In Sermon Illustrations: "Athlete"

But Proffering Our Physical Lives As Living ...

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 11, 2009

But proffering our physical lives as living sacrifices, we get the benefit of living life to its fullest because we are in agreement with God as to priorities and purpose. We aren’t really giving up our lives. We are learning to stand beside ourselves and see ourselves as God sees us. We see our ...read more

Tags: Faith, Sacrifices

Denomination: *other

Build Character Into Your Children  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2010

BUILD CHARACTER INTO YOUR CHILDREN David Kraft was a big, strong man -- all muscle. At the age of 32, he was six feet, two inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He had been to seminary and ended up working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, because of his athletic background. Then he was ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

Tags: Father's Day

I Was Reading An Article This Week About Some Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Wayne Major on May 14, 2001

I was reading an article this week about some of the dangers that face our young people simply because they imitate what they see. The article told about the Reebok company pulling an ad which showed an athlete jumping over an oncoming car—because some teenagers in Kentucky were trying to do the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1

Tags: Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Methodist

C.s. Lewis Makes Reference To John Donne's Poem, ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Feb 6, 2004

C.S. Lewis makes reference to John Donne’s poem, “What if this Present Were the World’s Last Night?” And he makes this point: “A moralist will tell you that the personal triumph of an athlete or of a girl at a ball is transitory; the point is to remember that an empire or a civilization is also ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Orthodox

Finishing The Race Together

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 8, 2009

FINISHING THE RACE TOGETHER Several years ago, five handicapped finalists gathered at the starting line for the Special Olympics. They had all trained hard for this day. Hearts were pounding. And each one wanted to win. The starter’s gun discharged and the athletes exploded from their crouched ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Charismatic

Only To Finish  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jun 10, 2001

ONLY TO FINISH The 1992 Summer Olympics featured two tremendously poignant moments. American sprinter Gail Devers, the clear leader in the 100 meter hurdles, tripped over the last barrier. She agonizingly pulled herself to her knees and crawled the last five meters, finishing fifth--but finishing. ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Words "It Is Finished" Are Also A Cry Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Garth Wehrfritz- Hanson on Apr 11, 2003

The words “It is finished” are also a cry of victory in the sense that Jesus completed, he accomplished what God had sent him in this world to do. In this sense, it is like the athlete who enters a marathon race with the single-minded intention of both reaching the finishing line and coming in ...read more

Tags: Run Hard, Worry, Following Jesus, Jesus Christ, Easter Good Friday  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

I Recently Heard A Story About A High School ...  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Sullivan on Feb 18, 2008

I recently heard a story about a high school football player who was a Christian. He was a big fellow and a great athlete. He led his team to the best season they had ever had and won many awards. He was being interviewed and the reporter asked him this question, “You know you have the reputation ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Agenda Of The Coach

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

THE AGENDA OF THE COACH LSU tackle Drake Nevis was the anchor of the defensive line for LSU last year. Listen to what Defensive Coordinator John Chavis said about Nevis before the draft: "Folks are going to fall in love with him. When you get a guy that has the athletic ability he does and ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Methodist

Is It Worth The Price?  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Oct 1, 2002

IS IT WORTH THE PRICE? Paul J. Meyer wrote in Unlocking Your Legacy: "Cost and self-sacrifice do not make something hard. Nobody feels sorry for the athlete who wins an Olympic medal, even though the person paid an incredible price through grueling effort behind the scenes, denying himself or ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:20-25

Tags: Hardship Of Life, Finding Fulfillment, Kingdom Of God

Denomination: *other

In One Of The Games In A Classic Rose Bowl ...  PRO

Contributed by Eyriche Cortez on Jul 19, 2005

In one of the games in a classic Rose Bowl football contest in 1929, as recounted by Dr Bruce Wilkinson in his Vision of the Leader seminar, Roy Riegels desperately wanted his team to win. The scores were tied. Now, in a crucial moment of that game, Roy Riegels scooped up a loose ball. He cut in ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

Growing Up In Illinois, We Didn't Have ...

Contributed by William Noel on Jan 11, 2007

* Ill.: Growing up in Illinois, we didn’t have $500 XBox’s or PlayStations. We had to come up with our own games, using the stuff around us. A Lot of times we used to play kickball or basketball or the like, to pass time Of course, ’Someone. usually the best athletic among us, would come up with ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

At A Meeting Of The American Psychological ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and R. Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestra perceived each other. The ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Young People Routinely Grow Up To Love Their ...

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Jul 9, 2008

Young people routinely grow up to love their childhood coaches. These leaders routinely criticize and push the envelopes of the same young people who claim later to love them like a parent. Why? Because they did not just love them enough to encourage them. They cared enough to tell them the truth ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Mennonite

10,000 Hours

Contributed by Hal Seed on Nov 9, 2012

10,000 HOURS Author Malcolm Gladwell found that the one thing that made people better at whatever it was they were working on was the time they spent with that thing or activity or pursuit. In a study of college music majors, he found that those who had put in a 4 to 6 thousand hours on their ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

Denomination: Baptist

What Khris Davis Did That No One Has Ever Done Before

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Oct 16, 2018

Khris Davis is an outfielder for the Oakland Athletics in the majors. In 2015, he batted .247 for the year. In 2016, he batted .247 for the year. In 2017, he batted .247 for the year. And during the last season, in 2018, he batted . . . , you guessed it, .247 for the year. He went 0-for-2 in ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2

Tags: Batting Average, Evangelism, Example, Consistency, Baseball  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

In The Movie "Facing The Giants" The Coach ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 3, 2008

In the movie “Facing The Giants” the coach challenges one of the players to give his best effort. The young player says that he will – but the coach pushes him to promise to give it everything he’s got. The player promises that he will give his best effort. To ensure that he will "give it all he’s ...read more

Ed Young Jr. Grew Up With One Passion: ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 30, 2004

Ed Young Jr. grew up with one passion: basketball. He dreamed of being a basketball player. After graduating from high school, he was given a full athletic scholarship to Florida State University. During his freshman year he discovered that God’s plan for his life was quite different than his own ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In A Popular "Saturday Night Live" Comedy Skit, ...

Contributed by Scott Jensen on Jun 12, 2008

In a popular "Saturday Night Live" comedy skit, one of the characters, Stuart Smalley, attempted to console people as they struggled with their issues and dilemmas. In one of the more popular skits, he attempted to counsel Michael Jordan, the famous basketball player, with a non-existent struggle ...read more

Tags: Comfort

Denomination: Lutheran

Mind-Barriers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

MIND-BARRIERS Roger Bannister was an Olympian. Every four years we have the games. Four minutes was the fastest record to ever run the mile. Ever since statisticians kept records, they knew that no one would could ever beat that record. But Roger Bannister didn't listen to them--he went out and ...read more

Tags: Endurance