All Categories - COACH Toby Schwarz

COACH Toby Schwarz

Just Taste It!

10/15/2024

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

My Wife at a restaurant, "Try This". Me, "No thanks". My wife, "Come on, just taste a little bit". Me, "No Thanks". My wife with tempered frustration, "What is wrong with you". Me, "A lot". It is amazing how stubborn we can be and set in our ways. Often times, someone we love and trust wants us to taste a part of their world that they have found to love and they want us to have it too but we fail to be courageous enough to try something new and we miss out greatly.

Lord, help me to taste more of what You have to offer me. I love what I have sampled of You but for some reason, I fail to trust that You have more good things for me.

NEED to Hear!

10/14/2024

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. 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.” James 1:5-8

Humans love to hear what we WANT to hear and we also love to be confirmed about what we already know. BOTH of these characteristics is what keeps us from reaching our potential and it also keeps us struggling with life more than we already should.

Lord, help me ask for what I NEED and help me to be receptive to what I SHOULD do and not what I want to do.

People ... Please!!

10/11/2024

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Colossians 3:23

There are a ton of "people pleasers" out there. The one common thread among "people pleasers" is that they tend to be very unhappy and unsatisfied, while at the same time, rarely pleasing anyone, including themselves. "People Pleasing" is such a huge part of our world that a famous quote from the 1400's is still as true today as it was over 600 years ago ...“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.” John Lydgate

Lord, help me to please You and You only and if I don't upset a lot of people along the way, then that works for me.

He Is Here!

10/10/2024

“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. If I fly on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the western horizon, even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me.”- Psalm 139:7-10

Amen!!!

Instilling Courage!

10/9/2024

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Courageous people have the strength to face pain, grief, uncertainty, difficulty and fear. Courageous people run toward what others run away from. Courage is a skill that we learn but is also an attitude that we choose to have. No matter how courageous we may be, we need others to remind us and instill us with courage. Encouragement is not praise. Encouragement is a gift we can give others by helping them to know "You can do it and I am here for you as you do it."

Lord, thank You for being the best at encouraging me and help me to encourage others.

Best Gift Ever!

10/8/2024

“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 46:1-2

Junior High (or middle school for this generation) was a horrible time for me. I was scared all of the time. I woke up worried, and it turned to scared and by the end of the day I was simply exhausted and afraid. Then I met Jesus in High School and I have never been afraid since. NEVER!! As my wife tells my daughters, "Scared is scared of daddy". This doesn't make me tough. This is just an example of the unexplainable gifts that God will provide us when we TRUST in Him. We fear because we don't trust that God has our back.

Lord, thank You that I have no reason to fear anything because You tell me I don't have to.

Perspective!

10/7/2024

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2

If you ask someone, "what is your goal in life" or "what do you want to accomplish" or "where do you see yourself in 5 years", the answer will often include a career or a place or a person (basically, a noun). But if you ask God what his will for our life is, He is very clear, it is not a noun, it is a few verbs ... Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Lord, help me to be more of a verb than caught up in pursuing nouns.

Opportunity to Serve!

10/4/2024

“Serve one another through love.” Galatians 5:13b

If you are having a great day, you owe it to others to pass that blessing you have by helping others to have a great day too. If you are having a bad day, allow someone to have a great day by allowing them to help you. If you are having a horrible day, help someone and at least you allow someone else to have a better day which brings value to your day that you may think is not valuable ... but it will now be valuable.

Lord, thank You for the opportunity to serve others, whether I am in the position to do so or whether I choose to be in the position to do so.

what Matters Most!

10/3/2024

“…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

An incredibly long and complex story made extremely simplistic and short: When I coached high school, I had an athlete who passed away suddenly from a heart attack. At his memorial service, there were over 500 high school students in attendance (he was arguably the most popular kid in school). He was known for many things but one remembrance that was echoed during his life and after his death was that during lunch, when high school kids sat at tables with their "friend group", he would do two things: he would go sit with the "awkward" or "lonely" or "outcast" kids and eat lunch with them and then he would go outside to a quiet corner of the campus and read his Bible. Some people live short lives but meaningful lives.

Lord, help me to realize what matters most and then act on it.

I Was Wrong and I am Sorry!

10/1/2024

“The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

We all make mistakes. We all do things that we regret. We all fail. We all find it tough to admit any of those things and especially, the ones that bring us the most shame and guilt, but also the one that we don't possibly recognize. Most difficult of all is to admit those things to others.

Lord, please forgive me for what I do and don't do that I should do or not do and give me the strength to recognize and admit them to others and to You!