Good,Better, and Best Footballs

Good, Better, and Best Footballs: When my dad was in college he worked on the BYU equipment staff for the football team. He tells a story about HeismanTtrophy winning QB Ty Detmer. During the week leading up to Saturday's game each quarterback is able to go through a cart full of footballs and pick out which ones they want to use in the game. Many of you may be asking why do they do that? Aren't all footballs the same? In many ways they are. They are all brown, made of synthetic leather, have laces or ties, and are all....well, football shaped. But once placed in the hand of an expert quarterback, like Detmer, he sees a lot more than we do.
     My Dad tells about how Ty would feel each and every football very carefully. He would place his fingers on the laces and feel the grip of each ball. He'd even toss them in the air to see what kind of spiral they had. After carefully examining and going through each football he'd pick out the very best ones.
    My dad continues his story by saying that one week they put a little mark on a football Ty had rejected the previous week to see if he'd pass it up again. Sure enough each week, without Ty even knowing, he would reject the ball again and place it back in the bin. So is every football the same? Not in Ty Detmer's expert hands and eyes. There are good footballs, better footballs, and best footballs, and Ty only played with the best!
    Likewise we will face many decisions in our lives. At first they may appear like the pile of footballs. What difference does it make in which one I choose. It doesn't really matter is what we often times will tell ourselves. But just like the expert QB we need to get picky at times for our own benefit.

     Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talked titled Good, Better, Best . In this talk he states "As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all.

Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best. When the Lord told us to seek learning, He said, “Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom” (D&C 88:118)"

    Just as we should look for the good, better, and bests in life God too will look for this in the end. The more we can learn to make the best choices the more likely we will find ourselves living with him when all is said and done. I promise if you will make the best decisions in life the best blessings will follow.

 

Don't Be A Christian Bandwagoner, Be Loyal

Don't Ride The Christian Bandwagon, Be Loyal: After this past weekend's BYU vs. Utah football game which resulted in, what I've been told, was a dismal, one-sided, loss for my fellow Cougars it's been interesting to see what's since transpired. It started with stories I heard about people from other wards complaining about BYU. One speaker even said, "How can I speak about faith after BYU's performance?"
     Then the Elders I serve around on preparation day telling me how BYU will never be any good and will never amount to anything and on, and on, and on! I then get on Facebook to do my online proselyting and am bombarded with comments all over my Facebook news feed from individuals saying they are no longer going to watch BYU football, and how they aren't going to cheer for them any more. By the time I had witnessed all of this my true blue heart was just feeling crushed. This caused me to reflect on some lessons I've learned on my mission about loyalty.

Loyal: characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc.

 As a missionary we come in contact with a wide variety of people. Something I've noticed is that the world today lacks true loyalty. We, as missionaries, talk to many people who say they are Christian. As we continue to talk to them we find out that their actions are not so Christian, and then they complain that they aren't seeing His hand in their life. To use a sports term maybe you could call them bandwagon Christians.
   When they feel life is going good this is when they praise God and say how great He is, but when the losing streaks of life hit they're down in the dumps cursing Him. Similar to what we're seeing with what I'd call the "Sunday to Sunday BYU fan". The Sunday after BYU wins they are their biggest fans at church and the Sunday after a loss their fan-hood disappears. To use another sports term they have a "what have you done for me lately" kind of fan-hood. Sadly many of the worlds so called sports fans, and Christians, fall into these categories.

Christ, the most loyal fan of all.

     If we look at God and Christ they are the exact opposite. No matter what we do, good or bad, they will always be there for us. They are not band-wagoners, they are loyal fans of all of their children. They want to see us improve and succeed. Don't get me wrong when we play bad, in terms of obeying their commandments, they are disappointed, but that disappointment will never lead to dis-fellowshipment. They will allow us to go through the rough times and losing streaks of life though because they know it will strengthen us(see Ether 12:27) and make us better. 
      In order for us to gain their help during these rough times we need to show our loyalty to them, and by praying for help and striving to keep their commandments. Whether we feel we're currently winning, or losing, in the end our loyalty will make us true winners. So stop riding the pine of the Christian bandwagon and loyaly strap yourself to the rock of Christ with faith, and actions, solid in Him.        

    

The Football Armour of God

Football Armor of God on Prezi
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The Prompting To Audible In Life

The Prompting To Audible In Life: The Indianapolis Colts recently lost their first game of the NFL season. This, more than likely, was due to them being without their star quarterback Peyton Manning, who recently had neck surgery. Manning is very valuable to the Colts for many reasons but what sets him apart from any other QB is his amazing ability to audible, or change a play before the ball is snapped.
    As Manning leaves a huddle with his team and heads to the line of scrimmage he immediately starts to dissect the opposing teams defense. In his mind he's asking himself what type of defensive formation they are getting into. 4-3? 3-4? Nickle? or Dime? Are there any signs of blitzing linebackers or safeties? Are the cornerbacks playing tight or loose coverage? The answer to all of these questions will determine if the Colts run the play they originally selected or if they audible.
      After looking over all of his options and deciding to audible Manning's magic begins. Manning will then start to orchestrate his offense around to give them the best chance to be successful. He'll start to yell out signals and commands and point in different directions and give hand signals. "Green 18 left Omaha stack strong !!!"As the running back, receivers, and tight ends are moved around and change into position, and before the play clock expires, hike is called, the ball is snapped, and the play is underway.
      In our lives we find decisions to be made all of the time. Some are big while others are little. Others are important and can weigh heavily on our lives while some are trivial and have no impact. As we step up to the line where we have to make a big decision often times we've already made a choice in our mind of what we desire to do. Similar to Peyton Manning stepping to the line of scrimmage having already chosen a play.
      This next part is key though. Just as Manning diagnoses the situation very thoroughly we too need to look over the decision we are facing. Is this what God would have me do? What consequences could come from this decision? Are they good or bad? As we do this the Holy Ghost has the chance to whisper to us, in his still small voice, the "play" we should run. Sometimes, like Manning, we will need to audible or change our course from our original plan. Following the spirit and following through on a potential audible will bring great blessings. We may not recognize it at first but over time these good decisions, prompted by the spirit, will lead us to a "touchdown" of eternal life in the "endzone" with God.
 
Click Here to watch a Mormon Message about the voice of the spirit.
To read more about the Spirit and how to receive prompting from it Click Here.  
       

LDS Head Coach's Playbook of Principles

"Navy head coach's playbook of principles" from the Mormon Times: Walk past the football coach’s office Monday around 4 a.m., and you will find him alone, his back to the door, studying a book on his desk. It’s in the quiet solitude of those predawn hours that Navy’s head man, Ken Niumatalolo, becomes immersed in his playbook.
Not his football strategies, his scriptural playbook, the Book of Mormon.
“It’s his personal time. No one will bother him until he turns back forward in his desk,” said Barbara Niumatalolo, the coach’s wife. “If something touches him, he goes back to it during the day. It’s usually something he needs to hear to prepare him for that day.”
       Daily scripture study is just one of many key strategies in Niumatalolo’s personal playbook of principles. Devotion to family, church service and living the gospel have helped the Mormon coach endure the rigors and stress of the college coaching lifestyle from Hawaii to Annapolis, Md., for almost two decades. Much of his success can be traced to something he learned at an early age.
“For me, growing up as a member of the church, I always knew as long as you are obedient, the Lord will bless you and everything will work out,” Niumatalolo said. “Gospel principles are universal.”
      To read the rest of Coach Niumatalolo's story Click Here.

Tailgating: Feasting on the words of Christ

It's the opening weekend of college football. Along with all of the sights and sounds of this big weekend comes the smells of college football. For many fans this comes in the form of tailgating!
 Tailgating is a long tradition among fans as they congregate together to pump themselves up before the game as well as feed their stomachs. Tailgating is really big in college football, especially in the south, where often they dine on ribs, pulled pork, and good ol' southern cookin'. Out west often you'll find hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, chips, dips, and drink. You name a food and a tailgater has it.

    For my family and I, all big BYU Cougar fans, we always get to the stadium early before a game to tailgate. We find a place to park the car, set up the grill, throw the pig skin around and have some fun while getting fed. I have many fond memories of tailgating and it has definitely become a family tradition.

   There is something else we need to feast on besides just food in our lives though. Nephi, a prophet in The Book of Mormon, taught us to feast upon the words of Christ when he said "Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." If we can learn to have a spiritual feast this will help us have the spirit more in our lives and will lead us to what God would have us do. It's great to enjoy a good tailgate before some football, but whatever you do don't forget to be spiritually fed as you feast on the words of Christ.

Two A Days: Prayer

“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”-Vince Lombardi

Two A Days: As football season is quickly approaching, teams from all levels are getting geared up and ready for the season. From the peewees to high school to college to the NFL ranks, all are getting ready for their season. To be ready before the season starts they work hard to practice and refresh their skills and knowledge of the game the best they can. For many teams this means two a days. Two a days is when teams have practice twice a day as they put as much effort as they can into preparing, the month before the season. This is a grueling process for football players as they are put through drills and run plays almost all day long. This very tiring and challenging series of practices really prepares the players and is a great start to their season.

   There is something else that we should practice twice a day, and not just before football season.  This would be communication with our Heavenly Father. Our two a days of life should come through prayer. Alma, a Book of Mormon prophet, gave this counsel to his son: "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." As we do this we will see ourselves become stronger both physically and spiritually. We will see the guiding hand, like a coach, the spirit, in our lives. As we pray twice a day and make it a habit in our lives we, like a football team, will become more united with our Heavenly Father and our season of life will be a success. This I can promise you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
           To hear a testimonial about prayer Click Here

Are You Ready For Some Football?

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Are You Ready For Some Football?!! Davis Daily Bread is ready to blitz you with an all out hard hitting, knockdown, drag out version of September football! Here you can get your gridiron and gospel fix with a mix of great stories of touchdowns and testimonies! So "Rise and Shout" and check back frequently through the month of September for all of your football action!   

Elder Davis and Elder Holbrook's Spiritual Center Top 10

Here's a Davis Daily Bread "Spiritual Center" Top 10 of Gospel Sports Blogs of the first half of the year.

Which Jersey Are You Wearing?by Elder Catron

Take a Swing at Golf-warming up with hole #1by Elder Kuck

   

My Jersey Sponsor by Elder Holbrook
 

 My Football Story, Ouch by Elder Garcia

  

Everyone Gets a Ring by Elder Hunsaker
   

Now That's a Beard by Elder Greco

       

Endure to the End by Sister Nestman

 

Spiritual and Basketball by Elder Lee

     

Gospel According To A Sports Guy part by Elder Elmer
    

 Under Dog Theory and the Atonement by Elder Nelson

   

Keep Your Eye On The Ball

In honor of it being Super Bowl weekend I thought I'd share a story that I really enjoyed from a past Priesthood session of conference by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. Here is the story told by him in his own words.
   
I’ll never forget one high school football game against a rival school. I played the wingback position, and my assignment was to either block the linebacker or try to get open so the quarterback could throw me the ball. The reason I remember this particular game so well is because the fellow on the other side of the line—the man I was supposed to block—was a giant.
I wasn’t exactly the tallest athlete in the world. But I think this other guy may have been. I remember looking up at him, thinking he probably weighed as much as two of me. Keep in mind, when I played we didn’t have the protective gear that players have today. My helmet was made of leather, and it didn’t have a face guard.
The more I thought about it, the more I came to a sobering realization: if I ever let him catch me, I could be cheering for my team the rest of the season from a hospital bed.
Lucky for me, I was fast. And for the better part of the first half, I managed to avoid him.
Except for one play.
Our quarterback dropped back to pass. I was open. He threw the ball, and it sailed towards me.
The only problem was that I could hear a lumbering gallop behind me. In a moment of clarity, I thought that if I caught the ball there was a distinct possibility I could be eating my meals through a tube. But the ball was heading for me, and my team was depending on me. So I reached out, and—at the last instant—I looked up.
And there he was.
I remember the ball hitting my hands. I remember struggling to hang on to it. I remember the sound of the ball falling to the turf. After that, I’m not exactly sure what happened, because the giant hit me so hard I wasn’t sure what planet I was on. One thing I did remember was a deep voice coming from behind a dark haze: “Serves you right for being on the wrong team.”

William McKinley Oswald was my high school football coach. He was a great coach and had a profound influence on my life. But I think he could have learned his method of motivating players from an army drill sergeant.
That day, during his half-time speech, Coach Oswald reminded the whole team about the pass I had dropped. Then he pointed right at me and said, “How could you do that?”
He wasn’t speaking with his inside voice.
“I want to know what made you drop that pass.”
I stammered for a moment and then finally decided to tell the truth. “I took my eye off the ball,” I said.
The coach looked at me and said, “That’s right; you took your eye off the ball. Don’t ever do that again. That kind of mistake loses ball games.”
I respected Coach Oswald, and in spite of how terrible I felt, I made up my mind to do what Coach said. I vowed to never take my eye off the ball again, even if it meant getting pounded to Mongolia by the giant on the other side of the line.
We headed back onto the field and started the second half. It was a close game, and even though my team had played well, we were behind by four points late in the fourth quarter.
The quarterback called my number on the next play. I went out again, and again I was open. The ball headed towards me. But this time, the giant was in front of me and in perfect position to intercept the pass.
He reached up, but the ball sailed through his hands. I jumped high, never taking my eye off the ball; stabbed at it; and pulled it down for the game-winning touchdown.
I don’t remember much about the celebration after, but I do remember the look on Coach Oswald’s face.
“Way to keep your eye on the ball,” he said.

There are many things in our lives that call for our attention. We have families, friends, school, work, church, hobbies, and many more things we have to do and we want to do. But there is only so much time in our lives to accomplish what we came here to do, to prepare to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. It’s easy to get distracted and lose focus on the things that are most important in life but we need to "keep our eye on the ball" or on what matters most to us and to our Heavenly Father. The relationships we have with our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, and our family members will be of greater value to us in the eternal scheme of things than other things we may put our time and efforts into.
     That doesn't mean that we shouldn't enjoy the hobbies or good fun things this life has to offer. But we need to have a good balance and keep our eye on the ball. We can't afford to let the things of the world distract us from what is most important. I would encourage you to examine your life. Decide where you are and what you need to do to be the kind of person you want to be and then Keep Your Eye On The Ball!

Our Pre-Earth Life Commitment to God's Team

I recently became aware that today is National Signing Day. Many of you may not know but this is the day that all high school football athletes determine which college they want to attend and play football for. They sign what's called a letter of intent stating that they are committing to play for the school of their choice. For big college football fans and programs this is an exciting day. As fans and as a program you get the opportunity to see the future of your team and the potential stars of tomorrow. There are often times a lot of hype surrounds certain players who have been rated by scouts to be the "cream of the crop". There are also a lot of names that don't receive much attention too. Either way it’s interesting to see what becomes of these players over the next four to five years. As these players enter new environments and challenges they can often meet expectations, rise higher than expected, or become just another player.

    These players, once out on their own away from home, can really take off or get bogged down by the college life. Some may excel in their schooling while others struggle. Some may find a great group of friends who help them make good choices on and off of the field while others fall into a different crowd and soon find themselves involved in the things of the world. Some may work hard to improve their athletic and intellectual skills while others are just there to have fun. Some may listen to their coach’s advice while others think their way is better. It may not be a quick change but over time coaches and fans realize that top prospects and highly ranked players may not have put in the effort to make the cut. They are now sitting on the sidelines watching those who have studied and worked hard get all the playing time and all the glory. This happens all the time in college football.

    So many of you may be wondering how or why this applies to anything to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ but let me show you the connection. We all once lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to this earth. We had so much potential and we shouted for joy when we "committed" to play on the Lord's team and have the chance to come to this earth to gain a body and knowledge through our experiences. We knew it would be tough but that it would be worth it.

     We now have left our Heavenly Father and are on our own and just like the star football player entering the college ranks we can either meet the expectations or fall short. The decisions we make on a daily basis determine whether or not we gain happiness in this life or the life to come. There may be things in our lives, like the football player, that are more fun at times than practice, or in other words scripture study, prayer, and church. But when we can put the necessary time into our practice, follow our coaches, or Prophet, parents, and church leaders, we can be a better player at the game of life. We will be rewarded with more playing time, blessings, and more happiness. We can become the stars our Heavenly Father wants us to be playing for his team and not Satan's, if we will just focus in on what is most important in our lives. I know we can do it and someday score the greatest touchdown of all, eternal life.