Regardless of the level you coach, teaching your athletes to minimize distractions is important. Anyone that has ever coached youth sports knows what I am talking about. I remember a baseball game in which two of my 8-year old players got into a fight in the dugout arguing over who was going to put on the extra set of catcher's gear. On another day, I almost blew a gasket when at the most critical point of a big game, I observed my right-fielder sitting on the ground building dirt castles! Distractions for athlete's come in many forms: trash-talking from the opponent; poor weather conditions; parents trying to "coach" from the stands; opposing fans; fear of making a mistake; and as previously mentioned, even catcher's equipment and dirt. What often keeps our athletes from reaching their peak is not that they stop focusing, but that they pay attention to the wrong things. As coaches, we must be prepared to help our players stay focused on the "right" things.

Distractions are also common in everyday life. We get caught in traffic; our children get sick; and we get that unexpected phone call at just the wrong time. For coaches, there is never a shortage of "free advice" being offered reminding us of what we could have done or should have done in last night's game. Staying focused on the "right" things is something we have to be prepared for. Proverbs is filled with practical advice on dealing with the everyday problems we face. Proverbs 4:25 reminds us to walk with a single purpose. We are to look straight ahead, keeping our eyes on Jesus. We are to guard ourselves from distractions that might take us away from that purpose. Keeping our focus on Jesus is always the "right thing"! Are you distracted today? Get into God's Word and "refocus".

"Heavenly Father, I ask Your forgiveness for being so easily distracted. Too often my eyes and ears are focused on things that are not pleasing to You. Help me to live out Proverbs 4:25. Give me Your strength as I strive to look straight ahead and focus on Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen."

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that too well."
-Psalm 139:14 (NIV) 

In the world of professional golf, you can count on certain things. Fred Couples has an incredible swing; Tiger Woods is the champion; and Phil Mickelson is the lovable guy that all too often comes out on the losing end. With these thoughts firmly in our minds, nothing could have prepared us for the improbable, illogical and incredible finish Sunday at famed Pebble Beach. Phil and Tiger paired together on the course Tiger had brought to its knees not so long ago. Tiger "owns" Pebble Beach and Mickelson is the guy that has won there before but always as the guy he is, nothing more. Golf is a game that can be hard to understand, yet Tiger Wood has often made it look easy and predictable. For years his style has demanded our attention and convinced us that this is the way the game is supposed to be played. Mickelson on the other hand, has his own way of doing things and has never abandoned it. His final round of 64 on this day bought Mickelson a victory over the guy most people thought he would never be able to beat. Mickelson appears to understand who he is and what he does. Phil Mickelson was not created to be Tiger Wood. Phil Mickelson has been "fearfully and wonderfully made" to be himself.

In Psalm 134, David is expressing his awe and amazement in God's creation of human life. The evidence of His hand in this process is inescapable. Here are some facts:

• The average human brain has about 100 billion nerve cells
• It takes the interaction of 72 different muscles to produce human speech.
• Relative to size, the strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
• Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
• 15 million blood cells are destroyed in the human body every second.
• You were born with 300 bones. When you get to be an adult, you have 206.
• The average human heart will beat 3,000 million times in its lifetime and pump 48 million gallons of blood.
• The average human blinks their eyes 6,205,000 times each year.

Rest assured God does not make "junk"! He may not have made you to hit a golf ball like Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods, but when we do it "God's Way", He can use us to do some improbable, illogical and incredible things for His Glory.

"Heavenly Father, we cannot escape your majesty, You are everywhere! Thank You for the unique way You have made me. Use me in improbable, illogical and incredible ways for Your Glory. Amen."

Every coach goes into competition with a firm game plan in place. Through countless hours of film study, they have a pretty good idea of an opponent's tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. Practice sessions are structured to help players recognize these tendencies and to prepare for the "expected". However, as anyone who follows sports knows, rarely do things go the way we plan or expect. In football we have fumbles and interceptions; in basketball we see bad passes go out of bounds and missed free throws; in baseball, errors are often the difference between winning and losing; and I assume everybody who has ever played a round of golf has hit one in the woods or sand trap. It's not how we respond to the expected that challenges us, but how we deal with the unexpected. Sports and life are all about making adjustments and moving forward.

Jeremiah 29:11 gives us some sound coaching advice. In this verse, God promises that He has plans for us. It's interesting that God says "plans", not "plan". This would imply that He not only has a plan, but at least one backup. Could it be that God has a Plan A for us, but when we mess that up, He also has a Plan B? Could God even have a Plan X, Y, and Z if needed? I would suspect that most of us are not living the Plan A that God intended. Some of us are much further down the alphabet than we would prefer. That can be depressing and it's pretty easy to convince ourselves that we have failed God too many times. Facing the unexpected can be scary and even paralyzing. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that God not only has His plans, but that those plans give us hope and a future. No matter if it's Plan A or Plan Z, God does not give up on us. God has more than one way to get there, we just have to keep doing our part. Never doubt that He is working to fulfill those plans.

"Father, I have heard it said that if we ever want to make You laugh, tell You our plans. You are the God of the unexpected! You parted the Red Sea; You changed Saul's heart on the road to Damascus; and You brought a Savior into the world as a baby. Thank You for Your promise of hope and a future through Your plans. Thank You for not giving up on us. Amen."