Select Page

A Creed To Live By

by | Feb 2, 2012 | Uncategorized

Can I just say that I love having adult children!! I think my favorite part is the conversations that we now share. Conversations are so meaningful & thought provoking. Having a love for reading, I especially enjoy when Tim shares his current read with me.

Tim is coaching a high school, girls, varsity basketball team. I love that he is doing this. Even when playing during his high school years, we noticed that he was very natural at encouraging & motivating his teammates. So this just seems like a perfect fit for him.

Some interesting facts about the sport:

  • It was invented by James Naismith in Massachusetts
  • He was orphaned in young life and went on to train to become a priest
  • While in college, he discovered he had a love for sports
  • He became a teacher at the Young Men’s Christian Association (the YMCA) in Springfield, MA.
  • It was there, that due to the cold winters, he invented an indoor sport – basketball
  • The first game was officially played on December 21, 1891

(facts obtained from Wikipedia)

I am sure that James Naismith would be amazed to see the development of his invention. Over the years, there have been many coaches & many books written about the sport. Tim shared one with me today that has quotes in it from John Wooden, a college coach & a Christian. He loved coaching, loved the athletes. Upon entering high school himself, his father gave him a creed to live by. He lived by this creed all his life & let it become the basis of his coaching philosophy.

  1. Be true to yourself.
  2. Help others
  3. Make each day your masterpiece.
  4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
  5. Make friendship a fine art.
  6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
  7. Pray for guidance & count & give thanks for your blessings every day.

(from Coaching Basketball by Jerry Krause & Ralph Pim, page 33).

Such sound advice to be given as a young person. I especially liked the last point. As we pray for guidance & give thanks for our blessings, we learn to be content with our lives. We are told in Scripture:

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16 NIV).

 


In My Thoughts,
Joanne