Week 12- The Way of Holiness

MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.

     3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."

     5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

     6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.  Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

     7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

     8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.  The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

     9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there.  But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and the ransomed of the Lord will return.  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 35:3-10

What does this passage have to say about leadership?

Why is that important?

TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

1) We are learning that one of the major roles of a leader is to meet the needs of others.  What is the most important need that a person has?  What ability do you have to help others learn how that need can be met?  What is the result in a person’s life when that need is met (v. 5-10)?  Are you sharing the love of Jesus Christ with others in your life?

WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

2) What is the “Way of Holiness” (v. 8)?  How can you encourage your teammates to walk on that road?  Do your daily habits and attitudes demonstrate a commitment to doing so?  Do your other relationships (family, friends, teachers, classmates, workplace, etc) reflect your commitment to the Way?

THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

5) Which of your teammates or coaches could use some encouragement?  Which of them often seems “left out” and doesn’t get too much attention from others?  Which of them has seemed worn out lately?  Which of them has been tentative in practice or games?  Which of them could use a reminder of God’s goodness and strength?  Which of them is intimidated or overwhelmed by the challenges facing them?  Which of them has an existing need outside of sports, or even outside of school?  Find a way to encourage these team members, and to meet these needs; this is the way of leadership.

FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of leadership, and pray together.

· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about leadership this week, and to repeat some of those things.  (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about leadership you’ve discussed, if necessary.)

· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about leadership this week...What does a leader athlete do?”  Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of leadership, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.

· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “leader athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.

· Pray together as a team.  Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of leadership — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week.  Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable.  Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding leadership or anything else), and pray together.