Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Iceland. What a story.
This an excerpt from Mark Batterson's A Trip Around the Sun.
"Life is full of goals to be identified and kept in sight. When we lose sight of the goal, we simply drift. Sometimes drift can mean disaster.
My friend Paul McGarvey had a phrase he posted in the locker room for his football team-"Without desire-disaster! Among the towels and helmets and gear, there was a call to do something greater. At the gut level this team had to actually want to win before it could happen. All the practices, all the drills, all the sweat and all the hustle had to fueled by that desire. If they didn't have the desire, the game was lost before they stepped on the field.
The same is true for this adventure we call life. We have to have the desire to reach our goals. Desire moves mountains and breaks down walls. Sometimes we get off course, desiring things or setting goals that will lead to no good end. But if our desire is in the right place, loving Jesus and loving others, there is no telling where Jesus can take us. He out-dreams us, out-plans us, and out does us every time.
Philippians 2:13 says, "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (ESV)."
Dogged Pursuit of Excellence
“Excellence is deliberate actions, ordinary in themselves, performed
consistently and carefully, compounded together, added up over time. Excellence
means doing your very best in everything, in every way. Excellence requires
planning, commitment, focus, discipline, and the sacrifice of time and energy
to move towards the goals of the team/program.”
Deliberate
actions, sacrifice, consistency, best in everything, planning, commitment,
focus, disciple, excellence…this idea that excellence is the compounded result
of our actions day by day is driving. These last couple months have been a
grind, our team workouts have been tough, the sacrifice of time has been
draining, but it’s all for the end result – excellence.
"This
team is a group of brothers working towards a common goal. You aren’t alone
when you’re dead after a workout and you can barely walk to your car – we can
all feel it too. This summer is a defining moment in your development as a
player – don’t let it slip. I’ll be candid with you, I let the opportunity to
improve and pursue excellence slip my mind this last season. I coasted, I was
complacent as a player, I wasn’t focused on this idea of sacrifice…but I can
promise you this…it’s never going to happen again. This summer I’m working
harder than I ever have because I let an opportunity slip. The dogged pursuit
of excellence is engrained in this teams blood, we work hard everyday so we can
perform on the field and make our fans, coach, parents, and heavenly father
proud. Don’t get left behind.
To
the young guys coming in – take this opportunity to play the beautiful game and
WORK HARD. Don’t let your pursuit of excellence falter – you’ll regret it.
Every chance you get to become a better player is a blessing. God gave you the
talent to play soccer, use it to glorify him, work hard and make him famous.
This summer go above and beyond in laying the foundation to have a breakout
season.
To
the returners – lets show the young guys how it’s done. Continue to work hard
like I know you have; continue to pursue excellence. We aren’t done leaving our
mark on Cornerstone yet – we’re just getting started.
Our
goals as a program will be met this year. We will show this conference what a
Cornerstone team on fire looks like – a band of brothers who will stop at
nothing to be the best. I’m proud to be a Cornerstone University soccer player.
Pursue excellence this summer like your life depends on it so we can reap the
rewards of our sacrifice and hard work this playoff season."
-
Caleb
Good to Great
So far, we have talked about Getting Right People on the Bus, 20 Mile March, Aligning our Team with its Vision and Level 5 Leadership. Today is another piece of the puzzle. I would venture to guess that everyone on this team (right now at least) thinks they are the Right Person in the Right Seat on the Bus. If that were the case, we would see dramatic changes in our spiritual lives, our fitness, our level of play, our relationships on and off the field, etc. Listen to this 3 min clip about what Collins has to say about The Wrong People.
The Wrong People Can't be Motivated to Do the Right Thing.
I brought this up after our Monday session. What makes us think we are the Right Person on the Bus? We are always quick to point the finger at someone else after a play. We continue to work in practice as if we are not really concerned about the results. Collins talks about looking for 3 things from the Right person:
- The Right Person Produced Results. As a program, we have many parameters set as a team and as individuals. Plenty of soccer ones of course (game reports), our core principles, as well as our off the field character.
- The Right Person Pointed out the window, acknowledging all the people that helped get the results. Are you looking in the mirror, patting yourself on the back maybe evening telling yourself-"well, I did my part." A lot of people are looking in the mirror.
- Did the results of the team continue once the Right Person moved to a new responsibility? This could mean serving a different role on the field-whats best for the team, leading off the field due to an injury or even graduating.
Reminders
- Preseason Camps starts on August 6th. Alumni game is set for 7pm on the 6th.
- All physicals must be completed and turned in no later than July 22nd. As of today, Ben Stump is the only one who has completed everything. I will get an update from Phil tomorrow.
- PLAYNAIA: New players must be declared eligible by PLAYNAIA before you come in to camp. Ben Stump, Joshua Busscher and Joshua Mitchell are all eligible. Good job guys!
- If you are cleared to come in to camp, please make sure you have your passport and if you are an international, check to see if you need a visa to go in and out of Canada. We will be leaving on Sunday, August 7th for 3 days to train near Toronto area. You must take care of this asap if you are going to make the trip.
- Tuesday nights SCOR training: Meadow Ridge Middle School, 8100 Courtland Dr NE Rockford 4934. 6-8 pm. I need everyone to help work it. Get there early so we can set up. This is a great way to give back. Thanks to the guys who worked it last night-Nick, Manny, Josue, Dary, Coach Kern. We will be doing these every Tuesday for the month of July.
Kopion Run Results.
*DNC = Did not complete/do correctly *DNP = Did not participate |
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Team Makes it Back From Zambia! Next week, we will have guys share some of their experiences in Zambia.
