Soccer is one of those sports where the coach makes his most significant contribution during practices. There is some input that can occur during the game, such as halftime adjustments, but for the most part the game is decided on the field by the players.

Soccer season in Hillsborough opened last week and for our first practice I worked on one drill only - corner kicks. I think the kids thought I was nuts. There was so much more important stuff to deal with as our first game was only 10 days away. Well, last Saturday we played that first game. We won 2-1. Both goals were scored on corner kicks. Now the kids are paying real close attention to their coach during practices.

You know me - as a pastor I can’t help but think about life lessons from stuff like that. I think our daily lives are like playing the soccer games. You have to think on the fly. You make decisions and move forward. Sometimes the odds seem to be stacked against you and other times it seems like everything is going your way. Regardless, I think the game is decided by what you are doing in your practice sessions.

Personally, I am experiencing some storms right now and so I have focused on some critical early morning practice sessions of prayer and Bible study. I take my time in those sessions. I am pretty sure they will come back to make the difference in the score. So what are you practicing?

Hey, we are going to celebrate this weekend! The final week of our Awaken series will include baptisms. So come prepared to enjoy the Lord. I will be speaking from Acts 8. Why not take a look at that chapter and try to guess what part I will use and what my main point will be? Then this weekend you can see if you guessed correctly. See you then.