Simple Soccer System

I know this will be hard for you to believe, but I am a licensed soccer coach.

I never played the game, but all three of my children did.  My husband and I both took a coaching class and were certified.  He went on and became a coach trainer and coached at State Cup level for our daughter.

I was over my head about the time they turned 9, but for three years I assisted and co-coached on three different teams.

I figured out I had a real advantage—I didn’t know much, so my coaching was really simple.  I was aided by my husband’s developing Simple Soccer System—he reduced all the complicated coaching into a series of three- or four-word instructions.

Such as:  Defense:  Slow, Split, Side     Offense: Keep, Advance, Center, Score   

Even I understood the basic tactics needed—and I could help these young kids get it too.

All my teams were pretty successful—winning more than they lost.  Amazing!

Jesus employed a similar approach in coaching us for living life.  Though there was great depth in all He taught, He kept it simple.  He gave us many succinct instructions:

Love God with all your being.

Love others as you love yourself

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Be holy as I am holy.

Give thanks in all things.

Don’t be afraid.  Trust me.

Don’t worry.  Trust me.

Be filled with the Spirit.

Simple?  Yes and no.   Impossible in our own power.  But Jesus can do it, and He is quite willing to live it out in and through us.

Simple.

How about you?  Which of these instructions from Jesus has not been so simple for you?

C2012 Judy Douglass

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Reckless Abandon

Debbie has always hated to lose.

So when the Krazy Kittens, her soccer team of 7-year-olds, got behind 4-0, she had had it.  The other team was much better, and it was apparent the Kittens weren’t going to score much.  So the coach, recognizing Debbie’s passion, put her in the goal—her first time ever.

She was ferocious.  Leaping high to make saves.  Diving down, risking fingers and head.  Fighting for the ball.  One stop.  Another.  People came from surrounding soccer fields to watch this tiny tornado.

The final score?  4-0.  She made 25 stops.

Reckless abandon.

Oh, that I would always live with such reckless abandon.  Such wholehearted passion.  Such fiery spirit.

It’s what God calls us to.  I believe it’s to be the norm, not the exception:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30)

That’s everything.  Nothing held back.    No settling.  Love and live with a whole heart!

Debbie believed she could make a difference—and she did.

I believe I can make a difference for the Kingdom of God.  And I will.

If a 7-year-old can risk her hands and head to save goals, certainly I can risk everything—even my life—to save souls.

c2011 Judy Douglass

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Surprise!

“Soccer is the best sport,” I said, and my friend replied, “Judy, you are so predictable!”

 

Oh no!  Distressing!  I don’t want to be predictable.   I want to be surprising!

 

Yes, I am predictable about some things:

 

Sports:  I follow the Longhorns, Cowboys, Magic faithfully.  But I like soccer best (I actually coached my daughters) and love to follow the US Women’s Team.

 

Texas:  I know more wonderful facts about Texas than most people, and I am glad to share them with anyone who will listen.

 

My mission:  to encourage God’s children to be and do all God has for them—to never settle for less than God’s best! And especially I am a champion for God’s daughters, his ezers.

 

My family:  I pray for, love on, spend time with, listen to, encourage, give gifts to, babysit for, shop for–my husband, my kids and their kids.

 

My Jesus:  I love Him, trust Him, depend on Him, serve Him, talk to and about Him.  He is my life—and I wish I did all of these things more consistently.

 

But after these predictabilities, I am a fan of the unpredictable.  I love surprises—especially nice ones.  I don’t want do the above in the same old way.  New ideas, new visions, new approaches.

 

Predictable is boring, and I consider boring a 4-letter word.  If I look for the open door, the opportunity, the surprise twist, the daunting challenge, there is no time or place to be bored.

 

I want to make lots of room for shock and awe– especially with God.

 

He is the ultimate in unpredictability.   He is master of the unexpected—sometimes I love His surprises, other times I don’t.   Sometimes He takes my breath away; other times He wraps me in comfort and peace.

 

But always, He has that surprise twist:  He stuns me as He achieves His perfect good through even the most difficult situations. (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28).

 

He tells me to anticipate His surprises:    “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”  I have no idea what He might do!

 

May I always be filled with wonder at the ways of God!

 

How has God surprised you recently?

 

c2011 Judy Douglass

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