“Living Life in the Zone: A 40 Day Spiritual Game Plan for Men,” by Kyle Rote Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew is an ideal devotion for men that are into sports. The Book itself is divided into sections such as, Personal Life, Marriage Life, Family Life, Work Life, etc. Each devotion is short, but applicable and is broken down into 6 sections:
- Thought for the Day: A Synapse of the Devotional
- The Coaches Corner: The teaching of the day.
- The Game Plan: The Specific Points out of the Day’s Teaching backed up with Scripture.
- Playmakers: Example (Good or Bad) of someone from the Sports World.
- Time Out: A time of Reflection and Prayer
- Today’s Assignment: A way to apply the teaching in a practical way.
At first glance this looks like a lot for a single day’s devotional, but it actually isn’t that long… 15 minutes at the most!
You can always tell how a book has impacted me by turning to the back cover and seeing all the references I catalogued with specific page numbers. In, “Living in the Zone,” my back cover was full of stories and references I didn’t want to forget. I was truly inspired by the vivid examples that the book uses from the arena of sports. I laughed and at points cried from seeing God work in people’s lives. I found myself sharing the content of the book on more than one occasion.
One story out of the book that really impacted me was the story about Orel Hershiser. Hershiser attributed his love for God as THE motivating factor and source of all his strength while playing in the Major Leagues and he had some pretty remarkable achievements: He was a three-time National League All-Star and pitched eighteen years for Los Angeles, Cleveland, San Francisco, and the New York Met’s. In 1988, he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player and Associated Press Athlete of the Year as well as Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the year. He won the Cy Young Award as the National League’s best pitcher. He was also a three-time National League All-Star Pitcher.
What I did not know about Orel Hershiser is that in the face of noisy stadiums, Hershiser would often calm himself down on the mound by singing Christian Hymns. The night after winning the world series he was interviewed on the Tonight Show by Johnny Carson in which he was asked what he was singing during the decisive game of the World Series. In response, Hershiser stood tall and began singing the Doxology:
“Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
What an incredible story and witness… and that’s just one of the many stories that touched my heart!
Some of the featured playmakers (Both Good and Bad Examples) include: Charles Barkley, Bill Bates, Coach Bill Belichick, Larry Bird, Coach Bobby Bowden, James Brown, Coach Bear Bryant, Truett Cathy, Lee Corso, John Daly, Coach Tony Dungy, Clay Dyer, J.D. Gibbs, Mike Glenn, Coach Mike Gottfried, A.C. Green, David Green, Orel Hershiser, Coach Mike Homgren, Coach Lou Holtz, allan Houston, Wayne Huizenga Jr., Magic Johnson, Bobby Jones, Michael, Jordan, Coach Bobby Knight, Coach Tom Landry, Ken Lay, Coach Vince Lombardi, Archie Manning, Chris Mortensen, Joe Namath, Coach Tom Osborne, Terrell Owens, Bud Paxson, Scottie Pippen, Coach Mark Richt, Mark Sanford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, O.J.Simpson, Ron Springs, Coach Gene Stallings, Roger Staubach, Les Steckel, Bob Stoops, Joe Theismann, Michael Vick, Everson Walls, Kurt Warner, Bob Weiland, Reggie White, Coach John Wooden.
I would give the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and would highly recommend it!
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com (http://BookSneeze.com) book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html): “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”