Coach's Corner
Warm-Up
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” —John 14:6
In this game, one person will receive simple directions from three different people at the same time, each one shouting out a different set of directions (see the list below). The person playing has to decipher what the direction givers are saying and then decide which directions to follow.
[Directions: touch toes, spin around, run in place, jumping jacks, crawl, skip, knee lifts, dance moves, or punching bag motion.]
- What was it like trying to follow lots of directions at the same time?
- What did you do when you weren’t sure which way to follow?
- Have you ever had different people tell you different ways to play your sport? What did you do when that happened?
All athletes make mistakes, no one is perfect. But when you try to do it by yourself and try to be perfect, it can create a lot of problems. Thankfully, there is a greater way we can take that will lead us to the answer.
Workout
This might be embarrassing to admit, but have you ever accidentally gone the wrong way in a game? Maybe you started running the football to the wrong endzone. Or maybe you almost shot a basketball at the wrong goal. Clap really loud if you’ve ever gone the wrong way!
Hopefully you realized you were going the wrong way before you scored for the other team! But there was a moment where you thought you were going the right way; you were trying to score points for your team not the other team. That’s a good example of trying to do the right thing but really doing the wrong thing because you tried to do things on your own.
What are some mistakes you’ve made as an athlete because you tried to do things the wrong way ? Share your story. Have the other athletes clap and encourage the teammates who are brave enough to share.
As John the Baptist was preaching about Jesus, the religious leaders had lots of questions. They wanted to know who he was, what he was doing, and why he was doing it. John replied:
“I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord – just as Isaiah the prophet said.” — John 1:23
The religious leaders didn’t know what “the way of the Lord” meant. They thought that if they did certain things and followed certain rules, then it was the right way to know God. They didn’t understand that there was a greater way—a way that would lead to real truth and real life. What’s that way—it’s Jesus’ way.
When I say, Who is the real truth, you shout, Jesus! Who is the real truth? Jesus!
When I say, Who is the real life, shout out, Jesus! Who is the real life? Jesus!
Another man from the Bible called the apostle Paul wrote a letter to a friend about a greater way.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man, Christ Jesus.” —1 Timothy 2:5
- Why do you think the religious leaders’ way didn’t help them know God?
- What do you think about Jesus being the greater way to knowing God?
Wrap-Up
It’s great news knowing that we have a greater way to know God through His Son, Jesus Christ! Here are three key points to help you remember this truth:
- Your Way. Trying to figure things out on your own will only make you mad and will likely cause you to make mistakes or bad choices. —Proverbs 14:12
- The World’s Way. Trying to follow the world’s way will lead us away from God, but God’s way will lead us to life. — Matthew 7:13–14
- God’s Way. God has made a greater way to get to Him than we could by ourselves. To do that, we must know Jesus and invite Him into our hearts. That is the only way that gives us truth and life. — Romans 6:23
Huddle up and shout out, “God’s Way!
Close in prayer with the team or ask an athlete if they feel comfortable leading the group in prayer.