Blog Archives - COACH Toby Schwarz

COACH Toby Schwarz

TEAM Sport!

10/30/2025

“Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” 1 Colossians 4:5-6

Read the Bible for any period of time, and you will quickly notice that the majority of it is not about "how should I live" but more about "how should I live with other". God created us to have relationship with us and for us to have relationship with Him. God created others for us to have relationship with and for them to have relationship with us. And through those relationships with others, we can better understand our relationship with God. If we don't learn how to relate to those around us, how will we ever learn how to relate to God. Relationship is a SKILL. Get out of your house, interact with others, help others, be with others. That is how life is supposed to be. It is not an individual/solitary experience. It is a TEAM sport.

Lord, as much as I may enjoy being alone, I am not meant to be, so help me to see people as a necessity and not an inconvenience.

perspective!

10/29/2025

“When arrogance comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

We are not worthless. We don't suck. Others aren't worthless. Others don't suck. We are very gifted and talented. Others are very gifted and talented. All all of these gifts and talents are provided by God to do good work. Humility is understanding that we aren't as horrible as we may think sometimes and we aren't superior to others as much as we think we are at times. Anything we have is from God and anything others have is from God. That is why we should never look down on ourselves or look down on others, nor be too selfish and full of ourselves. God is the only one who we should be full of.

Lord, help me to have the humility to understand that I have more than I can ever imagine AND all of it comes from You and that should dictate how I see myself and relate to others.

210!

10/28/2025

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

Side note: Ephesians 210 - how did I not see this until now?

We all have times of doubt. Doubt is real. Some, unfortunately, doubt more often than others. They struggle for purpose. They struggle for meaning. They struggle for worth. God answers all of these in this one verse of confirmation that we have been created for a purpose. We are not a mistake. We are loved and valued.

Lord, help those who struggle to see that they matter and they have too much good work to do than to sit around and worry and doubt.

No Pain, No Brain!

10/27/2025

“For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” -2 Corinthians 4:17

"No Pain, No gain". "Short term pain brings long term pleasure". "If it is easy, it isn't worth having". "Without effort, there is no reward". "Hard work pays off" "Turn your wounds into wisdom". "Consider it Joy when you face trials ..."

Lord, help me to make the correct choices today and not the easy or painless ones.

Good Cop/Bad Cop!

10/24/2025

“Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.” Psalm 139:7-8

You see flashing blue lights behind you and you notice you are 15mph over the speed limit ... Bad Cop. You see flashing blue lights in the distance and you are broken down on the side of the road and haven't seen a car in an hour ... Good Cop. We do something wrong and feel guilt or shame and have no desire to repent and move on ... Bad God. We do something wrong and feel guilt and shame and desire forgiveness from ourselves and God ... Good God. We need help but want to fix it ourselves ... Bad God. We need help and actually want help ... Good God.

Lord, thank You for always being there when I need You and especially when, at the time, I don't want You.

All In!!!

10/23/2025

"Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8

"Taste" refers to an active and personal engagement with God and not simply an intellectual one. We can "know about" God, but we need to drop our defenses and truly "know God" by trusting and interacting with Him fully. God wants to have a deep and loving relationship with us. We need to do our part.

Lord, help me to not be the one who is the weak link in our relationship.

What Should I Do?!

10/22/2025

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God ..." James 1:5

But will God actually tell me what I need to know ... "... who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly..."

Are you sure God will tell me what I should do and I what I need to know ..."and it will be given to him."

How do I know what God is telling me is right ... "But let him ask in faith without doubting."

What happens if I don't trust what God says ... "For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.”

Oh! James 1:5-8

Uncomfortable Revelation!!

10/21/2025

“For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-13

The day will come for all of us, if not several days over the course of our lives, when we realize that our current undesirable situation or status in life is a result of our own choices and actions, and we can't blame anyone else. At some point, we need to take responsibility and realize that our view of our purpose in this world has laid a foundation that the rest of our decisions are built upon. That is why the choice to follow God and make His purposes our purposes is the most important decision we will ever make.

Lord, help me to realize that if my life isn't going well, I need to start with me and what I value and help me to avoid blaming anything else.

Tim or Tory??!!!

10/20/2025

“…since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us.” Hebrews 12:1

Each morning, we can choose for the day to be a new day and a new beginning or we can see it as a continuation of the mistakes or failures of yesterday. We can either be a VICTIM of our past sin or we can claim VICTORY in Jesus and start anew and do better today.

Lord, help me to have a vicTORY mentality and avoid the more easy and common vicTIM mentality.

HELP!!!!!!

10/16/2025

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil.” Psalm 46:102

When the maintenance light goes on in my car, I take it to the mechanic. When my pipe brakes in my house, I call a plumber. When I need my recommended colonoscope, I go on line and try to figure out how to do it myself.

Lord, thank You that when I need help fixing my life, I don't need to do it alone and You are the professional and You are always here for me.