They are rare and very hard to come by, but every once in a while, you can spot one. There aren’t too many in locker rooms or on ball fields, but, once they are identified, they stick out BIG TIME! When a “VRP” is around, you feel like a million bucks. They just have a way of making you feel special. What is a VRP? It is a Very Refreshing Person. These people breathe life into the ordinary and transform it. As lifters, they have an ability to bless others and bring words of encouragement.

As a coach, one of the things I’ve found most amazing is how great it is when a group of individuals bond in true brotherhood. I’ve been blessed to coach youth football (best sport ever—just sayin’), and at the beginning of each season we give our kids homework to help them understand what true brotherhood is.

We break it up over the first three weeks when conditioning is hardest on the body, mind and soul. It’s during these times that players (and coaches) either start to bond and get on the same page or fall away from each other.

In this account from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is awakened by His disciples when a storm seems to be threatening their lives. In the middle of what they considered a frightening situation, Jesus asks them, “Where is your faith?”

Once at a summer camp, I observed three kids struggling to maneuver a canoe in a small pond. As the camp counselor sat on the shoreline and yelled directions to them, the children became confused and scared. From what I could tell, their feelings were probably brought on by the fact that they were not listening to the counselor or that they were just making wrong decisions. Nonetheless, they didn’t understand how to properly paddle and they lacked the faith that they would be safe.

I had to make a tough decision in my senior year of high school. Coming out of basketball season, I had to decide between playing baseball or running track. My junior year, I had played baseball because we didn't have enough boys to fill a track team. My senior year, however, presented a dilemma. If I ran track, there would be just enough to have team. If I didn't, there wouldn't be a track team that year. When I approached my baseball coach about it, he told me that I would never do anything in track and that his baseball team would probably be going to the state finals. My decision was simple after that. I chose track.

Common interests, passions, experiences, and skills naturally draw people together. We all enjoy partnering with others with whom we can identify. When someone says, “I know how you feel,” and you believe that he really does, a bond is formed. David and Jonathan are examples of two men who experienced that deeper connection; they were, “one in spirit,” drawn together by a shared faith (1 Sm 14; 17). Both men trusted God when no one else did, and as a result, David and Jonathan were key in God’s plan to defeat the dreaded Philistines. Both men trusted God even though the odds were not in their favor.

There is an old story about a coach who was about to drown in a lake. A passerby jumped in and saved him. After the rescue, the coach went to visit his lifesaver to thank him. The coach said, “Sir, thank you for saving my life. I owe you everything.” The lifesaver responded, “Coach, you owe me nothing. Just see to it that you were worth saving.”

I love watching football. I love watching those 300-pound linemen push their opponents down the field. The discipline they have to hold their block for 10, 15 or more yards is always very impressive. The power they show and keep throughout a play separates the good from the great.

I have known many players just like this over the years who have had the power to drive their opponents into the ground, but when it comes to other areas of their life they do not have discipline or power. They can’t help but click a mouse and go to Internet sites they don’t need to go to. They have no power to say no to others who want them to drink, do drugs or engage in sexual activities. The discipline on the field is where it stops.

What does it take to be the coach of the number one football team in the nation? Most people are under the assumption that one must neglect his family and everything else that is important and spend every waking moment preparing his team for success. What does Bob Stoops, head coach of the 2000 national champion Oklahoma Sooners, do? He and his staff start their day at 8:45 a.m., usually end in time to be home for dinner, and have Wednesday night family gatherings with their wives and children. It appears that Stoops has set some priorities in his life and has a good handle on the often-difficult task of balancing family and career.

Even though it’s bad thinking, we do it all the time. We see someone succeed in the athletic world, and we automatically jump to the conclusion that they are successful for two main reasons: natural talent and hard work.