Out of the Bleachers

The path to being a successful volleyball player begins when you first decide to play. You have to know that sitting in the bleachers and being a fan is not meant for you. You have to believe that you will be able to help the team win. Most importantly, you have to make the decision to never stop improving on your skills and working to become a better player and teammate. If you join the volleyball team for popularity reasons, social reasons, or just so volleyball can take up one of your classes at school, then you can already count yourself out of being a productive member of the team. You have to approach the sport with a desire to improve every time you step on the court and be ready to give it your all to help your teammates have success.

Don't let all this scare you away.  It is a lot of fun to play, but it is even more fun to win. That is why it's so important to have a passion for volleyball from the beginning. Volleyball is a great sport. It develops you not only as an athlete but also as a person. So if you approach volleyball with a half-hearted attitude, then that is how you will approach life. It is important to strive for success in whatever you do, whether it be volleyball, a math test, or a wal-mart cashier. Your attitude and effort define who you are, and nobody wants to be known as lazy and apathetic. So the first key to achieving greatness in volleyball is to get out of the bleachers, get on the court, and be ready to turn some heads.

 

As the first step to being a great volleyball player is to join the team, the first step to being an effective Christian is to become one. It would be very hard to bring honor and glory to God when you don't even know Him. This is the most simple thing you can possibly do. First you have to believe you are a sinner. Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That's not hard to do. We all know that we lie, cheat, steal, or even just think a bad thought about someone at some point or another, which are all sins. Then you have to believe that because of this sin, you deserve hell, but that you are able to go to heaven because God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins. He took our place on the cross and died for us so that we never have to die spiritually- meaning we can have eternal life in Heaven. As most of y'all know John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then the only thing you have to do is ask Jesus to come into your heart to save you of your sins, and He will. Romans 10:13 says "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

 That's not hard at all. It's as easy as ABC. A-Admit you're a sinner, B-Believe Jesus died for you, and C- Call upon the Lord to save you. But as you shouldn't approach volleyball with a half-hearted attitude, you shouldn't approach God half-heartedly. You should be ready to spend your life striving to bring Him the honor, glory, and praise He deserves for saving your soul from hell, and trying to reach others to share Jesus with them. God is awesome, almighty, and loving and wants to have a relationship with you, if you'll only let Him.
 

Walking with God: So Easy a Child Can Understand

Photo Credit: My Picture from a Mission Trip to Kenya, Africa

More on the Roman Road to Salvation:
http://emmanuelmbcgreenvilletexas.blogspot.com/p/roman-road.html

Technological Advances Changing Education and Sports

I just watched a video called “Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts.” It was an assignment, but it gave me a lot of ideas for my future classroom and volleyball team. The video focused on a high school teacher who incorporated technology into all of her lessons. She said this allowed the students who wouldn’t be as successful given the pen and paper lessons, to learn. This way of teaching enabled the students to think and discover for themselves and then teach each other. In fact, the teacher said sometimes she wouldn’t even know how to complete a process the students found-she was learning right along with them.

This got me to thinking, as we are in a technology age, it is important that I find ways to use technology in my lessons as well. Mine may not be as extensive as the teacher in this video, but she gave me a lot of ideas. She mentioned showing her students new software. There are tons of software out there for mathematics. In fact, if my students continue on into a math related field, they will most likely be using software to perform the math. I can prepare my students by giving them a head start at using these. Another idea I had was to screencast my lessons and make them available to my students online. Then if they were at home working on homework or studying for a test and couldn’t remember something we went over in class, they would have access to the lessons. Also, parents could watch the lessons to gain a better understanding of the coursework, so they could better help their students.

This could also benefit my volleyball team. I can use technology to communicate with my team or share announcements with them. Also I could make videos or articles that could enhance their skills available to them for them to work on in their own time. This way we would have more time to practice on team play while on the court. My players could use technology to scout opponents as well- to learn their weaknesses or tendencies so they know better how to defeat them. As the teacher in “Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts” said, technology allows us to be connected to the world.

A Glimpse of a Classroom in the Technology Age

Photo Credit: Britannica Image Quest

The Video:

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis-video

Effects of Social Networking on Society, Volleyball, and the Christian Life

This post was actually an assignment so it will deviate somewhat from the norm. It is, however, a topic that is important in modern society and interesting to know. I will be discussing some of the effects of social networking on society, and as each of y’all are currently reading this blog post, I can say with confidence that it will pertain to your life in some way.
 

The first article I read on this matter was “The Positive Impact of Social Networking Sites On Society.” This article discussed the obvious reasons social media is a good thing. It allows people to keep in touch with family and friends who may live in a completely different state. With these sites, a person can know more than just the overview of how a relative or long lost friend’s life has been going that they would receive in a phone call- they are able to see pictures of baby cousins, or new boyfriends or even keep up with how their volleyball season is going. Social networking allows people to stay in touch with the world, build strong relationships, and have faster communication.
 

The second article, “The Effects of Social Networking Upon Society,” mainly looked at the negative effects. This author mentioned how human interaction is suffering because people are used to their only contact with others being on the web. She also said that bullying has become easier and more convenient. Cyber bullying can be done from the comfort of one’s own home, so people who normally wouldn’t be able to bully someone to their face will simply post a picture or a status about someone on the Internet for the world to see. Also this author discussed how teenagers don’t know how to handle these sites responsibly. They post pictures of themselves drinking or smoking underage, or showing sexual content that cannot be taken back after posted. These can ruin a future with a click of the mouse.
 

My take on this issue is somewhat neutral: I agree with both articles even though they seem to contradict. Social Networking in itself is a good thing- it’s the users that make it bad. When used right, it allows people to stay in touch and communicate quicker and more conveniently. However, just like in real life, it’s when people step outside the boundaries that things start going south. The second author summed up my view at the end of her article. She said social networking should “only be used as a tool.”
 

Now, onto the actual basis of my blog. Volleyball players can learn a lot by using social media. They can find ways to better their skills and find drills to work on, and can also ask a group of friends to go practice with them. The Internet cannot give them the skills though, only the advice needed to produce them. This means they cannot spend all their time on social networking instead of practicing or their volleyball skills will suffer.
     

From a Christian standpoint, social networking effects still depend on the user. If someone is spending so much time on social media sites that they don’t have time for God, there’s something wrong. Or, if they are doing things on social media that aren’t pleasing to God, then that’s also not good. However, when used appropriately social media can be a good way to share your faith with others, or can even just be a positive example of how to live your life in social media as well as in the real world.

                               Should It Take a Website to "Follow Your Interests"?
                                                       Photo Credit: Britannica Image Quest

 

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/positive-impact-social-networking-sites-society-opinion/

http://teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/485925/The-Effects-of-Social-Networking-upon-Society/