Tag: inspire

Motivational: Fight, Fight, Fight

2020 was a tough year for me physically as I was faced with multiple health conditions that truly tested my physical, mental and spiritual durability. As the year wound down along came the COVID 19 virus and it took major hold on me attacking my health, lungs and body. The biggest challenge was mentally as the virus took its toll on my breathing, energy levels and the other problems it created. It eventually becomes a mental battle when your energy levels are squashed and it wears you out just to take a bath, dress or walk into the kitchen.

We got sick about a week before Christmas Day and things escalated from there quickly. COVID started out slow but began to roll along and challenged my health quickly. Next thing you know, I am in the hospital like many people have been fighting for my health and future. As a career coach and teacher I have always spoken to my student athletes about being a fighter and suddenly I had to stand to my own words and fight. And a fight it has been and one that continues in the hospital as I type this blog post.

COVID is nasty and effects everyone differently and there were a few days, times and instances I wasn’t sure it was going to work out very well. All along I got very uplifting words of encouragement from my family, friends and peers telling me to fight. Yesterday one of my wrestlers called me and said “coach, your a fighter, hang in there, battle this and come home soon”. Oh the words of a 16 year old that is motivating a grown man with the same words of encouragement I have used on him after several matches he may or may not have won.

I constantly encourage my guys to stand strong and fight. There will be points in our lives when we are forced to fight, forced to stand, forced to meet obstacles head on. COVID will overwhelm you and make you quit if you are not tough and fight. For those that have fought the battle keep it up. And for those that have lost someone, I sincerely wish you blessings, mercy and guidance from God during these times. I found strength in his word and battled, fought and have kept a positive attitude so I can overcome this COVID mess and go home to my family, career, students and athletes.

Fight, Overcome, Battle, Win, Have Faith, Live Intentional, Hope for a brighter time and let’s whoop COVID 19!

God Bless! Coach B


Faith: Spending Time With God

Today I am writing about spending time with God and growing our spiritual connection with him. He seeks us out and we need to seek him in return.

Do you ever just stop and spend time with God?  I try to pray three times per day morning, noon and night to make sure I speak with God.  Sometimes I fail at that goal because life can get in the way.  The quantity of prayer in my opinion is not greater than the quality.  Doing ti three times a day allows me to focus on the things I need guidance on.  

Our spiritual needs can change in a minute, an hour or a day.  Give those to Fod and know that he has heard those and will action them for you.  God wants us to spend time with him, seeking his guidance for our lives, relationships and jobs. My favorite way to seek time with God is to go out behind my house and sit near a huge tree in the shade and talk to God.  

Maybe you have have your “quiet time” or devotional time or whatever we call it to seek guidance.  When you do seek God do it with conviction, with an open heart, mind and soul.  Do not half heartedly pray for things that are wants , but go after your needs.  Allow Hod to work through those and lead you to a finalization with them.  

Maybe you do not seek to speak with God daily, opting to only seek or call on him when we need him.  I am guilty of that myself, and work hard to avoid doing that.  God seeks us constantly and is consistent in sending us a still small voice. A dear friend of mine that is very spiritual and gifted once told me that “God shows us signs in small ways, doing small things as the day goes on”.  

With this I say we all look for God in our daily lives through small but meaningful events.  Could be emotional, physical or spiritual movements.  Might be someon holding the door for you or someone allowing you to pull into dead locked traffic.  Or it could be in a big way as well.  Seek him out as he seeks you and look, listen and learn how to connect to God in spirit.  

Deep down inside we desperately desire to connect with our Creator. And He wants to connect with us. Figuring out how to do that seems complicated, but it easier than we think. We have to get quiet and pray to God. After all, God is huge, mysterious and greater than us. He’s everywhere around us, yet we cannot see him.  

You may sit down with your friends and have a cup of coffee most days.  Do that with God, grab yourself daily brew, sit down and talk to God as you enjoy that warm cup of coffee.  Grab your lunch, go to a nice park and eat and think about God.  He thinks about us and loves us to come to him spoken and unspoken. 

Spending time with God daily allows us to tap into his wisdom, mercy and grace.  In return we get his love, guidance and direction in our daily lives.  That is how we see our lives change in ways that can seem hard to believe. We become more like God’s children as we spend time with him.  

Here are a few ways to spend time with God daily:

1- Schedule a set time and add an alarm in your calendar.  Do not avoid it, silence it or skip it.  Make God a priority. 

Would God silence or put you off?

2- Be consistent in those prayers and be open to building that relationship.  Just as your spouse, children and friends matter, so should God.

God is consistent, will you be?

3- Set goals for spiritual growth.  What do you want to accomplish with God.

You set goals for work, health, marriages, etc.  Don’t you think setting a goal for God is just as important?

4- Be hopeful and faithful in your time with God.  

Christ often went to solitary places to pray (see Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12). Christ was the most powerful person to ever walk the earth, he was born of God and still sought him out.  Be like Christ and seek time with God, grow in spirit and abound with life.

Lord, I pray that you help me to find time for you. Quality time that is important and a priority. Seek me as I sell you and let’s connect at a higher level than ever before. Amen!

Faith: Finding Inspiration in Gods Words

Finding Inspiration in God’s Word

Finding inspiration in our lives at times can be very hard. Being inspired to pursue our goals and accomplish them is not an easy task. Many things will get in the way and set us back as we seek to inspire others as well. God inspires people, his believers and followers by giving us words of inspiration in the bible.

He declares his word to be true and offers us the most inspirational event in human history as proof. God gave us his only son Jesus Christ as a gift to inspire us to be more like him. What more inspiration do we need to see that God is perfect and holds the key to all our success.

We have to never give up on our dreams, goals and visions for ourselves.  You must be unstoppable and believe you are going to accomplish your goals.  We inspire others by acting, behaving, leading and guiding people in a positive manner that shines God’s light into the world.  

God inspires through his acts of mercy, grace and kindness.  As you seek to inspire and be inspired, surround yourself with people that inspire you.  More importantly, seek God’s leadership to inspire you to be a better person, better Christian, better husband, father, mother, brother, wife and all the other things you seek to be.

  1. Are you willing to be inspired by God’s words?
  2. Are you willing to ask God to inspire you and grow your inner spirit?

Isaiah 40:31, But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

John 16:13, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

God, I pray that you inspire me to be better everyday at all the things I seek to accomplish. I know that I can do this with you by my side, inspiring me to inspire others. Amen

Faith: Do Not Lose Hope

Do Not Lose Hope

As I lay in a hospital bed awaiting another procedure on my heart and writing this blog. I face a reality check that my life has changed for good and I may never be the same physically. After my first procedure I felt better and began rehab and things were going well. Suddenly yesterday, a severe pain hit me in my chest and I went to the hospital. It was a setback and I started to doubt things.

I felt hopeless for just a short period of time. I was scared and confused. That can create doubt and take your hope away. I prayed about it and have no option other than to fight this and know that God is in control. I have to keep hope and not be fearful of the unknown. As I prepare for surgery, I added to this post as it was appropriate and perfect timing.

Today we talk about hope and what it means to have it in your life. Hope offers us a way to feel like something we want to desire will happen. Hope can often become a huge disappointment in our lives as well. Often we hope for things that are not available or viable for us. A person may hope to find the perfect spouse as they envision in their minds. However, the perfect spouse may be completely different.

How is your hope? Does it bounce back after taking a big hit or disappointment?  Does it cause you to struggle with finding and maintaining a  positive thought process to get where you can?  When you are facing the testing of your faith can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?  Do you trust in God and his word to allow you to find hope in people, relationships and your faith.  

When you need words of encouragement to renew your spirit and restore your soul, turn your eyes to God and seek his guidance, grace and mercy. According to these scriptures from the Old and New Testaments we can find hope and encouragement in his words.

Everyone needs to be reminded from time to time of the hope that God, Jesus and the Bible offer to us in our daily lives. We can find that by reading, praying and being faithful in the process. Holding out hope for a solution to your prayers is a must for you to have and maintain hope.

Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

1st Corinthians 13:13, So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

God, walk with me in my faith journey. Give me hope that all things are of you, by you and for you. Help me to be Hopeful and seek your wisdom when times are hard and I feel hopeless. Amen