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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Grand Island, N.Y., is a small community where everyone knows each other. It’s on an island between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and it’s where I grew up. My parents still live in New York and my dad, Cal, actually serves as FCA’s state director, and my mom, Sherrie, is his administrative assistant.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” – Ephesians 6:10 (NIV)
This season hasn’t exactly turned out the way Iowa State volleyball player Rachel Hockaday planned. As a junior outside hitter, Hockaday was set to be a key component in the Cyclones’ success but suffered a season-ending knee injury just 12 points into the first match of the year. As STV’s November “Heart of an Athlete,” Hockaday had fielded our interview before the season, but, after the circumstances changed, she was kind enough to give us a few more minutes on the phone and tell us how the Lord has worked through this new challenge.
"However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.’” – 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
After wrapping up her college volleyball career at Michigan State University, Jen Jones assumed coaching would be a natural career choice. Instead, she followed God’s leading into the weight room and up to the training table. Now an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Texas A&M, Jones is focused on building athletes who are strong in both body and spirit.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Almost every credible source links the foods we eat to our moods, our ability to focus, our energy levels, and our athletic and academic performance. It even affects how we think, which, in turn, affects almost every area of life from our relationship with God to our ability to perform under pressure and overcome challenges.
“Love.” What a commonly used word with so many meanings. It can express how we feel about almost anything. We love our jobs, our hobbies, our favorite foods, our colleges. We love our friends, our family and our significant others. Personally, I didn’t understand the real meaning of love until a few years ago. That was when I first experienced the redeeming love of my heavenly Father and learned what it truly was by His ultimate definition.
Every legitimate college football team has one. A field general who knows no fear. A signal-caller with ice in his veins. Simply stated, a quarterback who can both lead the team to victory and pick them up in defeat.
It was the first FCA meeting of my freshman year. A couple of weeks had gone by since the beginning of school, and I had yet to find a group—not a good way to start off high school. I felt left out. I felt like an outcast. For years, people targeted me as the brunt of all the jokes, whether because of my size or my lack of athleticism. But that night... That night changed me for the better.
These days, it’s the rare athlete who plays his entire career with the same organization. Trades and free agency offer players unlimited opportunities to reshuffle the deck in search of better situations. But for Mike Fisher—the 1998 second-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators and a Peterborough, Ontario, native—the chance to skate for what equates to his hometown team has brought blessings unmatched by any contract offer.
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