You Are Here > Popular content / Popular content
Popular content
Living the Dream
Orioles Second-base man Brian Roberts talks about priorities, decision making, and keeping God the center of your life.
Hard Fighting Soldier
As a hardened 19-year-old, FCA’s Chette Williams found hitting rock bottom a shattering experience. After previously committing himself to three goals — get a college degree, play football and make Mama proud — being told by the Auburn football coach, “You’re a problem ... It’s time for you to move on,” left Williams seemingly with nothing left to live for. With nowhere else to turn, Williams opened his Bible.
Now, 23 years after he last suited up for the Tigers, Williams is serving as chaplain of the Auburn football team while working as both the school’s FCA campus director and the state of Alabama’s director for urban ministries.
Heart of an Athlete: Devon Kennard
As a junior at the University of Southern California, Devon Kennard is familiar with the difficulties that come with being a collegiate student-athlete—both common (position changes and injuries) and unique (coaching changes and university-related NCAA sanctions). But for this starting defensive end, who is in full pursuit of Christ, the challenges have only deepened his faith and fueled his passion to lead his teammates and USC fans closer to the Lord.
Water Boy
In the heat of the day, after a drill or competition, athletes crave water. Suddenly the person in demand is the water boy/girl. Being the water boy is not a well-recognized position, but we sure are thankful for their presence.The water boy, managers, or trainers bring relief and refreshment. The thirst of the athlete is quenched and they are able to continue. Without that water, the player’s performance would be weakened.
We are also spiritually thirsty. I’ve noticed a change in people’s attitude toward God, a lack of moral behavior, and a rise in materialism. A lack of love, bad moral choices, and the absence of parental involvement may be part of the problem; but what I believe we need is the nourishment of God’s Spirit.
Got Wisdom?
I once read about a basketball coach who told a player who received four Fs and one D on his report card, “Son, looks like you’re spending too much time on one subject.” That kind of wisdom is trouble. Too often wisdom is considered to be just “smarts,” but it is much more than that. Knowledge is knowing, but wisdom is knowing when to use it.
House Cleaning
Clutter chokes out energy, creativity, and our ability to get things done! No big deal!
Raising the Bar
One of my favorite Olympic events is the high jump. It is quite simply a thing of beauty to see the competitors in this event propel their bodies over a bar suspended almost eight feet in the air. It seems so effortless. The goal of each jumper is to jump the highest that they can while obtaining a minimal amount of failures.
True Glory
Have you ever been on a team that has won it all? Winning a championship title is truly a position of glory. Really it is the only position of true glory in sports because you received the highest honor possible! No other team could make that claim.
Now, while we are on the earth, we can get a position of glory if we give our lives to Jesus Christ by receiving Him as Savior and Lord. God restores us when we give our sins to Him. God establishes us when we willingly say, “Here I am Lord...use me.” God strengthens us when we come to Him and ask Him for His care. God supports us when we face our enemies or problems.
Mutual Respect
Wisdom for a Young Head Coach
Week 10
I Timothy 5:1-16
Read the text aloud.
Discussion Questions:
The Yes-Face
When President Thomas Jefferson was traveling with companions across the country on horseback in the early 1800’s, he approached a large river that needed to be carefully crossed. A stranger appeared and wondered how he was going to get across. He looked at the President and asked if he could get a ride across the river. Thomas Jefferson said, “Sure, hop on!” As the stranger slid off the horse on the other side, one of the companions questioned why he asked the President for a ride. The stranger replied, “I didn’t know he was the President. All I know is that his face said yes, and all your faces said no!”
Humility
Discussion:
- About which of your sport accomplishments are you normally too humble to openly speak?
- Why is it important for you to maintain such humility?
- Who are some players you’ve known who showed real humility?
- Let’s look for evidence of humility in this story. Let’s read Mark 1:6-11.
- What are some indicators of humility in John the Baptist from this passage?
- Why do you think John acts and speaks so humbly?
- How similar is your expression of humility to John’s?
- What are some ways that we can express true humility in the world of sport?
Summary:
Home Stretch: Swin Cash
I grew up in McKeesport, Pa., which is a town of about 24,000 right outside of Pittsburgh. It was a quiet place for my mom and stepdad to raise our family, which consisted of me, my two younger siblings and my older cousin, who became my older brother after my parents adopted him.
An Offering
It was a long day, my schedule was out of whack, and the time I put aside to train was messed up. If that wasn’t enough, the aches and pains from summer workouts were wearing me down. Then the clouds rolled in and rain began to fall. I decided to make up my workout another day.
I sat and read a devotion book. The author told of struggling one day to keep his focus on the task set before him. He tried several things to get his mind on track, but nothing worked. Then he remembered John 10:10: “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy.” Was Satan keeping him from doing what God had planned for him?
#42 - StVRP - Tony Dungy, Kyle Rote Jr., Carey and Marcellus Casey
Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, Carey and Marcellus Casey, Kyle Rote, Jr., FCA President Les Steckel
His Goal - "It's About Serving!"
Day 2
God’s goals for me as a competitor are to play to honor Him and to live to honor Him. I am to bring Him joy in all I do – on and off the field of competition. That is the challenge.
Warm-Up
What do you need to do in order to become the best athlete you can be? What specific goals would you need to set in order to achieve this? In order to play at your best, you need to set goals in areas of your life other than sports. List some goals in the following areas of your life: athletics, academics, and spirituality.
Workout
Opportunity and Opposition - Chapel
- The opportunity is that we, a strong, developing, ambitious team get to compete against another strong, developing, ambitious team. This makes for a great match up.
Sharing Your Faith
Tracking the Training
Many athletes, myself included, keep a journal or log of their workouts. This allows us to set goals and track our times, distances, results, resting heart rate, etc. From this journal, we can see how we’re progressing (or not) and adjust accordingly. It is a valuable tool for training, race preparation, or other goals we’re trying to achieve.
Heart of an Athlete: Maggie Krick
Chosen Attribute: Joy
Dictionary definition: “The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.”
My definition: “To be genuinely content from the inside out.”
Use Your Gift
Identity Crisis
Identity. We all search for it. We all find it — whether we know it or not. And how we choose to define ourselves can and will determine the quality of our lives. If the foundation of our identity is unstable, we will live unstable lives. If, however, our identity is rooted in something constant and unshakable, we will find ourselves the same.
Should Have Listened
“It’s OK. They won’t hurt you.”
“It will make you better, bigger, stronger.”
“Don’t worry, no one will ever know...”
These are some of the phrases that student-athletes hear when they are encouraged to take steroids. The pursuit of greatness is so powerful today that many athletes—young athletes—are doing things that put their lives in jeopardy. I am sure that there are two voices they are hearing, but there is only one that they should be listening to.
Fuel Up
During the 2008 Olympics, NBC aired a special segment on the diet of record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps. It was incredible! They said that he tries to eat 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day. That is as much as I eat in five days. But when Phelps is in heavy training and competition, his body needs all the fuel it can get.
Allow me to make a quick analogy. As Christians, we’re in a daily spiritual battle, facing tough temptations, situations, interactions, and decisions. It’s our own version of competition, yet there’s a lot more at stake than a sporting event. The eternity of souls is up for grabs, and God has called us to compete for them.
Hold the Line!
Every football player knows the value of a good offensive line. There’s a mild disgust when a defensive back finds a hole and the play is over before the offense could produce something. That’s where it all starts—or ends. There’s something formed in the hearts of men/women when they stand shoulder to shoulder with their teammates; and the strength as a unit is greater than the sum of the parts. There’s a bond formed and a confidence forged deep in the soul.
Newest Alls
Most Popular Alls
Featured Resources
-
Video
-
Promotional -
Bible Study -
Wallpaper
Browse By
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic