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So many people are trying to discover God's will for their lives. Many question or wonder if they are missing what God has for them. My purpose for writing this is to try to offer some help for those who are looking for answers as to the direction for their lives. Here are a few key things to consider. These should be considered collectively as opposed to concentrating on one point as proof that God is or is not leading you to do something.
In recent months, steroid use in sports has drawn national attention from President Bush, Congress, league presidents and players’ unions. Major League Baseball has been on the hot seat with allegations of steroid abuse by former player Jose Canseco and by testimonies from current superstars admitting the same.
As Jason Wright and Matt Stinchcomb fielded questions from Kevin Burrell, Atlanta FCA area representative, they tried to imagine what message their hearts would need to receive if they were the high school athletes who ultimately would view the DVD Burrell was recording.
They tried to imagine being 17 years old. They tried to imagine worrying about what others were thinking and the paralysis that develops when your identity is lost.
Tynesha Lewis of the Charlotte Sting has been blessed. Not only is she gifted with an amazing athletic talent that she continues to use for God’s glory, but she’s also been forgiven. Now in her fifth season in the WNBA, Lewis has experienced the world’s temptations and received God’s redemptive grace along the way, through it all, learning the benefits of complete honesty.
Every great moment in sports has its own soundtrack — a song that fuels the emotion of the moment. Would movie goers be half as moved if they watched Rocky Balboa train for a fight without hearing “Eye of the Tiger”? Imagine any college team taking the field without the band playing the school’s fight song. As an athlete, have you ever tried to prepare mentally for the game without using music? Would fans come to the games if they had to sit in silence?
Steroid use has in many ways cast a shadow over the entire world of sports. Many fans have been left wondering whether or not anybody in big-time athletics is clean. At this stage of the game with penalties for positive drug tests escalating, an athlete would be a fool to take a chance with steroids. But the quest for glory still lures some into a reputation-destroying mistake.
What most parents are finding out is that 70% of kids are dropping out of sports by the age of 13, and do you know why? According to Sports Illustrated it’s because the adults who are involved, particularly their own parents, have turned the playing of games into a joyless, negative experience. Shame on us! The things that I learned about life after age 13 by playing sports is extremely invaluable.
According to Sports Illustrated, 70% of kids drop out of sports by the age of 13. Why? Because adults, particularly parents, have turned games into negative experiences through their behavior, criticism and constant pressure.
FCA area rep Bill Stutz has held many roles in the sporting world. He’s been a player, a coach and an official. Now, as a sports parent, Stutz is doing what he can to reverse this trend. Prior to taking his current position with FCA, Stutz founded the organization Enjoy the Game® — an educational program designed to restore civility back to the sports environment.
The Boston Red Sox shocked the world last fall with their first World Series victory in 86 years. As the competition for this year’s championship heats up, and the Sox prepare to make a run at another title, STV is giving you a look inside through the eyes of outfielder Trot Nixon.
In last month’s article we opened up a discussion about the safety of over-the-counter (OTC) supplements. This month we will focus on one of the most popular and high-profile supplements: creatine.
The use of creatine by athletes at the professional and amateur levels has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. Sales of creatine products have grown from $30 million in 1995 to nearly $500 million in 2005.
The law of the land is clear that you must have a separation of church and state,” said one Florida county school board member in a recent interview with Boca Raton News. “Any religion should be practiced in homes or places of worship, not in public schools.”
With FCA so widely accepted on high school and middle school campuses, why would a school official, or any other American, feel this way? Perhaps personal opinion and perception do not always reflect reality...
As a kid, Allison Lambert used to hang out near the fields where her dad served as chaplain to the University of Texas football team. She observed how hard work and passion led to fulfilled dreams. But it was during her own climb to Division I volleyball that she experienced for herself the reward of perseverance.
Allison, a 6-1 senior from Austin, Texas, plays right side for the University of North Carolina-Asheville.
Walking through the halls of the Auburn football office, you can almost feel it. there’s something different about this athletic complex — something bigger than just sports.
Make no mistake about it, these Tigers have the same on-the-field mission as every other football team in the country. They want to win. But unlike most other teams, their definition of a “win” isn’t restricted to a scoreboard.
Our culture is consumed with how much people weigh. In fact, the topic of losing weight shows up on magazine covers, newspaper articles and even in network television shows such as "The Biggest Loser." It’s amazing just how much power the number on the scale has to ruin a day!
When Todd Abernethy first got the phone call from Rod Barnes, head basketball coach at the University of Mississippi, neither he nor the coach knew just how much God’s hand was at work. Abernethy didn’t know that as the head coach had searched for a point guard who could guide his team with maturity and integrity, that the Lord had given Barnes his name.
When Keisha and Kara Cornelius were growing up in the dusty West Texas town of Denver City, all Kara wanted was to be with the sister who was four years her senior.
For many years, Keisha didn’t understand the depth of Kara’s desire. She’d go out to ride her bicycle with her friends, and Kara — who still hadn’t learned how to ride — would run as fast as her feet could propel her in a futile bid to catch up.
At a typical San Diego Chargers practice or game, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron does a lot of pointing.
“That’s what we do as coaches,” Cameron joked. “We point.” And as cliché as it may sound, it remains true that the 20-year coaching veteran does more than just point out the plays he wants the reigning AFC-West Champion Chargers to run on the field. He also points his athletes to Jesus Christ through his life, which has been transformed since the day Cameron accepted Christ at an FCA Camp when he was 13.
There is a general rule in coaching circles that states, "There are two kinds of coaches in the world: those who have been fired, and those who will be fired."
If you are a coach, are related to a coach or simply know a coach, this article is for you. Coaching isn't easy, and sooner or later, if the rule rings true, you're going to have to face an uncertain professional future. In order to help you handle this situation, we asked several coaches to share some tips they picked up from their own unemployment experiences. Let their words help you or someone you know find God in the middle of one of life's most difficult situations.
To hear Texas A&M University basketball coach Billy Gillispie talk about Chris Walker's natural talent, you'd probably think the senior was a benchwarmer, not a guy who started 23 games last season. But to hear Gillispie gush, in the same sentence, about the "intangibles" that Walker brings to the Aggies, you'd think he was a sure-fire NBA lottery pick.
How many times have you watched a basketball player stand poised at the free-throw line in acute concentration and take a moment to trace a cross over his chest? How often have you seen a baseball player knock the ball out of the park and, during his victory lap around the bases, point his index finger to the heavens in gratitude? How often have you heard national champions thank God during press conferences?
The clock hits "0," and the blare of the buzzer fills the already noisy arena. The joy on the victors' faces is evident from even the highest balcony as tears of happiness, relief and exhaustion stream down their faces. The roar of the crowd is deafening as streamers fall and cameras flash in every fan's attempt to capture the winning moment-one that will forever be imprinted on the minds and hearts of the newly crowned champions.
Remember those things that we were so committed to doing at the start of 2006? You know, those resolutions? Some of us may have resolved to read the Bible more or to pray every day while others may have made commitments to get in shape or to lose weight. Whatever our New Year’s resolutions, chances are good that by now we’ve already broken or forgotten them altogether. So with all these good intentions, why is it always so difficult to actually do what we say we are going to do? With respect to our health, most of us have heard and know what we need to do to get in shape. But hearing, knowing and doing are very different things!
Kevin “Chappy” Hynes, Jill Perry, Scott Shepherd and Ray Lawrence share an office in Athens, Georgia. One of the most visibly enticing elements is a large dry erase board, topped with this question: SITUATION ANALYSIS — WHAT ARE WE DOING WELL? Below that are the answers: variety, weekly meetings, discipleship with leaders, buddy relationships, trips, Bible study. And below that, another question: WHERE CAN WE IMPROVE? And the answers: discipleship with others, team interaction, feature teams, worship team, coaches.
Steve “Chappy” Hudson has been committed to full-time ministry since he was 23. After attending seminary, he joined the ministry team of a church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Six years later, he felt the tugging of the Holy Spirit to step out of the church setting to reach the “unequipped.” And what better place than at Charlotte Motor Speedway?
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