For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

           God is the world’s greatest provider because He takes care of all of our needs. In our time on earth we may still experience hardships including health, financial, and family problems. However, God has freely given Christians the only thing that they need; eternal life in heaven. Because of this we have joy, peace, and hope in our time on earth. Having Jesus as our Lord and Savior means that we are blessed beyond belief. Anyone that believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be granted the free gift of heaven. What a wonderful promise based on God’s love for humanity!
            Billy Graham has said, “My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.” His life is a fine example of how we respond to God’s love and share this love with others. Graham knows all glory belongs to God. A few years ago Graham gathered his pastor and Michael W. Smith to his house to plan his funeral. His one request for his funeral was that his name not be mentioned. The only name he wanted to be mentioned was the name of Jesus Christ. Graham has preached to over a billion people and filled stadiums on every continent. He gives God the glory for the lives he has touched with the Word of God.  
            Our time on earth will seem like a short time when we get to heaven. Praising God for eternity in heaven will be an amazing experience. Paul, the apostle, writes in Romans 8:18. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The Bible tells us that in heaven we have indescribable joy and perfect peace, no pain or sadness, no sickness and no more dying.
            Former Senate chaplain, Dr. Richard Halverson, took great care in crafting his benediction that he used at the end of every service. It is a great reminder of how to approach our lives on earth confident in the love and grace of Christ and that our place in heaven is secure.

               
​               Dr. Halverson died on December 1st, 1995. At his funeral, he himself gave the benediction via a recording. It is a fitting to remember that Christians who die in the Lord are not gone forever. We will see them again in heaven. God is the world’s greatest provider. He takes care of us on earth and sustains us to life everlasting in heaven. Believe this and go in His grace and love and power!

Reference
Stohlmann, M. (2017). The world's greatest provider. ​Seattle, WA: CreateSpace. ​

  ​           Superlative coaches or teachers have to be excellent communicators. Coaches need to clearly communicate to their players what they need to do and also motivate them through inspiring words of wisdom. Many coaches have been players of the sport they are coaching and usually were successful as a player. Anyone who has been a coach or teacher knows that knowing how to do something yourself is much different than trying to teach someone else how to do it. For example, Ted Williams was one of the greatest baseball players of all time and the last person to hit over .400 for a season. After he retired from baseball he became a hitting coach. He had amazing knowledge of hitting and great skill to do it; however his advice to players did not translate into success. He told the players to keep your eye on the ball. The hitters needed more than this advice, though, to get better. If communication is not clear then a team will not achieve as well as they should.
            God is the greatest communicator the world has ever known. He gave us the Bible, which contains endless wisdom for our lives. One of the main people God used to write down His words was Paul. Paul wrote about half of the books of the New Testament. Even while Paul, then called Saul, was growing up God had a plan for how He would use him. God gave him experiences to prepare him for the spreading of the Gospel message. At an early age Saul learned from, Gamaliel, one of the most noted rabbis in history. The school that he attended gave Saul a broad exposure to classical literature, philosophy, and ethics. As both a Jew and a Roman citizen Paul was able to witness effectively to both groups. God prepared him through his experiences and education to be an excellent vessel for the Gospel message. Through clear, patient, inspirational communication God’s love and His Word were spread throughout the world. 
​         It helps all of us when someone conveys to us that we are wonderful. There are two types of people in the world. One person conveys you should be happy to see me; while the other person conveys I am happy to see you. We need to be like the second person. That is the type of person Paul was. He would greet others kindly, offer words of support and encouragement, and would stay positive even in dire situations. This can have a large effect. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Philippians 2:14-15. The most important thing that Paul did that we can do also is to talk often about grace and the Gospel. That is clear communication and true inspiration!
Reference
Stohlmann, M. (2016). The world's greatest coach. ​Seattle, WA: CreateSpace. ​

            High standards are everything when it comes to coaching and teaching. Players and students can only rise to the level of the standards and expectations that are set by the coach or teacher. It is difficult to go beyond this. A sponsor from Compassion International, an organization to help needy children, demonstrated the importance of having high standards through the letters she sent to her sponsored child.
            The child wrote the sponsor that he was not good at anything. The sponsor encouraged the child by writing that everyone has talents and gifts, and told him that he is special and unique because God made him and cares for him. Cheered on by the sponsor the child soon wrote back that he was the fastest student in his class. Next he told her that he was the fastest in his school. Even more reason to celebrate came when his sponsor came to learn that the child had grown into a man and was the fastest in his country. He would go on to win a silver medal in the Olympics! It was due in large part to the encouragement he received to know that he was loved by God and that he could have high standards for himself.
            Genesis 1:27 states that humans were created in the image of God and that is plenty of reason to have high standards for ourselves. None of the animals or other creatures on the earth have this distinction. Because of this we should act with wisdom and love, making and executing praiseworthy plans just as God did in creation. We should show God’s love to others because each person matters because God loves them. Just as we can have high standards for ourselves we should uplift others as well so that they can become what God would want them to be.        
            God wants the best for each of us and knows that we are capable of great things through His power. A great coach can uplift individuals so that together as a team they accomplish more than they thought was possible. All Christians are part of a team and together with God everything is possible. High expectations are important in the relationships we have with others and how we treat ourselves. Excellent coaches and teachers know the importance of this and strive for nothing less than excellence!
Reference
Stohlmann, M. (2016). The world's greatest coach. ​Seattle, WA: CreateSpace. ​

              Terrific coaches must be consistent. This includes consistent effort, message, and motivation. In order to do this coaches must be mentally tough, establish trust, and be dependable. Another obvious thing that must be consistent or improving is winning percentage. A president of a university was talking highly of a basketball coach at a banquet. The coach asked, “Would you still like me as much if we didn’t win?” The president responded, “I’d like you as much. I’d just miss having you around.”
          Consistent excellence is not an easy task to do over a lifetime. NBA hall of famer and former coach Jerrry West has said, “You can’t get too much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” Coaches know that if they are to expect consistency out of their players, then they must model this as well.
            Author Bob Conklin has a poem that relates heavily to how we can be consistent. 

​I can make you rise or fall.
I can work for you or against you.
I can make you a success or a failure.
I control the way that you feel and the way that you act.
I can make you laugh…work…love.
I can make your heart sing with joy…excitement…elation.
Or I can make you wretched…dejected…morbid.
I can make you sick…listless.
I can be as a shackle…heavy…attached…burdensome.
Or I can be as the prism’s hue…dancing…bright…fleet…lost forever unless captured by pen or purpose.
I can be nurtured and grown to be great and beautiful…seen by the eyes of others through action in you. I can never be removed…only replaced.
I am a THOUGHT.
Why not know me better?

                 Our thoughts can greatly influence our actions and everyday decision-making. It is important that our thoughts are influenced and focused on the greatest coach the world has known, God. By focusing on God’s Word we will have the right approach for each day as Paul states in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
            Sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella consistently has helped to develop champions. He has worked with winners of 84 major golf championships, Olympic gold medalists, NCAA champions in multiple sports, and tennis tournament champions. He helps people to see how much their thoughts can affect their life. He states, “I’m always telling people that I don’t care what their families or their schools or their communities said or thought about them. I tell them, ‘You’re an adult now, and you get to decide.’ So what’s the decision going to be? You get to write your life story. Will you be heroic or just someone trying to get by? Will you be the star or someone sitting on the end of the bench?”
              His philosophy is that if someone consistently puts in effort and finishes in the middle of the pack, he or she can still be content. This is because they spent the time and talent that God gave them, finding out how good they could get. This should be our goal as well. To consistently do our best with the time and talents that God has given us. We don’t always have to win in sports or in life, but with God on our side we are already victors because Christ has defeated death and the devil and given us the free gift of eternal life in heaven! It is this Good News that can be our focus and guide our thoughts. 
​

References
-Conklin, B. (1963). The Dynamics of Successful Attitudes. New York: Prentice-Hall.
-Rotella, B. (2015). How champions think. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Stohlmann, M. (2016). The world's greatest coach. ​Seattle, WA: CreateSpace. ​

          A great coach must be prepared in order to have players that are prepared for different game situations. While a coach is the leader of the team, the players still need to lead as well because the coach cannot go on the field or the court to make plays. When I played football in college our defensive coordinator gave us a booklet that had just about every possible offensive formation that a team could run against our defense and what positions each defensive player should be in for each defensive call. It was a lot to know but we were very prepared because our coach had put in the needed time to help us plan well.
           In football it is important to be alert and to keep one’s eyes open wide. It is natural before contact with another player occurs to close one’s eyes, but in order to best make a play on the ball a player needs to keep their eyes open as long as possible to try to catch the ball or knock it away from an offensive player.
         Similarly, in our Christian lives God provides advice for us to be alert and to be prepared. Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:42. In total God wants us to keep our faith in Him and be able to persevere until life everlasting in heaven.
          Recently there was a TV commercial for a new car. The tagline for the commercial was, “It’s ready. Are you?” Unfortunately, the fine print at the bottom of the screen read, “Prototype shown.” So, apparently the car company was not as ready as they would like you to believe. God is always ready and prepared though; we need to follow the lead of our coach and be alert and prepared as well. God has given us a detailed playbook in the Bible that lets us know what to do in every situation. We can read it and take it to heart. Superb coaches have great preparation and God is the best prepared of all coaches.