I can remember as a kid in Sunnyvale really loving the Fall time
of year. It wasn't that the rains had started or that the leaves were
changing color---it was that the Big Games of the season were about to be played. Though Fremont didn't play on Thanksgiving, Los Gatos went against Campbell, Lincoln played San Jose, and the real 'Big Game' between Stanford and Cal would soon finish the season. There were many rivalries across the country and I enjoyed them because these games seemed to bring out the very best in each team. In fact, many times the teams that had poor records and were given little chance to win would rise up and defeat their rival who had a better record. The competition always seemed to be at a high level. I love competition. I guess that is one of the reasons I coach. As Christians, we need rivals to compete with and against. We need those rivals who will sharpen our focus and cause us to train harder. Some years ago we had a coach's Bible study
that met on Tuesday mornings before school. A number of coaches came. Out of those times came a tradition that lasted for many Memorial Day weekends. We would leave right after school on Friday and drive to Sequoia National Park. We would plan to leave Crescent Meadow trail head by 6PM and hike the 10.5 miles to Bear Paw Meadow camp site often arriving by moonlight. One other coach and I would compete to see who could cover that distance in the shortest amount of time. In the dictionary it says of the word rival: "To strive to equal or excel; to emulate. To posses qualities that equal those of another." Dan was that kind of a rival for me. I wanted to be as fast or faster at hiking than he was. But, there was another way that he and the others were my rivals. As we talked on those weekends, we challenged each other to excel in our "hike" with the Lord. I think of a number of men that today are Christians because they went on a weekend with a bunch of coaches expecting one type of behavior but, instead, were confronted with men who loved, respected and had a deep caring about their relationship with each other and with God. Do you have friends who care for you enough to challenge you to walk closer to the Lord? Do they care enough to challenge you to do as Paul talks about in I Cor. 9:26? "I'm not shadow-boxing or playing around. Like an athlete preparing to compete, I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. God wants to "conform us to the image of Christ," and it is often a tough process if done alone. Find one or two or more others who really care about you and who will "hike the trail" with you. I'm so thankful for Dan and Dick and Steve and Charlie and Bill and Rodger who, though we no longer take those long treks, still encourage me in my "hike" with God. I remember Morro Rock, Merten Creek,the Great Western Divide, Tamarac Lake---pleasant memories with friends. Share the blessings and the joy---don't hike alone.

Coach Hitch