Studies on High Performance

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A Saxophonist's Spiritual Revelation

Author

Scripture

Luke 2:1-35, 2 Timothy 4:6-7, Colossians 3:23-24, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Ephesians 2:10

John Coltrane stands out as one of the giants of 20th-century jazz. His legacy is a generation of hearts touched and the light of God shining through his songs. Yet, for years, his work was haunted by...

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Beethoven is Everything

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Scripture

1 Chronicles 29:10-13 , Daniel 2:19-23, Philippians 2:3-11, 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 , Psalm 115:1

The renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini once led a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in London. His mastery and the orchestra’s precision resulted in thunderous applause from the audience. At ...

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The Two Runners

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 6:33, Colossians 3:23, Psalm 39:6, Luke 12:15, Acts 15:29, Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:62, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, James 1:12, Romans 8:16-17, Galatians 2:20

The true story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two British sprinters who qualified for the 1924 Olympic Games, illustrates two contrasting approaches to life and identity. Abrahams was driven by ...

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Ty Cobb's Batting Average

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

At seventy years old, Ty Cobb, considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was asked by a reporter, “What do you think your batting average would be if you were playing today? Do you ...

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Crafting Excellence Amid Constant Shifts

Author

Tom Nelson

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 31:1-5 , Proverbs 22:29, Ecclesiastes 9:10 , Matthew 25:14-30 , Colossians 3:23-24 , Psalm 90:17

The wonderful word master used to describe the person who is at the top of his or her craft, whatever the profession. It was a title that one could work toward and with some degree of confidence ascri...

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Jesus’ Trial

Author

John Stott

Keywords

Trials

In his seminal work, The Cross of Christ , British pastor and author John Stott describes the unique, upside-down kingdom instituted on the cross: One of the fascinating features of the Gospel writ...

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Jesus’ Trial: A Failure of Justice

Author

John Stott

Keywords

Justice

Scripture

Romans 3:23-24, Acts 3:13-15, 1 Peter 2:22-23, Isaiah 53:7, John 18:38, Luke 23:13-15

One of the fascinating features of the Gospel writers’ accounts of the trial of Jesus is this blending of the legal and moral factors. They all indicate that in both Jewish and Roman courts a certain ...

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Playing for His Master

Author

Steven C. Roy

Keywords

Scripture

Colossians 3:23-24, Galatians 1:10, 2 Corinthians 5:9, 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, Romans 12:1, John 12:43, Matthew 6:1

A story is told of a young violinist who lived in London many years ago. He was a superb musician. He loved his music and enjoyed playing before small groups of people in the homes of friends. But he ...

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Struggling to Remain Seated

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 51:15, Luke 19:37-40, Acts 4:20, 1 Corinthians 9:16, 1 Timothy 6:5, Revelation 17:14; 19:16

When Queen Victoria first took the throne, she attended a performance of Handel's Messiah, a customary event for royalty. Advised on proper etiquette, she was informed that she should not stand du...

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Performance-Oriented Worship

Author

D. A. Carson

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 18:9-14

We have become so performance-oriented that it is hard to see how compromised we are. Consider one small example. In many of our churches, prayers in morning services now function, in large measure, a...

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Faster, Higher, Stronger

Author

Richella J. Parham

Keywords

All kinds of competition are comparisons of the abilities or performance of one person or team to that of another. From elementary school spelling bees to professional sports, contestants compare thei...

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ONE MORE LAP!

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

2 Timothy 4:7-8, Hebrews 12:1-3, Philippians 3:13-14, Romans 5:3-5, Philippians 1:6

I recently heard a story about a race in which one runner had a significant lead over the rest of the field. As the man rounded the final turn, the crowd roared as he inched closer and closer to the f...

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Running The (Wrong) Race

Author

Heather Thompson Day

Keywords

We want everyone around us to believe we have it all together—and we don’t. We fear everyone else is living the lives they post and we are the only imposters. And so, the race is on. The race to perfe...

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No Need to Hold Anything Back

Author

Jeff Volkmer

Keywords

In the sport of cycling, one of the most important things necessary to be successful in a race is the ability to manage the timing of when “to burn a match.” This is a phrase that all bike racers know...

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The Transfer of Energy

Author

Simon Sinek

Keywords

In physics, power is defined as the transfer of energy. In a light bulb, for example, electricity is transferred into light and heat. A 100-watt light bulb is more powerful than a 60-watt light bulb b...

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Managing Perfectionism

Author

Katherine Morgan Schafler

Keywords

Perfectionism

In the most basic sense, managing your perfectionism looks like becoming aware of the core impulse all perfectionists reflexively experience: noticing room for improvement—Hmm, this could be better—an...

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Mastering our Craft

Author

Gordon T. Smith

Keywords

Work

The wonderful word master used to describe the person who is at the top of his or her craft, whatever the profession. It was a title that one could work toward and with some degree of confidence ascri...

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Investing in their Bodies

Author

Chad Veach

Keywords

LeBron James will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest players in basketball history. His stats are consistently jaw-dropping, despite competing in a sport that is usually dominated by you...

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Success vs. Excellence, A Poem

Author

David Neff

Keywords

Success is the key they hand you when they like you. It doesn’t matter why. They just give you the key that unlocks an upscale condo, triggers the powerful purr of your new Mercedes, and accesses ...

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The Correlation Between Privilege and Pressure

Author

Hayley Morgan

Keywords

According to a December 2014 article in The Economist, there is a “distinct correlation between privilege and pressure.” We may earn more money, but we can never earn more time. And because we’re work...

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How Much Stress Would You Like?

Author

Richard A Swenson

Keywords

Would you like a no-stress life? A wise person would not accept that option, no matter how tempting it might sound. A stress-free life would be fatal. If we do not have change, challenge, and novelty ...

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Excellence vs. Flawlessness

Author

Jon Johnston

Keywords

Excellence

Like so many people, I once associated excellence with flawlessness. The excellent person never makes mistakes, is always consistent and confident, and is continuously applauded by scores of imperfect...

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Excellence, the Jeremiah Way

Author

Eugene H. Peterson

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 23:12, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 12:2, Galatians 5:16-17, Colossians 3:12-14, Micah 6:8, Philippians 3:7-8

In Jeremiah it is clear that the excellence comes from a life of faith, from being more interested in God than in self, and has almost nothing to do with comfort or esteem or achievement. Here is a pe...

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One Great Competition

Author

Joan Chittister

Keywords

Everything we do is about winning something or measuring one person against another or garnering goods in great quantity, not because we need them but in order that others can’t have them. We make lif...

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Success vs. Excellence (Part II)

Author

Jon Johnston

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 16:26, Proverbs 16:3, Matthew 6:19-21

Success offers a hoped-for future goal. Excellence provides a striven-for present standard. Success bases our worth on a comparison with others. Excellence gauges our value by measuring us against ...

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Progress, the Secret of Success

Author

Harvard Business Review

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:58, Philippians 3:12-16, Isaiah 43:19, James 1:2-4, Proverbs 16:3

The Double Helix, James Watson’s 1968 memoir about discovering the structure of DNA, describes the roller coaster of emotions he and Francis Crick experienced through the progress and setbacks of the ...

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Stuck in Deadline Mode

Author

Carl Honoré

Keywords

Of course, speed has a role in the workplace. A deadline can focus the mind and spur us on to perform remarkable feats. The trouble is that many of us are permanently stuck in deadline mode, leaving l...

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What Happens to Performance Identity in the Wilderness

Author

Belden Lane

Keywords

Wilderness

What happens when a ‘gifted child’ finds himself in a wilderness where he’s stripped of any way of proving his worth? What does he do when there’s nothing he can do, when there’s no audience to applau...

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Restlessnes Keeps the Pedal to the Metal

Author

Ryan P. Tinetti

Keywords

Scripture

Habakkuk 2:5, James 3:16, Mark 8:36, Luke 12:15, Isaiah 57:20, 1 Timothy 6:9, 1 John 2:16

Restlessness keeps the pedal to the metal. To offer a suggestive analogy in this vein: several years ago there was a recall on some Toyota vehicles. Evidently the cars would be given to sudden and unc...

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Stronger on the Inside

Author

Alisha Illian

Keywords

I was listening to a show on the National Geographic channel. Two deep-sea diving experts were discussing the physics of a submarine. I found it fascinating that every square inch of a submarine’s hul...

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