Standing just below Jesus at the base of the mountainside were the 12 whom He had called. And so He beckoned to Him those He wanted, and they came. He appointed these 12, designating them apostles, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach the gospel to the nations.

Two thousand years later, it’s because of these appointed 12 that billions of people know about Jesus Christ. Based on that model of discipleship and multiplication, FCA’s Coaches Ministry established its model of ministry and thus created the FCA Coaches Ministry Director (CMD) School.

It would be hard for any Average Joe to keep his legs from collapsing after enduring 26.2 miles of leg-pounding, foot-smacking pavement. For elite runners, however, this is nothing extraordinary. They run long, and they run hard in order to win — either for the personal gratification of finishing the race or for bragging rights in their sport.

But, like any stereotype, there are exceptions — like the one in this story. It is the story of one elite runner who, win or lose, pounds those 26.2 miles to give the glory to someone else. That 5-2, slender figure who runs like a cheetah on the hunt is Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba, a.k.a. Catherine the Great.

Just showing up is the most important thing you can do to succeed!

It all started in the fall of 2000 when Todd Knutson began to settle into his new role as an FCA area representative in Sioux Falls, S.D. Like most new staff, Knutson sought means to raise funds for his ministry through the usual support letters and individual visits. But he knew there had to be another way.

One Sunday afternoon he attended an open house where he picked up the brochure of Dan Lemme, owner of C-Lemme Custom Homes, LLC. What he read surprised him.

Cat Osterman had Callista Balko’s number: nine to be exact. Balko had been 0-9 in her previous career at-bats — nine straight Ks — when facing Texas’ three time national softball player of the year.

“She threw my weakness — a drop ball,” said Balko, a junior at the University of Arizona. “I was trying to adjust anything to hit off that girl. I don’t think I even fouled off a pitch during those nine at bats. It was a frustrating time.”

Sometimes, Terina Dutton still can’t believe the thing is actually sitting in the garage. But there it is, day after day, taking up space … a lot of space. And more often than not, it’s plugged into the wall, chugging electrical currents like a parched distance runner does water, just so it can function.

With a white exterior, red interior, convertible top and boatish length, John Dutton’s 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille is quite a sight to behold. But the best part about it is its alleged history.

Standing tall at 6’ 7”, Adam Wainwright is an intimidating figure — something that certainly plays to his advantage as a Major League pitcher. But get him talking about his daughter, and you’d never know that the 25-year-old makes a living paralyzing big-league sluggers with his breaking curveball. In fact, when talking about little Baylie Grace, Wainwright barely resembles the man who struck out Detroit’s Brandon Inge for the final out of the 2006 World Series, giving the St. Louis Cardinals their first World Championship since 1982.

Take a look at virtually every magazine cover, and you will find the phrase “Boost your metabolism!” Having a slow metabolism is an often-used excuse when we describe our struggles to lose weight. The truth is that we all have a different rate at which we burn calories, but we also have a variety of solutions to the “slow metabolism syndrome.”

It was the winter of 2003. Outside the temperature was cold, but Dr. Steve Lucey’s spirit felt even colder. He was at a loss. Sitting in his Greensboro, N.C., home, he believed God had anointed him to use his sports medicine training on the national level, and he could no longer ignore the burden within. It had consumed him for too long, and now he was certain of its meaning: there was something more that God wanted him to accomplish.

Champ Bailey didn’t see it coming. Nobody did — except maybe Ken Watson. “Where is Benjamin?” Ken asked his wife as the two-inch Bailey sprinted across their television screen and down the length of INVESCO Field. It was the third quarter of the 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos; Bailey had just picked off New England quarterback Tom Brady’s pass in the end zone — a throw meant for Troy Brown — and he was now sprinting the 100 yards toward the Pats’ end zone. “I know he’s going to be there!”

If your strength isn’t functional - what good is it?