FCA Rockbridge County

Everyone is running toward something. Before Christ, we often chase our own goals, desires and direction, only to find ourselves empty and off course. But through Jesus, we are invited into something greater.

When we follow Him, He gives our lives purpose, direction and lasting hope. We begin to run with Him and for Him, trusting that His plans are better than our own.

God is not distant from us. He is pursuing us with His love, faithfulness and grace every single day. Stay the course, keep your eyes on Him and run the race with purpose. What are you running after?

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord grants favor and honor.” — Psalm 84:11

There are moments in sports and in life when it feels easier to quit than to keep going. The pressure, setbacks and uncertainty can feel overwhelming. But Psalm 84 reminds us that God is our shield and strength through every season.

He is not distant from our struggles. He walks with us, protects us and guides us forward even when the road feels difficult. As followers of Christ, our hope is deeper than our circumstances because our lives are held securely in Him.

No matter what you are facing today, keep trusting God and keep moving forward. He is faithful every step of the way!

"I will bless the LORD who counsels me—even at night when my thoughts trouble me. I always let the LORD guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” – Psalm 16:7-8

In tournaments, athletes and coaches typically adopt a “survive and advance” mentality. You just try to survive the present game or match so that you can advance to a better game or match. It’s tempting to approach challenging seasons of life with this same “survive and advance” perspective. You just try to survive the present situation until things advance enough to hopefully get to a better situation.

This “survive and advance” mentality can be potentially harmful, however. If we’re just biding our time until a better future arrives, we miss the full experience of what God is doing right now. Psalm 16 opens with the psalmist praying, “Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.” He’s clearly facing a challenging situation. But rather than adopting a “survive and advance” approach, the psalmist focuses on this truth about the Lord: “Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” God is present with him moment by moment, so the psalmist chooses to stay present with the Lord.

Following the lead of this psalm, here’s how we move away from a “survive and advance” mentality so that we don’t miss what God is doing right now. First, praise God for His presence in the present. As hard as our current situation may be, we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is with us. Like the psalmist, bless the Lord for being present with us. Praise Him for His faithful care. Give thanks to God for His Word through which we can hear His voice, receive His counsel and benefit from His guidance.

Second, pay attention to God’s work in the present. Whatever the circumstances, God is still very much at work here and now. In fact, challenging times give us a unique opportunity to experience God’s work in us and through us—if we’re paying attention in the present rather than only looking to the future. God is speaking, leading and transforming us in the present. Pay attention to Him by spending time with Him and looking for His work today.

If you’re in a challenging season, resist the temptation to get stuck in a “survive and advance” mindset. Don’t miss what the Lord is doing right now. Focus on God’s presence in the present, embracing the unique opportunity each day gives to grow closer to the Lord.

“I waited patiently for the LORD, and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the LORD.” – Psalm 40:1-3

“Patience is a virtue”—but it can also be a struggle in many situations as an athlete or coach. Maybe you’re not yet getting as much playing time as you hoped. Perhaps the wins aren’t coming as quickly as you thought they would. Maybe your team is not improving at quite the pace you want.

It’s not easy to be patient, yet often this is exactly what’s needed—in sports and in life. In the opening verse of Psalm 40, the psalmist says he “waited patiently for the Lord.” To wait for the Lord is to trust God to carry out His work in His timing. It’s believing that our all-knowing, all-wise, and all-powerful God knows what is best and will do what is best at the time that is best.

There are wonderful rewards as we are willing to trust the Lord and His timing. Because he patiently waited for the Lord, the psalmist experienced God’s work of bringing him from a pit of struggle to a place of security. While circumstances might still be hard, patient waiting can grow us in having unshakable confidence in God. Our security is in Him, not in things going how we want them to go. The Lord also “put a new song in [his] mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”

Waiting can lead us to greater closeness with the Lord and a renewed desire to worship Him—even while life is still filled with challenges. In addition, the psalmist knows the impact he can have: “Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” As we trust God and His timing, this can cause others to be drawn to the Lord as well.

You will continue to encounter situations—whether in sports or in other areas of life—in which it feels like a struggle to exercise patience. Recognize these times as opportunities to experience God’s greater work in you and through you. Keep trusting the Lord and waiting patiently upon Him.

"God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10

Most of us have a pair of shoes or cleats that are so worn out from years of use that our feet just slide right into them. They are so comfy! But the soles have no friction, and they don’t offer any sort of protection for your feet. We love to hold onto shoes like this because they’re comfortable. But just because they feel good doesn’t mean they’re good for us.

In Psalm 51, David is pouring out his heart to God after he sinned. His sin went on to affect many people in many heart-breaking ways. David sinned because he was focused on what felt good instead of protecting his heart. He allowed his flesh to guide him instead of the Spirit of God.

I have a pair of slides that I’ve worn almost daily for the last six years. They’re my favorite shoes to wear because they’re so comfy and feel so good to my feet. One afternoon last week I was walking in them and stepped on a sharp object. It went through my shoe and my foot. The comfortableness of the shoe didn’t mean much to me after it failed to protect my foot. It was short-lived.

But like David, how often do we choose what feels good and what we naturally slide into because of what we want, instead of choosing the what might be a little uncomfortable, but leaves us protected? In Psalm 51:10, David is asking God for a new heart. He didn’t just ask God to clean up his worn-out heart, he asked Him for a new heart. He knew there was no hope in continuing with the old one. A heart ruled by the flesh (our wants and desires) does not give us the friction we need to stand when things get slippery in life or when the danger of sin lurks.

Once worn-out shoes get to a certain point, we must discard them. It would only be disastrous to keep them; the lack of protection outweighs the temporary comfort. So it is with our hearts – is it time to trade in your heart of flesh and allow God to create a clean heart for you?

“For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.” – Psalm 100:5

When your coach asks you to come to his or her office after practice, how do you respond? Perhaps you come with eagerness or curiosity. Maybe you come with trepidation. If you’re a coach and your athletic director emails you to come to a meeting after your season concludes, what does that stir in you? You might come with anticipation or concern—or merely out of obligation.

Psalm 100 is a call to come to the Lord: “come before him” (v. 2), “enter his gates” (v. 4). We respond to this call not out of fear, thinking we need to appease God so He won’t get upset with us. We also don’t respond to this call out of a sense of duty, as though we need to check a “spiritual activity” box on our to do list. The final verse of Psalm 5 gives our motivation for coming to God, and at the heart of this motivation is His faithful love.

We come to God because He loves us. We experience God’s love in His goodness, which is His generous favor and kindness to us though we don’t deserve it. We encounter God’s love through His faithfulness: He is always true to His character and promises. We can count on God’s love because His love “endures forever.” God sets His loving faithfulness and goodness on “all generations.”

None of us, no matter who we are or what we’ve done, ever have to wonder if God’s love for us is real. Jesus Christ, who comes as God in the flesh, is the definitive proof of God’s love. Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” When we respond in faith to Jesus and what He accomplished through His death and resurrection, we have this assurance: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Come to God in every situation as an athlete or coach. Come to God no matter how you’re currently feeling. Come to God because He is faithful and good. Come to God because He loves you.

Our attitude often shapes how we approach practice, competition and everyday life. When circumstances are frustrating or difficult, it’s easy to let negativity take over.

We can allow our circumstances to determine our perspective, or we can choose gratitude because of who God is. God is always good.
God is always faithful. God is always worthy of praise.

Even in hard seasons, there is still reason to thank Him. When we focus on His goodness instead of our situation, it changes the way we compete, lead and live each day. May our demeanor be shaped more by God’s faithfulness than by our circumstances.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.” — Psalm 100:4

Today we served the athletes, huddle leaders and coaches pizza for snack! A special thank you to Coach Tyree, Nurse Penni and Coach Armstrong for serving them all.