Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.

The appetite of laborers works for them;
their hunger drives them on.

Today's selection is two separate verses (18 & 26) that work together and reminded me of one of the great moment in Houston sports History. The Rockets second Championship season. After Rudy's squad won an unlikely 2nd championship in a row Rudy gave an amazing speech (you can read it here) that ended like this.

"While our opponents were talking trash and guaranteeing that we would loose, when we had the upper hand, we did it the right way. We stayed HUMBLE and HUNGRY."

Rudy could have been reading straight from Proverbs 16. The warnings against pride and for hard work in the Proverbs are numerous. Life experience and much observation have proved to me that hard work + humility does result in success. It has the added bonus of earning you respect and friendship along the way. What else could you ask for but to have worked hard, had some success and made deep friendships along the way?

Enjoy the Rockets second championship, including Hakeem Olajuwon hitting a three at the end of the game to sweep the Orlando Magic in four games.