Play Like A Champion Today- In The Words Of Lou Holtz

"The word `champion' means you're the best - the very definition of it," "You're a bar above the rest. When you play that way, you're going to be the best and if you give your best, that's all you can ask of a person."
"Regardless of the won-loss record, regardless of the problems you have, when you walk out on that field you have an obligation to your teammates and the fans to play to the best of your ability - to play like a champion and to think like a champion,"
"But, I also asked my players that every time they hit that sign, to think about all the sacrifices your family has made; your teammates made in high school; the sacrifices your teachers have made; and you also think of the thousands of people who would love to be in your position. Just think about how fortunate we are.
"All of these thoughts should go through your mind when you hit that sign - `Play Like A Champion Today'." -Former Notre Dame Football Coach Lou Holtz

HUNGREY SHEEP

-Ariel Martin

As we go through this life we are confronted with countless opportunities to change this world. John Mayer sang a hit song a couple of years ago called ‘Waiting on the World to Change’. Some of the lyrics are:‘Now we see everything that’s going wrong, with the world and those who lead it, we just feel like we don’t have the means to rise above and beat it, so we keep waiting, waiting on the world to change’Although I understand the message Mayer was presenting, I believe his method is all wrong. Waiting for something to happen passes up the opportunities given to MAKE something happen. If all the blacks of America chose to wait on society to give them equal rights then I would bet they’d probably still be waiting today. Instead they started a MOVEMENT, people like Rosa Parks embraced the opportunities given to them and made something happen.Christians talk about the evil of this world and the turmoil it’s in, but what are we doing about it? God supplies the tools that are needed to rebuild wrecked lives, and He will supply the opportunities to work on those live. If we keep waiting on the world to change then we wont be following God’s will, and following his will is our purpose in life. Let’s grab a hold of every opportunity that presents itself, and exhaust it of everything it has to offer. Let’s stop waiting and start taking action. Let’s embrace every chance to witness, every chance to give, every chance to simply pass on a smile.What else are we here for other than to give God every part of us? Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep, let’s take his order on ourselves. What’s holding us back? What’s keeping us from feeding these starving sheep? Reflect on all restrictions and obstacles that need to be removed from your life. Maybe your hearts convicted and you don’t know if you want to surrender yourself to Him just yet. Maybe that lifestyle doesn’t seem too appealing. Or maybe you just need to give Jesus a chance, get to know Him on your own. Form your own relationship with him, and fall in love. Grow with him, feed off of him. Then feed his sheep.

PROGRESS AND CHANGE, CHANGE AND PROGRESS

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured (CHANGED) into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified Bible)

To move forward we must change. In order to advance in life in any area change is necessary. How do we grow or progress? We must change! As our children grow up, they CHANGE! We document it, take pictures, and videos of each milestone. We MEASURE their physical growth, we journal their emotional and intellectual maturation. We EXPECT them to change. But as they reach adulthood our expectations degrease or completely cease.

Mark Twain once said, "Most men die at 27, we just bury them at 72." Let’s not stop growing.

Imagine a world without the Internet, no email, texting tweetering, blogging etc. Yet I have friends who live in such a world. Think about a business or a church operating in the same manner as they did in the 1950’s. Yet on any given Sunday many churches are like time machines, you walk through the doors and are transported back to another time and place. If we are to be agents of change we must not be intimidated by change in our own lives. If we are to progress we must be progressive.
God calls us to growth. We must always prepare to go forward in our endeavors. We must never want to stay the same. Refuse to remain as you are. Always press for more, to become better. Never settle!.