Jesse Florea - The One Year Sports Devotions for Kids

Visit Tyndales website for kids at www.tyndale.com/kids.

TYNDALE is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

The One Year is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

The Tyndale Kids logo is a trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

The One Year Sports Devotions for Kids

Copyright 2011 by Jesse Florea, Jeremy V. Jones, and Joshua Cooley. All rights reserved.

Cover photo taken by Stephen Vosloo. Copyright by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Designed by Ron Kaufmann

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 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 of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken 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 NASB are 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.

Scripture quotations marked NIrV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Readers Version, NIrV. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

For manufacturing information regarding this product, please call 1-855-277-9400.

ISBN 978-1-4143-4973-2

Build: 2021-04-21 22:33:22 EPUB 3.0

January

Who wants to go jump in a frozen lake? No takers. Okay, how about a quick dip in a freezing-cold ocean? Still nobody. Hmmm.

Well, about 1,000 people joined the Coney Island Polar Bear Club for its annual New Years Day swim in the Atlantic Ocean in 2010. With so many human popsicles bobbing in 44-degree water, the club president said it was the biggest turnout ever for this New York City tradition!

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter swimming organization in the United States. Every weekend from November through April, members gather at Coney Island to swim in the Atlantic. Water temperatures start in the low 60s at the beginning of the season, but they have been known to dip down into the mid-30s. The club was founded in 1903 by Bernarr Macfadden, who believed taking a dip in the chilly ocean could keep people healthy.

Whats the Score?

The annual New Years Day dip drew quite a crowd. Some came so they could wear a bathing suit and a Russian fur hat at the same time. But the real motivation was to raise money for children with life-threatening illnesses. The 2010 swim brought in about $25,000 to help kids.

Every year on New Years Day people talk about making changes for the better. They plan to exercise more, eat healthier foods, and be nicer to their families. Some of these resolutions dont last long. This New Years Day, come up with a plan of how you can make a difference with the talents and gifts God has given you. In Romans 12:7-8, the apostle Paul says everybody has a gift: If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. With your God-given gifts, you can make a positive impact on the people in your life. And you dont have to jump into a freezing ocean to do it.

On the Ball

What are your talents? List some here:

Now think of ways you can use those talents to help other people and to honor God.

Coachs Comment

If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. ROMANS 12:7-8

January

The game shouldnt have been that close. When Nebraska faced Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl for college footballs national championship, the Cornhuskers entered the game as 10-point favorites.

But with just seconds on the clock, Nebraska found itself trailing 3130. The Cornhuskers had just scored with a fourth-and-eight play as quarterback Turner Gill pitched the ball to running back Jeff Smith for a 24-yard touchdown. All Nebraska had to do was kick an extra point to tie the game and end the season as undefeated national champions. (This game occurred before the NCAA played overtime in football.) Instead of going for the tie, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne chose to attempt a two-point conversion to win the game.

With the season on the line, Turner looked to again connect with Jeff. The quarterback rolled to his right and threw a pass into the end zone. But at the last instant, a Miami defensive back tipped the ball away to earn the Hurricanes the victory and the national championship!

Whats the Score?

The high-powered Nebraska offense had averaged 52 points a game en route to building a perfect 120 record. At one point during the season, the Cornhuskers managed to score seven touchdowns in just 12 minutes. Miami, on the other hand, had lost its season opener, but then stacked up a 10-game winning streak to make it into the Orange Bowl.

With three of the best football players in the countryTurner Gill, Mike Rozier, and Irving FryarNebraska planned to defeat the Hurricanes with ease. But with Mike injured and Miami playing a great game, things didnt go as planned.

Has that ever happened to you? You thought you had a sure thing, but then the outcome you expected didnt happen at all. God wants us to plan and prepare for the future. But as we plan, we should also remember that God controls what happens in our lives. The book of Proverbs reminds us, No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the L ORD . His plans are best. And his plans never fail!

On the Ball

As you make plans for this year, be sure to include God. Only God walks with you throughout your entire life. Always seek to do his will as you make your plans.

Coachs Comment

No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the L ORD . PROVERBS 21:30

January

Maybe youve seen him in McDonalds commercials. A short, dark-haired boy with hands that move faster than your eyes can see. Steven Purugganan can stack cups in record speed. In fact, he set the world record in the individual cycle stack in sport stacking at the Greater Cleveland Ohio Sport Stacking Championships on January 3, 2009.

If you havent seen this event, a competitor in the cycle stack must begin with 12 cups divided into three stacks. He starts by building pyramids of three, six, and three cups. Then he tears those down and creates two six-cup pyramids. Finally, he rips those apart and forms a 10-cup pyramid with one cup on each side. The last move has the athlete slide those cups down until he ends up the way he started with three stacks of cups.

It probably took you about 25 seconds to read that description of the cycle stack. Steven performed all those moves in 5.93 seconds! (You can see a video of speedy sport stackers like Steven on YouTube or by going to worldsportstackingassociation.org.)

Of course, Steven didnt always stack perfectly. Sometimes his cups fell down. A rule in sport stacking says an athlete must go back and fix his mistakes or his time doesnt count. Steven may have been young, but he knew to always fix his fumbles.