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In 2005 Francie Ekwerekwu was a three-sport star at Arlington High School in Texas. She was a homegrown talent with a passion for track and some All-District hardware that displayed her volleyball and basketball skills as well. It took much prayerful consideration, but the 5'11" honor student decided to accept a volleyball scholarship to the University of Oklahoma—the equivalent of a Montague turning Capulet.
Why? According to Ekwerekwu, the reason was simple.
This summer, FCA partnered with Korean Central Presbyterian Church and Global Christian School in Seoul to host a first-ever sports camp in South Korea. Our host, Jacob Hong, whom I’d met when we were both living in Northern Virginia, had been talking with me, praying and planning, for nine months to see FCA come to South Korea. And on July 24 that prayer materialized as an FCA team of 21 people crossed the Pacific to serve 175 South Korean campers through language, sports and spiritual education.
There comes a time in a man’s life when he must decide about spiritual matters—what to believe and who to follow. For Kyle Korver, that decision came in the shower.
While the scene wasn’t exactly Hitchcockian in nature, it did produce some dramatic results. There, in the bathroom of his Philadelphia apartment five years ago, Korver wrestled with deep, longstanding spiritual questions. He realized that his family’s strong heritage of faith did not pass on to him simply by bloodlines. He realized he had been treating Christianity like a faucet, turning it on or off as needed.
It was a long shower.
With a good lead off of second base, Texas A&M outfielder Sharonda McDonald sprinted to third after teammate Jana James knocked a single through the infield. But knowing her own ability to get from third to home in a mere 2.4 seconds, McDonald wasn’t stopping. Realizing the throw would cut it close, she slid cleats-first into home and scored the first run of the Aggies’ game against the Missouri Tigers.
As the dust settled, however, McDonald knew something was wrong.
Native Americans, after inventing lacrosse centuries ago, called it “the medicine game.” They said it was a supernatural gift, possessing the power to bond and heal communities.
“People from the tribe hoped if they played hard enough and the ‘Creator’ was pleased with the game, he would take energy from those who played and transfer it to someone sick in the tribe,” said Christian Zwickert, the fifth-year men’s lacrosse coach at Wesley College, a small United Methodist school in Dover, Del.
In sports, there exist two liars of the highest order. They lie to competitors of every level from novices to high achievers, the obscure to the famous. These liars are fluent in every language and are skilled in deceiving without awakening the conscience. They both whisper and shout with equal effectiveness, and they never tire, take a day off, or worry about being caught.
"Everybody drinks. Just have a beer and stop being a baby."
"Come on, it's only pot. It's not a big deal."
"Just take these. I know they're steroids, but nobody will know you're taking them, and you'll be amazed how much better your game will be."
The message is the same in schools around the country. Insert the area's biggest drug-related problem, and you'll hear the same thing: "Everyone is doing it, and they're turning out just fine."
Welcome back to the real world, kid. It’s a far cry from the experience you just had, feeling so close to God and all. But now, you need to start thinking about — check that — start worrying about “more important” things.
So, you served as a Huddle Leader at FCA Camp this summer. You had an amazing, life-changing experience, didn’t you? You spent your days soaking up God’s Word, pouring into your campers, competing for Christ and building meaningful relationships.
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