You Are Here > Popular content / Popular content
They call him a king, yet he is only 19. They say he is the lord of his court, yet he failed to conquer all his foes. They say he will rule over all one day, but I seriously doubt it. Who is this king? King James — LeBron James, that is. Many have labeled him the next Jordan, the next Magic, the next hero of the league. But even though he is very good, LeBron James is NO king. He is one man, not THE man!
I was watching an interview on ESPNews with Barry Bonds. The topic was steroids. Bonds' personal trainer was one of four men recently charged in a steroid-distribution ring that allegedly supplied dozens of professional athletes with banned substances.
Athletes at all levels these days are doing all they can to get the edge. Nutritional supplements — some legal and healthy, others not — are widely used to give athletes an extra boost, better workouts and faster strength gain. I was thinking, what are the supplements of our spiritual lives? What does the spiritual steroid (without the negative connotation) look like? How do we get a boost?
I love ESPN’s Top 10 Plays of the Day. There’s something about sports highlights that makes me want to lace up the shoes and put on the jersey again! Even though ESPN’s is my favorite Top 10 list, there are many others out there. Certainly, David Letterman made it famous with his comical late-night list. But did you know that God created the original Top 10 list a long time ago? It’s called the Ten Commandments.
Each year, FCA recognizes servant-leaders who have faithfully served Christ through FCA by inducting a select few into the ministry's Hall of Champions. This year's class is as outstanding as ever.
Recently, I made a pretty significant change in my life. After working for the same company for more than 11 years, I changed jobs. It was a really hard decision—one I agonized over for weeks. I wasn’t unhappy in my job, and I worked for and with some amazing people. I hadn’t even thought about leaving, but another opportunity came along and I really started thinking about possibly making a change. The old line “It’s not you; it’s me” was really true in this case.
But I realized that I’d become comfortable. Too comfortable. And not just in my job. I was too comfortable in my prayer life, in my faith walk, and in my daily Scripture study. I wasn’t challenging myself to have a deeper, closer relationship with Christ.
As the Competitor’s Creed states, your desire as an athlete is to “compete for the pleasure of [your] Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.” That is truly competing with a spiritual focus, not a physical focus.
This year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver promise to be truly exciting and inspiring. Nations will both unite and collide as they
compete for medals, honor and their countries. Some athletes, however, will be competing for a higher purpose: the glory of the Lord. Take some time to get to know eight of them here, then cheer them on and pray them up when the Games begin!
Many discussions about this year’s men’s Final Four have been filled with a number of main storylines: VCU and their improbable run, Butler’s incredible two-year dominance, UConn’s amazing post-season string, and Kentucky’s resilience. As story after story emerges about each team and their journey, members of each squad are discussing their season’s defining moments.
If you gave him just 30 minutes to share his vision for the Denver FCA urban ministry, you’d be captivated. And at the end of those 30 minutes — if he could speak fast enough to squeeze in his passion and strategy — you might sink slowly back into your chair, exhausted at the thought of what God has called him to do, yet energized to see his vision come to fruition.
To Rick Parros, white and black are just the colors he sees when he opens his morning newspaper. And race is just something sprinters do when they speed to the finish line.
Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Every athlete and coach has heard and probably used this phrase. But that doesn’t change the fact that a productive offense generally overshadows defensive success. Both fans and media tend to focus on one thing: points scored. But after the Carolina Hurricanes’ final rally in game seven of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, no one could deny the defensive presence. After all, it was the perseverance and calm leadership of blueliner Glen Wesley that helped clinch the win and allowed him to finally raise the Stanley Cup – something he’d waited 18 years to do.
North Carolina head women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchel, Kansas State head women’s basketball coach Deb Patterson, Vice President for FCA Sports Sean McNamara & FCA President Les Steckel
Organizational Staff/Geographical Structure
FCA is the largest sports ministry in the world. FCA’s ministry growth over the years has produced the need for an effective organizational structure. This structure includes local ministry supported by local staff, which is supported by a regional and national FCA ministry organization. When you are a part of FCA, remember that you are not alone. You are part of a large, organized team developed to support what God has called you to do!
We have all coached them – the players who push us to the limit. Those players who drive you crazy (bless their hearts) as a coach because they either don't listen or don't do what you have asked them to do countless times. Just when you think you are about to pull out your last hair, a ray of light beams down, and something changes. Slowly, but surely, they start to change and conform to your coaching. Next thing you know, they get it. They actually get it. Sound familiar? Well, I know someone who has coached more people than any of us, and who deals with that exact situation on a daily basis.
One of the most exciting times for an athlete is when their team gets new gear to wear — a new uniform, team sweats, team shoes or pre-game warm-up outfit. In new gear, the step seems quicker, the jumps a little higher. For some reason, it makes you feel better as an athlete. I remember those days as a player, and even when I ordered new things as a coach it was always fun. Outerwear, however, does not make the player different. It is what is on the inside that counts.
Over the past few years, the technology for swim gear has improved drastically. During the Olympics in the 70s, the average male swimmer probably had swim trunks bought from a local department store, and he didn’t bother wearing a swim cap or shaving. Today, we have technology that makes swimsuits resemble shark skin for less resistance, which shaves the important hundredths of seconds off one’s time.
Satisfaction would seem to be one of the most elusive commodities on the planet. In the world of sport it is not uncommon for a sideline reporter in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl to ask a player or coach for his thoughts and to hear, “We’re going to win it again next year!” The game isn’t even over yet, but the player is already thinking of next year.
Sadly, this is often due to the inability of the highly achieving to simply be satisfied with their achievements. There is the constant push for more, bigger, greater and higher.
Our defeats are seldom instantaneous. In reality, most of them have been long in the making. And, unfortunately, we often supply the means for our own self-ruin.
There is an old fable about an eagle and an arrow that concludes with the magnificent creature being shot down by a hunter. It is with great pain that the eagle realizes the arrow was made with one of its own feathers. It had essentially brought about its own death.
Across from the headquarters of FCA, atop a hill, is a tall communications tower. In the almost three years that I’ve worked here, I’ve glanced at this tower hundreds of times and never given it a second look. But yesterday morning I caught myself daydreaming. It was in this daydream that God taught me a beautiful lesson--one He’s been teaching me over and over again for the last several weeks.
At the top of this tower is a flashing light. It guides air traffic and prevents aircrafts from flying into it. No matter the time, day or season, this light continues to flash, and communication continues to be broadcast.
Ministry
Sport
Book of the Bible
FCA Bible Topic
