When the Game Stands Tall Movie Devotional E-Book

BroadStreet Publishing Group LLC

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

This is a companion devotional book to the feature film When the Game Stands Tall starring Jim Caviezel as Coach Bob Ladouceur, Laura Dern as his wife, and Michael Chiklis as assistant coach Terry Eidson. An adaptation of the bestselling book of the same name, the film chronicles the rise of the football program of De La Salle High School (Concord, CA) and their record-setting 151-game winning streak in 1992-2003. The devotional is designed for Christians and others who see the movie and want to go deeper. The 52 devotionals are based on Scripture and relate to an aspect of the game of football (e.g., Listening to the Call, Knowing the Playbook, Practicing Well, Pushing through Exhaustion, Knowing Your Opponent, Playing Fair, etc.). Each devotional covers three pages and will feature a relevant Bible passage, a devotional based on a football related topic and a page for journaling personal reflections.

Leseprobe

BroadStreet Publishing™Racine, WI 53403Broadstreetpublishing.com

When The Game Stands Tall Movie Devotional

Copyright 2014 © Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Inc.All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-1-4245-4908-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Produced with the assistance of Livingstone, the publishing services division of the Barton-Veerman Company (www.livingstonecorp.com). Devotions written by Neil Wilson. Project staff includes Neil Wilson, Dave Veerman, and Linda Taylor.

All film characters and film quotes are from the motion picture WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

Scripture quotations marked NCV taken from the The New Century Version. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version.

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Printed in the United States of America.

Contents

Introduction

Foreword

When Does the Game Stand Tall?

What Makes a Spartan?

Watchful

Les Hommes De Foi

Act like Men

Strength Training

It’s All about Love

Where Love Starts

Why Is Love the Greatest?

Death before Life

First Step

Body Armor

Sacked

It’s Golden

Better Than Yesterday

Character Makes a Difference

Coach

Running the Route

No Comparison!

Protect This House

Streaks

Accountability

Beyond Winning

When All You’ve Got Is Faith

Pushing through the Limits

Next Game Isn’t Last Game

The Eyes Have It

What’s Your Responsibility?

Shedding Obstacles

Significant Imitation

Choosing not to Listen

Lifting a Teammate

The Training Table

Under Fire

The Time to Lead

Waiting

When Little Guys Step Up

After a Loss

Looking Up

Beyond Exhaustion

Pushing through Pain

Managing the Clock

Recovering from Disappointment

Finding Your Identity

Making Progress

Fathers and Sons

Explanations

Riding the Bench

Genuine Love

Facing Your Giants

Personal Goals

Coach Echo

We are all certain to face some adversity in our lives: some harder to overcome than others. Having a man of remarkable faith and character stand beside you, coach you, mentor you, and lead by example is a treasure almost too difficult to describe. Coach Lad is that man. He taught us that even the smallest details in our lives and how we act or react have consequences. And, that working diligently and leaning on your faith when times get tough can get you through anything. That is what being a De La Salle Spartan is all about. Les Hommes De Foi! We are men of faith!

—FORMER SPARTAN, CAMERON COLVIN

CEO, CamColvin Inc.

INTRODUCTION

When The Game Stands Tall movie is inspired by a remarkable true story about a coach and a football team, featuring exciting action, big hits, and game-changing plays. More than workouts, practices, and Friday night lights, the film features individual and team struggles and triumphs, victories and defeats, relationships and dreams. It is filled with life lessons for Coach Ladouceur (Coach Lad) and the other coaches, for the young athletes, for the parents and other fans of the team… and for us. This book was written to give you the opportunity to think through those faith-and-life lessons and apply them to your own experience.

Each of the 52 devotionals highlights a biblical truth that is illustrated in the movie When The Game Stands Tall. Topics begin with a quote from Scripture and sometimes one from the film, and move directly into a real-life application of the biblical truth. This is followed by a challenge for personal reflection and an opportunity to write thoughts and feelings in the space provided.

Read. Apply. Respond.

FOREWORD

“In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people” (Colossians 3:23, NCV).

Coach Lad understands how to capture the hearts of his players. In the movie, When The Game Stands Tall, he emphasizes that he isn’t looking for perfect performance; rather, perfect effort. He only asks his teams to control what they can control. Performance is not completely controllable, but effort is. As a result, his players strive to be the best they can be by giving their very best.

I am reminded of the story of five-time All-Pro Green Bay Packers lineman Jerry Kramer (1958–1968). Legendary Coach Vince Lombardi rode him really hard in the 1959 preseason. Jerry wanted to quit until one day Coach Lombardi told Jerry that he could become the greatest lineman in the NFL. That one encounter transformed Jerry. He decided to give 100% to every play in practice and games and became one of the greatest players because he understood and applied the concept of perfect effort.

In Colossians 3:23, Paul defines perfect effort. He encourages us to give our best in everything for God, not for people. Perfect effort, therefore, applies to every dimension of our lives: mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. When it comes to spiritual effort, I live by one key principle: we do the training, but God does the changing. I control my part, and God does the rest. The key is to strive and stretch ourselves in every area to reach our God-given potential. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:24 that only one runner wins a race, but they all run to win. How are you running?

I am excited that you have decided to read this powerful devotional. You will learn how to become spiritually fit in ways you never imagined. This book is a great blend of reading and reflecting, helping prepare you to become strong and develop a solid spiritual foundation for your life. Preparation always creates fertile ground for change. Often we rush into life without much intentional preparation time, but it can be the most rewarding and revealing part of the journey.

This is a great playbook to prepare you for the game of life. If you want to be a difference maker, start today and begin your training so God can start the changing. You can’t control the outcome, but you can control the effort.

Take time, dig deep, and enjoy the journey.

—DAN BRITTON

Executive Vice President of International Ministry and Training, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and co-author of One Word That Will Change Your Life, WisdomWalks, and WisdomWalks SPORTS.

WHEN DOES THE GAME STAND TALL?

I’m not saying I’m the best coach. I’m just saying I’ve seen a lot of teams. I think that’s my strength as a coach. I’m not a genius. I’m not brilliant as a coach. But my strength is being able to tell you guys if you are playing up to your abilities.

—COACH LAD

From the movie WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! (1 Corinthians 9:24, NLT)

American English is always on the move. The word game isn’t just a noun describing an athletic event or an interesting diversion with cards or a board. Now the word is often used as a synonym for ability, as in the question, “Have you got game?” Coach Lad is known for his expectation—not that his players will produce perfection, but that they will commit to a perfect effort. The game stands tall when those playing the game rise above their abilities and appreciate the larger life that surrounds the field and can be changed by the game.

Throughout the movie, When The Game Stands Tall, the point is made in many ways that what’s most important isn’t the game itself but the people in the game and what the game brings out of them.

For Coach Lad, the game of football is a setting where he can help young men discover who they are at their best. The history of the De LaSalle teams is marked by outstanding athletes who excelled at higher levels of the sport, but the teams also featured many regular players who contributed in ways not often noticed by the stat-keepers and the evaluators of talent.

The Apostle Paul didn’t just believe in participation in the life of faith. He encouraged those who entered the race to run to win. At the very least, he wanted followers of Jesus to run to finish. When he wrote what could have been his epitaph, he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, NKJV). He wanted to finish strong. Only one wins the race, but each person runs as well as he or she can—or not. Running to win doesn’t always mean winning; it does mean fighting well and finishing the challenge.

Paul was doing what the graduating seniors on Coach Lad’s teams often do—acknowledging the end of their time and encouraging those coming behind them to make the most of their opportunity. Paul wanted young Timothy to do well, even as the end of his own time approached.

In the closing game of the film, with the team championship secured and Chris’s individual rushing achievement in sight, the players, led by Chris, chose to honor the coach by demonstrating the deeper lessons learned from him. They wanted to show Coach Lad they understood that more than a football game was at stake and that what they meant to each other was more than the score or the record. Yes, they played to win, but they also played for one another and their coach in ways that mattered more than the game.

That choice made their game stand tall.

REFLECTING

WHAT MAKES A SPARTAN?

Commitment. Accountability. Perfect effort. And finally love. This bond is what has led countless Spartans to achieve far more than anyone, including themselves, believed they were capable of. Without it, you may continue to win football games but you will have lost the chance to become Spartans.

—COACH LAD

From the movie WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love (Ephesians 4:1–2, NLT).