If God’s will is a highway, Russ Ortiz doesn’t want to spend anymore time on the side roads.

After tearing through his first seven seasons in the majors with outstanding numbers, Ortiz found himself in unfamiliar territory in 2005. Not only did he make his first trip to the disabled list with a stress fracture in his ribs, he also experienced his first losing season at the major-league level. As a result, Ortiz, who came to Christ at an FCA Huddle meeting at the University of Oklahoma, found himself struggling with new challenges and frustrations. And what he learned was that God’s way is always better than man’s way.

Preparation is one of the most important aspects of our spiritual lives. In fact, knowing how you will respond when faced with various situations or temptations will often determine your ability to stand firm in your faith.

Preparation is also one of the most important aspects of training for competition on the athletic field. The quality of our nutrition before practice or training can have a profound effect on our ability to get the most out of our workouts and get ready for competition.

For many years and generations, our society has been losing a most valuable ingredient: our men. Why do we see so many insurmountable problems? Why do we see so many perversions come to be accepted as “normal” and “natural”? I believe that most men don’t know what it means to be godly men and fathers. And women long to be women, but when men run away from their responsibilities women are left confused, as well. We must reach a place of brokenness before God to find our true identities.

When it comes to your health, how committed are you?