Developing an optimal training plan takes more than a desire to make an athlete work so hard that they throw up. It means knowing your athletes, understanding their goals, and taking the time to carefully evaluate how you can help get them where they want to be athletically.I have witnessed over my many years of coaching, that one workout cannot make an athlete or a team but one workout can break an athlete or a team. Coaches need to get away from the idea that because a workout is hard and y... Read Full Story

The effort to Save High School Sports in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District received its biggest community boost last Sunday at Newhall Park when over 2,000 people turned out for the inaugural 5K Run/Walk sponsored by United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation, the fundraising and support group headed by Clayton Valley High School athletic director and Clayton resident Pat Middendorf. There were football jerseys galore along with shirts for cross country, water polo, basketball, wrestling, ten... Read Full Story

Life is always sending unexpected surprises, but praise God, nothing takes Him by surprise. He’s the master planner. Even though family or friends may let us down; illness, afflictions, problems and “situations” may seem to be all around us…God still has a plan, for you, and for me.Joseph is a prime example of life’s surprises. It took 13 years of endurance and character-building for him to fulfill this part of God’s plan. Sold as a slave into Egypt by his own brothers, betrayed and imprisone... Read Full Story

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m., known as the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Armistice Day was made a legal holiday in 1938, primarily to honor World War I veterans. The honor was extended to all veterans by an Act of Congress in 1954. In 1968, Congress approved the Uniform Holiday Bill so that Veterans Day and several other national holidays would be bumped up to a weekend to creat... Read Full Story

November 4th, 2009 Posted in Pastor Greg Laurie's Blog: Yes, it’s true, legendary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman is coming to perform at Harvest Christian Fellowship on Sunday, November 15, at 6:00 P.M. This will not be just a concert, however. It will be a very special event.We are calling it, "A Night of Hope." Steven will perform songs from his brand new CD Beauty Will Rise, and I will share thoughts from Scripture on the topics of tragedy, suffering, hope, and heaven.As you may kn... Read Full Story

The March 2008 death of University of Central Florida football player Ereck Plancher, who collapsed after a supervised workout and was pronounced dead at a hospital hours later, was the most recent wake-up call for the athletic world about the dangers of sickle cell trait. The trait, which Plancher had, increases the likelihood of exertional rhabdomyolysis and other health problems during hard workouts, especially in hot weather.The NCAA Division I Legislative Council is currently considering... Read Full Story

The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. B... Read Full Story

Dodger Pitching Takes a Walk in NLCSIn game #1, Carlos Ruiz hit a three-run home run to left field against the Dodgers left-hander, Clayton Kershaw following two BB. Later, Raul Ibanez hit a three-run home run to right field in the eighth inning against Dodgers left-hander George Sherrill following two BB. Dodgers Lost 8-6.In game #3, Hiroki Kuroda was charged with six runs in 1 1/3 innings for an ERA of 40.50, following a month in rehab and a AAA outing. This gave the Dodgers in their worst ... Read Full Story

Wiersbes, Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, quotes: “Millions of surveys which we have helped to take around the world indicate that approximately 98 percent of the Christians do not regularly introduce others to the Savior.”In a survey given to those attending training sessions for a Billy Graham crusade in Detroit, attendees were asked to answer this question by checking one of the following answers. “What is your greatest hindrance in witnessing?” 0% said they don’t care. 9% said... Read Full Story

When two teams with equal talent battle for a championship, before it is all said and done, "Defense" will play a major role in the outcome. Let's look at the recent MLB Playoffs from both the American and National leagues. The Angles recently tied a club record for errors in a postseason game with three, then went on to loose game #1 of the AL Championship Series to the Yankees 4-1. In game #2, Maicer Izturis, the Angels second baseman, fielded Melky Cabrera's one-out grounder (in the hole t... Read Full Story