NOVEMBER 1, 2026

   “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first.” 

― Jim Morrison

JEREMIAH 31-32

 38They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. (32:38-39)

TITUS 2

11For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

JOURNAL 

Amidst all the “trick or treaters” last night...I had a thought. What if Halloween flipped and instead of putting on a costume...everyone revealed their true selves, thoughts, ambitions etc. Question is...how different would that be from real life? How much of who we really are stays hidden because we are afraid of rejection, afraid of failure, or simply unwilling to make the effort to be honest?

Fear and laziness can rob us of so much without us even realizing it. We don't say what we really think, pursue what matters to us, or allow ourselves to be truly known. Sometimes we fear what being honest might cost us...and sometimes it's just easier to keep doing what we've always done. Yet what does that cost us? What relationships, opportunities and experiences could be amazing if we were willing to be honest, take the chance and do the work?

The question ultimately comes down to how much of our lives have we surrendered to God? It's easy to just show up or give lip service...what's really hard is to follow when doing so requires vulnerability, effort or the possibility of rejection. I wonder how often I ask God for direction while avoiding something I already know I need to do. How often does fear keep me quiet, or laziness convince me that I can get to it tomorrow?

This verse in Jeremiah couldn't be more clear...“singleness of heart and action.” For what I believe, what I say and how I live to be consistent requires surrender and sacrifice. It requires me to quit hiding behind excuses and trust God with what comes of being honest. His grace gives me the freedom to admit where I am...and the reason to get up and do something about it.

I don't want to look back and realize that I spent my life protecting myself from the very experiences that could have made it so meaningful. To love honestly, pursue wholeheartedly and be willing to be seen...in every success, every failure, every acceptance and every rejection. There is so much potential in the life God has given us. How much of it might we experience if we stopped allowing fear and laziness to decide how we live?

31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

JOHN 8:31-32

OCTOBER 31, 2026

   “I think if human beings had genuine courage, they'd wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween. Wouldn't life be more interesting that way? And now that I think about it, why the heck don't they? Who made the rule that everybody has to dress like sheep 364 days of the year? ” 

― Douglas Coupland, The Gum Thief

JEREMIAH 29-30

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord (29:11)

TITUS 1

 6An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe^b and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

JOURNAL 

I love Halloween. I always have. There is something magical about it, from the costumes and trick-or-treating to the parties, haunted houses, and wonderful childhood memories. I have never understood why some people are so unnerved by it. To me, Halloween represents imagination, creativity, laughter, and community. It is a day when we allow ourselves to step outside the ordinary and experience life with the wonder and excitement of a child. But why should that sense of wonder be reserved for one day? Why shouldn't every ordinary day be approached with the same enthusiasm, curiosity, and gratitude?

Today is also Nick Saban's birthday, which seems especially meaningful after watching the documentary about his life and coaching career. What struck me most was how closely his philosophy of the Process aligns with what I am discovering through Deserve Victory. Saban understood that championships were not won on Saturdays but earned through countless ordinary moments of preparation, effort, and discipline. His genius was shifting the focus away from winning and toward becoming. Winning could never be guaranteed, but the commitment to doing things the right way could be. That is precisely what I want Deserve Victory to represent. We cannot command victory, but we can deserve it. And perhaps the greatest victory is not the championship itself, but the person we become through the pursuit.

What I am beginning to understand is that this philosophy is really a way of living. The joy is not supposed to be postponed until some future accomplishment, financial success, or completed project. It is available today, in the work itself, in our relationships, in the challenges, and in the opportunity to become more of the person God created us to be. Ordinary days lived with extraordinary intentionality become remarkable lives. And even if they never produce the outcomes we imagine, they are no less meaningful. There is tremendous freedom in pursuing great things with all our hearts while surrendering the results. The effort itself becomes an expression of love, discipline, and gratitude.

The passage from Jeremiah is especially meaningful because it is the same Scripture Marci wrote in the Bible she gave me thirty years ago. How can it possibly have been that long? Father, You have loved us so faithfully, and the blessings are far too numerous to count! Yet I recognize how often I have interpreted Your promises through the lens of the outcomes I desired rather than the relationship You were offering. Perhaps the most beautiful part of Jeremiah's promise is not the hope of a prosperous future, but the assurance that when we seek You with all our hearts, we will find You. And Titus reminds me that a life devoted to You is demonstrated not merely by what we profess, but by how we live, through goodness, self-control, integrity, love, and discipline.

So today, on Halloween, I wake up to another extraordinary gift disguised as an ordinary day. There will be problems to solve, responsibilities to fulfill, people to serve, and opportunities to grow. There will also be laughter, celebration, family, and the simple joy of being alive. Father, forgive me for allowing anxiety, regret, or the pursuit of some imagined future to rob me of the wonder of today. Help me to live as a conduit of Your power, love, and discipline. Help me to pursue excellence without attachment to outcomes and to find joy in the pursuit itself. Let me make this ordinary day a masterpiece, not because of what I accomplish, but because of how faithfully and joyfully I live it. Perhaps the real magic of Halloween is a reminder that the wonder I have always loved about this day has been available to me every day of my life.

 15To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

TITUS 1:15-16

OCTOBER 30, 2026

  “A true genius admits that he/she knows nothing.” 

― Albert Einstein

JEREMIAH 27-28

 6Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. 7All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.

8“ ‘ “If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. (27:8)

2 TIMOTHY 4

1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

JOURNAL 

Reading Jeremiah 27–28 reminds me just how little I truly understand about the ways of God. Nebuchadnezzar was a ruthless, power-hungry king, yet God called him His servant and used him to accomplish His purposes. By human standards, this makes little sense. We want to believe that righteousness produces prosperity, obedience guarantees favorable outcomes, and success is evidence of God's blessing. But Scripture continually challenges these assumptions. God is not bound by my understanding of success, nor does He exist to fulfill my expectations. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to truly knowing God is my persistent desire to make Him fit within a narrative I can understand and control.

This connects directly to what I have been wrestling with lately about achievement, purpose, and the pursuit of a meaningful life. For so long, I have attached significance to outcomes—to what I might accomplish, build, earn, or become. Even when those ambitions are rooted in a desire to do good, they can quietly become another attempt to control my future and establish my worth. But yesterday's conversation helped clarify something important: the real joy is not found in arriving at some extraordinary destination, but in the daily pursuit of becoming the person God created me to be. There is tremendous freedom in that realization. I can pursue great things with all my heart without needing those things to validate my life.

Paul's words in 2 Timothy 4 reinforce this beautifully. Be prepared in season and out of season. Endure hardship. Keep your head. Fulfill your responsibilities. There is nothing here about guaranteeing results or achieving worldly recognition. It is a call to faithfulness in the ordinary responsibilities of each day. This is the essence of Deserve Victory. I cannot command the outcome, but I can devote myself completely to the process. I can teach with excellence, coach with intention, love my family, build meaningful things, and pursue opportunities with enthusiasm and discipline. Not because these efforts guarantee some future reward, but because there is intrinsic joy and meaning in doing them well.

And perhaps this is what it means to offer myself as a living sacrifice, as Paul describes in Romans 12. It is not merely surrendering my ambitions, but surrendering my need to control what comes from them. It is allowing God to transform the very way I understand success. I do not have to abandon the extraordinary possibilities I envision for my life. I simply need to stop making their realization the condition of my peace, satisfaction, or happiness. The pursuit itself can become an expression of worship when it is grounded in love, guided by discipline, and surrendered to God.

Ultimately, the question is not whether I will achieve everything I imagine, but how I will show up today regardless of what comes of it. Am I running toward God or toward the security I believe an accomplishment might provide? Am I working out of love and the joy of becoming, or out of fear that I will somehow fall short? I want to become so immersed in the privilege of living, loving, learning, creating, and serving that the outcome loses its grip on me. To find genuine satisfaction in the work itself, knowing that ordinary days lived with extraordinary intention become a remarkable life. I do not need to know what God is building through me. I need only to be faithful with what He has placed before me today.

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

ROMANS 13:1-2

OCTOBER 29, 2026

  “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”  

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

JEREMIAH 25-26

 4And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. 5They said, “Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. 6Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. (25:4-6)

2 TIMOTHY 3

 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

JOURNAL 

Watching the Nick Saban documentary has really reinforced something I have been coming to understand more deeply: the extraordinary power of the ordinary day. So much of life is spent chasing outcomes, measuring success by achievements, recognition, wealth, or some imagined destination where we believe fulfillment and happiness await us. Yet Saban's philosophy of focusing on the process reveals a much greater truth. The greatest performances and most remarkable accomplishments are not produced by obsessing over winning, but by becoming completely invested in doing the ordinary things extraordinarily well. This is the very heart of Deserve Victory. We cannot command the outcome, but we can devote ourselves to becoming the kind of people who deserve victory through our effort, discipline, grit, and love for others. There is tremendous freedom in this because it allows us to surrender the results while taking complete responsibility for how we live today.

What strikes me most is that this philosophy reaches far beyond football. It is really a way of approaching life itself. Every ordinary day is filled with opportunities to grow, serve, love, learn, and become. When I become consumed with outcomes, I lose sight of these opportunities and often sacrifice the joy of living in pursuit of something that may or may not happen. But when I surrender the outcome to God and focus instead on faithfully embracing the responsibilities and opportunities of today, everything changes. Gratitude becomes the foundation of that perspective. I begin to recognize that even the frustrations, disappointments, difficult people, and seemingly insignificant responsibilities are opportunities for growth. Rather than allowing the failures of others or the circumstances of the world to rob me of my peace, I can choose to respond with love, discipline, and purpose. That is where obedience becomes more than simply following a set of rules. It becomes a grateful response to the extraordinary gift of life.

Perhaps the greatest revelation is that the joy is not found at the end of the process, but within the process itself. There is something deeply satisfying about becoming better, doing meaningful work, overcoming challenges, and giving ourselves fully to whatever is before us. This is what I want our players to understand through Deserve Victory, but even more importantly, it is what I want to embody in my own life. Winning is wonderful, but the person we become in pursuing excellence is infinitely more valuable than the victory itself. And when we learn to find joy in the effort rather than attaching our happiness to the result, we actually free ourselves to perform at our highest level. We no longer carry the burden of having to prove our worth through achievement. Instead, we are free to give our very best simply because the opportunity to do so is a gift.

Ultimately, remarkable lives are not built in remarkable moments. They are built through ordinary days, faithfully and intentionally lived, stacked one upon another. A life of excellence is not something waiting for me somewhere in the future. It is being created in the choices I make today, in how I teach, coach, work, love my family, treat others, and respond to adversity. God has given me this day, and my responsibility is not to control what it produces but to make the most of what it offers. To rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances is to recognize that every moment carries an opportunity to live in tune with Him. Perhaps that is the greatest meaning of Deserve Victory: to become so completely invested in the joy and purpose of living each ordinary day well that the outcome no longer determines our fulfillment. And somewhere along the way, those ordinary days become an extraordinary life. 

16Rejoice always, 17pray continually, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

OCTOBER 28, 2026

 " ...Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength. Then I, his father will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain. ”

― Douglas MacArthur - Prayer for his son

“Make every day your masterpiece. ” 
― John Wooden

JEREMIAH 23-24

 6My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. (24:6-7)

2 TIMOTHY 2

22Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

JOURNAL 

The book of 2 Timothy is considered to be Paul's final letter before he is executed. Timothy is considered to be his "son in the faith". Paul serves as a "spiritual father"...so this are his last words to Timothy...his final instruction. In many ways it reminds me of the Poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling.

Over the years I have been fascinated by final letters written as people faced their death. Mostly these are from soldiers and to me there is something holy about the final moments of a soul on this earth...especially when they are choosing through sacrifice and principle to risk their lives. One of those was from a civil war soldier named Sullivan Ballou who died at the First Battle of Bull Run. This letter captures the essence of sacrifice and the preciousness of life that God grants us. It is a reminder that every day and every moment is a gift and should be treated as such. It is also a reminder of the timelessness of our hearts and souls and that there is a longing and a reality that is beyond the borders of our flesh and  blood. 

God asks us to persist and trust even when it is not to our immediate benefit...to do it because that is what it really means to trust and to believe. These words are so beautiful, strong, elegant and would seem impossible that this would be his last words. Yet this sacrifice that God called him to has inspired millions of people all over the world. It has been read in locker rooms, board rooms and even on the steps of Congress upon presidential inaugurations. So while I may never understand God's timing and his purposes, he is always good and his timing and plan are ultimately perfect.

Camp Clark, Washington

My very dear Sarah: 

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days - perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more.

Our movement may be one of a few days duration and full of pleasure - and it may be one of severe conflict and death to me. Not my will, but thine 0 God, be done. If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my country, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing - perfectly willing - to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt.

But, my dear wife, when I know that with my own joys I lay down nearly all of yours, and replace them in this life with cares and sorrows - when, after having eaten for long years the bitter fruit of orphanage myself, I must offer it as their only sustenance to my dear little children - is it weak or dishonorable, while the banner of my purpose floats calmly and proudly in the breeze, that my unbounded love for you, my darling wife and children, should struggle in fierce, though useless, contest with my love of country?

I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer night, when two thousand men are sleeping around me, many of them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of death -- and I, suspicious that Death is creeping behind me with his fatal dart, am communing with God, my country, and thee.

I have sought most closely and diligently, and often in my breast, for a wrong motive in thus hazarding the happiness of those I loved and I could not find one. A pure love of my country and of the principles have often advocated before the people and "the name of honor that I love more than I fear death" have called upon me, and I have obeyed.

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grow up to honorable manhood around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me - perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar -- that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have oftentimes been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness, and struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot. I must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more.

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the garish day and in the darkest night -- amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours - always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again.

As for my little boys, they will grow as I have done, and never know a father's love and care. Little Willie is too young to remember me long, and my blue eyed Edgar will keep my frolics with him among the dimmest memories of his childhood. Sarah, I have unlimited confidence in your maternal care and your development of their characters. Tell my two mothers his and hers I call God's blessing upon them. O Sarah, I wait for you there! Come to me, and lead thither my children.

--Sullivan