Several years ago, my youngest daughter was watching me as I worked out. One of the exercises I was doing that day was kipping pull-ups on a bar outside. My daughter said to me, “Dad, that bar is going to break.” I told her, “It was not going to break” and continued to do my workout. After another couple of sets of pull-ups, while at the top of a pull-up the supports holding the bar broke and I landed on my back. My daughter, ever so stoically said, “I told you Dad.” I would have answered her, most likely in anger, but I couldn’t, since I had knocked the wind out of myself!

Children see the world differently than adults. As adults we need to watch and listen to our children more. Instead of automatically thinking we know everything about everything.

Matthew 18: 1-4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Little children depend on others for everything. God wants us to depend upon him in a simple and trusting way. People of faith rely upon God instead of themselves.

Salina Central football player Grant England takes a knee on the field after the final game of his high school career, Wichita Heights defeated Salina Central 10-7. The youngster is Salina Central Coach Mike Hall’s son.

Young people look to their parents first as role models and then at some point they also start to look at other people and try to emulate them. The young are trying to figure out who they are and who they should be like and our local high school athletes can be great role models for the youngsters in our towns.

High school football players may not know it but they are being watched closely by other people, young and old alike, to see how they will respond not only on the field but off the field in all areas and aspects of life.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The Bible is filled with role models, people that we should try to follow. They were not perfect (except for Jesus) nor are we, but we could look to them for guidance.

I still like Joe Ehrmann’ talk ‘Be A Man’ it lasts fourteen minutes, you will like it. He is a great role model to follow. An NFL player that grew up to be a high school football coach and preacher.

Maybe you have never heard the title to this article before now but it should be a truth in all of our lives. No Bible, no breakfast, no Bible no bed.

Years ago when I still owned part of the Kansas Pregame magazine, I was in a high school weight room visiting with the football coach. We wanted his football team’s preseason information for our magazine, but we got to talking football and his philosophy of how to manage a team. Now this particular football coach took this team from a losing program each year to a multiple state championship.

Here is part of what he told me that day, “First of all, recruit the hallways of your school and encourage the kids to come join the team. We want lots of kids on the team but if you want to compete for a varsity spot on the team you must lift weights year round.” The coach says he tells the players right up front, “We want you on the team and you can play on the freshman team or the junior varsity team without lifting weights year round but to try to earn a varsity starting position you must lift weights year round.”

To be a football player we must have discipline or be disciplined. Webster’s dictionary says discipline is training intended to elicit a specified pattern of behavior or character and or train or develop by teaching and control.

Long before the football season starts you can ask high school football players what they want to accomplish during their football season and most of the time you will hear the comment, “We want to win a championship” whether it be league, district or state. Then you can ask the players, “What are you doing to become that champion?” Their answer usually sounds something like this, “We are lifting weights, running, playing 7 on 7, playing catch, practicing punting and kicking, studying film and the playbook.”

That is awesome that we have disciplined football players and coaches in our state. There is so much work that goes on before we actually get to the football season and the football games.

Let us compare your disciplined local football team that wants to win some kind of a championship to your local church and your own walk of faith.

What is the goal of the Christian religion? The goal is to go to heaven. So what are you doing to get to heaven? The football team is doing something practically everyday getting ready to compete for a championship. What are you doing everyday to get ready to combat Satan so that you can make it through the obstacle course called life and make it to your goal which is heaven?

Our job as a Christian going to heaven is to bring others with us. We are to recruit the hallways of our lives and encourage others to join God’s team. We are to be transformed and live our lives in such a fashion that others will want to join the team. Just like a football team that starts winning games the stands start to fill up and more kids want to join the team.

How do we become transformed as individuals? First of all you must ask Jesus to come into your life and you ask to join the team. Jesus is the coach of the Christian team and if you aren’t on the team you can’t hear the coach talk. After you join the team, then you can read the Bible and understand it. You can spend time in prayer, you fast, you meditate and you go to church whether you feel like it or not. If you want a starting position on the varsity team you do the heavy lifting year round!

The time to become a disciplined Christian is now! Dust off that Bible and start everyday to read one chapter a day no matter what. Let God transform you into the best Christian teammate possible through your daily workout with Him!

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.