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“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
The Olympic Games are so inspiring to me. There’s something incredible about the Olympic Spirit—the athletes’ internal quest for greatness and their desire to push themselves—body, mind and soul—to the limit.
“Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21
Playing professional baseball was always a dream of mine. As a kid growing up in Lafayette, Ind., I’d roll my socks up into baseballs and throw them into the couch cushions, imagining I was striking out batters in the bottom of the ninth inning during Game 7 of the World Series.
Whether gliding gracefully across the cavernous outfield of PNC Park or sprinting between bases to avoid a sweeping tag, Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen’s game is predicated upon his ability to move quickly from one place to another.
As one of just three coaches in Division I history to guide three different schools to the College World Series—including one national championship—University of Arizona baseball coach Andy Lopez is considered among the game’s all-time elite. But past accomplishments aren’t what drive this veteran coach. Rather, it’s the God-given responsibility he feels to teach values and life lessons to his players.
As a young girl, William and Mary lacrosse player Stephanie Steinweg looked up to female athletes. She loved watching them on the field and tried to learn what she could through observing their skills. Years later, the senior midfielder is returning the favor from the opposite end, inspiring young girls—specifically at FCA Camp—to give all they have on the field, not for their glory, but for God’s.
In the 1970s, Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt created a game called tchoukball (pronounced “chook-ball”)—a teamwork-heavy mashup of more well-known sports, including volleyball, jai alai and handball. The goal was to allow players of all ages and walks of life to experience the thrill of competition without the aggressiveness and violence that commonly permeates athletic events.
Four decades later, tchoukball has increased so much in popularity that it now boasts junior, women’s and men’s world championships at the international level. And today, it is helping a passionate group of FCA International missionaries and partners in the Philippines reach athletes and coaches for Christ and share a love that transcends creed, culture and competition.
In the 1970s, Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt created a game called tchoukball (pronounced “chook-ball”)—a teamwork-heavy mashup of more well-known sports, including volleyball, jai alai and handball. The goal was to allow players of all ages and walks of life to experience the thrill of competition without the aggressiveness and violence that commonly permeates athletic events.
Four decades later, tchoukball has increased so much in popularity that it now boasts junior, women’s and men’s world championships at the international level. And today, it is helping a passionate group of FCA International missionaries and partners in the Philippines reach athletes and coaches for Christ and share a love that transcends creed, culture and competition.
Cancer is a powerful enemy, and I believe God calls us to be aggressive as we fight it–both in prayer and action. At one moment we are called to trust and surrender, and in the next to take up arms and fight. That’s what it means to be aggressive: daily doing battle in the heavenly realms, prayerfully asking God to move and do what only He can do. During our fight, we need God to do surgery inside us at the heart and soul level. We need Him to change our internal environment, both spiritually and physically.
My faith story begins like many others with my parents taking our family to church when we were kids. As I got involved at our church, youth group and FCA, my faith began to take root. I attended my first FCA Camp in eighth grade and went every summer through my senior year in high school. FCA perfectly blended my faith and my love for sports. I’d started playing golf when I was just 3 years old and had continued to play it, along with other sports, throughout high school.
To trace Zeller Mania back to its origins, you have to start with pigs—lots of pigs. And some cows, beans and corn. You have to travel deeper into the heartland, where the skyscrapers and asphalt jungles of America fade away into swaying fields of green and golden-brown. You have to go to Springville, Iowa (pop. 1,074). That’s where Steve and Lorri, the Zeller brothers’ parents, grew up.
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