Blog Archives

INTERFERENCE

11/29/2011

Running interference is a great offensive move.  A well-positioned block can mean the difference between a win and a loss. But interference can also be a penalty-producing defensive move when an overly-zealous player illegally interrupts play. Then there are interferences over which the players and coaches have no control like fans throwing things onto the field or court, referees in the way of the ball, etc. Whether a planned interference or an unplanned sort - they both impact the game.

Athletes can experience self-inflicted interference causing a real "slump" in play. Focusing on a weakness that they just can't seem to overcome can have devastating implications.

“Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." John Wooden

As sportmoms we can find ourselves locked into what we cannot do. This distracting interference squelches the “can do’s” of life. With Christmas around the corner I find it easy to walk through a store noticing all of the things that I would like to purchase for this person or that. This interference interrupts the purchasing of my planned list and causes the interception of costing more than I should or need to spend. As you can see, taking Coach John Wooden’s quote to heart would be a good thing!

The story of a man named Job in the Old Testament is a perfect example of a life plagued with the interference of the “can not’s”. The interruptions and interferences of life had caused Job to become very focused on the problems at hand and resorting to a “woe is me” pity party. God addressed him with these encouraging words…

"Keep listening, Job. Don't interrupt - I'm not finished yet.” Job 33:31 The Message

Obviously Job was interfering with God’s plan. The Lord gave him this strong directive, “Stay on task, listen to me, stop focusing on what you cannot do and do what you can.”

                               DO WHAT YOU CAN WHILE TRUSTING GOD’S PLAN

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11NIV

We can deflect the interference of what is not ours to do by remaining focused on the plan God has for us. By trusting Him with the things we cannot do, we deflect a possible unwanted interception ... protection is His specialty.

Blessings…as you allow Christ run interference for you.

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

NO SEPARATION

11/25/2011

All too soon we will be separated from our loved ones after this wonderful holiday of sharing together. Some by only blocks but others by hundreds and perhaps even thousands of miles. The love we have for them does not change but we can no longer enjoy their continual presence...we feel the separation.

The word "separation" is common and used regularly. There is the separation of church and state used to explain, define or defend certain laws or actions. Then there is the separation in marriages which puts distance in their togetherness...sometimes healthy and sometimes not. There is separation in the kitchen too when a recipe calls for only the whites of an egg so the yolk must be separated - this can be challenging but necessary. As sportmoms we may find it necessary to separate our children from one another giving them time in different rooms to reconsider an altercation.

All of these separations can be for good or not so much. It has been said...

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

During team practices and preparation for a season of play, one of the tough assignments of a coach is to decide first who will be on the team and then who will be first string. This separation process is both challenging and necessary in order to reach the goal of putting together a competitive team. Many a sportmom has high-fived her athlete when they were selected to be on a team or to serve as a first string player. And many a sportmom has had the duty of consoling her athlete when the line of separation meant not making the team or being on the second string. These separations, although painful, ultimately determine the season outcome.

Our Creator set the stage for the process of separation. He separated the formless earth from the heavens, he separated day from night, and land from sea creating separate creatures for each. He also separated the foliage by designating a tree whose fruit was not to be touched. And finally, He created man and woman - separated in function but one in purpose. These separations God called "good".

There is, however, one separation that Paul, the Apostle, speaks about in his book to the Romans that will never happen...one that is not possible...one that we can count on!

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 NIV

This truth eliminates cruel fears providing the confidence that no one can come between us and the love of our Creator and Heavenly Father. It is a promise in which we can place all of our faith and hope. Although we are separated from God's heaven while we remain on this earth, nothing here can keep His love from us...for that I am eternally grateful.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Since He chooses to love us, will we choose to love Him?

Blessings...as you eliminate the SEPARATION that brings connection.

CLICK on the BEHIND THE BENCH BLOG tab above for THE GREAT CONNECTION.

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

THE AMEN OF THANKS-LIVING

11/22/2011

This week we culminate the Thanksgiving Season with celebrations around tables of abundance. Today we culminate our Thanksgiving focus around the "amen of thanks-living"... a "so-be-it" with an exclamation point!

                                         THE AMEN OF SPORT IS A GAME WELL-FOUGHT!

When an athlete gives all they have to the sport they have chosen, the amens will ring out. Whether the final score shows a win or a loss, giving all that is there to give provides a "so-be-it" exclamation point at the end of the day.  And what does it mean to "give all"? First, it means identifying their weakness as individuals and as a team. Second, it requires hard-working practices to overcome these weaknesses. And finally, exhibiting smart game play within the plan set out by the coach. The result ... a rousing "AMEN"!

Thanks-Living requires the same process...

"Confession is a powerful prelude to a prayer of thanksgiving. Obedience is the Amen."
David McCasland

Recognition of our short-comings before the Lord paves the way for a thankful heart. A contrite and thankful heart takes us to the Amen of Obedience.

Adam had every reason to have a grateful heart as he walked through the perfect garden with a perfect wife and in perfect communion with his Creator. But he did what he thought was best rather than being obedient to what God had required.

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 5:19 KJV

Today I am thankful that God's Son willingly came to earth providing a model for me to live by. But it was out of his tender obedience to die on a cross for my sins that gives me eternal life...the rousing "AMEN".

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:8 KJV

The "AMEN" of thanks-living is submitting our will to Christ's control..

Blessings...as your contrite heart finds joy in thankful obedience...AMEN!

CLICK on the BEHIND THE BENCH BLOG tab above for ONE THANKSGIVING DAY.

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

WHAT IF

11/18/2011

As a sport season approaches there are a bundle of "What ifs" that loom. They include our apprehensive questions about schedules, playing time, rankings, injuries, and on and on. As the season progresses these "what ifs" disappear ... day by day history replaces them until we are left with the "what is".

"What ifs" are sprinkled throughout scripture ... here are three examples:

GOD'S "WHAT IF..." The "what ifs" began in the Garden of Eden by God himself when He asked..."What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it?" Genesis 3:22 NLT

ABRAHAM'S "WHAT IF..." Abraham also questioned with a "what if...". W when the LORD was looking for 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom so He could spare the city that had fallen into sin. Abraham used the "what if" question again and again on behalf of the remaining righteous left in the city until the number was at 10 asking this final "what if" question and received God's merciful response: "What if you find ten there?" The Lord said, "If I find ten there, I will not destroy it." Genesis 18:32 NCV

MOSES' "WHAT IF..." After God gave The 10 Commandments to Moses reality set in and Moses responded with a double "What if". "What if the people of Israel do not believe me or listen to me? What if they say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"  Exodus 4:1 NCV

The "what if" questions in scripture are often a prelude to a sought-after exception. Today we will use it as a prelude to a thankful heart...

OUR "WHAT IF..." Recently this thought-provoking question came across my desk:

    WHAT IF...we woke up today with only the things that we thanked God for yesterday?

Someone once asked, "Can you spare a moment today for even a single grateful thought?" One is certainly better than none, but what a poor and depraved people we would be if today held only one grateful thought.

CHALLENGE: Note your "what is" moments today and turn them into a prayer of thanks.

Blessings...as your "what ifs" are replaced with a thankful heart for "what is".

CLICK on the BEHIND THE BENCH BLOG tab above for WHAT IF...WHAT IS.

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

HUGS

11/15/2011

The month of November causes us to be thankful for many things ... among them is the simple hug! This Thanksgiving there will many hugs exchanged as friends and family gather together around the table of harvest.

The blessing of a hug is borne from of hearts of love and happiness,  intentions to reassure, expressions of encouragement, climates of closeness, and in the strain of 'so-long'.  No matter which kind of hug it may be, it provides a connection that carries a special blessing for which we are thankful.

At the close of an especially tough game - win or lose - there is the unabashed hug between fellow players and with their coaches too. It can be heart-warming and then again, heart breaking but both carry a large volume in unspoken words.

                                              HUGS ARE WORDS LEFT UNSAID

In the reverse, words can carry with them the feeling of a hug...they can be soft and short or long and endearing. In this electronic era often a text, e-mail or voice message carry words that hug our hearts
.
"An honest answer is like a warm hug." Proverbs 24:26 The Message

I am thankful for the hugs that God gives me - sometimes through others and often through His Word. His unseen arms wrap around my spirit bringing hope, comfort, encouragement and loving care in an amazing display of closeness.  His arms are open to me whenever I move close to Him and also at times when I am most unaware of my need for His reasurring hug.

One of the Holy Spirit hugs is in the form of providing wisdom when we so desperatly need it.

"Never walk away from Wisdom--Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it; never let her go—she'll make your life glorious. She'll garland your life with grace, she'll festoon your days with beauty." Proverbs 4:7-9 The Message

We return the hug of our Savior by carrying out the wisdom that He provides.

                                                A HUG IS BEST WHEN IT IS RETURNED

During this holiday season let's share many hugs with family and friends, give a few to unsuspecting acquaintances and experience some very special ones with our Creator.

CLICK on the COACH'S CORNER tab above for a final hug given to a special friend by Coach Brown.

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

COUNT AND RE-COUNT

11/11/2011

When a sleepless night looms in front of me, I find that counting the proverbial sheep just doesn't cut it. But there is something that I count during those restless hours that works perfectly...blessings!
So today we take a look at counting our blessings during this season of thankfulness.

The blessings that surround us can be lost in the win ...or loss - whichever it may be. We find the emotion of thankfulness easily expressed when the scoreboard has higher digits on our side. However, when the digits end up lower our thankfulness quotient can easily go out the window. Interestingly, both hold blessings...count them - it may ease a sleepless night! As the old hymn says...

"Count your blessings name them one by one...count your blessings see what God has done."

When you give things to your children, which of these responses do you most appreciate? When they accept the gift in silence and go on about their day as if to say "I deserved that" OR ... when they run to you, throw their arms around you and shower showering you with a fountain of thanks.  I am going to guess it would be the second response which reveals their grateful hearts.

So it is when we count and re-count the God-given blessings that surround us. Whether it is for a beautiful day, a good night's sleep, a child who recovers from a cold, a loved one whose home-going left a rich imprint on our life . . . whatever it is tell Him ... it's our hug of thankfulness from a heart full of identified blessings.

         THANKFULNESS IS NOT ONLY A FEELING BUT SOMETHING WE DO!

"...thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." I Thessaslonians 5:17-18 MSG

Then re-count and include your spiritual blessings...things like, knowing God, experiencing His love, joy, peace orwalking as one with Him...

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3 NIV

Blessings...as you count your material and spiritual blessings for a good night's sleep!

CLICK on the BEHIND THE BENCH BLOG tab above for "THINGS THAT CAN'T BE COUNTED".

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

MANY THANKS

11/8/2011

November is a month we set aside time for thinking of those people, circumstances and things for which we are grateful. To jump start our thinking,  here is a list from one thankful heart that is filled to the brim with perspective...

Thanks to those who hated me, you made me a stronger person.
Thanks to those who loved me, you made my heart grow fonder.
Thanks to those who envied me, you made my self-esteem grow stronger.
Thanks to those who cared, you made me feel important.
Thanks to those who entered my life, you made me who I am today.
Thanks to those who left me, you showed me that nothing lasts forever.
Thanks to those who stayed, you showed me the true meaning of friendship   -Author Unknown-

Sometimes it takes a second look at what has come into our lives in order to release the thankfulness within. The good things are easy to list but the tough parts can disguise the good that ultimately comes.

"...give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus."
I Thessalonians 5:18 NCV

It is always good to stop and thank those around us for what they have meant to us. It is also good to stop and thank our model and Savior, Jesus Christ, for bringing all of these people, circumstances and things into our lives.

"A single grateful thought towards heaven is the most perfect prayer." G.S. Lessing

Here is the same writing as above expressed as a sportmom's prayer of gratefulness...

Thank you Jesus ... for those who hated me, it made me more like You.
Thank you Jesus ... for those who loved me, it allowed my heart understand yours.
Thank you Jesus ... for those who envied me, it enabled me see myself as you do.
Thank you Jesus ... for those who cared, it caused me to see my value.
Thank you Jesus ... for those who entered my life, for they have moulded me into your plan.
Thank you Jesus ... for those who left, reminding me that nothing lasts forever.
Thank you Jesus ... for those who stayed, showing me the true meaning of friendship.

Choose one line that jumped out at you, change the word "those" to a name and make it your perfect prayer today.

Blessings...as you massage your grateful heart with many prayers of thanks.

CLICK at the BEHIND THE BENCH BLOG tab above for ANOTHER THANKFUL HEART.

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

GOOD GRIEF!

11/4/2011

"Peanuts" was the funny paper column by Charles Schultz that kept me both amused and instructed as I grew up. One of Charlie Brown's recurring responses was "GOOD GRIEF". Before even knowing what the word "grief" meant, I came to understand that when this expression was used it meant that the person saying it was unhappy with the circumstances.

Today our athletes can be faced with very unhappy circumstances. The verbal responses, however, are often quite different from Charlie Brown's. They may say something like, "that sucks" or "nice" (meaning it isn't so nice). In junior high there was a boy in my class that responded with 'Oh corn!' when things didn't go his way...the first time I heard it I doubled over in laughter.

EMOTION REFLECTS DEVOTION

Our response pattern reveals how we view unwanted circustances. Paul gives us a hint as to what our outlook needs to be during these emotionally packed situations...

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

GOD'S GUARANTEE: As Christians we are guaranteed a happy ending to our biography. If not here on this earth, we have a promise that "over there" our grief will be turned into good. The word Panta is used here in the original Greek which means "all inclusive"... everything working together for our ultimate good.

"God works, not through a few things or through the good things, best things, or easy things. But in “all things” God works." Max Lucado

OUR RESPONSE: Since, then, it is for our ultimate good that grief happens, Charlie Brown was right on ...an exasperated "GOOD GRIEF!" response paves the way for the grief of today to become the good of tomorrow.

GOD'S RESPONSE: If you are in a place that has consumed you with a little or a lot of grief...God is there. His Holy Spirit consumes our grief for the purpose of turning it to good.

Blessings...as you find GOOD in your GRIEF today.

CLICK on BEHIND THE BENCH BLOG tab above for A SPORTMOM'S GOOD GRIEF LETTER.

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

HALLOWED HEARTS

11/1/2011

Last night we all were impacted in one way or another with costumed individuals. Some of the disguises were terrifyingly scary while others were gently enjoyable. Masked human beings darted to and fro gathering their treats. But it's the trick part that always concerned us so we taught our girls to say "Happy Halloween" as they stood on the doorstep of homes in our neighborhood.

"Halloween" definitely brings out both what can be and what shouldn't be...but just what does the word mean? It is the American shortened form of All Hallows’ Eve also known as All Saints Day.   It was the evening before a day that was set apart as a holy time to remember those who have gone on before. Now it has become a time when ghosts, goblins and various other disguises are doned in an attempt to amuse or scare those around us.

Since the word "hallow" means to be set apart as holy - to sanctify, we will hallow this day by exposing what is behind the disgusting disguise of the evil one and his tricks. Writer C.P. Hia puts it this way, "Satan offers nothing but tricks and deceit."

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. I Peter 5:8 NIV

Let's not fall for the enemy's disguise as he cunningly attempts to deceive us by making good look bad and bad look good.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil! Isaiah 5:20

SCARE CARE: Even though this can be scary for us, we can discern the truth through the evil one's disguise. By turning to the One who doesn't trick us...who is always looking out for our good...and placing our trust in the promises of His Word we have no fear of the masked maneuvers of the evil one...

Do not fear nor be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

HALLOWED HEARTS: Let's "hallow" today, and every day, with hearts that call good "good" and evil "evil"... this will take the trick out of the treats in each day.

Blessings...as you unmask life's disgusting intruder with your hallowed heart.

CLICK at above BEHIND TH

©2011 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

About the Author...
JANET BROWN

As a veteran coach's wife, Janet invites you to join her in "Changing the world for Christ...one athlete at a time".Through the language of sports and life experiences, Janet uniquely exposes the character of God and His desire for "sportmoms" to WIN BIG in life. Her behind-the-bench view invites us into a world of triumphant wins and tragic personal loss.

LIFE EXPERIENCE

From being a mother of 2 to a spiritual mom to many, the road of life for Janet includes these hallmarks:

- Gave her "heart to Jesus" at 6 years old
.
- Studied Education/ Psychology at a Christian College

- Enjoyed earning her wings and flying as a Flight Attendant

- Is the wife of Coach Dave Brown since 1967.

- Involved in ministry to women for 30+ years including: Retreat Facilitator and speaker, Bible Study leader, National Women's Ministry Leader

- Held an executive position in the corporate world for 35 years.

- Developed and taught Pre-married and Marriage classes with her husband for 12 years.

Currently is a writer, grandmother to 4 and a coach's wife.

About the Author... JANET BROWN

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About the Author...
JANET BROWN