Leo Sayles is the head women's volleyball coach at Bryan College and a longtime FCA volunteer.

Here Coach Sayles shows that God Drafted us to be on His Team because He Believes in Us and has a Plan and Purpose for Us on His Team. Jer 29:11

"ALL GOALS ARE ACCOMPLISHED TWICE. FIRST IN YOUR MIND THEN IN REALITY!"

Be Prepared to be Prepared!

Just Go! Keep It Simple

Make it Count!

Do the Right Thing!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

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Chosen Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

READY:  "But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

SET:  As I read commentary on last week's NFL Draft, I was reminded of that special feeling we get when we are chosen for a team. Whether it is being picked for the sandlot team, making the cut for the varsity, being recruited to a college, or being drafted to a professional organization, there is always a wonderful sense of acceptance and gratitude when we "make the team."

I remember my own experience of walking up to the coach's door after tryouts to see if my name was on his list. I remember grinning happily when I saw my name and high-fiving friends who also had made the team. I remember feeling called, chosen, set apart for a unique purpose.

I was part of the team.

In his second letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul wrote, "…from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation." And it doesn't stop there with a one-time salvation experience. Peter carries it farther in 1 Peter 2:9-10 and says we are a chosen generation—God's own special people who will proclaim Him.

Just as each rookie was drafted to fill a purpose and a role in the organization, we have been chosen by God to be a part of His plan to build His Kingdom.

We each have a unique role to play based on the gifts, desires and talents He's given us. And just as a rookie's job is to learn his role and meet the requirements necessary to fulfill it, each of us must take time to understand God's plan for us and what we need to fulfill our roles in the church and community.

When Jesus spoke to the disciples in John 13-17, He stated that God's plan is simple, yet profound. 1: Abide in Him. 2: Love one another. 3: Keep His commands, the last of which was to go and make disciples.

Today, may we all realize that we have been chosen by God to fill a role in His master plan. We've been consecrated for His service. Let's put on His jersey and get to work!

GO: 1. Do you recall a time when you made a team or made the cut? How did that feel?

2. How does it feel to know you were specifically chosen by God?3. What purpose do you sense God has for you?

WORKOUT: John 13:34-35John 15:1-141 Peter 2:9-10

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leo Sayles is the head women's volleyball coach at Bryan College and a longtime FCA volunteer.

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Fw: Impact Play: “Distraction”

Team:

Today's Coach is Steve DesRochers. Coach Steve talks about being distracted. Have we ever been Distracted? We all have.

The Strongest Man ever to live was Samson. Samson was a Nazarite. God gave Samson His Holy Spirit and Samson did some Amazing Things. Judges 13-16

However Samson got Distracted. The Distraction started with Over Confidence and then Complacency. This led to Compromise which led to Giving In. The end result was Bondage and Blindness.

He was distracted when he took his eyes off the Lord and Focused on a Philistine Girl named Delilah. This resulted in Bondage and Blindness.

We have all done this at some point in our lives and the result is Bondage to something and Blindness to everything. Bondage leads to Blindness which leads to Guilt and Misery.

This is where the Enemy wants us because now we become Paralyzed and Useless.

Good News: our Coach (God) designed us to be Winners.

Good News: Our Coach (God) loves to turn things around and Win. We can get back on the Right Track and Win again.

Good News: The Lord can free us from the Bondage of Distraction. God loves it when we Overcome and Win.

Good News: Our Coach (God) Recruited us to be Winners and on His Winning Team. Eph 1

Good News: Our Coach (God) is going to Fight for us until we Overcome. Josh 1:9

"I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns"(Philippians 1:6, NLT

With our Great Coach (God) we will Conquer Distraction and Win with:

God
Family
Business/School/Sports

"Focus your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2

Just Go! Win the Day!

Keep it Simple!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com

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Distraction Thursday, April 21st, 2011

READY:  "So you shall observe to do just as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left." -Deuteronomy 5:32 (NASB)
SET:  You step to the free throw line and look at the rim. "Just put the ball through the hoop, and we go to overtime," you say to yourself. You've done this thousands of times in practice. Bounce the ball three times, spin it in your hands, look up at the rim and let her fly. But just when you're about to shoot, you take your eyes off the rim and gaze through the glass backboard at what seems like a million fans yelling, screaming, waving things, and doing whatever they can to distract you from making this shot. A home crowd would never try to distract you, but this is enemy territory, and they will do whatever they can to make you miss this shot. You try to refocus. You let the ball go. It heads toward the hoop, bounces off the rim, and out…

Ever been distracted like that in a game? I think we all have. And the same thing often happens in our spiritual lives. As Christians in this world, we are playing in an away game all the time. According to 1 Peter 2:11, we are residents of God's Kingdom, not the world. Because of that, we are constantly being bombarded by flaming arrows from the home team that is trying to make us take our eyes off our target: the Lord.

These distractions can be obvious or subtle. They can cause immediate damage or erode over time. Think about it. The Old Testament is full of cases where God's people replaced their devotion to the Lord with that of idols. Those idols were dangerous distractions and carried devastating consequences. Even though our idols are different than those of long ago, we still have them. Almost everything that distracts us from doing what the Lord has asked us to do is could be considered an idol when we place it above Him in priority.

The Lord wants us to spend time with Him daily through prayer, reading His Word, and fellowshipping with other believers. If we are spending all of our time on Facebook, YouTube, Nintendo, playing sports, or a variety of other activities, then we have clearly become distracted from our first love: Jesus.

Today, take an inventory of where you are spending all of your time. Are you turning to the right or to the left and not doing what the Lord your God has commanded you? Let's commit to challenging each other to be victorious at this away game, keeping our eyes constantly on Him.

GO: 

1. How do you prepare to play in "enemy territory"? How do you keep your focus on the goal and not the crowd?

2. What is distracting you today from spending time with Jesus?

3. Do you have someone who can help you stay focused on Him?

4. How can you help someone else focus on Him today?

WORKOUT:  Ephesians 6:16 James 4:4 1 Peter 2:11 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Steve DesRochers loves being a husband, father and FCA Camp Coach, but most importantly he loves being a child of the King. Now it's your Turn. Write your own FCA Devotional. . . Go to www.fca.org and click the  "Submit your own FCA devo! " link on the right side.
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Are you in a Storm? Luke 8:22-25

Team:

Have you ever been in a storm? Sometimes in Life we feel like we are stuck in the middle of a Storm and there is no way out.

Jesus Promises that we will get to the other side. Luke 8:22-25

What is the other side? It is a stable place. A Secure Place. A Place of Confidence, Peace and Hope for the Future. Jer 29:11

The Other Side is that place where you know God has it all Under Control.

King David's life was unraveling and he was a mess. His family was torn apart. His enemy's were trying to kill him. He was running away to escape from his problems.

He couldn't understand what was going on. But then he went to the Sanctuary.

"Until I went into the sanctuary of God; [then] understood I their end." Psalm 73:17

The Sanctuary is where it all comes together. The Sanctuary is where it all makes sense. The Sanctuary is the "Other Side."

Are you in a Storm right now with no way out? God promises to be with You in the Storm to get you to the other side.

Luke 8:22-28. "Go to the other side"
In vs. 24 it says, "there was a Calm." Jesus has it all under control.

We need to stay the course and press on. The Lord will bring us Victory and Perspective for any Storm we are going through.

As North Carolina State Basketball Coach Jimmy V was in a Storm battling cancer he said:

"Never Ever Give Up!"

Jim Valvano
North Carolina State Basketball Coach
1983 NCAA Champions

God was with Jimmy V while he was in the Storm giving him Passion and a reason to go one more day.

God gave Jimmy V. the Courage to "Win the Day" each day.

Jimmy V is now on the Other Side with His Maker. In his Storm he chose to Live and show other cancer patients how to Win the Day.

When he got to the Other Side Jesus said "Great Job Good and Faithful Servant Enter in."

Let's look at Storms as a test to see how God is going to use our Storm to help us help others get through their Storms.

This is what Jimmy V did and We can too.

"pain is momentary; gain is forever" keep working hard!
Linfield BB Point Guard Joy Ponder

"ALL GOALS ARE ACCOMPLISHED TWICE. FIRST IN YOUR MIND THEN IN REALITY!"
Doug Clark ev3 Western Area VP

Be Prepared to be Prepared!

Just Go Win the Day!
Keep It Simple!

Make it Count!

Rick
Phil 4:13
http://huddle360.blogspot.com